“I’d like for you to marry me.”
Shiva’s heart stopped. The one man in all of Hell that she admired most wanted her? She took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry? Did you say marry you?”
“That’s correct,” Phoenix replied. “Marry me, Shiva. I want you to be my wife.”
“W…why?”
“Because knowing you, you won’t marry until your father forces you to. He’ll marry you off to one of his elderly Noble pals. And guess what else – the King is going to want grandchildren. You may not have to give your heart to your husband, but you’ll definitely have to give your body.”
“W-w…why were you thinking about that stuff? What difference does it make to you?”
“I like you, Shiva,” the man said. “I always have. We work well together. I think, since you have to marry someone, it should be me. Well, do you disagree?”
“No, I suppose not, but… what would my brother think?
“I’ve already received Lord Wilhelm’s blessing. I’m certain with his recommendation your father and brother would approve as well. My family ranks among the highest of the Nobles. With our status’s, we can bring great change to Hell. We can make the Kingdom a better, safer place for everyone. Let’s combine our powers, Shiva! Together, there’s nothing you and I can’t achieve.”
Shiva’s legs felt weak, and not just from all the fleeing for her life she’d just done. Phoenix’s words scared her more than she could ever admit. She didn’t like to think about her future, or what her inevitable arranged marriage partner would be like. Phoenix stood in front of her, stretching out his arms to hold the girl’s face.
Shiva’s heart raced and she took long, deep breaths trying to look casual. She felt her teacher’s warm breath on her face as he leaned in to kiss her. Their lips pressed together and held for what felt to the girl like an eternity. When at last the man pulled away, the girl took another deep breath, her face almost as red as her hair.
“Do you mean it?” she asked.
“Every word,” Phoenix replied.
“Can I have some time to think about it?”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.”
* * * *
Back to the present…
“Yes, I’ll marry you Phoenix.”
Ash’s heart stopped. He thought he must have misheard his friend. She couldn’t have said ‘marry’… that wouldn’t make any sense, the boy thought nervously to himself. She must have said ‘carry!’ I bet she begged Phoenix to let her carry him on the trip back. Whew! What a weird girl!
“I am honored,” Phoenix replied, almost inaudibly. “I will inform Lord Wilhelm and begin preparations for the wedding once we return.”
Wedding?! So she did say marry?! Ash screamed inside his head.
“The honor will be mine,” Shiva replied.
That was the end of the midnight conversation. Neither of them spoke, leaving Ash in the dark in more ways than one. The boy spent the rest of the night thinking about what he heard.
In the morning the boys awoke to the sound of Shiva’s armor clanking as she slipped it on. A faint light coming from underneath the door crack and the sound of stirring loggers rumbling around informed the boys it was time to get up. Ash knew at once he had to tell Aura about what he heard last night, but it was going to be tricky. He’d have to be alone with him, and that likely wouldn’t happen until they were back at the Kingdom.
Ash didn’t want to wait an entire day before sharing such a juicy story though. His first attempt at telling his friend came right after waking up. Shiva had just slipped on her armor and was preparing to leave the room.
“Get up,” she said to the boys. “We leave in ten minutes.” Shiva left the room to go join Phoenix wherever he was.
Aura jumped up quickly and tossed on his clothes.
“Hey,” said Ash. “I have to tell you something.”
“In a minute,” Aura replied. “I gotta get to the bathroom before anyone else!” He dashed out of the room after Shiva. Despite Ash’s calls to him to come back, the boy did not. Ash’s first attempt at telling his friend the news had failed, due mainly to Aura’s obsessive personal hygiene and grooming. Ash never met another devil quite like his friend Aura.
When the boys saw each other next, it was in the small dining room of the Safe House. Phoenix and Shiva were just finishing up their morning coffee and being unsettlingly quiet as Ash sat next to them sipping on a hot cocoa. Aura walked into the room now fully styled and groomed. It took him a long time to get ready after losing out on the bathroom line to not only Shiva, but also Smitty and a few other loggers. Unfortunately for Aura, the cabin was not equipped with a deodorant to mask all the various smells left behind.
“You had something you wanted to tell me?” Aura openly asked Ash. Phoenix and Shiva both looked up, curious.
“What?” Ash panicked, not wanting to say anything in front of the two. “I didn’t say that.”
“Yeah you did,” Aura said. “Right after Shiva walked out of the room, you said you had to tell me something. Or was it something you didn’t want to say in front of her?”
“Ohh!” Ash shouted in frustration, trying to stop his friend’s running mouth. “Yeah, that thing. I just wanted to say… Didn’t that masked lady rebel that Shiva ran into sound kinda hot?”
It was the best he could come up with on the spot. Reactions around the room were mixed. Shiva was of course offended and Phoenix scoffed. Aura was already on the same page as Ash though. When they recapped their encounters in the forest, Aura had quite the visual representation in his mind when it came to Shiva’s mysterious female attacker.
“Oh,” Aura said. “Yeah, totally.”
“We’re leaving now,” Shiva said, jumping up from her chair.
“We’re the last ones,” said Phoenix, also standing up. “The loggers are waiting on us. We shouldn’t hold them up any longer.”
“Good,” said Aura. “Let’s get the heck out of this awful place and back to my lovely Leona!”
The team joined the loggers outside. The twenty-some men, who had spent the past week living at the Safe House and chopping down trees, were all ready to return to their families. They were bringing back two enormous carts piled high with tall, thick trees they chopped down. Once back in the Kingdom, they would sell the lumber off to the highest bidder.
Their caravan was large enough that they could create a mini-sun above them to light their way back home. Because of the devil’s numbers, any demons in the area were more cautious. The entire trip passed without a single demon attack on the crew. There were several times when Ash, Shiva, and Aura could sense the demons lurking just outside the edge of darkness. This was a new sensation for the trio, and it came as a welcomed surprise.
It was a day’s walk back to the kingdom and by the time they saw the humongous artificial sun floating in the sky, they were ready to be home. The trip was long and boring and their legs were stiff and achy. The three students learned just how badly they were beaten up, and despite how much stronger they felt, realized they still needed more training.
* * * *
Two Royal Guards stood in the small watchtower posted at the top of the wall next to the Southern Gate. Their job was to stand by the windows and keep watch outside the Kingdom walls. Lesser demons would often wander the perimeter, searching for a way to get to the tasty treats inside. If any demons were spotted, depending on the type and their potential usefulness or danger, they would either be captured or chased away with a well-aimed flame.
The guards chatted away, their words the only entertainment such a dull job had to offer. From out of the darkness in the distance, a single fireball rose into the sky. It was difficult to tell how far away the fire was, but the bright speck was steadily moving closer.
“What’s that?” one of the guards asked.
“Prolly a loggin’ team. One left just yesterday,” the other guard replied, grabbing a clipboard off a nearby shelf on the
wall. He looked down at the schedule printed on the paper. “Yep, says here we got one team returnin’ today.”
The guards continued to watch the floating fireball come closer until they could see the men illuminated underneath it. When the team reached the required distance, the guard went to the window and lit a signal torch mounted to the outside wall.
“Listen up men! We got a loggin’ team returnin’! Open up the gates!”
The patrolmen scrambled into place along the edge of the wall, getting as close to the gate as possible. The men readied their flames in case anything demonic happened. With the turn of two enormous cranks on either side of the gate, the giant door opened slowly. The returning caravan marched through the gap to the thunderous cheers and applause from the citizens who gathered to watch. Wives and their children waited anxiously for their fathers, their brothers, and their sons to return from the deadly Hellwood expeditions.
As soon as the last person was through, the men operating the cranks reversed directions and closed the gate. Families were reunited as the men charged forward into the warm embraces of their loved ones. The team parted ways with the loggers, who headed off to their next destination with their massive carts full of wood. Phoenix took the moment to speak to his team.
“Nice job staying alive out there,” he said. “I had hoped you would activate your soul power, and you’ve all succeeded. Now that you’ve all tapped into your soul power, it will be easier to do from now on. Your real training is just beginning. For now, you are dismissed. Oh, Shiva,” he said, turning to the girl. “I will accompany you back to the castle. We have a lot to discuss.”
Aura was all too eager to get moving, but Ash hung back when he heard Phoenix speak privately to Shiva.
“I suppose so,” Shiva replied. “I need to report to Goddard about our encounters with the rebels as soon as possible. I sense they’re about to make their move…” The couple walked away before Ash could hear anything else. Aura called to him to hurry up, making it even more difficult for Ash to hear any more. When they were out of earshot of the couple, Ash finally had to spill the beans to his friend.
“Dude! You’re so inconveniently dense sometimes!” Ash unloaded his day’s worth of frustrations caused by Aura.
“What?” Aura asked with a blank stare. “I just want to get home already! What’s wrong with that?”
“I’ve been trying to tell you all day: Shiva and Phoenix are engaged!”
“Engaged for what?” Aura asked. “Like a training engagement or something?”
“No! Engaged, as in to be married!”
“Oh, that’s…” Aura thought about it. “…What?”
“I heard them talking about it last night! I’ve been trying to tell you about it all day but you’ve been extra stupid!”
“Sorry! I thought you were just acting weird,” Aura said. “But that’s… seriously weird. Are you sure that’s what’s happening?”
“Definitely. That’s probably what they’re going to talk about right now!”
“Okay, okay, keep your voice down!” Aura said, pulling Ash in close. He looked around to make sure no one nearby was listening. “You shouldn’t talk about it aloud. News of a Royal Wedding would send the Kingdom into a frenzy.”
“Really? Why?”
“People go nuts for a Royal wedding. It only happens every couple hundred years or so. I guess it’s a nice distraction from all the demon attacks or something. Once this news gets out, Shiva is gonna be very popular.”
“I don’t think she’s going to like that,” Ash said. He wouldn’t want to cause Shiva any additional stress, so the boy decided to keep his mouth shut on the matter. “So… should we just wait for her to tell us herself, then?”
“Probably,” said Aura. “Until then, let’s play it cool.”
As the boys stood chatting, Amos Draxler worked his way through the crowd hoping to catch the team on their return. The weapons expert waved when he spotted the boys and headed over. Aura tensed up seeing his father coming.
“Welcome home, boys,” Amos said. “How did it go?”
“We all finally used a little soul power,” Ash told him. “The sword was a big help too. Thanks.” Ash returned the sword to Amos.
“I’m glad to hear it,” said Amos. “You too?” he asked, looking at his son.
“Yeah,” Aura replied. “And I killed two demons with one touch.”
“Impressive. You’ve become a lot stronger,” Amos said with a smile. His face then turned serious. “You must be hungry. I was wondering if you’d like to come have dinner with me and Nora. You’re welcome to join us as well, Ash.”
“Oh, I…” Ash stammered. “Aura?” he turned to his friend to make the call.
“Dinner sounds good, but I’ve been craving a bath more. Ash and I were just heading to the bathhouse, then we were gonna call it a night,” said Aura. “Maybe next time, though.”
“Oh, yeah,” Amos said, his disappointment obvious. “I understand. It’s been a long trip. You’re tired.”
“We were kicked out of the bathhouse though,” said Ash.
“Oh, yeah,” Aura said. “We’ll have to go to a different one from now on.”
“Wait a second,” Amos said plunging his hand into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and removed a card. “Here’s my membership card for the Noble bathhouse in North Hell. You can use it as much as you want. It’s extra fancy.”
“Whoa,” Aura said, impressed. “You have a membership to the Noble’s swanky bathhouse now?”
“Yes,” said Amos. “We do.”
* * * *
The employee stationed at the lobby desk gave the boys filthy looks and even appeared to be surprised when they actually presented a membership card. The homely lady begrudgingly allowed the two boys in after confirming their card wasn’t a fake. Aura flashed her a smug smirk as the boys wandered the luxurious lobby of the Noble’s bathhouse.
They walked down a marble hallway adorned with many beautiful paintings on the walls and fancy vases on podiums. Unlike the public bathhouses, the Noble’s of North Hell enjoyed private bathing chambers. The boys ducked inside an unoccupied room and Aura whistled, impressed.
The private bathing chambers were about the size of a full bedroom. There was a shelf to put their clothing on, as well as a full-stocked towel rack and bin for used towels to be put in. The bath resembled a hot tub sunk into the ground, and Aura was quick to strip off his clothes and hop in. Ash lingered above the water a little longer, still not quite used to the public nudity.
“Oh come on,” said Aura, splashing a little hot water at his friend. “It’s just you and me in here!”
“I know you like to see me naked, but that doesn’t mean I want you to,” Ash said, taking off his dirt and sweat-stained shirt.
“Whew!” Aura made catcalls at his friend. “Take it off!”
The boy finished removing his clothing after wrapping a towel around his waist. He sunk down into the hot water across the tub from his friend. Though his bruises stung at first, the water eventually washed all his pain and aches away.
“This is the life,” said Aura. “Those wrinkly old Nobles sure have got it made.”
“Mmm hmm,” Ash replied. The edges of the tub were lined with foam cushions for the boys to lean their heads on, making for the ultimate relaxing experience. It was times like this that Ash forgot he was actually in Hell.
“So,” said Aura, “what do you make of all this?”
“All what?”
“Shiva getting hitched to Phoenix. He’s an alright dude, I just don’t see the two of them together. Even if they are old friends or whatever.”
“I agree,” said Ash. “Phoenix is way too controlling for Shiva. She’ll go from taking orders from her father to taking orders from her husband. It’ll be the same crappy life with a new slave driver. Plus I seriously doubt Shiva is prepared for the life of a housewife.”
“I just wonder if she’ll keep her last name.”
Ash let out a loud sigh and dipped his head below the water. He emerged a few seconds later and gulped for air. “Do you think she really even wants to marry him? It’s just, with everything I know about her, I can’t believe she’d truly want to get married. At least not right now.”
Aura shrugged. “She must have her reasons. She did say yes after all.”
“She said she hadn’t seen him in years. Maybe he’s not as cool as she remembers. He was pretty cruel during our training, really. He never hesitated to hurt any of us. Not even his bride-to-be. He wouldn’t even go look for her when we told him the rebels attacked us! Isn’t that a little weird?”
“You missed his drill sergeant act when we were defending West Hell. The guy sure has a way with words, especially when asking people to die for his cause.”
“You don’t think it’s a political move, do you? The marriage? He is a Noble after all, wouldn’t marrying into the Satan family be like hitting the jackpot?”
“Shouldn’t we also consider the possibility that he may actually be in love with Shiva?”
“I think we can rule out the possibility of anyone being in love with Shiva,” said Ash, his cheeks turning pink. “Isn’t it a bad idea to have a Royal wedding when the rebels are openly threatening to make their move? I mean, that’s kinda like welcoming an attack, isn’t it?”
“I’m willing to bet security’s going to be tight on that day.” After one last dip, Aura stood up and removed his body from the water. The boy moved to the ice chest in the room and pulled out a bottle of cold water. After guzzling half the bottle, the boy turned to his friend.
“Still, it could be interesting to see an actual uprising,” he said.
“I’m not so sure anymore,” said Ash. “The rebels we’ve encountered so far have been anything but friendly. I don’t think they’ll care about helping us escape from Hell. Sucks to say, but I think we’ve hit another dead end in our quest.”
“If they’re not going to play nice, I guess it can’t be helped,” said Aura as he started putting clothes on.
Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) Page 22