Chapter 26 #2
“Master!” the lizard called, turning down a path that led away from the castle to a small cottage just a few paces away. He reached the door and stretched to his full height, which wasn’t much. “Master!” he called again.
“What?” an angry voice snapped from inside.
“Open the door. Open the door. It’s happening.”
The door was wrenched open, revealing a drunken imp.
He was small framed, with narrow shoulders and tiny horns barely visible beneath the fall of ashy blond hair trailing down his back.
He wore disheveled, dirty clothes that looked like they had been chewed up and spat out.
He bent forward, nearly losing his balance as he came closer to the lizard.
“Why are you shouting?” he slurred. “Do you want the whole palace to hear you?”
“No. Sorry. But this is an emergency. The rift is opening again,” the lizard whispered.
The imp froze, his eyes clearing as the haze of drunkenness vanished.
“Let me see,” he said, taking hold of the lizard as he straightened.
He stared into its eyes and the entire scene from earlier replayed in the creature’s mind.
The imp dropped it as if it had burned him.
“This is it. This is…” he shouted, suddenly bouncing on his feet. “I have to go,” he said, smoothing his hands down the front of his clothes. “I need to see the prince.”
He rushed back into the cottage.
The sound of running water filled the silence, then cut off abruptly. A few minutes later, he came back out again, now dressed in clean trousers and an intricate shirt that looked almost woven from metal threads.
He hurried forward, the lizard following close behind.
“I do not know if he will see me. He has not called for me in so long. I wonder if he even remembers me. I should be glad he forgot,” the imp muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “Others did not fare so well after the war.”
“You are the only one still alive, master,” the lizard said, its claws clicking against the stone floor.
“I know. And I would very much like to keep my neck,” he muttered.
“That is why I hid in the cottage. He has been on a rampage since we lost the war, trying to impress his brothers. He wanted to take over the land of the living, make the prophecy come true. ‘A true king of the underworld and the living shall rise’, the seer had said. Now everyone else is paying for it.”
“Then do not tell him what you saw,” the lizard said.
“Are you crazy? He will find out eventually. I would rather he hear it from me. And besides, I want my old life back. The privileges, all of it. Living like this after the war feels like death itself,” the imp said.
“The prince wants that too. He wants to carve his own path, leave a mark, earn his father’s respect. Be the true king. And I can give him that. We will not fail this time.”
He entered the castle, moving through the shadows unnoticed.
Screams of pain and distant moans echoed through the halls. The castle itself was opulent, almost beautiful in a strange, unsettling way that Blade would normally have found garish, but here it somehow fit.
They moved into another hallway, this one lined with demon guards dressed in the same woven rope garments. The guards followed someone ahead.
From the lizard’s perspective, all Blade could see was the figure’s back and long hair, braided and trailing down.
“Fuck, it is Prince Lug. What is he doing in this part of the palace?” the imp whispered, quickly hiding behind a statue of a very large, lethal looking demon.
The lizard followed suit, pressing itself into the shadows.
They stayed still until Lug and his guards passed. Blade did not know how, but he felt a ripple in the air as the prince moved by, as though the space itself vibrated around him.
He held his breath, somehow sensing the fear coming from both the imp and the lizard.
Who was he?
He focused on the prince, but all he could see was the side of his face as he passed, the rest of him disappearing into the corridor ahead.
“Fuck, that was close,” the imp said as he rushed out of the shadows and ran down the hallway until he reached a massive door with a skull for a handle.
“Wait here. He hates lizards,” he muttered.
He pushed the door open and slammed it shut in the lizard’s face.
The lizard turned away and faced the hallway instead. Nothing happened for what felt like an eternity.
Blade was just beginning to pull away from the vision when the door opened again.
The imp stepped out, head bowed, speaking softly to the prince he had just been with.
Movement caught Blade’s attention behind them.
The prince did not spare the lizard a second glance as he passed, but someone else moved in the background.
Blade froze.
He could not believe what he was seeing.
Drago. He was alive.
He had seen right.
Dressed in dark robes, Drago followed the imp and the prince, his eyes glowing a deep, burning red filled with hatred.
The lizard trailed behind them at a cautious distance, keeping to the edge of the corridor.
“Brother,” the prince said ahead. “Morning.”
“Lug,” the lizard whispered, pressing itself flat against the wall. There were no statues here, nowhere to hide.
“Athan, morning,” Lug said, his voice deep and rich.
Blade wished he could see the feared demon’s face clearly, but the lizard stayed pressed against the wall, doing everything it could not to be noticed.
“I see you are still keeping company with these lowly demons. Perhaps you should leave the palace and go find your mother,” Lug added.
The arrogance in his tone made Blade’s teeth grind.
“No need for insults this early in the morning,” Athan said. “Every demon is important in the underworld, including my mother, who somehow managed to entice our very important father.”
Lug stepped closer to him.
“One day, I will sew that mouth of yours shut,” he said calmly.
“I would like to see you try,” he said, then walked away.
The lizard remained still for a few seconds before suddenly shooting forward in a desperate run.
But Blade did not move with it.
For a breathless moment, he was suspended, weightless, until fingers closed around his throat.
He stared into the blackest eyes he had ever seen.
“I can see you,” Lug said.
His claw dragged across Blade’s skin, sending a sharp wave of sensation through him that made his scalp prickle.
Then Lug withdrew his hand and brought his claw to his mouth, tasting what he had taken.
Blade screamed and tore himself out of the vision, thrashing as if unseen hands were still holding him down.
“It is me, Blade. It is Alexander. Calm down.”
“Alex?” Blade gasped, blinking hard.
Alexander hovered over him, watching closely.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I saw him. I was right,” Blade said, trying to sit up, but a heavy weight still pressed against his chest. He looked down at the blankets piled over him.
“Was I out of it?” he asked.
“Yes,” Alexander said, removing most of the blankets. “You were shivering. I did not know what else to do.”
The door opened and Alexander’s mother walked in. She looked ethereal, almost otherworldly, and impossibly beautiful. Every time Blade saw her, he felt as though he were looking at a fairy queen.
“Here,” she said, handing him a cup. “It is warmed wine with blood. It should take the chill away.”
“Thank you,” Blade said, cupping his hands around the cup.
“You saw him…” Alexander said, returning to their conversation.
“Yes,” Blade said, looking from Alexander to his mother. “He is alive.”
The room fell into stunned silence.
“Are you sure?” Alexander’s mother asked. She stepped closer and took his hand. “Please. Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yes,” Blade said. “I went back to confirm what I saw. He was there. He is still alive.”
She covered her face as a strangled moan slipped past her lips.
“Mom,” Alexander said, pulling her into his arms. “Please do not cry.”
“I had a feeling he was still alive. I just did not want to believe it. Oh God… he is alive,” she said, pulling away from Alexander. “I should go and tell your father.”
She rushed out of the room before Alexander could stop her.
“Dammit,” he said.
“You do not seem happy that Drago is alive,” Blade said, his fingers tightening around the cup.
Alexander shook his head. “I am. But he is in the damn underworld. How are we going to get him back? I do not want to give her hope and then take it away again.”
“There is more,” Blade said.
“There is?”
“Yes.” Blade placed the cup on the bedside table and focused on Alexander. “The chasm is opening again. It looks like we are going to have another war.”
“Fuck.” Alexander dragged a hand down his face. “Your blood. There is something in it that is opening the chasm.”
“How?”
“I do not know. But from what I saw, it has already happened. From the moment you woke up. The blood from the stake opened the chasm slightly.”
“There is no telling what the demons have done since then,” Alexander said.
“Yes. My vision was showing the past.”
“Fuck. Knowing them, they probably already have an army of those demons waiting,” Alexander said, frustration tightening his voice. “We need to warn the others.”
“Yes. Everyone must prepare for whatever is coming,” Blade said. “I will go with you to explain my vision.”
“Will you be alright? Do you not need to…”
“No. I fed enough. We can leave anytime.”
There was a soft knock at the door and Alexander knew they would not be leaving yet. His parents would want to hear everything too.
“Come in,” Alexander said.
He groaned as his parents stepped into view, hope shining in their eyes, breaking his heart.