The Demon Queen (Otherworld Series #5)

Chapter 21- The Gates

We rode our horses through the busy streets of Sohue.

Hanes had created a special road just for horse riders, it was parallel to the road with cars and bikes that was crowded with traffic.

Little children in the cars pointed at us, their parents watching with worry. Tourists who had their own horses galloped by, I saw one or two Centaurs among them.

Seeing Centaurs reminded me of Lady Yula. What were the allies of the Demon Kingdom going to do now that they have decided to attack the Vampires? Would they attack too?

I hoped that Yula remembered my graciousness and I had Soul Shredder on my side anyway. I removed the little sticky notes holder I had in the pouch on my waist and a khol pencil I had stolen from Penelope's stash of makeup.

The creatures living in Dinhae...The Demons focused mostly on Ilm as it had their main castle there but there were other creatures spread out over the regions. I wrote down their names.

Centaurs

The Dragons

The Mer People

The Technotrites

The Myrians

The Centaurs were on my side already, hopefully, so I crossed them out. Next were the Dragons, that too, hopefully would stay at bay for a while. The Mer people lived in the seas, mermaids and mermen that is, how I was going to meet them? I don't know, but somehow I would have to. Next were the Technotrites. I assumed by the way Nikolai had spoken of them before our wedding, they had good relations with the Demons. I didn't know much of them, I would have to gain some info and maybe meet them somehow...to make sure they were on the right side of the war. And the Myrians, they were....humanoid creatures with animal heads...I guess, I didn't really know about them, too.

I wish Nikolai was beside me, to offer me some good historical data. Man, he's going to be an awesome father....I shook my head to push the thought away.

"We're close now?" I asked, just to confirm. One of the King's guard nodded at my question. "We will escort you to the gates and then two of us shall await you at the port."

"They got permission to build gates?" The guard nodded, solely, again.

"They had been insisting for a long time."

I nodded at that, when I was a little girl and had just started my time as an oracle, my father had brought me to Theteyas to meet my mother, but she hasn't been available or so they had said.

We made our way from there, in silence. When I looked beside me, Pisces, the water demon, stood beside me, watching.

"What?" I asked. He made a screeching sound, I did not understand what he said. I looked at the guard on the other side of me.

"The master Pisces says that you shouldn't...uh...you shouldn't worry about the elves." I raised an eyebrow at Pisces.

How did he know what I was thinking? "I'm not worried. Just anxious."

Pisces shrugged and licked a hand, then running it through his floppy hair. I wondered if his people missed him. If he had parents...a mate...

I looked at the guard beside him. He looked uncomfortable, sharing personal thoughts with me, a Queen.

"Where did Pius find this water demon?" I asked him, anyway.

"Master Pius found him when we sailed to Castle Triopolo in the east of the Ghorna region."

Ghorna was the country the ghouls had claimed for themselves, I bet it was some kind of grimy, scary, halloween themed wasteland. Nobody ever ventured there except for treaties with the Ghouls that were conducted at Castle Triopolo, which was basically a small separate island off the coast of Ghorna.

My father had told me stories of Ghorna before the ghouls had taken over. It had been the country of the Elves. When the war occurred, the ghouls had taken over the west side of Ghorna and had completely destroyed the home of the Elves. They had been forced to leave and sought refuge at Dinhae and Sohue.

Nobody had ever ventured to the other side of Ghorna as it had initially been Ghoul territory. No even my father, as old as he was, knew what lay on the North, South and the East of Ghorna.

If Pisces had been found near Ghorna, then maybe the water demons lived there. If there were water demons there, should the Mer be there, too?

I straightened in the saddle when I spied the gates of Theteyas. Outrage and the acknowledgement of beauty registered in my mind.

The Gates loomed on one corner of the road, a dirt path connected to the horse riders road led to them. It meant that no cars or bikes were allowed in there.

But the outrage? The Elves, who claimed that they hated Vampires, came seeking refuge in our country after they couldn't defend their own, and we being generous ones, allowed them to stay...and now they have completely claimed this part of Sohue for themselves!?

They had permission for a gate, no doubt a small one with lined fences to keep trespassers out of private property, but who gave them permission to build a freaking wall.

And those gates were way bigger then private-property protectors. And those trees lining the wall...The sacred palm Willows, native to Ghorna, when the Elves lived there.

I looked at the guard sharply, noticing that he was looking at my reaction with the same outrage in his eyes.

"A wall? And those trees? We gave them refuge and they have made into a mini country of their own?"

The guards all nodded, vigoriously. "King Hanes tried to refuse and have it broken down, but the Elves threatned war. "

I gritted my teeth. Bastards. How dare they? The guts! It was like going to a generous guests' house and moving all you're furniture and clothes into their master bedroom, without a permanent invitation.

"He'll, Hanes should have threatened war instead of them. It wasn't our fault that they couldn't save their own hides from the Ghouls. "

"With their little bows and arrows." One of the guards agreed.

"Hand size Toothpicks ." Another said.

"Sodden branches." Another laughed.

"Ewww." Pisces agreed.

They laughed. I smiled, keeping my Queenly composure, not knowing what Pisces said.

I had other things to worry about. I turned my horse towards the Guards.

"I assume this is where you stop."

The head guard nodded. "We have been lenient with the Evles. Sohue deems them as invaders. The King's guard can only enter the gates with the King otherwise it will be an act of war." I bid them leave with a jerk of my head.

They left as silently as they had followed me. Pisces was the only one. I figured he wouldn't be very presentable as the Demon Queen's escort. I wish I had my posse with me.

Alicia, Lucille, Estella and Munroe. I reminded myself that I still had them on my side. I still had to make things right.

I looked up at the sky. And remembered the day I married Nikolai. This all was so new. We hadn't even had a chance to relax and get to know each other well. I still had fallen so fast. Where was he now?

I looked at the water demon. He stared back silently, his chin dripping with goopy spit, his sea green eyes appeared knowing. I had to give him that much credit, he was a smart creature, I could see it in his gaze.

I turned away and urged my horse ahead.

To the gates of Theteyas.