Nether Feast - Chapter 8

The throne room might have reached from one side of the top floor to the other, but there was still a lot of room left for the thousands of demons living there. At the end of a long hall near the back corner of the floor, the Demon Queen led me to what I assumed were her chambers. There was a guard to either side of the door that bowed and covered their eyes as the woman approached. As she neared, the door seemingly opened by itself and she walked through.

I slowed as I arrived just outside the entrance. Both guards remained bent over in their salute. The queen looked back at me, stepping aside before motioning for me to enter.

I had to admit, I was surprised at what I saw. It wasn’t the décor of a Demon Queen, but more closely matched that of a human noble who was fond of ancient relics. The room was large enough for a decent sized ballroom. Her bed was centered on the left side and could have slept a large family. The comforter was lavender, and trim of the bed was teal and white. Her vanity and multiple wardrobes were made of finely etched granite. There was a soft red, almost pink rug beneath the bed and furniture, segmenting that half of the room.

In the other half was a round table of purple-white stone with the depiction of the mountains of the Netherplane carved into its surface. There were refreshments on a polished bronze cart and freshly cooked first realm beast meat cut in small chunks like finger food. I could tell it was still warm from the aroma.

As I stepped through, the door closed behind me. I eyed the woman carefully, unsure what to expect.

She stood squarely before me, not showing an ounce of fear as she continued to meet my gaze. “I am Demon Queen Yuris. My late husband proclaimed you Demon Lord,” she said. “I don’t doubt his intentions, and your aura was beyond my ability to read, but if you would forgive me for being so bold, would you please show this foolish one your status?”

Just a day ago I was planning on keeping it hidden from the world, but now I’d already shown it to two people, and I was about to show it to a third. Pulling it up, I spun it around for her to see.

The first crack in her composure showed itself as she read. She seemed to lose a bit of strength, but her spirit remained unwavering. “So it is true,” she replied, letting her eyes fall to the floor. “Both a human, and the strongest of demons coexisting in one person. Unlike most of my clan, I was not born here in the Grayson Tower, but in the Netherplane in the palace of a Demon Lord. I didn’t know that this was possible. Lord Ailen you are unique.”

Dipping her head in a bow, she turned and walked toward her bed. With a smooth motion, she grabbed the straps of her dress and slipped them off her shoulders. As her dress fell to the floor, I turned away.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Is the retrieval of my husband’s head the only reason you are here?” She replied. “Do you really plan to become my clan’s patron without any incentive? I offer you myself as a form of encouragement for you to be true to your word.”

“Put on your clothes.”

She didn’t respond, but I heard her moving to obey.

Daring to look, I saw her finishing pulling up her last strap while glaring at me. She spoke. “If you don’t want me, then can you answer me why? Why are you doing this?”

It was then that I realized what she was really doing. At first, her boldness seemed like the silly resistance of a weak women, but that wasn’t it at all. As Jerras had said, he’d been her third king-husband. Her position as one of the rare demon famale made her less likely to face death in battle, but it also meant she had to live through the consequences of all of her clan’s failures. Her life, and her children would completely depend upon me from now on. She knew that better than anyone.

“I… I’m not entirely sure myself,” I said as I recalled all that I’d learned today about demonkin. “I will say this. Demon Lord Kiafer and I fed off of one another in battle for years. Our conflict was one of deep hatred and we both came close to death many times. But Demon Lords do not die easily. As our rivalry deepened, something changed. Eventually, he came to me and offered me passage home. He could’ve simply stopped approaching me or called on a second lord for help, but that’s not what he did. He was true to his word and helped me return. It’s likely pride that helped persuade him. Perhaps he just didn’t want other lords to find out he couldn’t kill me. But there’s a part of me that thinks it might’ve been something more. That somehow, in the midst of our hatred and bloodshed, an unintentional respect had formed. I know it’s naive of me to think, but after seeing your daughter’s willingness to defend her father, and her brother’s willingness to defend her, I find myself unwilling to move on without finding out if my suspicions are true.”

Queen Yuris had closed the distance between us without me realizing it, but she stayed just out of arm’s length. “Naïve, maybe, but that doesn’t make you wrong. If your question is whether demons are capable of friendship, then I can give you your answer. But will you believe me if I do?”

“Even if you answer in the affirmative, I think I’ll have to learn it for myself to truly believe it. I also wonder if our concepts of friendship are the same…”

“That’s not the reasoning of a naïve person.”

I gave her a fragile smile. “How can I be anything but naïve? I’m but a seventeen-year-old with a century’s worth of slaughter and no life experience. If it wasn’t for my Intelligence stat, I’m convinced I’d have gone insane, but even the sweet escape of madness was denied me.”

When her brow creased up in concern, I almost laughed.

“You’re lonely,” she said, obviously still willing to offer herself to me.

I could no longer hold it back and laughed so hard even a sliver of my aura escaped. It was awkward and probably frightening to her, but it was also the first genuine laugh I’d had since my return. “Being endlessly surrounded by creatures that hate you bears upon a person like a physical mass. Such oppression can crush you, but did you know that loneliness can die? When you resist oppression, your oppressors are everywhere. True loneliness is when your enemies are gone and there’s no one left to stand against you. So am I lonely? Yes. I’ve never been so alone. But can you hear it?”

Yuris was deadly still. She shook her head.

“Loneliness is peace—evidence that nothing is trying to eat you. You want to know why I stopped the killing with your husband? Because I’ve missed that peace. I don’t just want it for myself. I want what happened to me to never happen again to another living soul. And I don’t want to gain such peace by killing your clan and ridding this realm of every living demon. I have slaughtered billions of your people and want to know if things can be different. You want to know why I’ve spared Clan Eorith? Because one day, Demon Lords will come to this realm from the Netherplane, and I will stand against them. I need to know if you’re worth saving, or if I’ll be forced to return to the Netherplane one day and finish what I unwillingly started. The eradication of the demon race.”

The queen moved to take a step back, but she’d lost all strength and started to fall. With little effort, I moved to her side and scooped her up with one arm. She was far more solid than I expected for what seemed like a dainty form.

“Thank you,” she said under her breath while staring off into the distance.

“Forgive me. I’ve only been back for little more than a day and didn’t know I was holding that in.”

“You’re talking about genocide.”

“If it makes you feel better, I don’t think it will come to that. From what I’ve seen today, there’s already more to your people than I’ve known.”

“That’s,” she began to say, but stopped and glanced up at me before once again looking away. “Not entirely true.”

“What do you mean?”

She’d stabilized her own footing, and I removed my hand from her back.

“There’s a reason the killing fields exist and why our clan doesn’t mingle with demons that have a bestial form. Pride is a part of it, but even though bestial demons are intelligent and can grow to look more like we do, they also have a much more violent and uncontrollable nature. In other words, we are the same, but very different. Your human race is very limited in its variance in body and personality type. Those of us that look closer to you humans generally have tamer personalities. In many ways, we’re much like humans. That’s why Demon Lords rarely allow bestial demons to reach high enough realms to become a nuisance. My daughter, Elusa for instance, is fiercely compassionate to those she cares about. You saw how she was with her father. She can be ruthless but is more than just capable of pity. She’s still young and often foolish, but if you are committed to this and willing promise me you will keep her safe, I recommend you take her with you when you return in a few weeks.”

I was already shaking my head. “I have no intention of—”

She held up her hand, cutting me off. “How are we going to communicate with you when the third realm scout returns in a few months if you don’t take someone with you? Do you plan on returning and staying here until they do?”

Seeing her point, I replied. “What do you suggest?”

“Elusa already has a rare transmission tome in her possession. Anything she writes, I will see, and I have its twin so I can communicate with her. When the scout arrives, I will let her know. I will give you several scrolls so that you can summon a portal and return here directly. Taking her with you will allow you to take care of your obligation to us while not having to remain. You’ll also be able to observe her.”

“And you’d let her go just like that? There’s also the problem of her horns.”

She softly laughed. “I’ve been around for nearly a thousand years. With a drop of human blood—one given willingly—she can take human form. It’s not an easy spell to undo, but she will not be in constant danger because of her race.”

“I see. This goes against what King Jarras was saying about demons keeping their women safe…”

She gave me an uncomfortable grin. “Once her brother is king long enough and grows use to authority, it will be as you say. But I don’t want her to live the life that I have—always hiding in some back-room century after century. You’re not taking her into the realm of demons where they know her worth, and she will have the protection of a Demon Lord. I fear that if she doesn’t take this opportunity, then one like it will never come again.”

“Will she even agree to go with me? I killed her father…”

“That why I’m waiting a few weeks to send her with you. To give her some time to mourn. I’ll prepare her for the day of departure. You won’t have to worry about her loyalty.”

But did I really want to have a demon following me around everywhere I went? I realized then that after I visited my sister for the first time, I didn’t have any plans. If the queen hadn’t mentioned this, I probably would’ve returned and just stayed here for a few months. It’s not like they could harm me. This would give me another option and if it didn’t work out, I’d just bring her back. The nice thing about traveling by portal was that it was almost instant.

“Very well. Then I’ll take her with me when I next return.”