Rosa opened her eyes to find herself in a small, dirty, empty room. Or perhaps, it was supposed to be a storage shack. It was hard to tell in the complete dark. Her hands were tied with a heavy rope, and her mind was muddled as if she were drunk.

What happened?

Her thoughts were heavy and her vision blurred as she forced herself upright.

I feel like I will barf.

She took a moment to steady herself, and her nausea passed. She took another look around the shack, and saw a heavy metallic door block the way out. Nevermind the key, she wouldn't even be able to open a door that heavy. Rosa also noticed that the pendant that always hung around her neck was missing.

Azrael will be so mad. But I can't worry about him now, I need to get out of here.

Rosa tried to turn one with the darkness, but then realized that she was unable to do so. She wriggled in her bonds and tried again. Nothing. She was still in her fleshy form.

Why can't I turn into a shadow? Did they feed me something? Or is it because of these weird bonds?

At that moment, the heavy metal door swung open with a loud creak, and two cloaked figures walked inside. One was a tall demon man with an ugly, almost pig-like face. He had no hair and his ears also looked like that of a pig. The other was a slender woman with long, thin arms and legs. Her face was somewhat elongated and she had two sets of eyes. Both lesser demons no doubt.

"She's already awake? You didn't give her enough serum!" the woman smacked the man on his arm who seemed completely unbothered by the gesture.

"I gave her the whole bottle. The stuff is meant for lesser demons – this one's a pureblood," he grumbled in response.

"But she's a child!"

"Pureblood is pureblood. Not like it changes anything now that she's awake," the man shrugged and lumbered closer to Rosa.

"Stay back!" she hissed at him. The man laughed in response.

"Oh, look! This one is feisty. Most children just cry for their mommy. Then again, you don't have a mommy to cry after, do you?" the demon nearly doubled over from laughter, an occasional pigly snort escaping from his nose.

"And your daddy is far, far away and can't help you either," the woman cackled, her laugh resembling that of a hyena.

They think they're so clever. It's seriously pathetic. I should just call Azrael and get this thing over with.

Rosa took a breath and was about to call out, when the pig demon closed the distance between them in a single stride, and clamped his large hand over her mouth. She nearly gagged from the nasty smell that came from him.

"Don't you even think about shouting for your guardian. One wrong move and I'll snap your head clean off your shoulders," he hissed, and then put a dirty gag in Rosa's mouth. She tried desperately to spit the nasty thing out, but it was too large.

Gross, gross, gross. I'll get a stomach ache from this vile thing.

"Let's just get her to the designated point before we're found," the spindly woman hissed. The man unceremoniously threw Rosa over his shoulder, and lumbered out of the shack.

Good Gods, would it kill you to take a shower? You smell like you rolled in a cow patty.

They exited into a dark and narrow alleyway, similar to the one where Azrael went through before. The two thugs made sure to avoid any lights, and scurried from one street to the next with surprising agility.

But despite the seemingly horrid situation, Rosa did not feel scared. Alright, it wasn't fully true. She was scared of the horrid smell the pig demon produced, and feared it might permanently ruin her sense of smell.

I have to get away from these two somehow. If only I could remove the gag and call for Azrael, then the problem would be solved within seconds. But it's just too large. I'd need my hands to pull it out. But the rope seems to be made from metal. There's no way I can get it off.

Rosa tried to turn into a shadow again, but it still didn't work although the nasty smell had completely sobered her up.

There must be something I can do… Wait…

She couldn't turn into a shadow, but perhaps she could turn into something or somebody else. Maybe the thugs only countered her shadow ability, not her ability to shape-shift. Rosa closed her eyes, and imagined herself turning into Alphegor. She opened them, and saw that nothing had changed.

Alright, so all of my magic is blocked… Great. I need to figure out a way to call for Azrael then.

The demons stopped in the middle of a dingy street and then knocked on the wall of a building in a sort of an odd pattern. It was dead silent for a moment, and then a small opening appeared in the wall and grew larger and larger until it formed into a sizable entryway.

The pigly demon slipped inside, nearly knocking Rosa's head against the entrance, and the spindly woman followed close behind.

"Hey, careful with the merchandise, you oaf! He won't pay us nearly as much if she's damaged," the woman snapped.

"Calm down. She's fine, isn't she?"

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Just make sure she stays fine. Now put on your mask," the woman commanded and secured a white fox mask to her face. The pig demon struggled to pull out his mask from the pocket with one hand, and then fumbled several times before he secured a red wolf mask to his face. It didn't match his pig-like physique at all.

Taking a last glance at each other to make sure that their masks were secure, the two demons opened the door at the end of a dark corridor, and entered into what could only be described as a palace. A dark red and gold carpet lined the floor, walls had an exquisite purple and gold wallpaper and the chandeliers had jewels hanging down and clattering gently against each other.

A stately demon with a gold mask gently inclined his head towards the two kidnappers.

"Welcome. You've come to sell today?" he asked, throwing a short glance towards Rosa.

"Yes. We're here to meet Phantom," the woman answered.

"Follow me," the demon with the gold mask said, and began walking along the ornate corridor.

Despite being slung over a smelly demon's shoulder Rosa couldn't help but be amazed at how rich everything was. There were even paintings on the wall, displayed with utmost care as if in a museum. But something about these paintings struck Rosa the wrong way.

Most of them depicted a person of some sort, usually a child. They were drawn dressed in beautiful clothes that perfectly matched this extravagant place. However, their faces looked tormented, pitiful and often on the verge of tears. Their hair was also disheveled most of the time, and there were bruises and dirt on their skin.

Are these demons – slaves?

"Please, wait for a moment," the demon with the golden mask stopped in front of a large silver and gold door that had a dragon carved on each side. Rosa tried to peer inside the room when the demon slipped inside, but he was so fast, she couldn't catch anything.

The pig demon shifted his weight from one leg to another, while the woman tapped her foot nervously.

"He better not go back on the deal…" the man snorted out in a rather loud voice.

"He might if you keep shouting like that!" the woman elbowed him, then glanced at Rosa. "Can't you remove that nasty thing from her mouth. It ruins the image."

Yes, please, do remove it!

"Do you want Azrael to come and burn this whole place down?"

"I doubt he could enter here. But I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry. I just wish you could have picked out something a bit better. It might lower her price."

"It's the girl he cares about, not the damn rag."

The stately demon exited from the room, and kept the door wide open for the kidnappers.

"Phantom will see you now."

The demons shuffled nervously for a bit, then strode inside. Rosa's eyes went wide from shock. The walls of the room were carved from alabaster and shaped into a painting of a luscious garden. But instead of paint, jewels were used in a variety of colors and patterns. The floors were lined with a carpet that shone just like gold.

And the treasures within the room… Rosa wasn't even sure how to describe them all. There were display cabinets lined at the end wall that had ornate jewelry, vases and what could only be described as mystical artifacts. There were delicately carved statues and even a giant, jewel encrusted harp.

And in the very center of this treasure trove, on a giant gold chair, no, rather it would be better to describe it as a throne, sat a demon of formidable stature who wore a black mask that covered his entire face. His black hair was combed back while his large horns curved to the sides, making him appear even more intimidating.

How can he see anything if his eyes are covered by the mask? Or are the eye slits hidden somehow?

"H-Hello! It is a great honor to meet you, Phantom, sir," the spindly demon mumbled and bowed her head low.

"A very big honor," the pigly demon followed with Rosa still on his shoulder. She was forced to stare at the gold carpet for a moment, before the demon rose again.

"Have you brought her?" Phantom asked in an ice cold voice, his tail flicking once as he tapped the armrest of his throne.

"Yes! We followed your instructions and brought you the Crown princess," the pig demon replied, and lowered Rosa to ground, depositing her in front of the black masked man like an offering.

The moment his hands had let go of her, he shrieked and Rosa looked back to see that one of his ears had a hole in it, blood pouring out of the wound down to the demon's face.

"She's worth more than this whole city and you treat her like some common slave? What is that disgusting thing in her mouth?" Phantom's voice reverberated through the whole room, and some of the treasures began to tremble from its intensity. Both demons fell to the floor, groveling at his feet.

"I am so sorry, Phantom, sir! She was about to call for her guardian. We just grabbed the first thing we had to shut her up," the woman had her head pressed to the floor as she explained. The pigly demon was clutching his ear, also bowing low, but not quite as low as her.

Phantom remained silent for a moment, and Rosa had a feeling he was assessing her condition. But it was hard to tell with the mask covering his face.

"Very well. I'll forgive you this time," Phantom slowly stood up from his chair and went up to Rosa. He crouched down in front of her, and then pulled the dirty rag out of her mouth, incinerating the nasty cloth right after.

Rosa knew that she should have screamed for Azrael right then and there, but the man's presence was so overwhelming that she barely had the mind to even breathe.

"Pretty little Princess. Not sure if I want to sell a treasure such as you," his voice purred, and a shiver ran through her spine. She took a deep breath to scream, but her mouth was forced shut and she was unable to open it. "Bad girl! We wouldn't want to cause a scene by calling your guardian, would we now?"

"Um… how about… our payment?" the spindly demon woman dared to bring her head up from the carpet, looking at Phantom with eyes filled with greed. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and then snapped his fingers. The stately demon pulled a bag filled with what sounded like coins, and threw it in front of two thieves.

They both lunged towards it, grabbing and trying to push each other out of the way. When the woman finally managed to open the bag, her face fell and she glared at Phantom, "This is less than what we agreed on."

"The state you brought her in, you should be happy that you're getting paid at all. I'm sure that the necklace you stole from her will more than make up for what's missing," Phantom said in a cold voice, and then waved his hand at them. "Now begone!"

"Hey, now! We risked our lives to get this little brat. You will pay us the full price!" the pig demon lumbered towards Phantom.

Rosa watched in horror, as he threw a blue fireball at the kidnapper, incinerating him where he stood. A few seconds later, there was nothing left but a tiny pile of ash.

"This is plenty, Your Graciousness! The fool just never understood the true value of money… OH, please spare me!" the woman fell to the floor, hitting her head against it as she begged for her life.

"Begone!" Phantom repeated, and before he could even finish the word, the woman had grabbed the bag of coins and scurried out like a cockroach.

"Of course! Thank you!"

"Useless drivel," Phantom spat, then snapped his fingers again. "Clean this up, Bas."

"At once, My Lord," the golden-masked demon bowed, and then produced water from his fingertips. The water swirled around the ash and blood stains that were etched into the carpet, and a few moments later it was completely spotless. As if the pig demon had never even existed in the first place.

"Now then, what shall I do with you, my dearest?" Phantom drawled out in a sweet voice, and removed the mask from his face.