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Chapter 58
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The Demon Chapter 59
After those events, the Riolonians wanted to continue the war about as much as we did. And so, we sat down to talk: me, Darius...Nobody else had survived. Not even a crown remained from Mikael. No surprises there.I had released enough of my power to burn even his bones to ash and then incinerate the ash as well, even if that was a pretty tricky thing in general.There were two Tevarrian generals left. The talks took place in the view of the entire army.Why?Nobody had wanted to set up camp here, bunk down... As a matter of fact, devourers tend to exude certain emanations, and they are particularly persistent, like cat pee in your boots.The stink would linger long after everything had dried out, and no washing, err, cleaning, would eradicate those emanations from the area. You could try and force yourself to remain in such a place, of course, but it would only end up in your nightmares, heart pains, or worse. And I would definitely discourage you from sleeping without a ward circle
The Demon Chapter 60
The templar flushed with anger, but restrained himself. He realized that strength wasn’t on their side and swallowed the insult. He would get back at me later, if I gave him the chance.“We are going to question the soldiers; in the evening, we’ll speak with you.”It sounded like a clear threat, but I responded with a serene smile.You haven’t seen Argadon yet, you dog.“I’ll be eagerly waiting.”“Then wait,” the templar said curtly to have the last word in the argument and turned his horse back.The colonels stared at me with...fear? Finally, one of them spoke up.“Your Highness, is that really such a good idea, angering the Church? They are powerful...”I shrugged.“Powerful? How many warriors do they have?”The way I put that question seemed new to the colonel. It clearly made him think.“Your Highness...”“My people, colonel, are more important to me than any potential problems with the temple,” I snipped.“We’ll move as intended. We need to reach the river by the evening, or we’l
The Demon Chapter 61
Until evening, those bastards were wandering around the camp, interrogating everyone, and getting on everyone’s nerves, while I was asking myself only one question: should I kill them or not? On the one hand, it would make the world a bit better.On the other...wouldn’t it be too suspicious?Ah, whatever!The war will write it off. But how will I get to them?I spent some time thinking, but couldn’t come up with anything useful. Eventually, I threw in the towel. Whatever will be, will be. Let fate decide whether they live or die. I could kill them right now, but how would I avoid revealing myself?The Church had a huge influence over the people, and I would have to rule them. The next morning, I roused the troops and ordered them to march out. The templars started to object, saying that they hadn’t questioned everybody they wanted yet, but I dismissed them.“Do you want to come with us? Go, then. I’ll even give you our best horses.”They wavered, hesitated, and finally, refused. We ha
The Demon Chapter 62
“Let’s go.”“Where?”“Don’t you sense it yourself? To eight forsworn.”Ak-kvir got a whiff of the air. The skull shined in the light of the moon.“Forsworn? A good hunt. Will you manage them?”“Don’t even hope to get nine bodies,” I retorted, and the beast took off.He was much faster than the swiftest of horses. He raced like the wind, as if piercing the distance, and I wasn’t surprised when we stopped before a forester’s hut.Eight horses were tied to a hitching post, and it seemed deadly quiet inside. Judging by the look of it, the house was inhabited.Yet... Ak-kvir sucked in the air, passing it through his fangs with a whooshing sound.“Blood...”We found the master of the house behind the shack, crucified on a tree. His hands and feet were nailed to the trunk, and his chest was bound with a rope that supported part of his weight.They hadn’t wanted him to die quickly. They had wanted to make him suffer. The templars believed that agony helps executed sinners reach the Bright abo
The Demon Chapter 63
My return to the capital was rushed. Rudolph might have arranged a red carpet welcome, but that would be complicated, considering that the prince’s wife was in prison, the allies had turned out to be traitors, and something unholy had happened on the battlefield.So how would my uncle react to all this? Abigail didn’t know, which is why he didn’t actually react, but summoned me straight away.“Alex, what happened there?”Obediently, I reported everything.“And so, the Tevarrians cooked up a cunning plot. They killed our dear Andre,” I sobbed and wiped a tear from my cheek, “and had me marry their girl to make her a princess, all the while trying to pit us against Riolon. The Riolonians found out somehow and invited me to secret negotiations, which left me shocked, as they showed me the proof. Prince Andre’s assassin! The real one."I omitted the part where it was I who had shown the assassin, and not him, but rather his confession, while he was still lying low.He did want to live, af
The Demon Chapter 64
As I hoped, Lavinia had been placed in a tower. How could it be otherwise? Noble ladies weren’t to be sent to a dungeon, especially such...charming ones.The vampire was sitting on the bed with a pretty dark expression on her face, and when I stepped out from a secret passage, was startled, barely managing to stifle a shriek.She managed only a weak exclamation.“Ah!”“Hush!”I pressed a finger against my lips, and she obeyed, then beckoned her with my hand, and she rushed inside the secret passage, quick as lightning.We could talk there.“So you’ve finally got caught, little mouse?”“Alex...my husband...I’m so happy...”“That you won’t have to burn at the stake?”Definitely.“B-burn?!”Lavinia’s face grew deathly pale. I had a killer follow-up.“Uncle’s going to interrogate you tomorrow, together with the templars. Do you want that?”Lavinia shook her head so emphatically, making it clear that she didn’t—at all.“Well then, let’s go.”“W-where?”As I hoped, Lavinia had been placed i
The Demon Chapter 65
There are lots of secret passageways in each self-respecting palace. The ones known only by the builders and the customer, the ones that have been keeping their secrets for many centuries. What are they made for?Each passage had its purpose. Nobody would turn their palace into a cheese wheel without a good reason. To eavesdrop; to send an assassin; to escape from an assassin; to hide something valuable.The first two types were safe. As for the others... It was a pretty obvious solution to fill the tunnels with traps: I’ll leave, and you’ll die. I would never advise anyone to prowl around in secret passageways in a palace. But me, I was a different story. I was Radenor’s heir.There might not have been a crown on my head, but the heart of Radenor had already acknowledged me as the rightful king, and I would definitely pay it a visit, right on the night of my official coronation.Meanwhile...A snake slithered before me in the secret passage, navigating the traps, showing me how to di
The Demon Chapter 66
When the alarm was sounded, I was peacefully sleeping in my bed. I wasn’t plagued by nightmares, and the ghost of my uncle didn’t haunt my rest.Dead is dead, and off with him.He had long since deserved it. Too bad nobody had dealt with him before me.“Your Highness!”I slowly sat up.“What? What happened?”“His Majesty...Rudolph...”“What happened to Uncle!”I sat up in the bad.“He’s...dead.”“HOW?”I pushed the blanket aside and started getting dressed. Really, none of you could avert your gaze? I was sleeping naked, by the way.Curs.“Your Highness, His Majesty was murdered!”“Any details?”I knew them well, but I listened to an idiotic tale of horrific cruelty, of Uncle’s body being torn to shreds.Really?Had somebody else been there after me? They even spoke of blood that flooded the entire bedroom...“How many bodies of the enemies are there?”“There’s nobody...”the chancellor mumbled.“How can that be?”I roared.“My uncle didn’t kill any of his assassins? Impossible! He wa
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