DARE THE DEVIL

The real culprits

“What do you mean by that?” Bellona let out a chuckle. Not just because what Lucious said was funny but because the air was growing more dreadful and for the first time in a long time, she felt nervous. Nervousness was never a good thing. Moreover, such beings do not exist. If anything, she would know. She had lived for far too long to not know. No one could easily be half of half. It was against the law. Lucious said nothing, he simply stared at them all, wondering how he would bring this particular matter to the table. Morana was definitely not going to talk about it and the triad had asked him to do it. When Bellona saw the seriousness in his gaze and how quickly the dreadful feeling spread instead of letting up, she stopped chuckling and stared at him.

“She can’t possibly be part vampire, part witch. It's against the laws and has never happened, ever in the history of history.”

“And even when it did happen, she was ……” Bellona paused. Everyone immediately turned to her, catching on to what it was that she wanted to say. Of course they were old enough to know. Not to add that it was just a few years ago, that a child like that was born.. Ranging from four hundred years to five hundred. They had all lived for a long time and the only pup there could be alpha cain. Though he acted equal to them, he was still a child with lots of power and maturity. So they were all there when the very thing that was not supposed to happen, the very law that should not be broken was tampered with and an abomination had taken place. That was over twenty four years ago. They recalled the events that took place. It was still very fresh in their mind.

“That child….” Devin stopped grinning and immediately took the situation of things when he also recalled how the king had handed a little red-haired child to the other entities, asking the demons to stay away from punishing a child.

“She had red hair…” he said the very thing in everyone’s mind and their eyes all went wide.

“But she died…” Bellona snapped, hating the very thought of her.

“And she was very much powerless…” she added. All this while, they simply believed that the red hair had no business with them, but if that child that died had suddenly come back to life. She had more than enough reason to return and if she actually did, it would be over for them all.

Lucious ran his hand through his head again and leaned his elbows on his knees.

“We have reasons to believe that she never truly died. We think the child from twelve years ago is still very much alive and powerful.”

For a while, everyone went quiet. Too quiet. Really quiet, it was like she was right there in their presence ready to rain fire and brimstone.

“We can’t be sure about this though.” Devin spoke up. He could smell the fear and dread in the air and he just wondered what they had done to her.

“Indeed,” Morana breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Rolandas.

“You should bring Finn and Luke here…”

“They are still out on an assignment and why would you want them?” Bellona interjected before he replied.

“We have to look through their mind, Bellona.” Morana hated her butting in.

“They returned three months ago and you hid them away immediately with the excuse of giving them punishment for their cowardice and now, they are running errands. We can’t just take their words for it, we need to see for ourselves.”

“That would happen, in due time. they just have to return first.” Rolandas took over.

“Time is not on our side, Rolandas,” her words cut crisp and harsh, feeling the air with her emotions, her magic.

“We can look through Daciana’s mind. She had been the very first to become a coward and return uninjured.” He smiled and turned his gaze to Cain. Cain’s eyes turned hard and he glared at Rolandas for even mentioning that name with his filthy mouth. While his demons whimpered at the thought of her.

“She lost her memories.” He growled at him.

“Oh! Right…” Rolandas turned away.

“The traitor forgot about her crime and would go free.” He added and simply wanted to spite him.

“Doesn’t that make Finn and Luke traitors as well. And to think you are hiding them?” Devin bit back and grinned at him. Rolandas eyes turned hard, yet a smile still ached his lips.

“Well, then. Finn and Luke would be here soon. Look through their minds and confirm if she is the one,” he ended.

“And if she is the one?” Devin asked.

“We’ll have to send more people to get her. we can’t have her come here.” Bellona entered again.

“The oracles want her alive,” he reminded her. She folded her hand into a fist and snapped her gaze to the witches before them.

“Does the oracle really need her here? She would destroy us all, you know.” Morana lowered her gaze at that. She would really kill them if she came, but the oracle wanted her. What were they supposed to do?

******

Devin had so many thoughts running through his head as he drove his Porsche 718 boxster like the speed of the light through the territory of wellspring. The wind blew rapidly through his hair, cooling his nerves but it also took his thoughts far, further than the woman beside him realised. He was there when the old king gave his verdict concerning a thirteen year old frightened child. Her parents had been killed and the people wanted her blood. They called her a lot of things, ranging from abomination to something else. But the witches didn’t simply want her blood. They wanted to use the child as an example, they wanted everyone to see what would happen when a law was broken and they wanted to see the kind of powers she would possess. They wanted her as a slave. He remembered how depressed their king had been then because of a verdict that had to be passed to a child. But he was already having issues, mistrusts and more with his people. One wrong move and they would demand for his head. So he gave the child away and washed his hand off what happened to the child just to please his people. A new king took over soon after and whatever happened to the child was no longer part of the demon’s business. He even forgot about that child and never thought that she died. It was a piece of information that the king would surely need.

“Hey…” something hit him hard on his shoulders and he snapped out of thoughts.

“Do you want to have me killed?” Adira, the king’s fiancée, snapped at him. He had been driving recklessly ever since and had been too deep into his thoughts. He grinned and paid attention on the road.

“It's not like you can die so easily…” he teased. They had been best of friends for the longest time and though she might be their queen soon, he still had the right to tease her before then. She glared harder at him and raised her hand to give him a punch.

“Hey..”

“Do you want to die?” he yelled and tilted his head to avoid her punch. It might just be a punch, but she was a warrior and a demon first and it always hurt badly. She scoffed at him and gave him another glare before she crossed her hand over her chest and relaxed into the seat.

“Do you really think that she is that powerful?” she questioned. During the meeting, she said absolutely nothing. Not because she did not have what to say but she had been bashed the last time she was in such a meeting. Things were different then, though. She was going to marry the king and no one knew about it then. Now, everyone knew and no one dared to throw her out. But she wanted to watch, to observe and that was exactly what she did.

“Well…” Devin sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair.

“People had died by her hand. Vincent, a strong vampire, Kane, the strongest of werewolves after his alpha and many more. I believe our foe is strong.”

“But she can’t be stronger than me.” He added and grinned at her. she glared at him and turned away.

“Yet you didn’t kill her or bring her in when you had the chance.” She bit out harshly and he smiled.

“I was on a date… how could I leave my girl behind to carry out an assignment that was not mine to begin with?”

“How about we go get her ourselves?” Adira’s eyes lit up and sparkled at the idea. Devin choked on that idea and began to cough harshly.

“Are you okay?” Adira became worried immediately. He gave her a nod and used one of his hands to close his mouth, as he coughed painfully and painfully and painfully and painfully. He just wasn’t stopping. Adira frowned and turned to him, yet he wasn’t having enough. After what seemed like minutes, he stopped, slowly and stole a wary glance at the woman beside him. Immediately, he met her scrutinising gaze, he looked away and began to cough again.

“Jerk…” she slapped the back of his head hard.

“Ouch…”

“I wonder how you ever got to head the king's warrior…” she crossed her hand over her chest again.

“What do you think she will do when she finally gets here?” she went on to ask. Something about that red hair made her feel very uneasy.

“If I were her, I would get revenge first.” Devin replied.

“But we don’t have to worry about that. The demons had nothing to do with whatever they had done to her. So she might come for the real culprits.” He added.

“How do you know that?”

“Morana and Lucious had been really scared about the thought of her return. Even Rolandas for the first time since I knew him did not feel amused. If they are that scared, then they truly damaged her and nothing speaks of destruction more than a damaged, overpowered angry woman.” He winked at her.