Palace Of Flames (Book One of the Damnata Series)

Epilogue: Scissorhands

[Andy]

Kneeling before one such as Silvano Damnatan is surely an honour for many; not for myself. I find this man revolting; he is persistent in his way of ruling, his methods grow tedious, and if he ever rises to rule single-handedly over the great lands of Damnatalia, I doubt that he will ever be as great a ruler as his brother Clemente.

"Andrew Layton, also known as the great Scissorhands. I presume you realise why I have called you here?" Silvano's hands are clasped behind his back, his eyes narrowed as he paces back and forth in front of me. His continuously repetitive movements make me want to end his sufferable trait abruptly; perhaps punching him in the face should do the trick?

"No, actually." I stare up at him coldly, and he laughs lightly.

"Ah, my dear boy, an ancient demon such as yourself should clearly realise why one such as myself have called upon an all-powerful being-"

"Silvano; your argument will grow empty, and your words hold no threat nor meaning." Mikhael Damnatan steps forwards, brown eyes glaring as he studies me.

"Andrew Layton. The legendary Scissorhands. I never dreamt that such a day would come when such a hero of our race and of the darkness would bow before me. Please, my friend, rise, and stand before us as equals meet equals."

"My thanks, Mikhael." I push silently to my feet, and then look towards Clemente, who is staring thoughtfully off into the distance, standing aimlessly in front of a large tombstone. Perhaps an old graveyard was not such a great place for such a meeting; it is rather cliched, and holds an essence of morbidity.

"Now, you wish to know why you have been summoned here?" Mikhael looks blankly at me, and I nod slowly.

"Of course; is it not the wish of all men to know the true purpose of their existence? Perhaps this is why I was created to begin with." I muse the last part to myself, and Mikhael smiles slightly.

"Perhaps. Now, Andrew, the real reason you were called here is simple; we require assistance to obtain the Oracle. Surely you know of such assistance that could be given?"

"Indeed, I do, Mikhael. But the Oracle? Why such a powerless being?"

"Because she is to become my Mate!" Silvano snarls, teeth bared; I resist the urge to snort loudly at his aggressiveness, and instead shrug politely.

"Of course. I apologise for my impertinence, Silvano. But really, I must ask, why such a being as the Oracle? Is she not powerless?"

"She remains powerless until her twentieth birthday." Clemente mutters monotonously, and Silvano smiles slightly.

"A recent discovery, I am sure, brother."

"Of course, Silvano." Clemente smiles slightly, and then continues to gaze out at the scene before him.

"Now, we know that you are associated with Beelzebub, and the Reaper herself." Mikhael informs me, his almost-black eyes glaring.

"Yes. Beelzebub is a close acquaintance of mine, and the Reaper is also a close ally." I say, narrowing my eyes. I'm not stupid; they wish to request my assistance in their matter concerning the Oracle. "May I just ask, out of sheer curiosity: why do you wish to obtain the Oracle? Surely Luziel will simply steal her from you and use her as a weapon, much as he did with me?"

"She is a beautiful and desirable being, and the last of her kind. I wish to obtain a Mate. And Luziel has agreed to assist me in my plans, as long as I allow him to use her as a weapon. He will allow us to rule over part of the Mortal Plane if we help him to obtain the Oracle and make her strong enough to wreak havoc and destruction upon the world." Silvano growls. I nod slowly.

"Ah. That makes sense. And...you wish for my assistance...?"

"Exactly. You have contacts...other beings such as yourself. Other Scissorhands demons. And so we need you to contact them and bring them to Damnatalia. We need all the help we can get to obtain the Oracle. And as payment, and as a reward for your efforts, we will allow you passage into the gates of Damnatalia."

I arch my eyebrows, studying Mikhael. Such an interesting proposition, but should I agree...?

"Well...I...suppose I cannot refuse." I sigh, feigning a smile, and Silvano snorts. Mikhael nods, smiling slightly, and Clemente just aimlessly stares out toward the horizon.

"Perfect. Then you will be able to contact others of your kind by the next new moon? That is when we aim to obtain the Oracle, just before her twentieth birthday."

I nod slowly. "Of course. How long does this give us?"

"Two weeks. That will give us time to gather reinforcements; her Protectors and her Guardian are stronger than we anticipated, and she even has the Militia of the Damned on her side."

I snort in disgust. The Militia of the Damned are disgustingly peaceful creatures; the see violence being horrifying within itself: the idea of peace in itself is horrifying. "How horrifying."

"Horrifying indeed." Clemente muses. "Also, we must thank you for your temporary corruption of the young Fallen Angel, Tay Lee. She shall be a perfect distraction to allow us to go ahead with our plans unnoticed." Of course; without her permission, I managed to take control of Tay's mind, and lead her towards the Nocturna House, and towards the Oracle. Within forty-eight hours, she shall be unaware of her actions, and yet everyone around her shall see her as a traitor. What a perfect distraction. "Thank you for your cooperation, Andrew. We will be in touch to exchange the details of our progress. Until then."

I nod at each of the Vampiires in turn. "Thank you. I anticipate our next meeting, my Lords." I bow formally to them, and then turn to walk away. I hear the Vampiires flitting away behind me, moving in the opposite direction, and I smile. Something tells me this really is something to anticipate.

This should be fun.

* * *

[Video: Scissorhands (The Last Snow) by Motionless In White.]

[Picture: Kier Kemp, who I decided a while ago should play Andy Layton/Scissorhands.]