“Do you come for my power?” I asked.
She laughed nervously. “Why would you say that? Didn’t I risk my neck to take your side today?”
“Witches and mages are known to kill for power,” I said.
“As are demons,” she said. “I’m not like them. Every demon will try to challenge you from this day on, thinking they might get lucky. They won’t duel you in the open since they fear you, having seen what you can do, but they’ll attack you as soon as your guard is down.”
“I’ll never let my guard down. And what’s in it for you to help me?”
She bit her lip, not answering the question. Then she sighed. “Let me place wards in the quarters you choose, Icy Dagger, and I’ll give you a reason.”
I studied her for a second. I didn’t want anyone to know where I lived, but the demons would eventually find out. I bet they were tracking me at this moment. What the witch said made sense. I didn’t seek friends, but having an ally or two was better than being besieged by foes from all sides.
Besides, she called me Icy Dagger instead of Princess Celeste.
“Fine, witch, you can tag along,” I said.
“You won’t regret it, Icy Dagger,” she said, and her smile looked innocent.
At the end of the corridor, Angel trotted down the stairs.
“You gotta be kidding me, Angel,” I grunted. “An underground hole isn’t on my list of the best, safest living places!”
He yanked on the collar of my leather jacket and practically dragged me down the stairs. I shoved his head away hard, and his two heads collided.
The witch gasped.
“Quit it, Angel,” I said.
He grinned at me. Apparently, I amused him.
He went down a few steps ahead of me, stopped, and both his heads looked at me over his shoulders. I sighed and trailed after him.
A sigh of envy arose behind me. I glanced at the witch over my shoulder.
“‘Beast and the Beauty,’” she said. “That’s one of my favorite childhood stories.”
“We’re in Hell, Lisa,” I snorted. “There aren’t fairy tales here. Disney shut down two centuries ago. And it’s ‘Beauty and the Beast.’”
“I hope we can go back to the old world.”
“Keep dreaming and you’ll be killed faster.”
“But I have you now, Icy Dagger.”
I shook my head and ignored her.
We trudged on through underground corridors in utter darkness. I could see well in the dark, but Lisa had a hard time. She fixed that by pulling out a witch light from her robe.
Illuminated by the light, the shadows from our movements danced around creepily.
“This is a no man’s land, princess,” she whispered. “No one dares to live here.”
“Then I’ll take up residence here.”
“I heard this is a haunted area of campus,” she warned.
I laughed. “You deal with demons on an hourly basis and you’re afraid of ghosts?”