Lucinda is walking through a garden, admiring the colors and variety of flowers adorning the landscape among the clouded, gray skies. She is a smaller, much younger demon. While walking, she spots her parents at the far end of the winding path, their arms outstretched toward her. She begins to sprint toward them, a wide smile on her face, thinking she will be with her mother once again.
Suddenly, the path seems endless, the garden wilting around her as the sky darkens further, her parents arms dropping to their sides. The sky illuminates with a flash of lightning. In the flash of light, Mai disappears. Rain begins to fall at a rapid pace, but it misses Lucinda’s flesh. Lightning flashes again. Now Lucifer is gone.
“My darling,” a voice as smooth as silk cuts through the storm. Lucinda recognizes the voice. Mai appears in front of Lucinda, her beauty unlike any other. Alabaster skin complimented by amethyst colored eyes glittered with flecks of gold, silver hair that shimmers like precious metal in the light, hanging down her petite frame. Lucinda feels like she is looking into a mirror.
“Mom,” Lucinda says with tears in her eyes. “I’m terrified.” She reaches for her mother’s hand, but she can barely grasp it. In the flash of white lightning, Mai changes. Her long silver hair loses it shimmer and falls in clumps, her eyes growing matte. Mai’s skin grays. Soon, she looks frail.
Lucifer stands behind Lucinda. “You have been negligent and disobeying me,” he booms like thunder in her ear.
Lightning flashes once more. Xylek appears to her left. He looks ragged, worn down. And angry. “This is your fault.” he says in a tone of slight rage.
“You tried to burn down my inn.” Zakasi from the right after another flash of lightning.
Suddenly, the council appears. “She needs to be locked up!” shouts Serafina.
Ilgore speaks. His hoarse voice reverberates like heavy cymbals. “She needs to be punished.”
All the voices create a dissonance in Lucinda’s head. Everyone blaming her, saying she needs to be punished, all of her misbehavior being thrown in her face, is making her head spin.
“Stop it!” she says. The world around her cycles quickly. The voices echo against her skull. “Stop it!”
As darkness falls, she hears one voice echo loud and clear.
“You are hurting now.” Mai says sweetly and calmly. “But it is time to let the storm pass.”
Lucinda jolts awake. It was a nightmare. She looks around the room, breathing heavily. Xylek is seated in the chair, his head laying on the desk. Zakasi slumbers on the couch. Neither of the brothers look comfortable. Lucinda lifts her gown up and looks at the scar on her leg. A snore startles her. She looks over to see which one made the noise. Zakasi attempts to roll over but fails and falls onto the gray slate floor.
He grunts out in pain and frustration. Xylek snorts and lifts his head.
“What happened?” He groggily exclaims. He looks over and sees Zakasi on the floor.
Zakasi stands and stretches. He looks over at Lucinda. She sits perched on the bed. “How’d you sleep?” he asks, exhaustion evident in his posture and in his tone.
“I, uh,” Lucinda starts to say. “I had a nightmare.” embarrassed to admit the childish dilemma.
Zakasi sits on the edge of the bed and stretches again. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Lucinda shakes her head. She doesn’t want to talk about that right now.
Xylek lays his head back on the desk and falls back to sleep.
“Do you know what his problem is? I thought it was his idea to go to the human world.” Lucinda brings her knees to her chest. She knows Xylek blames her. Everyone seems to be blaming her.
“No, the idea was mine.” Zakasi leans back and lays on the bed. “I figured since you were both familiar with the human world, that would be a good place to go. But he was upset that you and him are stuck together. No more running around alone. Stuck with a rage filled demon who blamed him for hurting her. He just wants things to go back to normal.”
“Did he tell you that?” Lucinda clenches her knees tighter, her voice just above a whisper.
Zakasi quietly chuckles and shakes his head. “Well, he yelled it at me.” He explains before continuing to speak. “He’s just upset that things are not going the way he believed they would in the beginning. Four days ago he was told that he would be a bodyguard. Not that he was supposed to be married off to a princess. Or that he was to be involved in the middle of a coup, nor that he would be expected to run from those that he calls his family.”
He sits up, glaring at Xylek while he sleeps soundly on the desk. “Now he is as much a fugitive as you are.” Lucinda tenses at his words, disliking the idea of being seen as a criminal. Zakasi, struggling to stand, makes his way off the bed. “I have something for you both. I got it for you while I was out.”
This makes the princess feel more at ease as she outstretches her legs, sitting up straight before allowing her legs to dangle off the edge of the bed. Zakasi walks over to the bookcase before pulling out a pile of fabric, holding it out to her as a way of saying ‘ta-da’. Lucinda takes the fabric before she unfurls it, revealing a long chemise with trumpet sleeves completed by an azurite blue bodice and black leather cord with a matching over skirt. Amidst the dress she finds a large sheet of white fabric, confusing her some as she looks at Zakasi for an explanation.
“It’s a head wrap.” Zakasi answers, reading her confusion with ease. Lucinda holds the apparel up and sits on the bed, tears welling in her eyes as she tries to fight them back. The last few days having been filled with more weeping and emotion than when her mother had passed. Now complete strangers will see her cry, something no one else had witnessed until the past few days, leaving Zakasi perplexed by her reaction.
“Is everything alright, Princess?” He questions, concerned. She wipes her eyes with her sleeves before shooting him a brief look of disdain.
“I told you not to call me that.”
“My apologies, Lucinda.” Zakasi corrects himself before speaking again. “Is there something wrong with the dress?”
“No, the dress is fine. I appreciate it, and your thoughtfulness going into it.” She begins to say, trying to keep her emotions in check as she wipes her face once again. “Everything has been difficult these last few days. I just….it has been a lot for me.” Her voice cracks as the tears become more difficult to fight back. The dam she built to keep the tears at bay breaks, the tears falling fast and hard as they stream down her cheeks, cascading no matter how many times she tries to wipe her eyes, growing frustrated. “Why do I keep crying?!”
“Because you are under more stress than you have been before.” Zakasi reassures the girl, resting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “I have seen demons built like myself break down like children over the stress of army training alone. For Hell’s sake, I have cried in stressful situations as well.”
In between sobs, her voice full of emotion she manages to get the words she needs to express out. “I don’t cry!”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Crying is the body’s way of cleansing your emotions.” He explains matter of factly. “Sometimes, crying is good for you.”
Taking slow, steady breaths, Lucinda does her best to regain control of her emotions. Breathing in through her nose before releasing them out of her mouth. Zakasi kneels next to her. “Once you are calm, I have some advice for you.” Lucinda nods at his words as she pulls herself together, wiping her eyes once again.
“Are you alright now?” He questions, wanting to make sure before continuing his thought.
“Yes.” She responds before continuing. “What kind of advice do you have for me?” Zakasi looks over at Xylek as the demon in the chair begins to stir.
“Do your best to get to know him. He is not that bad of a man once you do.” Zakasi’s emerald eyes glimmer with several emotions, but his face remains stern. He genuinely means what he says.
Lucinda’s face morphs into an expression of contempt, her brows furrow, her mouth creating what looks like a half smile. She goes to protest when Zakasi stops her.
“He needs you like you need him right now.”
Exasperated, the princess exhales harshly. “I will try to get to know him.” she looks over at Xylek, who sits up and stretches his arms back. “If only so I know who I’m stuck with.”
Xylek looks over, an exhausted expression on his face. He nods a hello and stands from his relaxed position. Scratching the top of his scalp and walking over to the bed, he asks how everyone had slept. Zakasi makes note of him sleeping fine until he rolled off the couch. Lucinda sheepishly replies with a “fine.”
Zakasi stands and returns to the bookshelf. He grabs up another stack of clothes before handing it to Xylek. Giving a quizzical look, Xylek begins to unfold the mound of fabric. He starts to lay each piece of clothing onto the desk haphazardly, looking over each article for a moment. First, he pulls out a black, leather jerkin, the sleeveless vest ties in the front with a thin leather cord. Followed by a white shirt with puffy sleeves with stiff cuffs in the wrist. Finally, Xylek unfurls a pair of charcoal colored breeches. Confusion crosses Xylek’s face.
Catching the confusion, Zakasi answers his brother’s questions as he sits down once more. “An outfit to help you fit in. I got something for the both of you.”
Lucinda nods at Xylek. “My dress is blue.”
Xylek nods slowly. The look of confusion now replaced with that of mild annoyance. “So,” he begins to say. Searching for the right words, he pauses. Lucinda holds her breath, not sure how her new partner will react. Annoyance turns to defeat and Xylek lets out a sigh.
“So, we are really doing this?” he finally releases from his lips. Lucinda exhales, letting go of her bated breath.
She stands to step closer to Xylek. She wants to reassure him that this situation is not permanent. She wants to tell him that everything will be alright. But she doesn’t know if these statements are true. Lucinda wants to believe them herself. But she isn’t sure if she can. She goes to speak, but her words catch in her throat. Her mouth feels dry and her body is tense. What does she say to him? She thinks to herself.
Before Lucinda can say anything, Zakasi speaks up. “Yes, this is really happening.” A somber expression crosses both the brothers’ faces. Xylek slumps down in the chair by the desk and buries his face in his new clothing, releasing a loud and dramatic groan. Zakasi sits up and leans forward, placing his hands to his face and grumbling something softly.
Lucinda steps closer to Xylek. She wants to comfort him but isn’t sure how. Then an idea comes to mind. She exclaims her thoughts to the other demons in the room. “I can go alone.”
Xylek lifts his head from the desk and glares at Lucinda while Zakasi stands and looks down at her. In an authoritarian tone, the brothers in unison shout, “No you will not!”
“Why not?” Lucinda exclaims, a sense of disbelief in her tone. “Xylek doesn’t want to go and Zakasi can’t, he has the inn. I know a little bit about the human world and I can always take a map.”
“You are a wanted fugitive with no sense of discretion.” Xylek scolds. “You can’t go by yourself. And even if you did, do you know how easy it would be to find a fiery demon in the human world? If not a demon of the council’s guard, then humans. And humans do not take too kindly to demons.”
Zakasi begins to berate the princess. “Not to mention, you don’t know much of anything about the human world, let alone the humans. Having Xylek with you can give you a bit of guidance into the realm.” He looks to Xylek then back to Lucinda. “And another thing, he was ordered to protect you from anything and everything. By your father. And when he took the job, he swore an oath. In our family, when you swear an oath, you uphold it until it is nullified.”
Beginning to fume with anger, Lucinda feels her scar start to burn up her legs, causing her to stumble. She winces at the pain, but raises her voice. “I may not know much about humans, but I do know how to keep myself out of sight. How do you think I sneak out of the palace so often? Or keep from being seen by commoners when I go on my outings?”
“Lucinda,” Xylek says as he grips the princess by the shoulders, steadying her and to look at her. “You need to calm down. I’m going with you and that is final.”
“But you don’t want to go.” Lucinda winces again as she shouts at him. She places her hands on his wrists trying to hold her weight up. “Why should you have to be held responsible for me?” Tears well in Lucinda’s eyes as she struggles to stand on her own. The feeling of being the cause of this disaster takes over her emotions as she begins to sob once again.
Xylek wraps his arms around Lucinda in a tight embrace. He gently pats her back and whispers in her ear, “Calm down, it's alright. I’m here for you.”
This makes Lucinda crumple, a heap of a sobbing mess on the floor in Xylek’s arms. The young demon buries her face into his chest, his long black hair tickling her cheek. As she inhales deeply, she catches his odor in her nostrils. A scent of fire fills her nasal cavities. It is comforting. She squeezes tight as tears cascade down her face and onto Xylek’s shirt.
“There, there,” he says as he rubs the girl’s back. “I’m here for you. I promised your father I would be.”
Lucinda chokes out, “I don’t want to do this.”
“I know. But we have to.” Xylek says in a soothing tone. He leans back and lifts the princess’s face so he can see her puffy, red eyes. Lucinda looks around so she doesn’t become trapped in his piercing, purple gaze. Something about his eyes are hypnotizing. “Look at me,” he says, gently holding her chin. “As long as I am with you, I won’t let anything else happen to you.”
The sobbing demon takes in a deep breath and exhales sharply. She tries to compose herself. Embarrassment befalls her. Of all the demons in this realm, he is the last one she wanted to see her cry. Lucinda wipes her eyes and releases a loud growl. Xylek looks at Lucinda quizzically, her outburst catching him off guard. He rubs her shoulder and asks if she feels better. She nods and wipes her eyes again.
Zakasi kneels to the demons on the floor. “Xylek and I will step outside so you can get dressed, Miss Lucinda.” He says, offering a hulking hand to each of the demons. He lifts his brother up with ease, but Lucinda stays put. Zakasi then leads Xylek out of the room after collecting his garments from the desk.
Lucinda sighs. The weight of everything is starting to settle on her heart and mind. As the door closes behind the brothers, she stays positioned on the slate floor. Looking down, eyes fixated on her purple dress, she exhales her breath again. She loves this dress, but the dress is not the best for blending in. Lucinda wipes her eyes one more time before standing up.
She walks to the bed and looks at her new outfit. The blues and whites will go well with her complexion, however, she isn’t sure how she feels with looking like a peasant. She inhales deeply. Then expelled the breath. Lucinda unties the corset of the bodice on her purple gown, and begins to undress.
After changing into her new apparel, she knocks on the door, hoping to signal Zakasi and Xylek to return. As much as she wants to be alone, she is worried about the silence that comes with an empty room. Her senses are on high alert, her chest pounding and palms sweating. Her skin feels hot and cool all at once. It’s hard to breathe. This is a sensation she has only ever felt once before.
As the door begins to open, she collapses to the floor again, hyperventilating. Xylek peers around the door. He then rushes in and holds onto Lucinda. He rubs her back and shushes her. There is fear in both their eyes. Zakasi stands at the door, watching over the scene in the room.
“Lucinda,” Xylek frantically calls. “Zakasi, what’s wrong with her?”
“The stress is getting to her,” the eldest brother says as he steps in the room. “She seems to be having an episode of hysteria.”
Lucinda feels like her chest and head will simultaneously explode at any moment. Her vision becomes hazy. Feeling faint, Lucinda tries to catch her breath. Except breathing is hard. As Xylek calls her name, Lucinda loses consciousness.
The light shines dimly in the windowless room. Colors swirl in a cacophony of flickering sparks. Lucinda wakes from her rest, her chest still tight and her body aching. Realizing where she is, Lucinda props herself onto her elbows in the massive bed. To her right, Xylek is seated beside her, stroking her hair with one hand and holding her hand in the other. Lucinda groans.
“What just happened?” she asks as she places her free hand to her forehead.
“You passed out.” Xylek replies, worry in his tone. “But you should be telling us what happened.”
Lucinda thinks for a moment. She explains that she changed her clothes and suddenly everything bombarded her all at once. The poor girl is embarrassed about what happened. She doesn’t want to tell Zakasi and Xylek why she is so emotional. She would much sooner hide under a rock in a cave on an uninhabited mountain than tell these two about her problems. Even if they are living through them with her now.
Zakasi and Xylek look at each other, then at Lucinda. Zakasi asks Lucinda if she believes her nightmare may have played some part in her episode. She slowly nods, remembering how panicked she was about the nightmare.
“You had a nightmare?” Xylek looks at Lucinda with concern in his eyes.
Lucinda blushes. She feels like a child. “I did,” she admits. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Zakasi sighs. “You know, Miss Lucinda,” he begins to say. “You are not alone any more. You have us to help you work through your problems.”
Shaking her head, Lucinda pulls her hand away from Xylek. “I can’t do that to you two. I barely know you. Besides, I’ll be alright. I just need to find a quiet place to clear my head.”
“You don’t have to do this alone anymore,” Xylek repeats. “I can help you. I’ll be here for you. Even if I don’t want to, Zakasi is right. I swore to protect you. And that includes from yourself.”
“My problems are mine. Not yours.”
“You are supposed to be my bride,” Xylek finally says. “You need to share your problems with me.”186Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFekSvL7wQq
Lucinda recoils. “I told you I don’t want to marry you!”
Xylek sighs. “I know. I don’t like the arrangement either. But once the dust settles and the king is back in power, he will force the wedding.”
“Unless he comes to his senses.” Lucinda grumbles.
Xylek inhales deeply. “Look, I get it. We don’t like each other that much. But we are stuck together now. We have to get along.”
Lucinda remembers what Zakasi said. She needs to get to know him. And she knows Xylek is right. Her father will follow through with the wedding when the dust settles and he is back in power.
“Alright,” she says. “I’m not going to like it, but I will try to get along with you.”
Zakasi exhales a thank you. Then, silence fills the room. The three all look down to their feet. Lucinda wants to speak, but is not sure what to say. Xylek opens his mouth to speak but quickly stops.
Zakasi finally breaks the silence. “You both better get going.”
Xylek and Lucinda both nod before he helps her out of the large bed. Lucinda is careful to put weight on her tender right leg. While the brother’s say their goodbyes, Lucinda wraps her hair in the white cloth, ensuring her hair is covered.
The brothers grip each other by the forearms. They look into each other's eyes. Zakasi smiles, tears welling up. In a reserved tone, Zakasi says, “May the hills of Hell caress you. May the devil himself bless you. And until we meet again, may luck be with you.”
Xylek chokes back tears as he releases his brother’s arm. He wraps his arms around Zakasi in a tight and loving embrace. “This isn’t forever, brother,” Xylek says as tears begins to fall. “I’ll be back before you know it. But until we meet again.”
Once her hair is wrapped, Lucinda takes her enchanted chalk and draws on the wall by the book shelf. She walks over to the brothers as they release from their embrace. Lucinda puts out her hand to Zakasi’s. He smiles down at the princess and grips her by the forearm, his fingers wrapping over her tiny arm. Lucinda tries to grip his arm, her tiny hands barely reaching all the way around. She smiles back.
“Lucinda,” he says.
“Zakasi,” she replies.
“Some last bit of advice, work on those anger issues and quit bottling your emotions.”
Lucinda nods. “I’ll try my hardest.”
With that, the two release their hands. Xylek walks to the wall and knocks three times. “Take us to the Human Realm,” he says to the wall. As the portal opens, Xylek and Lucinda walk through and enter into the human world.
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