Robert held the lifeless hand of Demessa in his own, where her warmth once filled him, now gaped a hollow ache. Tears brimmed as he gazed down at her, serene atop a cot in the palace’s medical wing. Around them, Dae warriors and guards groaned, their wounds a grim chorus to his grief. Dio’Mar had attempted to slaughter his family while he was away. She had failed, for the most part. But scored a sound blow against him. He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing the cold skin, and felt the torrent of tears in his eyes finally start streaming down his face. “I’m sorry…” He whispered, placing her hand back beside her, and turning to leave, each step heavier than the last.

  He made his way back to the royal wing, his tired mind dull to all the world around him. As he approached the final hallway, he could see the aftermath of the battle that took place. Scorch marks and gouges in the stone floor, and blood splattered on every surface. He hardened his resolve as he walked past the violence. It wasn’t the first time he had done so in these same halls.

  “Highness.” Several guards bowed, allowing him to pass and enter the quarters of Telmos of house Regios.

  There was a crowd of people around him as he lay on his bed, groaning assurances that he was well while simultaneously being chastised for attempting to stand.

  “You must get some rest, father.” Avria urged, sitting by his side. “You’ve been through quite a lot.”

  “Nonsense.” Telmos spat. “This is nothing compared to the others.” His eyes rose to meet with Robert’s as he approached. And his words caught in his throat. “Reku… I.”

  Robert nodded, looking at the stone floor. “I know you did your best, Telmos… I don’t blame you for this. You put your life on the line for them… all I can do is thank you.”

  Telmos’ expression cracked as he was nearly overwhelmed with emotion. “I tried, Reku. I swear on all the spirits, we tried to kill that vile creature… but it was so powerful. Nothing we did could stop it. Until… Until Lauren arrived. She killed it, and saved the baby.”

  Avria stood from her father’s bed and placed her hands on Robert’s shoulders, looking him in the eyes. “Do not feel guilt over this, Reku. Without you, we would all have died at the hands of the demon horde. You saved countless thousands of Dae.”

  Robert tried to smile at her, but his face felt as though it were carved from stone, and his heart was an empty husk. “I wanted to come and thank you, Telmos. For risking your life to save them… That’s all.”

  Before the man could respond, Robert had turned from them and left the room. Again, he walked the hallways, toward his personal quarters. He had been told the child that survived the attack was there. Along with Alektor’s most elite guards. As he turned the corner to his room, the hall was filled to the brim with warriors, clad in grey, crimson, and yellow cloaks. In unison they saluted while he passed them, opening his door and stepping inside.

  Within, he saw Daniel, Katrina, and Alektor standing off to the side of the room, locked in some discussion. In the center of the room, was a large bassinet, flanked by Athica and Lauren. All in the room turned toward him as he entered.

  “Robert,” Katrina breathed, rushing to him. Her arms wrapped tight around his chest. “I’m so sorry, Rob.”

  He gave a stiff nod, disentangling himself, drawn inexorably to the bassinet. Peering over its edge, he froze. There lay a child—tiny, serene, his chest rising and falling in gentle sleep. Robert’s pulse thundered, a surging tide of emotion crashing through the numbness of his grief. He sank to his knees, overwhelmed by it. This fragile, perfect being; his son, his blood, was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. He was his legacy, and his family. A hand settled on his, gripping the bassinet’s rim. He flinched, then met Athica’s gaze, her eyes shimmering with sorrow and a fragile joy.

  Robert glanced down at her swollen belly, and again was nearly overwhelmed with emotion. Emotion that turned into pure and unfiltered rage as the thought of Dio’Mar plotting against his children came to mind. That monster, he seethed within. Is going to pay for what she tried to do here.

  He stood quietly, as to not wake the child, and turned to face Lauren. Who was pointedly looking at the stone floor. Robert grasped her hands in his and forced her to meet his eyes. “Thank you.” He whispered, barely holding back tears. “If you hadn’t been there. I would have lost everything.” He squeezed tighter and gave her a reassuring shake. “Anything you need, Lauren. Anything, and I’ll do everything in my power to get it done.”

  She didn’t speak. Only nodded and turned her gaze to the baby. Robert joined her in that; looking down at his son, then suddenly realized he hadn’t thought of a name yet.

  ~

  Katrina stared at the ceiling of her quarters, unblinking and unmoving. Her thoughts whirled with images of death and blood. Of demonic creatures and monsters from the battle of the day prior. Come on, Kat, she thought, turning to her side, and forcing her eyes closed. Get a hold of yourself.

  After a sleepless night, she bathed, then made her way to the breakfast hall as she usually did, and found no one except Alektor, sitting at his place at the head of the table.

  He looked up from a scroll he was reading, locking eyes with her. “Morning.” He said, gruffly. Adjusting himself as she came to sit next to him.

  “Morning.” Katrina replied, having chosen a seat to his left. “Everyone’s still out, I take it?”

  “Daniel was here earlier.” Alektor placed his scroll on the table, giving her his full attention. “Other than that, you are the only soul who seemed to have an appetite this morning.”

  “I don’t really want to eat.” Katrina looked down at the delicious looking food. “I just… didn’t know what to do today. The palace seems… so empty and—.”

  “Wounded.” Alektor finished for her, taking a sip from his drink.

  “Yeah… I guess that would be a good word to use.” Katrina shook her head, willing the flashes of violence from her mind.

  “I see that you are suffering from the visions of battle.” Alektor sighed, pouring a cup of some unknown tea for her. “Here, take some of this. It helps.”

  “What is it?” Katrina asked, picking the bowl up with both her hands and blowing on it to cool it down. She inhaled through her nostrils, and her senses were flooded with the smell of some wonderful flower or herb.

  “It is of the Dresk’uta flower.” Alektor said, “Which is native to Eleutheros, and is known to greatly help with the visions and nightmares of war.”

  “It smells wonderful.” Katrina commented as she sipped the tea, letting the strong but pleasant flavor fill her mouth. “It really has a kick to it.” She smiled, “Thank you.”

  “It is a drink that I am well accustomed to. You may feel a bit strange the first time you drink it, so go slowly.” Alektor shifted in his seat, and a short silence fell between them.

  Katrina continued to take sips of the tea, while Alektor picked up the scroll again and began reading it. Nearly a minute later, her head started to swirl with a pleasant feeling, followed by a warmth that spread throughout her body. Wow, so this is like a drug of some kind, she thought. She looked up to study Alektor then, somehow seeing him in a new light after the battle. What am I thinking? Of course I see him differently; I saved his life. And he saved mine too.

  His yellow eyes glanced up to meet hers, and he looked a bit uncomfortable. “Is there something wrong, Katrina?”

  “Oh, uh, sorry.” She chuckled, “It wasn’t anything, really.”

  Alektor sighed, again placing the scroll on the table. “If this is about what you saw in my Dunam Dae Espa, think nothing more on it. That version of me is often a nuisance, and whatever he said to you is meaningless. These are sacrifices that people in my position must make. I have no time for distractions, or foolishness.”

  “Oh, that’s what you call it.” A wry smile came across her face. “Come on, he wasn’t so bad. I thought he was kind of charming. You should let him out once in a while.”

  Alektor’s face twitched in irritation as he shook his head. “I do, let him out, most of the time in fact. But when I am in battle, or speaking with foreign dignitaries, or generally can’t be distracted, he goes away.”

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  Katrina knew he was probably telling the truth. And from what she knew of the man, it really made sense. He was a generally stoic guy to begin with, but sometimes he was just a blank slate of reason and logic. But he wasn’t all bad she supposed. When she healed him, she was genuinely relieved that he survived. A bit of heat rose in her cheeks as she looked at him. No! she thought, surprised at her reaction. Ew, absolutely not. Alektor was the High King, and far too cold and calculative. She tilted her head, then again. He was strong, and reliable, and handsome too. NO! She thought again, what the hell is going on with you, Kat!?

  “Are you well?” Alektor leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at her. “You seem… a bit off.”

  “I’m good!” She blurted out, a bit louder than she intended. “I was just, uh… thinking about what you said.” She started to feel a bit of panic coming over her, but the warmth of the tea numbed her inhibitions. Was she starting to have feelings for this guy? After everything they had endured? No, she thought. You’re just lonely after Daniel ran off with your master. She groaned inwardly, God this is so ridiculous.

  “So… is he in there right now?” She wasn’t sure why she asked as soon as the question left her lips. But again, the warm feeling from the tea kept her anxiety at bay.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You know, you said that he’s out most of the time.” She gestured around the empty room. “No one’s here for you to fight, or scheme against politically. So, are you whole, right now?”

  Alektor all but rolled his eyes. And took a long breath, no doubt preparing himself for an uncomfortable conversation. “I am whole at the moment, yes.”

  Katrina smiled, “Good, so we can continue our conversation then. The one we had in your Dunam Dae Espa? I believe we left off when you were calling me a beautiful spirit.” She looked up in mock contemplation. “Or was it, I was the ‘most’ beautiful creature you’d ever seen before? I don’t remember. Could you remind me?”

  Her smile disappeared when she noticed his expression. It was one of horror and… was that embarrassment?

  “This is highly inappropriate, Katrina.” He grumbled, his fingers fidgeting.

  “Oh, relax.” She waved him off. “I’m just teasing you. You don’t have to be a sourpuss all the time, you know? We can make jokes every once in a while. We saved the entire kingdom from a demonic invasion. We deserve to laugh about something don’t we? God, you remind me of Daniel when I first met him. All business.” She made a serious face, mocking Daniel’s glare. “We’ve got a mission, Kat. We’ve got to stick together.” She said in a low and ridiculous voice.

  “Sound advice.” Alektor leaned back, crossing his arms and seeming to relax slightly.

  “Yeah, well it took me months to get his sense of humor out.” She leaned forward, grinning. “So, consider this challenge accepted.”

  Alektor’s mouth curled into the barest of smiles. “I don’t believe you’ve ever been this open or casual with me, Katrina.”

  “Please.” She blew a raspberry. “We fought a demon horde together. I saved your life. You saved mine, we’re besties now.”

  Alektor’s smile finally broke into a smirk. “It’s the tea, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah…” Katrina hung her head. “It’s strong stuff. But hey, it worked. I’m feeling pretty warm and cosey.”

  “You’ll get used to it.” Alektor stood, making his way toward the entrance. “After some time, your body will no longer react this way. I’ll have an attendant bring you some.” The doors slid open, and just like that, he was gone.

  “Sheesh.” Katrina let out a held breath. “I am so out of practice.”

  ~

  Daniel stared coldly at the dozens of flaming balls that hovered in the air around the stone box that held Demessa’s body within. After three days of mourning, Alektor and the council had pushed forward with her funeral. A chorus of haunting wails set the tone of the event. One of great sadness and remorse, but also, strangely told a story of her bravery in the face of such evil. The Rexunii custom in Thule, was to lower the body into a great tomb, where the spirits would judge them, before guiding them to the spiritual realm. Where they would live in paradise, and eventually become spirits themselves.

  An odd custom, but no stranger than anything he had seen back home. He said a silent prayer for her, hoping that she would find her way.

  “She died defending her child from the demon.” Avria whispered beside him. “Moments after giving birth… Such a tragic fate.”

  “Yeah.” Daniel agreed. “But she will be remembered forever for this.”

  “Athica survived only by the barest of margins, apparently.” Avria continued. “She hasn’t said who it was who defeated the demon. And Lauren has denied that she was responsible.”

  “So, who was it?” Daniel tilted his head toward her. “What Dae has the power to defeat a demon? And defeat it outside of the influence of any weakening abilities?”

  “I do not know…” Avria furrowed her brow. “But the thought is troubling. Did you sense anything on its corpse when you inspected it?”

  “No, nothing.” Daniel shook his head. Truly puzzled by it. “There was absolutely no residual energy. And considering how badly broken the body was? I’m surprised.”

  Daniel observed the rest of the funeral, and made his way with Avria to the gathering afterward. There, he met with Katrina, who was already partaking in the wine, as well as Delmos, who seemed oddly sober at such an event.

  “I mean, we thought we were screwed, guys.” Katrina elaborated, spilling a bit of wine on her evening dress. “But man, you should have seen him.” She smiled; her cheeks rosy, no doubt from the alcohol she had been drinking at an alarming rate. “He just blew them away by the hundreds.”

  “You’re exaggerating.” Delmos mumbled, seeming morose. “Alektor would have been overwhelmed like the rest of us if Daniel, Robert, and Avria hadn’t closed the gate.”

  Katrina tilted her head at him, giving him a stern look. “You’re awfully sour tonight, Delmos. What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  “Ambrosia.” Daniel coughed, nudging Katrina. Whose eyes bulged as she started to apologize.

  “Oh yeah, I’m so sorry about that.” She winced. “How’s she doing?”

  Delmos took an irritated breath but answered her. “She’s alive… but lost her leg in the battle. She isn’t a fighter… but fought anyway; she almost died defending Demessa.”

  “Merits of a brave warrior, regardless. She will be honored for her deeds.” Avria said, her voice full of sincerity.

  Delmos hung his head. “I feel like a fool for how I talked about her. She… isn’t who I imagined I would be with. But I respect her, and pray the spirits grant her a speedy recovery.”

  “Speaking of not imagining who would hit it off.” Katrina nudged Daniel, gesturing with her head toward the far side of the gathering.

  Daniel turned to see Turak and Nasha leaning against the wall, and standing very close to one another. “You don’t say.” He said, raising an eyebrow. “Didn’t he almost kill her during the battle of Vul De Rah.?”

  “Indeed, he did.” Avria replied, “Nasha is a complex creature though. She likes men who can overpower her. So, I am not surprised.”

  “Yeah.” Katrina said, rolling her eyes. “What girl in her right mind would start out hating someone, then suddenly realize they had a huge crush on them from the beginning?”

  Daniel stifled a laugh as he took a sip from his bowl of wine. Earning him a glare from Avria.

  “That’s enough of that.” She huffed at Daniel, then turned to Katrina. “And you have had far too much to drink already. This is a funeral for Demessa, for the sake of the spirits, compose yourselves.”

  “We meant no disrespect, Avria.” Katrina said, scanning the room. “But you’re right. We should probably find Robert and pay our respects.”

  After several minutes of searching, they found Robert on an adjacent balcony, speaking with Alektor and Athica. Daniel, followed by Katrina, Avria, and Delmos approached them hesitantly as to not interrupt any private conversation. Once they were noticed, however, Robert waved them over.

  “Hey Rob.” Daniel greeted, “How are you holding up?”

  “Alright, considering everything.” He answered numbly.

  “We’re so sorry.” Katrina said, hugging him. “Anything you need, you let us know.”

  “I hope we aren’t interrupting anything.” Avria said, bowing her head toward Alektor.

  “No.” Alektor glanced at Robert and Athica. “In fact, we were going to come find you.”

  “Oh?” Katrina perked up. “What’s going on?”

  “It’s about the other demon.” Alektor said, his voice was low and serious. “And who managed to destroy it.”

  “We were just talking about that.” Daniel nodded toward Avria. “Any thoughts on who or what it was?”

  Alektor turned his head toward Athica, who took a calming breath before answering. “It was… Captain Malak, of King Reku’s personal guard.”

  “Malak?” Daniel asked, somewhat in disbelief. “I knew the guy was a capable warrior, but powerful enough to kill a demon?”

  “As you are all aware, only spiritually augmented Dunamis can harm true demons” Alektor stated. “Normal Dunamis is almost entirely ineffective. Hence, why a Dae as powerful as Telmos wasn’t able to stop the demon who attacked Lady Demessa.”

  “Alright.” Katrina nodded. “So, how were you able to kill them? You’re just a normal Dae… aren’t you?”

  “I am…” Alektor paused, considering something before he continued. “I am not a normal Dae. My mother, was… IS an ascended.”

  Athica covered her mouth in surprise. “Highness… that is…”

  “I’ve been hearing about them a lot.” Daniel crossed his arms. “Aren’t they ancient Dae who killed and absorbed spirits or something?”

  “With the most basic explanation, yes.” Alektor continued. “But, I will explain that later. We believe that Captain Malak is an ascended as well.”

  “His eyes glowed white before he attacked the demon.” Athica interjected. “It didn’t even stand a chance against him. After it was slain, he asked me to keep it a secret… but I just couldn’t. He saved my life, and the life of our child. We must speak to him.”

  “Hold on.” Daniel held his hands up. “Can you enlighten me, please? Why are the ascended not helping us right now? The spirits sure as hell aren’t. They just abandoned their forest when the gate was opened.”

  “Another mystery we must solve.” Alektor sighed. “I will save the history lesson about the ascended for another time. For now, we must find Malak, and convince him to help us recruit the rest of the ascended who still live. With Dio’Mar still out there, and the other humans still scheming against us. We must be prepared for another incursion. Which means gathering as many powerful allies as possible.”

  “Lauren said the main gate is somewhere in the center of our continent.” Robert said.

  “Right in the middle of Visoth territory.” Alektor grumbled. “We have a hard road ahead if we are going to stop it from opening. The Visoth are… troublesome, even in the best of times.”

  Daniel walked toward the edge of the balcony, placing his hands on the stone railing and looking down at the palace courtyard. “So, we’ve got our work cut out for us. It can’t be worse than what we’ve already been through, right?”

  “It is my experience.” Avria started. “That asking such a question usually brings a disappointing answer. It can always be worse, Daniel.”

  “At first light, we will assemble the council again.” Alektor said. Joining Daniel at the edge of the balcony. “From there, we will formulate our next move.”

  “Yeah…” Daniel sighed, looking out over the city of Vul De Rah, a place that had become his home. In a Kingdom he was now sworn to protect. “Let’s get started then.”

  THE END of book 2