Please come back!
No. Demons don’t cry. We fight. We kill. We destroy our enemies.
I use my magic to send out a mental cry for help to the demon community. I don’t have many demon friends, but maybe someone will hear it. Not many people know that we can communicate this way. It’s part of our herd mentality – if one demon calls, many will answer. But today, I’m going after demons, so only the few who have left that violent life behind will be able to hear me – me, who now wants to return to bloodshed.
Aodh thought I had changed for good.
He was wrong.
They’re going to burn, I swear it on my lover’s cold, broken body.
I RETURN TO THE BATTLEFIELD which has now turned into a place of death. Wyn and her Guardians are gone, no doubt through the Gate. Good riddance.
Seagulls are picking on body parts strewn across the muddy landscape, hoping for an easy meal. They'll find out soon that demon meat tastes delicious. No wonder some demons turn cannibal. Once you've tasted it, you never want to eat anything else. Not that I've ever tried it, but that's what they say.
I fly over the corpses, looking for any demons that may still be alive. At the edge of the stone circle, propped up against one of the largest boulders, is an incubus, wearing nothing but a loincloth. Nobody ever said all demons were intelligent. Incubi think only with their genitals, and this one won't be any different. Maybe he planned to head to one of the human villages after the battle to sate his appetites. He's still breathing, his rattling breath music to my ears. I land in front of him and his face lights up. He thinks I'm here to save him.
He will soon learn that the opposite is true.
"Who sent you?" I snarl and his expression changes into confusion.
In a flash, I grab him by the throat, my long painted nails drawing blood.
"I won't say it again. Who sent you here to guard the Gate?"
"Why are you attacking me?" he whimpers. "Are you not one of hers?"
I've always known incubi are stupid. They'd never survive without us higher demons.
"Of course I am." I sit him down and try to smile. It turns more into a grimace than anything sweet. "I'm one of hers."
He looks at me questioningly, then shakes his head.
"No, you're not."
I growl and once again put a hand around his throat. "No, I'm not. Now tell me who she is."
He whimpers as my fingernails press into his flesh. "I can't tell you. She'll kill me."
"Look at me," I command and his frightened gaze meets mine. I put as much truth into my words as possible. "If you don't tell me, I'm going to kill you much faster than she will be able to. And believe me, I will make it hurt. The pain will be unbearable and you will regret not telling me right now until the moment you die in agony."
He opens and closes his mouth as if to reply, but no sound comes out.
"I can't tell you," he croaks. "She's spelled us so we can't. Please don't kill me-"
I snap his neck and let him fall to the ground. My magic isn't strong enough to break an enchantment like that. She must be someone strong to be able to put a spell on so many demons. There were hundreds at the battle, and while many of them were lower demons, there were a few higher ones as well. Spelling a higher demon... that required immense power.
I rack my brain if I know anyone this strong. There are a few ancient demons who could be the culprits, but most of them are so old that they have lost all interest in what happens outside their realm. They wouldn't care about a Gate in the middle of nowhere. No, this has to be personal. They came here because of Wyn. There must be a connections somewhere...
"I see you've started the party without us," a chirping voice comes from behind me and I whirl around only to find two demons smiling at me.
"Amara. Jamie. It's good to see you." I try and put some enthusiasm into my voice, but I'm dead inside. All I want to do is curl up and die - or make others die. Why am I spending time trying to investigate who sent those demons when I could just go into the Demon Realm and kill them all?
"What happened?" Jamie asks carefully as she looks around the battlefield.
"Aodh," is all I say. They come forward for a hug but I step back. I can't deal with emotions right now. No hugs, no pity, no smiles. All I want is blood.
"I'm so sorry," Amara says, looking like she's about to cry. "He was a special person. We wouldn't be here without him, without you two." Her voice breaks and Jamie puts an arm around her shoulders, hugging her close. Aodh would do the same with me, was he still alive. He always gave me strength in moments of weakness. Now, I can no longer be weak.
"Is there anything we can do?" Jamie asks. "It looks like you killed everybody."
I shake my head. "Not everybody. Not nearly enough. Want to help me kill some demons?"
They don't show the enthusiasm I had hoped for. They've truly been reformed. Just like I thought I had been, until Aodh was taken away from me.
"Why were they here?" Amara asks slowly and I sigh.
"Long story. They were after someone, we helped her get to the Gate. This incubus said they'd been sent by 'her'. No idea who that woman is. But Aodh is gone and I need revenge. So I'll go to the Demon Realm and kill as many as I have to until I find answers."
"Aodh wouldn't want you to do this," Amara whispers and tries to hug me again.
I step back. "Aodh isn't here anymore. And I'm going to make whoever did this pay!"
I spread my wings and jump into the air, not looking back. If I have to do this alone, so be it.
IT'S EASY TO TRAVEL to the Demon Realm. You just fly through the Gate and think of the most horrific things you can imagine. Today, I'm imagining how I will slowly dismember the woman who did this to me. How I will remove her organs while she's still alive and drink her blood to pass the time while she slowly dies. I will create her own personal hell. And when she's almost dead, I'll let her recover a bit and start anew. I won't stop until Aodh has been revenged. I'm seeing years of pain in her future. Now I only need to find her.
The Gate spits me out in the Obsidian Zone. The areas of the Demon Realm are all named after dark gemstones, and I've landed in one of the most brutal ones. Demons in Obsidian don't take prisoners, they eat them whole. This feels like a good place to start. I take my sword off my back and give it a few swings to ready myself for battle. Although I'm not planning to play fair. This is going to be slaughter.
I laugh as my blade decapitates the first demon. His partner shouts and others come rushing towards me, but I'm in my element, cutting them down with my wings and my sword. They're no match for me. Blood splatters my skin and soaks my clothes. I breathe in the scent of death. Oh, how I have missed it. My sword and I become one in a deadly dance that cuts off limbs and opens guts. There are screams all around me but I'm revelling in the feeling of pure, insatiable violence. This is what I was born for. I tried to bury my true nature for two centuries, but now I'm free again. Free to kill, to maim, to exterminate the vermin that is attacking me.
I've been away for too long; they no longer know to fear me. I was one of the most feared higher demons once, before Aodh kidnapped me. I will teach them to respect me once again. To cower beneath me, trembling as I walk the blood-soaked streets.
I laugh again as a demon flies at me from above. A quick strike with my sword cuts off one of his wings and he falls to the ground with a howl before being attacked himself by his fellow demons. The scent of blood in the air is making them feral and soon they're going to fall upon each other. My work here is almost done. I've dealt with some of the lesser hordes, now it's time to deal with the more important demons. This Zone is known for harbouring the most brutal ones, so I bet at least one of them knows the woman the incubus spoke of. There can only be so many powerful mages, demon or not, hiding in this Realm.
I shake off a small bat demon that's trying to bite my shoulder and hit it with a roundhouse kick, making it fly into the distance with a broken skull. You don't mess with me.
I am here for revenge and I'm going to get it, even if the entire Demon Realm stands against me.
I fly down the narrow alley that leads away from the Gate. The Zone looks a bit like a medieval city that was left in ruins, now inhabited by dark creatures who live in the shadows. Only the weakest demons walk on the cobbled streets, the others fly. A swarm of vampire demons are approaching me from up ahead and I chuckle as they take on an attack formation. This is going to be fun.
When they're close enough, I swirl around my own axis, spreading my sharp wings wide. I cut them into slices that fall down with a squelching sound. The few vamps that escape I kill with my sword. This is too easy. It's not satisfying my hunger. I need more.
The further I fly, the nicer the houses become. Many of them have roofs and even doors, and the eyes peeking out through window frames have a more intelligent sheen to them. I'm leaving the rabble behind and am now entering the living district of the demon middle class. Most of them don't want any trouble and stay away from me, but a few try their luck - and die. My sword is starting to get slippery in my hands from all the blood. It's a beautiful feeling that I've not had in far too long. The rush of adrenaline is filling every cell of my body yet it's still not enough. I need more death. More destruction. My demon side has been asleep and has awoken thirsty.
I leave corpses in my wake as I proceed further into the Obsidian Zone. This is where the higher demons live, surrounded by servants, some of them human. It's strange to see humans in chains once more. But it's even more amazing that they're still alive. They must be under the protection of some truly powerful demons to survive being out in the open. Humans taste delicious, almost as good as demon flesh.
I lick my lips. Soon, Chesca. First I will get my revenge, then I will sate my appetites.
Aodh's sad face flashes in front of my eyes. He'd be disappointed in me. "I'm doing this for you," I whisper and he smiles sadly. I know exactly what he'd say right now, but I block it out. He's dead and his morals died with him. I'm not a Guardian like him. I'm a demon. And demons kill.
A battalion of demon guards are approaching from both left and right. There's a lot of them, but I should be able to take them all down. None of them are true higher demons. A few mongrels, perhaps, but nobody even close to my power.
I crack my wrists and knuckles. Let the battle begin.
Demons watch from down below as the guards fight me. They're many, but not well trained. They may be good at breaking up fights, but not at going against a trained warrior like me. I try to kill as many of them at the beginning, before they can crowd me.
But for the first time today, a demon manages to actually wound me. So far, it's only been scrapes and shallow cuts, but this one slips through my defences and slams his dagger into my left calf. I scream as the blade cuts through my flesh. He pulls it out, ready to strike again but I twist and the tip of my wings slices his throat.
My bleeding leg reminds me that the time to play is almost over. I increase my pace, stabbing and twisting and cutting and killing. I'm out of breath by the time they're all lying in a heap down below on the cobbled street. I'm still no closer to finding someone to talk to.
I laugh. As if anybody would talk to me after what I've done. I lost count of how many demons I killed today. A hundred? Maybe more?
"What are you doing here?" a deep, booming voice asks me from below. A man is walking along the street, a long tail trailing behind him. Besides that tell-tale sign, he looks almost human. I sniff the air. A higher demon, close to my own level. Finally, a challenge.
I descend and land graciously a few metres away from him. A mound of corpses lies between us, forming a natural barrier.
"I want answers!" I shout back loud and clearly.
He chuckles and points at the mutilated bodies. "I don't think these people are going to be provide you with any."
I grimace. He actually called them people. I've lived among humans and Guardians for so long that I no longer see demons as people. They are animals, even if some of them look humanoid. Driven by their instincts, rarely by their intellect.
I laugh cruelly. "That's why I've not bothered with them. Can you tell me who sent the demons to the Calanais Gate?"
He smiles indulgently. "I could, but what would be the point? There's nothing you can do about it." He turns to leave. "But thank you for the entertainment. I'm going to order someone to get the place cleaned up."
He actually walks away. I can't believe it.
"Come back!" I shout, putting all the authority I can muster into my voice. "I command you to tell me what you know!"
He doesn't even turn around as he responds. "And who are you to command me?"
I smile. I've been waiting for this moment. "I am Chesca, Demon Queen of the Topaz Zone, and I'm telling you to answer my question."
He stops in his tracks and stares back at me. "Chesca? The Chesca? But she was killed by Guardians centuries ago. It cannot... but it would explain the fighting. The fact that you've made it this far. If you are Chesca, tell me this: Who was the Crown Prince of Obsidian when you... left?"
I think back to my education. The Royal lines of the Zones were never one of my specialities. "Prince Putak?"
The man now gives me his full attention. Finally. "I am Wutok, his brother. It's an honour to meet you, Queen Topaz."
I shake my head in frustration. "Let's ignore the formalities. Tell me what I want to know. Who sent the army?"
He points to the house closest to us. "We shouldn't discuss this out in the open. The ground and sky have ears here. Follow me."
He leads me through a broken door into a dark room, more a hovel than a place I'd call a home. If this is the best part of the Obsidian Zone, then times have changed things a lot. This was always the most chaotic area of the Realm, but not as poor as it seems now.
"I don't have much time," I interrupt him before he even begins to speak. "In one word, who sent the demons?"
He sighs. "The Morrigan."
I stagger backwards. It can't be. I heard rumours that the Goddess fell, but... no. I can't believe one of the Gods would be able to commandeer a demon army. You'd have to be evil to the core to do that.
Before I can question his answer, he explains. "She fell about fifty years ago. Or maybe she was forced out, nobody knows. It didn't take her long to take over one of the Zones. She made it her own, corrupted it at the same time as this Realm corrupted her even further. She's stronger than a hundred of the most powerful higher demons together. There was nothing anybody could do to stop her. For now, she seems happy enough in her Zone as long as the other Royal houses pay her tributes. Most of our resources go to her, but we have no choice."
I stare at him in disbelief. This is all gobbledygook. He must be making it up. Nobody can take over the Demon Realms just like that.
"Nobody except for the Phantom Queen," Wutok says sadly, answering the thought I must have spoken aloud. "The Goddess of War has finally shown her true colours. And now that she's got a demon army at her disposal, she's set her eyes on revenge. She's going to challenge Beira soon, the Winter Goddess. Nobody has ever been strong enough, but with all of us at her disposal... she could do it. Beira has been weakened recently and rumour has it that her daughter is about to return."
"Wyn," I whisper. "The Morrigan is after Wyn."
"Now you have your answer. But by now she will know that you are here. You cannot face her so you better flee. Even Queen Chesca is no match for the Morrigan."
The bloodlust inside of me rears up in protest, but the small rational bit of my brain tells me that Wutok is right. This is a battle I cannot win. But if the Phantom Queen killed Aodh, then I better make sure she suffers for it. If not now, then soon. I need to find allies to help me, as much as it hurts to admit that.
Wyn. She's the catalyst who started all of this. She will have to make it right or by the Gods, I will kill her myself or die trying.
THIS IS WHERE CHESCA’S story ends... for now. If you have read Wint
er Princess, you can now continue with Winter Heiress (out 10th February but already up for pre-order). If not and you want to spend some more time in this world, you can get Winter Princess here: books2read.com/winterprincess
I also have a prequel to the Daughter of Winter series out in January, telling the story of how Wyn’s parents met. It’s in the Breaking the Myth anthology which you can also pre-order now: books2read.com/breakingthemyth.
Finally, I always love hearing from readers, so here are some of the places you can stalk me (or email me at [email protected]):
Website: skyemackinnon.com
Twitter: @skye_mackinnon
Facebook: skyemackinnonauthor
Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/skyesbookheaven
Instagram: @skyemackinnonauthor
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