Scattered in tangles around the room, on velvet sofas, lolling indolently about, the most beautiful women any man had ever laid his eyes on lay as though some liberal hand had sprinkled them about. Their silk-clad bodies gleamed under the shining lamplight.
A few talked in whispers, almost as musical notes from their spare voices, while the others were reading or sleeping.
Alex stared; he had never seen anything like these women. Otherworldly beauty-figures-flawless skin and eyes shining with intelligence and power. Some had flowing hair cascading down their backs, while others had intricate hairstyles adorned with jewels and flowers.
All these exuded an aura of strength and confidence that made Alex feel tiny and insignificant. Her boobs stood straight, and it seemed like her nipples almost pierced through her attire; an ass that was as thick and big-so soft that one could almost tell, literally, without touching them.
One of the ladies had noticed him and rose with liquid ease from her chair. She crossed the room to stand before him, her movements so smooth that Alex's heart stuttered a beat. Her dress was red to that deep a shade, fitted to her curves in such a manner that it was both becoming and formidable.
There was an aura of command about her-the sort of confidence that spoke of her knowing she was in control.
"And who might you be?" she asked in a smooth voice full of authority.
Alex opened his mouth to reply, but the words clung to his throat. He felt just like a little child standing before a queen-completely out of league.
"This is the hero the demon king summoned," replied one of the guards for him. "He has been granted permission to see the palace."
Her eyes drew that fraction closer, her gaze sweeping up and down his bedraggled form. "The savior, you say? I expected someone… different." There was a tinge of disappointment in her tone, as if she had so wished for more.
But the worst part of it was that she was right: he wasn't the hero they'd expected. He was weak, powerless, utterly out of his league.
Another woman stepped forward this time, her hair as black as midnight. A lighter frame of build, yes, but her eyes cut deep and calculated. "You do seem quite surprised," she said with a tinge of mirth in her tone. "Did you expect to find something different here in the palace?"
Alex hesitated, unsure of exactly what to say. "I… I had no idea what I expected," he admitted.
A small smile curled her lips, never reaching her eyes. "This is the domain of the demon king," she said. "Here, power is the rule. Strength and guile-praised above everything. Those who are weak." She trailed off, her eyes resting on Alex for a second before turning away.
He didn't need her to complete her sentence. He knew very well what she had meant. The weakened ones had no place in this world, no chances of living. It was a brute reality and one which Alex was beginning to understand far too well.
As he looked at the females present in the chamber, he realized that all of them were more than mere good looking. Each one of them seemed to exude power in their respective ways.
They wore an air of confidence, comfortable in the fact that they knew they had the upper hand and were wanted for so much more than just their looks.
The others had remained silent until now, content to simply witness the interchange before them. One of them spoke now-a woman with tresses of gold that shimmered in the light, eyes of searing blue which cut through Alex like a hot knife through butter. "You look lost," she said, in sotto tones, her voice tinged with a hint of pity.
Alex swallowed hard, trying to find his voice. "I'm just… trying to understand," he said. "Why am I here? Why is the demon king showing me all of this?"
The woman cocked her head to one side, seeming to weigh her answer. "Perhaps he wants you to see the difference," she said. "The difference between those with power and those who are without.
The other woman, who had been lounging on the couch nearby, suddenly chuckled. "The demon king likes to play with his food," she said, her voice light and playful. "Perhaps he is simply playing with you, seeing how far you will jump when poked and prodded in just the right places.
Alex frowned, ill at ease. Testing him? Whatever that was supposed to mean. He'd been tested enough-always thrown into an impossible situation from another. As he looked about the room, though, there was little he could do about it.
The woman in red spoke once more, and this time the tone was dead serious. "You should be careful, hero," she said. "The palace is full of dangers, not all of them obvious. Trust no one, and keep your wits about you."
"I will remember that," he said, barely above a whisper.
The woman nodded, as if satisfied. "Good," she said. "Now, if you will excuse us, we have affairs to which to attend ."
With that, the conversation was over, and the women returned to whatever activities they had been involved in previously, as though nothing at all had occurred. Alex continued to stand for some time, lost and out of place within the vast chamber.
One of the guards strode ahead, beckoning with his hand. Alex was made to follow. "Come," he said-the tone brooking no disobedience. "The demon king wants you to see more of the palace."
Alex took a moment, his gaze lingering on the women as they hunched back into their work.
The guards unlocked a set of heavy double doors and ushered him into another grand chamber lined with huge windows with streams of sunlight pouring in, making ornamentations of gold and silver glitter brilliants.
On the center of that room was a huge, ornate table; plush chairs around it were occupied by a figure each draped in rich robes.
These were no ordinary figures, most definitely persons of power, carrying an aura of command and might that could not be disregarded.
Some were in deep conversation while others silently overlooked space around them. It was clear they formed the cream of the court of the demon king.
At the far end of the table sat a woman with long, raven-black hair, in a deep purple gown contrasting sharply against her pale skin.
She was achingly beautiful with sharp intelligent eyes that missed nothing. As Alex and the guards entered, her gaze locked onto him, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.
"So, here is the hero," she said; her voice smooth and cool had an undertone of playful amusements. Others turned to Alex, faces containing everything from curiosity to mild disinterest.
One of the men beside her, a giant with his beard and eyes of hot coals, gave a low snort. "This is what the demon king brought to us? A scrawny, lost boy?" There was disdain in his tone, and Alex felt a flush rise in his cheeks.
The only reaction to the words from the woman, who was totally clad in purple, was an elevation of an eyebrow, with no immediate answer. She leaned back into her chair, regarding Alex with an unreadable expression.
"Appearances can be deceiving," she finally said; her voice measured. "The demon king would have not called him without reason."