Rune Stealer

Demons

"This land belongs to me-" Kian cut Lord Plianne's rant short by shoving a fist violently into Plianne's stomach.

"It is not, unfortunately," informed Kian in a stone cold tone. Plianne choked, sagging against Zyn who still held him with his knife at the Lord's small neck.

"I will not," wheezed Plianne, "give back...what is rightfully mine."

"You stole land from quiet, peaceful villages," hissed Kian. "You took innocent lives and for that you will suffer." Kian's anger steamed out of him. I looked at him with fascination because the Prince was actually angry and not just his usual demeanor. His mind was drenched in the colors of hatred and disgust. He loathed the Lord for all the pain he had caused in his kingdom.

His kingdom.

Kian raised his clenched fist to strike the Lord again, but I grazed his elbow with my fingers and stepped in front of the furious prince.

"Could you take a step away from the Lord, Prince?" I asked politely.

"Laika," growled Kian, his jaw taut as his clenched his back teeth in animosity.

"Let me talk to the Lord for a while." Kian scowled at me for another second then reluctantly stepped away. "Thank you," I sighed.

I turned around to face Plianne and stepped closer so that our faces were merely inches away. Starring into Plianne's drooping eyes, I was finally able to access his mind through his rune, but found that there was a thick wall preventing me from grasping total control of the man. I sighed and then reached down and pulled out a dagger. Plianne's eyes grew wide with fear.

"Whoa Laika," said Toril from behind me.

"Yeah, what are you doing?" chuckled Brynley nervously. I ignored them as I gripped the hilt tightly. I raised my arm up and across my body so the hilt was facing Plianne and blade rested on my shoulder. The next moment I met Zyn's gaze and raised my eyebrows and in response, Zyn nodded. In a split second, Zyn release Plianne and pushed him forward. At the same time I swung my arm out and down so that the hilt made contact with the falling Lord. Unconscious, Plianne fell into a pile on the ground.

"What in saints name are you doing?" spat Kian furiously, rushing toward me as I sheathed my dagger.

"I said to step away, Prince," I growled at him, glaring up to Kian who gazed at me dangerously. Kian didn't advance any further, but he didn't retreat back either. "His mind was too strong for me to take hold of," I informed him. "I had to weaken him." Still, Kian stayed where he was, so I did not budge either. As I stood in the angry Prince's way, I slipped into Plianne's mind and took hold of him.

"Wake up," I ordered aloud, my eyes still locked on Kian's. Behind me, I heard Plianne stir.

"Wha-what happened?" asked Plianne in a weak voice. I imagine he was holding his probably throbbing head.

"Stand up," I ordered again. I heard Plianne stumble and soon he was on his feet.

"W-what?" stammered Plianne.

"I took hold of your mind, Plianne," I told him as I gave Kian one last glance before turning around to face the confused Lord. "I can control you now. Your actions, more specifically. I can read your moods and make you see and feel things that are not real. I can make you aware, asleep, and feel immense pain. You thought you'd be the one controlling me, but you're wrong. It is I who can control all." I hissed at him viciously while pushing away the fact that the King of Galabee was, in fact, controlling me.

"You- I don't believe you," breathed Plianne. "I don't feel anything different." I stepped closer as he said that and the Plianne visibly flinched back in fear.

"You don't?" I hissed at him and Plianne cringed once again at the tone of my voice. When the Lord didn't say anything, I pulled my dagger once again and flipped it around so I held it by the blade and I held the hilt out to Plianne. Plianne eyes flicked back and forth between my eyes and the dagger. When I nodded, Plianne cautiously reached out and took the dagger.

Another second flashed by before Plianne screeched loudly, raising up the blade and thrusting down onto me. I felt the wind from the force of Plianne's arm blow my hair back as I gazed at Plianne's straining face. The point of the dagger pressed into the skin of my forehead where I stopped it. Plianne's face was red as the strain to sink the dagger the rest of the way into my brain, but I held him where he was.

"Plianne," I said calmly.

"You witch!" Plianne spat, his eyes bulging out of his head.

"The dagger is on fire, Plianne," I told him. Plianne dropped the dagger immediately and screeched once again, this time in pain as he held his hand.

"Ah! It burns! You burnt me! It hurts!" screamed Plianne in true agony.

"No it doesn't," I told Plianne in a steady voice. "There was no fire, Plianne."

Plianne looked at his hand and his eyes began to water. He looked up at me, insanity in his eyes, and sputtered incoherent words then charged me like a raging bull. The Lord's eyes bugged and hot saliva flew from his mouth as he stumbled violently towards me. I saw Zyn tense out of the corner of my eye, ready to fling himself at the rabid man.

Then the Lord stopped and crumpled to the ground onto his knees. An ear splitting screech came from Plianne as he curled up and held his head between his hands. I looked down at the pathetic man as he cried out because of pain I was causing him and my stomach churned. He killed innocent people, I tried to think as I gritted my teeth. I didn't stop myself when my face twisted in disgust, but who the disgust was directed to, I couldn't tell anymore.

Plianne's shrieks were soon reduced to a wet whimper as I ceased causing him pain. I knelt down near Plianne's head and he tried to shrink away from me as a small child would from a stranger.

"D-demon. Demon," he cried.

"You must think yourself a Saint then, My Lord," I chided. I sighed and sat down next to the miserable man. "What mankind fail to understand is no sin is higher than another. There are no angels and demons, My Lord. Just sinners. Although man like to call some sinners angels cause they just so happen to punish other sinners where some sinners would call them demons. You see, Lord Plianne, you are a demon, and so am I. I just so happen to be your demon." I smiled at him darkly as he looked up at with watery, blood shot eyes. I opened my mouth to say something, but I snapped it shut when my attention was dragged to outside the room.

"Soldiers," I said standing up and turning towards the door. Dozens of souls were rushing up to the small room we were in. "They must've heard your woes, My Lord," I laughed. "Well boys," I exclaimed, turning my attention to my companions. "Looks like Lord Plianne is coming with us!"