He paused again here to rest, and to grind his teeth in frustration. Just recalling his defeat at the hands of the hideous mosquito demon made his blood boil. But he reminded himself he had a job to do still, calmed down a little, and continued his speech.
“I will not let this insult go unpunished. I plan to track the demons back to their home – the so-called Kingdom of Demons. I will find this demon ruler, retrieve my father, and obliterate any trace that the greater demons were ever there!”
The streets below exploded with enthusiasm. Killian had no way of knowing if they were buying his pitch, but he hadn’t expected such applause and cheers so quickly. The Prince grinned like the devil he was, feeling his energy fading. He had to wrap this all up, and fast.
“When my body heals, I will collect the human and depart for the Demon Kingdom. If any of you believe you are actually brave enough and would not slow me down, you are more than welcome to join me on my quest.” A chorus of murmurs arose from the crowd, and the Prince recalled one last thing he knew he had to mention.
“A final warning,” he said, and his tone this time inflicted an icy chill on everyone that heard his voice. “Stay away from the human. He is my prey.”
At that moment the people were totally silent. No one could speak as the Prince emitted some kind of murderous intent that could be felt in his voice. To those not accustomed to feeling soul power, the Prince’s dark power silenced them with a paralyzing grip of fear.
“Now all of you go home!” Killian took a step off the edge of the castle roof. The Prince dropped five stories to the ground, and with his final stock of soul power depleted, managed to deploy his wings and land safely in some grass in the lower courtyard before falling flat on his face. He’d used up every last bit of strength he had left and now it was naptime for the next few days.
Ash watched the clever Prince from the conference room window, along with everyone else. Stryd became furious seeing the Prince wear himself out so recklessly. The irate Commander took his two most capable Captains and stormed off to go secure the Prince when his scene ended. Leaving Ash and his friends with Goddard and the two not-so-capable Captains. Wilhelm paced back and forth, twirling his mustache nervously.
Without saying a word to anyone, Ash left the window and took a seat at the conference table, where he put his head down on the table in defeat.
The old Satan stopped pacing and turned to face his company. “There’s a lot that we must do now. I’m worried about our men and women in the Royal Guard. If the citizens are having their doubts, I’m sure that our soldiers are having them just the same. I’m going to go around and speak to as many of them as possible, see if I can’t boost their morale and confirm loyalties.”
With nods of approval from Goddard and Shiva, Wilhelm last looked to Ash. The boy sat motionless, head down. The old Satan approached him, and without a reaction from the boy, he said, “Take care of your body Ash. Rest. If I can assist you with anything before you leave, you may summon me. That goes for the both of you, as well,” he said, looking at his granddaughter and Aura.
Wilhelm left after that. The two remaining Captains, not having anything else to contribute to the meeting, felt they would be more useful elsewhere. They found the strength to stand and join the old Satan in his exit. Goddard watched them go, remembering he had places to be too.
“I guess I’ve got a lot of work to get to as well,” said the Royal Advisor, leaving his post at the window. “I’ll be hard at work the next few days, but I recommend you all make damn sure you’re ready for the trip. I’ll prep you for it when I have time. You may stay in the castle as long as you like or go back to your house, it does not matter to me.” He pointed to the window. “It looks like the Young Master’s words may have made a difference. The streets are clearing up already. No one should bother you anymore.”
His words were not lost on Shiva and Aura, their heads nodded in approval to the Royal Advisor’s suggestion. A sullen Ash sat still head-down on the table, showing no signs of movement or acknowledgement. Again, Goddard tried his hand at comforting the boy.
“I’m working on a stronger batch of medicine,” he said. “You’ll be fully stocked before you go, so have no worries there.” That bit of positive information did not cause Ash to stir in the slightest. Fed up with trying, Goddard looked at Shiva instead and mouthed the words “try to cheer him up” at her.
The girl looked at her superior in disbelief, like it was an impossible task she’d just been charged with. Goddard only smiled and headed for the door.
“Let me know if you need anything else,” he said with a wave and left the room. Shiva gave Ash a quick look, but hesitated to move her mouth at all.
“Leave this to me,” Aura told her, beaming with confidence. Then, to Ash, he said, “I know what you need. A long, relaxing bath in the Noble’s swanky bathhouse, and I’m treating.” He pulled a small paper card out of his pocket to punctuate his point, though it wouldn’t actually be his treat, since the membership really belonged to his father.
“Relaxing?” Shiva made a sour face. “What he needs is to let out some aggression! What’d you say Ash? Wanna go hit things with me?”
Ash put his hands on the table and pushed himself up. His eyes were puffy and red, but currently dry. “I don’t want to do either of those things,” he said. “I just want to go home.”
“Let me check the crowd situation,” said Aura. He went to the window and gazed outside. “It’s really clearing up out there. If you felt up for it, I’d say we could fly back-”
“No, not that home,” Ash said. “I want to go to my home. On Earth. Where there aren’t any demons trying to eat me!”
“Well unfortunately that’s not really an option,” said Shiva. “Believe me, Kil will tie you up and drag you to the demon kingdom if he has to. You’re going, and that’s that.”
Aura frowned at Shiva. “He may have to go, but he doesn’t have to fight. Best-case scenario, we can just let your psychopathic brother deal with Otozek. Ash will be safe and sound by our sides while we deal with whatever demons may come at us.”
He wouldn’t admit it, but Ash didn’t like the thought of depending on Killian for anything. The man was by all accounts Ash’s greatest enemy, an obstacle for the boy to overcome at the end of his journey. He didn’t want to depend on him. He’d rather see The Prince eaten by demons.
“Can we go now?” Ash got up from his chair and headed for the door. Shiva darted after him at once, but Aura was much slower from his wounds. They left the conference room, Shiva leading the way to the least-used castle exit, depositing the team in the courtyard. After checking with some of the Royal Guards stationed around the perimeter, Shiva confirmed that conditions outside the gate were safe enough. To their surprise, when the gates opened and they stepped outside the Royal property lines expecting to be harassed by narrow-minded lingerers, they found the area vacant.
Shiva dictated that they would walk back – “for Draxler,” but Ash suspected that she was really doing it for his sake. Shiva tended to treat Aura more harshly when he was in great pain. The sudden generosity was obviously fake. Ash didn’t say much on the long walk home, but he did have to hear his friends bicker. Aura enjoyed pushing Shiva’s buttons every chance he got.
On his long, reflective walk Ash took notice of how well the people obeyed their Prince. The trio encountered a total of four people on their thirty-minute walk home, and each person rushed to get back to their own home as well. None of them spoke to the group, which helped alleviate the boy’s fear of having to deal with a lynch mob.
Prince Killian was truly a master at manipulating people through fear and force. He commanded his subjects in ways his father never could. Ash secretly wished that people would listen to him like that one day, too. He had a long way to go before that would happen, and that was only if he survived his next ordeal.
The only comfort the boy found along the way came from the square-shaped lump on the side of his leg,
the pillbox in his pocket. More than once his hand glided over the pillbox, though he would wait till he got home to eat another.
His friend’s constant squabbling the only sound as they passed through the empty canyons of West Hell. Festival booths still lined many of the walkways, now eerily empty and quiet. The prizes were missing from all the game booths because either the owners were lucky enough to remove them in time, or because some protestors stole the goods before anyone noticed. Festival games and cheap prizes didn’t appeal to Ash anymore, though.
Their stroll deposited them in the familiar new housing development where their spacious condo sat waiting at the end of the long and private gravel pathway. The sight of it brought about a calm in Ash, and he shut his mind down in preparation for his long rest.
As soon as the door to the house opened the depressed boy went up the stairs and entered his bedroom, closing the door tight behind him. Though his friends would plan many activities to attempt to raise Ash’s spirits, it would be many days until they saw him awake and out of bed again.
Chapter Thirty-Six: While You Were Asleep
When Ash’s head hit the pillow he wasn’t expecting to sleep for three straight days. Yet that’s exactly what happened. The boy was more tired than he’d even realized and it didn’t take long for his body to cash in on all the sweet slumber it desired. Time passed quickly, with the boy only waking long enough to reach for the phantom glass of water on his nightstand.
The curious thing was, he couldn’t remember how that glass of water got there. He never filled up a glass of water before heading off to bed. One of his roommates must have placed it there for him, he guessed. After drinking half the glass, Ash resumed his miserable nap, having no idea how much time had passed and trying not to think about it. The next time he awoke, his throat dry as a sandbar, he reached for the glass of water and discovered it had been mysteriously refilled.
Those three days flew by for Ash, but not for the others. Shiva and Aura had an eventful three days, and it all started not long after Ash barred himself in his room. There came a gentle knocking on the front door, and when Shiva went to open it she found two orphans lingering outside.
They were of course invited in. Uverstarr, with his sneaker hood covering his face, took a seat on the couch next to Aralia. The four of them sat in the living room, directly underneath where Ash’s bedroom was located, but he wouldn’t hear a thing. Shiva played the part of a polite host and served the two tea and cookies.
Aura updated the pair of orphans on the situation as they sipped and munched. “Ash isn’t holding up so well,” he said. “I think he took the people’s reaction a little hard. I guess he probably feels like even more of an outsider now. I know how that goes, though. It’s rough.”
Aralia nodded, her eyes glazed in understanding. She blew on her steaming cup of tea and sipped quietly. Uverstarr focused most of his efforts on the cookies, not showing much of a reaction to the news.
“I keep hoping he’ll wake up and come join us, but who knows how long he’ll stay in his room. In his current state, he might just stay cooped up in there right up until we have to leave.”
“Doesn’t his body need the rest?” Aralia asked after breaking a cookie in half. She handed the bigger chunk to Uverstarr and ate the smaller section.
“Not really,” Shiva replied. She sat in her own comfy throne-like chair, just as Aura had his own, opposite the couch. “His body’s in pretty good shape, aside from whatever sickness has him. But he’s got medicine to deal with that. The bigger problem is what’s going on in his warped little mind. He could use a day to sleep, but any longer than that is just a waste of his time.”
“So what will you do now, Miss Lady Shiva?”
Shiva smiled, weakly. “I think we’re way passed formalities now, Raley. You can just call me Shiva.” At this, Aralia glowed with a happy radiance. “We’re going to do the smart thing and spend our remaining days here in training. Which reminds me, Draxler, we should extend an invitation for your father to join us. We could use a refresher course with his weapons expertise.”
Aura nodded in agreement. “Not a bad idea, really. I’m sure he’d love to come help us out. I should really brush up on my swordplay too, just in case I end up getting to slice off that damn demon Prince’s tail.”
“Let’s get to it then,” said Shiva. She stood up from her throne. “We don’t have time to waste. We’ve got a lot of training to do if we’re going to make it there and back in one piece.”
“That’s my cue to leave then,” came the surly voice of the youngest in the room. Uverstarr hopped off the couch and bolted for the door. “Training is boring. I’ve got better things to do.”
“Hey you! This is important stuff we’re talking about here!” Aura was fed up with the immature boy’s behavior and finally snapped, jumping to his feet a little too fast. But the dismissive orphan was already out the door. “What is wrong with that little brat? Doesn’t he see how bad the situation is?”
“Please don’t misunderstand Uverstarr’s behavior,” Aralia said, setting her teacup down on the table. “He has a hard time of showing his true feelings, but I’m sure he understands everything that’s going on. I just think it’s a little difficult for him to see Ash this way…”
Shiva raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about? That kid actually cares about Ash?”
“He may try to hide it, but Uverstarr actually admires Ash. You might even say he’s Ash’s biggest fan.”
Both Shiva and Aura cocked their heads in surprise, questioning what they’d just heard. Aralia went on to explain how ever since he first heard the rumors of a human living in Hell, Uverstarr had been obsessed with finding out more about Ash. His childish admiration came from a natural curiosity about the human race. The orphan had always wanted to know more about planet Earth and its inhabitants.
Uverstarr followed every update about Ash since his arrival in Hell. He heard rumors of the boy defending Lady Shiva against an overpowered nuisance named Crapsat. When Mr. Kurdis kept the children indoors during the rebels takeover of the city, Uverstarr rejoiced upon hearing how Ash had put an end to the rebel leader. His encounter with the human after the Devils Duel tournament happened by sheer luck, after Raley had gotten lucky enough to play against him.
He had been jealous then, and a little angry. Jealous at his childhood friend for getting to actually play a game with the famous human, and angry that he had the nerve to beat her. Aralia went on to explain that his childish behavior is the only way he knew how to approach his idol. And now, seeing Ash down for the count and unable to get back up, the boy chose to retreat back to his comfort zone.
With all of this information, it was easier for Aura to ignore the boy’s bratty behavior and just move on with his day. Shiva was still insistent on getting started with their training, and she wanted Aura to get moving to fetch his father. They didn’t get far as Aralia held their attention for just a moment longer.
“Actually, if you could spare a minute, I have a request…”
For three days Ash slept, on and off, cooped up alone in his bedroom. His friends left him be, hoping he’d find the courage to wake and join them in their training. On the morning of the fourth day, Ash was drifting in and out of his sad slumber when he heard a light knocking on his door.
He didn’t respond, thinking it would be Shiva or Aura come to stir him, to invite him to training. When his eyes opened he saw Aralia’s face poking in through the parted doorway.
“Hi,” she said simply.
Ash groaned lightly and closed his eyes.
Aralia took that as a welcoming sign and stepped inside the room. From the moment she laid eyes on him she could sense the boy’s deep depression had not abated. She wished with all her might that she might be the one to pull him out of it. So she made light small talk with him, drawing only the minimal response, usually in the form of a grunt or groan from the boy.
She didn’t like this new, miserable Ash. W
ith the small talk not taking off, Aralia knew she had at least one bomb to drop on the boy that would likely not help his mood.
“Everyone’s decided to leave for the demon kingdom tomorrow morning,” she said. “I thought you might like to know.”
After a moment of silence, Ash sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?” he asked.
“A little after noon,” Aralia replied. She moved to the window and parted the blinds a little, allowing some sunlight to creep in. “See?”
Ash swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat there a minute with his head down. He got up and went to the bathroom, while Aralia waited silently in his bedroom. When he returned, she asked him, “Do you want to go outside and see everyone?”
Ash promptly returned to his bed and laid back down. “No,” he replied. “I’d only be a distraction.”
Aralia, not sure what to make of his statement, said, “That’s not true. Everyone’s waiting for you. They’d all like to see you again.”
With a dismissive yawn, Ash rolled over onto his side. “I think I’ll use my remaining time to just sleep,” he said. “It would be better if you didn’t get too attached to me, anyway.”
“What do you mean?” Aralia asked, her voice riding the border between concern and frustration.
“I don’t think I have to spell it out for you,” Ash responded, keeping his back turned to her. “I probably won’t be around much longer…”
His words hung in the air like a poisonous cloud, stinging Aralia’s insides. “That’s not true,” she protested weakly. “You could-”
“What?” Ash interrupted. “I could fight off an entire kingdom of demons and somehow make it back alive? Not likely. Face it Raley. It’s hopeless. I’m as good as dead: demon food. That’s why you shouldn’t bother with me. The more you care about me, the sadder you’ll be when I don’t come back.”
Devil Ash Disarray (Devil Ash Saga Book 3) Page 41
