Chapter 53:

Fifty-three

The Scorned


Walking back into the building, I paused, trying to figure out what was going on. Selene seemed to be sitting on a pile of soldiers, happily eating food. Glancing towards the King, he appeared to be in good spirits, so I guess this was planned?

When Beyla's eyes fell on me, she quickly hopped to her feet and stormed my way.

"We need to get this moving. These soldiers are getting more drunk every minute. They are challenging Selene, and she is barely holding back. At this rate, someone is going to die."

Shrugging, I replied, "They aren't going to die. If Selene wanted them dead, they would be dead already. Besides, can't you heal them?"

Letting out a groan, Beyla demanded, "How can you be this relaxed about everything! You both almost died, yet here you are without a care in the world."

Looking to Veronica, I asked, "Want to join in the fun?"

Seeing Veronica shake her head no, I heard Beyla mutter, "Thank God, at least she is normal."

Laughing, I replied, "I guess the two of you are a good match. I think this would be the best time to link the two of you. I also think a formal introduction is in order. Beyla, this is Veronica. I am transferring her to you because I trust you will treat her well. I believe that the two of you will get along. Let's get started."

Turning to Selene, I called out, "Would you mind hopping off your perch and joining us? It's time to get Veronica linked with Beyla."

Selene had a smug look on her face as she joined the three of us.

Looking to Selene, I asked, "Alright, we are all here. What do we need to do?"

"Well, first, as my master, you need to give me permission."

I let out an annoyed sigh and was about to complain about the term master, but Selene cut me off.

"Trust me. I am not choosing to call you master. That is how this goes. I can not begin without your permission."

"Fine. Let's get this over with. Selene, you have my permission to do whatever you need to do. You also have my permission to do whatever in the future, so we don't have to have this conversation again."

For a brief second, a small part of me was nervous of the smile that crossed Selene's face, hearing that I had given her permission to do everything. But I quickly waved that away.

Happily clapping her hands together, Selene said, "Alright, let's get started."

Turning back to the soldiers, Selene called out, "All right, all of you get moving. We need the floor cleared of all these tables. If you don't move fast enough, I will help you move."

Hearing her threat, the soldiers quickly complied, and soon, all of the tables were shoved out of the way.

Grabbing my hand, Selene led me to a specific spot on the floor and then did the same thing with Beyla. Knowing what was going to happen, Veronica stood between us.

The two demons shared a nod, then they both began to chant in the foreign language Selene used when she first formed a pact with me outside of the cave. Just like last time, spears of colored lights forced their way from beneath our feet, but this time, something was off. Before, it sounded as if hundreds of voices were talking all at once, but now I could clearly understand Veronica and Selene.

Veronica was clearly reciting something word by word, while Selene was half-assing it.

Focusing on Selene, I listened in to what she was saying.

"I promise to serve my lazy master. Even if it is against my will, I will follow his denseness and do the least possible. That being said, I am glad my master has confused morals so I can do what I want. I promise to figure out why and how he has the power of the Archdemon. I also am curious to know why when his body turns into armor, it softened around me."

Selene continued to talk about promising to eat food, but I thought I could have a little fun with her.

Now, every time I used the Archdemon's power, I hurt myself. But, I also had to admit that I felt stronger having survived my fight with the mage. Stretching my arm towards Selene, I took a deep breath and willed it to change.

Almost instantly, my arm changed to its demon form. Tipped scales forcing their way from under my skin still hurt, but it was nothing compared to what it felt like before.

Giving Selene a smirk, I said, "You wanted to see it. Here is your chance."

Staring at me, Selene stopped her chanting and demanded, "You can understand me?!"

Before I could respond, the lights around us slowly began to fade. Seeing this, Selene panicked and quickly went back to her chanting. While she was talking, though, she clearly kept her eyes on me.

Enjoying her surprised look, I teased, "You know, you really should be more careful about calling your master dense. If he were to hear you, he might not give you any more delicious food."

The scowl that I earned made me laugh, but I remained quiet and let Selene finish.

Once the ritual was done, I heard Beyla drop to her knees and let out an exhausted sigh. Veronica was quickly by her side and asked, "Are you okay, master?" Waving her away, Beyla replied, "I'm fine. And it's Beyla, not master."

Happy that Beyla was going to treat her well, I turned to Selene and asked, "Anything else you want to do here? Or are you ready to go see Allie?"

Still eyeing me suspiciously, Selene slowly replied, "Let's get going. We have a lot to talk about before we arrive back in Sarton."

Giving the King a nod, Selene and I slipped out the door into the darkness.