by Olivia Ash
Another creature of the same type lowered itself from the ceiling by silver threading Sadie thought was web. It dropped to the floor and let out a loud, ear-piercing scream. The other creature woke and let out its own scream as well.
Sadie released the flame in her hand and conjured her fire sword and shield. The creature shot web toward them. Everyone dashed and rolled away from the sticky strands and rushed to fight the creature.
The ground rumbled, and rocks fell around them.
“Run for the doorway!” Mordecai yelled as the ground continued to shake.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and ran for the direction Mordecai had indicated. Once they were through, the doorway sealed, and they were locked inside.
Torches lined the walls. Sadie lit one and the rest illuminated, one-by-one until the room was filled with warm light. In the center of the room, surrounded by a pool of water was a dais. The book sat on top, guarded by two large statues. One was of a demon, and the other was of an angel, locked in a frozen war.
“What happened?” Damien asked.
Astrid said, “The rooms changed.”
“How do we get out?” Sadie asked.
“Portal,” Mordecai said.
Sadie nodded then walked to a stone bridge that created a path between where they stood and the dais. She took a step on the walk path and was stopped by Astrid, holding her arm. She shook her head and said, “A demon has to do it.”
“I’ll go,” Damien said and started walking across.
Sadie watched as she waited for another trap to trip with each step he took across. When he finally reached the book, he slipped it under his arm and walked back. He gave it to Sadie.
She held the strange, brown leather-bound book in her hands. There were no inscriptions on the cover or spine. She flipped open the cover and the words written on the front page became scrambled and shifted into strange symbols and swirls. She closed the cover and pressed a hand to her forehead, overcome with dizziness.
Astrid held her hands out. “Only a witch can read it, remember?”
Sadie was hesitant. She didn’t know Astrid’s true intentions much less sure she could trust the witch completely yet. Still, if she was their only hope at finding a way to defeat Zagan, she needed to extend the olive branch on this one.
She handed over the book.
Astrid’s eyes widened with excitement and a giant smile stretched her lips as she scanned the book. She dragged a finger along the center of each page before turning to another.
“There is a weapon I have been searching for. It’s a bladed staff. I wanted it for protection against Zagan and his advances as well as other demons, but I believe it would be better suited for you.”
Well, that is nice of her. “I appreciate that.” Sadie smiled.
“The staff is etched with magical runes and dipped and infused with a special poison.”
“Poison?” Sadie asked. “Will that work?”
Astrid says, “If Zagan has too many souls in his body, then he is beyond corrupt and dangerous. The poison will wound the king and have him lose control over the souls in his body, thus weakening him for a time.” She held up a finger. “But, I would have to do more research before placing belief in a staff that could solve all our problems.”
Sadie nodded. “Then time is what we will give, but we can’t afford much. Try your best to figure that out as soon as possible.”
Astrid nodded.
“Meanwhile, let’s get back,” she said to her men.
Astrid tucked her book close to her chest and huddled closer to the rest of the group as the floor disappeared beneath them and a floating sensation took over.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kaiser
Kaiser made his rounds, checking on the allies, making sure everything was still in order. A gorgon stopped him in the hall and asked, “Where might I find the dining room?”
Kaiser nodded and tried to give the instructions without confusing his ally, but it was no use. Her brow formed wrinkles and her lips turned down at the corners. The poor girl was confused. With a sigh, he resigned to showing her himself.
If he hadn’t had the strength Sadie granted him, he didn’t think he would be able to make it through the overwhelming experience of so many people living under one roof, never mind very different creatures and all of them potentially dangerous. The opportunities for taking over were too many to count, and Kaiser had to remind himself to keep the faith that this was all for the good of everyone in the end.
He had felt the shift in his world the moment Sadie left. And again, the second she was back. It was like he could finally breathe again. He quickly rushed through the fortress to the foyer and wrapped her into his arms, planting kisses on her.
Sadie giggled and tried to pry herself from him. “Okay. Okay! I missed you too.”
His eyes opened and settled on a woman he recognized. Instantly, he pulled from Sadie and regained his composure. She lifted her eyebrows and shifted glances between the three brothers and Sadie.
Sadie’s dragon let out a call and flew into the room, landing right in front of Astrid. Pyra roared and Kaiser watched as Sadie seemed hesitant to jump in. He didn’t know what to do, and it seemed she didn’t know either. Her hands clenched and took on a warm glow as her magic stirred within her. Her amulet lit with swirling reds. She sighed and relaxed a bit, seemingly okay with just standing back and watching.
Astrid smiled and said, “What a magnificent beasty you are!” She petted Pyra on the snout. She whined then lowered herself to the ground at the witch’s feet and allowed more petting. Astrid laughed.
Sadie let out a breath, drawing Kaiser’s attention as he watched with bated breath as well. The witch and dragon seemed to bond, and Sadie seemed okay with that. She glanced at Kaiser, smiled, and turned her attention back to her dragon.
Astrid said, “Sadie, you are so lucky to have such a wonderful majestic creature at your side.”
Kaiser also let out a breath, the tension left his shoulders from the potentially dangerous interaction.
But what caught Kaiser off guard the most was that, up until now, the dragon only preferred Sadie and was loyal only to her.
“Excuse me if I come off accusatory,” Sadie said, “But what did you do to my dragon? Is this your affinity?”
Astrid stood and didn’t seem bothered or offended by her question in the least. “Any animal can sense the type of person you are. Whether or not you have good or bad intentions. It’s part of their ability to thrive and survive dangerous situations. It really doesn’t have anything to do with my affinity for creatures, although that probably helps.”
That was good to know. At least she didn’t need to worry about Astrid stealing Pyra. Not that she was worried about that all that much. Just a little. And with that, she also wondered what Astrid could show her in terms of tricks with the hellhounds.
Steele appeared in the room. He wrapped Sadie in a huge hug.
Sadie pulled away and said, “Now that everyone is here, allow me to introduce Astrid. Astrid, this is Steele and Kaiser, Damien’s other two brothers.”
She smiled and said, “Nice to meet everyone.”
“There’s more,” Kaiser said.
Sadie narrowed her eyes on him. “What do you mean, more?”
“Allies have begun to arrive. We have witches, warlocks, gorgons, and succubi all housed and waiting for your arrival.”
She nodded. “Right. Give me some time to get cleaned up and changed. I’ll meet everyone in the throne room.”
Kaiser nodded.
She summoned Hobson who showed within record time. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“This is Astrid. She has agreed to aid us in the war against Zagan. Please show her to her room.”
“At once,” he said.
“Please, treat your new quarters as your home. As long as you are here, you are home.”
Astrid nodded. “I appreciate that.”
She followed Hobso
n out of the room. Sadie excused herself to get cleaned up.
SADIE
She had just climbed out of the bath and wrapped herself in a towel when she heard footsteps along the floor of her bedroom. She closed her eyes and focused on the rhythm.
Kaiser.
She smiled and shook her head as the memory of how he greeted her replayed through her mind. She stepped out of the bathroom and found Kaiser pacing her room.
“I don’t think Hobson would appreciate having to resurface the floors with all your pacing. You’re going to wear a path into it.”
He stopped pacing and faced her. She could tell he struggled with whether or not to scoop her up again, and she smiled and winked. He seemed to relax then, chuckling under his breath and running a hand through his hair.
“What can I do for you?” she asked.
“What happened while you were gone?” he asked.
She pursed her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes on him. “What do you mean?”
He pointed to the scratches on her arms and said, “I know you guys had trouble up there. What happened. Please?”
Sadie sighed. “It was nothing we couldn’t handle. Just your father trying to force Astrid into his ranks.”
“But you are okay?” he asked, eyes filled with worry.
She nodded and turned so he could look her over and said, “I’m positive.”
He sighed with relief. His shoulders relaxed, and he took a seat at the foot of her bed.
“If you don’t mind, I need to get dressed. You need to get your allies ready.”
“Right.” He jumped up, approached her, and planted a kiss on her forehead before giving her a long look in her eyes. He sighed and left the room.
She shook her head. Men. And they say women are the enigmas.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Sadie
Sadie sat on her throne, wearing a long, blood-red dress with black lace. She made sure to wear a crown to keep up the appearance and formality of meeting with the allies.
Because the allies were apprehensive being in the same room together at first, she decided it was a good idea to call on them individually. Kaiser stood at the center of the room with his band of gorgons behind him. They were humanoid with scales covering their bared skin and had collections of snakes on their heads. Their skin color varied from yellows, reds, oranges, to greens and blacks. Just like the snakes she knew about topside.
Sadie was unsure of what to think of them at first. They reminded her too much of the empusa and she wondered if they were truly loyal to Kaiser or if they somehow had connections to Hecate.
There were about twenty-five of them, each armored to the nines and as beautiful as they were imposing and terrifying in nature. They fascinated her in the way that she had never seen them before, except for Greek mythology stories she had learned about in high school. To see them standing before her was a treat, and it thrilled her that so much of what she learned as fiction was in fact, reality.
There was one gorgon that stood at the center of the group in the front row. She also had a crown, which fascinated Sadie. A queen working for a queen. Interesting.
With a deep breath, she let it out slow, deciding that she couldn’t put off the demonstration any longer.
“Kaiser,” she said, “you may begin.”
“Sadie, queen of demons, I present to you my allies who I called upon to aid you in your war with Zagan, the king of demons, ruler of Shardford. It is my honor to introduce Her Majesty of the gorgon people, Queen Rezios.”
Sadie forced back a giggle. That was way too formal for Kaiser.
He bowed at the waist and moved to the side to allow the queen of gorgons to step forward. She was impressively regal and beautiful. Her skin was silver with diamonds of black and tan along her legs and arms, and an intricate design plunged along her neck line, accenting her ample cleavage. The snakes on her head were all black and silver and wove around her crown that was made of ice.
“Greetings, queen of demons.” Her voice was thick and carried an accent that made her words harsh and melodic at the same time. “I’m Rezios. My people have been hunted by Zagan for centuries. It would be an honor to fight by your side.”
Sadie nodded. “Thank you. The honor is mine.”
Rezios cocked her head to the side. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but I would like for you to prove that you are the demon queen. You are much different from Hecate. And human, it seems.”
Sadie rolled her eyes. It was because she said thank you. She couldn’t help it. That’s just how she was.
Still, Sadie stood from her throne and let the amulet embedded in her chest be seen as it started to glow. Her hands warmed as she stared at the queen who came into her home and demanded proof of her power. Fire ignited from her palms and she leveled her gaze on the gorgon queen. “Satisfied? Or do you still need more proof?”
The queen took a few steps to the right and then to the left of Sadie, maintaining her distance but still inspecting the power she had emitted. Finally, she stood at the center and nodded once.
“I’m satisfied, for now. I will ask for further proof on the field of course, before my army fights.”
Oh, for the love of… “Very well. Now, I must ask the same of you.”
The gorgon queen lifted an eyebrow. “How so?”
“Demonstrate to me your skills. Just because you were invited here doesn’t mean you are guaranteed a position in my ranks or on the field. I must know that your skills will be useful in my fight.”
The queen stared blankly at Sadie for a moment before bowing her head and turning to her group. She made a few gestures, her army’s eyes never wavered from her. With a unified nod, the group shifted into pairs. Some procured ice weapons and shields. What fascinated Sadie the most was the maces. Sharp spikes of ice produced from a handle.
The queen let out a noise Sadie couldn’t replicate if she tried, and the pairs sparred with each other with extreme skill. What shocked her the most was as they were getting injured, red blood pooled and splattered on the marble floor of her throne room.
Sadie called for Hobson to join her side. As she watched the demonstration, the gargoyle stood to her left. “Yes, Majesty?” he asked.
“I apologize. I didn’t realize they would literally try to kill themselves.”
“Of course, Sadie. You asked them for a demonstration. They don’t know any other way than to show you their own training. Only the strong are allowed to fight. If they don’t survive the training, they don’t live, and they don’t gain the honor of dying on the battle field.”
Sadie sighed. “I was referring to the mess, but that information was very useful. I wish I had known.”
She stood and demanded that they cease. When they didn’t respond, Sadie hurled a fireball into the center of the room. That drew their attention.
“Killing yourselves to demonstrate your skills and abilities is ridiculous. You are no good to me dead. I’ve seen enough. You may return to your quarters and await my final decision.”
Each of them bowed. Sadie bowed her head in return and watched as they left the room.
Kaiser approached Sadie with a grim look on his face. He shook his head. “I should’ve explained them to you. I just didn’t have the chance to. You had been so busy, and—”
Sadie held up her hand. “I’m sorry. Please see to it that they are cared for and compensated for their time here.”
Kaiser nodded and turned to do her bidding.
She turned to Hobson. “I have a feeling we’ll have to wait on the cleanup for afterward.”
“Most likely.” He held his head a little straighter. “Will there be anything else?”
She thought about telling him no, but then he had given her useful information regarding the gorgons and their penance for fighting. He could be helpful for the next demonstrations. Finally, she nodded and said, “I need you to stand by me for the demonstrations. Help me avoid another incident like that.” She pointed to the blood-s
tained floor.
He lowered his head once. “Very well.”
Sadie beckoned for the door to open with a gesture of her hand. When it responded, Mordecai entered. As he took a spot to stand in front of Sadie, a seemingly endless line of men filed into the room and stood in rows.
She leveled her gaze on Mordecai. He winked. She lifted an eyebrow and forced back the smile that tugged on her lips.
“Sadie, queen of demons, I present to you my allies, the warlocks who have no masters but pledge their loyalties to me.”
She wanted to gape. Nearly fifty men stood in her throne room. They all just seemed human, but then she knew very well what they could do, having had her own battle with a warlock. But she didn’t know if they would turn on her.
“Care for a demonstration, Captain?” he asked with that debonair smile of his.
“Are their skills any different from the one on topside?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Not really, just the level of skill, power of the skill, and use varies from warlock to warlock.”
“Uh, huh.” She settled in her seat a bit more then asked, “I don’t suppose they are demanding a demonstration of my power too, are they?”
He shook his head. “I’ll cut off their heads if they dare ask.”
“Very well,” she said. “You may return to the barracks. I’ll call for you once I have need to.”
They all shook their heads, bowed after Mordecai, and followed him out of the room. She shifted her gaze to Hobson who looked at her from the corner of his eyes and seemed extremely displeased with the idea of warlocks filling the barracks of her fortress after his warnings.
“You don’t need to say anything. I know what I’m doing,” she said.
His words came out in a sigh. “I certainly hope you do.”
Next was Damien and his witch allies. There were over thirty of them. Sadie was curious how they came to be his allies if they hadn’t slept with him.
She decided to ask. “Damien, these are witches that are allied with you?”
