As I had guessed, the Deborn was at least a head taller than me. His eyes, a piercing silver, looked around him. His eyebrows furrowed and bent down. As he stood again, his gaze fixed upon me.

"You there," he said, his voice a booming baritone, "You wouldn't happen to know where this came from?" He raised a hand, which held the stone I had kicked earlier.

I swallowed my surprise at the Deborn speaking—something I could never have imagined before my ears rang with its volume. "No, I'm afraid not." I was surprised at how composed my countenance was as I shrugged my shoulders. "Just an act of the gods, I'd say. It was a pleasure meeting you, but we must be on our way. Come, Lina."

I gave her a most pointed look. But it seemed to hit a dense wall as Lina reflected a look of confusion. She pressed a finger to her bottom lip. "I thought you said you kicked it at him on purpose."

My eyelid began to twitch as I looked back at the Deborn, who stared at us, his expression inscrutable. "D-did I? Oh, nonononononononono, I…erm… It was in jest. Just a little joke between friends—that is to say, between you and me, Lina. Wasn't it absolutely rib-tickling?"

I felt like my eyes were practically stabbing into her. But Lina's fortress of obliviousness seemed impenetrable. But perhaps there was a chink in that armor as she smiled.

"Ooooh, I get it. That was pretty funny."

I breathed a sigh.

"Is that why you also said we should run away and leave him for dead?"

And that sigh was sucked right back into my lungs. How stupid are you?! Did she not realize what the Deborn were capable of?

I'd heard that any living thing shriveled before their touch. And those who did not immediately die from having their flesh melt were doomed to endless torment as their bodies slowly turned to ash, the burns still felt in every mote of dust scattered across the wind.

If she wasn't afraid of that, then I had to wonder if she had any sense in her head at all.

The Deborn did not look mad. In fact, his face remained unreadable as he looked between me and the stone in his hand. Then he threw the rock directly at my face. "Catch."

I didn't need the late warning as I turned fully and caught the rock on instinct. It was too late to realize my mistake, but I dropped the rock anyway, staring at my hand as I waited for my palm to blacken.

But it didn't. I opened and closed my fingers.

"What's wrong?" asked the Deborn with a tilt of his head, "I wanna do-over. C'mon, pick it up."

"I beg your pardon?" I looked at Lina, who smiled back at me in her usual fashion.

The Deborn rested his hands inside the rag of a shirt so that they disappeared from my sight. "I wasn't ready before. I can totally catch it this time. Throw it at me as hard as you can." He crouched down so that he was almost hidden in the bush once more. "And don't hold back on me!"

"I…er… you're not angry?" At that moment, I felt more like Lina: completely lost. This man did not act like any Deborn I'd ever heard of. They were more the silent, menacing type. Apart from his appearance, he was more…well… not any of that.

"Angry? Why would I be angry? That was a sick kick, my guy! Way impressive! But I know I can beat it!"

Unsure of anything anymore, I bent down and picked up the stone. "Would you prefer I kick it?"

The Deborn shook his head, "Nah. If you can kick that hard, your throw's gotta be even better, right?"

"I suppose." We weren't dead yet. That had to count for something. If I could appease this strange being, perhaps we could escape with our lives.

In one swift motion, I wound up and threw the stone as hard as I could.

The other man sprang forward, his arm reaching out to snatch the stone, only for it to slip between his fingers and ping against his forehead with another hollow donk.

He reeled and fell back into the bushes, legs hanging into the air.

I had no words. I just stood there, mouth agape. If we were lucky, a second rock to the head would kill him.

It did not seem to be as the Deborn kicked himself to his feet. He looked at us a moment longer, then threw his head back and laughed. "That's me beaten, then!" he said, "But don't you worry, guy. I'll be sure to get stronger. And ma'am," his eyes turned to Lina, "This one's a keeper! Make sure to stick with him, and you'll be fine!"

Lina smiled, "Thank you. I'll be sure to. At least until we reach my darling!"

"Oh, how scandalous!" The Deborn looked between us and winked, "If your darling is even stronger than him, then you'd better keep your hands to yourself, guy."

My eye twitched again, "I am a prince, thank you very much! I'll take no such accusations without great offense."

The Deborn flashed a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "All right, my bad, guy."

Am I just an idiot magnet?!

First Lina. Now, this fool. I was so flustered that I almost forgot I was talking to a Demon Born. This thing was a walking harbinger of death and destruction, and we were just shooting the breeze like he couldn't melt my face.

It would be wise for us to leave, but there was something I couldn't let go of.

"For your information, my name is not ‘guy.' I am Prince Anno of Cross.'"

"Oh, be nice!" said Lina, "He's just being friendly."

"Friendly or not, I am a prince and wish to be treated as such."

Lina rolled her eyes at me. At me! Was I the only one who realized that we were in danger?

"I'm Lina," she said, ignoring my scowl. "What's your name?"

Without hesitation, the Deborn shrugged, "No idea."

Lina gasped, "You don't know your name?"

The Deborn shook his head, "Nope. I woke up in a field a few days ago without a single memory. I've been wandering, scrounging for food, ever since."

"Is that why you were in a bush?"

"Nah, I was asleep. You'd be surprised at how comfortable bushes can be when you get the right angle. Just make sure you check for thorns first, or you're gonna have a bad time, trust me."

Lina laughed at that, "I'll have to try it sometime. And maybe I can get Mr. Grumpy here to try, too." She put a hand to her face, "Oh, I'm sorry—I meant Prince Grumpy."

So, she understands sarcasm now? Great. That's another thing to add to the pile of concerns. I tapped my foot impatiently. "I hate to break this wonderful bonding experience, but we really do have to leave. Wouldn't want to keep ‘darling' waiting."

Lina jumped at that, "Right. Of course. Well, we'd better be going. Unless…you want to—"

I clapped a hand over her mouth. I knew what she wanted to ask. Before she could pull my hand away, I dragged her back a few feet and hissed in her ear. "We are not taking him with us!"

"But just look at him," she said without bothering to whisper, "he looks so sad and lost."

"Maybe to you. To me, it looks like he might kill us in our sleep. And, knowing him, it will probably be an accident!" It would be like having a Balor as a pet. It might not explode today, but it would at some point in the future. And that made it all the scarier.  

"He's not going to do that!"

"Do you realize that you die a painful death if he touches you? Just one touch, that's all it takes."

"Of course I do," she said, puffing her cheeks again, "I know a Deathwalker when I see one!"

Deathwalker? So, that's what she calls them. I racked my brain to remember what region used that name. I couldn't. "Then why aren't you scared of him?"

Lina pressed her finger to her lip again, "I'm not sure. I just don't sense anything bad about him. And I usually trust my senses. Can I ask you to trust me?"

"Absolutely not." What a bunch of hogwash! If she did have a good sense of character, then she would have felt the ill intention of the men back in Pleasance! Or she wouldn't have that maniac as her darling. "I cannot trust a person I just met. And that goes for him, too."

She gave me a pitying look, "I understand. But it doesn't matter if you trust me or not. I have a way of telling, even if my instincts might be wrong.  If he really is a bad person, he won't be able to touch me anyway. Not for long, at least."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Was this the power I'd seen in Pleasance?

Lina opened her mouth and was about to speak when a hand came down on her shoulder.

"If I could say something…."

My eyes popped with horror as I looked up at the face the hand belonged to. The Deborn stood behind Lina with a smile plastered on his face as his right hand rested on her shoulder.