Dark crown

Binding Souls

Mae stared out of her tiny window as Vera finished zipping up her wine red gown. She spun Mae around and gave her a calculated nod. Ila clapped happily from the corner, "He'll love it."

"Aries doesn't care what I look like," Mae said.

"But you said you slept with him." Mae blushed embarrassedly and gave a nervous laugh.

"I fell asleep next to him nothing more." Ila shrugged her shoulders and went back to twining black petunias into the shape of a crown. "Up," Vera said slipping a gold heel onto Mae's foot. It was important that Mae where all three Amwraithian colors for this specific party. It was the summer solstice one of Amwraithia's largest and most lavish parties. Everyone celebrated from the peasants to the upper class. It was seen as a day of unity and no one had a class, according to what Cass had told her. "Ila place the crown or she'll be late." Ila quickly added the last flower and placed it onto Mae's head. They both stepped back and gave eager nods. "Does it look good."

"You like a queen," Ila mused. Mae smiled and a knock on the door sounded. THey all looked at eachother until Mae decided to open it. Aries stood there clad in his normal black. He looked her up and down and simply said, "You look good."

"Thank you," Mae replied "So do you." He put out an arm for her to grab on and they walked together to the ballroom Ila giving her a wink from behind.

Mae had never seen the ballroom until now and it was magnificent. Like the rest of the rooms the ceiling was a high dome except instead of gold it was painted with beautiful murals. Plenty of people had already arrived dressed in the common colors. There were no tables because the summer solstice was not for eating but drinking and dancing. Servers rushed left and right with trays full of different drinks and at the front of the room was a small orchestra playing music. "Don't king's normally introduce themselves?" Mae asked.

"I don't need to." Aries was right when they reached the center of the room the volume dropped and everyone whispered as they looked over at Aries and Mae giving side eyes. Aries ignored them leading Mae up to the dais where Cass already stood with a prideful grin. "Good evening everyone," Aries voice boomed in the room "The summer solstice has officially begun so drink, dance, and don't give a damn." The audience repeated the last words with a gleeful cheer and took a drink. Aries turned to her "Would you like to dance?"

"I would love to." Mae joined his hand in hers and they stepped out onto the dance floor. Aries was a surprisingly good dancer even though Mae stepped on his toes more than once. They danced and drank and laughed and when the clock struck twelve Aries turned to Mae with a grim look on his face. She knew what it meant. It was time.

Mae and Aries traveled back to the sun temple. The black wood was terrifying yet at night it was peaceful. The temple came into few a creepy thing in the dead of night. Aries pulled out a dagger the same one with ancient writing. "I will slice my palm and you will slice yours. We will join hands and it will be done. When the demon leaves me you know what to do." They had gone over the plan plenty of time yet Mae still didn't feel ready. The plan was for her to take the moonlight to temporarily blind the demon while Aries prepared to burn it sending it back to the underworld. Mae nodded and Aries began to cut his palm until his other hand began to shake furiously. 

The dagger fell clattering loudly in the silence. Aries stumbled backwards tripping over his own foot. "Are you alright?" Mae asked taking a step towards him. He held and hand out shaking his head no. "Leave," he said in a voice deeper than his own "Now!" Then Aries pupils began to turn black then his entire eye. He stood fixing his jacket and cracking his neck as he stared at Mae. "You should have taken the prince's warning," the demon said. Aries was gone trapped in his own soul and now the demon came out to play. Mae tried to run but the demon was faster clutching her by the throat. He pushed her up against a wall and slowly pushed the air out of her lungs with a grip like death. "Pretty," he said smiling. Mae kicked up giving her just enough time to escape the demon's clutches. She ran as quickly as she could towards the dagger. She was feet away when the demon grabbed her and suddenly she was flying across the temple. She landed on the ground hearing a crack along the way. Breathing suddenly became harder and that's when she knew one of her ribs had snapped. Mae took her heels off and stood once again. "Your a persistent one arent you?"

"I guess you could say that," Mae said. She spotted a place where the moonlight bounced off of the glass and focused her power on it moving the beam directly into the demon's eyes. He screamed and Mae ran quicker than she ever could towards that dagger. She slid grabbing the dagger and preventing the demons grip. She slit her own palm open wincing at the pain. The demon laughed, "I thought you were fighting me?"

"I am," Mae said. She ran towards the demon he grabbed her with an unnatural swiftness and held her tightly to his body. "You'll never get him back," he whispered in her ear. She ignored him stabbing his hand and stacking her own on top of the cut. The demon screamed as he let her go. Mae turned and saw Aries on his knees a black mist coming from his mouth. He stayed like that for a few seconds until the mist turned to man. The demon was a sharply dressed middle aged man who stared at Mae with a smirk. "Goodbye little fighter," he said with a wink then disappeared into his mist form and out of the shattered roof. Aries laid on the ground motionless his eyes closed. Mae ran to him and attempted to wake him, but nothing held avail. So she did something she had wanted to do for year now, she slapped him. He woke with a jolt grabbing her wrist. Even unconscious he had incredible reflex. "It's Mae," Mae said. He gave her a questioning look and she nodded yes. Aries hugged her and they stayed their for a moment glad for each other's embrace.