The war was unkind to the humans who fought to defend Brenoún, many lost their lives, lost loved ones while some lost their limbs. After the retreat the humans who were not able to escape through the portal were captured and taken back to the demon realm and among those captured were Brilda and Mrs. Delphine. Brilda fixed Mrs. Delphine's vision and hearing while Mrs. Delphine helped Brilda magically grow back her missing hand with a special healing technique that drained a lot of energy from Mrs. Delphine. The same could not be said for the other human mages and soldiers who were captured as they were too weak to heal themselves, they just sat down hopelessly, singing their human songs.
For the first time in almost two weeks, the captives on the ship saw light as they were finally let out from inside the ship. They had been kept there while more room was made in the demon realm to keep them. As they came out some humans who still had a little fight in them tried attacking but it was a foolish and suicidal move, they were instantly killed and later they put enchanted locks on all of them to prevent happenings like that. The captives numbered forty soldiers and twenty mages. They were put in cells and given little or no food which made almost half their numbers die of starvation and thirst.
"It won't be long now before you die too of either hunger or thirst," said Brilda weakly to Mrs. Delphine.
"I'm not that weak, I still have a couple of days left," Mrs. Delphine said laughing weakly. "And you, I sense you aren't dying just yet", Brilda laughed weakly and said:
"I'm a demon mage dear, things as trivial as hunger and thirst can't put me in the ground".
"Your demon genetics I suppose?"
"Yes, demons and angels can go for weeks and the stronger one's months without both" Brilda said.
"It's almost as if we're the cheap copy of both races," Mrs. Delphine said and they both laughed out loud.
"SILENCE! prisoner" the guard shouted.
"Do you think we'll rot here?" Mrs. Delphine asked Brilda.
"Definitely not, I still have hope. Sarah and Melissa will come to break us out, I'm sure of it".
"But it's been almost two weeks I think and there's no sign of them, you think they died?" Mrs. Delphine asked.
"No I don't, they're too strong to have lost to Lord Zalon" Brilda assured. "They've probably been captured too but are being kept somewhere different".
"I do hope they're ok," Mrs. Delphine said as she closed her eyes and began to sob.
"I suppose you're thinking of Madame Grace?" Brilda asked.
"She was like a mother to me, she was the one who took me in when my parents died and she also brought me into the council. I owe everything to her" Mrs. Delphine cried.
"How do you humans say it...Uhm..., She's in a better place now".
"I know she is, just that I would've loved if she hung around for a while longer," Mrs. Delphine said.
"For now let's just hope we aren't joining her anytime soon," Brilda said.
"Why has the attack been halted?" the Demon Lord Vermont asked Zalon.
"My Lord our forces were depleted considerably during the last battle," Zalon said.
"Was the battle that intense?"
"Yes my Lord, it seems the humans in the town called Brenoún I believe, had assistance from another country which greatly increased their numbers, and had it not been the priest's sacrifice we might've probably lost," Zalon said.
"Then take more soldiers and mages from our reserves, we need to quicken our attacks before the countries of the human world unite against us," Vermont said.
"That will be done my Lord, but I'm afraid there's more news," Zalon said. "One of our mages saw some children go through a portal while we were at war and from the looks of the portal it seems they've gone to the angel realm".
"That's not good, you'll have to act quickly so we can take more territory before they get here," Vermont said.
"And another thing my Lord, two of the prisoners are proving quite difficult to contain"
"Who are they?"
"Two demon mages, Sarah Burton and Melissa Winston"
"Sarah's here?" Vermont asked.
"Yes my Lord".
"Take me to her" Vermont said and Zalon led the way to the dungeons of the castle which was the only place enchanted enough to hold Sarah. When they got there the whole air was filled with Sarah's aura which was quite frightening.
"The great adventurer Sarah, locked up in my dungeon, how pleasing," Vermont said smiling as he rubbed his hands against the cold bars of the cell. Sarah's hands were chained upwards with enchanted locks and the whole cell too was enchanted keeping her from doing any form of magic. As the Demon Lord spoke, she gave him a cold stare through her loose hair which was covering her face and it immediately sent shivers down the Demon Lord's spine but he acted in coordination and calmness in other not to show the fright he felt when his eyes met Sarah's. Although Vermont was very powerful, Sarah was one of the only few who could go toe to toe with him. "Why don't you join me so we'll conquer the other realms together?"
"I'd rather you kill me," Sarah said softly.
"But killing you would be a waste Sarah, you're such a promising talent," Vermont said as he bent down to closely observe her. "Zalon, bring her out, we shall use the brain control spell so we can add her to our ranks".
"But sire, that's a forbidden spell".
"I'm well aware of that Zalon, but you shall carry it out regardless or you'll die anyway and I'll take your family too," Vermont said coldly as he walked closer and stared intently into his eyes.
"Y–es, my Lord" Zalon said and he ordered the guards to bring Sarah out.
The ground was set, the circle of mind was drawn and the demonic candles were set around the circle in which they placed Sarah and with chains, they bound both her legs and arms. Zalon proceeded to begin to say the incantation from the book of forbidden spells and as he continued a dark cloud appeared above Sarah and a large hand came from it slowly reaching for Sarah's head as she twisted and turned. Vermont stood at the entrance of the room as he watched and smiled but just then there was a large blast in the dungeon and the cry of dying soldiers.
"Continue Zalon, do not stop the ritual no matter what!" Vermont said and left the room on his way out he met a soldier that was supposed to be guarding Melissa's cell. "What's going on soldier!".
"There's a woman, a druid my Lord she's destroyed the dungeon," the soldier said frightened.
"Why are you so frightened soldier!"
"She's released the other mage and she's destroying the castle, I think she wants to brea–", and suddenly the whole castle shook and cracks began to climb the walls like an earthquake had just hit which made Zalon stumble and hit his head on pavement, breaking the incantation, the giant hand went back into the cloud and disappeared while the wall Sarah's chain was attacked to became weaker from the crack and immediately she grabbed on to the chain and pulled it out of the wall and broke the other chains restraining her. She got up and seeing Zalon still holding his head and trying to stand up she bellowed "NECO!" and instantly sent him crashing into the wall and he died.
On hearing the noise coming from the room Sarah was in, Vermont hurriedly made his way into the room but he didn't see anyone, Sarah who was a master of disguise had thrown Zalon through the open window and made herself look like Zalon lying lifeless on the ground.
"Foolish Zalon!, I should've known this task was too big for you" Vermont cried out in anger and vented his anger by killing the guard who was now standing at the door. He hurriedly left to the dungeons but when he got there all he could see was a pile of dead bodies and a large hole in the wall of the cell Melissa was in. Sarah undid the disguise and ran out of the room towards the throne room, she encountered some guards and mages but it didn't slow her down a bit as she quickly killed them with quick flashes of curses, she continued running until she saw a demon Priest heading standing at the end of the corridor she was in and on seeing her the demon Priest was about to use a spell to call more guards and mages but before he could cast the spell a voice behind him bellowed: "NECO!" and he was hurled across the corridor and hit a pillar and died.
"Elena?" Sarah asked in disbelief.
"In the flesh," Elena said and laughed running towards Sarah and hugging her.
"We have to leave now to get Melissa," Sarah said.
"That won't be necessary," Elena said as they paced across the corridor heading for the exit of the castle.
"Why's that?"
"I've freed her already, she said she overheard the guards talking about their ship bringing in some prisoners from Brenoún, so she's gone to the ship to look for a woman named Brilda and some women from the magic council," Elena said.
"Which way did she go?" Sarah asked.
"We're heading there now" Elena replied.
Melissa on getting to the ship encountered some demon soldiers and mages onboard but she quickly killed all six of them but spared one soldier and bounded him.
"Where did they send the prisoners?" Melissa asked.
"You'll have to get that information out of my cold corpse traitor!" the soldier said.
"Silly me, of course, you won't talk easily," Melissa said and bellowed: "Ego dolorem!" and instantly the soldier began to twist and turn as he struggled to break free from bondage but to no avail, in short time blood began to slowly come out from firstly from his ears and he began to scream:
"I'll talk!, I'll talk!"
"I thought so," Melissa said, "now where are they?"
"They were taken to the barren lands just a day's walk from here due north," the soldier said panting heavily.
"Thank you for your cooperation," Melissa said and killed the soldier. As Melissa jumped down from the ship she saw Sarah and Elena running towards her with about thirty horsemen riding behind them.
"Melissa run!" Sarah yelled.
"That won't be necessary," Melissa said and she slowly raised her hands and the ground beneath the pursuing horsemen began to rise slowly from the ground causing the horses to panic and they threw their riders off their backs, but before any of them could jump down from the elevated earth Melissa dropped her hands and instantly the ground shattered and they all fell into the rubble, immediately she completed the earth distortion spell she collapsed to the ground and fell unconscious.