The Demon King And The Hero (Part One)

Chapter Seven: Shion's Shock

Chapter Seven: Shion's Shock

Shion awoke just a little before the sun began to rise,  her eyes adjusting to the darkness as she looked around.  Felli lay beside her,  looking as peaceful in her slumber, her breathing steady and quiet as she slumbered. 

Getting up,  Shion took in their campsite  and eyed their surroundings. Something  had woken her,  but she could not place it.  She had felt eyes on her but there was nothing once she had awakened, and although it had not felt threatening,  it was disconcerting enough that she knew she would not be able to fall back asleep.

Sighing,  she began to ready herself for the morning,  her mind busy with thoughts of what the day would hold. 
      
                            ~~~

Nemis toyed with the tassel attached to his scrying mirror as Mao dragged Ribald into the throne room, Ookami trailing behind him. Throwing the Duke to the floor,  Mao said nothing, his stony face impassive and unreadable.

Ribald on the other hand was obviously terrified, having been plucked from his entourage on his way back to his own manor as the nights festivities began to wind down.

Nemis continued to play with the tassel,  still in deep thought even as the Duke lay prostrated before him.

Seconds passed before he glanced at Ribald,  disinterested and annoyed. 

"You must be aware of why you were brought here," he said more as statement than a question. Ribald shivered but nodded.  "You are lucky,  Duke of Naimer,  for I am not an idiot.  I know it was not you who orchestrated tonight's attack on myself."

The confused but startled look on Ribald's face said more than he ever could. 

"Sire?"

Nemis got off his throne,  his robes fluttering as he leaned over the man.  Putting his fingers on Ribald's chin,  he stared through the other man's amber eyes. 

"Even you are not that foolish, you are too comfortable in your position to risk it. No, this was not your work, but you know of who it could be, don't you?"

Nodding, Ribald's eyes widened as Nemis helped him up from the ground. Straightening out his own robes,  Ribald grimaced as he ran his fingers through his hair. Nemis blinked and sat back on his throne as he rested his cheek on his palm. 

"Sire," Ribald seemed apprehensive but no longer afraid. It seemed like be was more unsure of what he should say than anything.  "I've had an inkling for a while that someone in my household has been moving without my permission. You must understand... I have no intention of doing as my predecessor did but that does not mean others in my family feel the same. I avert my eyes from discomfort, yet I am not completely blind to the comings and goings of my family."

Nemis raised an eyebrow, Ribald was proving to be more than he let on, for all he was, Nemis felt no lies from the man. 

Ribald looked down at the floor. 

"I may not bear you any ill will,  but my brother does.  He has never forgotten or forgiven what happened to our father and I'm afraid his grudge against your line has only intensified. I've heard whisperings of his plots,  of his plans,  but I ignored them,  as a brother would. I cannot ignore them anymore after tonight. I fear he is planning on going to the human realm in your name, I do not know what his plan is but he is moving against you, I fear he has plans to follow our father's path, but to what ends he will use I have no clue. "
  

                           ~~~
"It can't be."

Smoke billowed as fires burned around her, shaking she tried not to lose her breakfast as she stared at the rubble of what had once been Elluria. Felli herself was in tears.

The carnage before them was worse than they had seen in a long time, the town itself was utterly and completely decimated. Bodies of the villagers lay strewn in pieces, their limbs lay in puddles of blood and the foul stench of their intestines permeated the air.

Holding her hand to her mouth,  Shion bent down to inspect the body closest to her.  Mangled completely except for the head, she could see it was a young woman with hair the color of wheat, her eyes a dull blue.

Stepping back, she felt her knees almost give way. 

she kind of looks like me...

Felli was beside her within a second,  tears still in her eyes,  but a hardened look pure fury had replaced the shock.

"Do you think it was Hi-"

Shion cut her off. She wasnt sure of what to say, but deep down something didn't feel right. What lay before her wasn't right. 

"I don't think it was. Something is off about this place, there are too many bodies, and the smell..."

Thinking back to every village that she had been to after the Demon King had attacked, one of the few things that always seemed to be the same was the lack of bodies, as if some of them had completely  been destroyed,  not to say there weren't any,  but for the most part the only ones that were ever really were found were that of men.  As if the Demon King only made the men suffer such brutalities. Another was the smell,  or the lack of one. Sure,  there was always the smoke and fire and the almost iron smell of blood,  but never  such a stench of that of their insides that one usually smelled when they are viciously torn limb from limb. It was almost as if the Demon King avoided such a thing.

Something was definitely off, this was not His work, but someone had gone out of their way to make it seem as such. 

Looking down at the woman before her once again, she realized something.  Motioning to Felli,  she gestured to the girl. 

"Tell me,  does she resemble me?"

Felli's  brow furrowed as she took a long look at the girl that lay before them. Glancing back at Shion, Felli opened her mouth.

"Yes... Though not identical, she could be mistaken for you.  Same body build,  blonde hair and blue eyes. You don't think... " Felli trailed off. 

Shion nodded. 

                          ~~~

Much as Nemis was loath to,  he released Ribald. It was as he suspected, though he had been slightly surprised at how forthcoming  the man had been.

Signalling  to both Mao and Ookami as soon as Ribald was gone, he made his decision. 

"I am returning back to the human realm, Yuen Naimer has already made his next move and I wish to stop him before he goes any further. "

Mao's usually unreadable face was twisted in irritation. 

"You ca-" Nemis put his hand up to stop Mao.

"You cannot stop me, Mao. "

Mao glared at him.  "I was not trying. If you had not interrupted me,  I was going to say you cannot go alone this time.  I am coming with you. "

Shocked,  Nemis' eyes widened ever so slightly as Ookami just laughed.  Stone faced as always,  Mao did not move.

"This time, I shall accompany you. We cannot leave Yuen to his machinations,  even in the human realm. He must be dealt with."

Nemis wasn't sure whether to sigh or laugh,  but either way he knew he wasn't going to get out of it.  Mao's mind was set.

"Then shall we prepare?"

Nodding,  Mao bowed.  "Yes,  your Majesty!"