Half-Demon's Fortune

by Lina J. Potter

  Once again, Innis curtseyed. She was going to get up, turn around and leave, and I would never see her again, I knew that.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

  Her answer was quiet, barely above a whisper, but to me, it sounded like thunder. She was firm and proud, an Andago to the core...and only one small tear sparkled in the corner of her eye.

  Innie, my girl...forgive me. But no; you won’t. And you won’t accept any explanations either. But still...

  Innis stood up and Lintor offered her his hand.

  And I...I realized what a wretch I was. So be it. Let me be a wretch, a scumbag, whomever...

  But I can’t lose her a second time.

  “Baron, could you please come into my office?”

  Lintor wasn’t even pale anymore; his skin assumed a bluish tint.

  “Countess, I would be delighted if you told me a few things about Andago. Wasn’t it there where they found that unholy shrine?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  Innis’ voice became stronger.

  “Let us go, then.”

  The courtiers breathed a collective sigh of relief. A thunderstorm had just barely missed them and they were happy.

  Whatever. The only thing that mattered to me was Innis, who was being escorted by the baron into my study. Apparently, Lintor wasn’t tone-deaf, as he stopped just behind the door.

  “I’ll hang anybody who dares to eavesdrop,” I promised everyone quite sincerely, and the door separated us from the rest of the outside world.

  ***

  “Innis...”

  Her dark eyes were clear and cold, like two black diamonds. Is she looking at me or right through me?

  I touched her hand.

  “My dear...forgive me.”

  She pushed me away with her hand, barely stifling the desire to wipe it off her dress.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “There’s nothing for me to forgive you for, Your Majesty.”

  She was quiet, her voice dead and lifeless.

  “Innis, I should have told you everything, but I couldn’t.”

  “I understand, Your Majesty.”

  “Innis!”

  Silence.

  “Innis, please! Hit me, scream at me, just don’t do this! Innis, I beg you!”

  She said nothing and kept staring at me, cold and cruel. Forgiveness? Not for deception. I dropped to my knees, head bowed, and handed her a dagger I drew from my sheath.

  “Stab me. You have the right to.”

  “I have no need of your life, Your Majesty. May your reign be long and just.”

  I raised my head.

  Contempt and disgust were etched on her face. The dagger landed in the corner, clanging as it fell onto the stone floor. Slowly, I got up. She was shorter than me, but at that moment it still felt like I was on my knees, a wall in front of me. A high wall made of ice, hiding my light, and I couldn’t do anything to thaw it. But maybe...

  With a sharp movement, I swept her into my arms.

  “Let me go, Your Majesty!”

  I dropped into a chair, still pressing my darling to me. I knew that if I let her go, she would never come back.

  But if I ordered her to stay, she wouldn’t be Innis anymore, either.

  I would get a beautiful toy, a talking and walking...broken doll. That wasn’t right. And that’s why...

  “I won’t hurt you, I swear. I’m just going to tell you a story, and afterward, you can leave—or stay. I give you my word as the king.”

  “As honest as a half-demon’s word?”

  “I never lied to you. I simply...kept some things back.”

  “Really?”

  Innis’s words were piercing cold. She tried to hurt me, but I was glad. Pain, anger—it didn’t matter, as long as she cared, because if she did not, she would stay silent, cold as demonic ice.

  “Just sit with me and listen to my tale. Please.”

  And Innis gave up. She knew that I wouldn’t let her go anyway.

  “Well?”

  ***

  “Once upon a time, in a country far, far away, there was a girl. She was beautiful, smart, and very kind, and she also possessed the gift of fire magic. More than anything, she loved her father, her brother, and her country. Her name was Princess Michelle...”

  Without glossing over anything, I told Innis the whole story: my birth, my childhood, how I had run to the graveyard to train, my first trip, Ruthina’s death...

  I didn’t care. I felt pain, shame, and discomfort, but I knew if I lied, Innis would notice. And she would never forgive me. Everything would be over. Maybe after I finished, she would leave anyway, but still...

  I hugged her tightly, closed my eyes, and I spoke. It would be better like that. At least I wouldn’t see loathing on her face. I told her everything. About our meeting, the King of Rats, everything. If Innis decided to reveal it to everyone, let her. I couldn’t do anything else.

  And the icy sheet over my soul melted. Pain, so much pain... But I wasn’t shutting it out anymore. I accepted it, and I was happy. So be it. Because in the middle of my story I felt her slender fingers with the Andago heirloom ring touch my palm and speaking became easier.

  And then, it was all over, and I fell silent.

  Just one moment, and she’ll jump up and stagger back, a scream of disgust on her lips, and then she’ll flee, leaving me alone to hide myself under the ice. Nobody will touch me, everything will be fine...but I won’t exist. Not anymore.

  I couldn’t believe it when I felt her hand touch my cheek.

  “Alex...look at me.”

  And my eyes met hers: red with crying, but no less wonderful because of that. Her nose was swollen, her face blotched with streaks of tears. Had she been crying because of me?

  “Innie?”

  “Alex...”

  There was so much in that word!

  Warmth, understanding, love...I didn’t say anything after that. I just turned my head and gave her a deep, hungry kiss.

  ***

  We took a while to come to our senses. I barely managed to stop myself when my hands found their way under Innis’ dress...who was that bastard who had invented such low cleavage?

  Innis clearly didn’t mind, I saw that, but I wasn’t about to stoop so low. Countess Andago would never become a mistress, only my beloved, my wife, a mother...oh.

  “Are you in Riolon for long?”

  “Four more days.”

  “Too bad. That’s not enough time for me to pack up.”

  “What!”

  “And I would have liked to travel to the estate and speak with Tidann. After all, I’ll have to live in Radenor.”

  I shook my head.

  “Innie!”

  Her dark eyes flashed.

  “You’re such a swine, Alex, but such is my fate, I guess. I’ve lived without you, and I don’t want to do it anymore. What about you?”

  “I love you,” I confessed, just like that. “I almost lost it when we parted. I had to tear my heart apart, erase my memory, tried not to think, shed blood, but to no avail. There’s too much human in me... A demon can live alone, reveling in blood, fear, and power. A human needs someone by his side—somebody to love and care about...and in a pinch, someone to give him a good slap!”

  “Do you want to leave me again?”

  “No!”

  “Then you’ll have to wait a bit until I pack up.”

  I paused.

  “Innis, I...it would be better if I went ahead. You could get there later.”

  “Why?”

  “Because of Dariola.”

  “But...”

  I had told her about Dariola’s death, but not the entire story. The cleavage was too much of a distraction... Hey! Stop looking! Stop reaching there!

  “Nobody knows about her death yet. Everyone thinks she’s in prison. Soon, she’ll die in childbirth, bearing me a son. It would be better if you arrived after that.”

  “They’ll gossip anyway.” Innis
shrugged, delightfully arrogant. “The Andagos are above gossip.”

  “And I’m not. Take pity on the courtiers, I’d have to bust their heads open. For myself, I would have curbed my temper, but for you...”

  “Is it your instincts?” Innis said, giggling.

  I nodded.

  “Something like that. Argadon told me that. After I broke up with Carlie, he and I spent a whole night drinking.”

  “Drinking with a demon?”

  “He’s my father. It’s not like you can choose your parents.”

  “Will you introduce me to him?”

  “I will.”

  Innis sighed.

  “We have a hard journey ahead of us.”

  And for that simple word, “we,” I was ready to kiss her hands.

  Not “I,” not “you”...for her, we were already a unit, and who knew what would happen in the future? Personally, I hoped for children.

  And by the way...

  “Innie, I have to tell you something else.”

  “What?”

  “I can’t have normal children.”

  “And what children can you have?”

  “Quarter-demons.”

  “So that’s how it is.”

  “You’ve seen my other form. The child will look like that.”

  Innis considered that. Then she said something that almost made me fall down from the chair in relief.

  “Are their claws soft when they’re born? What will we do if he scratches me during birth?”

  I hugged her tightly and kissed her.

  She was my miracle.

  I’ll never let her go. Never. I’ll kill anyone who even dares to look at her the wrong way!

  “I’ll deal with that.”

  “What about their looks? We’ll have to disguise them somehow.”

  “I don’t know. It’s more complicated.”

  “You’ll need to figure it out. I don’t want our children to be raised in the wilderness away from us. And we’ll have to take your eldest, too...

  “Are you serious?”

  “What? Are you going to abandon the child in...”

  “In Torrin?”

  It’s not like I had never considered that. Half-demons were just wired that way. I would probably love my children with Innis more than Ricky; after all, they would be hers. But Dariola’s child... She had tried to kill me!

  And somewhere deep inside, I thought that the child could be raised somewhere else, without him ever learning about his royal blood—maybe that would be better...

  I felt Innis’ fingers grab my ear.

  “How can you think about something like that! Have you no shame?”

  No, I didn’t have any. I had burned it out of my system right after killing Ruthina.

  “I’m ashamed of you. Anyway, we’ll need all the children. Just do the math: Riolon, Radenor, Andago.”

  “Ummm...”

  I couldn’t find it in my heart to tell her that I had planned to merge the two countries. But Innis guessed it anyway and nestled her face in my neck.

  “Alex, I get it. But I doubt you’ll succeed. You aren’t going to abandon Radenor, and Riolon will need your undivided attention.”

  I shrugged.

  If I didn’t have a family, I wouldn’t care. I could have dedicated even more of my time to that, and I would have been happy. When you’re busy twenty-four hours a day, you don’t have to think about anything. But now...

  “I’ll mull this over. You aren’t going to rule yourself, are you?”

  I narrowed my eyes playfully so Innis would know I was joking. But if she really wished to... Oh, demon! I was starting to understand Rudolph. For Abigail, he allowed the country to be robbed. What would I do for Innis? I listened to myself. No. I was madly in love with that girl, but to me, the crown would always be if not the first, then the only thing that mattered. It was bred into my bones, my blood. It would never change. Either Innis accepted me as I was, or...breaking up would be much more painful.

  Maybe I should sever the ties right now, while I still can. Yes, it will hurt like hell, but any pain can be managed. What’s going to happen later, when we have children, when our hearts are chained as one?

  I was afraid of repeating my experience with Carlie.

  Still, it didn’t matter. There was no escaping fate. If Innis truly loved me, charm potions would never work. And if she didn’t...

  I already had a son. As for the heart...I had never really had one.

  ***

  It had been a while since Rosemary Street had seen a royal procession. In truth, it had never seen one, and thus, all the onlookers were amazed by the four-horsed carriage that Countess Andago slowly exited from. People had gathered from all the surrounding streets just to witness that.

  As soon as Innis’ slippers touched the cobblestones, she rushed into Auntie Madie’s arms.

  “Auntie!”

  “What happened, Innie?” The matron almost felt sick with worry...but then, she guessed.

  Innis’ shiny eyes, her blushing cheeks...indeed, what else could transform a sullen shadow into a girl beaming with joy?

  “Alex?”

  “He found me! Auntie, we’re going to Radenor!”

  “What!”

  “Yes. Will you come with me?”

  Auntie Madie looked around, noticing the crowd, curiosity written on their faces.

  “Let’s get out of here, sweetie. We’ll talk inside.”

  Innis didn’t tell her everything, but she had no choice but to give Auntie the main points.

  “Alex is asking me to go to Radenor.”

  “Didn’t you tell me he’s from Tevarr?”

  “Oh, Auntie. We lied, of course.”

  “So you’re—”

  “He’s not my cousin and he’s not from Tevarr. He isn’t related to the Andagos at all. He just took pity on me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “No, we weren’t lovers, never,” Innis blurted out, sincerely hurt, and Madie calmed down. After all, honor was a maiden’s main virtue. “It’s just Alex knew that he couldn’t tell the truth. Who was he to me? Not my fiancé or my relative. Nobody would have understood. Everything between us was completely innocent. Actually, I thought that my feelings were one-sided.”

  “And today, you’ve met him at court?”

  “Lintor didn’t warn me!”

  “Ahem...”

  The aforementioned Lintor knocked at the door. Innis glared at him.

  “Baron, are you confused? People usually knock before entering a house.”

  “Excuse me, Countess. It seems I’m getting on in years and forget some things.”

  He had a cheeky expression on his face. He knew that Innis was way too happy to be angry with him; at most, she would grumble a little bit.

  “It seems, you’ve forgotten much.”

  “Isn’t that to the best, Milady?”

  Innis shook her head in reproach, but she couldn’t keep at it long. Finally, she gave in and gave him a broad smile.

  “Sit down. Wine?”

  “It won’t hurt, Milady. It is my understanding that I won’t be executed today, no?”

  “Have you...”

  “No, I haven’t been to the palace. I decided to wait next to your house. If you hadn’t made up, I suspect that His Majesty would have hanged me.”

  “Alex would have never done that!”

  “His Majesty?” Auntie Madie chimed in.

  Innis lowered her gaze. Lintor had to explain.

  “His Majesty Alexander Leonard Radenor.”

  Auntie Madie slowly slid under the table, passed out cold. The conversation continued in half an hour, upstairs.

  “Auntie, so what? Yes, he’s the king—”

  “He’s married.”

  “Then I’ll just be close to him.”

  “Innie, sweetie, do you understand what you’re saying?”

  “I do. But while Alex is married, there will be nothing between us. It’s
not like there ever was...”

  “Innis, are you sure that His Majesty would let you go just like that?” Lintor had never been more serious.

  “I know he wouldn’t, but I have faith that he won’t force me. Never.”

  “Actually, I’m not into rape.”

  Alex looked at the scene, a dark look on his face. Lintor immediately feigned innocence and fell to his knees.

  “Your Majesty, you may put me to death as you wish. It’s all my fault.”

  Innis snorted, looking at the disgruntled half-demon. Yes, his enemy was here, but it’s not like he could even give him a good kick while his beloved was next to him!

  Lintor knew that—well enough to make fun.

  “Fine. Baron Temilen, I won’t execute you.”

  But sooner or later, you’ll be sorry. The implication hung in the air.

  “But you will write to me, as well as my representative, detailed reports on the events in the capital. I’ll go home after he gets here. Innis, that will be enough time for you to go to Andago. Auntie, are you coming with us?”

  Auntie Madie paused.

  “Alex...I mean, Your Ma—”

  “Auntie!”

  “Fine,” she said, a slight smile on her face. “Of course I’m coming. But I could take Rimma with me...”

  “If she’ll want to leave Andago, that is,” Innis added.

  “We’ll have to ask her.”

  “We will.”

  Alex crossed the room, stopped next to Innis, and put his arm around her shoulder.

  “For Innis, I’ll agree to anything. But you’ll have to be escorted to Andago, all right?”

  Innis nodded. What was the point in arguing?

  Alex loved her and cared about her. Isn’t that enough? Yes, he isn’t perfect, and sometimes, he fails, but it is still so much more than what could be said about many people. Isn’t it?

  ***

  Innis went away the next day and I was left to count the days. Damn those schemers, Tidann and Lintor both! The former had sent his granddaughter to the capital, while the other had led her to me...

  And once again, I had no desire to be parted from Innis. I would have never let her go, but I had to. Andago was as important to Innis as Radenor to me; if she accepted the one, then I was bound to accept the other—because I didn’t want to live without her anymore.