The Devil's Love

Queen of Hell: Chapter 25: Anton

The staff ushered the arriving demons into the great hall, an area under the castle that was large enough to accommodate all of my demons. There they would wait until the rest of them arrived which considering the amount that was walking through the doors, wasn't that far away.

"My lord." Igor approached, stopping to bow. "My lady."

"Good afternoon Igor, we will discuss your findings in a moment. Please wait in the meeting room to the left of the stage."

Igor bowed again and bustled his way across the room. Catherine wasn't far behind him, she curtsied and carried on.

"Nick and Rowan won't come, will they?"

"Not unless they forget my orders."

I could see the fear on her face as she looked up at me.

"They do not feel the same pull, Sarah. They are not full demons yet, so they are different to these that you see. There may be a chance that they will feel a dull sensation but it will be forgotten with the life that carries on around them. These demons that you see, the pull to me is so grand that they cannot think of anything else, it plagues their minds with yearning and incessant thoughts about their master, worrying about what is going on. That is why they return."

Turning to the nearest servant I called them over.

"Yes my lord."

"Ensure that all of the demons make their way into the great hall without issue. Have the demon master report to me when he arrives."

"As you wish my lord."

I took Sarah's hand and helped her down the front steps, taking a casual walk to the great hall. The dragon flew around yet again, continuing his constant circling of the castle. Scanning the demons, I searched for the animal keeper.

"You, come here."

"Yes my lord."

"Find the animal keeper and have him report to me immediately."

The demon winced slightly, watching as the dragon roared.

"Forgive me my lord, but I think that you might find that the animal keeper is rather busy at the moment."

He pointed upwards as the dragon flew around again.

"The beast was most angry this morning, ate him in one gulp."

I sighed rather wearily.

"Fine, when he is passed have him report to me. After he has bathed as well."

"Yes my lord."

He scurried away, and I turned to the sniggering woman beside me. She tried not to laugh, looking at me as she did her damnedest to stifle the amusement.

"I'd say that's his gripe at the moment, a demon for breakfast wouldn't be too tasty, and I'd imagine it's making him feel rather ill."

Stupid dragon, it's not as if he doesn't get well fed. Obviously, the animal keeper was doing something that he shouldn't have.

We continued, Sarah's amusement had dissipated, and now she looked like she was thinking about something.

Demons parted as we walked through the vast area, the grand hall was something of a work of art to me, but to others, it was nothing more than a dark and scary room. Pale stone walls stood high, higher than they should be, a mere illusion to create a sense of space. The ceiling curved over with a fresco of the great war, the one where we won the right to walk on Earth. Large chandeliers hung in three spots along the center, to the sides were smaller ones.

"Do you see that darling?"

Sarah looked up at the glittering black iron, littered with precious stones. Candles dripped wax over the curls of the metal, the flames flickering in the gentle wind.

"It took five chains to lift each of those chandeliers to the ceiling, a dozen demons on each of the chains. One whole day just to raise one chandelier and another to set it firmly in place."

She looked up with awe; her eyes sparkled with the light from above.

"That's amazing," she whispered. "The picture is beautiful."

"Yes, that was the last battle, and I've meant to look it over again. It seems that I have been... well, let's say that I've been misdirected as to the outcome."

"I thought you won."

"We did."

I pulled her closer to whisper in her ear.

"But I fear that we were fooled. I am afraid that they let us win."

Her eyes widened as she looked up at me.

"What for?"

"A subdued devil my darling," I murmured as we walked again.

Demons watched, bowing as we passed. At the moment they were free to mingle among themselves, soon it would all change.

"What better way to restrain the beast than to give him what he wants?"

"Roam the earth, and you don't worry about storming heaven?"

I nodded with a proud smile. Proud for her, not for my being blinded to everything. Someone had concocted a masterful scheme and was probably laughing for fooling the devil. And I knew who that someone was. It was the very same someone who was doing everything in his power to drive a wedge between Sarah and I. Michael knew that with a permanent love interest I would regain my sense of ownership, I would want to lay claim to things that were not mine.

But even with the thoughts of going to war with them again, I had issues. Leaving Sarah behind would not be easy, she would fret for my safety and miss me. Such things do not help anyone, especially when they are pregnant. I had to consider her health now; I couldn't just drop everything and run off to fight a battle.

She would worry that I would not survive, but it would be a needless worry. But there was something else that I had not considered until now, and it was something that shook me to my very core. It was entirely possible that with me gone and fighting a war, someone would slip into the underworld and abduct Sarah. Or worse. I couldn't protect her unless she was by my side and that would mean that she'd have to come to war with me or there wouldn't be one.

My mind and my heart were heavy with thoughts and concerns; I had no easy answer for anything. With each thought I had, new ones would arise and leave more lost than before.

Sarah looked to me, her arm linked into mine with the other one resting near it. I offered her a smile, one that was hopefully not filled with the pain that I was feeling. Her fear was low; she walked proudly beside me as if it was any ordinary day.

But this was not a typical day; it's not every day that the demons feel the pull to come home. With each and every one that returned to Hell, I felt more at ease. Each demon was like a little string that was attached to me, gently tugging at me and reminding me that my beloved demons were not where they should be. With each of them here, in their home, the gentle tug fell away.

Soon, they would all be here, and I hoped that I was wrong but I had a feeling that everything was about to change.