The Demon Wolf (Book 1 of The Devil and the Huntsman)

Chapter 35

The citizens of Loftain were very busy people who like to get their hands moving and their minds at ease. The city of Midland was a city with a group of people who were dedicated and passionate about everything. Half of the population of the town stood inside the throne room and waited for their earl to speak with them. The other half of the population were asleep or were busy taking down decorations they have made at their houses and other buildings. They were not expecting anyone to be with them and did not expect a fateful end to their city.

Then Harald arrives inside the throne room with Julius by his side, and he walks to his throne and sits on it. Julius walks towards the crowd and looks at the earl as he was about to say a speech. His brother always had the strength to deliver a speech to his people; his statements make people keep it in their hearts to remember. His people would always listen to him and never leave him by any means necessary, and they would be proud to stand before him.

Then he spoke with all of them, saying, "Yesterday was a great and necessary night. It was a night where we all came together and celebrated an important day of the last king of Midland. The one king who gave his life to save his people and protect the kingdom. He was a true king—the one who took up his sword and fought to the death. Now, I am the one who wields his blade and will not hesitate to use it upon any who serves the night. The night creatures have never set foot upon this city, and there won't be a time when they will repeat that tragic day. So long as I live, they will suffer.

"Julius... my brother, he has fought the night and hunted down so many demonic beasts and sent them all back to where they came from. He and I have defended the city with our lives and always remembered to come back and tell the tale. Now, we mustn't rest for too long. A dire threat is emerging from the abyss, and we must defend the city with all of our courage and strength. Like always, they will be ready to come at us with everything they got. As God is on our side, they shall never take this city. They shall never have our allegiance. We shall sally forth into battle and defend this city with all of our lives."

Julius looked at his brother and felt truly astonished by everything he said, and he could not push himself to say anything against the earl. He was never told of a threat bigger than them to come marching at their doors; Harald only spoke with him about their new battle plans. He only told him of the next raid which will be tonight and no other night because of that much more significant threat. His senses were tingling, but he refused to let the wolf inside of him overtake his nature. Only he decides what happens with his body at the right time and the right moment.

"That's all I have to say. Continue what you've been doing and be prepared for what is coming. On that day, you must fight for your lives and defend this city just like every king and queen would do in such a time as this," Harald said. Then, every person in the large room either returned to their duties or went back home.

Harald then sits back on his throne as Julius watches every single person take their leave. He was well-prepared for the coming events, but there were still a few things he needed to know. Julius walks up to the earl to see if he needs some comfort, but he needs rest from the speech he gave to his people. Then, he walks up to Harald to see if there is anything else he would like to say. While doing this, Julius felt his chest and noticed the dark creature breathing from his body to stay awake.

You will stop this! If you so much as do something like burn the body of my earl, I'll make you wish you never came inside me! Julius thought. He imagined the creature listening to his thoughts and knew that he would abandon him if he continued messing around inside his inner self.

"Are you alright, Harald? Do you need somewhere else to sit?" Julius asked.

"No. I'm alright where I am. Why don't you get your men ready for tonight?" Harald asked. Julius knew and understood the words that came out of his mouth and went and found a few of his strongest knights.

It has been so long ever since they had a good, successful raid; the recent ones have been getting much tricky and more unexpected. Perhaps the night creatures already know of the one who has killed a million of their kind. They were afraid of them and question their existence as they continue to roam around the earth. They have been uncertain about their future as they realized their greatest rival has a great shadow inside of him. The demons also knew Julius would use that power to kill every one of them.

He then came across Balvu and noticed he heard the word of his earl, and he had to find every able man to join him. It would take a lot of convincing, but they all needed to be told of the demon king that rules a particular castle.

"Ah, Balvu. It's great to see you again. I've wondered what you've been up to yesterday," Julius said.

"Julius, have you ever heard of this demon king that Harald speaks of?" Balvu asked.

"I have. But I have never spoken with that demon, nor do I have the desire to do it."

By that, he meant he would have nothing relevant to say to the one who controls and dominates his species. Then, Balvu has some more things to talk about before he gathers some knights to be prepared.

"That's good. The only thing those demons need is a stab in the back. Some lives are lost because of them," he said.

"I feel your pain. But I still killed them all. And when the creatures are coming towards us, that's when we strike back," Julius said.

"We've killed powerful demons. We've killed demon leaders. But I don't know if we were tasked to kill a monster who dominates all who stand with him. Life goes by, sometimes. I have a little tendency to forget how long ago it was since the very first raid began. I've fought enough night creatures to know that they will keep coming back with nothing to stop them in their tracks."

"Allow me to refresh your memory. You were about the same age as I was when King Lancelot fell. The entire kingdom mourned his death, and they were all banished from Midland by their god's orders. That order was then pushed to other kingdoms who resisted against them. Ever since then, I took command of all the knights, and you stood beside me to lead them into battles and onslaughts. You may have forgotten because even warriors have a tendency of forgetting when their first battle was, but I forget nothing having to do with the demons."

"With all due respect, I'm sure it won't last long until we kill even the kings of the demons. We may lose a bunch of men, if not, all of them by those rulers. Soon enough, they will find the strength they need and attack this city. That day will be our greatest victory or our greatest downfall. Even the men admit that they are doomed to fail."

"It's alright. We're going to slaughter them. All of them. Even if it means we will crawl our way to the depths of Hell and kill every demon until our strengths leave us. I live for this sole purpose, and so does Harald. He and I will not rest until they are defeated by our hand."

The motivational words that Julius gave to Balvu encouraged him and promised him they would not fail. He believed that death would strengthen them and make the creatures pay for entering the world. Julius swore to himself long ago that he would rip and tear them apart if he had to, and he will not die in such a way that makes him regret everything. Then, he walks away from Balvu and walks around the city to make sure the path is clear for nobody to bother him and the Demon Wolf. He walks out of the palace and towards someplace where nobody bothers him as he tries to have another chat with the dark creature.