Invested in the Infested

Zaida ran away, but not to the infirmary. She did not know where to go. Her first instinct would have been to run to her bunk in the barracks, but any place affiliated with Knightly Order of Dyna was a dangerous one. Minions of the Demon Lord had infiltrated the town all the way to the highest echelons of its protecting body. This was bad. This was very bad.

How long had this been happening? The Order of Dyna was not exactly new in Merridian, but Zaida was certain she had never heard anything about efforts to take the town from the inside; not like this, anyway. What did they have planned? It seemed as though only some of the knights were camouflaged demons, but they held the role of the order's leader. Was the Demon Lord hoping to populate the order with more of their servants before making a move? Zaida could only guess as to how close their scheme was to consummation.

But what am I supposed to do about it? she wondered desperately. The most obvious choice was to report Dyna and her co-conspirators, but that was a double edged sword. If the humans learned they had one demon in their midst, they would search for others; as they would be wise to. How long then until Zaida was exposed herself?

Perhaps she could kill them off, one by one until the order was purged. No, that was folly. She was no assassin, and the moment the demons caught on that they were being picked off, they would either go into hiding, or worse, set their plan in motion that much sooner.

Zaida stopped running, falling against a nearby building and sliding down to her seat. She cradled her head in her hands. What do I do? I can't fight the demons, I can't expose them. I can't run away; who knows if I'll make it through that barrier a second time? Either the humans kill or imprison me, or the Demon Lord kills or imprisons me.

"Hey, there she is."

Zaida looked up, Tivra and Edie had come running down the street and broke from the foot traffic when they spied her sulking on the side. They moved toward her and Zaida flinched from them.

"Whoa, what's the matter?" Tivra saw that she was troubled. "Is somebody having a bad trip?"

Zaida jumped to her feet and looked between the two women. She looked like she was expecting a fight, but they could see the cogs turning in her head. Without warning, she lunged forward, taking a hold of one arm from each woman, and taking a long whiff of them both.

"I sure hope this is a trip," Edie said uncomfortably. "Because I think the alternative is that she's gone feral."

Whatever Zaida smelled, it must have satisfied her because she released her grip on them and backed away, looking calmer than she had before.

"Are we going to get an explanation, or have you lost control of your tongue until whatever you're on leaves your system?" Tivra asked, beginning to lose her patience with the novice knight.

"Come with me," Zaida commanded. She turned and walked away without waiting to see if they would follow.

Tivra and Edie shared a look and a shrug before accepting Zaida's lead. Whatever was going on with the former mercenary, it was probably best that they be around to keep things from getting out of hand. They were not put at ease when they were taken halfway across the town and into a secluded storage shed. The duo hesitated before entering; doing so with their hands rested on the hilts of their sheathed swords. They kept their distance from the other woman.

"Care to enlighten us yet?" Edie prompted a pacing Zaida.

The agitated knight looked at them, then at the floor. "I'm going to say something crazy, but I need you to take me seriously."

The two shared another look. "Go on," Tivra urged.

"There are..." Zaida stopped herself. She looked away and reformulated her words before trying again. "Dyna is a demon." A moment of silence hung between them without Tivra and Edie demonstrating any sort of reaction. "Hellknox too."

At that last part, the duo relaxed, letting out some relieved chuckles. "Well, yeah. But like I said, if you get to know Ralli, she's not as terrifying as she seems," Tivra promised. "As for Dyna: I haven't heard her described like that by anyone whom she didn't sleep with... so are you telling us that...?"

"Oh, no way!" Edie exclaimed, catching on to her friend's meaning. "You got to do it with Dyna? I've never heard of her taking someone so new to the order! How was it? I bet it was amazing-"

"No!" Zaida snapped. "Listen to me. The captain and the sergeant are demons; they are not human! Creatures loyal to the Demon Lord are running this town's knight corps!"

Tivra and Edie's amusement shriveled into looks of concern. "What are you talking about?" Tivra asked.

"We've seen both Dyna and Ralli in action; they've slaughtered demons before," Edie added. "Why would they kill their own kind?"

"Do think that maybe that was a deliberate effort to sell the illusion?" Zaida proposed. In spite of how reasonable her point was, the other two only looked less receptive to her after hearing it.

"No. Come on. A demon? As the leader of the knights?" Edie said incredulously.

"What's next? Are you going to tell us that the church is run by actual angels?" Tivra joked. She and the woman beside her shared a hearty laugh. It died quickly when they saw the indignant scowl Zaida displayed.

"Don't look at us like that," Edie pleaded. "Look, do you at least have any sort of evidence?"

"No," Zaida admitted, looking away.

"Then how do you even know?" Tivra pried.

"Maybe she saw a little too much while the captain was changing," Edie teased.

"Or perhaps she found hoofprints outside Hellknox's door."

"I didn't bring you two here just to mock me." Zaida's voice had a sad edge to it that snapped them from their jesting.

"Well... what do you want us to do?" Tivra asked solemnly. "Walk up and ask them?" She pantomimed knocking on a door between herself and Edie. The other woman pretended to open the fictitious door. "Hello, are you a demon?"

"No, I am not." Edie motioned like she was closing the door in Tivra's face. Despite the silliness of their skit it was clear that they were not expecting anyone to laugh. They were simply trying to get their point across.

Zaida pressed her face into her palm. "I don't know. Just... keep an eye out-"

The clandestine conversation was interrupted when the doors to the shed were pulled open. A nun was standing there, clearly not having expected to encounter anyone loitering in the dim storage space.

"What in Geod's good name are you doing here?" It was Yorresie. The trio did not have an immediate answer.

"What are you doing here?" Edie retorted as though it was an equally valid question.

"Fetching toys for play time," the teacher said firmly.

The knights looked around, and indeed, there were balls, nets, toys, and other things for the children to use when let outside to play.

"Ah..." Edie acknowledged.

"You knights lack even the decency to conspire on your own grounds." Yorresie closed her eyes and massaged one temple. When she opened them again she saw Zaida among the group and her expression darkened. "I thought I had been clear with you..."

"Um..." Zaida shuffled.

"Get out or else."

"Or else what?" Tivra taunted unwisely. "Who are you going to call? More knights?"

"OUT. NOW."

None of the knights had any interest in sticking around anyway, but Zaida spurred them with a guiding hand on their backs. Yorresie watched them go, praying for patience should she encounter them again.