Xylek sighs. He is not sure about king Lucifer’s ruling. It would be nice to be part of the royal family. But is he ready for this commitment? He uses the towel to dry his long, sandy blonde hair. He looks into the mirror of his room.
“What do I do?” he asks himself. “How do I go about this wedding?”
The handmaid assigned to him hands him some clothing. A dapper long tailed coat, with intricate embroidery. He puts on his black dress pants. As Xylek shoulders his shirt, the handmaid steps in front of the future prince and buttons the shirt.
“What is your name?” Xylek asks the maid.
“Isabella, sir.” She responds. Isabella does not make eye contact.
Xylek hopes the small talk with her will calm his nerves. “How long have you been at the palace?”
“Not long, sir. My mother is a handmaid as well. She told me that working with the royal family was a dream job. So, I followed her footsteps.” Isabella bites her lip. “I’m sorry, sir. That was a bit more than you asked.”
Xylek takes the young demon by the hands. He uses one hand to lift her chin. “It is alright. You answered my next question. Why did you want to work with the royal family.”
Isabella blushes, her pale jade complexion turning a dark green in her cheeks and nose. “But it was not what was asked. I’m working on not speaking unless spoken to.” she says to Xylek. She pulls her hands away and lowers her face. Isabella continues buttoning his shirt.
Suddenly, a knock raps on the door. Xylek calls to the stranger, granting entrance. Zakasi enters the room. He sees the young handmaid dressing Xylek.
“Should I come back later?” Zakasi asks.
Xylek shakes his head. “No, we are just about finished.”
Isabella helps Xylek put his tailcoat on. She goes to button it for him, but he stops her with a hand motion. He buttons the coat on his own. Isabella walks back and grabs a top hat from the coat rack. She sets the headpiece on the table, then leaves the room.
“What brings you here?” Xylek says to Zakasi, pretending everything is alright and acting as if nothing has changed.
Zakasi smiles. “The king requested an audience with me to discuss some business.” His smile weakens and fades. “But he did tell me something.”191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwfe5N42EVD
Xylek grimaces. “I’m sorry, it was sprung on me as well.” He looks away from his brother. “I don’t think I’m ready for this. If I wanted to deal with a hot head demon who likes to set things on fire and fight constantly, I’d go pour the fancy bourbon on the mahogany floors at the inn.”
Zakasi growls. “You wouldn’t.”
“My point exactly.” Xylek runs his hands through his damp hair. “What if I don’t get along with her? What if she is crazier than she is letting me believe so far?”
“I understand your concern, brother,” Zakasi calmly says. “Maybe the king has his reasons. Maybe he knows something none of us do.”
“I just met her and was only supposed to guard her!” Xylek exclaims. “She picked a fight with me, interrupted an engagement I had with a human and tried to burn the inn down.” He slumps into a chair. Holding his thumb and index finger about an inch apart, he mutters. “This close to the amulet. This Close.”
Zakasi looks puzzled as he takes a seat in the adjacent chair. “What amulet?” He asks.
Xylek sighs again. “It is an amulet that belongs to the king of death. A silver wire wrap gem that when the holder has, gains knowledge of death. Some humans turned it into a family heirloom.”
Zakasi chimes in with another question. “Knowledge of death?”
“It gives the wearer the ability to see who will die, when, how and even show past deaths.” Xylek explains. “I thought it was a myth until a young human was caught wearing it and going mad when she saw her father was going to join the afterlife. She sought out a demon, I heard the call, went to her and she told me her story.”
Xylek’s brother looks at him. Another question on his tongue. Zakasi goes to speak but a knock at the door interrupts him.
“Please, enter.” Xylek says.
Isabella opens the door and offers an intricate tray with a beautiful floral tea set. Both the brothers nod. Xylek hopes the tea will calm his nerves. Isabella nods, sets the tray on the table between the demons and promptly exits the room.
“Tell me more, brother.” Zakasi says. “What story did this human girl tell?”
Xylek stirs his tea. “She said she was a young mother to be. She wanted her father to meet his grandchild. But when she was given the necklace, the first date and time of death she saw was his. Her child was due come spring. And her father would die by the end of winter. Then she saw the dates of those around her. She asked for only her father though.” Xylek sips his tea. He continues. “She wanted to add one year to his life. So he could meet his first grandchild.” He places his cup on the table. “So I offered her the deal. In exchange for the necklace she wore.”
“Did she give it to you?” Zakasi questions, enthralled by the story.
“Does it look like I have it?” Xylek quips. “She wanted some time with it before she gave it up. When I went to collect it, she wasn’t wearing it. Before I could ask her why she didn’t have it, Princess ‘I will fight you’ comes barrelling after me and runs off with me back to the clearing.”
Zakasi poses one more question, “Why do you want it so bad?”
Grumbling, Xylek explains. “You big lug. I want to know what happened to my parents.”
“But why?”
Xylek slams his fist on the table, rattling the china. “To see when they died! How and why they left me. I need to know what happened.”
Zakasi lets out a long breath. “Maybe some things are better left buried.”
“Maybe you should let me do this.” Xylek holds out an accusing finger. “You have a family. I was just granted permission to be part of it. What if my parents didn’t give me up for selfish reasons?”191Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE4c3zYrSxW
“But I am your brother. How can you be so hurtful about the people that let you in?” Zakasi shouts back. “How can you sit here and act like we aren’t your real family?”
“Because I’m different!” Xylek shouts at Zakasi. “I was welcomed in when I had nothing. And the best thing I got out of it was you. But let's face it. I’m nothing special. I just picked up a job to meet the high king. I thought if I helped Lucifer keep his daughter in check, he’d offer me answers.”
Zakasi relaxes quickly. “What if he can’t give you the answers you want? Then what?”
Xylek puts his face in his hands and grips his hair. “Then I go back to the Inn, drink some fancy booze and figure it out from there.” He laughs. “You know, the princess looks pretty good for someone with a temper issue.”
Zakasi shrugs. “I am not one for looks. She does have a temper on her, though.”
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