Walking through a wooded field, Lucinda tried to locate the perfect area to meditate. She finds a clearing in the center, with lush green grass and wildflowers adorning the edge and scattered through the area. A smile dances across her face.
Lucinda walked to the center and draped her gown upon the ground. Taking in a deep breath, she smells the air. Aromas of fresh foliage, dew and coming rain filled her nostrils. She closes her eyes, breathing in through her nose, exhaling through her mouth; steady, slow and even. As she began to enter a trance of semi consciousness, she heard something. ‘SNAP’. A twig in the distance breaks the natural white noise and silence then befell the area.
“Who’s there?” Lucinda calls out, jumping to her feet.
Silence fills the air once again.’SNAP’. Another twig, but from the other direction. She whips around to pinpoint the disturbance. Rustling of leaves causes her to turn back.
“Show yourself!” she bellows. Anger fills her body, warmth of fury rushing through veins. She feels threatened.
Suddenly, a voice is carried through the wind. “Calm thyself, demon.” A man dressed in a long black tailcoat and a top hat steps from the forest’s edge. “Call me Xylek. I’m a demon of the third circle.”
Lucinda looks puzzled at the new face. Many questions run through her mind. How was she found? Who sent him? Why is he here?
“No, I didn't follow you,” he says. “I came to visit with some humans.”
“Then why are you in this clearing?” Lucinda becomes angrier the longer she is in the demon’s presence.
“Humans have picnics. Humans go to clearings like this one. Why should you be the only one here?” Xylek states with a malicious grin curling onto his face. This irritates Lucinda further. She looks around her, the clearing inhabited by only the two demons. She raises her arms to gesture around her.
Loudly, Lucinda exclaims with a sense of smugness, feeling as if she caught the demon in a lie, “There are no humans here. Not a human seen, nor heard. Not a human to speak of!”
As if smited by her father, she hears the sound of a twig snap and the sound of foliage rustling. The sense of pride Lucinda felt has evaporated from her like steam from an over boiled kettle. That same smugness Lucinda once held has been seamlessly transferred to Xylek.
“Right on time.” Xylek smirks, tips his hat and as soon as he appears, disappears into the woods. Not finished questioning the demon, Lucinda grips her floor-length gown, raising the hem from the ground, and chases after the new acquaintance, shouting his name.
Lucinda rushes through the tree line, swiftly and missing low branches. She leaps over fallen tree limbs and gallops through patches of clover. The sounds of the woods are drowned out by her pace and shouting. “Xylek!” She cries out, annoyance eminating in her tone from her calming retreat being rudely interrupted, then not given answers as to why. “Where did you go? Come back and answer me!”
Lucinda halts in her tracks. She sees him, standing on a trail talking to a young woman. She makes herself scarce, but remains in ear shot, watching the scene before her play out. Maybe this will give her answers to who her intruder is.
The young woman Lucinda sees is dressed in plain clothing. Nothing significant seems to stand out about the woman; her hair is tied up and hidden beneath the bonnet, allowing no visible strands to be seen. The young woman seems frightened. Maybe by the demon before her, or maybe the being alone in the woods before a storm.
"Please,” the woman begged. “I need more time. And the suspicions are rising.” She clasps her hands and falls to her knees.
This peaks Lucinda’s interest. She listens closer, trying to hear what Xylek says.
“Agatha,” Xylek’s tone is soft, just loud enough for the girl named Agatha to hear. Lucinda looms in closer, ever careful not to reveal her presence. She strains to hear the conversation. “When a young woman like you walks into the woods alone, that will raise suspicion. I have done all I can to help you for now. But payment is due.”
Lucinda covers her mouth to stifle a gasp. What did the woman offer to the demon? Is this what demons actually do? Make deals with humans? Suddenly, Lucinda spots a man walking into the forest. She has to think quickly. Does she stop the man or tell the demon?
Thinking fast, she makes her decision. She runs over to the demon, grabs his arm and pulls him with her, leaving a very confused but relieved Agatha. With inhuman speed, they leap through the trees. Xylek protests his abrupt snatching, griping about him not finishing his deal.
“We weren’t finished in the clearing,” Lucinda challenges.
“Why are you intervening, Princess?” Xylek finally asks.
Lucinda is now upset that he knows her status. Who is this demon? What else does he know about her? Frustration begins to envelope Lucinda.
Once back to the clearing, far enough away from the humans, Lucinda finally stops.
Xylek smooths his pants and tail coat, chuckling. “Is this what you do in the human realm, Princess? Kidnap demons? Intervening in other’s affairs?”
“I was saving the girl! You do realize another human is coming, don't you?” Lucinda shouts at the other demon.
He crosses his arms and chuckles more ferociously, as if the situation was a joke to him. “In case you forgot, we are demons, we do not care for human affairs.” he finally says as he calms from his laughing fit. “Why does the princess of Hell care so much if I am caught?” Lucinda clenches her fists hearing this. “And hasn’t your father taught you not to grab a demon? You are quite lucky I’m not so quick to bash a pretty face in like your’s. But if I hadn't known you were eavesdropping, I most definitely would have in the bat of an eye.”
Lucinda has heard enough. Through gritted teeth she mutters, “shut up.”
“What was that?” Xylek leans in with a hand to his ear. “I didn’t quite catch that, princess. Could you repeat that?”201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuOrywNwkK
“Shut. Up.” She raises her hand. “Call me, ‘princess’ one more time,” she angrily says. Xylek grabs Lucinda by the wrist.“Who do you think you are to know me or who my father is? How did you know I was here?” She yanks it back, giving a menacing glare at Xylek. “Don’t touch me!”
He steps closer, locking his eyes with hers. His eyes shimmer with a shade of purple, so mesmerizing, Lucinda almost calms down from her rage. But her anger means more in this moment.
“Ask for a fight, and I’ll give you one,” Xylek says still smirking with malice. Thunder rolls through the woods as rain begins to fall. The sky clouds over quickly.
“Then fight me,” Lucinda says before dropping low to sweep kick Xylek, nearly knocking him to his knees. As he recovers, Lucinda uses her momentum from the first kick to rotate back for a second kick, colliding with his jaw, busting his thin bottom lip. She jumps back, adjusts her gown and positions into a fighting stance. She puts her weight into the balls of her feet, squares her hips and tucks her chin while raising her arms. She wants this fight.
Xylek gets back to his feet, he notices a trace of blood on the corner of his mouth. He shrugs, tosses his hat and readies himself to charge at Lucinda. He makes his lunge and charges forward with his shoulder ready to make an impact with Lucinda. She braces for the attack before she brings her knee to his groin and rolls him to the ground. Lucinda sits on Xylek’s chest, repeatedly punching his face. Bruises begin to swell and blood streams from his nose. As thunder crashes, he wraps his legs around Lucinda and flips her backwards. Rain pours down as she tries to stand, but Xylek is quick to his next attack. He makes rapid jabs to her abdomen, landing blow for blow, knocking the wind out of Lucinda. She falls to the ground, clutching her stomach when Xylek grabs her by the chin, gently
“Have you had enough, princess?” He asks in a patronizing tone.
Lucinda grabs a fistful of mud and throws it into his face. She kicks his knee, dropping him down.
“Not yet, you insolent plebe!” she screams over the downpour. Lucinda goes to kick the downed demon, but is met with a hand to her grounded ankle, bringing her into the mud once more. Trying to stand again, Lucinda is met with being pinned to the wet soil, rain and blood dripping from the blinded Xylek’s face and hair. He punches her face with more force than before.
Lucinda feels her face swell as a squelching sound can be heard amidst the rain. She feels the blood drip down her cheek. She knows she is beat. But for her to admit defeat is not what she wants to do.
Xylek, through heavy, bated breaths, continues to swing on his opponent, not giving her a chance to move. His punches are heavy. He may be blinded by mud and blood but he will not give up. He will not show mercy now.
“Please,” Lucinda chokes out. Blood pools out of her mouth. “Stop, I give up. You win.” tears mix with rain and blood runs down her face. He beat her. Not only her body but her spirit. Rage swells inside her battered body.
He smiles and wipes the mud from his eyes finally, using the rain to help. Finally, he rolls to his back, laying beside the bloody faced girl. Laughter erupts from Xylek as he lay in the drenched soil.
“What's so funny?” Lucinda asks, catching her breath. She spits out a mouthful of fluid.
“For someone to want to fight so desperately, you aren’t very good,” he finally says. Lucinda sits up, feeling the swelling go down in her face. She feels every wound begin to heal itself. Perks of being a demon: quick regenerative healing. But it will be a few days before the two are completely healed.
“Well,” Lucinda started, not sure what to say. She knows she is not a skilled or trained fighter, unlike Xylek. “At least I don’t chase random girls in the woods.”
He chuckles again, “I told you, I didn't follow you.”
Lucinda lays in the wet grass once more. “You are lying. You know I'm Lucifer’s daughter. And I do not know you.” She looks at him. His eyes gaze into the sky, rain cascading down his features. His nose, once a straight and slightly raised, now broken with swelling around the bridge.
Xylek sets his triangular jaw. “You are a princess, the gown is obvious. And you reek of demons. '' he starts. “Finding you was not difficult.”
“Why were you looking?” Lucinda props herself on to her elbows.
“Your father needed someone to watch you while you played in the mortal realm.” Xylek sighs and closes his eyes.
It's Lucinda's turn to laugh. Her father sent a third circle demon in place of a guard. Probably to keep her from noticing too easily.
Xylek opens one eye and smiles. “Why are you laughing now?”
“My father is ridiculous,” She replies, still chuckling. “He was trying to be sly and sent a demon I would not recognize, but failed to send one who is stealthy.”
“I’m stealthy!”
“You broke three tree limbs and I found you. That is not stealthy.”
Xylek smirks while saying, “Maybe I wanted to be found.”
201Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnAhHP7JtcO
