by Dove, Raquel
Chapter seven
“I’m pleased with your decision to cooperate, Paris,” the Grand Elder said. He sat upon his throne, looking down his liver-spotted nose at Paris. His wrinkled face was set in a stoic mask, but his foggy eyes were filled with a deep sadness. His body was wrapped with a heavy velvet cloak, trying to keep the cold off his old bones.
“I have a request,” Paris said.
“You do not have the privilege of a request,” the Grand Elder said. He wasn’t sure what had happened, what exactly had caused the death of his daughter, but he knew Paris was the root cause of it. It just made things so much more complicated. Salem may not have been the most beautiful, or intelligent demoness. She was spoiled, she was a brat, but she was his daughter.
“I will submit myself to whatever punishment you see fit,” Paris said. “I will cooperate fully.”
“You will do that regardless,” the Grand Elder spat, his outrage at Paris’ insolence rising. The young demon was in a world of trouble, and yet he still thought he had the right to a request.
“I can make this very difficult for you,” Paris said. His determination was set, he would ensure that Zoe was safe if it was the last thing he did.
“I’m not surprised that you would,” the Grand Elder said with a grimace. “What is your request?”
“The human,” Paris said. “She is Untouched, and she should remain so.”
“You knew she was untouched,” the Grand Elder said, rising from his throne, “and you brought her here anyway? You allowed my daughter to attack her, knowing this was the case?”
“Leave her unharmed,” Paris said, unfazed by the steadily growing rage behind the Grand Elder’s eyes as he stepped down the few small stairs leading up to the throne, leaning heavily on a cane. “The blame is all mine.”
“And you will be punished accordingly,” the Grand Elder growled, the sound coming out broken and forced. It had been many decades since his old throat had made that sound.
“I want you to ban her,” Paris said, “wipe her mind. She does not belong in this world.”
“I will declare the old laws upheld,” the Grand Elder said, “and nothing more. Let the girl make her own decisions. If she avails herself so stupidly to another demon that is her mistake.”
“That is not good enough,” Paris said.
“It will have to do,” the Grand Elder snapped. He forced his anger under control. He would have his revenge on Paris. Then he would get to work picking up the pieces of his quickly deteriorating kingdom. He may not have personally liked Paris, but he would have made a strong Grand Elder to succeed him. Now he would need to find another, a stronger demon. One that could stand against the Council with no legitimate right to rule other than a dead king’s decree.
“Tell me,” the Grand Elder said, turning away, “what is it about her that has you so enthralled?”
“I acted carelessly, and now I am willing to pay the consequences,” Paris said, trying to avoid the question.
“I am no fool, Paris,” the Grand Elder said as he returned to his throne. His old knees were weak and could no longer take the standing. “Why would you turn yourself in to save her?”
“I have seen the error in my ways,” Paris said. “I seem to have a guilty conscience for it.”
“A conscience,” the Grand Elder said under his breath. He should have seen this coming. Paris was different from other demons. The Grand Elder had known that for quite some time. He had really hoped the mating with his daughter had worked. It would have made things so much easier.
“What is she to you?” the Grand Elder asked. His eyes watched Paris closely for anything that would give away his true affections.
“She was a contract, nothing more,” Paris said.
“I believe your ‘contract’ has made her choice,” the Grand Elder said, motioning to the back of the room where Zoe had just appeared with Athena.
“Your Majesty,” Athena said, “I believe Lord Paris is entitled to a trial.”
Chapter eight
“On what basis do you enter my palace uncalled,” the Grand Elder said, his anger permeating his aura and filling the room with the immensity of it.
“My Lord,” Athena began with a respectful bow to the Grand Elder, “according to the laws…”
“Do not quote the laws to me,” the Grand Elder snapped, cutting her off. “I know the laws better than any. Unfortunately, I seem to be the only one with any regard for them.”
Athena didn’t realize until he had just said so, but she was currently in violation of the very laws she hoped to use to help Paris. The simple act of bringing Zoe with her was an infraction that carried a steep penalty. It was easy to forget that she was still technically an Untouched human.
“Forgive me,” Athena said, biting her tongue. She did not want to say something she might regret. She was here to save Paris and she needed to remember that. The last thing she wanted to do was reveal any of her true intentions to the Grand Elder. She liked being alive and she intended to stay that way.
“Paris has agreed to throw himself upon my mercy,” the Grand Elder said, “why should I give him a trial?”
“Because, My Lord,” Athena said, “as you have mentioned, you follow the old rules. It would not be a good example to the other’s if you disregarded them, even this once.”
“I suppose you are correct,” the Grand Elder said. He was loath to admit it, but Paris was technically owed a fair trial before being sentenced to death. His eyes turned onto Zoe. “What is the human doing here?”
Zoe could feel his eyes burning into him. She didn’t blame him for hating her. She had killed his daughter, even though it was in self-defense.
“The human is pertinent to his trial,” Athena spoke up. She really hoped this was going to work, or more than just Paris would pay the price.
“On what grounds,” the Grand Elder demanded. “There is no reason a human should be involved in the trial of a demon. It is preposterous.”
“But this human does,” Athena said, “she has agreed to be an advocate of Lord Paris.”
“Is this true, human?” the Grand Elder said, his cloudy eyes shifting onto Zoe. This situation was becoming rather interesting. If there was something between these two, it would have far reaching consequences for both demon and human kind. He hadn’t thought he would live long enough to see the ancient prophecies fulfilled, but perhaps he was wrong.
Zoe didn’t know how to answer. She wanted to help Paris, but she was getting the feeling that she had gotten in over her head. Again. She looked at Athena, the demoness was looking insistently back at her, trying to convince her with her eyes to agree. Then she looked at Paris. She could see the anger in his eyes. Anger that she was here. Anger that she had risked her life to save him. That’s when she realized what he was doing. He was here trying to save her. He was going to give himself up to save her. And her mind was set.
“It is true,” Zoe said, full of confidence. “I knew exactly what I was doing the whole time.”
“The girl is lying,” Paris said with a glowering look at Zoe and her demoness accomplice. If he got out of this, by some miracle, he would make it a point to kill Athena. He had considered the possibility of beating this on some trivial legality with a trial, but he knew it was fruitless. He would lose the trial because he had broken the laws. And he fully knew he was breaking them when he did it.
“I am not,” Zoe said with a stomp of her foot.
“Yes,” Paris said between his gritted teeth, “she is.”
Did the girl have a death wish, he wondered. He knew she was prone to acts of stupidity, but this was far beyond that. This was plain moronic.
“No,” Zoe screamed back, “I am not.”
“That is enough,” the Grand Elder interrupted. His eyes darted between Paris and Zoe. There was something more going on here. The two were squabbling like lovers. He had never seen anything like it in all his years. A demon willing to die for a human, and a human willing
to lie to save him. He could tell the girl was lying. There was a reason she was willing to sacrifice herself for Paris, and there was only one reason the Grand Elder knew that would cause such a reaction.
“There will be a trial,” the Grand Elder said, “according to our laws. I will allow this human to testify on your behalf, Paris. And we shall let the jury decide both of your fates’.”
#
“This is a rather pleasant turn of events,” Ryad said, a smile curling his lips. Things had turned out even better than he hoped. His old plan was no longer relevant, but this new one was far better than he could have imagined. He never would have thought Paris would be the one to turn himself in, much less in an attempt to save a human. It really was for the better. He would let the courts execute Paris, as was sure to be the case, leaving one less person he had to deal with. Then he would strike. The Grand Elder would be first. He was weakened by old age and the death of his daughter. With the surprise of the attack, Ryad would be able to put him down.
The Council would fall easily to him. Jackson’s father, was the only real danger to him, and that’s what Ryad needed Jackson for. He had no intention of actually sharing any power with him. He simply presented a weakness to Mateo that Ryad was going to exploit. He would reign supreme, ushering in a new era of Demonity. An era that would enslave the humans, using them for the only thing they were worth.
A trial would make things so easy, especially one as high profile as Lord Paris, and as scandalous too. It would gather not only the highest ranking demons, but many of the lesser ones as well. Everyone would be in one place, making it easy to strike.
Chapter nine
“This situation with Paris is very disappointing,” Mateo said. His broad back was turned to his son as he watched the dying son in the distance. He called Jackson here for a reason, hoping his son would recall the happier days between them, when Mateo would take him here. They use to watch the sun setting, the night bringing with it their true forms. It had been many decades since they had done that. It was one of Mateo’s greatest regrets.
Jackson watched his father with a mix of emotions. He had never felt that he made his father proud, though he had tried to his whole life. The only thing he had ever wanted was for his father to approve of him. He had never felt that approval.
“You know Paris,” Jackson said with a shrug. He knew what his father was trying to do, bringing him here. But it wouldn’t work. Jackson had long ago made his decision with regards to his father. Ryad gave him the opportunity to execute his chosen course, and he would only need to tolerate the old demon a little longer. Once he disposed of the rest of the Council, Jackson would do away with him. Ryad thought he was safe, thought his power would protect him. But Jackson had something that would neutralize that power. Something that had been lost for centuries.
“I trusted you to get him on board with the mating,” Mateo said, “not destroy everything I have worked for.”
“It is not my fault,” Jackson said bitterly. His father was always blaming him. He could feel his anger bubbling over.
“He is your friend,” Mateo said, turning around to face a younger mirror image of himself. “And your business partner. You had no inclination what was going on?”
“Paris has always kept things to himself,” Jackson said, pushing aside the sting of disapproval. Of course he knew what Paris was up to. It was peculiar and scandalous, and something Jackson would never even consider it, but he didn’t care if Paris wanted to debase himself in such ways.
“I counted on you, son,” Mateo said, disappointment in his voice. “This was important. For all of us.”
“This was important for you,” Jackson said. He wasn’t going to listen to his father berate him any longer. The only reason he had come when he felt his father’s call was to end things once and for all. Soon, he would not have to listen to his father’s disapproval anymore.
“Are you truly so short sighted?” Mateo said, his eyes searching his son, trying to figure where he had gone wrong. Jackson’s mother died giving birth to him, and Mateo had done the best job he could to raise the boy on his own. But somewhere along the lines, he had lost him. His son would never follow in his footsteps, Mateo knew that. He simply didn’t have the necessary skills to rule on the Council. Honestly, most of the current members didn’t either. But Mateo was working hard to correct that.
“Do you have any idea how much work it took to have him engaged to Salem?” Mateo said. “We needed a strong demon to succeed the Grand Elder. There is nothing else that controls the Council.”
“So you are afraid your enemies will finally be able to get rid of you?” Jackson said, a cruel smirk twisting on his face that stung Mateo’s heart.
Mateo was taken aback by his son’s maliciousness towards him. He knew the bond with his son was weak, but he never realized how much Jackson resented him. He wished he could go back, make things different, spend more time raising him and less time working on the Council. But things had turned out the way they had, and there was nothing Mateo could do about it now.
“I do not care about my position,” Mateo said. He searched for the words to make his son understand. “You have never experienced war. You do not know of its horrors. There will be war amongst us now.”
“Spare me the drama,” Jackson said with a roll of his eyes. He grew up listening to his father tell him tales of the revolution, of how he helped form the Council and bring their people out of chaos and into civility. Now he stood here telling him that war was wrong. He was nothing more than a hypocrite as far as Jackson was concerned.
“War is how you gained your status,” Jackson said, “or have you forgotten that?”
“You are right,” Mateo said, “but my cause was for the greater good. I helped see our people through a time of great darkness. And now our community is threatened.”
“Why did you call me here?” Jackson said. He was tired of his father’s holier than thou attitude.
“The power of our ancestors will be lost,” Mateo said, the sadness evident in his old blue eyes.
“There is still time to pass it on,” Jackson said, still unable to break from the need to please his father, even in his anger and hatred of him. “The Grand Elder is not dead yet.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Mateo said, turning once again to watch as the last rays of sunlight disappeared in the distance. “Why do you think I worked so hard to have Paris mate with Salem?”
“I don’t understand,” Jackson said, trying to find the meaning in his father’s words. Their features shifted in the darkness that grew to surround them.
“Paris is the only one,” Mateo said, his head dropping. There was no way the Grand Elder would pass his powers to Paris now. Everything he had worked for, his whole life, for centuries, was going to crumble before his very eyes. “He was the only one qualified, the only one whose blood could take it.”
“I see,” Jackson said. Those words, though Mateo didn’t know it, were all Jackson needed to hear. He understood now. A new plan began to form in his mind.
“I want you to join with me, son,” Mateo said. “Let us put the fighting behind us, for the greater good.”
“I intend to put the fighting behind us, father,” Jackson said, a wicked gleam in his eye. He held out a hand and a golden broad sword materialized in his hands. Mateo knew it the moment he saw the weapon, and the blood drained from his face. It was the Sword of Asi, an ancient sword from the days before the revolution. It was an extremely powerful weapon, and it belonged in the hands of the Grand Elder.
“Jackson,” Mateo said, his eyes unable to hide the fear and sadness that rushed through him as his son ran the blade through his torso.
Chapter ten
The demons in the courtroom were beginning to get restless. They had been waiting since early morning for Mateo to arrive. Being the most senior member of the Council, no sentence could be handed down without him. It was so unlike him to be late.
Jackso
n sat casually behind Paris. He knew his father wasn’t going to show. Ryad may think that he was running things, but Jackson had new plans. He would use Ryad to take care of the rest of the council. Paris was his best friend. And now that Jackson knew how powerful he could become, he fully intended to have him on his side. Jackson knew that he wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed, but there was one thing he was very good at. He was an excellent judge of character. And he would use that judgment against the Grand Elder.
Zoe was nowhere to be seen. She was being kept in a small room connected to the courtroom. Her presence would have caused even more of an uproar. These were strange times for demons. They were used to scandals, but so many happening all at once was almost more than the gossip mills could handle.
Paris sat quietly resigned to his fate. He was in the front of the room, his back to everyone except the Grand Elder who sat on a raised bench before them all. Paris’ face was a mask of blank emotion, but every demon was speculating on his true feelings.
“Your Majesty,” Ryad spoke as he stood, his voice quelling the murmurs that ran across the crowd of demons. “Perhaps we should begin. It appears Lord Mateo has more important matters.”
“We cannot proceed without him,” the Grand Elder said, his glossy eyes focusing on Ryad. “You well know that. We must have a chairman.”
“Of course,” Ryad said. He had to fight the urge to smirk. His plan was working so perfectly. He moved to be seated, but stopped, feigning sudden inspiration. “Perhaps, you could name another. Only for temporary measures.”
“I suppose you would seek the position,” the Grand Elder said, his eyes narrowing on Ryad in suspicion. He could see what the old demon was up to. Every demon in here would die to be named the chairman in Mateo’s place. It came with a significant increase in power.
“Well,” Ryad said, allowing his smile to show. The Grand Elder was falling right into his trap. “I would, of course, love the opportunity. However, I believe a more fair choice could be made.”