It was a full moon tonight and to tamers, a full moon wasn't a sign of good fortune. Conrad gazed at the yellowish sire of the night that stared back at them from the pitch black skies. There wasn't even a single star in sight. There was a myth before told to young children, that if one stares at the full moon for too long, they'd be hypnotized and turned into a ferocious monster. They didn't know where that myth came from, and they thought it was made up for kids to sleep early, but as Conrad lost himself while gazing, the myth might have some truth to it.
He blinked when Theo clapped his hands in front of his face.
"You might turn into a slime if you stare at the moon for too long."
Conrad chuckled, turning around to see Rorik sitting on the chair that was already bending on its legs from his weight. The threads of his dress were hanging by well…their threads. He wouldn't be surprised if that pops off while running or fighting later on.
"Did you go here on your own?" Rorik queried.
Conrad hesitated to tell them because Theo might think lowly of him for working with viels and a criminal; however, there was no use lying. The fact remained that the viels and Salem saved his family. Conrad had a debt of gratitude to pay even if it meant Theo and Rorik hating him.
"I was with Salem and three viels."
Rorik stood, grabbing the chair that fainted before it could have fallen completely. They couldn't afford to make a noise right now. The owner of the INN didn't know that they were in this room. Theo managed to sneak them inside by using a spell that allowed them to walk through walls.
"What do you mean three viels? Salem only had two viels with him: Soleil and Kou. Who's the third one?" Rorik questioned, ready to behead Salem with the breadknife he managed to grab from the table. He momentarily forgot about his hammer, Remorse, leaning against the wall.
"Oh, if you include Soleil then it's actually four viels associated with him."
Theo pulled Conrad's ear, digging his nail into that pinch. "What?!"
"Ow ow ow! Let me explain!"
Thus, Conrad gave a detailed explanation of what happened on their farm. He didn't know exactly why Salem was working with viels, but the attack excused him from being tormented by Theo as the man grew worried about Cragi and Primrose.
"I don't trust viels, but if they saved Mister Cragi and Prim, we could trust them for a while to protect them while we handle the mess here in Hiraeth."
"Personally, I trust Kou. I don't trust Boota and Basil. Remember what we were taught in the academy. Boota was the viel who led Queen Eris' assassination. All of them betrayed the kingdom except for Kou who stayed and fought against his comrades," Rorik reminded them. He wanted to end Kou the first time he saw him, but for the short time he spent with the viel, he had gained Rorik's respect as a knight.
Theo crossed his arms in thought. "We'll deal with them later. Our priority is the king and the pope. If they go down, the entire nation will be in shambles. Other nations like the Vosredal Empire, Queendom of Zorenth, and Cheborg Empire will attack to conquer."
Conrad had a thought that would make Rorik pulverize him with Remorse. If only the 333 viels didn't rebel, they wouldn't have a problem if other nations attacked them. The viels could have been their greatest weapon, but it backfired. May it be heaven or hell, Canaan had been condemned. They worship the Elysian God everyday, but it appeared as if they had been living in a godforsaken country ever since humanity took sides.
A knock to their window jolted them by surprise. Kou waved at them. Conrad looked at Rorik and Theo for permission, and father and son nodded at him in approval. Conrad let him in and immediately closed the window. It was amazing how the knight could see through the spell that Theo had casted. Theo made it seem like there was no one in the room. Many crazed females of Hiraeth had been peeking inside in search of them, but they would grunt in frustration and look away when they found an empty room. They had blood-shot eyes. Some parts of their skin had peeled off like paint from the wall. Their drool was a pinkish froth.
"Found anything? Where are the others?" Conrad asked.
"They are going to hold a ceremony in the Shrine of Eros tonight to hail Queen Briar as the new head of the country."
"What? Unless the king is dead, they can't do that! What does the pope have to say?"
"The pope doesn't care as long as Queen Briar won't abolish the Ministry of Elysia," Salem answered. Basil closed the door behind him once Boota got inside.
"Wait, what happened to the owner? How did you manage to get in?" Theo questioned.
"I turned her into stone. One less pawn to worry," Basil replied.
Theo shouldn't have asked. Viels had no regard for human life after all.
Rorik smashed his fist against Salem's cheek, effectively knocking the seven-foot man down. Blood seeped through the mesh that kept Salem's features hidden.
"I miss you too," was Salem's response.
"This is your fault! What were you thinking, summoning Behemoth and exposing the king like that?"
"Should we have kept the king's infatuation with Asmodeus a secret? At any given moment, he would have signed the fate of Canaan to that devil." Salem stood, smirking behind the mesh. "Canaan is their playground now. I suspect that something happened in hell that made the devils bolder than they already are, and that something has to do with him."
Salem pointed at Kou who then pointed at himself.
"Kou? Kou didn't do anything. Kou only stayed in El'Azar all these years to protect King Kairon and then Kou took a long nap."
"And…how long is that nap?" Was Theo's question.
Kou rubbed his chin, his tails swinging in thought. "Kou isn't good at keeping up to date as Kou had lost track of time, but from what Kou could recall from the dated journals that scholars leave because of panic upon seeing Kou's shadow, I would say one hundred years."
"When did you wake up?" Boota queried.
Kou looked up again, trying his best to calculate the years in his head. "Mm…About twenty years ago."
"You slept the entire time Beelzebub terrorized Canaan," Basil said, poking Kou's stomach in annoyance.
Kou blinked at them in awe, still not processing what they've said before gasping sharply. "A demon lord surfaced?!"
Basil and Boota could only sigh. Kou could be dense most of the time, especially when not in battle. Whenever they'd plan their strategy during the war, Kou wasn't of any use to them, but when it came to the field, if the original plan didn't work, Kou could strategize straight away that would lead them to victory.
"We don't know if the one who attacked is Beelzebub. It could have been any of the seven princes of hell. Any of them could have sent flies but in the proceeding years, the flies had grown the ability to reap souls. Beelzebub, according to the scripture, could only use flies to demonize a victim," Rorik explained.
"It could have been Samael then, the Devil of Wrath," Theo suggested.
"But wait a damn minute, El'Azar was where Beelzebub first appeared 150 years ago. How could Kou be unharmed if he was sleeping there all this time?" Conrad asked.
Salem, after secretly changing the blood-drenched mesh, cleared his throat. "Was the king alive before you took that nap, Kou?"
Kou was taken aback, but he nodded right away. "King Kairon was the one who made Kou sleep and he was also the one who woke Kou up."
"What are you thinking, Salem?" Rorik queried, he could feel his fist throb. Rorik had punched walls of steel before but Salem was built like titanium. For all he knows he could have faked that blood to make Rorik feel better.
"I just have a bad feeling. I'm unsure of everything. I can't make conclusions because the puzzle pieces aren't complete yet, but I am sure of one thing: the devils want Kou because he is valuable to Kairon and what Kairon is right now is what I want to know."
Kou started to worry more now that Kairon seemed more alive than before. His association with the devils was what concerned him. He couldn't remember much of what happened, but his king just appeared really tired. When he went back to sleep, Kou protected El'Azar and his resting place. He didn't feel anything ominous, if anything, he was the most dangerous creature travelers should worry about.
"There's no use completing a puzzle with missing pieces. We're wasting time. The event will start soon," Boota nudged.
Somehow, Theo could understand where Salem was getting at.
'What is King Kairon now?'
Theo helped Salem and Rorik get through the wall as they wouldn't be able to fit through the window like the rest. They'll have to be stealthy if they want to get to the temple without bringing a mob. Kou went ahead of them to scout and came back with good news.
"All of the residents are gathered in front of the temple. We can proceed without caution."
"Uhh…let's still proceed with caution. Better to be safe than sorry," Theo commented.
Basil snorted. "Humans are such hypocrites. You should have thought of that before chopping me in half."
Theo, being high and mighty, wanted to retaliate, but he knew where he should stand at this one.
"No use crying over spilt milk, Basil. Your legs have turned into bones by now. Stop whining like a baby," Boota mocked, causing Basil to lash out on him by biting on his wing.
"Get off of me you snake!"
"Ferk yer!!!" was the serpent's muffled answer.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Cardinal Demetrius woke up to the splash of cold water to his face. He screamed; his memories of what had transpired before smacked him right across the face. The scent of blood had flourished in his nostrils to the point where he could taste it.
Queen Briar stood in front of him along with the maid, Tallulah. They were in the shrine's dome– the stomach where the deaconess prayed for the women who came by to ask for a child. Demetrius' hands were chained to the floor. Screams resonated and echoed around him and as he surveyed the dome, men were strung to the ceiling using a cord made of flesh attached to their belly buttons. Blood had started to pool around him. The bodies that were scattered on the floor writhed in agony from their bulging stomachs.
"M–My queen, what is happening? Why have you betrayed His Majesty?!"
Tallulah couldn't stop her hand from landing a strong slap to Demetrius' cheek. She stomped on his face, leaving Demetrius helpless as his hands were bound.
"You pig! You dirty and filthy hog! How dare you question her after violating my queen multiple times?"
Tallulah heard it all and she couldn't do a thing. Demetrius would sneak into the queen's bed chambers every night. She tried stopping him, questioning his intentions despite his status, but the king would arrive and dismiss her.
'Let him in. You have no business protecting her; you are only there to keep her clean, pretty, and ready for me, but I do not want her. I have neglected her, she has her needs, do you dare deprive your beloved queen of that?'
'But it is you who she wants! She is begging for your warmth, not another man's!"
Lycus chuckled. 'I told her to imagine it is I who is making love to her. I have better things to do than to lick what's between her legs.'
Demetrius shoved Tallulah away, giving her a dirty look. He shut the door behind him and the creak of the bed sounded. Her queen was moaning the king's name despite knowing that it wasn't the king thrusting into her.
Tallulah could only slide against the wall, tears overspilling as she muffled her screams by biting her hand. The door opened and Demetrius spat on her crouched form.
'Her screams are the best.'
As soon as he was gone from view, she hurried inside the room and sobbed. Briar's hand was stretched out of the bed. Her knees were folded against her chest. Bruises and bite marks were all over her pale skin. Demetrius didn't even bother covering her up with the blanket.
'Why doesn't he love me, Tallulah?'
'Your Majesty…" Tallulah gathered her in her arms, cradling her head against her chest. Briar's eyes lost their spark. The only thing shimmering in them were her tears. 'Why do you keep searching your worth in him, Briar?'
Briar finally sobbed, twisting Tallulah's apron in her grasp. 'Without him, what am I? A queen is nothing without his king yet it's unfair, isn't it? He could live without me. He can lead without me. He can stand alone. I only have value to this nation if the king values me, yet without his devotion, I am nothing but a commoner.'
Tallulah landed one last kick to his face before spitting on him. Demetrius was shaken. His face had been beaten into bloody pulps. He had to spit the teeth that Tallulah had knocked out.
She had waited for this moment all her life. She didn't think her dream would come true.
Tallulah grabbed one of the wine bottles from the crate, using a cork to open it before shoving the rim inside Demetrius' mouth. Demetrius coughed, wanting to pull away, but the other maids held his head and pinched his nose. A visible lump slithered down his throat, signaling the success of implantation. Red ichor dripped down his mouth before the cardinal smiled; his blood stained teeth made Tallulah's profound confidence drop.
"Hahahahahaha!!! Fucking with both of your minds was worth it. All hail His Majesty Lycus! All hail the Kingdom of Canaan! My Lord Belphegor has outsmarted all of you dumb fucks!"
A resounding crack and the cessation of Demetrius' hysterical laughter made Tallulah sigh in relief, but when she noticed the cause, she paled. Prince Eros walked out from behind the Cardinal who fell face flat like a spineless human being and the reason for that was because Prince Eros indeed yanked out his spine. The prince grabbed Demetrius' hair back before staring at Tallulah. As if the cardinal regained his life, a smile spread across his lips and mimicked the prince's eyes.
"HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!"
"HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!"
The two of them didn't stop laughing even when Eros continuously banged Demetrius' head on the floor until the front of his skull was exposed. With one last slam to the ground, and with blood splattering everywhere, the cardinal had stopped laughing and became completely dead. Eros placed a kiss on the side of his head.
"Tell Belphegor I said hi."