Thruor was sparring with Kanesha. I watched briefly, and then decided I might be a distraction.

So, I stepped out of the old warehouse we were using as a dojo into the bright spring air. I felt a little isolated, but I knew it would pass. Thruor was by far the better teacher. The best thing I could do was stay out of the way.

Stay out of the way and appreciate the spring air. It was rich and warm, a surprising contrast to the unpleasant winter. The unnatural winter? I didn’t think so. Maybe it was climate change.

Maybe it was something else, but I didn’t feel that it was magic or the will of the gods.

Spring, though, was to be appreciated, despite everything. I still had Surtur to deal with. Tyz’vel was out there somewhere. And I wasn’t sure I’d got anywhere on my primary mission.

I only knew how to fail. I didn’t know how to succeed. And a small dark part of myself considered that if something happened to Kanesha I might not care any more if I failed.

No.

I thrust that part of me where it belonged. Kanesha would haunt me forever if I let anything happen, especially for her sake. Would and probably could.

I tugged out a coin and tossed it.

“Hey laaady. You look bored.”

I turned. I wasn’t armed, but I did my best to weaponize my glare at the man talking to me. “Not bored enough.”

He lifted a hand. “I’m just…”

“Making conversation?” I shifted my stance. “Make it somewhere else.”

He fled. Hopefully he’d think twice before approaching another woman like that. I watched him go, then tossed the coin again.

Heads. Was that a good omen or not? It was a good omen that it had been some random guy, not Tyz’vel. It was worrying me a little that I hadn’t heard a peep out of him.

He was planning something. There was no way he was going to back off either, and you couldn’t destroy demons. Surtur could be killed and consigned to Hel’s Realm – that was the nature of giants. Demons, by their nature, didn’t die.

I could be killed. I reminded myself of that. But neither of them were a threat to my life as long as they still wanted what they wanted.

I tucked my head back into the warehouse. “I’m going for a walk.”

Thruor nodded. “Don’t take on any demon lords by yourself.”

I laughed. “I was thinking about him, actually. And how he’s probably planning something.”

“Exactly.”