To Bewitch a Devil

Zavian directed his stallion, and the horse went at full speed, eager for the adrenaline rush. They rode through the market and a few of the stalls were opened, a stark contrast to the full market bubbling with trade not a long time ago. Fear had kept a lot of humans locked in their houses, and soon, Zavian hoped, it would come to change.

The Knights and knightesses were lined in front of the forest, some perched on their horses, and others standing in wait. Zavian pulled at the reins of his stallion and in one swift motion, dismounted in front of them.

“Any updates?” Zavian asked them.

“We have checked and rechecked,” one of the Generals, Ryan, stepped forward to give the report. “So far, there hasn’t been a trace of them anywhere.”

“And in the sea?” Freya asked. She came to stand by Zavian’s side, folding her arms.

Ryan looked her way, and back at Zavian. A silent question. Zavian nodded to him, an approval to answer.

“If there is anything in the seas, we’d have to dive to the very bottom to be certain,” General Ryan stated.

“I am just trying to rule everywhere out,” Freya said. “Or don’t you think, your Majesty?”

.....

“I am not sure what we want to find in the seas, your Majesty,” Ryan voiced out.

“Are we even sure what we are even looking for right now?”

“Freya”, Zavian stopped her. She bristled, clearly having more to say, but kept quiet.

“Get the others, and I want the seas and rivers and even lakes searched, starting with the Grenoa sea,” Zavian said. “No stone is to be left unturned. And whatever it is we are dealing with, it is certainly only the beginning.”

Ryan bowed his head in a salute. Azriel stepped forward and took over, giving orders. He led his men to start the task, leaving Zavian and his sister behind.

“There could be a door,” Freya said once they were out of sight. “In the sea. He had spent thousands of years in the Underland. He had enough time to scheme and plan. And Uriel isn’t also exactly happy to be there. You have two powerful enemies to contend with, Brother.”

Uriel. It seemed like a century ago when there were three of them siblings, not just two. Uriel had always been doted upon, and wherever Aloysius would go, he would follow.

“Find a way to reach out to mother, and have her come here,” Zavian said to his sister.

Freya gaped. “Me? She only appears once every century. How am I supposed to know where she is?”

“It is your duty to find out,” Zavian mounted his horse. “And I want her at my castle as soon as possible. Are you coming or not?”

Freya, nostrils flaring and jaw clenching, shot a hand out to him, and he pulled her to sit in front of him.

“And one last thing”, Zavian said as the horse trotted back to the palace.

“What is it?”

“No fraternizing with my Commander General.”

“Well, he isn’t the one in particular that caught my eye, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Zavian hoped whoever it was, was going to be safe from her.

...

From the very second she opened her eyes, Neera could feel her hands quiver–from excitement or nervousness, she didn’t know, maybe just the right amount of both.

She busied herself with a few tasks; clothes folding, touring the castle, and even helping out with the cooking in the kitchen, a task that seemed like eons ago since she last engaged. The other maids fussed at her efforts, always reaching out to take a spoon or pot from her hand anytime she wanted to work, and so she left them to the task of finding another one.

That night, she was to become a demon, ending her human life forever.

She hadn’t seen the Queen all day, which was, in a way, a good thing. She wasn’t up for any talk, just work, because she was sure she would face any conversation with half the attention. And even when Zavian was speaking to her just before he left the castle, she had seen his lips move, his words lost to her. He had to flick his fingers at her face before she came to.

“Neera, is something wrong?” He had asked her.

“No… not really. It’s just about tonight,” she had answered truthfully. “I look forward to it, but at the same time, I think I am just nervous.”

Zavian had given her a reassuring smile. “It is okay to feel that way. Just take your mind off of it, and you’d be fine.”

But telling someone to take their mind off something has never proved to be effective advice, has it? But she had tried, and it was there her mind had constantly gone to.

After lunch, Zavian was yet to be back. Jasmine had excused herself from coming down to dine to sleep off a headache, as she was told by one of the maids. Neera made a mental note to check up on her later in the day.

When she was about to retire to bed herself, just so that time would pass by faster, Neera was intercepted by two maids. One she recognized as Rue, and the other, Zoe, bowed in greeting to her.

“The King has instructed that you come to meet him in the garden,” Zoe said.

Neera’s occupied thoughts disappeared at the mention of that. “I’ll go meet him now.”

“He instructed us to bring you there,” Rue said quickly.

“Don’t worry, I know the way there myself.”

“I am sorry, my Lady, we have to obey the King’s instructions,” Zoe insisted.

Neera had no choice but to let them. She followed after them out of the insides of the castle, and when they got to the garden, they kept moving towards the secluded paradise of the garden. Neera followed, wondering if it was there Zavian intended to make her a demon.

But if so, he had specifically asked for it to be kept a secret. She figured it must be something else he had to say, for he would have fetched her himself if it was in preparation for the ritual itself.