To Bewitch a Devil

272 Sit back and do nothing

“Did all your stallions and mares run me over?” Freya asked, wincing as she adjusted herself on the bed.

“You know exactly what happened, Freya,” Zavian said meaningfully.

Freya rubbed her weary face, her skin the same dull grey. “Yes, I do. And it was enough to scare a warrior like me.”

The door busted open, and Freya shook, her hand reflexively reaching for the knife by her side even though there was none there. Azriel slammed the door with the same force he entered, and joy burst through him as he stared at Freya.

“So it’s true,” Azriel chuckled. “You made it back to this end.”

“How did you hear so fast?” Freya asked.

“Zavian. It doesn’t matter. You, Freya, owe me hundreds of hugs for all the worry you put us through.” Azriel took the route through the bed to hug her, and both Zavian and Freya screamed in warning.

“The doctor just checked her, and she still needs time to heal,” Zavian said, a hand held up close to Azriel’s face.

“Come near me, and I would kill you,” Freya said.

.....

Azriel grinned. “Our Freya is definitely back.” He slumped on the bed and propped his head on his arm as he looked at her. “Had any particular dream about me when you were away?”

Freya glanced at Zavian. “A lot, but once Zavian is out of here…”

“I know you two aren’t involved, so cut out the nonsense,” Zavian interrupted them.

Freya whipped her head to Azriel. “So you told him?”

Azriel shrugged. “You should have woken up sooner if you didn’t want me to.”

Freya groaned, causing her body to seize with another one of her sporadic coughs. Zavian was by her side at once, pushing a glass of water up her mouth. When she was done drinking, Azriel sat up and wiped her mouth with the back of his palm.

“Two demons as my servants. I must have truly died,” Freya said.

“Enjoy it while it last,” Zavian said, sitting down. “Now, Freya, what happened?”

All the earlier laughter dimmed from Freya’s eyes. Both male demons pinned her with their attentive silence, waiting for her to speak.

“I have never seen anything like it before, Zavian,” she began. “It looked like a demon and a monster. Like mismatched creatures, all glued together and given life.”

“Not a soul eater?” Azriel asked.

“I know a soul eater when I see one,” Freya answered. “This one was so fast, and its claws were so long. And it had no scent. Nothing. It looked… dead.”

Azriel’s eyes met Zavian’s, and the King nodded. “It’s Aloysius.”

“What?” Freya asked. “What has he got to do with this?”

“It was most likely a test,” Azriel said. “That living dead creature might have been out to attack you since you were all alone.”

“You aren’t making sense. How do you know this?”

“Because a war is coming,” Zavian answered.

“A war?” Freya sat up, and Azriel was by her side to help her do so. “Zavian, are you sure I wasn’t knocked out for an entire century? What is going on?”

It was Azriel who supplied her with everything that happened when she was unconscious, and Zavian allowed him, for his story had no holes where Neera could fill them. By the time the Commander General was done, Freya didn’t say anything. Zavian could see the wheels turning in her head, processing every single bit of information.

“If Aloysius has more than one of those creatures,” Freya looked between the male demons. “We are losing the war before we even begin.”

“There will be a weakness, always has,” Azriel said assuredly.

Freya shook her head. “This is bad. Really bad. And I can’t,” she looked down at the plasters on her body. “I can’t sit back and do nothing.”

“That is exactly what you will do,” Zavian said.

“Which of the Kingdoms have supplied the most soldiers?” Freya asked.

“Taos and Grenao.” Azriel answered.

“Grenao is quite a surprise,” she said. “But what are the excuses of the others?”

Zavian looked at Azriel then. “We fear Lydia might have something to do with that.”

“She has convinced them to join forces with Aloysius?”

“Jasmine’s father would be getting his revenge, and Darstun has nothing to lose,” Azriel said.

“If Aloysius is already here, he would be in either kingdom.” Freya analyzed.

“Let’s not jump our horses,” Azriel calmed them all them. “There are too many conclusions, yet too few facts.”

“Selesee is a Kingdom with most of the strongest soldiers,” Freya reminded him. “And yet there are excuses.”

“Still, I believe a visit to these kingdoms would only be able to confirm,” Azriel said.

Freya sucked in a breath and tutted. “Too dangerous.”

“It has to be done,” Zavian said. “And I don’t think Aloysius is out. So far, the witches said the portal hasn’t been tampered with.”

“And how can we be sure he hasn’t devised other means to leave the Underland?” It was Freya asking.

Zavian’s mind wandered off to Neera, her torturous nightmares, the times she swore there had been someone in her room, and the time she had seen an otherworldly being, as she had called it, in the marketplace. Zavian could almost see it, all the signs his anger had blinded him from, could see the way Aloysius or one of his cronies had been after Neera from the start.

“Zavian,” Freya pulled him out of his thoughts.

“He could have, but not in a full form,” Zavian answered. “But I will get more answers on that. But before then, we would be prepared for his return.”

“You wouldn’t,” Freya said, drawing the attention of both male demons to her. “We know how he is. And Aloysius will pounce just as suddenly as the creature that attacked me. If anything, all of your men should be sleeping with their knives in their hands.”

….

The people of Selesee stumbled out of their houses to see their King, their colourful attires swarming the streets, and different heads bopping in greetings.