Demon Daughter (Book I)

5.1 | The Map

A thin blanket of fog covered the plains and valleys of the Dark Kingdom. You could see almost nothing through it, only a deep cliff in the distance and a glowing light almost at the very top of the mountains, from which the rays sparkled and shimmered. The silence of the early morning was cold and harsh, occasionally broken by a short, raucous bird song. And in the centre of the web of winding streets and dark alleyways, on a small hill surrounded by a stone wall, stood a gloomy fortress. Its flags hung helplessly from their masts, not even the slightest breeze disturbed the oppressive peace.

Soon after, a blond man appeared at the gate. Without a moment’s hesitation, he stepped inside and hurried to meet the Dark Lord. Tasdar was sitting in his favourite armchair, a glass of wine in his hand. He wasn’t surprised to see his servant. Mellburn was always the first person he faced when he started his day.

“Good morning, my Lord,” he bowed. “What are your plans for today?”

Tasdar was silent for a moment, staring at the wine in his glass as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

“You will maintain the fortress,” he said. “I plan to visit Azryath and talk to Arella.”

Mellburn smiled strangely. “Of course, I’ll keep things in order, you can rest assured. Only if you allow me to ask, what do you need from Arella?”

“Good question,” the demon put the glass to his lips and licked the rim. “I’ll try to convince her to join me again.”

“But it’s just another plan, isn’t it?”

“Without a plan, I won’t get what I want,” Tasdar rose slowly, but his servant remained kneeling. “Don’t let me down, Mellburn, you know what I can do to you.”

One moment, he stood there, catching his servant’s reaction, and the next his body suddenly burst into flames and disappeared. It was his unique way of teleporting, but it didn’t surprise Mellburn, who had seen it so many times.

After moving to another place, Tasdar looked around. It was Azryath, one of the peaceful planets where his wife lived. He had once destroyed the planet when the war started, but now it looked fully restored, almost as he was used to seeing it.

Tasdar stood in front of a huge white building, on a wide walkway leading to double doors. A garden with many shrubs and red blooming roses opened before his eyes. The demon picked one up and raised it to his nose. Was it a smile appearing on his face? This place made him a bit nostalgic. Azryath had always been a place of complete silence and peace, despite the hurricanes raging around. Even the air here seemed different, somehow fresher, full of floral aroma. It was hard to tell if he liked it or not.

Soon Tasdar reached the door. “Arella, I know you’re there!” he shouted, his bright red cloak fluttering in the slight breeze.

A moment later, the handle lowered down, and a woman in a white shawl appeared in front of him, wearing a large hood over her head, through which he could barely see her face.

“What are you doing here after all these years?” she asked in a cold voice. “I thought Azarra covered Azryath with a protective shield that you couldn’t pass through.”

“Apparently, Azarra wasn’t as strong as you thought she was,” he sneered. “Ever since that shield appeared, I’ve noticed that its energy is slowly draining. So I just had to wait for it to decrease to the point where I could get here again.”