Hell horses were...strange. And dangerous. They required steel muzzles, else they would devour all meat in sight. They were descendants of the Mares of Diomedes, the man-eating horses Heracles captured, and domesticated horses. While these horses were tamer than their ancestors, they were no less unpredictable. They snorted fire and their teeth were sharp enough to strip flesh right off the bone. Other than that, they looked like Human World black horses.
As we boarded the carriage, the horses pawed the ground impatiently, snorting and whinnying. I sat beside Father while Mikayla and Zane sat across from us. I sagged into the black, soft, velvet seat and looked out the window when the carriage began to move. Father elbowed me in the ribs sharply, forcing me to sit up.
"Don't slouch; it's a bad habit to get into." He chastised, not sparing me a glance.
Yes, practice your posture. You just might be named queen by the end of the night. Rayi chirped, sounding like she was in a good mood. I imagined her smoothing her hair and puckering her lips at her reflection.
I sincerely hope not, I thought as I forced down a grimace. I was reluctant to I resign myself to marrying Zane instead, but he was a far better option than Lin. I wasn't even considering Will as a possible option. Marriage between us wouldn't work if we were unable to fully trust one another. Yet the idea of him being with anyone else hurt, causing me to clench my fists as my blunt nails dug into my palms.
There were hundreds of carriages riding beside us and behind us as we got nearer to the heart of the city, where Lin's castle was located. I could tell who was just a noble and who was an Optima. The nobles' carriages were navy blue in color, while the Optimas' were purple, the color of royalty. The Optimas' carriages also had the coat of arms of their male precursor. Ours had the trumpets Amdusias was famous for.
The castle loomed into sight, its black towers looking ominous beneath the red sky. All the windows were illuminated and as we passed over the large stone bridge, I could see the large banner:
Et in honorem illius altitudinem, Rex Lin XVI
Our carriage stopped in front of the large open doors to the castle and as a last note, Father hissed, "Remember your orders: Zane first, then Melanie, then you, Mikayla."
The driver of our carriage opened the door and Father got out with the rest of us following him. I nodded my head in thanks to the driver when he took my hand and helped me out of the carriage. We followed Father up the marble steps and into the castle.
The floors of the castle were shining and the large crystal chandelier sparkled from the candlelight. There was a grand staircase leading to the second floor of the castle. Royal guards were positioned at its foot to prevent guests from wandering. Some guests mingled in the main room, but most of the crowd headed to the ballroom.
We entered the mouth of the ballroom where the herald was standing tall. He was an older demon, with gray at his temples and a bushy mustache. When we got to him, Father whispered his title.
"Royal Adviser Lord Tavor Amdusias of the Thirteenth Legion." He announced.
Demons don't actually have surnames, but we go by our first male ancestor's first name. Optima take great pride in this, as shown by the way Father strutted down the stairs as the guests clapped and bowed their heads in respect to him.
"Duke Zane Amdusias of the Thirteenth Legion, heir to the Amdusias family line." Zane went down the stairs, smirking flirtatiously at the young ladies, who swooned and giggled.
Mikayla and I hooked arms and I murmured our introduction to the herald. The herald had to stoop to hear me, to my sister's amusement.
He straightened up and proclaimed, "Duchess Melanie Amdusias of the Thirteenth Legion and Duchess Mikayla Amdusias of the Thirteenth Legion."
We stepped carefully down the stairs and I shot Mikayla a dirty look when she whispered mockingly, "Don't trip."
We unhooked our arms and placed one hand each in one of Zane's as he helped us down the last step. Father was nowhere to be seen and I assumed he joined the King's side.
"Now what?" I asked, looking around. The guests were back to talking amongst themselves, some of the ladies fanning their bodies in the too warm ballroom.
"I guess we mingle." None of us looked too thrilled with the idea until an attractive demon caught Mikayla's eye.
"Unlike you two, I don't plan on being a bump on the log." She sashayed over to the demon, immediately striking up a conversation with him.
Zane and I stood awkwardly side-by-side, but I was grateful he didn't leave to talk with one of the ladies. He was quite the flirt, like Father.
There were hundreds of demons in the ballroom and more were still arriving. I noticed the female demons around my age were dressed extravagantly, their fathers undoubtedly hoping they would become the father-in-law of the Demon King. Or, perhaps praying their daughters would become Empress of the Demons. I shuddered to think of becoming the bride of Lucifer. The male demons were dressed nicely, obviously, some staring longingly at some of the prettier girls. I saw one youth, perhaps a couple centuries younger than me, get pushed by his friends toward a girl.
Pleasant music was playing in the background, the volume low so as to not drown out the conversations. Beside me, I felt Zane stiffen.
"Lady?"
I looked up to see an unfamiliar demon standing in front of me. He was about Zane's height, dressed in a fine black suit with a gray waistcoat. The two top buttons were undone, revealing a column of pale skin leading up to a strong jaw sprinkled with ebony stubble. He had brilliant green eyes and wisps of ink-colored hair fell into them. His pupils were round, not like the usual catlike slits. The moment our eyes met my brain felt like it had been electrocuted, leaving my nerves from the tips of my fingers to my toes tingling in not a wholly unpleasant way.
When he saw he had my attention, he bowed at the waist and held a white gloved hand out to me, his other arm behind his back. "Would you care to dance?"
I turned to look at Zane, who had an unreadable expression on his face. He grunted and turned away from me, ambling toward the drinks.
"I-I suppose so." I took his hand, shocked by the chill through the gloves I felt. I supposed he could control ice, a rare power indeed.
His fingers closed over my hand as he led me to the dance floor. The orchestra was playing a waltz. The demon clasped my right hand and placed his other hand on my waist. I laid my free hand on his shoulder and began to dance with him. His cold body made mine tense and it felt like I was dancing with the Angel of Death.
"That is a lovely dress you are wearing." He complimented, his voice deep and pleasant.
My cheeks flushed, any trepidation I felt toward him dissipating. He was so kind to notice my dress. "Thank you, Lord...?"
"Justin. And you are Miss Melanie, am I correct?" His usage of my title was not correct, but I didn't think much of it. He was the epitome of a gentleman.
"You are correct. Forgive me, but I do not recall seeing you." I studied his face. There was something familiar about the shape of his eyes.
"I'd expect you wouldn't: I am from the three hundredth legion." He smiled wryly, as though quietly laughing at his own personal joke. Optima and nobles were divided into the six hundred legions Hell possessed. The farther from the center of Hell, the less power the nobles had.
"Ah, I haven't been there. That's quite a ways from here." He spun me away from him before pulling me close.
"Indeed. Your father is the Royal Adviser to the King?"
"I prefer to think of him as the 'Royal Bootlicker.'" I muttered, but he heard me and he emitted a fruity laugh. It was nice to listen to.
"You don't care much for his standing, then?"
I gave a tiny shrug. "My opinion doesn't matter. My father expects me or my sister to wed the King after this evening, I think. It would only strengthen his position with the King."
I was not oblivious to the way he seemed to be interrogating me and my suspicions of him were beginning to rise. I gave a subtle sniff, smelling his cologne, which stung my nostrils. It smelt like he put too much on. Beneath the cologne, however, there was something else.
"The man you were standing with was your brother?" He nodded his head in the direction where Zane was leaning against the wall nursing a glass of wine.
"Yes, Zane." What was it? The cologne was making my head spin.
"He looks strong. Is he part of the Royal Guard?"
"Not yet. His orientation is in several months' time." Why was I telling him this? My instincts were tingling like they would if I was near an Angel. But that wasn't possible...
The waltz ended and I pulled back from him, placing a hand on my forehead. The room seemed to spin. Justin stepped closer to me, a look of concern on his face. It looked artificial.
"Are you alright?" He reached out to steady me when I stumbled.
"Forgive me; I am feeling a little dizzy." I suddenly had the strong urge to get away from him. I felt like he was the one causing my unexpected bout of vertigo. When his hand came into contact with my shoulder, my brain grew more addled. I smacked his hand away and staggered backwards, nearly tripping on the long skirt of my dress.
I felt my knees tremble and I expected to fall to the floor, but a pair of arms wrapped around me, pulling me back into a hard body. The smell of metal wafted into my nose, clearing Justin's strong cologne.
"I think the Lady has danced enough for the time being. I will take her to a table and have her rest." The voice simpered, but there was a hard underlying tone to it.
Justin's face darkened for a heartbeat before he swept himself into a low bow. "As you wish, Your Highness."
I was acutely aware, then, that the ballroom had grown silent. I could see Zane gaping at me with Father standing beside him, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"Come, My Lady." The hand on my shoulder gently pushed me into motion.
A strong arm wrapped itself around my waist as I was half led, half dragged to a nearby table. I sank into a chair and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths. I pressed my fingers into my temples as though it would help the dizziness fade.
"Bring me and the lady two glasses of water." The voice commanded.
A hand brushed against my cheek and I opened my eyes, startling when I saw the face of Lin peering almost anxiously at me.
"Melanie, are you alright?" I straightened up, unintentionally knocking his hand from my face. He seemed disheartened for a moment.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty, f-forgive me. I'm n-not sure what c-c-came over me." I stuttered, looking away from him.
A servant rushed over and Lin shoved a glass into my hands. "Here, take small sips. It should help alleviate the dizziness."
I did as instructed and sure enough, I began to feel better. Lin smiled boyishly at me. "There, you're getting some color back. You were turning a nasty shade of green back there. Did he say something to upset you?"
He spat the last part out, turning to glower in the direction where Justin had gone off to. I shook my head. "No, My King, he did nothing."
I was skeptical about that, however, and it struck me just what it was I was smelling from Justin beneath all his cologne. The same icy under-scent powerful Angels possessed. My eyes widened and I whispered, "He's an Angel."
I said it soft enough Lin did not hear me coherently. He leaned forward. "What was that, my dear?"
"A-ah, nothing." For some reason, I felt like I couldn't tell him my discovery. Rayi, who had been unusually quiet throughout the affair, suggested softly perhaps my loyalties switched to the Angels. I swiftly and rather sharply rebuked her, saying if I were to have loyalty to any Angel it would be to Will and Will alone.
From across the ballroom, Justin's eyes met mine. They seemed to glow and I looked away quickly. He did something to me, mentally, but I didn't know what. Until I find out what he did to me, it would be best not to make eye contact with him.
A servant came over with a plate of souls, placing it in front of me. My mouth watered and I felt my stomach grumble when the smell wafted into my nose. The servant bowed hastily before running off to serve the rest of the guests. Before I could grab the fork, Lin took it and stabbed a light blue soul. He held it in front of my mouth with an expectant look on his face.
Feeling my face heat up, I opened my mouth and allowed him to feed me. He had a strangely tender look on my face as he fed me, though that did little to lessen my embarrassment. I could feel dozens of eyes on us.
"When you feel up to it, would you like to dance?" He asked, stabbing the last piece left on the plate.
"Yes, Your Highness." He smiled and I noticed his smile did not reach his eyes, leaving them lifeless.
I chewed and swallowed the soul and reached for the glass of wine beside me a servant had placed. I took a gulp, my stomach feeling warm and full.
A violin suddenly began to trill highly, the sound grating on my ears. I winced and gripped my hands to prevent them from reaching up to cover my ears. The ballroom grew silent again as the lights dimmed. The demons seemed to be waiting with bated breath for something to happen. The violin started at the G string and began to follow the scale, sounding like it was being tuned. It was played at a fast, staccato pace and I realized then what was happening.
The Devil was coming. The violin was His instrument. As the stringed instrument seemed to increase in speed, there was a loud pop and darkness. The violin abruptly stopped playing with a loud screech. The lights came on and there was Lucifer, standing at the top of the staircase.
He was dressed in a red suit, standing out amongst the guests in their cool colors. His coat had tails that brushed against the back of his knees. His hair was slicked back and his goatee was finely trimmed.
"Our Father and Lord, Lucifer." The herald crowed, dropping to a knee.
The ladies curtsied and the gentlemen bowed deeply. Even Lin dropped to a knee, though he didn't hold the position for long. Lucifer appeared in front of us and I nervously wrung my hands when His glowing red eyes turned on me.
"Melanie, my lovely, it is so good to see you in better health!" He exclaimed, placing a kiss on my hand, a grin befitting His personality teasing the corners of His mouth.
"I-I am, My Lord, thanks to you." I murmured, grabbing my skirts to curtsy with my free hand.
"Anything for one of my children. And Lin, happy birthday. May you have many more to come."
"I thank you, My Lord, for your gracious words." Lin smiled.
Lucifer inclined His head before excusing Himself and flickering out of sight. It could have been His angelic nature, but He flitted around like He was always in a rush.
Lin turned to me. "How about that dance?"
I twirled with him for most of the night and he made idle conversation with me. He asked me more about what I did in my spare time, what I hoped to achieve in my lifetime. If I had encountered any more Angels. I lied and said no.
"You know, it is expected of me to take a wife shortly." He said casually during our fifth dance. It was a slow waltz, with couples embracing all around us. I was silently grateful Lin had yet to try anything.
"I was not aware." I was hoping he wasn't going to say what I thought he was planning on saying. His fingers began to play with one of the hooks on the back of my dress before he flattened his hand against the small of my back to pull me closer to him. I swallowed nervously.
"You are a beautiful girl and your father is my most trusted subject. It would be an honor to have him as family."
"Mikayla is lovely," I said a little too desperately, "she likes to wear shoes."
Lin chuckled, amused, "Yes, Tavor has mentioned your dislike of footwear. That is permissible; you may walk our halls barefoot all you wish. You may even attend balls barefoot if that is what you desire."
I didn't like that he said "our" instead of "my." He didn't even pay any mind to my mentioning of Mikayla. He seemed to have his heart set on me. His other hand left my grip to grab both my hips. He halted our dancing and stared at me with an oddly serious expression on his face.
"Melanie, would you do me the honor of-" His eyes suddenly widened and he let out a choked gasp.
"My King?" The hands on my hips were shaking.
He fell to his knees and blood dribbled out of his mouth. It was then I saw a bloody arrowhead protruding from his chest as he collapsed on his side. My hands flew to my mouth and I screamed.
In moments, the Royal Guard surrounded us, pushing me out of the way. I saw a flash of black and turned. Justin was attempting to escape. I pointed at him and shrieked, "Stop him! He assassinated the king!"
Justin froze and stared accusingly at me before disappearing, the Royal Guards missing him by a second. Father and Lucifer elbowed their way into the circle to assist the king while the guests screamed and scrambled around. The lights shuddered as Lucifer's shadow grew in size before the whole room seemed to darken from it.
"Silence!" He bellowed, glaring at the guests. They fell silent, staring at Him with fearful eyes
My siblings joined me at my side, Zane gripped my wrist in a tight, but gentle grip. I leaned into his warm side, my free arm wrapping around his as I ducked somewhat behind him. I was shaking and didn't trust myself to be able to stand without aid.
"What happened?" Mikayla hissed, glaring at me like I had something to do with it.
"I-I don't know. We were talking and then he collapsed." I mumbled, recalling the bloodied arrowhead.
Father stood with Lin in his arms, his suit getting bloody. He and the guards rushed out of the room, most likely heading to the healers. Lucifer remained where He was, regarding us all. His eyes seemed brighter as they swept over our terrified faces.
"Now, it seems we had a rat amongst us, hoping to kill our young and beloved king. And do you know what the rat was? An Angel!"
The demons murmured worriedly, all of them wondering the same thing. How did an Angel get into Hell without any detection? Several hissed, as though "Angel" was a dirty word.
"Heaven has attacked us in our own realm! We will not take this affront lying down. From now on, the portal will be guarded. No one will go in or out. Should anyone attempt, I will personally end their life. Once the King is in better health, he and I will discuss how to deal with the angels."
I felt a wave of dread at His words, both at the prospect of being unable to return to the Human World unless summoned and just how close to war we seemed to be. While it is rare for a female Optima or noble to be drafted into the Royal Guard, it is not uncommon. Especially when she has powers as unique as mine and Mikayla's.
"This isn't good." Zane whispered, loud enough that only I heard him. He appeared to be reluctant to engage in a war, too.
I couldn't help but agree.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
