Chapter Thirty-Four
Sitri certainly knew how to make an entrance, much to my displeasure. Without giving me a chance to compose myself, he threw open the doors to the meeting hall, and every head in the room turned towards us.
If Sitri’s home had been luxurious, this place was truly opulent.
Huge spiral patterns marked the walls, and the floor was made of polished stones.
Even the table and chairs were decadent, made of copper and cushioned with silk-like fabric.
The crystal chandelier dangling from the ceiling ran on electricity, just as the one in Vapula’s bedroom had.
This place was so different from Sitri’s cozy manor. I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to it.
There were demons in the room, too; five of them.
I didn’t recognize the three at the back.
Apollo sat near the door, his crimson eyes and dirty-blond hair sparkling in the bright electric light.
It was strange to see him without his armor or even a shirt.
Given the number of wounds he bore, I understood the reason for his partial undress.
He donned a smile at the sight of me, leaping to his feet, nearly knocking over the demoness at his side. She was tall and slender, with dark umber skin, and wore something resembling nurse scrubs. A magnificent mane of near-black hair framed her face and fell down her shoulders in tight coils.
Apollo rushed forward to greet me. The demoness followed close behind, smiling and shaking her head as she tossed aside her tools.
“Glad to see you’re up and moving, Duchess!” Apollo practically shouted.
He pulled me in close for a hug, making me groan and stumble as my wounds protested. Sitri chuckled. I shot him a sharp glance and returned Apollo’s hug.
“You’re alright?” I asked. “You had me worried, you know. I saw you at the battle. I didn’t think you and Sitri would make it out of there.”
Apollo released me with a laugh of his own and took a step back. “I’m doing better now than I was. Turns out Vapula doesn’t treat his prisoners very well. But hey, I’m still around, and that counts for something, right?”
“You were taken as a captive?”
I glanced at Apollo’s shoulder. The sigil that burned there was crimson—not verdant. Vapula hadn’t bound him, and though he’d suffered at the late Duke’s orders, he hadn’t been annihilated, either. My brow furrowed as I tried to place that mercy among all Vapula’s cruelty.
“More like ‘offered himself to the enemy on a silver platter.’” The Prince stared his legate down, face tightening. “To be clear, if you ever try that kind of stunt again, fresh scars will be the least of your worries.”
Apollo shrugged. “You weren’t about to walk away from that battlefield. Bronwen needed time to get you out, and I knew I could buy it, so I did.”
Bronwen. With everything that had happened in the past few weeks, I’d forgotten about her. I glanced around, unable to find her crimson hair and imposing form among the unfamiliar faces. “Bronwen went home, I’m guessing?”
Sitri nodded. “We parted ways at the border I share with Haagenti.”
The demoness who’d attended Apollo took hold of his arm. Despite her gentle touch, he still winced.
“Alright, back in the chair with you,” she ordered as she pulled him away.
“I’m not done with you yet. Sit now, and we might get these stitches out before you heal over them.
” Then she turned her attention to me, her shoulders lax, and a slight smile on her face.
“You take a seat, too, Duchess. I will need to inspect your wound, and if you’re healing well, the staples can come out today. ”
“Right,” I answered.
Staples. That’s what had been used to close the wound Vapula gave me, not sutures. The memory of Sitri pulling loose threads from my body still made my skin crawl, and the prospect of letting Vapula’s legate remove sharp metal from my flesh sent a shiver down my spine.
If the demoness noticed my reaction, she gave no indication. She returned to Apollo, scissors in hand, and began working on his wounded shoulder. I pulled up a chair next to her.
“Sabrina,” she introduced herself. “Medical Director of the Kingdom of Scholars and Savants, at your service.”
“Lillia. Um… Duchess, I suppose.”
A snort came from across the room. I looked up and found the source—a pale, older-looking demoness leaning against the back wall with her arms crossed. Her short, platinum hair did little to obscure her scathing crimson gaze and the creases that marked her face.
I knew I’d be facing challenges, having dethroned a powerful demon and broken with Hell’s tradition, but I hadn’t expected them to come so soon.
Two demons sat at the table just in front of her.
One was an infernal who boasted massive horns, cloven-hoofed feet, and a swishing bovine tail.
The other was a human-like demon with black hair and golden-brown skin, who snickered at his wall-leaning companion.
Between them, maps and parchment covered the table, marked with pins and ink.
The infernal demon gave a snort of his own and shot the demoness a glare, sharp as a dagger.
“Sabrina is the reason you still stand, darling.” Sitri’s voice distracted me from the altercation, bringing me back to my half of the room. “I’m sure her deeds will become apparent in time. Of the legates you inherited, she is the only one I would trust with my soul—and yours.”
Sabrina laughed. “Please, you give me too much credit. Hell did most of the work for me. I just prettied things up a bit.”
“Still,” I said, “I appreciate what you didn’t do. It would have been easy to slit my throat, or Sitri’s, if you wanted to.”
“And carry the weight of your title on my shoulders? Not a chance. I don’t envy what you’ve inherited, Duchess, and the Prince’s kingdom is in ruins. I’ll gladly patch you up if it means I won’t be the one to fix it.” She flashed me a wry grin.
I returned it, finding myself already growing fond of Sabrina, despite my former misgivings.
Apollo grunted as Sabrina pulled the last of the stitches from his shoulder, clearly not enjoying the process any more than I had. She bound it up in bandages and turned to me. From one of her pockets, she retrieved a device that looked halfway between a pair of scissors and a box cutter.
“Do you have to?” I asked as she took a knee on the ground before me.
“Would you rather they stayed forever? Shirt up, kindly,” Sabrina ordered.
I glanced at Sitri, who scanned the room, watching Vapula’s demons as they moved.
His magic would unveil any desire to harm me.
Though I trusted him to keep me safe, I still missed having the gifts of Lust and Lies myself.
They’d prove useful in this hall full of strangers who’d aided in my capture, in the war against Sitri, in Apollo’s presumed torture.
What I wouldn’t give to know what they were thinking.
With a sigh, I lifted my shirt and revealed my wound.
Despite a week of rest and food, healing had been slow.
Gnarled flesh ran from my ribcage towards the top of my pelvis, forming a vertical line that intersected the horizontal scar Mara had given me.
It was grisly, two inches wide, with thick bruising on either side, and held together by staples.
The sight of them, caked in dried blood, made me feel woozy.
“Wait, that’s the wound?” Apollo asked, shock crossing his face.
Something moved on my left, and I jumped, turning my head.
The black-haired demon had crept down the table to see for himself, and I hadn’t noticed when he’d left his place.
His inquisitive eyes flicked over my stomach, taking in every detail.
I leaned away from him, if only to create a semblance of distance between us.
“My, that is bad,” he chimed in, shaking his head. “On my own soldiers, a wound like that would be considered a lost cause.”
“And who exactly are you…?” I asked.
“Amos. Military general, and your humble servant. Now that this war is over, I’m looking forward to my first vacation in two hundred years, Duchess.” He gave me a wink, and Sitri audibly growled.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think vacations are in any of our futures,” I admitted, though I found myself wishing otherwise. After a few short days in Illeinstrin, I already wanted to get away from the nightmare I’d inherited.
My Prince sauntered up to my side. “Even if they were, that is a presumptuous request to make,” he retorted. “The Duchess has yet to accept my surrender. We remain enemies for now, and this is but a truce.”
“You plan to surrender, my Prince?” The question came from the infernal demon. When he turned, I noted the cherry-red sigil on his arm. One of Sitri’s, then.
My Prince nodded. “I do. In fact, I am prepared to take up my traditional role at our new Duchess’ side after this war has ended.”
“I thought you didn’t rule courts,” Apollo said, a grin spreading across his face.
“I have never been given a court worth ruling.” Sitri gave a smile that mirrored his legate’s. “For now, Lillia has convinced me.”
“And what about your favorite warmonger? Plan to send me home and stick me with your work, eh?”
“A fitting punishment for a disobedient general,” Sitri answered, and Apollo’s face soured. “I must oversee things here, at least for a time. It will be your responsibility to rebuild in my stead. Oh, and I’m keeping Oberon close. I have a feeling you can manage on your own.”
The infernal demon, presumably Oberon, looked away from his Prince and back towards his work. “Figures. Just promoted and already reassigned.”
“You do realize what this maneuver will cost, my Duchess?” Amos whispered, leaning in close. “Five cities, three mines, a productive stretch of rot, not to mention the labor—”
I raised my hand, interrupting him. “Returning what Vapula took from the Kingdom of Lust and Lies isn’t a cost; it’s an investment. We are scientists. He is a diplomat. We all stand to benefit from working together.”
“I’m not so sure we do.” The objection came from the platinum-haired demoness, who hadn’t moved from her place against the wall.
Arms still crossed, she pushed away from where she leaned. She strode towards the table and threw herself down in an empty seat. For a few moments, she studied the maps laid out there. Then her eyes met mine.
“It’s impossible,” she said, “that the Prince pulled this off alone. You were well accounted for, Duchess, and Zephyr reported Lantyca had fallen. You expect me to believe Prince Sitri somehow crawled out of the wreckage, assembled an army, and launched an attack on Illeinstrin that rocked the Kingdom of Scholars and Savants to its core? I don’t buy it. ”
A room full of smiles died in an instant, Sitri’s and Apollo’s chief among them. This was the detail that could risk our credibility, the one I’d hoped no one would press.
I looked to Sitri. He tilted his head, waiting for confirmation, and I gave a resigned nod. There was no point in hiding it now. As casually as he breathed, my Prince pulled a letter from his pocket and tossed it down in the center of the table.
Crisp, white paper. An envelope with a broken, iridescent indigo seal, stamped with the sigil of the Duke Zaleos.
Amos gasped, Sabrina stiffened, and the silver-haired demoness’ eyes shot open wide.
She retrieved the letter. Her face twisted as she took in every word.
When she looked up again, she wore a look of horrified anger.
“Please tell me you didn’t.”
“Oh, but I did,” Sitri replied. “I’ve taken his help before, and I’d take it again in a heartbeat. We’ve already dug our graves, Edith. You’d best pick up a shovel if you want to hold your post.”
They stared each other down, baring fangs, their animosity on full display. Sabrina saw it, too. She stood, and I rose a moment later, putting myself between Edith and Sitri. Both demons refocused on me.
“Zaleos has given me no reason to distrust him. As Duchess, this decision is mine to make, and I say we see it through.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but that didn’t matter. Only Sitri, Oberon, and Apollo would sense my lie.
Edith stood, stalking towards me, her heels clicking against the floor with every step she took. Sabrina pressed in close at my side, standing firm as Edith encroached.
“Most newly crowned nobles don’t preserve their predecessor’s court,” Edith hissed. “They imprison us, slaughter us, and for good reason. I look forward to seeing what makes you think you can keep us in line if this is how you lead, Duchess… Lillia.”
A thinly veiled threat, one meant to get under my skin—and it worked, too. Burning frustration set in, forcing me to stuff it down.
I’d need to respond carefully. Allowing Edith to speak out of turn would expose a weakness, one I didn’t care to show. I opened my mouth to retort, but before I got the chance, Sabrina laid her hand on my shoulder and shook her head.
“As fascinating as this conversation is,” she interjected, her smile tight, “I must get these staples out today. The lot of you aren’t helping. Accept Lillia’s mercy, grant her your support, and kindly clear out of the way so I can work.”
I held Edith’s stare for a moment longer. Without another word, she turned and left the room. One by one, the other demons cleared out until only Sitri and Sabrina remained. I blinked, taking in the authority Sabrina had wielded, dismissing not only my court but Sitri’s as well.
“Thank you,” I offered as I slumped back into a chair, the gash on my stomach already protesting my increased activity. “And thank you again for treating my wounds. I know it wasn’t pretty.”
“Of course. You’ve done us all a favor. It may be a while before she understands that, but in time, she will.
Edith is a military leader. She heads the combat engineers and worked closely with Vapula.
She developed a taste for him that no one else shared.
Once it no longer serves her, she’ll come around. ”
“I really hope you’re right.”
Even though I wanted to, I couldn’t quite believe it. Edith’s bold defiance, her sharp tongue, and subtle aggression… she reminded me more of the late Duke than I’d like to admit.
“Blended courts are difficult, darling,” Sitri said with a sigh. “This is a tricky maneuver you’re trying to pull off. You may change your mind whenever you wish, and I will help you shed blood if necessary.”
“I know, but I’m not ready for that, not now. We need her knowledge, her prestige. This will take effort. I owe it to Edith to put that effort in before we consider drastic measures.”
If Sitri had taught me anything, time was a luxury, one I couldn’t afford. I’d have to watch Edith—both for signs of dissent, and to gauge how much influence I held with my inherited court.
And today, she’d made it clear I didn’t have any sway over them at all.