[Sarah]

“What’cha doin’?” The demoness asked. She had watched him go out only a few minutes ago. There had been some confusion among the troops and she had promised to go find out what their fearless leader was up to. Little did she know he’d taken off the minute the eyeline to base had been obscured. She was more than used to his antics but being strange in a place that needed stability above all… it wasn’t going to end well.

[Sarah]

“Going for a jog,” Zli replied easily. He was dressed as the common folk did when they went out to exert themselves. He was going a totally natural and mortal pace. There was no way he couldn’t blend in among the civilians. Even if someone did want to comment, no one was going to approach a tall, well-muscled angry-looking man. No one was going to approach a tall, well-muscled angry-looking anyone.

[Sarah]

“Really?” The demoness asked, incredulous. They were in the middle of a war zone. Zli was the leader of one of the armies. His head was easily within the sights of at least two different organizations, and that didn’t even count the number of assailants they might send after him. It was beyond irresponsible for him to do something so mundane.

[Sarah]

“Mmhmm,” Zli hummed. He knew perfectly well he could come and go as he pleased. They just always expected him to have a reason beyond the mundane. He had to scout, or assassinate, or infiltrate, or torture, or rescue, he couldn’t just go out for a jog. He couldn’t say he needed a bit of air and a change of scenery.

[Sarah]

“So the Seraphim tailing you have nothing to do with your ‘jog’?” The demoness questioned. War was not the time for selfishness, and Zli was the most selfish she’d had to deal with in a long time. The Seraphim had begun to tail him the moment he left the eyesight of the compound. They knew where the Demons were holed up but could make no move against the central base.

[Sarah]

“Seraphim? Where?” Zli asked too loudly. He was looking around as if he had no idea what was going on. Of course, he was being tailed. Half the city wanted to stop him in some way or another. “I had no idea they were following me,” he admitted, trying to sound as innocent and sarcastic as was possible.

[Sarah]

“In this city? With you as enemy number one?” the demoness scoffed. He wasn’t being rude to her. Zli was rarely rude to his soldiers – the ones he had handpicked to join him in Aldrect. She was important to him, but the beings Annabelle had put them up against were last on his list of things he cared about.

[Sarah]

“Oh – The queen is easily enemy number one,” Zli responded. A simple fact. Many of the organizations felt if they killed the queen they would fracture the power of the Demons. They were wrong. Killing the queen would be a heavy blow, if only for the loss of her own powers and experience. Her children and husband would easily take up her mantle. Every Demon under Annabelle was loyal to the throne, to the royal family, to the Ruby Castle.

[Sarah]

“I think they’ll settle for you,” the demoness said. The Seraphim had not moved in any closer. Perhaps they thought they could pick up intel. Perhaps they thought Zli would say anything of importance. They were wasting their time. At this point they might as well have made a move and died for it. Maybe they just wanted to go for a jog too.

[Sarah]

“I think they’d like to,” Zli agreed. His loop was almost up. He didn’t really feel any different than when he had started. Mortals really were fragile if something like that made them short of breath and sweaty. There were plenty more fun things a mortal could do if they wanted to feel spent.