Free Wystan by Allison Merritt

time he threw one in. No sound reached the top of the shaft. Only a dull hum that seemed to be created by the power of the seals.
    â€œSatisfied?” Wystan drew his horse to a stop. He wiped sweat from his brow.
    â€œTell me about your father.” Her request was quiet, but had force behind it. “How does a demon come to love anyone?”
    Wystan clenched his teeth. “Let’s talk about your father instead.”
    She blinked and ducked her head. “He was a mudraker. At first. Then he bought a large newspaper in Washington, DC. Reputable, he said.” She laughed, but it was half sob. “It would have been if he hadn’t taken bribes from politicians.”
    â€œThey paid him to lie about their actions.” Wystan glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
    â€œYes. He had enemies. Sylvie doesn’t know. I told her he died in his office. It turned out that he had debts. There was no money to keep living in Virginia, so we came West.”
    â€œCouldn’t find a teaching position in the East?”
    â€œNo teaching positions, but I did find one as a housekeeper where I could bring my sister.” Her mouth tightened. “It wasn’t what I thought it would be. Then there was the ad for the position here. I seem to have inherited my father’s bad judgment.”
    There weren’t many places a person could end up worse than Berner. He couldn’t deny her lack of judgment. “What about a husband?”
    She shook her head. “I didn’t want to marry.”
    â€œI gathered. Does that have anything to do with Sylvie’s reaction to Eban last night?” His horse shifted and Wystan leaned to accommodate the movement.
    Rhia didn’t answer.
    â€œI reckon a hot hole in the ground isn’t enough to convince you to leave Berner.” He touched his horse with the reins, signaling it to turn around.
    â€œI couldn’t leave if I wanted to, Sheriff. We’re out of money. I hope you’re planning to pay me eventually for the knowledge I’m passing on to the students. I’m good at what I do.” Her horse followed his, shoes ringing against the rocks.
    â€œEban thought I’d better. I’ll have to run it past the townfolk, but I imagine they’ll be pleased to know the school’s open again.” Even if he wasn’t. Couldn’t trust Astaroth to send a minor demon with experience in teaching to the surface. No, they had to get their very own human in Berner.
    The ground under them rumbled and cracks split the rock. Wystan’s horse cried out in fright and Rhia’s reared, nearly unseating her. The shield across the Pit expanded, bubbling up as though the heat beneath it was too much.
    â€œWhat is it?” Rhia asked, her voice strained with fear.
    Wystan freed his knife from the sheath, fighting to remain in control of his horse. The animal wanted to run and he didn’t blame it. Even as the son of a demon charged with protecting what was left of the town, he didn’t much want to face anything that emerged from the Pit.
    Steam rose from the cracks, obscuring the barrier from view. The ground stopped quaking, but his horse whinnied in fear. Its ears swiveled and its eyes rolled.
    â€œRhia, look at the pretty ribbon.”
    Sylvie’s voice issued from the swirling steam. Rhia sat up straight in the saddle.
    â€œWhat…”
    Wystan reached out and grabbed her arm. “It’s a changesteed. They can mimic voices,” he whispered. “Don’t answer it.”
    â€œHow does it know Sylvie?”
    â€œCan we get ice cream? Just this once? I won’t ask again until I’m thirteen. Please, big sister?”
    A range of emotion crossed Rhia’s face. Disbelief, fear, worry, terror. Beyond the steam, something scraped against the stone. She looked at Wystan with wide eyes. He shook his head, passed her the horse’s reins, and dismounted.
    On the ground, he felt