DEMON CRY

41.

The Queen of Demons had Prince Damien moved to her son's chambers where the Demon Prince's headless cadaver lay. She wanted to break the Crown Prince's spirit, destroy it, just like he had destroyed hers. 

Her informant in the Dithrai castle had informed her about the imposter that the Dithrai monarchs had hired. She was furious and wanted to send a more powerful message to her rivals. At first, she thought of cutting the young Prince's fingers off and sending it off but changed her mind later on. She was not desperate yet.

She decided to attack Tracovia again, this time with a bigger force. She planned to prove to the Dithrai people that the Prince that was among them wasn't real. When people's saviour, the fake Estao Drakai would fail them, she would rejoice.

In the end, she would prevail.

'We will surround the fort,' she explained, 'in the dead of night. I want every warrior stationed in the Tracovian fort dead by dawn. Do not kill their subjects... Yet,' a cruel smiled graced her features, 'I have great things planned for them.'

She eyed her generals, 'Does anyone have any questions?'

'Your Highness, this hardly seems possible. We cannot kill the tens of thousands of warriors stationed in the fort in a few hours,' one of the generals spoke up. Sadly, he realized his mistake only after the words were spoken.

The temperature of the room dropped and a shrill silence enclosed them. A moment later, he was down on his knees, gasping for air like a dying man.

'Does anyone else share his concern?'

All the generals eyed the man who looked as pale as death.

Satisfied bt their answer, she waved her hand at the near-death general who started breathing again. 'You're lucky that I don't have warriors to spare. I need all of you to avenge my husband's assassination.'

Throughout the Demon land, it was believed that the Dithrai had orchestrated the assassination of their beloved King. The Queen came across as a grieving wife, gaining her subjects' sympathy, but the general who had nearly died knew better. He was there when the King had dismissed him to talk to his wife. She was the last one to see the King and he did not doubt that she had something to do with his King's untimely death.

She could have brought him back to life because she hailed from the Lornis clan, the only clan that could perform necromancy- but she didn't.

Her reason, the King's head was missing- just like her son's.

While she garnered sympathy from the blind people who believe every word she spoke, bitter hatred brewed inside him.

None of the other generals would believe him, even if they did, they would not go against the Queen. Their fear would not allow them too.

He wasn't sure if what he was doing was counted as treason but he knew one thing for sure, he could not let her get away with the death of his King.

'That will be all,' the Queen dismissed them.

General Raphael watched her as she exited the throne room, his hands pulled into fists.

All of the demonkind will be doomed if they followed her.

Later that night, he snuck into the late Prince's chambers with some food and water.

The Dithrai Prince looked sick. He was chained to the wall and barely conscious as he trembled because of the cold. His clothes were tattered and he was shivering uncontrollably. General Raphael wondered how the Prince could survive with no warm clothing on him.

He had never seen the Prince before but he could tell how strong he was. Surviving the Queen's tortures was an impossible task and even when the Queen hated him with a passion, he was still alive.

The Prince had earned some of Raphael's respect.

He took off his shawl and placed it over him. It caught the Prince's attention who looked at him strangely.

He placed the pitcher of water on the Prince's lips, 'Drink'.

The Prince greedily sipped the water. It was too fast and it threw him into a coughing fit.

Cold and dreaded fear ran down Raphael's spine as his eyes settled on the doorway.

Minutes passed and no warrior entered. He exhaled his tension.

'W- why?' The Prince croaked.

Raphael couldn't answer his questions. Treason. He was going against his Queen. The one he had sworn to serve- but the Queen had gone against the King. The old turmoil swelled in his mind once again. It infuriated him. He was glad that the darkness cloaked his expression.

He turned away, 'I have some food too.'

He put some green grapes in the Prince's hands who ate stuffed it inside his mouth. He waited till the Prince had finished chewing it. He contemplated giving him more food but the strange Prince declined it. 

'The Queen says your parents sent an assassin to kill the King? Is it true?'

The Prince chuckled bitterly, 'I wouldn't know.'

'She must've told you something,' the general insisted. 

'Would you believe me if I told you?'

'No.'

It was a lie. Why else would the General be there, asking the Prince such questions?

'If they could plan an assassination, they could've also planned for your freedom,' he said. Even when he suspected the truth, his heart clenched in the face of it. 

'They could have,' the Prince agreed. 

There was a short pause before Raphael broke it, 'Someone is walking the Dithrai castle pretending to be you.'

He was shocked when the Prince shrugged in reply, 'My parents are doing what they can.'

'What if the replace you?'

'They won't.'

Raphael was speechless. He knew it wasn't the Prince's wishful thinking. The young Prince believed it without a trace of doubt in his mind. 

'Why- How are you so sure?'

The Prince looked like he wanted to say a lot of things.

His mouth quivered as he settled for, 'I have faith and that's all that matters.'