How the Emperor trapped a Witch

Chapter Fifty-one: Clues

"Your Majesty Alaric." Kimbra says as she returns as Lady Laila's hysterical cries fades away. "There is something bothering me from what she said."

I knew that she was talking about, Lady Laila's words echoed inside my head as I clenched her ring in my fist. For some reason, they were striking a cord in me but at the same time I had a hard time understanding it. 

"Unfortunately, I doubt that we will get any real answers." I sighed. "We need to focus on finding Tia."

"Where you able to get any other clues?" I looked at Quinn.

"The person who took her had three pairs of wings." Quinn seems to ponder for a few moments. "However, it is quite clear that woman doesn't know where she has gone." 

"Wings..." I repeated as a sinking feeling came over me: I knew who that was. "Radna."

"Demon King Radna?" Kimbra's expression became conflicted and worried. "He was supposed to of died, but we had seen him less then a month ago... What does he want with Celestia?"

"I'm not sure." I found myself sighing again and ran my hand through my hair in frustration. "We don't have enough information."

"Then we should find Master." Quinn says simply causing me to look up at her in exasperation.

"You just said that Lady Laila doesn't know where she is. And Radna could easily take to the skies; so there are no trails."

"How did he pass through our defenses?" Kimbra asks, crossing her arms.

"He seemed to of had a lower ranking demon pass through your barrier undetected through the shadows of servants." Quinn interrupts. "It approached the woman with the offer of removing Master from the picture."

"How do you know this?" I ask as feelings of suspicion started to take root and grow. 

"The woman's blood." Kimbra and I look at her in shock. "I can see memories of those who blood I drink. The fresher, the better."

"A lower ranking demon..." I mutter then pause. "Is it still here?"

Quinn cocks her head for a moment before nodding. "Yes. They are supposed to meet tonight."

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 Doors open out into the dark night breeze before a hooded being steps out and closes it behind them. It waits for a few moments, seeming to fidget from impatience before a small dark shadow appears and oozes onto the terrace.

The lower ranking demon crawls out of the ooze; almost like a zombie crawling from its grave, and wiggles its bat-like ears. It was no bigger then a small child with its bones sticking out of its body grotesquely.

 It gestures towards the hooded figure, motioning it to kneel down as a black orb appears in it's hand. The hooded figure complies but does not give it's hand. The demon looked impatient moving closer to place the orb on the figure.

Suddenly; the figures moves, grabbing the demon roughly and standing up which caused the hood to fall revealing Alaric standing before it as it dangled in the air.

The demon squeaks as it struggled against Alaric's grip while the doors behind him opened. Kimbra, Valerie and Quinn step out, looking at the terrified demon with disgust.

"Give it to me." Quinn had a murderous look on her usually passive face. Alaric passes the demon to her who rips into its neck, drinking it's blood before throwing it on the ground.

Seeing her nod, Alaric purifies the demon with its ashes getting blown away by the breeze.

"Lets head inside." He motions towards the door as he discards the cloak into the waiting arms of Valerie.

:::::::::

"Nothing." I leaned back against the chair with a heavy sigh. We were in the giant library, searching for the location that Quinn had been able to find from the demon's memories.

It hadn't given us much, since it was a lower ranking demon: but we were able to get a place that Radna might of taken Celestia to- the only problem being that it didn't exist on any maps.

"I found something." Valerie looks over her spectacles. "However... It's in a children's book."

Kimbra and I get up to look as Quinn stared passively outside.

"The story of Heroes and Demons?" I raised an eyebrow. "How does a fantasy children's book help us?"

"The book briefly talks about a hidden place where Demons are born." Valerie starts to read as we looked over her shoulder. "Unfortunately, its a place that only demons can get to."

"So we think that Celestia could be in place where only Demons can get to? How did she enter?"

"It might be because she is a Witch or that Radna personally took her." Valerie sighs as she closes the book. "If we knew the location of where the entrance is, we might be able to get it."

"Maybe we should ask Master's master?" Quinn suddenly says, breaking the suffocating silence.

"You had said that only Witches can enter." I stared at her.

"Yes." Quinn turns to look at me then continues. "But Master's master had said something strange to me and gave me something."

She pulls out a white stone which was the size of her palm with a strange symbol carved into it.

"He had said that I might need to use this and to keep it on me at all times."

"How does it work?" I stand besides her. 

"You must touch the stone with me and repeat what I say."

I turned to look at Kimbra and Valerie. "The two of you stay here. Try to find out more about that place and hunt down any demons nearby."

They both nod as I placed my hand on top of the stone.

"Open the entrance, I seek assistance from he who has knowledge." Quinn says and I repeat as the stone starts glowing between our hands.

A large white circle appears below our feet and we start to get sucked into it. I frowned a little at the sensation of my feet falling asleep moved up to my legs, waist, chest, arms, and finally over my head.

The two people disappear, leaving behind stacks of books on the table as Kimbra and Valerie look at each other with resolve.