The Demonic Society

Midnight Revelations

Zayne

The mans screams stayed with me as I walked down the long halls of the castle. I'd let him see my satisfied smirk before exiting the torture chamber he was hung up in.

He'd be released tomorrow and sent to the fourth circle of hell where my brother, Gulliver, the prince of greed, ruled. His kingdom wasn't the worst of the nine, but it was still deadlier than mine.

The man, whose name I didn't bother to learn, was caught stealing from one of my servants when they were on there way home. I wasn't a man known for breaking promises so when I promised my protection to all those who worked for me, I meant to keep it. That's what resulted in the capture of the greedy little shit and his tongue being pulled out by a pair of pliers.

The only hope he had for growing it back relied upon finding a witch doctor who'd demand a pricey sum to magically restore it. Even then, the  Z  I branded below his ear would keep any sane being from assisting him. I poured salt onto the wound to amplify the pain.

Nonetheless, it wouldn't have been needed if the servants lived in the castle. Most, if not all, refused the privilege, opting to own a place of their own. I respected their decisions but I'd be lying if I said it didn't irk me knowing this kind of shit happening on a daily could be avoided.

When the money-grabbing mans life on earth ended, the purgatory gatekeepers must have had multiple decisions to make based on which circle he should wind up in. They obviously chose wrong. He may have committed some kind of fraud in his past life but he wasn't even trying to scam anyone here. The man simply took when he felt like taking, no creative mindset involved. It made torturing him so bland.

I turned down a different hallway just as the moon came out from behind smoldering clouds. It cast a blue hue through the windows to the left of me, generating its glow on the floor.

My eyes were drawn to the figure of a man walking a good distance ahead of me. I could just make out the smooth outline of his military cut and the slight limp in the way he walked.

"What are you still doing here Miles?" I questioned, spooking him as I shifted from an owl form into a human one he knew well.

"I, uh, I took on Rosemary's evening shift because she wasn't feeling well again." My servants stutter had me stopping in my tracks and putting a hand to his chest. He'd been working here long enough to become a close acquaintance of mine, making his sudden sheepishness feel suspicious to say the least.

"That's the seventh time this month." I stated, using my free hand to lift up his chin. His lack of eye contact made mistrust boil in my gut. "Care to tell me why?"

"My Prince, I—." His heartbeat thumped against my palm as he shifted his eyes to met mine. The tears in his eyes became tears in his soul. His body, that'd been forged by his soul, shimmered from the strong emotion he was portraying. I felt my mistrust dissolve in an instant.

"What is it?" I asked calmly while replacing my hands to my side and gesturing for him to walk with me. He did so, wiping at his eyes with the sleeve of his charcoal suit jacket.

"I apologize my prince." Miles said keeping his head down and eyes to the floor. I truly didn't understand how someone like him could whined up in a place like this. He never told me what he did before this life, but I suppose I never asked. "Rosemary is, she's uh, well she's..." Miles swore and scratched at his head. "She's pregnant."