Devon woke to find Maya standing over him, hand pressed to his forehead. It was the same ritual she had performed for the last three days. “No fever my lord. How do you feel?”

He sat up and felt for the wound in his shoulder. There was nothing but smooth skin. “Good Maya. Thank you.” 

“Let me have a look at you.” She sat on the edge of the bed and examined him. She ran her finger over the locations where injury and infection had once been. She nodded her approval. “Should we test it?”

He nodded and stretched out his forearm.

“I’m sorry my lord.” Maya said as she extended the claws in her right hand and dug them deep into his forearm drawing blood.

Devon winced in pain.

She quickly uncapped a healing salve and wiped the ointment on his broken flesh. It mended together instantly with no wound left to see. She exhaled in relief. “Thank the goddess.”

“I’m going to see Aliyeah. I’m hoping she’s had time to cool off a bit.”

“Shall I come with my lord?”

“No Maya. Relax you’ve earned it. Besides this is something I need to work out alone.”

“Of course my lord.” She smiled. “And Devon…Good luck.”

Devon dressed and hugged his friend. “Glad to have ya back darlin.” He shimmered from Maya’s cave, back to the bedroom he shared with Aliyeah.

She was sitting in a chair looking out of a window into the clear sky of the dragon realm.

“My queen.” He said softly.

“Oh…it’s you. Didn’t I just dismiss you?” Her tone was cold and stiff.

“That was three days ago my queen.”

“Like I said…just.”

“If I have so offended you my queen, I’ll gladly offer my throat and end my life.” He drew the Truesilver Kukri from its sheath.  “Should you command it.” He fell to a knee and bowed his head.

She glared at him. “Stand up vampyr. Sheath your blade. You are not in Sanguinar.”

He did as she bid and rose to his feet. “I’m sorry to have upset you Aliyeah. It was never my intention to do so. I just needed time to explain. Time your healers would not have allowed.”

“Well then, you have time now. Explain.”

“Where do I start?”

“How about with the injuries you were hiding from me. The ones that could not be healed. Tell me why?”

“They were inflicted by Glasya, The Devil Queen of Suffering and Archduchess of the Sixth. The wounds were the price I paid for the information I acquired to rescue Chalice. Without her help we would never have even known where to look, let alone how to survive a rescue attempt.”

“I’m well aware of your relationship with her. You told me about it years ago… Though I still very much disapprove of it.”

“Some things can only be learned from our enemies.”

“If Glasya was not the secret you were keeping then why did you not tell me of the wounds?”

“I feared you would worry for my well being. That you would order I remain by your side until I recovered. Had you commanded me to do so I of course would have obeyed, my queen.”

“And what would have been wrong with that.” She challenged.

“We only had a short window with which to work, even by human standards. Glasya informed me that Chalice was being held by Dispater at the behest of Hextor. I also learned Asmodeus had called for a meeting of all the devil lords and that they had to appear in person. Dispater is a paranoid recluse and the command of Asmodeus is the only reason he would venture from the safety of the Iron Tower and even then only for a few short hours. Had you commanded me to stay the mission would have been a failure and the three days I spent as her…guest would have been for naught.”

Her frown turned to worry and she rose. “What did she do to you?”

“Things I’d rather not relive even in words. But if you really wish to know, command me and I will tell you… what I can remember at least.”

The gold dragon sighed. “No. I won’t do that to you. It’s not how a queen should treat the man she loves.”

“Thank you Aliyeah.” He exhaled in relief. “She revels in suffering. She made it so my injuries would have to heal naturally and any attempt to mitigate them with arcane or divine intervention would instead work opposite of their desired effect.”

“For how long?” She gently pressed her hand to his chest.

“The affliction passed when I returned to full health.”

“How did you hide it so well?”

“I went to Maya. She bound my wounds and, as you would have wanted, demanded I refrain from accompanying my allies to Dis.”

“As well she should have.” She paused in thought for a moment. “So Maya knew?” She slanted her eyes.

“And only Maya, outside of my friends that is…who learned a little after the fact.”

“I’ll be having a word with your escort.” 

“She was going to tell you. We argued about it. I even ordered her not to. Though I knew she wouldn’t keep it from you when I refused to stay behind. I shimmered away before she could alert you to my condition. I can only guess she was taken before she had the chance. She is loyal to my queen. If there is any fault to be found, it is with me Aliyeah.”

“Fair enough. Why not return here and recover after you returned with Chalice.” 

“After we met with the Arch Penitar and Jarath left to return her to her father I was met by the Lady Aubrey Yldranas who had been searching for Maya. She asked me if I had seen her sister. I tried to summon her to no avail, so she asked if I would meet with the Black Queen. Seeing no danger in it, I visited the Sunken Fen only to learn of the kidnapped dragons. I immediately returned to you for instructions, my queen.”

“How did I not notice then?”

“I learned to mask it well and kept a safe distance. To be fair my love there was a lot happening and your attention was drawn in many directions at once.”

“I’m sorry Devon. Had I known, I would have delayed your departure.”

“And that is why I kept it a secret. I am intimately familiar with the suffering inflicted by the denizens of hell. I did not want any of our people to endure a moment more of it than they needed to, and Maya even more so. I felt responsible for her disappearance as it was.”

“How so.”

“She was so upset when I left and knew you’d be furious. Perhaps her thoughts were on what she needed to tell you instead of her surroundings, how duty to you must take precedence over her loyalty to me.”

“You can not know that Devon. You are not to blame for that evil.” She said, taking his hands.

“Maybe…Maybe not. But I did swear to administer the justice of the Black Flight upon whomever was responsible, the same justice I know you would see done yourself. And I’m not finished yet.” 

The gold queen’s expression softened. “You make me look good you know. You always seem to represent me in the best light. There is much talk about the queen’s highlord and how much he does at her behest.” She laughed a little. “Half would be a generous assessment. Even in such dire condition as you were, you let the credit fall to me.” She smiled. “You knew it would strengthen support for my rule among the nobles.”

“You give yourself too little credit my love. You did send me to find them.” He replied. 

“And you knew I would not have, had I been aware of the serious nature of your affliction.”

He bowed his head.

“And then I insulted you and sent you away.”

“You were angry and rightfully so. I should not have kept my affliction from you. No need to fret. It’ll take more than words to drive me away from you, my queen.”

She draped her arms around his neck. “You make excuses for my bad behavior. Must you shield me from everything, even guilt.”

“I live to serve my queen.”

“I was hoping you’d say that…”