Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga)

by Olson, Mitchell

  Amos pulled out another sword and kept moving. With two blades at his disposal, he charged brazenly ahead at the next couple of rebels. It took him just three movements to disarm three more men. The group of defeated rebels took off running in fear. Amos took a step after them but another wargi rider moved in to block his path.

  The two stood sizing each other up for a moment. “Catch!” the rebel shouted, tossing something down to Amos. The weapons master knew better than to go accepting gifts from the enemy and let the object fall to the ground in front of him. It appeared to be a small bone, like a demon chicken’s leg. Amos didn’t have time to think about what it meant as the wargi snapped into action, charging forward with its mouth wide open.

  Amos jumped back just in time to miss getting chomped on. He threw his swords forward, hoping to slow down the enormous demon hound. This wargi was smart enough to leap out of the way of Amos’s weapons, and the swords dropped harmlessly to the ground. The weapons master reached behind his back once more, this time pulling out a wooden bow staff. The wargi stopped charging abruptly and sat before Amos, whining playfully like a puppy.

  “You want this, boy?” Amos asked.

  “No! Bad! Don’t you dare!” the rider on the demon shouted, clinging to the fur on the creature’s neck to keep from falling off.

  “Go fetch!” Amos shouted, tossing the wooden staff across the courtyard. The massive demon tore off after it, trampling several of the invading rebels in the process. Amos smiled in satisfaction watching the chaos he’d caused. Sensing danger, he grabbed two more weapons out of his barrel and ended up with a thick club in one hand and a long spear in the other.

  Several more rebels attacked him at once. With a swing of his mighty club one rebel hit the ground. Another man stayed back a little to fire a flame at him, but was quickly impaled by Amos’s spear. Winding up like a baseball batter, the weapons master swung wildly and took out another three rebel soldiers with his club. The ground started rumbling, an ominous sign.

  Bounding back into battle was the same wargi rider, still anxious to defeat Amos. The rider prepared twin fireballs in his hands, ready to launch at his enemy. Amos dropped his club and spear and pulled two new weapons out quickly. He got just what he needed, too. The man grinned.

  In his left hand he held another sword. He tossed the sword as high into the air as he could. In his right hand he held a bolas: two weights connected by a length of rope. Amos tossed his bolas forward, aiming low. As he intended, the wargi’s stubby front legs became wrapped together, causing it to drop snout-first into the grass. Amos leapt high into the air. Catching his sword in midair, the weapons master drop-slashed his rebel opponent before he could so much as toss a fireball to stop him.

  The rider dropped to the ground with a bloody wound forming across his chest. His demon mount tried desperately to bite at the rope that bound him. Unfortunately, the demon’s legs were so short it could not reach the rope with its mouth. Eventually it got up and limped away like a moving tripod. Amos suddenly realized he had no more opponents to fight, as the only rebels surrounding him were either unconscious or dead.

  “All clear here!” Amos shouted to no one in particular.

  “We’ve got them on the run, men!” Commander Stryd shouted from the castle wall. He was still slouching in pain from his stab wound and hadn’t done anything more than shoot a couple of fireballs at the rebels. Instead, he focused on directing his soldiers from the relative safety of the castle wall high above the battlefield of the courtyard.

  Like he said, the rebels were outnumbered and beating a retreat. Most of them brought out their wings and took to the skies, dodging enemy fireballs and Royal Guards as they flew. Others retreated on foot, only using their wings to help them jump clear over the castle walls. Once they were on the ground or in the sky, the rebels all scattered in different directions.

  “After them, men!” Stryd shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice becoming hoarse from all the screaming he’d been doing today. Several of the Captains led smaller units out of the castle courtyard, pursuing their fleeing foes. Some lesser demons still roamed the streets, but were quickly overwhelmed and slaughtered by the surge of devils fighting back.

  Goddard, followed by his entourage of guards, emerged from the castle lobby. Ash and Aura followed after. The two boys moved slower than the rest of the group, lagging behind everyone else. They were exhausted from their battles and had much on their minds, but didn’t want to talk about it just yet for fear of being overheard. They still didn’t understand why they both felt so bad. Goddard approached the ledge of the castle entrance that overlooked the courtyard and smiled, seeing the coup ending.

  The wedding guests that didn’t storm out of the castle with Amos were right behind them. The group that consisted mostly of nobles crept cautiously out of the castle. They all seemed to be flocking around one person: Shiva.

  “Leave me alone! Stop following me!” Shiva could be heard shouting. Glebeck and Machmann swarmed beside her, asking questions and taking notes. Behind her, Bliley and Rumbaugh trailed with King Satan, all looking out of breath and terrified. They were quite old and fat, and it had been a very exciting and exhausting day for them. They weren’t used to that kind of action.

  Shiva spotted Goddard and called out to him excitedly. Before she could reach him she ran into Ash and Aura. She locked eyes with Ash, ignoring the various questions still being posed by the swarming Nobles. Ash smiled at his friend, giving her the thumbs up sign. In an unexpected move, Shiva threw her arms around the boy. It was a good thing she’d changed into a softer, pajama-like outfit and wasn’t wearing her armor or else she might of actually hurt Ash with the hug.

  Ash kept his arms out to the sides, afraid to embrace the girl back. Behind her back, Aura shot Ash a baffled look. Ash responded with an equally confused face. Just as he was becoming comfortable in her embrace, Shiva pulled away suddenly. “Thank you,” she said to him. Before Ash could even open his mouth she turned to leave.

  “I beat up a rebel too,” Aura said, holding out his arms for a hug.

  Shiva smirked. “In your dreams, Draxler,” the girl said as she left them.

  “Sure, hug only the guy who beat up your fiancé,” Aura muttered.

  Shiva joined Goddard to observe the situation below. The fighting was over, and only a few Royal Guards remained in the courtyard. Commander Stryd barked orders to subdue any of the wounded rebels that were still lying around. Most of them were dead or unconscious, so it wasn’t a very tough job. The wedding guests filed down the stairs and into the courtyard, uncertain of what they should be doing.

  Outside of the castle gates, many of the Kingdom’s citizens were bravely poking their heads out of their shops and homes to see if the rebellion was over. Even Prince Darko, who’d been outside the castle gates eliminating rebels and demons alike, came walking back triumphantly. Soon it was like a parade, as more and more citizens poured out of their shelters to follow the Prince back to the castle.

  The march led by Darko entered the castle courtyard and spread out. It didn’t take long for the entire square to fill up, and soon Goddard and Shiva were on the move. They walked on top of the castle wall moving towards the gate into the courtyard. When they arrived at the end of the wall they could see even more citizens showing up outside the castle. It was time for some crowd control. Their position at the courtyard gate was the best spot to be heard by the most people.

  “Citizens of Hell!” Goddard called out, waving his arms to hush the crowd. “As you now know, the royal wedding was interrupted by a full-scale rebellion. The leader of the rebels was none other than Lady Shiva’s supposed fiancé: Phoenix Dawnfall! But their rebellion was stopped! We have captured him and several other high-ranking rebel officers.”

  “Which man captured the leader?” Glebeck shouted, fighting his way through the crowd to get closer to the Royal Advisor.

  “Who’s the Royal Guard we all have to thank?” Machmann bellowed, taggin
g along behind her boss.

  “The people responsible for putting an end to the rebellion and capturing the leading rebels were members of my very special team, consisting of Lady Shiva and her two subordinates.” Goddard pointed across the courtyard to where Ash and Aura still stood at the top of the stairs near the castle entrance. “There they are! The human Ash Kaplan and the death toucher Aura Draxler! They’re the ones who are most to thank! And let’s not forget our Royalty, Lady Shiva Satan and Prince Darko!”

  The entire crowd inside the courtyard turned and gawked at the boys while everyone outside applauded Shiva and her brother. With more than a thousand eyes on him, Ash was finally able to crack a half-hearted smile, even giving a little wave. The crowd erupted into cheers and applause. Aura was more suited to being the center of attention and immediately began waving to any cute girls he saw in the gathering. Ash’s smile quickly faded back into the sorrowful expression he’d adopted since leaving Phoenix behind in the prison.

  Shiva noticed her teammate’s gloomy disposition from all the way across the courtyard. It made little sense to her why he would appear depressed when they were receiving the praise and honor they deserved for their heroic actions. It soon became clear to her that it was an empty victory however, as she’d lost more than she’d saved. Now she understood why Ash was being such a downer. Thinking about it began to bring her down as well.

  “You should probably say something too,” Goddard told her, jabbing the girl with his elbow.

  Shiva reluctantly stepped up the edge of the wall, as the crowd grew silent once again. The girl hated public speaking, even more so when the topic would be her own embarrassment at having her wedding fall through. She cleared her throat and scanned the crowd, trying to buy time to think of something to say. The leering eyeballs of the public weren’t helping her concentration, either.

  “Umm…” Shiva stammered, still struggling to find the right words. “So the wedding is off, obviously…” The crowd remained as silent as they were anxious. “My team is…” Shiva could feel her heart about to leap out of her chest. Everyone in the entire Kingdom was staring at her. “My team is…”

  Against even her own will, she couldn’t help but look across the yard to where her teammates stood. Her boys stared straight back at her, giving their leader their undying attention. The sadness in Ash’s eyes was still heavily present. Shiva, still feeling grateful, wanted to ease the boy’s mind like he had done for her. With a spark of brilliance she came up with a great way to finally stop feeling like she owed them something.

  “My team is the best!” Shiva shouted, mustering up as much enthusiasm as she could. “No one has to worry about a thing as long as we’re around! Whether its demons or rebels, we’ll be there to smack’em all down! But the man everyone should really be thanking is our chief, you all know him as the Royal Advisor, my man, Goddard von Gosick!”

  This, for some reason, got the crowd to cheer and applaud wildly. Goddard’s popularity skyrocketed that day. For a short while, Goddard would be known among the citizens of Hell as the man who effectively stopped a rebellion. The Royal Advisor took an embarrassed sort of half-bow, waving bashfully at the crowd.

  “Goddard is such a great guy. Without him, who knows if we’d all be standing here now,” Shiva said. Her attempt at buttering up the Royal Advisor was working, as Goddard smiled and waved, drinking up every compliment. “And what a nice boss he is too! So generous! You all have no idea! In fact, only moments ago he promised to set my team up with a luxurious condo in West Hell!

  Ash, Aura, and Goddard’s jaws all hit the ground.

  “Did she just say…?” Aura murmured.

  “I don’t know…” Ash replied.

  “I what?!” Goddard whispered loudly, gripping Shiva by the shoulders and locking eyes. Shiva stared back boldly as if challenging him. After all that had happened that day, the last thing Goddard felt like doing was challenging Lady Shiva, especially with the entire Kingdom watching. The Royal Advisor admitted defeat just this once, forced a smile, and faced the people again.

  “O-of course! My team deserves the best!” Goddard stated loudly, trying his best to look sincere. The rouse worked and the people cheered at his generosity. The man raised his arms in an effort to bring the volume down again. “At sun-up tomorrow, we will hold a public execution of the rebel leaders! Until then, everyone clear out of the courtyard and go home!”

  The crowded courtyard slowly drained as the masses leaked out of the gate and into the streets. The Royal Guards that had been out chasing the escaping rebels returned to the castle empty-handed. There weren’t any more rebels captured that day, which must have meant their escape plan worked. Ash and Aura waited patiently as the crowds departed for Shiva and Goddard to make their way over to them. When the courtyard was mostly empty they reunited on the steps before the castle entrance.

  “What’s all this about a nice condo in West Hell?” Aura asked immediately, not beating around the bush.

  “I would like to know how that came about as well,” Goddard said with a snappy tone while arching an eyebrow at Shiva.

  “I just wanted to make sure my team was adequately compensated for their contributions to the Kingdom,” Shiva said with crossed arms. “After all, you said it yourself: Our team deserves the best. Are you really gonna say that crappy tiny flat you have them set up with now is the best? Furthermore, you promised in front of the entire Kingdom that you’d do it. If you want help, I’m sure gramps can point you in the right direction.”

  “Okay, okay!” Goddard said, getting fed up. “I’ll see what I can do. But I’m only doing it because I genuinely believe you deserve it. Now go home and try to get some rest, in what will hopefully be your last night in those beds.”

  “Um, Goddard,” Shiva said, looking around the courtyard. “Have you seen gramps?”

  “Lord Wilhelm?” Goddard asked, pausing to think. “He’s not back yet? The last time I saw him was inside the chapel. He stormed off in a hurry to chase off the rebels. I’m sure he’ll show up here soon.”

  Goddard stormed away, shooing some of the Nobles that still hovered around the King, getting the ‘exclusive’ interview from him for tomorrow’s paper. As they moved into the castle followed by a throng of Royal Guards and a bored Prince Darko, Shiva joined her team.

  “Thanks,” Ash was quick to say. “That was really nice of you.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” Aura added politely, trying not to make a big deal out of it. “That was uncharacteristically nice of you.”

  “Whatever,” Shiva said, reverting back to her old self. “I just wanted you to live in West Hell so you could be closer to gramps. I’m going to ask him to keep an eye on you two and make sure you aren’t slacking off in your free time! Anyway, isn’t this the part where you try to convince me to come party with you?”

  “I don’t feel like partying right now,” Ash said with a sigh.

  “Yeah, me neither,” said Aura.

  “I think we’re just going to go home and sleep like Goddard said.”

  “Oh,” Shiva said. For a moment she appeared to be disappointed, but washed that look away with a wide smile. “Good! I don’t wanna do anything tonight either. I’ll see you both later. At the execution…”

  The boys nodded and muttered a short goodbye, then turned to descend the steps to the courtyard. Standing at the bottom of the steps and blocking their path was Amos Draxler with his arms crossed patiently. Aura rolled his eyes before stepping up to face his father.

  “I never thought I’d live to see the day when you step up to save the Kingdom,” said Amos with a smile. “You brought a lot of honor to our family today. I think… I know your mother would be very proud of you. And I know Nora will too. You can tell her all about it when you see her.”

  “Thank you,” Aura said, unable to hold back his tears. Amos grabbed his boy, wrapping him up in a warm hug that was twenty years overdue. “I’ll come see you both whenever you want,” Aura said. “I’
ve still gotta make things right with Nora. And I think I finally know how.”

  For the first time in a long time, Amos felt something he thought he would never get to feel again: the love of his son. The two parted ways, and Ash and Aura waved goodbye. Amos noticed his son’s worn and wrecked metal gauntlet. The glove was really starting to show its age these days, covered in scratches, chips, and dents.

  As they left the castle courtyard, Shiva came running down the stairs to speak with Amos. She had a special request to make of the weapons master, and after hearing Shiva out there was no way Amos could say no. He returned home to be with his daughter, and after an evening of recounting the rebel invasion for her, the proud father began his work.

  * * * *

  It took several hours for Ash and Aura to walk home. They were constantly being stopped and thanked and complimented and questioned by the various citizens that were still in the streets. At first the boys welcomed all the extra attention and adoration, but by the time their journey stretched into its second hour they had had enough.

  When at last they got home, the boys closed the curtains to shut out the world and lay down on their beds. For a long time they just laid there quietly, lost in their own thoughts. Finally, the silence was broken.

  “Did you see something weird down there too?” Aura asked.

  The two swapped stories about how their fights went down and what they saw afterwards. Ash revealed how even though he was mad at Phoenix for hurting Shiva, he couldn’t help but feel that their former teacher wasn’t a bad guy. Aura agreed that his opponent Lionel seemed like a good guy too. The Satan family secrets that were stored away in the castle basement were as terrifying as they were dangerous. A mad man in a well and a fallen angel; the boys couldn’t even begin to speculate at what significance the two mysterious men held.

  In very little time, the boys drifted off to sleep. Ash awoke suddenly when someone’s hand covered his mouth. He opened his eyes wide-awake and alert, attempting to scream. Greeting him and stifling his voice was the familiar face of Wilhelm Satan standing over his bedside. The old man raised a finger to his lips to signal that Ash should be quiet, and uncovered the boy’s mouth.