Demon World

by Balvir Bhullar

  ‘I have to thank you, Rowanne. You did me a great favour,’ said Evelyn.

  Rowanne shifted, trying to get loose of the metal chains. Damn demon strength, it came and went of its own accord. When she really needed it, like now, it let her down. Someone should really write the guide to being a demon, she thought.

  Rowanne looked up, annoyed, ‘Unintentionally, perhaps. I don’t make the same mistake twice,’ she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

  ‘You really are Lillian’s prodigy. Or shall I say, imitation. Anyway, I was referring to the last night of your human existence,’ when Rowanne failed to acknowledge this, she continued, ‘last Thursday.’

  Rowanne’s heart beat fast. She understood perfectly. And it was Alexander who had said to her that he didn’t think the attack on her had been random.

  ‘So, it was you who orchestrated the attack on Rowanne, and ordered those Shadows to go after her,’ said Lillian angrily, as she tried to walk towards Evelyn - but to no avail, she was in the grip of her power.

  Evelyn smiled at Lillian’s futile attempt to break free. Maybe she would have succeeded. Actually, it was more than likely she would have had she been alive; but death had rendered her powers useless.

  ‘Well, yes. It made sense. Don’t you see why I chose her?’ asked Evelyn.

  Rowanne and Lillian exchanged uneasy looks. How much did she know about Rowanne... and why specifically her?

  Lillian prayed, despite being aware of the irony; a demon praying. She hoped fervently that Evelyn didn’t know the whole of Rowanne’s history. After all, she had deliberately kept some vital information from Rowanne for her wellbeing. She had learned much by being in Rowanne’s mind, the missing pieces of the puzzle had all finally clicked into place for her. She tried hard now to shield her thoughts. All it would take would be one stray thought to lead to disaster...

  ‘You are both either extremely dim or good actresses. Let me enlighten you to some of the changes that have happened in the last seventy odd years, that you most likely are unaware of, Lillian. Alexander now works as a high ranking soldier on behalf of Lady Enid on Earth, guarding against rogue demons that escape into that world.’

  ‘Escape?!’ asked Lillian incredulously.

  ‘Actually, Rowanne, you wouldn’t know this, but the demons from this world cannot enter your Earth easily, unless they are powerful enough to open a portal. Thankfully for you humans, most of them aren’t. It takes a powerful demon to portal them through, that is the only way.’

  ‘But why me, what did I ever do to you?’ asked Rowanne, realising that Evelyn was to blame for the state she now found herself in. If not for her, she’d be living a normal human life. Well, as normal as life could be with demons for grandparents...

  ‘Alexander was on patrol that night in your area. I had portalled into Earth with my men, looking for a potential victim. I saw you and thought, why the hell not?’ said Evelyn in a cold calculated voice - she was very matter-of-fact about it.

  ‘What did you intend to happen?’ asked Rowanne smartly, not willing to give away any information to Evelyn, even accidentally.

  Thank God she didn’t blurt out everything there and then, thought Lillian, relieved. Rowanne was picking up the rules of their world quickly. She smiled ruefully at Rowanne, who gave her a firm look, as if to reprimand Lillian for thinking her so careless.

  ‘I wanted to ambush Alexander while he was busy saving you. I wanted those idiot Shadows to kill him. However, my dear, instead of being my pawn, you became a thorn in my side,’ replied Evelyn. ‘I had no way of knowing that he’d save a pathetic human’s life. Or that he’d turn you, that was quite unexpected. Nor did I account for your sheer stupidity in jumping in to save that proud man, and that’s what did it, I’m sure. Alexander’s family do not like to be indebted to anyone, certainly not a human. So, if you were under any illusions as to why he saved you, then let me make it plain, it was to clear his debt to you.’

  Evelyn observed that Rowanne had not even flinched at her words, perhaps there really was nothing between the two of them. They probably worked together for their mutual benefit, and nothing more. This was something that she could understand, as it was common for demons to work together to get ahead, forge alliances; love and other such useless emotions didn’t really come into play in their world.

  She had been prepared to marry Alexander, if it meant that she was a step closer to the seat of power, but love him? No. He was beneath her notice, otherwise; only his position as a high ranking Noble and second in line to the throne rendered him a good match for her.

  ‘I think you’ve underestimated... Humans are not as weak as you first thought,’ said Lillian tauntingly.

  ‘She was weak. Still is. Becoming a half demon has done her no favours,’ replied Evelyn condescendingly, as she sneered at Rowanne. She turned back to Lillian, and continued, ‘My plan wasn’t completely ruined. In making Rowanne a half demon, he condemned himself. It all worked out rather well for me: he cannot ascend to the throne, for he is now a wretched half demon.’

  ‘I thought you said that you adhered to the rules of Demon World? How then, do you justify murder, and involving yourself in an attack upon a human?’ asked Lillian.

  ‘Which human, and what murder?’ asked Evelyn shrewdly.

  ‘You attacked Thomas and I, not to mention Lillian and Alexander,’ replied Rowanne calmly. She would not lose her head; now was the time to gather information.

  ‘Yes, Evelyn. How will you explain all the charges laid against you, when you stand before the might of Prima Stella?’ asked Lillian.

  ‘Do I look in the least bit disturbed? You would have to first connect me personally to any of these so-called charges. Do you have any proof?’ Evelyn looked conceitedly at the two women.

  ‘You are going to regret all of your actions. Mark my word, you will pay dearly for what you have caused. That Lady to whom you sit next to is my mother, and I wonder what she’d do if she ever found out that you killed her only daughter...’ said Lillian, her eyes swirling a dangerous violet and green light.

  ‘You condemned yourself, Lillian. You broke the rules by choosing Elisedd, and signed both of your death warrants. There, that charge is on your head. I didn’t force you to love a mortal. You could have acted selflessly by choosing to ignore his advances, and he’d have been sent back to Earth, and of course, his memory would be wiped, but at least you’d both still have been alive.’

  Lillian’s blood boiled at hearing this partial truth. She could not understand why loving a human was punishable by death. Even so, it was her backstabbing best friend who had turned them in, and for that, she was guilty in her eyes.

  ‘I am guilty only of doing my duty, and that, my dear Lillian, does not amount to a death warrant. Next charge, please. As for Alexander, well the Shadows would naturally be blamed for his death. Did I force them to work with me? No, they chose it out of their own free will. I didn’t personally lift a finger against dear Alexander...’

  ‘But you were the mastermind behind it. They wouldn’t have attacked, except on your orders,’ said Rowanne, her mind spinning from all that she had heard.

  ‘That’s null and void, since he’s alive, for now at least. Anyway, he hanged himself by making you a half demon. Did I put that idea into his head? No, that again was all his own doing. For you, either way you look at it, your death is assured. You survived the first time, but when Alexander stands before the Nobles with you as the evidence of his rogue behaviour, then it will be death for the both of you,’ said Evelyn gleefully.

  ‘I will expose you, and speak up on his behalf. I will let them know exactly what you did to Lillian!’ said Rowanne defiantly. She was not feeling in the least bit scared; well, that was what she told herself, over and over.

  ‘I hardly think they will take into account what a human has to say, especially to one who has been converted. Anything you say will be discounted as Alexander’s influence over you. You will not be able to discre
dit me in any way. My word will always hold a higher value above yours. You who are nobody. Belonging to no clan, a despised half breed,’ said Evelyn.

  ‘What about Thomas, what did you do to him?’ asked Rowanne, hoping to finally get answers as to his disappearance.

  ‘What my Shadows do in their own time, is no concern of mine. Again, another useless charge laid before me,’ replied Evelyn.

  Rowanne did not trust her, especially her sly look, as she so easily dismissed Thomas. No, she definitely knew something, but she was not about to tell them.

  Lillian wondered at how deranged her former friend had become: from having the audacity to sit next to her mother, who was the ruler of their world, to just confessing everything in a blasé manner. Did nothing frighten her? Apparently Prima Stella held no fear for her; it most certainly was not doing its job right.

  ‘What are you smirking at? Your situation is becoming more dire by the moment!’ said Evelyn, annoyed by Lillian’s bravado. She still thought of herself as Princess — even in death!

  ‘You’re right, many things have changed over the years... Prima Stella is no longer a deterrent, I see,’ replied Lillian ominously, as her eyes glowed ruby red. She was pleased by the fear that appeared in Evelyn’s eyes. She’s not completely dim witted, then. ‘So you haven’t forgotten who rules Prima Stella... Now we wouldn’t want to go up against them, and at least you know to which noble family I belong to. I think Prima Stella might just want to know what became of their beloved daughter,’ said Lillian, standing tall, her golden hair streaming behind her as her power began to flow around her.

  Evelyn cowered against her chair, but in the next instance composed herself; no human or entity would get the better of her. Her mind games would not work. No, for all her bragging, Lillian would also not want to go against Prima Stella, no matter who her family were. This fortified her.

  One thing was certain to Rowanne: as far as Evelyn was concerned, she was just a pawn in her rise to power, she didn’t know anything of her family. Rowanne thanked God for small mercies.

  Lillian too, was glad. After all, it turned out that Evelyn knew nothing of Elisedd and her illicit past, and she hoped that it would stay that way. She had too much to lose if the truth were ever to be revealed.

  ‘It’s time to join the others, we’ve wasted enough time on useless matters,’ said Evelyn.

  Focusing her energy, Evelyn temporarily snapped open one hand cuff, and forced Rowanne to stand, before snapping it closed again. She made her walk ahead of her, even as she pointlessly struggled. Evelyn was sure of her power; it definitely dwarfed that of a half demon.

  ‘Let her go, you have nothing to gain by her. Your problem is with me,’ said Lillian, approaching them. She was stopped as she felt herself encased in a gel like sphere, trapped; ironically, she had used something similar against Alexander.

  Evelyn moved Lillian in position ahead of Rowanne, and marched them out of the room. They walked along the corridor, and descended the grand staircase. At the bottom they turned left, and then right, finally standing before two giant doors.

  Rowanne swallowed, as she felt the first stirring of unease.

  Lillian felt a mixture of intense rage and unending fear. This was exactly the same as before, except, then it had been her friend Driskell who had marched her down alongside her mother, who had been helpless to do anything.

  Now the one person she had thought she could trust twisted the knife, and she felt the pain of it with each torturous step. There was nothing worse than watching those you loved hurt, and being powerless to do anything about it.

  ‘Enough wasting time. I’ve waited more than seventy years for this moment,’ said Evelyn, as her power burst forth, flinging open the heavy doors in her eagerness to begin.

  CHAPTER 31

  Rowanne entered a massive room with a high ceiling, and noticed the multitude of chandeliers all ornately shaped. There were floor to ceiling windows, some clear, others stained glass. The images in them were beautiful as well as terrifying: they seemed to tell the story of Demon World.

  Oh my God, what have I stumbled into... thought Rowanne. Was this hell...? What precisely was Demon World? She looked at the depictions; some of them were of people walking into the darkness that consumed them. Others were of great fires with demons gathered around them, the flames reflected in their eyes. Those demons appeared crestfallen and lost, and some of them were looking up, but at what?

  Rowanne had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach; all of these pictures were stirring something deep within her, an awareness of knowledge greater than herself. She felt the doors of reason open within her. It was as if a light was shining in her mind, and minute by minute she was losing her fear. What’s happening to me...? she wondered, feeling confused.

  Soldiers waited just inside beside the doors, and marched her and Lillian towards the front of the hall to a naturally raised platform made of stone and marble. Looking down, Rowanne realised the lower level of the floor was completely made of marble, a whitish grey colour with streaks of black, almost like lighting. It was similar in appearance to a howlite crystal.

  Rowanne was startled out of her observations by a soldier prodding a spear painfully into her back. She wanted to scream, but kept quiet as she felt the first trickle of blood run down her back. Her eyes flashed green as her power slowly awakened, though she was oblivious of it. Turning her head around, she glared at the guard, who responded by pointing the spear at her, ready to poke her again if necessary. She reluctantly turned back, and continued onward, and it was only now that she realised the hall was filled with smartly dressed people. She could not believe she had not noticed them before, who were they?

  Rowanne followed Lillian, who was now free of the gelatinous sphere, as they ascended the stone steps to the platform. Apparently, Evelyn must have thought that they no longer posed a threat, especially now that they were surrounded by soldiers; they would not dare to attempt to escape, that would be suicidal. She really doesn’t know me very well, thought Rowanne, as anger ignited within her.

  She looked at the empty throne. Evelyn or someone else would soon be sitting there, condemning them to their fate, and passing judgment, and the chances of a fair trial were slim to none. This was Demon World, after all, and even Lillian who had been a princess had not been spared, so, what chance did she really have...

  Rowanne’s heart rate sped up as she spotted Alexander standing next to the throne, and before him kneeling on the floor with their hands tied behind their backs, were Driskell and Amanda.

  ‘Amanda? Chief Inspector Driskell? What are you two doing here?’ asked Rowanne, and made a move towards them, but she was pulled back painfully by a soldier.

  Why were they here, together? wondered Rowanne, puzzled. They all mistrusted Driskell, or so she had been led to believe. Had he tricked Amanda and brought her here under false pretences?

  ‘We were betrayed. I came here for you, Rowanne,’ said Amanda, looking her squarely in the eyes, hoping her cousin wouldn’t misconstrue the situation, despite how it may appear.

  Rowanne decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, she trusted her, after all; though the same could not be said of Driskell, and only time would tell. He was looking at her oddly, and as she met his eyes, he shook his head imperceptibly. What was he trying to tell her?

  ‘You sold me out for power?! I would never have expected this of you, Alexander! But in the end you are all the same,’ said Driskell bitterly.

  He had been strategising with Amanda on how they could possibly help Rowanne, when the doors had been flung open, and before them had stood none other than Alexander. However, he had not unduly been worried, assuming that Alexander had come there on a misunderstanding to save Amanda, probably on Rowanne’s explicit orders.

  However, Driskell’s relief had been short-lived, as Alexander had brought soldiers with him, who proceeded to arrest Amanda and him. He could not believe it, he was knocked for six. He didn’t know who
was more in shock: Amanda with her mouth hanging open in surprise, or himself.

  Amanda too, recalled the exact moment Alexander had strode towards them, and instead of acknowledging them, he had declared them to be traitors of Demon World. She had tried to reason with him to find out what was wrong, and had challenged him on his cold behaviour, on treating them like strangers, but it had all fallen on deaf ears, and they had been brought to the Great Hall.

  Rowanne was made to kneel, whereas Lillian stood her ground; nobody could make her do anything against her will. Especially being a former ruler, she would bow down to no one.

  They all waited uneasily until finally the moment came when Lady Enid’s arrival was announced. Rowanne turned her head behind her, and watched as scores of demons knelt down in acknowledgement and respect of their Queen.

  The soldiers made Lillian and Rowanne stand to the side of the throne, and on the opposite side the same thing was being done to Amanda and Driskell, so that all four of them were partially facing the throne and the hall. The platform afforded Rowanne a better view of the hall: she had not fully realised its immense size, or most importantly that it was packed to the rafters with demons as far as the eye could see.

  The front half of the hall was occupied by demons of higher rank, observed Rowanne, as they were guarded by soldiers.

  They looked up at the newcomers with deadly intent, while some of them looked condescendingly down upon them.

  I don’t even know these people, who are they to judge me? thought Rowanne, who assumed a calm posture. Her eyes swept across the hall, and she met them head on. She would not look away, and noticed a few of the demons trying to come forward offended by her audacity.

  The front line of guards was the only thing standing between Rowanne and a hall of demons.

  Lady Enid came up the steps and briefly paused before Rowanne, who saw her twitch as her eyes fixed on the person beside her, and the knowledge hit her hard. Her eyes looked at long last on the face of her beloved daughter... the very daughter who had died seventy years ago.