AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Who in Glacies would live here?” I ask, praying there is a gorgeous palace somewhere behind it.
“You do,” Systorak declares firmly. “For as long as you can last among our kind.”
“Can we stop with the inevitable doom and gloom stuff?” I ask.
He shakes his head and ushers me across the field to the front door of the building. Two guards stand outside, holding spears with their eight hands. They stare straight ahead, barely blinking as we approach.
“Here for the king,” Systorak says confidently.
“Password?” one of the guards asks, glaring at Systorak.
“Qui numquam incident.”
The guards nod at Systorak and open the doors. We are greeted by a long, dark hallway. Iron bars and stones make up the walls, and the floors are cold and concrete.
“Numquam?” I ask curiously.
“My native tongue,” Systorak whispers. “He who must never fall.”
I nod skeptically as I am ushered up the stairs, passing by more guards with stoic expressions lining their faces. The floating iron steps creak menacingly. I look down and see the ground through their tiny holes.
We reach the fourth floor, and Systorak leads me to a set of large double doors. Guards nod at him once more, and we enter a grand hall with the demon, who I presume is the king, sitting on a throne near two windows.
There is a crowd around us as we approach. I marvel at the various species surrounding me. There are more that look like Systorak with spider-like features, some that resemble heads of a dragon or a snake with horns on their head, and some carry dark elf-like stature, red skin, and horns.
“Systorak,” the king beckons. Systorak kneels before him.
“My King,” he says respectfully.
Even though his voice sends chills through my body, I don't dare bow. I stand tall and pretend my ears don’t bleed from the sound of his voice.
“This is her?” the king asks, standing from his throne and approaching me.
He makes his way down the steps to us. I examine his broad shoulders and dark gray skin. A hood obscures his face, and I can’t make out much beneath his robes. All I can see are his hands, and that unnerves me.
He takes a long, slender silver claw and lifts my chin, looking me up and down … I think. He grunts as he walks around me in a circle, examining every inch of my body.
“Yes, sire, I was shocked, myself,” Systorak remarks. I shoot him a glare.
“Hmm, smaller than I expected,” the king says disappointedly.
I hold back a scoff and remain expressionless. The king stops in front of me and glances at my hand, and he takes it and opens my palm to examine the coin.
I notice other members of the crowd moving slightly closer to me to catch a glimpse of the coin. There are gasps and whispers throughout the crowd.
“Silence!” the king commands, turning his attention back to the coin.
I start to accept Systorak’s words of me being in grave danger and of the coin as a coveted object by every creature in the court. I gulp and cast out the fear eating at my chest.
“It is true,” the king says, lifting his head. I feel his eyes on me, even if I can’t see them. “She is the true heir of Aloysius.”
The room erupts in laughter and sly comments about my figure. Something hits my back, and I turn to see a blob, wet and disgusting, on the floor. I glare at the crowd and remain resilient as more objects are thrown at me lightly, not enough to cause me much pain, more to let me know of the crowd’s disapproval.
The king holds a hand to the crowd, and they simmer down. I lean slightly over to Systorak and lower my volume.
“This is incredibly uncomfortable,” I whisper.
He leans close to me from his side, continuing to look at the king. “You should be afraid. I told you of the peril of your situation,” Systorak turns to lock eyes with me, smiling slightly. “Do you believe me now?”
