by E E Ewer
The music was soft and ethereal, and she found herself smiling as she stepped across the dance floor. She realized she was probably just being silly and girlish, but it was after all her first dance. She had purposefully avoided school dances all her life, partially because no one ever asked her. There was something special about the fact that Lucian had taken the time to plan this for her.
She took the time to look around a little as they danced. The Grand Ballroom was amazing, its most prominent feature being the ceiling. It was domed and made entirely of glass, and through it she could see the night sky. The triangular panels of glass met in the center of the dome, and flared out towards the sides. The entire room was done in silvers and blues, and it was obviously designed for evening occasions.
On the far half of the circular room there were long paneled windows that revealed the Northern Courtyard below. Nire remembered seeing the glass room from outside. There were numerous doors surrounding the room itself, most of them probably led to other dining rooms, the kitchens and the main hallway.
Nire suddenly felt a warm sensation rise inside of her as she danced, and she smiled softly to herself as she rested her head against Lucian’s chest. Eventually the music faded and the Demon Lord stopped dancing. Nire looked up to his golden eyes. He was smiling, and his face was much softer than before.
“Come,” he said as he took her hand and lead her towards the windows.
Opening a glass door, Lucian led Nire onto a balcony that overlooked the courtyards. There were sweeping staircases on either side of the balcony, and he continued to lead her down the right staircase and into the gardens.
He took her across the courtyard towards the Eastern gates. They lay closed, and did not appear to be opened very often. As he approached, the gates seemed to open themselves for him, and the two of them walked through. Once inside, the gates closed behind them, and Nire jumped at the loud clashing sound of metal behind her.
“Where are we going this time?” Nire asked.
“You’ll see,” was the only reply he offered her.
They approached the starry pond, but continued onwards until they reached what appeared to be a hedge maze. Stopping at the entrance Lucian turned to face Nire.
“Let’s play a game,” he offered with a sinister smile.
“A what?” Nire almost laughed out loud at the idea of playing a game with an all powerful Demon Lord. “You’re joking…” she added, with a laugh of disbelief in her voice.
“You see that arbor in the center?” he asked, pointing towards what appeared to be a hill in the center of the maze.
“Yes…” Nire said hesitantly.
“If you can make it to the center before I find you, you win.” His eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, and his smile made her more than a little uneasy.
“That sounds like an awful game!” she said, laughing. “You could just jump out of a shadow at any time and find me!”
“Now now, that would be cheating,” he said, a serious look returning to his face.
“And you won’t cheat?” she said, placing her hands on her hips.
“Never.”
“This is ridiculous,” she said, crossing her arms. “What do I get if I win?” she asked curiously. Lucian laughed darkly.
“No, no, no… You should be more concerned with what you will get if you lose.” The sinister smile returned to his face as he faded into the darkness around him. Nire’s jaw dropped as he seemed to disappear right before her eyes, but his voice still rang clearly in the night. “I’ll give you a 60-second head start,” Lucian said. “Better get running.”
Nire’s look of astonishment quickly turned to a grin as she turned and ran into the maze. The moon shone brightly enough for her to see well in the darkness, but as she ran she pulled out her pouch of glow dust and sprinkled some into her hand.
Holding the glow in front of her she could more easily see the turns as she approached them. She ran through the twists and turns, slowly making her way towards the center. Suddenly finding herself at a dead end, she shouted out loud. “Damn!”
Just as she turned to run in the opposite direction she was stopped by a pair of crossed arms in front of her. “Oh!” she shouted as she nearly ran right into him.
“You lose,” he stated plainly. Arms folded across his chest, he smiled down at the girl who was nearly out of breath. Nire started to laugh.
“What kind of a game is that? You probably know this maze inside and out!” she said through panting breaths.
“Oh, I do,” he said. “If you had not made any mistakes, you might have actually gotten to the center before I caught you.”
“Is that so?” Nire said, putting her hands on her hips. “Don’t you think it would have been nicer to put the odds in my favor? After all, it is my birthday we are celebrating here,” she said sarcastically.
“I did put the odds in your favor,” he protested. “Odds were you’d lose.”
Nire burst into laughter. “How is losing in my favor?” she asked.
“I did mention that you’d get something if you lost, did I not?” Lucian smiled.
Nire thought back to his words. It had sounded more like a threat, but he had in fact said she would get something for losing.
“Ok…” she said, “well, what are you waiting for?”
“Just for you to catch your breath,” he said lowly.
“Why…?” No sooner had the question escaped her mouth, Lucian placed his hand under her chin and bent down to speak closely in her ear. Nire froze.
“Because you might lose it again,” he whispered, just before tilting her face upwards and pressing his lips to hers. Nire’s eyes widened and her legs threatened to give way at the unexpected action.
Nire thought back to his words. It had sounded more like a threat, but he had in fact said she would get something for losing.
“Ok…” she said, “well, what are you waiting for?”
“Just for you to catch your breath,” he said lowly.
“Why…?” No sooner had the question escaped her mouth, Lucian placed his hand under her chin and bent down to speak closely in her ear. Nire froze.
“Because you might lose it again,” he whispered, just before tilting her face upwards and pressing his lips to hers. Nire’s eyes widened and her legs threatened to give way at the unexpected action.
It felt as if there was something warm blooming inside her chest, and she closed her eyes as she felt Lucians tongue enter her mouth. Her cheeks were hot, and she whimpered as her legs trembled and her knees nearly gave way.
Just as she felt she might faint, the Demon Lord released her lips and pulled slowly away as Nire opened her eyes.
“Oh…” was all she managed to say as she stared up at him. Her lips tingled with the sensation, and there was a burning inside her chest.
“Aren’t you glad you lost?” he asked gently, placing a hand on the side of her cheek and running his fingers through her hair. If it were possible for her to blush more just then, she did. Her breathing was still heavy, and she couldn’t calm the sensation rising in her lower stomach.
Nire never in her wildest dreams would have imagined that her first kiss would be from a demon, and if she had, she probably would have been terrified at the thought.
However, that was not at all what she was feeling right now, and the entire night had been one amazing surprise after another.
Lucian held out his arm and walked her to the center of the maze, where they sat for a time under the rose covered arbor. Nire leaned her head against his arm as they sat silently. It was difficult for her to come to terms with what had just happened, and she was still trying to decide how she felt about it all.
After a short time, Lucian led her back to her room and kissed her forehead.
“Goodnight, Nire,” he said as he turned to leave. Nire let out a sigh as she closed the door and walked towards her bed. She fell onto the soft fluffy pillows, and smiled.
Chapter 9
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sp; Table of Contents
Nire sighed and rolled over in bed. She had slept soundly, and felt perfectly relaxed and rested. She thought about what had happened the night before, and wondered if it had all be a dream. He had kissed her… And not just a little peck, but a real kiss… She wondered about it for a few moments before sitting up and looking out the windows into the morning light.
She rose from bed and decided to put on the same green dress she had worn the first night she met him. For some reason, the fact that it was sleeveless now made it more appealing. Turning around she noticed something sitting on the chest at the foot of her bed. It was her old sketchbook. Nire thought for a moment.
There was no way he had put it in her room before she got back. She blushed, realizing he must have come into her room last night at some point while she was sleeping. The thought excited her new pet butterflies, and she decided to quiet them with breakfast.
Nire ate with Miko and told her almost everything that had happened the night before. She purposely left out certain key details, not wanting to be the start or the subject of any new rumors. After the meal, Nire decided to go to the library since she never managed to get to it the day before.
After a quick glance at the register book to see what other titles ‘N’ had taken out, she made her way back to the plants section again. For some reason this ‘N’ character intrigued her. Maybe she would be less interested if there were any other initials listed in the book, but as far back as she looked there was only the one, aside from Lucian.
“The Magical Environment,” Nire said out loud as she scanned the titles under “M.” Upon locating the book she picked it up and opened to the introduction page. It appeared to be a book that addressed the different environments that certain magical plants required in order to survive. Apparently there were many variables, but certain necessities were often shared by plants with similar qualities.
Nire found the entire thing fascinating, and quickly logged out the book in the register and wandered back into the main hallway. A smile crossed her lips as she thought about the night before. It seemed to enter her mind every few minutes, and she couldn’t keep a straight face at all when it did.
As she walked with her nose in the book she heard the ethereal clock chime the hour.
“Oh shoot, I need to go meet Miko,” she reminded herself as she turned and hurried into a service hallway, hoping to cut across the majority of the East Wing to save time. “I’m going to be late…” she said as she rushed through the corridors.
She stopped suddenly as she heard the sound of muffled voices. That sounds like Margery… she thought. She slowed her steps and walked in the direction of the voices. Reaching an unmarked door to her left, she placed her ear to the wooden frame and listened.
“…what, take her home? Is that what you mean?” a deep voice asked mid sentence. That’s Lucian… Nire thought.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,” the old woman replied.
“No,” was his only response. What? Nire asked herself.
“My Lord, I understand your situation, I do. But what exactly do you plan on telling her?”
“As far as she is concerned, I am unable to do so. She is already getting used to this place; it won’t be much longer before this castle becomes her home,” the Demon Lord said sternly.
Margery sighed. “You have never uttered one false word since I have known you,” she said, sounding disappointed.
The voices continued, but Nire had backed away from the door. She didn’t care what else they had to say. Her eyes filled with tears and she turned and ran down the hall. How could he! She shouted in her head. He was supposed to be helping me! I thought… I thought… Her inner voice stopped as she ran into her room.
No, not her room. A room. She grabbed her things and put them in her bag, wiping the tears out of her eyes as she did. Nire picked up the sketchbook that Lucian had given her the night before, and after looking at it with distain, dropped it on the floor. Slinging her bag over her shoulder she stormed out of the green room and down the hall.
“Ough!” she exclaimed as she slammed a service door behind her. She moved quickly through the kitchen, grabbing a few pieces of bread and a canteen of water and packing them in her bag before going down the storage closet to Miko’s hut. Miko had been waiting outside for her, and when Nire emerged with tears in her eyes she ran to her friend’s side.
“Nire what’s wrong? What happened?” she asked placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders.
“That… that monster you call the Lord of Shadows!” Nire stumbled over her words. “He lied to me!”
“What?” Miko asked. “That doesn’t really sound like him…”
“Well he has! He never planned on taking me home - he was never even going to try!” she sobbed.
“Oh…” was all Miko could say. Nire pulled away from her friend’s grasp and started walking away. “Wait, Nire where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here! If he won’t help me get home I’ll find someone who will!” she shouted over her shoulder angrily.
“No, wait, Nire you can’t!” Miko shouted as she ran after her and grabbed her hand. “Nire you can’t, you don’t know what it’s like out there.” she tried to reason with the stricken girl.
“I don’t care!” Nire yelled as she pulled her hand away. “I want to go home!” Turning away she continued to walk towards the edge of the courtyard, where Miko had first brought her in from the forest. Realizing there would be no reasoning with her aside from tackling her to the ground, Miko continued to follow after her.
“Well, hold on a second! If you’re going to leave at least take this,” Miko said.
Nire stopped and looked at the girl who was hurrying to catch up with her. Miko held out a small pouch.
“What is it?” Nire asked, wiping her face.
“A coin purse. If you going to leave the castle grounds you will need at least some money on you.”
Nire blinked at the offer. “Thank you, Miko,” she said gently.
The orange haired girl put her arms around Nire. “Please be careful,” Miko said before releasing her.
“I will,” Nire said before turning and heading for the gate. Miko stood quietly as she watched her friend leave.
As Nire reached the edge of the castle she followed the walls around the outside until she could see the town that lay below it. Her face still red from crying and fixed in a scowl, she headed down the hill towards the buildings below.
Once in the town, she didn’t feel completely out of place. There were numerous other humans that she could see walking around, as well as Minor Demons and the occasional Midblood. Nire walked down the main road that appeared to lead out of the city, and as she neared the walls she noticed a man preparing a cart that was directed towards the gates.
“Excuse me, sir…” Nire started. The man turned up from his work and looked at the young girl.
“Eh? What can I do for you, young lady?” he asked.
“Are you headed out of town?”
“Sure am, have some supplies to deliver elsewhere.”
“Would you mind terribly giving me a ride?” Nire asked politely. The man could tell the girl had been very upset.
“Well… I suppose so. Where are you headed?” he asked curiously.
“Out of town,” she said solemnly.
“Ah, I see. Well hop in the back there with the supplies. I’ll be takin’ off here shortly,” he instructed her as he continued to pack things away.
“Thank you very much,” Nire said softly as she climbed into the back of the cart.
Shortly after, the older man climbed onto the seat in front and yelled at the horses to move. Nire suddenly realized the noise they made did not sound like a normal horse, and she stood to peek over the numerous boxes and sacks at the animals pulling the cart.
They were similar to horses, but much larger… like a Clydesdale on steroids. They also appeared to have horns on their heads, one in between
their eyes, and one above their nose, much like a rhinoceros. They appeared fairly fierce, and she wondered how they could have possibly been domesticated or even trained without numerous fatalities.
The horse like creatures reared and jostled the cart as the man urged them forward, and Nire had to hold onto the sides of the cart. “Hey!” He shouted at the beasts as he pulled the reigns. After a few moments of disagreement the two brown beasts calmed and walked forward obediently. “Damn rathes…” The man grumbled as he struggled to get the creatures to continue to cooperate. The one on the left seemed to dislike the one on the right, and continued to nudge at its shoulders.
When the rathes finally relaxed and moved into a smooth walk, Nire sat back down and watched as Eastcastle faded from sight. Tears began to run down her cheeks again as she thought of how she had been lied to. If he knew how to take her home, she was sure someone else knew as well. She just needed to find them.
“So, uh…” the driver called back, “what’s your name young ’un?”
“Nire,” she answered softly. The cart was open in the back and front, but the top was covered. She was glad of this as the midday sun beat down on the green landscape. The sides of the cart were solid wood, no doubt to hold the cargo in place as the cart bumped up and down on the dirt road.
“I’m Markim,” the old man stated. “You troubled?” he asked kindly.
“I’m fine,” she replied. “Just… trying to get home.”
“Is that so? And where is it you live?”
“I… I don’t know,” Nire’s voice cracked.
“You’re lost then? Well that’s quite a predicament.” The old man politely tried to make conversation, but Nire didn’t feel much like talking.
As the afternoon eased on Nire felt her stomach growl, but was not very interested in eating. Ignoring her hunger she lay down and eventually dozed off to the sounds of the birds chirping around her as the cart continued down the road.