Demonheim

Chapter 7

Odiana...
She shifted uncomfortably in her dress. The bodice was tied too tightly around her and small throne she sat on was too uncomfortable and made her buttocks itch. She didn't want to be here nor did they truly want her here but she had to be there anyway. 
"A toast!" A drunken noble suddenly announced, "to our crowned prince for his victory against the Barbarians!"
They raised their cups and goblets in a toast. Odiana feigned interest and tried to tone down her scowl. She had fought in the same war, killed far more than her brother and she had personally decapitated the chief of the barbarian tribe but somehow the Prince is hailed as the hero of the war. She wished she could laugh and tell them how their dear Prince Philip cowered in the mud when they were ambushed.
Truth be told, Odiana had seen some girly girls fight better than Prince Philip and his footwork was just so horrible a duck with two left feet would have more grace than he did.
She sighed and sipped at the mead, celebrants laughed boisterously and drunkenly.
One laughter seemed to ring far louder than the others. Odiana's eyes narrowed as they drifted towards a skinny tall man. He wasn't particularly good-looking, at least not to her anyway, he looked extremely fit and agile, however, something he proved on the battlefield countless times. His skin was tanned from spending a lot of time outdoors, his hair was brown like honey and his eyes were dark. His mouth was open wide as he laughed with abandon.
His hand was wrapped around two beautiful courtesans, each blinking their long lashes at him seductively.
'Roy' she ground her teeth in anger. He was as arrogant as he was skilled. She hated his guts but at least he wasn't useless in battle or in the bedroom as most of the ladies in court already know. Of course, not that it concerned her, she simply wished he wouldn't sleep with these court whores so blatantly!
Odiana slammed her goblet on the table as a slight red tint coloured her cheeks, 'no' she told herself, 'you're a paladin, a holy warrior, the epitome of self-control'.
With a deep breath, she rose to her feet, her bulky gown pooled around her. She grimaced at the material, no doubt the dress was specifically designed to render a woman useless in battle.
"Pardon me" she flashed a polite smile, "but I must beg my leave, I feel rather unwell"
Unbecoming as it was for a holy warrior to lie, this situation necessitated it.
The king, her father, nodded his head in a manner that might have seemed sagely to others but Odiana knew he was just drunk. King Brandon was a lightweight, a cup of mead and he was drunk witless but he knew how to hide it.
She was about to step out of the great hall when the doors burst open, a shrieking madman stumbling in.
"Demons! Demons!"
The farmer, judging by the quality of his rags, ran in into the hall and fell on his knees before the King.
"My king! My king!" He cried, "demons have raided Thorntown!" He announced in panic, "they came out of the shadows, slaughtering all! men, women and children alike!"
The king blinked bleary eyes at the farmer but before he could open his mouth and spout drunken nonsensical things Odiana stepped in.
"When was this?"
The farmer turned desperate eyes to her.
"Three days ago, I rode as fast as I could, my horse died on the way"
He looked haggard, no doubt a hard life in the countryside helped prepare him to endure a flight to Berrion in just three days, a journey that normally took a week or more.
Plans ran through her mind, the troops were yet to disperse as they had just returned from war but they were exhausted and horribly unprepared for a fight against invading demons.
"How do we know this is true?" Philip asked. Being so obsessed with political plots, to him, this was merely court drama, so cut off from real life, cocooned in the jaded world of the rich and foolish.
"Send word to the Captain, we will mobilize the army and be on our way to Thorntown by sunrise two days hence" the guards recognized her tone and snapped to action. She caught the look on Philip's face, he was infuriated by her show of authority, his small mind was already calculating how her actions had affected his standing amongst the court.
She turned away and marched out of the hall pulling the stupid dress with her. She had another war to prepare for, as a holy warrior her mission was to fight darkness and demons were darkness incarnate. By the Holy Symphria, even a spiteful brother would not stand in the way of her divine calling.
. . .
Her eyes were like razors, narrowed and glaring so hard I might cut anything the moved past her. The town was in ruins, they had seen the smoke from afar but no one had fathomed this level of destruction.
No living thing had been spared, not even livestock and pets let alone the children. The Children. They had been cut down as they ran, she saw their little corpses strewn all over the village, some were burnt to a crisp, leaving blackened twisted humanoid forms frozen in an agonised position. Thorntown was now a place of death.
Odiana tightened her grip on her sword, feet spread in a wide stance, ready to battle anything that chose to attack her and her men. Scouts had informed her that the city was deserted but they couldn't drop their guard just yet. One of the scouts had failed to return.
Her armour creaked slightly, the other soldiers shuffled quietly behind her. No doubt taking in the carnage just like she had.
There was a shuffling sound in one of the hovels, a large firm came lumbering out of the smoke. It's face was twisted an ugly with tusks jutting out of it's lower jaw like a boar.
Air hissed between her clenched teeth. She charged, no war cry, no grunting, just fury boiling silently underneath her skin, giving her power and determination.
The demon looked disoriented, and swung a crude club at her. She sidestepped and drove her sword into it's jaw with a well practised thrust, the point burst open it's skull at the back.
She felt the demon convulse in pain through the length of her sword. She pushed it deeper, baring her teeth in a savage snarl.
There was another thud. She turned sharply as another demon ran at her with a massive looking stone axe.
"Princess!" A soldier screamed in warning but she had left them behind in her enraged charge. She tried to pull her sword free but it was lodged too far up the demon's skull and it took her blade with it as it slumped to the ground.
She swore silently and raised her shield, tensed up for the blow. When it finally came, the force nearly three her off her feet. Shoulders burning in pain as she stepped away. It would be unwise to take another blow on her shield like that, if her shield didn't break then she would. Luckily she had bought time.
"Sword!" She yelled and one came flying into her outstretched had. She slammed the blade against her shield and glared at the demon.
"Come on!" She taunted.
The infernal creature roared and it's axe again.
She stepped back and let the swing glance of her shield. She used the force to pivot on her feet and unleash a vicious slash across the demon's face. She followed up with a shield bash and another thrust into it's gut but the demon managed to move back to avoid being impaled completely.
She felt a sense of satisfaction as she fought this one. The first had been a disappointment but this one was more alert and skilled enough to satisfy some of her battle lust and need for vengeance.
"Stay back! He's mine" the soldier advancing on the demon stopped and stepped away. This was one of the reasons she loved battle, when it came down to it, no one cared if she was a woman or a princess, her authority was dictated by her skill with a blade and they understood as much as she understood them.
She circled the demon, it didn't attack her carelessly again but it's cautious attitude was dragging out the fight and Odiana was getting bored.
She advanced on it. She executed her favourite combination; thrust, shield bash, swing and then she went for the hamstrings with her blade.
As the demon dropped on one knee she raised the sword and channeled divine energy. The sword glowed a brilliant blue colour and left an arc in the air as she decapitated the acursed creature. It's ugly head plopped down with a wet sound as black blood gushed from it's neck.
"Search the town! Kill any demon you find!" She barked orders, "as soon as the scouts pick up their trial we will go after"
Her eyes raked over the soldiers, boring into them.
"What happened here is unforgivable! These demons will pay!"
The soldiers roared in agreement and quickly spread around town. Soon they were heading north I'm pursuit of the demons who, in a span of days, had wiped out a town that took years to build.
No one knew where demons came from but Princess Odiana was full of holy conviction, she would find their lair and kill every last one of them even if it was the last thing she did.
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A/N: This chapter would not have happened without Shwebartsky (hope I spelt that right) thank you. Please vote and comment.