Reign of Sapphire [On Hold]

T h r e e

They had opened their home to a demon. A Demon Knight, at that.

Unable to sleep, Evira and her parents began their day before the sun could break above the horizon. She helped her mother wash the blood-soaked sheets that Vanden had left behind.

Evira now sat against the side of cottage, absently watching while Aristene hung the sheets to dry. She hugged her legs to her chest, her chin resting on her knees. She thought hard, endeavoring to remember anything from last night, anything she may have missed that told her Vanden was a demon.

It was the first time she had ever encountered a demon in her life. And to have encountered two in the same night - and survived - was absurd.

She and her parents had already surmised it: the demon had been the cause of Vanden's wounds. It was only a matter of luck that it had not attacked her when she had discovered him. And that red armor, his sword. Had it all been some sort of glamour to hide his true self?

To have sought her help was entirely out of the ordinary for a Demon Knight. Everything about him had been human. And to have found herself attracted to him so quickly...

She shut her eyes, self-loathing burning inside.

"Are you alright, love?" Aristene asked her, pausing before slinging another sheet over coarse ropes to dry.

The top of Evira's right hand had gone red from her constant scratching, as if somehow she could remove the invisible mark the Demon Knight had laid upon her. Every so often, she felt a strange pulse in her hand. What had he done to her?

She recalled his words. I am yours to command.

"I'm fine," Evira lied. Her thoughts were a clutter. And who was that woman in her head? In her dreams?

Aristene sighed. "It's been years since Mistal last saw a demon," she said, her voice distant. "It was something like a giant serpent, if I remember correctly. We were fortunate to have brave men defend the village. There was no Demon Knight then to help. Although, their presence would have saved many lives..."

Her voice trailed off before she forced a smile. "Let us be thankful he was here last night to protect us."

"Do you think he used us as...as bait for the demon?" Evira asked.

Aristene's brow came together. "I do not know. In any case, it is gone now. We must thank Armedian for our lives."

But Armedian was the wrong god to thank. No, the god of light and creation's sole purpose was to defend the White Kingdom and to judge all souls that sought refuge in the eternal heaven. He had nothing to do with defending the mortal realm from the creatures of Hell.

That responsibility fell on Hyatrece, goddess of demons and the Black Kingdom, the underworld. The formidable Demon Knights were her warriors, sent to annihilate any and all supernatural beings that plagued the mortal realm.

Those who lacked any common sense believed the outrageous theory that Demon Knights were guardians of the humans.

Fools, she thought with spite. A demon is always a demon.

And she had let one kiss her hand as if he were a gentleman.

A shiver traveled down her spine. How could she stand in Armedian's light now that the Demon Knight had done something to her?

Aristene turned her attention to gathering the fallen branches that the storm had accumulated in front of the cottage. Evira could see her mother's hands trembling as she worked. Her father finally returned, having left earlier to toss the demon's ashes over the edge of the cliff. He, too, had not recovered from the night before.