New cover! Let me know what you all think! :D

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"Why did you come to tell us that?" Celso heard Robby roughly ask Kassach. Celso looked up to see Robby and Jay pointing their weapons at Kassach.

"Celso," Coleen's soft voice came from beside him. He turned his head to see Coleen staring at him with concern in her eyes.

"He deserves to know," Kassach growled. "She would want him to know."

"Why didn't you stay with her?" Celso calmly ask him.

All three looked over at Celso. Kassach lowered his hands and stepped around Robby and Jay to come kneel in front of him. "Celso," Kassach started. "I'm so sorry, but I couldn't stay."

"Why?"

"When King Buledal completed her transformation, he commanded her to tell him everything she had been hiding." Kassach took a deep breath before continuing. "She told him everything little secret I had told her about the King. She told King Buledal what you all were doing and where you were going." Kassach stopped to make sure Celso was listening. "You all have to go. Now. He's sending an army to come bring you all back and this time, he won't keep you alive."

"Why did you come to warn us?" Robby asked.

Kassach sighed and stood up. "You all don't get it do you? Athena can't help you anymore! If you go back, you will die! You're not the only one being hunted. I have a price on my head as well. All of us will die if we are caught!"

Celso looked up at Kassach. He put down his bowl and stood up. "We should stick together."

Kassach quickly looked at Celso before shaking his head. "No, it's not a good idea-"

"If all of us are being hunted," Celso interrupted. "It'll be better if we stick together."

Jay rushed over and placed a hand on Celso's shoulder while leaning in. "He's a demon, Celso. How can we truly believe that what he tells us is the truth?"

Celso looked in between Jay and Kassach. "I believe him. Athena believed him, so I'll believe him. Also, he hasn't done anything that would prove to me that he's lying."

Jay shook his head. "I-"

"I agree with Celso," Yong spoke up for the first time. He stood next to Kassach. "I think it'll be helpful having a demon travel with us. We're basically walking blind. Coleen can't remember every landmark. We need someone who knows the area well so we can get back home."

"What happens when we do get back home?" Coleen asked. "Do we just leave him here?"

Celso looked at Kassach for an answer. Kassach looked like he was thinking for a while before he took a deep breath and answered. "All demons have the ability of morphing their bodies into whatever they want."

"Are you saying that you could look like one of us?" Robby asked bewildered.

Kassach nodded. "I wouldn't take one of your forms, but I have my own that I use whenever I want to leave this place." He crossed his arms and leaned back on his heels.

Celso nodded, satisfied, and turned to the others. "It's settled. Kassach comes with us." He turned to give Kassach a serious look. "But, if I hear you doing anything that doesn't compute with what you've been telling us; I won't hesitate to kill you."

Kassach just stared down at him. "I understand."

"Good. Let's rest. We'll get back to traveling in the morning."

---

The group - now one traveler more - set to walking as the sun rose. Celso noticed with unrest how the group looked at Kassach. They didn't trust him, but why should they? They hadn't seen how Kassach could be. They hadn't seen how much he cared for Athena and took care of her. Kassach had earned his trust, but it will take more for him to earn the others trust.

Kassach led the way to the portal with Celso close beside him. No one had spoken for an hour and it seemed as if no one was going to. Kassach had told them before they left camp that they would reach the portal by nightfall.

Celso hoped that they would arrive sooner. He was getting tired of the silence, but was too scared to start up a conversation.

Please let us arrive soon.

----

"We're here," Kassach announced. He stopped just short of a shimmering wall.

"How are you going to disguise yourself so people won't know what you are?" Jay asked skeptically.

Kassach looked down at Jay. "Easy. Just watch." He stole a glance towards Celso before closing his eyes and crossing his arms across his chest. A bright light shown around him making the group shield their eyes. A couple of seconds later, the light around Kassach dimmed and revealed before them a man.

Celso knew that it was Kassach, for the man still had the same color eyes. The man Kassach had turned into was tall and broad. His hair was a flaming red with streaks of silver in it. Celso thought that the man Kassach had turned into would appear younger, but this one appeared in his late thirties - maybe a little older. His face looked as if it had been chiseled out of stone. Everything about the new Kassach seemed sharp and hard.

"You look surprise to see that I'm not young like you," Kassach chuckled. "Did you expect me to be younger?"

"If you want the truth, yeah," Jay spoke up.

"Demons live longer than humans," Kassach explained. "You should know that. Now, we have to get going. We shouldn't be standing here long."

"I agree," Yong came to stand near the portal.

Celso started to feel worried about his friend. Yong still looked weak. He didn't know how the portal would phase Yong. Celso hoped that it wouldn't take as much energy from him as it did to the others.

Kassach nodded before turning to the portal. He stepped through after Yong had disappeared and the rest took their turns behind him.