Demon's Reign (Updating Every Sat & Sun)

six

"Good afternoon, Major."

"Captain... Kettlewell has informed me of what has happened. Do we have any other news?"

Major Colin Maddox was much like Kang Dae. Muscular and strong and never cute. His skin was tan and his hair and eyes were a brilliant brown.

"This is Balaam. My father sent him with whatever information they required. I waited till we all were here to hear it," Sauda explains.

"I thought his name was... Kang something," Jordan comments.

"Balaam... that sounds familiar," Dix says, looking down, racking his brain.

"His original name is Balaam, maybe," Sauda shrugs, "but he goes by Kang Dae, a Korean name given to him for the Prince of Korea."

"It's like my name," Adorna says. She leans back in her chair and runs a finger across the table. "You all call me Adorna, but my actual name is something else. You just can't say it or it unleashes all of my power. Kang Dae's only power lies in how sneaky and charismatic he is. Saying 'Balaam' does nothing."

"But you are a Demon, right?" Maddox asks.

"Not really," Kang Dae replies. "I'm not a fallen angel, child of Lilith, or a descendant of either. I was a regular human who was condemned to hell and talked my way into power."

"Basically, he's a politician, just way better than the ones burning in hell. Let's get to the information and then we'll talk about who he is," Sauda says.

Sauda takes a seat next to Dix and looks up at Kang Dae. He looks at Sauda and takes a deep breath. Reaching in his back pocket, he pulls out a red square. The gold script reflects on the surface.

"Someone has been bragging that they've gained control of the Shades, but it's a no-name Demon, so the rumors are all over the place. We didn't even hear about it until we were looking."

"Has anyone reported bodies or having seen any shades?" Adorna asks.

"No," Kang Dae says, "so we were ready to go kill whoever it was thinking they were just making shit up until we found this."

He hands Sauda the card, and she looks at the gold Aramaic letters and the swirls and leaves that line the card. "It's an invitation to a ball," she says.

"A ball in the Shadowlands," Kang Dae adds.

"Where?!"

Adorna jumps up, claws digging into the table. Everyone looks at her, shocked at her reaction except Sauda and Kang Dae.

"La Muerte's old realm in the Shadowlands," Sauda reads off from the card.

"La Muerte was the person who controlled the Shades before, right?" Maddox asks. "So does this mean that someone took up his mantle?"

Adorna slowly sits down in her chair and both Ashleigh and Malik reach out to her. "There's no way to get through the Shadowland without being killed by Shades. Without a master, they just roam around, killing when something gets insight. Maybe this is just a sick prank."

"We don't think so. Our spies got as close as they could. Looks like someone is taking guests at that house and we have seen them going in and out, alive."

"And why didn't your father kill whoever it is then?" Maddox asks.

"Whoever is controlling the Shades hasn't come out of the Shadowlands—"

"My father can't step onto the Shadowlands," Sauda says, staring at the invite. Holding it tight. "After La Muerte tried to take over more than half of hell, the leaders made a blood contract so no one could ever take over. They're not even allowed to step a toe on that land."