Venator : Devil's Moon

XXXVI A Dance of Dead Kings

Sebastian took a moment to grasp what had just happened. He was a fool to underestimate his uncle.

'Demons are clever nasty species' his grandfather used to say, 'and for their intelligence, I could say I somehow adore them.'

Once again Sebastian felt as though he was standing on no land, as though the land beneath him had disappeared and he was left helpless, supportless. And yet he would not fall in the seamless depthless pit that took shape beneath him. He would not fall into that endless pit of oblivion. For somehow his petrified form kept on lingering before Delroy. It was Delroy who would give the ultimate command, whether to wipe him from existence or make him his toy.

But what would Delroy do with him was the slightest of his worries. What truly destroyed his self confidence and drowned him in an ocean of despair were the two pale lifeless bodies sitting before him - those of Aunt Jane and Laura.

"What have you done to them?" Sebastian said after a lot of efforts. His voice was no longer confident or threatening. Desperation to find out the state his dearest were in and despair filled his voice. Suddenly a wolf's fury was lost from his eyes, replaced by a broken dog's confusion.

"As far as Laura is concerned, she is unhurt. A little drug can do us a great help in avoiding her babyish protests and those tedious cries. I don't like to watch my dear nephew's girlfriend suffer, you see, dear Sebastian." Delroy almost sounded sincere.

"About Aunt Jane, I can't really say. She was wrapped in rags and her breath was shallow when Alzaknoss delivered her here. You should thank Pelussia. She herself brought her here a few hours ago. But though she isn't dead, I'm afraid she's not much alive either. And it is all your fault, Sebastian. It was the greed that possessed you which brought such disaster onto the people you care so much for. And I also can't say a word about Laura's uncle. We had a little trouble retrieving what was rightly ours."

He said while pointing at Laura who fortunately did not look very different from earlier. She still seemed to be asleep, unaware of what was going on and she did not look hurt, as Delroy had promised.

Sebastian's eyes then turned to his aunt. They singed and moistened as soon as the realisation of her plight struck him.

She wore the same black gown she had worn the night Alzaknos had appeared. The gown was torn at many places and the cuts that could be seen through her torn gown were not superficial. They went deep. So deep a part of her bone was visible at her knee. Layers of dried blood had solidified around the cuts and over her garment. Her once black clothes had developed a shade of dark red. Several burn marks destroyed her palms and there was a wide gash on her neck.

Her face was supported against the back of the chair but Sebastian could not have a proper look at it. Her hair, dyed red by dried blood, had stuck to her forehead covering all of her face.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Delroy said when he saw the horror on Sebastian's face.

This couldn't be true. This couldn't be true. He tried to convince himself. Perhaps Pelussia was some kind of a psychic and had messed up with his mind. Perhaps the person sitting before him was not his aunt but a dummy or a different person altogether.

But Sebastian knew what was before him was true. No amount of soothing lies could drive this cruel truth away.

Delroy walked towards Aunt Jane and stood behind her. A wide grin spread on his fat ugly face.

"Don't you think she's dead now?" Delroy said while lowering his head towards Aunt Jane's. He stopped when his ear almost touched her nose.

"I can hear no breathing, not even pale dying breaths." Delroy said.