Kingdoms of Lies and Intrigues (Return of Vesna book 2)

Chapter 8 Damos

He sat up sharply, covering his eyes with his hands, he shook his head clearing his mind from the image. Blinking once he surveyed his room still dark, silence greeted him. Rubbing the back of his neck he stood, pushing the sheet that had covered his naked body, slick with sweat he walked toward an arm chair and gathered his robe, belting it at the waist. His preternatural vision adjusted to the darkness, flicking his hand, a scone came to life above his bed casting a warm glow all around his massive room.
Turning to the table just a few feet away from his bed he filled the golden goblet with grog and swallowed the contents down and one long gulp.  The burning liquid shattered the illusion of the dream bringing him back into reality. Another flick of his finger lit the grate on the opposite corner of the room. Taking a chair close to the fire he stared at the flames as if they held what he searched for. No image came, instead they heat up the chilled room.
Sitting back casually he tried to conjure the image of the woman, nay more like a young girl, hair the color of corn and eyes the same color as the aquamarine stone embedded on his sword hilt. The fear in those eyes sparked his ire although he didn't know why. She wasn't particularly astonishing to look at, in fact her features were as plain as any seelie but something about her called his attention. Something lost, buried like a long forgotten tomb.
A knock on the door meant his day was just about to begin, snapping his fingers the great big oak doors opened to reveal his most trusted general Clavius wearing dark leather pants and a vest made of copper, his boots echoing against the stone floor. He watched as the general bent on one knee bowing his head.
"What?" His voice rasped.
"My Lord, the troll has come with news." His general looked up and with a nod from Damos he stood.
"Well, how long will you keep me waiting?"
"Mortals have crossed into Irinthar," general Clavius continued.
"Its to be expected," Damos  curled his hands on his arm chair, talons sunk into the plush velvet that covered the arms.
"They have Fae with them."
"So the humans finally decided to reveal what they were hiding. All along I though Loot to be the idiot" he shrugged. "I can't be right all the time. The bait worked," he cocked his head toward the general. "Did the trolls bring them or eat them?"
General Clavius smirked "They disappeared into the Forrest, just vanished!"
Damos cocked a brow "Vanished you say? Well that can't be good." There was only one Fae he knew of who could vanish into the forgotten forest with the blink of an eye, Havah. "If they are here then they will come to the citadel. They will resurface soon enough there's no avoiding the river."
"Should we retrieve them before they cross the river." Clavius suggested, a sinister look in his eye. If Damos didn't know any better they would be retrieved in parts. He had to reign his general in.
"No, let them have their adventure, instead meet them at a turning point in the ever changing mountains and escort them back here.  No one is to be harmed Clavius."
"Understood sire." The general bowed before departing.
Damos leaned toward the flames, resting his chin against his steepled palms,  he thought for a moment about his next move. Closing his eyes he stood and walked to a corner of the room near his bed, pulling a thick dark velvet cloth from the standing oval mirror he kept in his room he stared intently at his image,
His dark hair falling just above his waist in thick tresses, eyes the color of iris glowing with an ethereal light. A perfect face with features as if sculpted by a master, a image he shared to the world, but all demons had a hidden dopalganger  an exact replica that reflected the darkest recesses of his soul.  The facade of his current form was a gift from some lingering drop of Fae blood than ran down his corrupted veins, a legacy from his mothers side of the family. The rest of him was purely his father, the lord of the underworld, ordained by the dark God who owned Uric's soul.
"Morok"
The image in the mirror morphine's into another, one whose pallor was comparable to a cadaver. Features well defined and lips the color of rubies, the image sneered exposing elongated razor sharp canines that could pierce flesh. Such were the features of the Nocturis.
"You called sire." The voice grated like boots crunching on gravel.
"Havah is alive." Damos did not mince words.
Morok liked his lips , his blood red eyes glowing in delight. "Wasn't she defeated during the millennial games."
"Apparently not.  Her body was never found, besides I never felt the disconnection,"Damos revealed.
"I thought you just didn't care," Morok sneered.
"True, however she does have her uses. I suspect she's here to help the royal abductees."
"That would be a futile endeavor. King Soldar was explicit." Morok reminded.
"Since when did you listen" Damos eyed the Nocturis maliciously. "Were you able to locate where they are holding the rest?"
"The women and the two boys are with Loot." Morok said blandly. "He seems fascinated with the one from Meriadon, a former queen."
Damos raised his eyebrows at the revelation. "Why don't you engage that half wit in a game.  You know how Loot loves playing them. Make sure you win and bring them here.  I need my chips in order when I face Havah."
"What do I stand to gain my lord." Morok eyed him speculatively.
"Who do you want?"
"The queen."the Nocturis said firmly
"Why?" Damos was curious.
"I would like to be the one to break her." Morok replied with sinister relish.
Damos shrugged his shoulders. " Suit yourself, you can take queen only after you bring them to me.  The rest of them can wait until I'm done with Havah."
"Of course" Morok bowed his head and Damos saw his reflection once more.
A thought occurred to him as he stared as his reflection, the face he saw in the dream, the one that seemed to possess his mind came forward. Projecting the image to the mirror his reflection blurred once more.
"Show me," he commanded and there she stood, her face the same one he saw in his dream. She was wearing a tunic of some bluish color that seemed to fade beneath a leather vest and dark trousers. She was walking with others but her form was clearly distinct. Dimunitive in size, but those features so familiar.
It' couldn't be..........................
A memory almost lost but clear as if it just happened, a boy lost in the woods, running from something so malevolent, he was panting from the excersion of running. The boy kept on looking behind him in fear of the unexpected. He continued to run, his clothes tattered from having torn them against the brambles, blood ran down from open wounds that littered his arms. His face hurt from several blows, one eye swollen shut from the violence of his attackers.
He hit a crossroad confused as to where he could go until he heard the voice that beckoned him, forcing him to look up at the tree in front. A little girl appeared her head jutting out from one of the branches.  She stared at the boy curiously.
"Are you lost?" She asked
He could only shrug as tears began to form in his eyes.  The voices were coming closer and he needed to get out of there. As if understanding his plight she jumped off from the tree and landed on the dirt with grace. Her wings like gauze as they flapped around her in earnest. She gathered him in an embrace as they lifted from the dirt. They ascended slowly uptoward to the thickest branch,he glanced below at the distance. They were way up from the ground. She pulled the canopy of leaves around them and sat back watching him with those eyes, too large for her young face. Placing an index finger against her lips there they waited until the voices care near.
Several large orcs stood beneath them looking about them. They watched in silence as those beastly thugs began searching around, choosing one of the paths until their voices faded. The girl placed her palm on the boy's swollen eye, soon the pain disappeared and the scratches on his arms started to heal.
"They hurt you," she whispered.
The boy could only nod as tears continued to stream down his cheeks. She took his hand as they waited for a bit. Some time later they both scrambled down the tree and ran back from where he came.  Soon the orcs found them. One of them sneered as he took a step forward ready to grab them. She held on to his arm and reached out with her free hand. The woods disappeared when suddenly they were in a garden filled with flowers of all colors. They stood looking at each other before he looked around him, noticing his surroundings for the first time.
"Where are we?" His voice cracked as he turned back to her.
"My home" she stated matter of fact and began walking, he had no choice but to follow and there she kept the boy safe for a time until he had to leave. He waved goodbye watching her as she disappeared from his sight.
The next time the boy saw her he would be older, stronger and so would she. Things wouldn't be the same between them but the memory would remain fixed in the boys mind. They stood facing each other, he had grown cocky, she had remained curious.
They would steal a moment to speak, but what they spoke of was clearly forgotten for they stood as enemies in a field of deceit and their story was no longer relevant. He would be cruel, she would remain kind and look upon all his atrocities without judgement.
He would challenge her and she would face them.
He would try to manipulate her yet she stood strong.
His innocence gone, hers still in tact.
She believed in him. She disgusted him.
Those were the cards fate had dealt between both of them.
Damos shook his head trying to dissolve whatever remained of his conscience because now the tables were turned and he stood to gain......or loose depending on the choices he made.
"What choices?" She asked him, her gaze unwavering as she pointed her sword into his chest.
"All you have to do is submit or....." his lips formed a cruel line as his blade pointed back.
"Or?" She arched a brow, the indecision was his greatest triumph
"Die?"He shrugged "the choice is yours.  "If you submit willingly, you come to me, if you don't come then you choose death."
Her laughter tickled his gut "You won't kill me, you can't!"
"Don't tempt me," he retorted cruelly.
She dropped her sword, he heard the thud as the weapon settled to the ground spreading her ear wings wide she neared his chest. "Go ahead, do your worst."
He faltered only for a split second but that cost himself the game for she disappeared right before his eyes. Her wings made her fly far above him and he could no longer reach her. He hated to loose yet she made him and for that she would pay.
Damos came back to the present, covering the mirror with the cloth.