Chapter 18 Unfriendly Foes
Unfriendly Foes
One look at the demon’s size and stature told her that she could never beat it in a feat of strength, and Elizabeth edged away, trying to calm her racing heart. Every time she edged backwards, it closed the distance. Its bottomless eyes gleamed like a predator toying with prey before the kill.
Ignoring the headache settling behind her temples, she raised her chin. “Caspian knows where I am. He’ll be here soon.”
He will not arrive until I am finished with you, and my hunger has been sated.
She heard the words in her mind, which would have interested her far more had she not been staring death in the face. The creature sniffed and bared sharp teeth, drool dripping from its maw.
Her headache intensified, the pain splitting her skull.
Her eyes watered, and she forced herself to keep its gaze.
It tilted its head, tracing a talon along her braid, and surveyed her with interest.
So, you are his new human pet.
She ducked and bolted, sprinting towards the castle.
The monster caught up to her with ease, running alongside her at a leisurely pace on all fours. A throaty laugh sounded in the air. It snatched at her skirt and darted away again, laughing.
It was toying with her.
I am going to drink you dry and leave you crumpled in the forest for dear Betsael to find.
She had no idea who Betsael was and didn’t want to stay and find out. Her lungs burned as she ran, pushing her limbs as hard as she could to beat the thing to the castle.
Pain shot up her arm. She cried out.
The creature’s razor-sharp talons gripped her forearm, warm blood trickling over her skin.
Using her own nails, she raked her hand at its hand, its face, trying to find purchase with her other hand.
She smacked at the demon’s face without skill.
Her feeble attempts to hurt it only seemed to amuse it.
The demon released her and drove its fist into her stomach like a hammer, forcing the air from her lungs in a strangled wheeze.
Her eyes bulged, and she doubled over, gasping for air.
The creature’s putrid breath washed over her as it leered, savoring her terror.
Elizabeth swung wildly—her fist bouncing off his chest felt like hitting stone. When she aimed for its face, iron fingers crushed her hand, and she winced. A dark laugh filled the air. Her attempts to harm it seemed to only amuse it.
Desperate, she drove her knee upward. The demon doubled over with a grunt of pain, and she didn’t waste time marvelling that it had the same vulnerabilities as a regular man—she was already running.
Her boots slapped against the earth as she ran, but the castle was still too far away.
Claws snatched at her skirt—fabric ripped, sending her sprawling into the mud.
The demon’s clawed foot pinned her gown, trapping her like a mouse with its tail caught.
She tried to calm the pounding in her head, trying to listen to Caspian’s warning of demons’ love of a mortal’s terror.
But panic raced through her body. She was terrified.
Elizabeth clawed at the torn skirt, but it held fast. Her boots slid on the muddy grass beneath her feet.
Terror gripped her. She darted a glance over her shoulder to see the demon lick its lips with a forked black tongue.
Agony exploded across her scalp as the demon hauled her up by her hair. This close, she could see her terrified reflection in its bottomless eyes and smell the putrid stench of its breath.
Elizabeth twisted with all her might until strands tore free. The demon gripped a chunk of her hair, shorn off by his claws.
She hit the ground hard, dirt smearing her dress. She scrambled up and ran toward the castle’s distant lights.
There was heavy breathing behind her, and she wanted to close her eyes and cry.
The pain in her temples worsened, and she cursed. The gods had a really sick sense of humour, making her prone to headaches in a life-or-death situation.
A dark form plummeted from the castle’s tallest tower, massive wings beating furiously, and hurtling through the sky.
The creature from the library.
Gods, please be an ally and not a foe.
It swooped between Elizabeth and her attacker and landed with a thud.
Stay. The mental command from the creature from the library was so powerful that it made her knees buckle.
She risked a look. The two demons circled each other, sizing each other up.
One red and one dark blue, both monsters of the highest order.
The red one lunged, and then the two collided in a whirlwind of fists and claws.
A crackling sound filled the air, and billowing black smoke engulfed the fighting demons, shielding them from view.
The smoke turned into a pillar of red smoke that stretched up into the sky.
Whirling around, she ran.
A roar of pain rent the air, spurring her on.
Elizabeth made it to the castle and flung the doors open wide. She closed them behind her, her hands fumbling with the handle.
Her hair lay in tatters, shorn off by sharp claws, now barely brushing her shoulders.
Iago found her in the entryway, covered in cold sweat and trembling.
She stood, dusting off her torn gown, and was met with Iago’s beetle-black stare. The same eyes as the monster in the field. “Lady,” Iago said, clearing his throat. “Perhaps it’s best for you to wait in the sitting room for the Master.”
Feeling anxious, she perched on a sofa and waited. She crossed a leg over her knee, and then uncrossed it, fidgeting nervously in her seat. Her hands were still shaking.
She’d almost died.
And if it weren’t for the demons in the castle, she would have.
A while later, Caspian strode in, wearing a wrathful expression. She started at his arrival, and then looked at her hands. She deserved his condescension tonight; she didn’t know how she could have been so stupid.
He sniffed, turned on his heel, and left.
Confused, she sniffed her underarms. She didn’t think she smelled bad. If anything, she smelled like sweat but didn’t smell offensive.
Caspian returned moments later with a bucket and some bandages. In a voice dripping with disdain, he said, “I cannot think with you bleeding like that. I’m going to clean and wrap your wounds before you throw this household of good-natured demons into a feeding frenzy. Unless you object?”
She quickly shook her head.
“Good. Then you have at least an ounce of sense, though your actions tonight would strongly indicate otherwise.” He dipped a cloth in a bucket of water and wrung it out until it was damp.
Caspian opened a jar of a healing solution that smelled strongly of herbs.
“Did I not tell you to avoid venturing beyond the castle grounds at night?”
Paralyzed with fear, embarrassment, and exhaustion, she said nothing, her face hot with shame. Though he looked angry, the hand cleaning her wounds was gentle. He dabbed green paste on her wounds that stung on contact. A sharp intake of air was all the discomfort she allowed herself to show.
His expression was dark as he wrapped her arm with gauze.
“All finished.” He patted her arm. “I’d appreciate it if you refrained from venturing out after dark again. I have made an oath to ensure your protection while you are with me, and while I can condescend to clean your wounds tonight … I do have better things to do.”
She blinked. His kindness to her right now was only because of his oath. An obligation, nothing more.
“Thank you,” she swallowed her pride enough to say. If it weren’t for him and the demons in his household, she wouldn’t have survived the night. “Is your friend who came to save me alright?”
A strange look crossed over Caspian’s face. “Yes. He’s alright,” he said softly. “Please tell me why you went out after dark.”
Elizabeth spiraled into the story of how the red demon had come up behind her, and Caspian listened, his face impassive. He was silent for a moment. Finally, he said, “You should know that we are not the only demons that dwell in these lands.”
“What do you mean? I never saw anything like that ... that thing in Rhodea … like that monster.”
A dark look crossed his features, but it was gone in a blink. He placed the cloth in the bucket, the water now pink with her blood. Quietly, he said, “There are many of us here. ”
“What do you mean, many demons are here? Are they not in all the kingdoms? And have you lived in this castle your entire life?”
“So many questions,” Caspian said, frowning.
“Most demons are from the Underworld and venture here as a kind of vacation, before returning home. I, however, was born in the south of Israr a couple of centuries ago. I was a human, a lowly wretch, and then I was made into a demon later in life. So that is where I am from.” He paused.
“As for the rest … there is a portal here. In Arboras. That’s why there are so many demons here. ”
Her breath caught. She gripped the arm of the chair until her knuckles turned white. He was over a couple centuries old. “A portal to where?”
“To my home. To the Underworld.”
“But if there’s a portal, how come the land isn’t crawling with demons? And how many portals are there? Is there only one?” Her mind filled with questions.
“In the beginning, there were two portals. Then, and I am summarizing greatly here, the angels seized control of the portals and didn’t let any demons pass through. A long and bloody war followed, and the portals were captured and lost.”
“Lost?”
“Lost,” he confirmed.
“And you know where they are?”
“I am privy to that information, yes. I know where one of them is. The second is still lost. Perhaps, forever.”
“But what about the demons here? What about that creature? Surely, humans stand no chance against such a beast. Can’t the angels, or the demons for that matter, send him back?”
Caspian paused in his ministrations, meeting her eyes. “Well, you’ve reached the reason why witchcraft remains popular in every country except yours.” He resumed wrapping her arm. “Despite the death penalty, many villagers pay good money for protection against the kind of demons you saw tonight.”
“What about the portals though? Can’t anyone send them back?”
“They cannot.” Caspian nodded as if that explained everything.
She didn’t want her family getting hurt because of demons invading Asteria. “What happens if the portal is closed?”
“We would stay where we are. There would be no more traveling to and from the Underworld. We would need to choose where to be and stay put. There is a war happening right now, back home.” He hesitated as if he didn’t know how much he should disclose.
His movements slowed as he ripped the end of the gauze.
“There are demons who would seek to seize control of the portals and allow hordes of demons to come through. They want control of them very badly.”
“And you?”
“I think demons have the right to explore where they wish; the same rights the angels have,” he replied, carefully tying a knot to secure the bandage. “However, there are too many demons who would leave this land in chaos and destroy this beautiful place.”
Though he was done mending her, he stayed. Elizabeth pursed her lip and risked the chance to learn more: “So, are you for demons coming over or against?”
“I am, obviously, for demons being able to come and go, but numbers matter. Remaining undetected and not expending resources or destroying towns matters.”
“That sounds like a complicated position to take,” she mused.
“You have no idea how much so. There is an agent of chaos in our lands who is trying to drum up sympathy for his cause. He wants us to give him full control of the portal. All the older, more powerful demons think of him as a nuisance, but there have been … conflicts.”
“I see. But you are safe?”
He looked at her curiously. “I am safe.”
“And I am safe?” she clarified.
“Yes, you are safe.”
“How did you become a demon if you grew up in Asteria?”
He was silent for so long, she thought he would never answer.
“I was given a new life. I was given immense power and immortality, but it came with a cost.”
Elizabeth was bursting with questions. “But what—” she trailed off as he slowly shook his head.
He would not reveal any more of his secrets tonight.
Caspian escorted her back to her chamber and leaned against her door, towering over her. “And, Elizabeth?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly, pausing on the threshold.
“Never disobey me again.”