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Chapter 14
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The Demon Chapter 15
The capital was all white houses, cobbled streets, amazing architecture, all meticulously planned and built—and at the same time, a stark contrast between noble houses, all well-tended, flowers blooming in the yards, and people on the streets. As always, they were poor, pathetic, desperate. Looking at them, I started to realize how hard it was to pass by without stopping to help. Who else if not me? By the right of my blood and my lineage I was responsible for the country, and if I did nothing, I would be ashamed to look into the eyes of my ancestors—even demons. They had never surrendered without a fight, after all! The royal palace was glorious, surrounded by a fence made of bronze. Yet right next to the driveway, a legless cripple was sitting in the dust of the road, asking for alms. He truly was a cripple; I saw that by his aura. I had never seen anything like that in Torrin. I felt bad. Each time I remember his bleak expression, shame rolls up on me in waves. I threw a couple
The Demon Chapter 16
Late at night, Henry left his final instructions for Tom and me. We were to avoid needless confrontations, not kill whomever we wanted without thinking through all of the ramifications, not demonstrate all our talents, and not raise the dead wherever I wished. We were to take care of ourselves, too. I gave him a few of my mother’s trinkets as keepsakes.A small portrait of her which was left on the table—looks like Grandfather had come in here after she had left. A toy from her childhood. Henry still loved her, I saw that, and so I didn’t argue when he said that he would be leaving with the light of dawn. It would be better for him in Torrin.We went to bed after midnight. I woke before dawn. The hour of the necromancer. The best time for raising the dead and summoning demons. The dark hour, they call it. Tommy was snoring in the next room, while I tried to listen. What had awakened me? Or who? I didn’t know, yet...it felt like a chord singing in the night—a sharp, clear sound... Was
The Demon Chapter 17
Tommy hadn’t noticed anything, and as usual, I woke up early. In the countryside, we had risen with the sun, but that wasn’t the case in the royal palace.Rudolph had never opened his eyes before the eleventh bell. What was I to do? Have a stroll around the castle, of course. Maybe I could find some food?Tom offered to take me to the city with him, but I refused. I would find time for that later; right then, I wanted to have some alone time and think about the previous night. Was it a dream?The silver-black bracelet was cold on my skin and the only way to remove it was to cut my arm off. The symbol of Radenor was painted on it with simple, practiced strokes—my country, my responsibility—and one word, Alethar. The one who had created it, who had worn it, who had given himself and his family all for its sake.How did that bracelet get there after the death of its wearer? I didn’t know, but I was ready to believe in any miracle.Necromancy was capable of so much more than simply raisin
The Demon Chapter 18
The duel itself lasted for only twenty seconds. Rene, Ralf, and Leonid formed a triangle, with me and Ronald in the center. Ronald lunged at me, but it was clear by his stance that he had been taught in a fancy Kirnean fencing school, where elegance had always been more important than utility.I had been taught by Henry—and he had trained me to kill. I didn’t parry his strike. I didn’t have any reason to. I simply stepped aside and rapidly moved forward, slashing at the opponent’s neck with the very tip of my sword and assuming a low stance.Afterward, I stepped back—I had no desire to ruin my favorite doublet. The wound was...dirty. Blood poured out for several seconds, and Ronald was still trying to press his palms against his throat. It didn’t help. The instant he died, I knew. A gift of my power. The plump one turned pale with fright, yet he couldn’t refuse to fight—or I got the right to kill him right where he stood, or the seconds would. Edward Michel Tiernen knew that well.Aft
The Demon Chapter 19
In the palace, I was greeted my Tom ripping me a new one for putting my life in danger—and my uncle doing the same for another reason. Dealing with the first one was simple. I just snorted and said that I wasn’t worth a dump if two gilded parrots could defeat me. Or would cockroaches stomp me to death with their tiny feet, too?The second one was harder. Uncle was majestic and imposing...and somehow reminded me of a gaudy fool in a village fair. Abigail was pressing her lips together with such force that I could see her teeth—a rat was a rat.“Alex, how could you do that!”I fluttered my eyelashes as convincingly as I could.What else would I do?I don’t know anything; I haven’t seen anything; I haven’t killed anyone!“Two dead bodies in one morning! Viscount Muerlath. Marquis Tiernen! By the way, Duke Tiernen is Her Majesty’s second cousin!”Oh hell, the rat had some nerve. Making her second cousin a duke? I had to get an execution list, pronto. And the executioners.I didn’t deign t
The Demon Chapter 20
The next three days were quiet. I introduced Tom to Rene, and they seemed to get on well, even if, from the sidelines, they somewhat reminded me of two huge cats, sniffing and observing each other. They hit it off and dragged me for a stroll—to a temple.Where else would three young, healthy guys go to have a taste of life in the capital? Only to the abode of the Bright Saint.Yet fate, apparently, was against showing our devotion. Along the way, we stumbled upon a brothel called Mistress Eliza’s, and Rene courteously invited us to have a look at that landmark. And there was a lot to look at there.As luck would have it, that part of my education had been mostly theoretical. It’s not like I could even think about intimacy while I was wearing my true face—very few women considered a tail and scales attractive. And when I learned to change shape, it was too late, as we got Rudolph’s letter...The only thing left to do was to pick up experience along the way. I did know the theory, howev
The Demon Chapter 21
The Sunday dinner at Morinar estate was much more of a success. Count Morinar accepted me as if I were his family—and not in that false manner I had gotten used to at court when they said one thing and meant something entirely different. No, he really had liked my grandfather. During his reign, the Morinar family had been in favor, and Henry Louis Morinar would love nothing more than to gain that influence back—the more, the better. He also wasn’t kissing my rear and kowtowing to me. He simply treated me like a friend of his son—told a few interesting stories, gave good advice, invited me to visit his house at any time.Meanwhile, Henry’s wife, a pretty-looking, plump blonde woman in her forties, took a shining to Tom and me. For some reason, she had decided that I was a poor orphan who never got any motherly affection and started to feed me and dote on me.If Martha had seen that, she’d probably have killed her right there. To consider her darling an orphan! Never. Still, I tried to
The Demon Chapter 22
“Alex, is that your work?”I gave Tommy an innocent look.“Why me? I’m a good guy!”“Because nobody else would dare to do that. Holy cow, throwing a dirty rag over a duke’s head and kicking him in the butt...”“Did he say that himself?”“No. But everybody else knows that already.”I snorted.“Tom, I am as innocent as a baby.”“Fine, that’s what I’ll tell them.”“Right.”We exchanged looks. Everything was clear. The less Tommy knew, the less they could harm him.As for Rene bringing us two bottles of almost century-old wine and inviting us to visit them at any time... Why not, really? It appeared that Richard had been severely injured.A promptly summoned mage healer, after examining the patient, told them that the duke had to spend at least half a year in bed—otherwise, he would never walk again.Richard was furious, Ruthina was weeping, and the royal couple was quite upset. Andre, however, behaved as if nothing had happened.I continued to live as an ordinary courtier. Nobody tried b
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