An Angel Wearing Demon's Wings

It was not until the next morning that I awoke. The feeling returned to my body, my hearing returned to me, my breathing had slowed back to a normal pace, and the pain had long since subsided. My body laid flat on the grassy shore with the sword still in my hand. The last I heard, a horn blared across the night sky.

The rest of my body had not caught up yet, making it more difficult for me to survey the remains of the battlefield. Turning my head as far as I could revealed a saddening scene. Many soldiers were still tangled in Edagri's mess of wood, stone, and rope. People scurried back and forth removing the dead from the field and searching for other survivors. I found no signs of Edagri or Gihri or anyone I knew. The battle was over and, judging from the complete absence of demons, we had won. But how?

Well… an almost complete absence of demons…

“Morning, Sleeping Beauty!” Tomosse shouted at me as he loomed over me. His ghostly pale hair blew in the warm summer wind, his very presence taunted me.

I groaned. “You're late,” I whispered, still sleepy.

“Quite the contrary,” he scoffed. “A prince is never late, Hallie, nor is he early. He arrives whenever he wants, neither a moment sooner nor a moment later.”

“We would have lost that battle…”

“But you didn't,” the prince said with a playful little smile. “And that's what matters.” He pulled me off the ground. “Joking aside, the Children of Fire arrived earlier than I expected. Caught me by surprise as much as it did you.”

“What exactly did you do?” I asked him, needing to hold onto something just to stay upright. Tomosse, of course, offered himself as my crutch.

“Demons are, well most of them, easily frightened,” the prince explained. “I didn't even need to kill any of them. I just did a little light show and they ran away.”

“I don't believe you.” I couldn't believe him. The whole thing, the way he described it sounded too… theatrical.

“You can ask any of your friends,” Tomosse insisted. “They all saw it.”

“They all saw you?”

“Of course!” The demon prince pranced around as he continued speaking. “If I'm going to be your ally, I need to be everyone else's ally as well. Had to make myself known eventually.”

“They all know about you?”

“All except the old witch,” he admitted. “Do you think she might be scared of me?”

“Don't bother,” I grumbled. “She's the one who placed this curse on me, under the old king's orders.”

The living crutch had turned into a hugger, wrapping his arms around me. He attempted to cast a healing spell. I wanted to tell him no, but he stopped me by surrounding me with an unusual warmth. “No, that simply will not do. I'll get that curse lifted from you faster than you can say my entire name.”

I pulled myself out of the hug in protest. “This is one curse your healing magic cannot cure,” I explained to him. “It is one of the nine forbidden spells. Only success in my mission or death can free me from it.”

“Is that so?” Tomosse asked after hearing the one thing that could have erased that fiendish little grin of his. “That's quite unfortunate. Let's get out of here. The others sent me to come looking for you.”

•

A small council had gathered at the center of the village. Most of the leaders of various nations made their way here to attend. As usual, the Islander Queen Rini was there, as was Giorg, serving in place of the Ogre Stewards. Gihri, the Elf King's son led the way. Ipas was there to represent the seers. Ramsh and Lali represented the dwarves, and even the Merfolk King (supported by two Aiurosi retainers) decided to make an appearance. His inclusion in this meeting surprised me, for not once since my arrival in Andawas had he participated in or contributed to any of the fighting.

“Where is the Elf King?” I asked Gihri, noting his father's absence from the meeting.

“My father has been sent back to Niwalos to recover from his sickness,” Gihri explained. “He has named me Lord Protector in his absence. Who is your new friend?” he asked, pointing out the demon prince.

“I am the Mighty Bull of Wast,” Tomosse introduced himself, “He of the Two Pillars Relishing in Victory, Divine of Appearance, The Only Truth is His Word, Tomosse the Vulture, Prince of the East and West. I am the son of the Demon Lord Ayya.”

“I was not made aware of the Demon Lord having a son,” the Merfolk King noted.

“I don't think he intended to have one,” Tomosse remarked. “He has no interest in succession, not when he intends to ascend to godhood.”

“Ascend to godhood?” Gihri asked, making sure he understood correctly. “Impossible.”

“I want to agree,” the demon prince replied. “But my father seems to think otherwise. How many people do you think the Children of Fire have killed since the Endless Summer began?”

“Oh, easily tens of thousands,” Queen Rini answered. “Perhaps even several hundred thousand.”

“Precisely,” Tomosse agreed. “There is a saying among your people, all magic beckons a cost. My father has discovered a very dark magic that twists the very rules of our existence. Every death, regardless of side, in this war fuels his lust for power. My people may already see him as a god, but he wants to reach the gods in power, surpass them even.”

“Why?” asked the Merfolk King. “He already has us outmanned and outsmarted. We've needed luck and miracles -”

“We?” Queen Rini asked with a hint of snark in her voice.

“Luck and miracles to beat back his forces,” the merman continued. “It will already take many more miracles in order to win. What more could he possibly want?”

“Death, Your Highness, pays for life,” Tomosse responded, stroking his hair and itching one leg with his opposite foot. “My father believes that if he can cause enough death, he will surpass all life, that none can defeat him, neither man nor god.”

The village center fell quiet. As if there wasn't enough urgency as it was to defeat the Demon Lord, now Tomosse gave us about a hundred more reasons to defeat him. Gihri stroked what little beard he had on his chin. Rini scratched at the arms of her chair. Ramsh tapped on the floor repeatedly with his axe.

“And you intend to help us defeat him?” Gihri asked the demon prince.

“Of course,” Tomosse replied with a smile. “My father is a mad man and his quest for limitless power will destroy everything, not only for your people but for mine as well. We must work together. It is the only way.”

“I don't believe you,” the Merfolk King interrupted him. “You're a demon. You think you can be sly, but nothing escapes me.”

“You've seen demons here living in this village, have you not?” the demon prince asked in response. “They don't crave world domination, only a life of peace.”

“His arrival did help us win this last battle,” Rini reminded the others.

“Zikatta,” Gihri said, pointing right at me. “What do you say?”

“Trust is a tricky thing,” I admitted. “It's fickle and can be easily ruined. But I will say this. You allowed me a chance, so why not allow one for him.”

“Need I remind you that you have not earned everyone's trust,” the Merfolk King said. “I still await the day you betray us to the Demon Lord.”

“Silence,” Gihri scolded him. “Zikatta has been a valuable ally to us in this fight. I will not allow you to dishonor his name.”

“As you wish,” the merman sighed.

“Your Highnesses, I understand you might not trust me,” Tomosse replied.

“Trust? No,” Ramsh admitted, stroking his beard in thought. “But to have someone on the inside could be useful for us. You may be necessary.”

“I will swear it if I have to,” Tomosse cried, “by the Nine, the god of the elves, by all the gods.”

“Swear it right now,” Gihri demanded.

Without hesitation, Tomosse knelt before the entire council. “My sword is yours,” Tomosse chanted an oath that was quite familiar to me. “My life is yours, in victory and in defeat, until the mission is complete. I shall aid you in this quest, even to my last breath. Should I fail to abide by this vow, the gods shall see to it that I face the ultimate penalty.”

There it was, the oath that I swore to Hattu the Red on the day he told me that I had been chosen to defeat the Demon Lord Ayya. That was the oath that all Neshi soldiers swore the moment they joined the army. People had been awfully quick to throw oaths around these days, I noticed. The more people swore their supposed solemn vows, the less I felt they meant those words. It wasn't Tomosse's fault. I was sure he meant every word he said. It was that vows and oaths had simply lost all meaning.

“Rise, Tomosse the Vulture,” Gihri told him, and the demon prince did as he was told. “In the name of my father, Edagri the Guardian, King of the Elves in Niwalos, your vow has been sealed. You are now our ally.”

“Thank you.”

“This council is now dismissed,” Gihri concluded the meeting. “We shall discuss our future plans when we get back to Freehold.” Everyone went off in their separate directions. But when Queen Rini began to walk off, Gihri said, “Not you.” He noticed me starting to leave as well. “Not you, either.”

We both turned around to see what Gihri wanted.

“Your Highness?” I asked. “What's the matter?”

“I think you know damn well what the matter is,” the elf prince sighed. “I trust only the two of you with this secret. My father is no longer fit to rule. I believe his behavior at Freehold and now here provide plenty of evidence for that.”

“I sense you intend to depose him and have him replaced by you,” Queen Rini told him.

“That is correct,” Gihri admitted. “But only once this war is over and I can return to Niwalos. According to Elvish law, the King can only be deposed by a vote of the Council of Elders. When the time comes, I trust the two of you will support my claim.”

“Of course,” Rini agreed at once.

I, on the other hand, hesitated. “Why me? I am no king.” Rini smiled the very moment the words came out of my mouth.

“But you are the chosen hero,” Gihri countered. “And gods willing, you will be the one to defeat the Demon Lord. Your word will be better than its weight in gold. They will trust the brave and wise man who defeated evil incarnate. They will have no choice.”

“I see..”

“We will discuss this further on the way back to Freehold,” Gihri told us. “For now, let's help clean up this mess..”

He left the two of us to ourselves, presumably to aid in the clean up work.

“Gihri is not wrong,” Rini observed. “You know it in your heart.” I also knew in my gut that Gihri, much like his father but in very different ways, was very much insane. “You would make a good king, I believe. Come, let's talk.”