Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

  ‘Of course, you wouldn’t have known! She separated our souls from our bodies, but there was still a small connection, just enough to keep them alive. But she kept our minds firmly locked within the fire — evil woman that she is. So that we would feel our death... she had to make it look convincing to us, as well as to the Court,’ replied Elisedd.

  ‘So, she didn’t kill us... because she didn’t want to face Prima Stella. That is where she would undoubtedly end up, if she actually killed me,’ said Lillian. Evelyn would not dare kill a daughter of the First Family of the Morning Star clan, she thought. Well, not outright anyway... but there were always other ways, as she had so recently discovered.

  ‘You’re probably wondering why she kept me alive,’ said Elisedd solemnly.

  Lillian gave him an apologetic look.

  ‘I was a human, so she could quite easily have let me die, safe in the knowledge that no consequences would occur. I think it was partly to do with her making me her slave.’

  ‘The other part was probably keeping you alive in the knowledge that I’d died never knowing you survived. Or even if I survived in some form, I would wander about lost in my grief for you. Her sick sweet revenge,’ said Lillian furiously.

  ‘If I ever get my hands on her-’ said Elisedd.

  ‘When we get our hands on her,’ amended Lillian.

  Elisedd nodded his head, and squeezed her hand affectionately as she smiled wearily at him.

  He could think more clearly without Evelyn in his mind, and said gravely, ‘You know, that was not me that hurt you with the coffin... She had an iron control over my mind... but still, I am sorry to have hurt-’

  Lillian covered his mouth with her hand, ‘I know. You would never deliberately hurt me. When I looked in your eyes, it was Evelyn looking back,’ she said gently.

  Elisedd felt the knot in his stomach uncoil. How stupid he had been to ever doubt her love for him.

  ‘I can’t believe how far back her plotting and planning actually goes,’ said Lillian. ‘Though, we have one advantage over her,’ she said smiling.

  ‘And what’s that?’ asked Elisedd, his expression hopeful.

  ‘Evelyn never knew about our child and our grandchildren. She thinks that I have no descendents.’

  ‘Thank God for that. Wait, can a demon pray?’ he asked.

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ said Lillian.

  ‘Lillian, there is one thing you must now do, you cannot put it off any longer...’ Elisedd said, turning his head toward the coffin where her body lay sleeping, waiting for her return.

  ‘I’m scared that it won’t work, after all this time. When you came back, it was in the same instant. So, it makes sense that your body would accept you.’

  With determination in his eyes, Elisedd got up and pulled Lillian to her feet. He held out his hand for her, and she took it, and he led her to the coffin.

  ‘What do I do now?’ asked Lillian, who was not quite sure how it worked. How would she make her soul return back to her body?

  ‘Climb in and lie down, then close your eyes, and put the intention in your mind that you want to go deep within yourself. You’ll know it’s working as you begin to sink into your body as it finally accepts you,’ replied Elisedd.

  Lillian climbed in holding onto Elisedd’s hand as she got onto the table. Taking a deep breath, she began to lie back above her body in the coffin.

  ‘Nothing is happening, I’m just hovering above it,’ she said in a disheartened voice.

  ‘It is because you are fighting it. You do not trust yourself enough to let go. Think about why you are doing this...’ said Elisedd patiently.

  Lillian closed her eyes, and tried to focus on getting back, but that didn’t work, either. She tried to clear her mind. Silence, she thought.

  ‘Just breathe, love. That’s it,’ whispered Elisedd. He sounded calm, but secretly feared that it might not work, and looked on desperately as her soul stubbornly refused to sink in.

  After about ten minutes, Lillian opened her eyes, frustrated, ‘It’s no good, this is not working!’

  He felt riddled with dread. ‘You need to give it time. We knew this was not going to be easy. Do not stop, keep trying... for me,’ he added.

  Lillian got up, and was dismayed to find herself sitting on top of her body. She stood up and hopped down from the coffin, much to Elisedd’s annoyance.

  ‘You are not even trying!’ he said accusingly. It’s almost as if she doesn’t want to return... he thought resentfully, as his eyes became glacial.

  Lillian went up to him and embraced him. Her head rested against his chest as she listened to the sound of his heart beating strongly; at least he was alive. She could accept her death as long as he lived. She closed her eyes, content to just stand there for a while.

  CHAPTER 33

  Rowanne just laughed in response as Lady Enid and Evelyn both looked at her as if she had truly lost her mind. Perhaps I have... she thought. Pressure built in her chest, and her head ached with the amount of knowledge that was pouring in at an alarming rate.

  ‘Rowanne, are you alright?’ asked Lady Enid, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  Rowanne patted Lady Enid’s hand. She turned to the crowd, ‘My Lords and Ladies, you have just witnessed one of your Nobles state that half demons should be killed. Were you referring to me by any chance, Evelyn?’ asked Rowanne boldly. There was a collective gasp and fierce whispering broke out; the demons were shocked at the nerve of the human to speak to Evelyn, especially being so informal and insolent as to address her by her first name.

  Evelyn froze, slowly turning her head, realising that her power had worn off and that the demons in the room were now beginning to move about freely. There was a look of hatred on their faces; directed towards her.

  How had the situation gotten out of hand? They were supposed to hate the bloody Queen, and shred Rowanne to pieces. This was not how it was supposed to unfold. Think quickly, thought Evelyn.

  The first thing Evelyn did was to hastily remove the last of her magic that she had weaved over the crowd of demons.

  Rowanne watched as the demons surged forward, but the soldiers kept them back; but, they too were torn between loyalty for their Queen, and the Noble families they served.

  ‘STOP!’ uttered Lady Enid, in a quiet command that carried throughout the Great Hall. All the demons stopped in their tracks. ‘This is the Noble Court, where we will behave as civilised demons, and hear the evidence in its entirety before passing judgment. No demon has the right to carry out punishment out of their own volition, that will be decided and acted upon in Prima Stella.’

  Rowanne watched as the demons became subdued with the threat of Prima Stella before them. They looked mercilessly at their Queen; their patience would not last forever.

  Evelyn seethed with rage as the demons obeyed their Queen. ‘Present your evidence, my lady!’ she said mockingly.

  Lady Enid smiled malevolently at Evelyn, who took a step back. Good, at least she understands me...

  ‘Rowanne, please continue,’ requested Lady Enid.

  Evelyn faced the crowd as she piously pleaded her case, ‘You can see for yourselves how our beloved Queen dares to allow a half breed to speak before us — as if what she says actually matters. The evidence of the half breed is clearly before you! Let us not waste any more of our valuable time, and declare death upon it!’ said Evelyn passionately.

  ‘Kill the half breed!’ shouted a demon in the crowd. This chant was picked up by the rest of the hall, as they added, ‘Death to half breeds!’

  ‘My Lords and Ladies, we should extend this courtesy to all demons who dare to support humans and half breeds,’ and turning towards the Queen, Evelyn looked her dead in the eyes as she continued, ‘no matter their rank,’ she finished triumphantly. There, she had played her ace.

  The crowd chanted, their voices full of rage, and Rowanne suspected they would love any excuse to get rid of their monarch, to take her place.

  Bra
vely, Rowanne stepped forward, even though the guards were barely able to keep the mass of demons away from the platform. ‘My Lords and Ladies,’ she said with great dignity. However, the crowd refused to listen, after all who was she? No one of any real significance or importance.

  Rowanne’s eyes blazed green as her power flared around her like a shimmering emerald cape. This captured their attention; they were frozen in place by this spectacle. They had arrogantly thought half demons to be beneath their notice. The demons watched the power swirl around Rowanne, who was completely oblivious of it.

  ‘Thank you, for your consideration. Lady Evelyn Blaze of the Adara Clan has condemned all half demons, and in doing so has condemned herself,’ said Rowanne in a crystal clear voice.

  Evelyn strode towards her. ‘Explain yourself? Do not presume to make false allegations they could prove fatal for you.’

  ‘Lady Evelyn and I are more alike than she would care to admit,’ stated Rowanne boldly. The demons laughed scathingly in their arrogance.

  Evelyn smiled, and condescendingly stated, ‘I am a Noble, as well as a daughter of a First Family. What precisely is your status?’

  Rowanne smiled beautifully, replying, ‘Don’t you mean our status? You and I are half demons!’

  Evelyn lost control, and shoved Rowanne to the floor.

  ‘Hurting me will not change the truth,’ said Rowanne, getting up and dusting herself off.

  ‘You will desist, Evelyn,’ said Lady Enid, stepping in front of Rowanne.

  The situation seemed to be completely out of her control. Lady Enid felt torn: should she do the right thing and in doing so, possibly condemn an entire planet to death, all for Rowanne? She felt drained - sometimes she hated being the ruler. She could not afford to think of herself, to just be Enid.

  ‘It’s okay,’ whispered Rowanne to Lady Enid. Rowanne’s eyes never wavered; there was a determination within her to set things right.

  Lady Enid turned to Evelyn, ‘Is it true that you have become a half demon? If so, you have committed treason against our world by converting a human.’

  The Nobles and other demons could not believe their ears, and a deadly silence descended upon the hall. It was unthinkable for a Noble of all demons, and that too from a member of a First Family. Now, instead of one execution, they would witness two; the second would be recorded in their history.

  There were whispers and rumours concerning the scandal surrounding the Morning Star Clan; in particular, their former Princess Lillian. Now it seemed the Adara Clan were also suffering the same fate. The demons watched as misfortune struck the Noble families. The Nobles in the hall felt an uneasiness, it seemed as if for the first time, their titles meant nothing; they were not truly as invincible as they liked to think. Worse yet, they could hear the jeers coming from the lesser demons at the back of the hall.

  Rowanne felt the tension in the hall rise. They could break out in a fight... she thought. The Queen could very well be in danger, this was not what I wanted...

  The Queen stepped before Evelyn, and said, ‘Give me your hand, and I will prove, as you claim, that you are not a half demon.’

  ‘No. I do not trust a demon who spends her time in the company of half breeds. I want another independent demon to verify my status,’ said Evelyn coldly.

  ‘Very well, as you wish, my dear,’ said Lady Enid, beckoning a royal guard to step forward.

  Rowanne kept a straight face as she realised the guard coming onto the platform was none other than Alexander’s cousin, Kieran of the Black Rose Clan.

  Evelyn gave her hand to Kieran, and looked at him intently; there was a promise of death within her eyes, should he fail her.

  No, Kieran, thought Rowanne. Don’t do it, don’t risk your life. He turned his head as if he had heard her, and gave her a quick look. Oh no... she thought. He was very much like Alexander; willing to do the right thing, even if it cost him his life.

  Kieran’s eyes sparkled with a green light as his power flowed over Evelyn, and revealed her new form as a half demon; they could see the immortal part of her gone, ripped out.

  Kieran let go, and faced his Queen, ‘Your Majesty, is it your wish that I detain Lady Evelyn?’

  ‘You worthless demon, do not underestimate me. Approach me at your own peril...’ warned Evelyn.

  Evelyn called upon her power, and it began to fill her whole being. They think they have got the best of me?! They think I’m weak, because I am a half demon. Useless demons, the lot of them. I’m worth more than all of them combined. Her eyes changed from their natural blue to a blackish green colour.

  ‘Guards, detain her at once!’ commanded Lady Enid.

  Rowanne watched, as half a dozen royal guards raced to Evelyn, securing her. Kieran used metal cuffs to secure her hands, as Evelyn looked contemptuously at him.

  ‘This way, my lady,’ said Kieran, as he slowly led her off the platform.

  Evelyn watched Lady Enid smile at Rowanne. Look at them rejoicing as if they have won. She bowed her head and waited, noting that there were more guards in front of her, than at her back. The Queen had no protection at all; assuming the danger had passed. Foolish, really.

  Evelyn judged the moment to be right, and let loose with an energy blast that threw the guards off the platform. She quickly picked up a sword that one of the guards had so conveniently dropped for her benefit.

  Rowanne saw the murderous intent in Evelyn’s eyes, and Lady Enid was momentarily distracted, appearing dazed after the blast. After all, she had been in closer proximity to it than Rowanne, and struggled to now stand.

  Rowanne had also been thrown back. Remarkably though, the throne was untouched. Her demon blood had helped her to recover quickly from the shock, but even so, she too struggled to stand, and watched in slow motion as Evelyn ran towards the queen, raising the sword above her.

  Evelyn gazed triumphantly down at the Queen, and could feel the royal guards cautiously approaching her from all sides. ‘They’ll be too late, my Queen,’ she laughed. ‘I have been at your side and have served you for seventy years! So, it is only right that we should die together. Don’t you want to be with your daughter again?!’

  Evelyn raised her blade high as the Queen looked at her defiantly; Lady Enid would look death in the eyes. Evelyn brought down the sword in one brutal blow, but to her horror the person it went through was not the Queen... She screamed in frustration.

  The shock waves of what had just transpired reverberated through the hall. ‘Get her!’ shouted the demons from the Noble Families. ‘Treason,’ they yelled.

  A single voice cut through the din, ‘Rowanne!’ screamed Alexander.

  Alexander had found himself outside of the Morning Star Family’s abode, and was out of his mind and in a daze. It had taken him a while to piece together that he had been possessed by a demonic entity.

  Instinct had led him back towards the Noble Court. He had been forced to fight his way through the crowd of demons. Then before his mind could make sense of the scene before him, it was over. He had been too late to prevent Rowanne from rushing with inhuman speed towards the Queen, and throwing her body over her just as Evelyn plunged the sword down, impaling Rowanne.

  He made his way slowly towards Rowanne with a sharp pain in his heart that he could not identify. His breathing was shallow and the room seemed to waver before him. He walked up the steps towards her, pausing briefly as he noticed his cousin’s body below; blood coated his forehead. Kieran lay amongst the other soldiers caught up in the blast. He’s not breathing... thought Alexander dispassionately, as another piece of him broke from within.

  The hall of demons was subdued in the wake of this tragedy. They could not believe what they had witnessed. Why would a half demon risk her life for one of them? Especially knowing that she would most certainly be facing the death penalty at Prima Stella.

  Alexander walked towards Rowanne, noticed that remarkably she seemed to be breathing, and rushed to her side.

  ‘Check Lady
Enid first, help her,’ said Rowanne weakly.

  The royal guards converged around the bodies, unsure of how to proceed, not wanting to hurt their Queen. They listened in astonishment, amazed at the bravery of the human impaled on the sword; if this is what it means to be a half breed... they thought. Rowanne was challenging their established world view; one insignificant human...

  ‘Move back, let me ascertain if the Queen is hurt,’ said Alexander in a clear command. The soldiers stepped back as one, but stayed on high alert in case anything else should happen. ‘Keep her back,’ he said referring to Evelyn, who was hidden from view by the soldiers surrounding her.

  The soldiers walked to the end of the platform away from their Queen, as a seemingly subdued Evelyn walked quietly amidst them.

  Well, at last my work is done, thought Evelyn, and smirked as she thought of the poor fools trapped within the confines of her personal chamber. Now at last you get to spend eternity alone Lillian, with your dead love... She was sure that the sword had passed through the Queen as well. Her soldiers had taken care of Driskell and the half breed he was so intent in keeping from her notice.

  Alexander crouched low to the ground and looked beneath Rowanne. There was a steady pool of blood dripping down, but not as much as he had thought there’d be. The sword had gone straight through, and extended out the other side. As for the Queen, she was not moving and there was blood on her clothes...

  ‘Help me,’ he called to one of the guards. He was shocked, as before him stood his cousin. ‘I... I thought you were dead,’ said Alexander breathlessly.

  ‘I’m harder to get rid of than that, and you of all people should know it. I admit, I’m not looking my best right now,’ said Kieran.

  Kieran helped to gently lift Rowanne up just enough that Alexander could get under her to pull the Queen out without hurting either of them. Kieran knelt on the ground, supporting all of Rowanne’s weight.

  Alexander’s heart broke as he looked at Rowanne’s broken and limp form. How can she still be smiling, trying to comfort me, when she is the one who needs help? There was a helpless anger within him, and he did not feel stable right now. He was a demon on the edge; Rowanne was the only one keeping him sane, for now.