Tally flew over to my shoulder. “We will protect you.”
“Boys, I think I can take care of myself.”
Austin pushed off the desk. “You must’ve already forgotten about the octopus.”
“In fairness,” Tally said, “I would have let that slip my mind, too.” At my glare, he laughed. “I mean seriously, how embarrassing.”
We all froze as the phone on my desk started ringing. It could be my uncle or it could be Ariana, and in that case I had a few choice words for that meddling crack head.
I looked at the phone like it was a deadly snake before jerking it from its cradle. Austin’s shoulder was pressed into mine, as we waited to see what doom hurtled our way. I denied the caller a greeting, but that didn’t deter them.
“Whatzup?”
I recognized that voice. Austin sighed, as I said, “Jo?”
“Yeah, I’m just sitting here painting my toenails thinking about life and shit.” I started to hand the phone to Austin, but Jo said, “Dude, are you seriously about to pass me off? And I thought we had a connection.”
I sat on the bed and thumped my head against the headboard. “What is it that you want, Jo? I’m sure you didn’t call me to talk about the weather. What bad news are you prepping me for this time?”
“It’s not my fault that my job sucks. I’m a queen maker. I have to make sure that all key players get their crowns and keep their crowns, so they can keep the keys. Do you have any idea how stressed I am? Like right up there with someone who ate the last thin mint, and the girl scouts are greedy little hoes who won’t sell you anymore, stressed.” She popped her gum a couple of times. “Look, I’d come to you right now, but my nails are drying, and I get motion sickness, so here’s the thing, dude, you’re so outnumbered. I’m talking about Gettysburg outnumbered. You’re going to lose so many lives. I’ve seen every possible scenario and let me tell you, none of them are fantastic.”
Austin jerked the phone from me. “Damn it, Jo, you should’ve led with that? What do we do to prevent the loss of lives?”
“Top of the morning to you, too, bud, and thanks for asking how I’m doing. So the bad news is it looks like your girl will get to keep the crown, but a lot of blood has got to flow. But there is one more option that should work.”
“Should?” he roared into the phone. I put a hand on his harm, trying to get him to relax.
“Well, yeah, it sucks because I don’t have a clear plan and Arianna is missing, and you know what they say about good help? Seriously, you know, right? Because I’ve totally forgotten.”
Austin was about to crush the phone in his hand, so I took it back from him.
“Jo, I’m sure you didn’t just call us to tell us that lots of people putting their lives in our hands were going to die because of it.”
“I didn’t?” She giggled. “You’re right. I didn’t. So here’s the thing. Your powers are crazy wicked. When you go to battle, you can go hard, but don’t let all your power go at once. When you do that, you’re as weak as a newborn kitten. I had one of those once, you know.”
“What?”
“A kitten. Anyways when asked to kneel, do it, and when your eyes become riveted on the blood flow, know that help’s on the way. Just hang tight. Anyways, the pizza delivery guy is pulling up. I gotta run. Chat soon.”
Austin jerked the phone from me again. “Wait! Whose blood flow?”
She hung up the phone with him still screaming her name. He ripped the phone from the wall and threw it across the room. I had a feeling the hotel would be sending us a bill. His emotions swarmed me, and it was enough to make me choke. I quickly built a wall inside of my mind to keep his emotions from crushing me.
His electric blue eyes swiveled to me. “Did you just cut me off?”
“Yep.”
“Let me back in.”
“Not until you control your emotions better. You’re suffocating me.”
Tally flew over to the bed. “I feel like I’ve missed something. What’s going on?”
I was about to tell the fairy about Austin and my powers mingling, but it still felt raw and new. I didn’t want to lose that feeling by sharing.
“After we go to the portal, you will need to go check in with Ariana. If you can, try to be back before we enter the underworld.” Tally started to argue. “Tally, please. It could help me secure the crown without losing lives.”
After a couple of seconds, he nodded. “Consider it done, my queen.”
Relief flooded through me. This way at least Tally would be out of the fight and somewhere relatively safe. I couldn’t stomach the thought of losing him.
I stood up. “Now, if you two princesses are done chit-chatting, I think we should go get my crown back.”
Tally was still complaining as we teleported to the portal located in a dirty town in California. There were homeless people scattered about on the sidewalks and every corner. The buildings looked neglected and had graffiti all over them. Trash blew in the wind, and the smell was about to be my undoing. Our boots hit the pavement with a thud, as we walked towards the portal between two dark buildings. The alley smelled strongly of urine and something a little harsher. I tried not to gag as Austin took the key out of his pocket.
“Demons might try to rush at us, so as soon as we open this door, we need to be prepared,” Austin said.
“Make sure you close the portal behind us. I don’t want anyone escaping.” I grabbed Tally and put him to the left of me. “Stay on this side of me.”
As soon as Austin held the key to the portal, the air thickened. We stepped in and immediately a spear was thrown to the right of me right where Tally had been.
Tally sighed. “Ah, so that’s why I needed to be to the left of you. Maybe that Jo is a work in progress, but still she’s pretty good. That spear could have killed me.”
I grunted. If I weren’t a dethroned Demon Queen, I’d send the scattered girl a gift basket. This plane was eerie with its crimson sky and dead trees. Lava ran like a lazy river through the black rock. When I took stock of what beings we would be working with, I almost laughed. This had to be some kind of joke. We were screwed, and there was nothing any of us could do about it.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Did she say demon portal, or did we just assume?” I asked.
Austin ran a hand over his face. “Shit.”
“Yeah, I second that,” Tally said, as he flew to my shoulder.
Werewolves strutted around shirtless like they owned the place. Witches lounged around the lava like it was a pool to sunbathe around, and they were on vacation. Fae creatures looked at us with pure disinterest. There were a couple of smoke demons who seemed to be in the midst of an intense workout program, but they stopped midway to stare at us. A troll hiked up his pants on his squat little body before he gave us the bird.
There had to have been a mistake. These creatures were not what I envisioned when I thought of who I’d rule. “Are we sure she said portal two?”
“Yep,” Austin said.
Thirty red demons stalked towards us. Their black horns grew ramrod straight in aggression.
Austin whispered to me, “I’m here if you need me, but if you want true followers, it is you who needs to make them kneel before you. This is not the time to hold back.”
One of the witches sounded bored, as she said, “Oh great. The demons are going to terrorize the new chick.”
Another one piped up. “Ugh. At least we get a break.”
“Yeah, but it’s not going to help our reviews on Travelocity.”
All the witches giggled, as the demons continued to stride towards me. Not being used to my full power, smoke ropes flew out of me lightning fast, snaking around the demon’s ankles and rooting them to the spot. One demon howled in pain as my wisp amputated his foot.
Whoops. I tilted my chin up, pretending like I did that on purpose. Tally shook his head, and Austin released a deep sigh. Like they could seriously judge me. At least now I had everyone’
s attention. I heard some complaints it was unfair I retained my powers in the portal, and the smarter ones knew my powers were superior. Those were the ones who gave me their full attention. The smoke demons, appearing like ordinary humans, smirked as the red demons struggled to get out of my grasp. Shadow demons the size of Tally and a couple of fairies intermingled as they marched like ants to get a front-row seat. They clapped with joy over the red demons’ demise. It was apparent the red demons weren’t a crowd favorite. One tiny shadow demon jumped up and down as he chirped how beautiful I was. I gave him a saucy wink in return.
Without loosening my grip on the red demons, I asked a nearby werewolf, “How big is your plane?”
He shook his head. “Not big. I’ve heard other planes have blue skies and water, but what you see is what you get here. I can walk the whole plane in thirty minutes. Most of the beings are usually found at the bar.”
It was obvious they weren’t as evil as some of supes I’d seen, and yet their plane had no food, water, or space. I looked at two shadow demons playing with each other. I sensed no evil in them. Mischief, yes, but evil? No. It made no sense how someone like my father was allowed to walk around free, but those two harmless shadow demons were sent to this plane, even if it wasn’t one of the worst. Actually, the portals were numbered from least evil to most evil, so portal two wasn’t the worst by far but still. I was sure being trapped here was not on any of their agendas. Not for the first time, I thought some Lux had screwed up big time. The Degenerates were supposed to be the bad guys, yet it wasn’t a Degenerate who made the many mistakes of unfair sentencing to portals that I’d witnessed and heard about.
“Wait.” Tally’s face scrunched up. “You’re allowed a bar?”
If the wolf took offense to that, he didn’t show it. “Yeah, the witches can make a brew. They won’t tell us the ingredients, but since a lot of things don’t grow here other than a few herbs, we pretty much know what they’re making the drinks with, but pretend it’s all top secret.”
“I’ll be calling a meeting in thirty minutes. Please, have a couple of people split up and scout the area. Find any stragglers and tell them to meet us at the bar.”
A handsome smoke demon pushed off a dead tree he had been leaning on. He shook out his shaggy brown hair. “And whom shall we tell them requested all of our presence?”
I jerked on my smoke ropes, gaining the attention of the struggling red demons. “You tell them the Demon Queen is here, and I bring a message of hope.”
The smoke demon’s smile dropped, as a look of awe washed over his face. “Yes, your highness.”
A fae boy who was prettier than he was handsome came strutting forward. Hands in his pocket, he purred, “Queen, may I be of service to you?”
Austin took one step forward and inserted himself between me and the fae. His words were low and harsh. “Nope, she’s good.”
Possessiveness leaked from his every pore, and even though I tried to hide my smile, I knew he easily read my emotions. He wanted everyone to know I belonged to him, and though we hadn’t discussed our relationship or thoroughly worked out all the kinks, his urge to claim me as his made me happy.
I whispered to Austin, “Thought you were going to let me handle all of this.”
He shrugged, and I bit the inside of my cheek so as not to laugh out loud.
Tally’s eyes swiveled back and forth between Austin and me. He knew something of significance was going on; he just couldn’t quite figure it out.
I could tell Tally was about to ask us when Austin nodded towards the demons I had in my clutches. “Those don’t look like followers to me.”
“We’ll see.” I tapped my foot on the black rock impatiently. I let the full weight of Austin’s words settle around me. Would I have any followers? Doubt crept over me before I banished the thoughts. I didn’t want Austin to know my misgivings. One thing was for certain: when I left this portal and if I had any followers, I wanted to make sure I had an army of people following me because they chose to do so, not because they were forced. I sighed as I looked around at the beings still gaping at me. If someone had told me a month ago that as a new queen, I would try to trade out the bad demons for a band of misfits, I would have told them they were crazy. But here I was.
I released the red demons. The one who snarled at me I sent flying into a tree, causing the witches to clap with glee. We made our way down the black path until we came across the bar that was built with dead trees. Someone had carved “Welcome to the Lava Pit” above the bar.
The three of us sat at a wobbly table where I tried to pretend I wasn’t nervous I would be leaving this plane empty handed. Austin continued to glare at anyone who tried to come too close to me. It was apparent that even though Jo sent us to this plane, he trusted no one here. However, I was trying to get recruits for a war that wasn’t theirs to fight, so his moody looks weren’t helping the situation. He felt my aggravation because he gave me a small smile before he attempted to relax back in a poorly made chair. He still looked lethal, but I appreciated the attempt. Twenty minutes had passed when the wolf and smoke demon finally reappeared. “All who wished to be here are accounted for.”
“Oh, goodie.” I went to straighten my crooked crown when I remembered my uncle was wearing it. Ash-hat. I walked over to the bar and stood on it, so I could see all the faces crammed into the space. Some were outside standing, so I spoke loud, making sure my voice carried to the three hundred bodies who had heeded my call.
“I’ll cut right to the chase. I’m Carmen Salvador, the Demon Queen.” I pointed to a brunette witch at the front. “Are you happy here?”
She rolled her eyes. “Um, no. There’s no food or water. Our plane is so tiny we practically sleep on top of one another, and the worst part is we have lost our power. It’s like I can’t even remember who I once was.”
I nodded. “I know how that feels, so my sympathy is with you on that one. I’m looking for warriors who will pledge their allegiance to me. If you can obey me, I will offer you your freedom. You will have a place in the twelve realms of the underworld, and those who are most trusted will have free days on earth, as long as you vow not to hurt humans.”
One of the witches raised her hand. “Um, isn’t the underworld kind of like this here?” Yeah, except we didn’t have a bar. “No offense, but would it be an upgrade?”
She was right. Could I ask these beings not only to fight for me, but trade in one hell for another? I didn’t even want to return to the dank place. I had to stop myself from pacing.
“You’re right, uh …”
“Mary.”
Tally busted out laughing. “Oh, this is great.”
I said, “Your name is for real Mary?” At her nod, I winced. I hoped this didn’t get confusing. “Mary, I’m going to be honest with you— all of you—there are things going on in the underworld that I’m not proud of, but I assumed that was the way it had to be done. What if I told you that after everything is sorted out, I would be ruling from Charleston, South Carolina?” I glanced over at Austin, who smiled from ear to ear. “I would require all of you to find residency within a forty-mile radius. You would have normal lives, as long as you followed the rules.”
Someone from the back asked what this so-called Charleston looked like. With barely a thought, I sent each potential subject before me, minus Austin and Tally, an image of the small Southern town. There were mumbles after that, as they all concurred how powerful I must be to directly send so many of them images simultaneously.
A witch slowly started clapping. I gave her a wink. “That’s just chump change.”
One wolf regarded me with skepticism. His big, bulky arms covered his barrel chest, as he widened his stance. “What are some of these rules that you speak of?”
“I’ve already stated two. You’d need to live close by in case I request your assistance. You have to take a vow to serve me as your queen, and last but not least, if I allow you your freedom, you have to make sure you earn it
by not harming humans or doing anything that would warrant my scrutiny.”
One fae creature whispered to another. “She doesn’t sound like a demon.”
I smiled. “I’m a different kind of demon. I’m one with a conscience. Not sure how long all of you have been here, but let me catch you up. Some keys are missing. Some beings are wanting those keys for nefarious reasons. Some are wanting those keys to keep them safe and hidden. Thrones keep changing owners, and crowns are getting misplaced.” Freaking uncle. “I plan on keeping my throne. I also plan on a life of peace, but sometimes to acquire that, one must go to war. As you all have noticed, I have a key, which I will guard with my life. If war comes to my doorstep, then I will fight along with all of those under my reign. You do not have to join my army. In fact you don’t even have to stay here. From what I’ve heard, there is a group of queens who are making their rounds through the portals. They have a way of telling who is deserving to be there and who isn’t. The ones who were misjudged get a second chance at freedom, so some of you could very well be out of this place in no time with or without me.”
The wolf who had asked me the question earlier smiled. “You didn’t have to tell us that. I’ve never had a pack, but I think I would be honored to be a part of your tribe.” He took a knee in the middle of that crowded bar. “I pledge myself to you, my queen, and vow to be loyal to you and you alone.”
Tears gathered in my eyes as one of the tiny demons said, “I pledge, I pledge.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “I understand all of you know nothing of me, and yet I’m asking quite a bit from each and every one of you. Talk amongst yourselves and make your decision. I’ll be at the portal waiting for any that choose to come with me. I leave upon the hour.”
As I made my way out of the bar, the group of red demons I had previously tied up formed a semi-circle in front of me. Austin made his way to my side. We stood side by side, waiting for them to either move, let us pass, or throw the first punch. The leader of the group spoke in my demonic language, but I replied in English for all of the witnesses to hear.
The Demon Queen Page 19