My goodness, was he really that upset that I'd rejected him? "Whim? A whim is a spontaneous tryst, Sal Amorentis. Not a battle between armies," I said.
There were a few snickers, and Sal's face colored.
"But without Orindor's help, what weel Preens Stefan do?" It was Catia.
Mercedes sat quietly, her fingers steepled on the table while her gaze settled upon me. She looked intensely intrigued, like she had suddenly seen me for the first time and was trying to figure out what I was.
I thought that was a question I'd like an answer to as well.
"Prince Stefan is doing everything in his power to stop Lord Eris's shadowguard from penetrating the wall," I said, "and that is why I am here this evening. I need…we need to ask for your help."
There was a general discord of emotions that hovered in the air, and many of them were not in my favor.
"You expect us to sacrifice our lives for you when you will not even sacrifice your hand in something as simple as marriage?" It was Denn's uncle again.
"Sir Randik." Mercedes voice cut through before anyone could speak, her eyes like daggers. "We will have no more talk of Princess Daria's betrothal. You seem so obsessed with it yourself, one might think you were pining for her hand."
There was a general murmur of amusement around the table. Vera looked particularly satisfied, but Sir Randik's face turned a violent shade of red.
"We do not expect anything," I continued. "We only ask this of you because the one thing that can and will stop Lord Eris is if the territories unite against him."
"But you have been in Gaia for less than a year, your highness," Sir Randik continued. "With all due respect"—nothing following this has ever been even remotely respectful—"you should leave matters of diplomacy to the prince, because your understanding of this world is incipient, at best. It is a universal truth that Gesh does not interfere with the politics of the mainland." He leaned forward, his eyes squished between fat cheeks and a thick brow. "In case you weren't aware, a title won't imbue a person with sudden expertise on subjects clearly foreign to them."
"Clearly," I replied. "Otherwise your title would have imbued you with the integrity befitting a real gentleman."
The table was silent—apprehensive. I couldn't read Mercedes expression, but Sir Randik's face darkened to a very unsettling shade of purple. Vera was the only bright spot of amusement at the table, and for once I was truly thankful for her presence.
With a deep breath I stood up and leaned forward, placing my hands on the edge of the table. "Let us not forget the one hundred years of darkness, where years of civil war made this realm ripe for a man like my uncle to rise, beginning what we all know as the Dark Reign. Let us not forget that during the Dark Reign, my uncle turned brother against brother, father against son, controlling minds with his dark magic and bringing unspeakable horrors to those who resisted him. Let us not forget that he single-handedly wiped out cities and burnt their citizens alive as examples. And let us not forget that he wielded a power so strong, he cast this entire world in darkness for six full days. All so that in his bloodlust, he could take the shield of power and steal the unity stone from the guild in order to take over this world.
"And I believe your lands were struck, were they not?" I looked straight at Sir Randik, who shrank back in his chair a little. "Yes, I believe I read you inherited your mountains from your oldest brother, who, after leading a small rebellion against Lord Eris, was tied to a chair with a bowl of small rats fastened to his stomach, and he died as they clawed their way through him." Sir Randik blanched, and then I turned my attention back to the crowd, who looked very uncomfortable.
"I do not say these things to bring up pains from the past. I need you to remember what it is we are up against. I need you to remember that it was our disunity in the first place that allowed a man like my uncle to bring about so much horror and almost succeed in taking over this world. He might have failed last time, but this time, he has something that he did not have before: the shield of power.
"Sir Randik is right: I arrived in this world just a few months ago. I do not pretend to understand the nuances of your relations with mainland, and I am certainly not trying to act like an expert on the matter—that's not why I'm here. If I've given any of you that impression, I am sorry because I know that I am the very least among all of you. I've been thrown into a life of privilege, where my grandfather has seen fit to have me dressed in all the finest gowns and stuffed with all the richest foods, with no special regard for my education. So I challenged all of that.
"Yes, I read. I studied. Everything I could get my hands on. And then I entered the games. I did not do it because I had some ulterior motive for power. No, I did it because I wanted freedom to make my own choices and educate myself further to help this realm. I did not want to be a decorative trinket sitting in some lord's bedroom." This earned a couple of snickers from the far end of the table. Not surprisingly, the groupies looked confused. "I wanted to be my own lord. I wanted the freedom to act. The way I went about it was deceitful, and I do not fault you for your lack of trust in me.
"But I swear on my life that I am not lying to you about this. As we speak, there is an army of shadowguard gathered along the northern wall, and it is only a matter of time before they break through. You say that I should marry Lord Danton Pontefract to seal Orindor's allegiance to Valdon—perhaps I should reconsider. But that would only help short-term, and based on the past all of you are well aware of, the shadowguard would eventually find their way here. Lord Eris will not stop at Valdon. He will try to carry out what he failed to achieve last time, and the only way we might stop him is if we stand together."
I paused, giving my words a chance to breathe and settle. "Please…I am not standing here before you as the princess of Gaia. I am standing here before you as a young girl who, in her limited time in this world, has witnessed magic of the darkest kind and had her father murdered in front of her by a man who will stop at nothing to gain power."
The table was silent. So silent, I heard the ring on Catia's pinky finger clink as she tapped it on the stem of her wine goblet. Eyes drifted from me down to the tablecloth and around at each other like they were all trying to pretend I wasn't there. Because if I was there, they would have to deal with what I had just said.
And then a gust of wind ripped through the terrace, tilting the lanterns, and the back of my neck tingled with sudden premonition. I looked behind me just in time to see one of the guards holding a bow with a black arrow aimed straight at Mercedes.
Chapter 12
Demons in the Night
Time has one direction: forward. At least that is what I had always thought. But for me, it was not so. For me, time was a malleable thing, substantive and changeable. It would move forward and backward and sometimes stop altogether. I never knew when this would happen; it just would. And then I would find myself the only moving creature in a world of stills, like an actor on a stage where all the other players had stopped moving in order to end the scene. Except in my case, the scene hadn't ended. It was just beginning, and I had a few seconds to act when no one else could, like when I had pinned the giant's hand to the support beam with my dagger. In this case, I had a few seconds to save someone's life.
I didn't have time to cross the table and reach Mercedes. My next best option was to deflect the arrow. So I grabbed my glass of wine and threw it at the archer's hand—the one that held the arrow in place. My glass hit its mark just as the archer's fingers very slowly released their grip, and with the snap of release, time returned to normal. The arrow sank into the table with a thud, mere inches before Mercedes, black feather fletching still vibrating from impact.
There was a split second of complete shock, and then the entire table jumped out of their chairs with a screech, and the guards that had been so conveniently keeping to the shadows attacked. Alex grabbed hold of me and yanked me behind him, raising his sword just in time to deflect the blow of a warhammer. He kicked t
he guard holding it in the gut and shoved him back with the pummel of his sword, and the guard went sliding over the table, knocking over plates and goblets, spilling red wine everywhere and bathing the beautiful table in blood. Alex didn't waste any time, and when the next two guards attacked, they were down before they'd fully raised their weapons.
Impressive.
In my admiration, a guard grabbed a hold of my wrists and pulled me back. His grip was a vice, and no matter how much I squirmed, I could not break free. Alex tried to come after me but was intercepted by another enemy guard. I finally managed to kick my heel back in my attacker's groin, and when he leaned forward in pain, I rammed the back of my head into his nose. This sent the guard bending backwards and he loosened his grip on my wrists. I twisted myself free and slid my dagger from my leg, and when my assailant stumbled back at me with his sword, I parried, easily knocking his sword out of his hands. He ran away, in search of his sword.
Which was right when Alex returned to me.
"Huh," he panted, glancing sideways at me and then eyeing my dagger.
I shrugged.
And then we were each engaged in new battles, though still keeping close to each other, always moving with respect to one another so that no one could writhe their way between us. Most of Mercedes' guests had managed a quick escape, since they were obviously not targets. Hawk remained, as well as Vera and Catia, Ven Orelius, a few others, and Mercedes herself.
It was much easier moving in my skirt than my leathers. The fabric didn't provide much protection, but the high slits allowed a nice range of unimpeded movement. Someone grabbed one of the floating lanterns and set it on one of the guards. The guard's body caught flame, and in a desperate attempt to dispel the flames, he tripped and fell over the balustrade. His screams filled the night and faded away into nothing.
The enemy guards left standing started to run. Hawk yelled some string of words in Saqai, and a few of our party and Ven Orelius took off in pursuit of them. The rest of us had just begun to gather our breaths when a small light appeared. It shimmered there, directly in the center of the terrace, a pale, blue light that pulsed like a small star, and I could feel its presence like a hot desert wind.
"Alex…" I pulled his arm.
He had been hunched over inspecting a fallen guard, but at my touch he turned to look at me over his shoulder. His eyes slid past me and he stood.
Then all the lanterns when out. All that remained was the blue light.
"What is thet?" asked Catia.
The light suddenly pulsed and caught fire, hovering there in the center of the terrace like some ball of liquid white flame casting all of us standing around in an eerie glow. Dread bubbled deep inside of me, and then the sphere of fire further differentiated into parts. Two arms and two legs all aflame, then a head and a tail.
"Spirits of the realm," Vera whispered, jaw agape.
Catia moved her hand in some kind of symbol over her heart, whispering something in Saqai.
The light had turned into a demon from hell, white, smokeless fire curling around its nightmarish face. Its chest was broad with unnaturally striated muscle and its massive corded arms ended in curved claws. A barbed tail moved through the air behind it like a whip of flame, slowly slicing back and forth. It had a strange spectral quality to it, like some kind of bright hologram. But holograms didn't produce heat, and the air around this flaming demon singed and hummed with magic. It was a different kind of magic—different from any kind of magic I'd ever felt. There was something wrong about it, something perverse and foreboding. Something intoxicating and overpowering and seductive.
I knew without question that it was dark magic.
But then…who was using it? All the enemy guards had fled.
Hawk didn't waste a moment. He raised an ax and lobbed it at the creature. The ax flew threw the air in a wheel of silver, spinning itself right through the demon, over the balustrade, and out of sight. A deep and guttural snarl sounded from the demon's lips, and its blinding white eyes narrowed upon Hawk. Then it moved.
It was lightning fast, a blur of white flame in the night, right at Hawk. Mercedes conjured some kind of magical shield, barely deflecting its claws from Hawk's throat. The shield had held it off, but the demon was now latched to the shield, wrapped around it like some kind of parasite. It reached long, flaming arms around the shield, raking at Hawk while Mercedes strained to maintain the energy needed to hold the shield in place.
Vera's fury ignited and a bolt of light shot from her hands. It hit the demon's back, but the demon didn't fall. Instead, the flames swelled as though it was swallowing the light. The demon trembled, and then it shot the bolt of light straight back at Vera. She dodged just in time, and the bolt landed on a large vase. The vase exploded, sending bits of ceramic and dirt everywhere. Apparently, the demon was resistant to magic, too. At least our kind of magic.
Alex grabbed my wrist. "Daria, go. Now," he whispered, squeezing my wrist so tightly it hurt. "Get out of here."
"No. I'm not going anywhere."
Hawk brought a curved machete down for a killing blow. Again, his blade slipped right through the demon as though the demon was nothing more than a vapor. That demonic face snarled and flung its arm back at Hawk. Flames collided with Hawk's chest, sending Hawk flying through the air, much farther than any person should have flown. He collided with the balustrade and slumped to the ground.
Horrified, I pressed my senses to him. He was hurt, but he was alive. The force from such a hit might've killed a weaker man.
And then everyone attacked. Alex held me firmly back while the others pressed in. They tried with weapons and other spells, but all of their spells rebounded. And then the demon sent a wall of flame straight at Vera.
My world slowed again, but this time a voice whispered, Use me. I'll show you.
There was a tingling sensation deep in my gut. It moved to my chest, condensing there, the pressure of it building and building as though I'd held my breath for too long and now my lungs were bursting to release.
Now, let go, said the voice.
With a great exhale, I pushed the pressure down my arms and through my fingertips. Time continued just as it should, and a cyclone of air ripped through the space, disintegrating the wall of flames before they could touch Vera. Everyone gaped at me, shocked. Even Alex had let go of my wrist to stare at me. And then the demon charged.
It dropped on all fours and charged toward me like a bull, flames curling all around it. People threw weapons, but all slipped through the air, clattering upon the terrace. I searched for that tingling sensation, but it wasn't there. In its place was raw fear. This spectar was going to kill me.
No. I hadn't come this far to be killed by a fancy hologram.
My dagger suddenly felt heavy in my hand and the hilt seared my palm. There was a moment—a quick moment—where I was stunned, my eyes flicking back and forth between the approaching monster and the dagger in my hands. And then for some reason, I threw my dagger straight at the demon.
End over end it sailed, the point landing into the creature's chest. But it didn't pass through; it stuck with a wet thud.
The demon screamed a high, keening sound, clawing at the now glowing hilt of my dagger. Unfortunately, the blade had missed the mark and landed a few inches from the demon's heart, assuming it had one. I briefly thought how ironic that would be.
The demon pulled the hilt from its chest, its razor-sharp teeth bared in fury. Power pulsed through me from somewhere in the shadows, renewing the spectral demon with might. Whoever had created this monster was still nearby, fueling its power.
In order to destroy this demon, I'd have to destroy its maker. I whipped my head around and was looking for signs of movement when the flaming, whip-like tail descended upon me. I dodged; the tail landed in stone where I'd stood, breaking and scorching the tiles beneath it. Again and again the tail came down and I jumped. I heard Alex calling my name as I scrambled under the dinner table and a fist came down,
breaking it in half. I crawled along the tile, careful to stay beneath the cover of the table. I needed my dagger…
"Daria, catch!" Alex yelled.
Something scraped over stone, toward me. The demon ripped the table away, its hulking frame towering over me. It came down for the kill, and in one swift motion, I swept my arm out, grabbed the hilt of my dagger, and stabbed the tip of the blade through the demon's opened mouth. It released a bone-chilling wail into the night and reeled back while I scrambled away, leaving my dagger behind.
That should hold it off, at least for a bit. I hoped.
"Use my dagger and keep it distracted!" I yelled, getting to my feet and searching the shadows. The dark mage had to be here somewhere. Another pulse of energy, and I saw the silhouette slinking back into the shadows. Alex had followed my gaze and saw the figure in the same moment I did.
We exchanged a glance, and then together we sprinted after him.
Up the stairs, around the corner, and down a narrow corridor. I hated leaving the others with that demon, but they had my dagger. And at least the dark mage wouldn't be there to heal the demon.
Our path split.
"I'll take right!" I panted. Alex hesitated, but then nodded sharply and headed in the opposite direction.
Across the terrace, through alleys and over bridges, pushing through clotheslines and past wooden carts. The shadow knocked over one of the carts, and baskets of what looked like apples spilled all over the road. I leapt over them, following him up a narrow stair and down a winding corridor.
A plume of liquid blue flames came at me, and with the same tingling energy I'd felt before, I pulsed the air at them, knocking them aside. It had been much easier to do this time.
My sandals slapped on the pavement as people dodged aside, pulling small children out of my way. There were more flames thrust my way, but each time I was ready, using a wall of air to push them aside. It was like a vital organ inside of me had suddenly been reconnected. I still had no idea what I'd do once I reached the apparently gifted dark mage, but I would worry about that later. I stopped at a crossroads, my eyes darting back and forth, and then I caught sight of a moving cloak off to my left.
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