by L R Deney
“Yes, said she worked on behalf of Kadmon, a being calling herself ‘the Devil’. They tore up and through this building, killing many staffers and watchmen. Even the Council was crippled, half our number taken out like that.” The man snapped.
“So did she call out to the demons and they came?”
Fromm blinked “Well no, but I fail to see the relevancy of that.”
“You’re probably right. They did come to save her after all….”
“Yes.”
“So about the assassination….”
“The reason I sit here rather than Johnathan Ravenford.”
“If you say so. I was curious about what evidence there was, if she left behind any clues that might be helpful. Did anyone see her?”
“Uhhmmm… no. No one saw her. She did leave behind a calling card.” He gestured to the wall beside him. “Painted there, in Ravenford’s blood was an anarchy symbol. We were able to deduce it was her due to the fact she had just unleashed demons on the capitol and is a great proponent of anarchy. The deduction that it was her was obvious.”
“So most of the evidence she left behind has been cleaned up.”
“Well… yes, it has.”
“And whose idea was that?”
“It came at great insistence by one of my colleagues that I have a clean office to begin my duties as the new Speaker of the Council. Couldn’t work beside that ghastly thing.”
“Of course. Does this colleague have a name?”
“Why yes, Jacob Andersson. He’s been like a mentor to me.”
Aku no Shi nodded. “Interesting. It’s always good to have a relationship like that, to have someone to give you advice when needed.”
“Very much so,” agreed Fromm.
“So why the riots in the slums?”
“Excuse me? I’m not sure what that has to do with the bounty.”
“I heard some things.”
“Oh right, I figure you would have. You’ve got me there; you’re a very thorough investigator. Yes, the slum riots. It’s in response to my closing down of their drinking establishments.”
“Why did you shut them down?”
“We received word that she was receiving aid from a bartender down there. So to avoid that, I shut every bar in the slums down.”
Aku no Shi stroked her chin thoughtfully. So the alibi was very likely true, but not entirely confirmed. She would have to find a way to this Grithnak person in order to confirm that, but that would prove challenging. Nevertheless, the evidence against Staci seemed flimsy, there were no cold hard facts and the Council foolishly scrubbed away the evidence. Did not the watch insist on keeping it longer for forensics? Apparently not.
“A prudent move,” she said to him. Then she recognized the look in a man’s eyes that confirmed that his ego was comfortably stroked. “Thank you for your assistance in shining some light on this vile, gaijin bitch.”
“I’m glad to be of some help,” the Speaker said before shaking her hand again. “I wish you well in your hunt.”
“Thank you, Speaker.” Then she turned and left.
A woman suddenly stepped up to her side and looked back at the entrance of Fromm’s office and dismissed the guards. Reluctantly the watchmen stepped away and returned to their previous post outside. They were eager to be done with the matter.
“Walk with me,” the woman said to her. She seemed very nervous and unsettled, so Aku no Shi obliged. “I heard you were asking about the circumstances around the bounty and the previous Speaker?”
Aku no Shi nodded. “Yes, I was given some intel during my hunt that I needed to verify.”
“Well you walk a thin line by talking to Friedrich about it. There is a dark purpose behind his demeanor; we’re losing our city here.”
“I have seen it; he is mad with power and eager to have more. He is a narcissist.”
“More than that, perhaps. He, Andersson, and Vasiliev have been consolidating power into his office, taking advantage of our reduced number and passing bill after bill of authoritarian reach. I should have listened to another Councilor when it first started happening, but now he’s gone missing, allegedly kidnapped by Staci Drenvauder.”
“Impossible, Drenvauder has been on the run in the city of Seattle. She would have had no such time to pull that off while trying to elude me and the other hunters.”
“Yeah, I didn’t buy it either. There’s been no sign of her in Azramoas for days. Something else is going on and it’s tied to Fromm, Andersson, and Vasiliev.”
“The power consolidation. I take it you are a councilor?”
“Yes, I am Julia Frandsen. My colleague was Drake Okar, he was Fromm’s most vocal political opponent. Now he is gone. He was starting to entertain notions that maybe Staci Drenvauder was right, but wasn’t willing to go the full way of defending her and her extremist ideas and actions.”
“I have met her twice now. She is an unusual woman. Says she’s trying to hunt down Nazis.”
“Yeah, she was trying to say that the cops she attacked were Nazis in disguise. I don’t know if she was onto something or if she’s just unhinged. Looking around here, I’m starting to wonder.” She swept her arm around at Fromm’s banners.
“I need to reach an orc named Grithnak. He is held in the prison, arrested when the Council shut down the bars in the slums. He may have an alibi for Staci concerning the assassination of Ravenford.”
“If that’s true then… shit. Have we been fools, Drake and I? I’ll try to put through an order to the prison to allow you to ‘interrogate’ him. Perhaps you can get your answers finally.”
Aku no Shi bowed in her thanks to Julia. “Much appreciated. I must know if I have followed an honorable path or a dishonorable one.”
“Whichever it turns out to be, I hope you get some good news.”
“So do I. So do I.” Aku no Shi bowed in respect again and then turned away, walking out of the capitol
Chapter 24
The room she had been given was far more spacious than the quarters she had been used to in the past. It was a lot more preferable to the cells her command team had been occupying just a short few days ago. She had no desire to ever return to that prison, so she would cooperate by any means necessary with Queen Sarah Brimstone.
Zenn was lying back along her bed which was just downright huge. She was never used to such extravagant spaces; she could hardly even fathom how someone could live like this. The entirety of her home in Azramoas could have fit in the living room alone. It would seem then that getting on the Queen’s good side was immensely beneficial.
But there was a down side to this huge room with all of its lavish extravagance, the insatiable boredom. The room was for lazing around, just a big creature comfort, but she didn’t want to laze around, she wanted to be out on the field of battle, fighting the demonic hordes of Kadmon. Presumably that would come eventually, now that her and her officers were free.
But Sarah said she was preparing her armies, waiting for her troops to mend so that they could return to fighting. The golems indeed would augment the forces the Queen controlled, and they were hers now, as she had stated on the day Zenn was granted audience with her. There was nothing she could do about that, Sarah had the higher position and she’d wield it as she saw fit, she made that much clear.
She fell asleep a few times, she couldn’t help it, the bed was just too damn comfortable. Her dreams were full of visions of war, or sometimes the new Speaker sounding like a bumbling oaf on the podium. They were both dark and humorous, and it kept her mind occupied at the very least.
Eventually a loud knock woke her up and she bolted awake, sitting on her bed and looking around. The door knocked loudly again several moments later. She hopped out of her bed and ran to the door, fiddled with each of the locks until it was swinging open to reveal a distinguished and regal looking demon standing on the other side of it.
“Queen Sarah requests your presence,” the demon stated.
Colonel Zenn bli
nked for a moment. “Well, all right, take me to her.”
The demon held up a hand. “Not so fast, she wants you to get dressed first.”
“But I am dressed.”
“No, you’re not.”
“No?”
The demon shook his head and pointed to the wardrobe. “See that there? Choose something. Take as much time as you need, the dinner isn’t for another few hours.”
Zenn looked at the wardrobe curiously then back at the demon. “Did you just say ‘dinner?’”
The demon smiled and then walked away, leaving her alone. Dumbfounded, she turned and walked toward the indicated wardrobe and opened it. Inside was a variety of gowns and dresses with drawers full of accessories, there was even a box of makeup. The dresses varied in styles, some long and conservative, others revealing, and a few would look fitting on a sex worker. She bit her lower lip at the sight, wondering what the purpose of the dinner was actually for.
Huffing to herself, Zenn rummaged through the outfits. Dresses were never really her thing, instead feeling more at home in a t-shirt and jeans when off duty. But if the queen of this curious region of Hell wanted her to dress up, she would. It’s not like it could hurt, right?
Finally she settled on a long purple gown with a low cut neckline that hinted only at the barest bit of cleavage and a slit up the side. She caught herself in the mirror for a little while, judging herself some. She’d certainly do herself, she decided, then went off to do her makeup, which she always struggled with to some extent. Nevertheless, after a while, she was finally satisfied with it.
It took her a few hours to finish, and when she finally was, it was just a few more minutes later that the demon returned for her. He smiled wider once he saw her and beckoned her to follow him. Walking in heels was always a little awkward for her, but it was the only type of shoe that was available, she would have to make do with it until she could actually sit down.
The winding hallways were filled with statues and portraits, most of them depicting Queen Sarah, Zenn now recognizing her in each of them. She wasn’t sure if it was vanity, devotion from her subjects or both that there was so much artwork featuring her. Whatever the case, she’d take note and attempt to flatter her as much as she can to keep the woman pleased and amicable. One wrong word could spell disaster, after all.
They finally arrived at a private dining room and the demon gestured for her to enter. Inside, the vanity artwork continued to be prominent, and a large table decorated by a table cloth, candelabras, and a vase of flowers awaited her. She arched a brow at the sight, but since this was a lavish, decorated room, she didn’t think much of it.
Her first instinct was to walk over to the chair and sit down, as her feet were starting to kill her, but the demon stepped in her way. She was about to chew him out when he walked to the chair himself and pulled it out for her, then motioned to sit. She furrowed her brow at him before walking over to it and sat down.
“Really? I could have done that myself,” she complained as she was pushed in close to the table.
“Just proper court procedure, ma’am,” the demon replied with a soft chuckle before standing in attendance.
“Pure silliness is what I call it; I have arms and legs after all.”
“Yes, but the point is to create the image of luxury.”
“Bah.”
The demon shrugged, then turned his head as a sound came from the far side of the room. It was Sarah Brimstone, emerging from a different entrance, clad in a black gown with a dark red bodice. Of course it was frightfully low cut, allowing for ample view of that ever so impressive cleavage. She flashed a large, toothy smile at Zenn before allowing herself to be seated by the other demon in attendance.
“Thank you for joining me for dinner,” Sarah said, clasping her claws in front of her.
“Yes of course, what’s the occasion?” Zenn asked.
“Our unity.”
Zenn blinked, eyes moving across the table, at the candelabras, the flowers. “Wait… I beg your pardon?”
“Yes, the unity of our two armies.”
“Oh.”
“What did you think I was talking about, my dear?” A devilish grin spread across the demoness’ lips.
“Oh, nothing….”
“Are you sure…?”
Colonel Zenn briefly caught herself staring at the woman’s cleavage while hunting for something to distract her mind from what she had thought. “Absolutely. So… our two armies, huh?”
“Yes, I have some splendid news; my scouts have located the rest of your forces. We have sent over a delegation to meet with them.”
Zenn’s eyes widened. “You’ve found them? How are they doing, what’s their status?”
Sarah held up a hand to stave off the questioning. “Please, calm, my dear. We found them to the far west of here, straddling Luciferion’s southern border. They’re regrouping as they engage in battle with Kadmon’s forces. They seem to be holding their own rather well, despite the overwhelming odds.”
“On that, how did Kadmon get to be so powerful?”
The demon queen frowned. “The so-called ‘Devil’ achieved her position through virtue of line of succession. Everyone above her met with mysterious ends, very erratically, almost like it was designed to look random.”
“They were assassinated.”
“You’re a smart cookie, yes, they were assassinated. After that, a few leaders positioned underneath Kadmon’s authority randomly perished. I suspect this was an attempt to make her ascension look a little less obvious. Nevertheless, the assassinations of foreign leaders began to start, and Kadmon, ever the opportunist, sent in her troops to seize the power vacuum. At her side through all of this conquest was the woman Staci Drenvauder.” She smirked. “While not a demon herself, she certainly fulfilled the stereotype. If she’s back, then we have a serious problem.”
“No kidding. So you’re afraid that another string of assassinations will start.”
“Exactly. The Empire of Luciferion only meets staunch resistance these days because their enemies have strong leaders to rally their forces. That said, it still has far more troops at its disposal and each territory it gains only swells its ranks further.”
“You’re losing, aren’t you?”
Laughing softly, Sarah waved her hand dismissively “Of course not, my forces are still strong yet. We’ve been holding back Kadmon’s armies for months, while most nations fall to Luciferion in weeks. Scathus remains standing against them no matter how much our enemy throws at us. And with a wartime alliance with Azramoas, we might be able to turn back the tide at last.”
With that final word, a serving cart was wheeled in, carrying an array of platters filled with food. Each one was placed on the table and revealed. The main course was revealed to be some kind of roasted animal, but what, Zenn couldn’t really tell. Same for the side dishes which had vegetables of unrecognizable types, something tentacled that was most definitely not a squid or an octopus, and some kind of wine that was the darkest shade she had ever seen. The only things that looked halfway familiar were the small cakes and the pudding.
Sarah caught sight of Zenn’s scrutinizing gaze. “I assure you, it’s all safe to eat, despite it being a little different from what you’re used to.”
“Ummm… what should I have?”
“You can have anything laid out before you. I greatly recommend the Void beast, though. They’re delicious.” She gestured to the tentacled horror.
“…Okay, so I guess I’ll have some of this, and a few of these.” Zenn served herself some of the creature that was the main course as well as some of the vegetables that seemed analogous to peas, despite their extremely pale appearance. She tried tasting the animal and found that it tasted remarkably like chicken. “Well, that old adage goes….”
“What old adage?” Sarah asked, as she moved a little of everything to her plate.
“Nevermind….”
They sat there, eating in comfort. The demonic
food was surprisingly good, as was the wine. They discussed each other’s histories, with Zenn revealing that she had both a brother and sister, and that she was the only one who had any magical talent whatsoever. Sarah revealed that she ruled Scathus for millennia, although that she had been born at some time during the initial settlement of Atlantis.
“Huh, so Atlantis was real, eh?” Zenn asked. “Interesting. Nowadays on Earth it’s considered a myth. Even skepticism about it exists in Azramoas. It was one of the first things I asked about when I met my master. He said it couldn’t be verified.”
“It was very real, my dear. Where do you think human arcane traditions were born?”
Zenn shrugged. “Not much of a historian.”
They finished up their meal, eating until they were stuffed. Zenn had tried a little bit of the Void beast and found that it wasn’t completely horrible, but Sarah definitely oversold the flavor. Drinking the last bit of her wine, Zenn leaned back in her chair, studying Sarah. She was certainly a very beautiful woman despite the demonic features. Then she realized what she was thinking and shook her head to dismiss the thought, the alcohol was clearly affecting her.
“Something the matter, my dear?” Sarah asked, a mild, impish look upon her features.
“No, no, not at all,” Zenn answered, sitting up straight.
“Okay, whatever you say,” Sarah said with a mischievous smile, and stood up from her chair. “Come with me.”
Come with her? Oh lord! “Excuse me?”
“Come with me. I want to show you something outside.”
“Ohhh, come with you….”
The demoness blinked and then laughed. “Oh dear, where is your mind right now, Colonel?”
“Sorry, I don’t know. I just had a lot to drink.”
Sarah nodded and waited for the other woman to stand before leading her out of the dining room. Together they roamed the halls of the palace, Sarah humming softly to herself the entire way. It was a little harder for Zenn to walk in the heels she was wearing, still a bit tipsy from the wine she had shared with the demon queen. Still, she only almost stumbled twice, both of which Sarah had quickly caught her.