Chapter One: Taking Up Arms

 

I stared out of a high window in my palace, a steaming cup of tea in one hand. Dawn illuminated my snow-covered city with a myriad of pale colors. We were effectively snowbound, unable to leave the safety of Cejari-ir’s walls. Our stockpiles of food and supplies remained at comfortable levels, largely in part to the presence of Otherworlders.

They remained unaffected by the cold temperatures and the waist-high snow. Despite my longing for war and bloodshed, we had been forced to focus on surviving the winter first.

Sighing, I turned away from the window and stared at the small bed that had been brought to my chambers weeks ago. Cerys’ wound had mostly healed, yet she showed no signs of waking. Her breathing was deep and peaceful. However, any tremor of magic or thought one might expect was absent.

‘Have the gods still not found her soul…or are they hiding her from me?’ My grip tightened, breaking the handle of my cup and sending it crashing to the floor. I wanted some way to help Cerys but keeping her someplace quiet and under guard seemed to be all that I could provide.

“Oh, Your Majesty!” Drysi exclaimed, walking into the room. She glanced down at the broken cup on the floor and then faltered. “I-I will get a towel.”

By the time the demoness had returned, I had moved to rest in a chair by Cerys’ bedside. It had become like a morning ritual over the past weeks. I managed little sleep. In sleep’s place, I had taken to sitting near Cerys while reading reports, books, signing documents…any of my work that normally would have been done in my study.

I hoped that my presence would provide her some modicum of peace should she need it, though it also put me at ease to an extent.

After all, if I could hear her breathing, then she was still alive.

“Your Majesty, Emrys asked me to inform you that his men captured an Issradian in the city,” Drysi spoke once she had collected the shards of porcelain. “He appears to be a native, not an Otherworlder.”

“A human?” I asked slowly, feeling a flame flicker within my chest. “If he is not an Otherworlder, how did he get here?”

“Silas says the man isn’t a spy.” Drysi shook her head. “The man is dazed, confused, and wounded. We think perhaps he had a poor run-in with Otherworlders, or that he may have touched something not meant for mortals.”

‘More artifacts?’ I wondered. It seemed more likely to be the doing of Otherworlders. Some guilds had allied themselves with “lesser” factions upon arriving in Jeriskyr and taken up slavery. While some targeted our kind, others seemed keen on making the humans experience all that we had endured.

Another thing Cerys had been right about.

“I will see our ‘guest’ before attending to my duties, then.” I hesitated to rise from my chair, instead turning my gaze to Cerys’ peaceful expression. When I looked back to Drysi, the woman squeaked in fear. “Increase the number of guards. I will not take any risks with Cerys’ safety, especially not if we have strange humans appearing within Cejari-ir’s walls.”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty.” Drysi bowed deeply.

I stalked past the woman and into the sitting room, sending a sideways glance in Bruce’s direction. He nodded in acknowledgment and remained silent, summoning his weapon, shield, and armor. Over the past few weeks, Bruce had been one of the few people I permitted near Cerys. Emrys, Elidyr, and Seren had aided us as well but often had other matters to tend to.

Emrys and Elidyr as my aides, and Seren because of his duties at the mages’ guild. Nabyr-zahn’s Otherworlders kept finding stranger and stranger monsters, often bringing back pieces of them for study. Over the past week, the Otherworlders had finally begun exploring the dungeons that had appeared in our lands as well.

‘Perhaps I should tax their finds.’ I swept through the palace and in the direction of the dungeons. ‘Cerys will need more swords, but she should not strain that wound any time soon. Dungeon diving is out of the question. Even so, if the Otherworlders are offered a suitable reward…’

“Huh, showed up faster than I thought you would.” Emrys glanced over his shoulder at me when I strode into the cell he’d brought the human to. “Looks like you’re in a bad mood.”

“M-more demons?!” the human yelped. “P-p-please don’t eat me!”

“…eat you?” I questioned. My voice was enough to make the man flinch as if he had been struck.

“Everyone knows demons eat people!” The human scrambled back until he hit the far wall of the cell.

“We ‘eat’ each other as well. I do not understand why you are so fearful of such a thing.” I frowned at him.

“You’re cannibals?!” The man shrieked, grabbing his head between his hands. “D-does that mean you’re going to leave me here until one of you gets hungry?!”

“I thought humans enjoyed sex?” Emrys tilted his head, causing the man to grow still.

“We’re talking about eating! Not sex! What does sex have to do with anything?” the man demanded, his voice still shaking.

“How can you be an Issradian and not know what an incubus is?” I sighed, bringing my fingertips to my temples. “Are those fools claiming we devour human flesh now?”

“What’s an Issradian?” He blinked in confusion.

‘Is he serious?’ I stared at the human in disbelief.

‘Completely.’ Silas stepped out of the shadows to my left, causing the human to squeal again. ‘I thought perhaps he was an Ebonwing member, now that they have all been trapped in Jeriskyr. He’s never heard of them.’

“Incubi and succubi feed on sexual energy.” Emrys growled in agitation. “Eating human meat sounds disgusting!”

“If he is not an Issradian, I have lost interest.” I turned on my heel, then paused to glance toward Silas. “After you have questioned him, report to me with what you have learned.”

“Y-Your Majesty…” A voice called out from a cell. I glanced to the side, spotting the three imprisoned Ebonwing members. Proper beds and some furniture had been brought to their cell to make them more comfortable, but I refused to release them.

If Cerys died, then so would they.

“Is Cery still…” The lamia flinched and backed away from the bars when I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Her wound has mostly healed,” I replied flatly. “Her mind, however, has not returned. The three of you will remain here until the time it does.”

I strode away from their cell, uninterested in remaining to converse with them. No matter how genuinely they appeared to care for Cerys, I could not trust them. We still didn’t know which deities were responsible for trapping them in Jeriskyr and had no guarantee that they wouldn’t attempt to contact their comrades in the empire.

Mere days ago, we had learned that the entirety of Ebonwing had been trapped in Jeriskyr. Alice had managed to send us a missive stating as much. She had sent us several more messages over the past weeks. Her handwriting betrayed her nervousness and her worry.

‘Yet I cannot trust her either.’ I released a heavy sigh.

Cerys would be furious when she awoke and realized that we had not taken Alice, Adric, and the rest of Ebonwing into our care. I hoped that she would understand my position. Had we brought them to Cejari-ir, it would have been for an execution.

Alas, Alice appeared desperate to prove herself trustworthy.

How she could manage such a feat was another matter.

“I’ve got reports of another dungeon appearing in the Veilwood Forest,” Emrys stated, falling into step with me as I left. “Seems this one ain’t easy, either.”

“By our standards or by the Otherworlders’?” I grimaced.

“Sounds like it’d be a challenge even for Masters,” Emrys offered. “Elidyr, Seren, and representatives from several other guilds intend to investigate it later tonight. For now, we’ve got wards in place to keep anyone from entering.”

“No guards?” I frowned.

“Too cold,” Emrys muttered. “Unless we want them to set up camp, a few fires, and risk drawing nasties to them, it’s best we leave it to wards for now. Trees ain’t doing much to break the winds.”

“And our royal guests?” I prompted.

“Behaving themselves.” Emrys shrugged, grinning crookedly. “Eager to get to work, but none of ‘em want to step foot in the cold except for Alwyn and maybe Folont.”

If anything good had come from the attack against Cerys, it was that the other five demon kings had agreed to an alliance with little struggle. Had the roles been reversed, I would have done the same. The human gods dedicating three artifacts to kill a champion was unheard of, let alone three artifacts that could only be used once.

That Ebonwing had come into possession of such things to begin with meant that the human gods had meddled.

“Ah, good morning!” Alwyn was the first to greet me when I strode into the throne room.

While the kings remained guests in Cejari-ir, we had placed a long communal table on the dais instead. My throne sat at the central point, but other chairs lined the left and right sides of it—with an empty one beside mine waiting for Cerys’ return.

“We heard of your new prisoner—an Issradian?” Gar licked his lips with his forked tongue. “Maybe we can help you get him to talk…”

“He is not an Issradian—Silas is doing what he can to learn where the man is from.” I shook my head as I took my seat. “It appears that he is telling the truth, but we will know for certain soon enough. I am more curious as to why he believes demons eat people.”

“Well, your kind do,” Eifion pointed out.

“The poor sap thinks we eat human flesh.” Eyrian made a snapping sound with his teeth to illustrate his point. “Bastard nearly pissed himself when Idris and Silas showed up. Thought we were going to cut ‘em in thirds and chow down.”

“Oh, what a delicacy.” Hywel rolled his eyes, tapping his claws against the armrest of his chair. “I am more interested in these dungeons that have appeared around each of our cities. Just this morning, I received word that four have opened around my capital.”

“Much the same for the rest of us,” Folont added.

“Your Majesties,” Cristin spoke up as she approached our table, before turning her attention to me, “is it truly necessary to divert so many of our resources to protecting that woman? With the palace enveloped in wards and—”

“If anything happens to Cerys, I will slay those responsible. Including those who failed to protect her.” I settled my murderous gaze on the impertinent woman, watching her freeze. “‘That woman’ is our future queen. Accept that and treat her as such, or offer me your head. Now.”

“You would truly make an Otherworlder queen?!” Cristin spat, bristling.

“‘That woman’ was born in the wrong world, clearly,” Hywel interrupted, flapping a dismissive hand. “Are you daft, woman, or have you not heard the rumors circulating throughout the palace? Poor excuse for a soldier, if that’s the case.”

“Indeed. I labor to believe you are truly unaware that Lady Moonfire and King Bloodsong are Soulbound.” Alwyn scoffed, lifting a goblet to his lips and taking a sip before speaking again, “Perhaps you, too, were born in the wrong world. Your jealousy is akin to the irrational expectations of a human.”

“If we didn’t know Idris so well, we would have to wonder if he’s losing his people’s loyalty, thanks to your behavior,” Gar chimed in, shooting Cristin a venomous glare. “He is a more patient man than I. You would have been bound for the dungeons or the Issradian Empire long ago for your behavior.”

“Emrys,” I stated, glancing toward him.

“Very well. I’ll see to it that Cristin and her allies receive an appropriate punishment.” Emrys nodded to me before grabbing the woman by the back of her armor and forcing her out of the throne room.

“I’d heard that Lady Moonfire’s presence caused quite a stir, but this?” Alwyn frowned, settling back in his seat. “Continuing to protect your kingdom’s women, while making certain they understand their place in relation to Lady Moonfire… You have quite the difficult balancing act to manage, Idris.”

“They continually delude themselves to believe there is more to their position than there is.” I sighed, crossing one leg over the other. “Thankfully, the majority understand their place and are thankful for the protection. It is merely a select few who believe there to be more.”

“That much is obvious.” Hywel snorted, shaking his head. “Were it not a minority, your kingdom would not be so stable. Most of your subjects within the palace and the city alike speak well of both you and Lady Moonfire. It takes more than a few childish imbeciles to destabilize a kingdom.”

“With or without her, we need to discuss how we want to move forward,” Alwyn stated, motioning with one hand. “Few of us have footholds near Issradian territory, and fewer still have stable ones. I’ve heard that the other races are considering taking us on before attacking the humans, as well.”

“They want to attack us?” I scoffed. “Then we will overtake them first. If they will not entertain the idea of joining our alliance, then we will make them join us.”

“King Silverscale’s information is correct, Your Majesty.” Elidyr bowed to me, stepping forward. “Several elven kingdoms believe they have the power necessary to defeat the six demon kingdoms—consecutively. Many of them believe that our champion is incapable of changing this world. Others believe that this is merely an opportunity for a new empire to rise and replace the Issradians in their ways.”

“Replace?” I sighed heavily.

“Pitiful.” Folont grimaced.

“Likely the gods’ work!” Gar spat. “If we’re all happy to work together, their little game loses its purpose. It’s in the gods’ best interests to keep us all hating each other.”

“Defeating our rowdy neighbors may be the best way to strengthen our numbers,” Hywel remarked, spreading a map out on the table in front of himself. “Even under the best circumstances, none of our races breed or age as quickly as the humans do. With every passing year, they can field more and more troops. For us, decades must pass.

“Even with each of our kingdoms working together, we may not have enough soldiers for a proper war, let alone one with multiple areas of attack. The Otherworlders will bolster our numbers—but the same can be said for the Issradians. We will need more allies.”

“And become the next corrupt empire to take the humans’ place?” I snorted, shaking my head. “Even if we each have the best of intentions, the other races will not trust such an approach. Not after all they have suffered at the hands of humans.”

“Perhaps a direct challenge, Your Majesty?” Elidyr suggested. “Such quarrels could be approached via duel, if the other kingdoms will entertain such a request.”

“That’d work among demons, not with elves, dwarves and the like.” Folont shook his head. “We’ve a need for true loyalty, and lost duels will merely create begrudging allies.”

“Conquering them would not be much better.” Hywel shrugged. “Our other choice would be to have a successful campaign against Issradian forces, preferably with the champion involved. It would do wonders for proving our alliance’s power and sincerity, as well as discourage other kingdoms from attacking us.”

“Or encourage them to attack and take the champion for themselves,” I spat, shaking my head. “No. We will attack the Issradians, but it will be without Cerys’ involvement. If we prove ourselves capable of defeating the humans on our own, the other kingdoms will respect us more than if we use the champion.”

“Can’t argue there,” Gar remarked. “In this weather, what are we meant to attack?”

“On the far western side of Caradoc’s Pillars, the humans took one of Nabyr-zahn’s villages and converted it into a fortress. They use it as a staging point any time they must enter our territory,” I began, pulling Hywel’s map away from him and pointing at a small mark on the parchment. “They keep a small army stationed there to discourage an outright attack, though the Otherworlders have been wearing the humans down by stealing their supplies, tricking monsters to congregate in the area, and similar.”

“Shall I draft a formal declaration of war, Your Majesty?” Elidyr tilted his head. “While the Ebonwing’s attack on Cerys destroyed the last threads of ‘peace’ between our nation and the empire…”

“A declaration of war? Bah!” Gar slammed his fist against the table. “Those animals have been waging war against all our kingdoms for centuries! Longer, even! They have done all but declare formal war against us. Why should we—”

“To prove we are not animals like they are, perhaps?” I suggested.

“Precisely.” Elidyr adjusted his glasses. “It would also serve to show the other races that we are quite serious.”

“Do it,” I ordered, earning a brief bow in acknowledgment. “Once the weather breaks, we will march.”