The beginning

"Then... why don't we pose as human bandits and raid the camp to scare them out," Moa thought aloud. "When they scatter, we'll nab a few."

"Too risky," Tira sighed, plopping to the floor. "Their borders are too fortified. They'd find out we're not human, then we would have no choice but to eat them all." She laid back and spread her arms to her sides.

"Then... let's just eat them all," Moa concluded. "Or cut the water supply so they have to leave."

"You have to think, Moa!" Tira chided him. "We have to keep the camp alive and thriving. Hmmm...I know!" She rolled over and beamed at him, her fangs sparkling in the dim light. "We can send in Misers undercover and kidnap people! A covert operation! Oh, Moa, you're a genius!"

I can't wait for you to die, Moa thought, smiling at Tira. "That's brilliant," he painfully forced himself to say.

Anna skipped out of the shadows and stopped next to Zander, smiling happily. "I have bad news," she said, grinning until her teeth shown.

Zander sighed and looked down at the girl. "Don't tell me you have bad news with a smile. What is it?"

"There are Misers from Hades coming," Anna sang. "I can smell them from the south."

Zander's eyes widened at the girl's words. "How close are they?" He demanded.

"I'd say halfway. Yeah," Anna said and nodded. "But they're weak."

Asterianna slowly descended the stair case, careful not to make a single noise. Feeling blindly in the dark with her toes, she searched for the edge of the step and lowered herself onto the next. Grasping to the wall, she stayed silent, listening to the the snoring of the sleeping demon on the other side of the wall. Finally, she was on the same level as the demon. As quickly as she could, she swapped the old spells for new ones to keep the monster asleep.
Once she finished, she hurried to the top floor and fell to her knees, her heart racing. Using her hands to feel, she crawled to the alter and placed three incense on the short alter and silently prayed.

Zander frowned and pointed to the soldiers. "You! Take half a unit to the south border! Only the best marksmen!" He looked down at the girl. "You stay with me."

"That doesn't sound like much fun," Anna pouted. She plopped into the dirt on her butt and crossed her arms.

"If you can smell them, you can tell me how many there are and where they are." Zander knelt down in front of the girl. "You could be pretty useful to help protect a lot of innocent people."

"So I can eat them?" Anna giggled and smiled. "I haven't eaten people in a really long time," she added.
"You should get Seth. He likes fighting and especially Misers." She sniffed the air. "Five is over there with Athen too! I really want to see Athen fight, don't you?"

Zander ignored her man-eating quip and pointed at another group of soldiers. "Go find the Misers she's talking about." He turned back to the girl, a serious expression on his face. "Kid, you could work with us or against us. I'd prefer you helping us out."

Five freed himself from Athen as the soldiers approached. "Looks like trouble," he said with a sigh. "I'm going to find Seth." Five leaped out of sight and started making his way across the camp to where Seth's sent was.

Tira clapped happily after she got up. She skipped up to Moa and looked him in the eyes. "We'll send them soon. You...have to stay here. I still don't trust you after your little confession..." She sighed dramatically and rolled back onto the throne.

Moa crossed his arms. "Do you think I'm the only one? We are devils."

Tira stood up straight and narrowed her eyes at Moa. "We may be devils, but even devils must have a chain of command. You are below me, along with every other creature in this city." She leaned forward. "If you don't like it, I can 'release' you..."

Seth stopped and took a whiff of the air. "I smell something bad coming," he said to Will. "Something rotten, literally."

Moa leaned closer and sneered. "Don't think I'm afraid of you. I know you can't work without me either. I'm just biding my time until I can overthrow you."

"There'll be no overthrowing," Tira smiled, shaking her head slowly. "You're an insignificant speck at Krios' feet." She stood nose-to-nose with Moa. "You will serve your purpose for now, but when Krios comes, you will step down." Her eyes glowed a light red.

"We'll see," Moa sneered, flicking her nose with his as he turned away.

Red sparks emitted faintly from Tira's claws as she ground her teeth. That Miser is a thorn... She huffed and fell back into the throne. "Krios' return will be soon," she announced to the remaining Misers hiding in the shadows. "I suggest everyone be on their best behavior for his return."