Lost in Demon's Eyes

11 - Paris comes to Prague

“Oleana.” I tried speaking in the softest voice possible. She was known for her short temper. If I spoke up loudly, she would lose her focus and direct all her anger on me, which had happened a few times before already.

“Oh, you’re here, Duke.” She put the goose feather back into the inkpot. No matter how long we had known each other, she would always call me only by my title. I never heard her speaking my name, nor calling me her master. As the queen of wisps, she had the biggest right to do so and I never blamed her for it.

“Yes. I was wondering if you could recommend some books to me to read.” I quickly answered the question she was asking with her eyebrows up high on her forehead.

“I believe we have already prepared quite a bit of books for you to read, sir.” Her voice sounded upset and unbothered at the same time. She took the goose feather in her slender hand and started scribbling on the scroll again. The night was falling upon us, the whole library was slowly being lit by wisp lights.

“Yes, but I was thinking about educating myself about extracting human souls intact. I have devoured them, but never extracted them. I know you are rigorously preparing for it, but it is also needed that I, as the soul’s owner, should be in light of the things that are and will be happening.” I tried sounding smart and distinguished. But I knew Oleana would never buy it. She wasn’t the queen of wisps for fun, she had been the most hardworking Will-o’-the-wisp I had ever known. Also, she was never buying anything from anyone. She had to get her answers in the papers, reports, and books before she would agree with anyone.

Oleana lifted her eyes from the scroll to look at me for a brief moment, and then she came back to writing. After she had finished the report and rolled it into a compact piece, sealing it with her breath, she took a small piece of paper on the side of her table. She was still giving me the silent treatment. Then she quickly scribbled something on the paper and gave it to one of the wisps that came to her table to deliver something.

“Your books will wait for you downstairs. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I am quite busy preparing for your ceremony.” The cold tone of her voice was enough for me to want to leave her alone to do her things.

“Thank you.” I pronounced loudly for her to hear. If there was anything the queen of wisps hated, it was ungratefulness. 

The sight of the library at night in Hell was one of the Thirteen Wonders of Hell. Yet not many demons got to see it. I didn’t like outsiders in my library. Only selected demons were allowed inside, to make sure the wisps would keep working here. They were quite busy souls, which were working here at night, as they loved the sound of pages flipping and the smell of books. It reminded them of the deep forests they used to massively inhabit back in the earlier days of humankind.

“Thank you for your hard work.” I thanked one of the wisps again, while I took up the few prepared books, making sure Oleana would hear it. I didn’t want the wisps to leave this place. They weren’t working here because they would be forced to. They asked to work for me and as a result, they turned my library into a huge success. Before, the spider demon clan was taking care of it. Imagining how the library looked back then… full of spider webs and dust, it was definitely much better now.

“Now I just need to find a nice place to read…” I mumbled to myself as I snapped my fingers and the door to the library closed behind me in an instant. I was walking with a few books in my right arm through the dark hallway. A tiny human like her would definitely feel all the kinds of chills here. I grinned from ear to ear, imagining that little young girl shivering all over after she was put in this place. Every single step of hers would bring new chills to her body, making her feel completely lost and damned. Just exactly what I wanted any mortal entering this place to feel!

“Master Dantalion, you have a lot of paperwork left to do…” Yalé was becoming his annoying self again, reminding me of every single thing I had to take care of once I stepped inside of this house. But this time I wasn’t going to listen to him, I just wanted to prepare for the night in the human world, so I could comfortably enter her dreams again.

“Master Dantalion, the paperwork-” Yalé was trying to get me back to papers and deskwork, but I cut him short of his sentence with just my hand raised up. He bowed his head down and disappeared after taking a few steps backward. Nobody was allowed to talk back to me in this house. If they tried, a good future in this neverending realm would turn out very ashy for them.

I finally entered one of the smaller rooms of the estate, finding the perfectly comfortable chaise lounge to rest and get new ideas from the books.

Zia

“Hey, wake up you sleepyhead. We’re here.” Ansel was pestering me to open my eyes. The trip itself wasn’t very long, I just felt really tired as if I hadn’t slept for ages. So I slept the whole time on the plane and even in the car, Ansel was driving to get us to our accommodation. I was expecting it to be a small villa with a garden, but instead, it was just a flat in a building. It didn’t look too bad, but it wasn’t too fancy, either.

“They went quite cheap on us,” I told him as I dropped my handbag in the hallway.

“Don’t complain. Be happy it’s ours. Nobody is going to disturb us here.” Ansel called out to me from one of the rooms as he was carrying our last bags inside. I scoffed.

“Right, as if I wanted to stay HERE with YOU.” I retorted.

“Nobody is forcing you. There are many bridges in the city as well. Here, you’re free to go.” He was handing me a blanket with all seriousness, telling me to live on the street if I wasn’t happy with what we had.

“I’m good.” I pushed it away with a grumpy face. I didn’t like staying here one bit. Taking a couple of steps into the apartment, I heard someone knocking on the main door.

“You left anything in the car?” I asked Ansel as I knew he definitely didn’t order anything.

“Nope. I checked twice!” He defended himself, seeing how annoyed I was.

“Kay…” I noted and went to open the door.

“SURPRIIIISE!” Two girls jumped out on me straight away.

“What are you doing here?!” I shouted at them, not being able to believe that two of my best friends actually came to Prague!

“Well, if you cannot go to Paris…” Cérise started the sentence and went silent for a while.

“Paris comes to you!” Leona finished the sentence for her. But how did they know? My two favorite people on the Earth and they come here right away? Impossible! I was happier beyond my witts. It felt like I could now enjoy this place and not think of it as such a cage anymore.

“Yes, we’re staying in a hotel close by! So, get ready and we’re going out tonight!” Cérise gave me a wide smile. It made me feel like going out even now, without changing my clothes or putting proper makeup on. I just couldn’t care less now.

“Well, I have to slow you down there, she has an important appointment soon, not sure if she can make it for the evening party.” Ansel appeared, carrying some things in a box, moving them to a different room.

“I bet if I don’t ask too many questions and we skip the lengthy introductions, I can comfortably make it! So stop moving things, let’s get going!” I wasn’t going to compromise in this. I was going out with the girls, and that was it!

“Fine, fine… Get your things ready too…” Ansel mumbled in disagreement.

“See you at nine, babe!” Cérise grabbed Leona and they both waltzed out of the apartment. Now I only had to grab my things and get going with Ansel to the witch.

“Just two girls coming from Paris to go partying with you and you’re now all eager to go there. I seriously won’t get girls. Ever.” Ansel was complaining to me the whole way to the car. He had to drive again, of course, as I didn’t have a driver’s license yet. But I wanted to get one as soon as possible, to be able to drive my own car without being dependent on anyone else.

“When are you going to start the driver school training, anyway?” He kept going on, ranting, complaining, trying to make me feel bad.

“Probably tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow. I don’t even know where it is!” I was getting irritated by his constant stingy attitude.

“I can call back and ask Theo to arrange it…” Ansel was already parking the car in front of one of the smaller houses in an area, which looked like suburbs to me. At least in Paris, it would be suburbs. There was completely nothing except a few houses, a road in a very bad shape. The streetlights here weren’t probably working at night, either.

“No, how do I knock on this door…” He was trying to figure out how to make the witch inside know that we were here. I expected the front garden to be enchanted, but it didn’t do anything. The flowers were at their respective places, where they were planted, there wasn’t anything going after us. It was just weird. Usually, these witches made sure their places were well-protected against anyone. But this place was just like any other mortal’s. Like my friends’ places. Nothing weird jumping out at me, not giving me the chills. I liked it. It meant I could feel safe for at least a little while.

“Are you sure we got to the right place?”