Chapter Twenty-Nine (Sin)

“What’s wrong?” Rook asked as I sat beside him in the dining hall.

“You know what is wrong.” I spat as I looked at my food. For my plan to work, I had to wait around for her to be tried and almost executed, but I also had to stay away. It was maddening, not even my day-to-day duties as King could distract me.

“I know, you just seem more irritable than usual.”

“Do you have anything to report? Did Hellebore or your brother share anything with you about what is going on?”

He shook his head, “Sorry, I believe I may be on the chopping block with you on this one. My mother, not that she was much of one, has turned on me for siding with you.”

“I am sorry. It must be hard for your mother to betray you like that.” I felt bad for Rook. All he wanted was to be accepted by his family, he never said as much, but I could tell by his drive to better himself and become stronger and into the type of leader that an army could look up too. Unlike his mother and brother, he had earned my respect for his determination and loyalty.

He shrugged, “No different from you brother, I know how father had pushed you and trained you so you would be a strong and wise King. He would be proud of you even if he didn’t live to see it.”

Where Hellebore was determined to mold Lazarus into the perfect puppet, my father had spent a lot of time on me training me, teaching me, so I could be a stronger King than he was. My father wanted me to surpass him and lead the demon plane into a new era; he wanted me to make deals and work alongside the vampires in the human plane to ensure a prosperous era for our plane. He taught me the history of the different planes and how they interacted with each other, as well as getting his strongest guards to train me for battle, so another attempt on my life would never be made again.

“How are things at the seven gates?” I asked as I watched Rooks' reaction.

“They are moving smoothly for the most part, their has been an uptake on criminal executions in the human realm so there are plenty of Sins to be harvested and a couple that are so tainted they can’t they are in the pit for now.”

“What were their crimes as humans?” I asked, interested.

“The usual rape, murder, cannibalism and the more disgusting of crimes. The ones against children.”

Unlike what most believe demons despised, the hurting of innocents and a crime against a child were ones we did not take lightly. We did not even try to harvest the souls of those who committed crimes against children, just devoured them and prevented them from ever being born again.

“Sounds like a feast should be held soon.” I shared.

“Yeah, maybe when your fated mate comes, we could have one. Although with her not being a demon, what would she eat down here?” he asked around a mouthful of pride.

“I suppose we will have to stock up on human food, luckily we have a kitchen in the castle.”

“Yeah, going to have to go to the human plane to get it, though.”

“I’ll send someone.” I stated as I finished my meal and got up and headed to the kitchens, grabbing food and bottles of spirit and adding them to a bag before heading to the stables to check on my nightmare.

I had asked the stable hand to have her ready to go when dinner was finished, As I walked up to the large barn, I saw the stable hand holding the reins to Amdis, which he handed over in a rush to avoid touching her skin.

I mounted and headed up into the mountains that sat behind the castle. The mountain trails were treacherous, but the views were worth it. The lime green sky was setting into a dark emerald color and the black trunks of the trees with their various hues of purple leaves lined the path. It was quiet and the creatures scurrying away from me just added to the peacefulness of the ride, leading Amdis down a narrow path towards a pink bubbling lake that merged into a lake of lava. I dismounted and tied her reins to the obsidian trunk before stripping to my boxers, grabbing the lava proof bag and diving into the hot lake.

As it washed over me, a sense of peace filled me and helped me focus my thoughts. I swam across the river to the other side, where the cave opened up to the river and I went inside.

“Took you long enough.” I heard a voice say as I walked out of the river.

“Sorry, King duties and all that.” I chuckled at my old friend, Magma.

“Yeah, so you say every time I see you.” He laughed as he sat on the stone chair at the far end of the cave, his hair flickering orange and red as it shimmered around him. Magma was my mother's childhood friend, exiled after my father had executed her for adultery. Magma and my mother were fire demons, Magma being one of the rarest as his hair was literally fire.

None other than Hellebore herself accused my mother of sleeping with Magma. Gods, I hated that woman. Luckily Magama was off plane when it happened, when word reached him of my mother's execution, he went into hiding.

“So how is castle life treating you? Any news of my exile being lifted.”

“I am working on solidifying my place on the throne. Once that is done, I can lift the exile and you can return to your village or the castle, whichever you prefer. Hellebore needs to be taken out as well, but I am working on it. Luckily, everything is going to plan.”

“So, have you found your fated mate?”

“Yes, and unfortunately I hit a bit of a snag it seems that Lazarus and I have the same fated mate and whoever she chooses will in turn decide the fate of magic and it’s existence in the human plane.”

“Sounds like quite the conundrum.” He retorted.

I handed him the bag of provisions I had brought him.

“Thank you, I don’t know how I would’ve managed without your help, lad.”

I shrugged, “You meant a lot to my mother and have become a friend of mine and one of the few people I can trust. My father was wrong to exile you, but Hellebore persuaded him of your treachery. If only I knew what the hell she was.”

“She is a piece of work, and a dangerous one at that. Watch your back."

“Do you know what she is?” I asked him hopefully, but he shook his head.

“I have thought of many types of creatures but still haven’t figured out what that manipulator is.”

“I have come to believe she is a hybrid of some sort, but apart from the mind control or influence, the only thing I can think of is some type of siren.”

“You are smart, and I am sure you and Rook will figure it out.”

“How are things going with your fated mate?”

“That is unclear, I need Amaya to rectify a mistake that was made so she is currently in danger and in a place I can’t get to, but I need her there for my plan to work. I hadn't counted on Hellebore and Lazarus being in the time period and blocking my access to the church and courthouse, though. I still haven't figured out what their aim is.”

“You’re trying to get Amaya to summon you, aren’t you?” he accused.

I nodded, “Yes, at least it will tie her to me in some way and I can protect her better, but to get her to summon me, she needs to be in danger and want me to save her, it just works out because I also need to save Abigail to save magic so I get to kill two birds with one stone.”

“You are in a fucked-up situation.” He frowned.

“Yeah, and she might not want my help because Lazarus is their working with the Pastor that has her locked up and she trusts him, he might ruin everything.”

“From where I am sitting, it sounds like you need to let the pieces fall where they may, your plan is already taken effect. Not much you can do, but wait for it to play out.”

“Hopefully she will see through the illusion Lazarus has put up and come to her senses.”

“You also need to take responsibility for the illusions you put up as well Sin, she may not forgive you.”

“I have to believe she will.”