Summoned to a Shattered World

Birthright Chapter 21 - The Darkness Within IV

With no reason to hang around the magic-eater's lair, we returned to the central chamber. Deprived of our only light source, we were forced to feel our way through the darkness. Fortunately, the workshop beyond was lit. We were standing around within, talking about what to do next, when we heard someone clear their throat. I jumped, hand going to my sword while Elmidath didn't move a muscle. An elderly man stood before us, bald with wrinkled purple skin and a single white horn. He frowned at us. "What are you doing in here?"

The young Demon Lord stepped forward. "I am Elmidath, daughter of Orshen Sarinknell. I take it you knew him?"

His frown faded while his brow shot up. "You're little Elmidath? You've grown so much I hardly recognise you."

Elmidath took a step back. "I'm not sure what you mean, we've never met before."

"We've met a couple of times but you must have been too young to remember." He sounded a little sad that Elmidath had forgotten him. "My condolences for your father's disappearance. I was shocked when I heard the news."

Elmidath's lip curled in distaste. "Disappearance? My father is dead."

"Ah, of course. My mistake." Despite his words, I didn't get the impression he truly thought he was wrong, but that hardly seemed important right now. "Now, what are you doing down here? This is not a safe place to wander."

It would have been nice if someone had told us that earlier, perhaps with a sign. Well, there was no point being coy about our objective here. None of the demons I'd met had been shy about things like this. "We're trying to find a way to kill her uncle, who's taken over her father's former position."

The old demon turned to me. "And who might you be?"

"Cathal Moore, bound servant of Lady Sariknell. She summoned me here a few days ago from another world." It still sounded ridiculous to me, but no one seemed to bat an eye about me being from another world.

"I see." He extended his hand toward me and we shook. "Tagath Molgrin, servant of the late Lord Sarinknell."

Elmidath sniffed. "And what is it you did for my father?"

"Oh, a great of things." Tagath rotated his wrist in a circular motion. "Building various contraptions, for the most part. Much as I'd love to speak more of my work, you still haven't answered my initial question. Pardon the rudeness and the repetition, but why are you here?"

Elmidath explained the situation with her uncle and her plan to topple him. Looking away from her, he sighed and shook his head. "This is what you devote your energy to? Couldn't you be doing something more productive with your time? Not to mention less likely to get you killed. You're both young, I suggest you abandon this foolish endeavour and do something more sensible. Why, as a matter of fact, you could work for me. I could do with some help."

Elmidath's voice filled the room. "'Foolish endeavor?' Is that what you call trying to retake what is rightfully mine? My father carved this territory out of nothing, out of feuding warlords with no goals beyond bloodshed. And I'm supposed to just abandon his legacy? Are you senile?"

"Senile?" Tagath's lips twitched upward into a hint of a smile. "Quite possibly, but even a senile old man can see you're throwing your lives away." The humour drained from both his face and voice. "You're lucky enough to be alive as it is by the sounds of it, now you want to waste your good fortune? Why are you so set on taking over from your uncle? Are you truly so arrogant so to think you'd make a better ruler than a higher ranking Demon Lord with far more experience?"

Elmidath's mouth opened and closed as her hands curled into fists. I don't think I'd ever seen her so angry, she looked ready to tear him apart with her bare hands. When she finally spoke, her voice was surprisingly restrained but with an undercurrent of terrible rage. "Do you know nothing of my father or his plans? I'm his successor, not that cold-blooded bastard of a brother. My father's holdings suffer under his rule, he's already lost most of his forces in just a few days." Elmidath's reasoning was amusing to me, given that we were a large part of the reason for that.