Page 12 of Fated to the Demon Lord

Throk must have sensed it as well. “The decision is final,” he said, addressing the spirits gathered. “Judging by Lord Vaelor’s reaction, I doubt she will be shown any leniency. Now, bodied soldiers, gather our new ‘friends’ and move out.”

The soldiers with their black cracked skin lumbered forward, ordering the spirits into a line.

Even if the spirits could only interact with this world for a short while, it was still enough time to inflict a horrifyingly violent death. Many regarded me through their ghostly gaze with such loathing, I was grateful for the temporary stalling of my fate.

“Don’t look so pleased, human,” Throk said. “You should have seen the fury of the good Lord. Apparently, your actions overthrew everything he was working toward. You were the only payment he asked for, so he must have quite the retribution planned.”

My relief evaporated. Shit, I was so dead.

“Take her to the manor, unhurt,” Throk said to my guard as his dark smile only grew. “Lord Vaelor will not want his revenge spoiled by any added trauma.”

Four

Ididn’t understand why they hadn’t just turned me over to Vaelor then and there, but it turned out he had already left—exiting out the back of the tent. I’d be forced to travel to his lands with the army.

The trees of the forest loomed over us with terrible inevitability. Spiritu Malignos soldiers marched me to my fate over the next day and a half. The army surrounded me, mostly bodied soldiers. The spirits remained in the rear.

During our brief stops, I’d catch sight of a spirit or two. They moved across the ground—or appeared to—though their bodies shimmered with a hazy, translucent quality. It became clear that they were bound to obey every command Throk gave, no matter what.

However, they weren’t held to the same obedience regarding the bodied soldiers of the Spiritu Malignos army. Nevertheless, the bodied soldiers maintained power over them through their weapons—or at least the threat of those weapons. As I’d witnessed with my own guard and the werewolf spirit demon, a bodied soldier of Spiritu Malignos could destroy a spirit with a single strike if necessary.

I’d seen no sign of Mira. I hoped she’d stayed safe—from the spirits, from everyone—even though that hope was impossible. A sense of partial blame for her situation weighed on me.

Not that I’d have much longer to worry about her or my massive failure.

My guard shoved me forward, and I stumbled, nearly falling on my face. “Keep moving, human. We’re almost there.” He clacked his mandibles in that way that I’d come to loathe. “You don’t want to be late for destiny. I’m sure Lord Vaelor has plenty of delights awaiting you.”

Another demon soldier with blue skin and small horns nearby laughed. “Perhaps once he is done with her, he’ll throw her body out for the rest of the spirits to play with. You saw how badly they wanted her. Maybe…” He licked his lips, his eyes filled with an eager light. “He’ll leave her barely alive for them to have their fun.”

My chest tightened at their words. “I thought I was Vaelor’s alone and nobody was supposed to touch me.”

They looked at each other, amusement crossing their expressions. “Didn’t you listen?” the blue-skinned demon answered. “General Throk said that they weren’t to touch you until after you were delivered to Lord Vaelor. After that, they are free to make their move.”

I bit my lip. Shit. I eyed his sword, wishing I could somehow get my hands on one.

My guard noticed and laughed. “Don’t even try it. This sword won’t do you any good against a spirit, anyway.”

“You stabbed one and ended him,” I said.

The blue-skinned soldier snorted. “Only Spiritu Malignos bodied soldiers can stab a spirit and end him. You might get in a hit if he was interacting on this plane—otherwise it would simply go straight through him, and he wouldn’t even feel it. Either way, you can’t inflict any lasting damage.”

My heart sank at his words. Damn it.

“You’ve heard of the ruthlessness of Lord Vaelor, The Waiting Ruin,” my guard added. “A cast out from his own people. He knows no rules. I doubt he’ll leave anything of her worth taking, anyway.”

A shudder ran through me, and I fought to keep them from seeing me tremble. Whatever awaited me, it couldn’t be good. My only hope was to stay alert and somehow find a chance to escape, but they’d kept such a close watch on me that no opportunity had presented itself.

Demons varied in form, but most surpassed me in size, speed, and strength. The bodied Spiritu Malignos soldiers, with their brutish physiques, exemplified this point. Even my guard—thin and insect-like—still towered over me.

As the sun dipped low on the horizon, the forest yielded to a large field. I figured we must be on Lord Vaelor’s land because the soldiers moved out into the area, setting up tents and other parts of camp.

I stared up, a little breathless, at the snowcapped mountains that seemed closer than ever. We must have just passed over the border from Kingdom Terra Monstrum into Kingdom Aeria.

At the heart of the barren field loomed a great wall, black against the dying light, encircled by a stagnant moat whose dark waters reflected nothing. Beyond the lowered drawbridge, I glimpsed the gray stone manor crouched within, ancient and severe, akin to some slumbering beast waiting to wake.

My knees threatened to give out beneath me, and a craven part of my soul longed to shrink back, to delay the horror creeping ever nearer by cowering. But I refused to do that. In the last moment before my life ended in terror and blood, I wouldn’t let them intimidate me.

As we neared the bridge, I straightened my shoulders. I’d go to my death with some semblance of dignity.