Even when he broke the rules, nothing happened. The first taste he’d ever had of consequences had come fairly recently with his sequesterment, and even then he hadn’t known a moment’s discomfort, unless one counted the loneliness of not being able to share time with his loved ones.
Now his father was opening his eyes to a completely different reality. One in which he had a central, and by all accounts horrible, role to play.
“Why?”
His father looked at him stoically and said nothing.
Eyoen frowned. It was unlike his sire to be silent this way. He was a forthright demon, always ready with an answer, most often the right one, yet still he said nothing.
“Why do you not answer me, father? Can I not know why this threat of evil has befallen us? Is it untoward that I should need a reason before I am forced to kill to protect my home and my people?”
Still the King said nothing.
But Eyoen didn’t look away. He knew how to play this waiting game. He’d seen his father break countless demons with the same trick. The silence itself ultimately unnerved them so badly, they’d confess just to fill it. So, he continued to stare into his father’s eyes until the strangest thing happened: his father dropped his gaze first!
Eyoen’s mouth gaped in shock. His father had never, either in his presence or anyone that he knew of or had heard of, ever backed down from a confrontation. He knew no fear. No uncertainty. There was never a chink in his armor. Not until that moment, and it was in that moment, for the first time in his life, that Eyoen knew real fear.
His faith and confidence shaken, his curiosity over the secret his father kept faded like water in the heat. Suddenly he wanted to go back to Earth, primitive simple Earth, where his Cass was a celebrity queen, and their life together was simple and loving.
He had thought life on the star was the same. There was no need for bravery on Cyanus. There was no need for fighting. There was barely a need for weapons. Except to occasionally show the enemy they existed. No bullets were ever fired – horrid, painful things – no sword ever unleashed from its scabbard. For what? If the King said, be gone, in the deep, ringing tone known in every corner of their star and its surrounding planets, demons vanished so quickly, it was as though they never existed in the first place.
Carlow feared nothing, and as a result his subjects and family feared nothing. When he was very small, the Queen took him to seen his father’s mural, which graced the courts building in the center of town. In it the King stood before a tsgre. Humans know them as dragons, only these creatures were twice the size, and the fire they breathed was as destructive as lava, icy blue, it appeared cold when it left huge, oblong shaped mouths filled with razor sharp teeth. There was no smoke when it struck a target. No ring of burn to mark its passage. There was absolutely nothing. A target vanished from the realm utterly.
The beasts were notoriously bad tempered; and they lived far outside the bonds of Cyani society. Their numbers were dwindling because they were so large there was rarely room or resources to sustain more than one in the same area for long, forcing them to live alone for survival.
But in the mural his father reached up to the beast, and it nuzzled his hand. The story was now a legend, since no one believed anyone, not even a king, could touch one of the fearsome creatures and come out alive.
If his father couldn’t meet his eyes, something was very, very wrong. They were without a doubt, as his Cass would say, fucked. What was worse than fucked, he wanted to ask his beloved now, but she was no doubt happily ensconced in some activity with the eager, curious eyes of his kinsmen watching her every move like the novelty that she was.
“Father,” he whispered. “What is the meaning of this?”
The King said nothing.
“Answer me!” Eyoen roared, the fountain at the center of his father’s court steaming with the heat from his sudden anger.
Carlow waved his hand absently to realign the rooms’ infrastructure.
“Do you remember my friend Unjel?”
Eyoen frowned, searching his memory. “Yes,” he said slowly. “He was your childhood friend until about 70 desha ago. His family moved away from Cyanus. But you still keep in touch, right?”
“No, I do not,” Carlow said. “And his family did not move away from the star. I banished them.”
Eyoen blinked. “What?”
“Unjel made a pass at your mother, Eyoen. She rebuffed him gently. He’d been making eyes at her for decades. She thought nothing of it. Even I knew of his jokes and games, the faux crush he liked to play up for everyone’s amusement. It was a joke, everyone laughed at it. But apparently, Unjel had been nursing genuine feelings for your mother ever since they met. You know he met her first? But when I showed up, our mating hormones danced, and we were hand fast before I could even clear my throat.
“Unjel didn’t seem to mind. He laughed and teased me for having stolen the love of his life from under his nose. He even came to our mating ceremony, brought an expensive gift, even wished us well,” Carlow sighed. “I suppose I first started to notice something was wrong at my last names day celebration.”
Most demons, especially the wealthy ones with a pronounced sense of family history, had names based on the original explorer demons who colonized the star. There were 15 in all, and it was a mark of respect and a portent of good for a child if he or she carried one of those original names. It also meant that whoever bore one of those names could celebrate the birthday of one of the original explorers.
“You haven’t had one in awhile,” Eyoen said. And now he knew why. Something had happened at the last formal event, and whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
“That’s because to think of the day makes me want to spill demon blood!”
Eyoen blinked. His father’s roar had always been impressive. That noise had been loud enough to raise the palace roof.
“What happened?”
The King sighed irritably, slashing one of his large hands in the air as if to cut down his next words before they left his mouth.
“Unjel tried to molest your mother, Eyoen. She was coming from the nursery, had just put one or more of you pups down for the night. He cornered her, and would have raped her had Rierdane not heard her screams and told me what was happening.”
Eyoen blinked in shock. “And he still lives?” Rape was an offense punishable by death. When the intended victim was the Queen… “How is it we never heard of this?”
“I would not have your mother’s good name bandied about in gossip. She was fine, and insisted we keep the matter between us.”
“And Unjel? He was your friend.”
“Yes, he was,” Carlow said bitterly. “And after I thrashed him within an inch of his life and told him never to darken my territory again, we were friends no more.”
Eyoen shook his head in confusion. “I don’t understand, father. Was he drunk? What on the star possessed him?”
“I don’t know, son. But it wasn’t the first time I’d caught him being rough with a lady. Those times we were young, and no one was ever hurt, he was just handsy and careless. Whenever I reminded him that it was unacceptable to mistreat a woman, he’d just laugh things off. When he dared to treat your mother like a common – well. I knew he was beyond saving.
“There was something wrong inside him. He cared for nothing and no one. He actually seemed to revel in dark emotion, and there was no one who he loved. He was flawed in a way I don’t fully understand to this day, but he had to go. There could be no forgiveness. Not only had he dared to trespass with mine own wife, I couldn’t risk him harming another female under my rule. I banished him that day. He’s never forgiven me for what he sees as me choosing my wife, a mere woman, over him.”
Eyoen just shook his head. He supported his sire’s actions all those years ago wholeheartedly and without reservation. He couldn’t fathom hurting a woman. He revered the female and had always done so. He adored his sisters and mother, and his feelings for Cass went so
deep there was no end. He would do anything for any of them. The idea of someone harming a hair on their heads literally made the blood in his veins heat and his belly roil with upset.
“He will attempt to overthrow us, my son. He has already,” the King admitted. “It’s only with the most horrid mental warfare that I’ve thus far managed to stop him. If he should succeed none of us will be safe. He will ignore battle protocol. There will be no decency in victory, of that you can be sure.” Carlow sighed.
Eyoen’s eyes narrowed. “You fear no demon. You never have. Yet you behave as though this unlikely calamity has already come to pass. What aren’t you telling me?” When his sire hesitated, it was Eyoen’s turn to sigh. “Is it because I’m the youngest that you hesitate to tell me the truth?”
His father was a stickler for protocol, and the rules of family dictated the oldest be the first to know anything of importance and the youngest was the last.
To his surprise, Carlow began to laugh. “I have told your brothers none of this with the exception of Cinque, and only he recently, and only because he came upon me whilst I sat bleeding in the throne room.” Eyoen’s mouth fell open in shock. “Aside from him, Rierdane, your mother and Unjel, the eldest members of the council are the only ones who know what’s going on. That is the way it must remain.”
“On the stars, why? My brothers must be told. We must marshal our defenses, prepare the guard! What is going on here?” Eyoen roared, the temperature in the room skyrocketing again.
Carlow didn’t respond. He didn’t move or react in any way.
“Father!” Eyoen had never before in his life spoken to his father this way, but he was so upset he didn’t even realize he was being demanding.
“They can’t help, my son.” Carlow’s eyes rose to meet his youngest pups yellow orbs. “Only you and I have the power to stop Unjel.”
Eyoen gaped. “I? What could I possibly do? And why are you buried up to the ankle in the kitchen garden?”
Carlow laughed, long and deep and easy, and something inside Eyoen loosened to hear his father in good humor. It meant things were not perhaps as bad as they seemed.
“Your mother is embroiled in some affairs of state. She is enjoying taking over some of my responsibilities. Once this is over I may find myself out of a job, or relegated to the role of Queen,” he muttered thoughtfully. “At any rate, in the absence of your mother, being close to Cyani soil makes me feel better. I’ve been a bit,” he paused. “Tired, of late.”
Eyoen’s anxiety levels shot back through the roof. The King did not get tired.
“As for what you can do. That remains to be seen,” the King said cryptically. “When the time is right, the path we will follow will be revealed.”
Eyoen scratched at a suddenly itchy spot on his back and gave his father a look. “Are you being deliberately vague to keep me from freaking out?”
Carlow laughed again, softer this time, and now Eyoen could hear the fatigue in his voice. “So American, you are.”
Eyoen blushed.
“And no, my son. I am not being deliberately vague to keep you from freaking out, as you say. I honestly do not know what form our future will take. All I know is that when the fat hits the fire – ” he paused and waggled his eyebrows.
Eyoen rolled his eyes to acknowledge the Earth slang.
“You, my boy, will be on the front line. It is you,” said the King. “Who will slay our enemy and lay waste to the threat that would destroy our home, our family, our very way of life.”
“How do you know?” Eyoen whispered.
The King smiled. “I have seen it.”
Chapter seventeen
“Priti is gonna go absolutely bonkers when she sees this,” Cass was saying, holding out her slender wrist where a bracelet of Cyani crystal hung.
The stones were clear, in the same vein as the Earth version of Lucite, but far more vibrant. Light refracted through them and caught every color as they shone brilliantly. At least Eyoen assumed she was showing him the bracelet. He hadn’t actually been listening. After his father had shocked him down to his Cyani slippers, he’d needed a distraction, so naturally he sought out Cass.
Making a valiant effort to pull his mind away from the political turmoil brewing under their feet he smiled at his lover. She was glowing after a day in the spas with his mother. Then two of his sisters had dragged her away to the market where she’d come back with – his eyes widened at the pile of items on their bed – what looked like one of everything.
“Don’t tell anybody I said it, but this Cyani crystal is more beautiful than any diamond I’ve ever seen. Look at how it catches the light. I got these for momma, these for Lucky; he gon’ flip when he see ‘em. I got this for Tommy and –”
“Wait. All of these are gifts? You didn’t buy anything for yourself?”
Cass looked at him like he was crazy. “I bought me this bracelet! Weren’t you listening?”
Busted.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you so quiet? You been acting moody all day.”
“What could be wrong, my love? You look beautiful; you’ve had a wonderful day with my mother and sisters. You like my home. I couldn’t be more pleased with you.”
She eyed him. “Well, then what is displeasing you? Something’s going on. You haven’t even tried to kiss me yet, and I’ve been in your face wearing native garb for a good five, six minutes,” she teased.
He laughed. “Native garb, huh?”
He wondered what she would say when she saw the dresses Eyoen had commissioned for her in gold, yellow and pale pink. The one she wore now she’d chosen in a blue that almost perfectly matched his skin. He’d been extremely flattered that day in the shop when she picked it out, and not a little tickled at the way she’d handled his mother.
“Have you ever considered having these made with two colors?” she asked, flipping through the print books that held her choices.
His mother and the seamstress had frozen, blinking in shock at her suggestion.
“On Earth, women and men very often wear garments of more than one hue,” Eyoen offered. “It’s quite normal.”
“Really,” said his mother.
Eyoen nodded.
“You should try one in this orange and white, momma,” Cass suggested holding up one of the pattern books.
His mother adored the Earth version of Gegi, and she immediately had a gown made according to Cass’ recommendations.
“Tell no one,” she ordered the seamstress. “Work on it alone. I want no one to wear this two toned garment before me.”
“Of course, your highness.”
“Once you set the fashion with two colors, you can knock their eyes out with three,” Cass told his mother, wiggling her eye brows.
His mother had actually swooned she was so excited.
“She is quite clever isn’t she?” she whispered to him when Cass was being measured for the soft low heeled shoes Cyani females traditionally wore.
“Wait until you get to know her better,” he promised.
All knew she was being groomed to be his bride, a supposition he would cement by announcing their engagement at the party his father was throwing to introduce her to the Cyani court. It was to be a special treat, and she was going to do a show performing original songs. Cass still had trouble with the lack of music on the star though she understood why it was so.
The only problem was, he had yet to ask her to marry him. Eyoen hadn’t even spoken of marriage, nor explained exactly what that concept meant on the star. It was similar to the Earth version, but there were several key differences he didn’t know how she’d react to.
“What do you think of marriage?”
No time like the present. The party was in three days time, and he felt the need to tie her to him in every way there was even more keenly now that his father had alluded to a pending war.
“In general or for me?”
He laughed. “Is there a difference of opinion between the two?�
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She grinned. “I suppose not. Why? You wanna marry me?”
“Yes.”
She blinked, offered up a short, startled laugh. “Well, that’s succinct.”
“I very much want to marry you, my dear. Would you marry me?”
For a long moment she was silent.
“We haven’t known each other very long.”
“Is time a factor?”
She shrugged. “Some might say so.”
“Do you?”
“No,” she laughed softly. “These days I don’t place much store in conventional thinking when it comes to matters of the heart.”
Eyoen thought that was a good sign.
“Have you ever felt for another man what you feel for me?”
“No,” she said wryly. Her demon certainly didn’t suffer from any insecurity.
“Then what obstacles would prevent you from marrying me, my dear?” If he knew what potential problems stood in their way, he could fix them.
“How do we know we’ll be compatible long term? That what we feel is real and lasting?”
Eyoen scoffed. “No one ever knows such things. It’s a gamble anytime two demons join together.”
“I agree, to an extent, but I’m not a demon, and that’s another thing. We’re two different species. Can we have children? I don’t see the point of marriage without children.”
“Are you ready to have them?”
She nodded. “Sure. I’m no spring chicken after all. I’ve been thinking about kids for awhile now.”
“Could you see me as their father?”
She nodded again.
“Then you and I will have beautiful children.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. Now, what other feeble excuses have you drummed up?”
Cass burst out laughing. “You act like you didn’t just spring this on me right now. Like we’re any other couple. Shit, if we were on Earth, and we were both of Earth, we’d still have problems because we’re different races. Instead that’s the least of our worries because we’re different species. And there’s another thing. What will your parents say? I’m quite sure they’re hoping you’ll grow out of this human phase.”
How to Love a Blue Demon Page 27