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Chapter 8 - The Descent

"That's enough, Damia. You have taken out all of the enemy forces. Or will you turn on our people next?"

Elric, no longer wearing a mask, had made his way across the river to the battlefield, followed by the grandmaster.

The voice that answered him came from Damia, but sounded nothing like her. It was an ominous, hollow voice, coming from deep within her, that seemed to hiss at him. "My people are not present, frost giant."

The knights and mages on the field took that as their queue to fall back to the barrier, but they did not bring it down should they need it to keep the demon out of the kingdom.

Though most on the field were shocked, Elric did not seem surprised by this event and continued.

"These may not be your people demon, but they are the people of the shifter that called on your form."

"And how is that of consequence to me? Your shifter made the mistake of calling on this form, without limiting the transformation to prevent a possession. I did what she wanted when she chose this form. This is my body now and I owe her nothing."

"Are you certain of this?" Xerxes stepped towards the demon now.

The demon's demeanor changed as it laid eyes on Xerxes. An expression of fear mixed with indignation spread on its face as it exclaimed, "I do not answer to you either! Step no further or I shall take you down next!"

A sinister smile spread on Xerxes face as he continued his stride towards the demon. The closer he moved, the smaller the demon appeared as sweat broke out across the its forehead. It was as though a weight were coming down on it and the demon was fighting to stand against it.

Adi didn't understand what was happening between the two, nor did he know his rescuer so he did not care what he was doing. To him, that was still Damia and he needed to do something to help her regain control. He moved around both Xerxes and Elric and called out, "Damia, it's alright. I'm alright. See?" Adi opened his wings and fluttered towards the demon.

A flash of recognition was seen on the demon's face, and Xerxes stopped progressing towards it. Slowly, its grey skin lightened to Damia's fair skin, and her eyes returned to normal as the scales vanished from her face.

Weakended, she collapsed into Adi's arms, and a solitary tear rolled down her cheek. Barely a whisper, she spoke a final sentence before losing consciousness. "I'm so glad you're alive."

---

Three days had gone by and Damia showed no signs of regaining consciousness.

Prince Elric had brought Adi up to speed on Xerxes and Adi had the staff move Damia's belongings to a suite in the prince's apartment. Once completed, the King had granted Adi leave so he could stay with Damia. Grandmaster Niklaus had reported to the king all that transpired during the battle with the ogres, and the King did not want to risk another transformation, should she not recall Adi surviving the attack and not see him by her side.

Grandmaster Niklaus, Prince Elric, and Xerxes all gathered in the King's study to discuss the events, as well as Xerxes' reason for being present in Wesdon.

"I must say Marquis, I'm a bit concerned that this attack happened just when we were made aware of your king's request for assistance at the Dark Forest. Had I known earlier, Grandmaster Niklaus could have been better prepared." The King looked at Xerxes with suspicion.

"We were fortunate enough to have suffered only some injuries, but no casualties. And Damia's actions ultimately won us the battle," it was the grandmaster' turn to chime in. "But we must ask, just how depleted are the forces at the Dark Forest?"

Xerxes expertly maintained his composure throughout the questioning. "The situation is not as dire as the ogres' attack would lead one to believe. I can assure you that my king has spared no expense on keeping those forces strong, as per the alliance agreement; however, activity within the Dark Forest has seen an increase in recent days. In truth, I was sent here for two reasons. The first of course, being to request support from your army."

"And the second?" Prince Elric's suspicion of Xerxes increased with every word.

"The second was this attack. I admit, I was aware that it would take place."

The King grew furious at this admission and exclaimed, "Then why keep silent?"

"I was ordered by my king to not raise alarm without certainty of an attack. We had only heard whispers of an attack on your kingdom, but no talk of why or when it would take place. I had sent my advisor out to keep watch for any signs, but there were none until they were already upon the gates."

"Where is your advisor now?" Elric questioned.

"I sent him back to Easlan to report to our king and to rest. He had been one of the mages out on the field when we arrived and the battle consumed most of his energy."

"How convenient. No one to corroborate-"

"Elric!" The King brought his fist down on the table to warn Elric against completing his statement. He then addressed Xerxes. "The Prince still has much to learn about political decorum. I accept your explanation Marquis. Please allow us some time to discuss the best course of action. We can reconvene first thing tomorrow with a plan for you to present to your king."

"Thank you, your Highness. I shall excuse myself now. If it is permitted, I shall like to meet with Adi and see how the princess is fairing."

Elric's eyes glazed with hatred but he could say nothing. The King would not overlook a second transgression. He just watched in silent rage as the King dismissed Xerxes.

The King directed the grandmaster to prepare a proposal and dismissed him as well. Only Elric remained.

"Elric, what happened to Damia out there?"

"I honestly don't know, Father. But I have a strong suspicion that it is related to the Marquis."

"Why do you suspect him?"

"She has never felt my power before. I don't suppress it around her and she's never once reacted to it until after dancing with him. Nothing seemed normal about that dance either. It was like she had no control of her body, he may as well have been dancing with a marionette."

"A devastating power should they unite..." The king recalled a prophecy told long ago. He knew the prophecy pertained to Damia, at least in part, but could it relate to Xerxes as well?

"There's one more thing I should mention."

The King waited for him to continue.

"While Damia was possessed by the demon, it identified me as a frost giant in front of everyone."

The King's face paled as he asked, "Has anyone questioned you on this?"

"No. But if anyone should, I'll just say that the demon confused my transformation for the real being. With Damia being a shifter, no one will question it further."

"Good. I think it would also be wise to stay by her side once she awakens and see if she retained any information the demon may have obtained."

Elric nodded his understanding and the King then dismissed him as well.