Morningstars

The Coup

Lilith had left him at the edge of Beelzebub's land, hands still bound. She had promised to kill him should he near her or her baby, which was news to Caliban. She'd had children a long time ago-- popped them out by the hundreds, in fact-- but he never would have guessed she'd want to have another, especially since she'd witnessed many of her children killed. Moreover, Lucifer hadn't shown any signs of affection toward Lilith, but now she was pregnant with his child? The Morningstars were odd. Lilith had refused to remove his chains, claiming Beelzebub would make quick work of it once he found him. Caliban rolled his eyes, wondering how long it would take him to find the demon king.

He treaded forward through the swampy territory. Every step came with a disgusting squelch. Insects hovered in the air, for this was their domain. The air was hot and heavy with humidity. Caliban scanned the swamps for the king but could not spot him. He hated how pathetic he felt in these chains. First Sabrina had bested him in the final quest, and now she had him in chains? Fury rose in him, and he wished nothing more than to bring a swift end to her monarchy, to the entire Morningstar house.

But Sabrina had grown in power, it seemed. She'd claimed it had only been a few days, but she appeared to be a thousand times stronger than before. How could, in a few days, that young half-mortal witch transform into a powerful and intimidating infernal Queen? He hated to admit she was intimidating. She carried herself differently now-- more confidently, defiant, even. And on top of that Lucifer was at her side, looking ever the proud father as she humiliated him. He could try to overthrow her, but he knew deep down that he was no match for her power and Lucifer's combined. The King of Hell would never allow anyone to step out of line without instant deadly consequences, and it looked as if his daughter was following in his footsteps. Caliban cringed. He hated her for taking everything from him.

And yet, intermingled with the hatred there was something else. Almost equally as passionate and hidden within him. What was it? He wanted to investigate this new... something that had infiltrated him. He sensed some change in his heart, small but noticeable. Was this some kind of spell? No. He knew his heart enough to know if it had been tampered with. This was something else. It brought to mind Sabrina's eyes, darkly fierce and challenging; her delicate hands, capable of powerful magicks; her milk white skin, so smooth and refined; her lips, blood red and just inches away from him as she threatened to cut him apart.

He stopped, brow furrowed. He focused his energy toward forcing his mind to quit what it was doing. He would not give into whatever this was. He shrugged the feeling off, refusing to feed its flames.

"Caliban?"

Beelzebub was standing before him.

"Beelzebub!" He sighed, relieved to think of something else.

"She released you as promised," the demon king observed.

"Yes, she did," Caliban returned, hesitant to talk about their new Queen.

Beelzebub lifted Caliban's arms and touched the chains, whispering a spell beneath his breath. The locks opened and the metal fell to the ground. Caliban turned his wrists-- no marks. He brushed aside the messed hair from his face and met Beelzebub's eager eyes.

"What have I missed?"

Beelzebub smiled and led him forward as he explained what had happened.

"Sabrina returned with Judas's thirty pieces of silver and told us you were dead."

"She said I was dead?" Caliban queried.

"Yes, but we knew better. We overheard she had sealed you in the ninth circle, alongside the other great betrayers. We implored Lord Lucifer to free you, but he said that was for the new Queen to decide. Her coronation was yesterday."