Half-Demon's Revenge

by Lina J. Potter

  Those three didn’t attack by turns, like in those tales of chivalry. Oh no, they would have finished off a hero of such a tale in two minutes, tops. A storm of blows came all at once, from different directions, and I would have had a hard time, were it not for my tail. I used it to grab the ankle of the man closest to me.

  He fell, got a kick in the temple for good measure, and lost consciousness for the time being, while I was left to deal with the remaining two. They were easier to handle. I pushed one of them back and reached the other with my dagger, slashing his throat, and when the first one decided to run away—the dishonorable lout—I threw my saber in his back.

  It wasn’t really a throwing weapon, but what can you do?

  Henry, for instance, was absolutely sure that anything could, and should, be thrown, up to stools in taverns. It was almost mocking to say, I won’t kill you, but I will injure you, and then I’ll come back and finish you off. I was a kind person, really. Henry, too. I actually got such warm letters from him, you wouldn’t believe.

  Ah, if only mother had stayed alive. There couldn’t be a better husband for her and father for me than him. Those thoughts would have to wait. Of the five assassins, three were dead for good, and the one who had gotten hit with a saber was groaning on the floor—I had thrown it with enough force to maim his spine and break something inside of him. The fifth was just dazed.

  After I dealt the final blow to the fourth, I moved to the prisoner. I pulled out all the bolts from my bed, tore up the sheets, and tied him to the bed face-down. And yes, I did rip his clothes to pieces.

  A pervert? Me? You are so dirty-minded! Ugh! Actually, naked people feel a lot more vulnerable. Also, it’s easier to torture them, you can find all the necessary spots on the body without a problem. So I was driven by the noblest of motives. This way, he would feel pain as soon as I jabbed a bolt into a particular spot; if I couldn’t see that spot, I would have to pierce him all over until I got results.

  That was sadism, really, and I did my utmost...well, as best I could.

  The interrogated regained consciousness but didn’t start screaming. Good boy. Screaming would attract people, and they wouldn’t let us talk. I stood in such a way so he wouldn’t see me, twiddling the bolts in my hands.

  “So, how about you and I have a talk?”

  His response was a convoluted way of telling the unholy spawn to screw itself.

  I smirked even nastier.

  “Are you sure? I could enlist your company to do that, you see...” And I traced his body with a crossbow bolt all the way from his neck to his...well, you get it. I even twirled the tip there, just a little bit, I didn’t want to stain the bed with blood—after all, the sheets had already been torn apart, and the room had turned into a mess.

  The man shuddered.

  “I’ll tie you up, gag you, and you’ll be ready to rumble. Oh, wait. You’re already bound. Then that’s one problem less, yes, my sweet boy? I wouldn’t really suggest it to you otherwise, I know that you humans are traditionally-minded in this respect, but since you came here yourself...”

  I didn’t have to taunt him long. He really was a professional He knew that I could do whatever I wanted to him, and decided to die painlessly.

  “What do you want?”

  “Your employer.”

  “A Tevarrian. I don’t know anything else, but clearly a nobleman.”

  “Were you going to meet him later?”

  “No. Fully prepaid.”

  Hmm. So who could it be?

  I had two options: either let the assassin go...but no, I couldn’t. He would come back.

  “How did you find out where the prince was?”

  “I had my people in the palace.”

  “Who?”

  The interrogation lasted for about half an hour and he told me a lot about the residents of my palace. It was even more of a viper’s nest than I had assumed.

  The worst thing, however, was that I couldn’t prove anything. The assassin couldn’t be put before a court, he would tell them about the demon in an instant, and I couldn’t afford antagonizing the Church yet. So, what should I do?

  Well, it didn’t look like there was any choice, really.

  In one move, I snapped the man’s neck—we had agreed on a quick death, after all. I had never promised to let him live. Then I dealt with the other bodies. I laid them out in various positions, added some wounds, got back into my bed, and screamed. Then again, for good measure.

  Help me! They’re trying to kill me!

  ***

  Upon arrival, the guards discovered a horrific scene.

  Four assassins with wounds of varying severity, one defender who was especially full of holes, and a frightened prince under the bed.

  What happened?

  I was sleeping, then somebody pushed me from the bed, bolts started flying, I crawled to the nearest hiding spot, there was a battle...is it over yet?

  They pulled me out, assured me that everything would be all right, and asked who had protected me.

  I have no idea!

  Yes, the country should know its heroes, but personally, I don’t know this one. Find out yourselves who it is, and don’t forget to protect me!

  They were trying to murder me! Enemies all around!

  Marquis Chartreuse tried to calm me down, but I was hysterical, and continued writhing in it until the arrival of Tom, whom I promptly assigned as the captain of my personal guard.

  Chartreuse tried to object, but the five bodies seemed quite convincing. No, marquis. In the future, you’ll only be guarding the dowager queen, and I’ll be guarded by the people Tom recruits, and that’s it! The money from the treasury will be allocated tomorrow, and now, get lost! His Highness desires to shiver in his boots.

  Oh, except for you, Tom, you stay. You’ll be wiping cold sweat from my brow and feeding me a sedative. What do you mean, there’s no sedative? Well, then we’ll have to replace it with strong wine! And I’ll also berate you. For what? Friend, if there was a reason, I wouldn’t be berating you...

  After they left us alone, Tom and I drank a bottle of wine, and I told him about the assassins. We agreed that we had to create an alternative royal guard, as one half of the old one was corrupt, while the second half didn’t care for anything other than wine and girls.

  Tom was to take care of that in the morning. As for the money...I wouldn’t envy Chartreuse Senior if he didn’t give it out!

  ***

  They came for me in the morning. A whole crowd of idiot courtiers waltzed into my bedroom, and chaos began. Not, not even that.

  CHAOS!

  Just try to imagine it: people butting in, pushing you slippers, trying to dress you, giving you a washing bowl, a gilded chamber pot, a shaving razor, and then starting to grumble that you have nothing to be shaved on your face!

  I suffered through it for five long minutes, and then leaped on the bed, just as I was, naked, and yelled that if they didn’t leave, I wouldn’t be responsible for what happened.

  And nobody even averted their gaze! I always suspected that all the male courtiers were interested in other men... or at least half of them.

  Instead of getting embarrassed and leaving, they started to explain to me that it was part of the coronation ritual, a time-honored and Church-approved tradition, and all the roles in it had been set in advance. They would tell their children about their parts in the coronation, giving me the chamber pot, dressing me in underwear....

  Yeah, there actually were positions like underwear-dresser on coronation day or something like that. Well, I always assumed that those bastards had too much time on their hands, but that!

  I had to roar so loudly that the most frightful ones were thrown out into the corridor, while the rest just got weak in the knees. Yeah, that’s one of my skills. I am a half-demon, not a laundry girl! Although they could fend for themselves as well. I still remember how one of them attacked us in Torrin when Tommy and I watched them rinse clothes in the river. I m
ean, they were doing it on all fours, having hiked up their skirts...we were curious! And we learned so many new words then!

  So I climbed down from the bed, peacefully pulled on all the stuff I had been given, and looked at myself in the mirror.

  What a horror!

  I was already pale as death, and that outfit, embroidered in diamonds, gold, aquamarines, and sapphires, turned me into a real ghost.

  Wearing that, Rudolph would have looked like a bright lion, I give you that. I, however, was thin, washed-out, white-haired and came across like I was at death’s door.

  Did Abigail pick that garb? Did I guess right? How about that! Well, that meant that they wouldn’t let me leave. They would kill me. Thank you for warning me, Auntie.

  I walked across the palace, with jealous, hateful, interested eyes staring at me, and then Abigail came out as well.

  Was she still in mourning? Yes. But everything could be styled differently. She was wearing black, true, but stitched with silver and gold, diamonds, sapphires...and it worked for her, it did. She was majestic. But I...

  We still had a walk through the streets toward the main temple ahead of us, and she was clearly going to accompany me arm-in-arm, as the dowager queen. Well, Auntie, I will spoil your fun, just you wait.

  “Alex, you look magnificent!” my aunt chirped.

  “Through your prayers,” I answered sourly.

  “Cheer up! Today, you are going to become the king!”

  “My mother would be so happy,” I sighed. It was a petty revenge, but still. “Auntie, on this day, you should take on her role! If she were alive, she would be just a bit younger than you, wouldn’t she?”

  Abigail’s smile turned into a grimace, but she had no retort. I was simply feigning innocence, as usual.

  “I loved Michelle,” she finally came up with an answer.

  “No doubt about that! And my mother never doubted your love either!”

  Totally, of money and the throne.

  “So, shall we proceed to the temple? Usually, the king-to-be is accompanied by his wife, but seeing as Lavinia—”

  “In this case, Auntie, I think I should go alone.”

  “Of course, I can accompany you—”

  “Auntie, but that’s completely inappropriate! You’re in mourning...no, I have no right to ask you such a favor! Especially since you’re with child! You cannot go! You simply cannot disrespect Uncle’s memory in such a way! What if something happens? Then his memory and his heir both would... No, you’ll stay in the palace! It’s dangerous outside!”

  Abigail would have loved to kill me right there and then, but what could she do? The courtiers all nodded, especially the ladies, who started sighing and looking at me with adoration. Such a sweet boy, he cares about his aunt so much...

  The Chartreuses realized that something had gone off the rails, but they had no choice but to continue. Wrong place, wrong time.

  In the end, I marched through the streets alone. As I walked, people were throwing flowers at me. They landed at my feet, flashing bright on the pavement, and I did my best trying to avoid stepping over them. I felt bad for them. I knew that the crowd of courtiers would tread all over them, but that was later.

  The other thing was faces—old, young, serious, full of hope. People were really looking forward to my ascension, thinking that things would change. Relying on me.

  Mother would be happy. And my family? Henry, Rick, Martha, Mira, even Rene and Cassie, they should have been the ones to walk with me. Instead, I only had Tommy and Rene Morinar behind me.

  But my family couldn’t have arrived in time...and that was for the best. First, I would sweep the capital and bring the country to order. The rest would have to wait.

  If somebody wanted to hurt me, all they had to do was attack my family, and I couldn’t protect them round the clock...not yet.

  “All hail King Alexander!” somebody shouted.

  I tilted my head, knowing that the Chartreuses behind me had just winced, or maybe not just them. Oh, how they hated me at that moment! But they had no other options. If the throne of Radenor could be captured that easily, they would have killed me instantly, but no.

  Thank you, Alethar Radenor, my distant ancestor. I will make you proud, I swear.

  Finally, the temple loomed ahead. A majestic white building, a scarlet carpet, a row of guards on each side... What a waste of the royal budget!

  And after the coronation, there would also be barrels of wine on the streets, roasted meat from an entire herd of cows...

  No matter. We’ll deal with it. We’ll shake everything out of the Chartreuses.

  The doors of the temple burst open before me. A servant looked at me and smiled. If only he knew who he was going to bless! For a second, I was tempted to change to my true form—now that would be fun!

  Finally, everybody took their place, and the prayer started. First, they prayed that I would be given wisdom, then for the country to prosper under my rule. Around the fifth prayer, I went into a trance-like state, only occasionally touching my teeth with my tongue to make sure that I hadn’t accidentally transformed.

  Then they used some smelly goo to paint a line on my brow, blessed me, and put a crown on my head.

  Crap! Right on the ears? That’s actually painful!

  It also rubbed my ears sore immediately. I had to summon Chartreuse to clear things out.

  What the hell is it? Ah, Rudolph’s crown? I see.

  Well, we clearly had different sizes. Why was it so gaudy, then? What about the crown I had seen in the Heart of Alethar? It was kept in his possession and not in some treasury for a reason.

  So, I decided I would take it out and return the other one to the temple. Still, Alethar had had a point. The thought of Rudolph wearing that crown, or even better, considering it too plain and throwing it into the treasury for Abigail’s relatives to steal creeped me out.

  I came out of the temple and bowed to all the people who had gathered there, who greeted me with applause and cheers. A ray of sun peeked through the clouds and fell on my face; I smiled.

  Life was good. I felt certain that my future would be bright. But before that, I had to visit the main square, which was supposed to host a performance until evening.

  Bulls were roasted on giant campfires, actors were dancing, and the common folk followed suit. Everybody was having fun, and I just watched. I was given another crown, an old one from Alethar’s era; they didn’t want me to have calluses on my forehead. A new one, fitted for me, would have to wait. The crown I was wearing was very simple: just a thin band with three tines, black metal, gray stones. It was lovely.

  It wasn’t your vulgar gold, Rudolph would never have worn it. And probably because it was too simple-looking, Abigail’s family had never snatched it either. Or maybe they hadn’t dared to? Nah, it was the first.

  A gorgeous girl was dancing on the square, jingling her bracelets, her breasts bouncing. That piqued my interest. By the way, I need to complete my divorce...

  I called on Tommy and gave him the instructions. According to tradition, the king would spend his coronation day with his people. The next day, there would be a huge ball for the courtiers, the neighbors, the ambassadors...they needed time to get to Alethar, and the cooks needed time to prepare the best dishes. Also, the king needed to rest. No need to cram everything into one day.

  I came back to the palace at nightfall, and was naturally greeted by Abigail. I bowed to her.

  “So glad to see you, Auntie. Do you feel well? I was hoping that tomorrow, you could be the hostess of the coronation ball.”

  Abigail graciously accepted. I smirked and went to bed. Well, I pretended to.

  In truth, the day was far from over. I still had to talk to Carlie.

  ***

  Carlie was waiting for me in the parlor, just as I had asked her to. She was pacing the room, twiddling a strand of hair in her hand.

  “Alex!”

  “Carlie, sit down, please. We need to have a s
erious talk.”

  “About what, Alex?”

  “Do you know that there is going to be an attempt on your life?”

  “What!”

  “You’re carrying a potential child of Rudolph’s and don’t know about the fate of his previous mistresses? Abigail isn’t going to tolerate you...”

  Now that was something Carlie could believe.

  “But you will...”

  “Protect you?”

  Carlie nodded, but then realized that everything would be more complicated.

  “Carlie, dear, you’ll have to leave the capital and go to the country. Just for a while.”

  “Where?”

  Her voice was filled with so much disgust that one would think she had been offered a worm as a meal.

  “To the countryside—for a while. Two months or so.”

  “What for?”

  “It won’t be safe in the capital. There’s going to be a war with Tevarr, and I’ll have to leave. Who’s going to protect you in the meantime? Your husband?”

  The viscount was somebody Carlie couldn’t count on, but she wanted to live, and live as a queen. After striking a pose for a while, she finally broke down and agreed to leave for a short time. She would be back in time to give birth, in four months or so.

  I breathed out in relief. That was exactly what I needed.

  No, Carlie, there will never be anything between us, don’t you even hope. But your absence from the capital unties my hands.

  Moreover... Yes, Uncle was an animal, and he had already paid for that. Abigail’s retribution was in the making, but I didn’t want Carlie to suffer, too.

  I had two reasons. First, my family would never forgive me. They didn’t forgive your cheating, either, but you were still one of them, even if just a bit. To necromancers, blood meant a lot.

  The other reason was that she really was carrying Rudolph’s baby, and I didn’t want the innocent baby to become a victim of her stupidity and the Chartreuses’ intrigues.

  Yes, I was a half-demon; that didn’t make me an animal.

  ***