Chapter 13

The floor squeaked as Sam paced before the doors to the Demon King’s throne room. The new grey stone stood out from the painted brown ones, but most of the damage from the doorway had been repaired. They still had to paint the new stone to match the rest of the castle and cover the few lasting scars. Considering she’d been trying to kill Kale before; she was surprised she felt so comfortable here. The muted and warm colours provided a welcome touch to the violence in the world, like visiting home.

“I guess I should call him an orc.”

“Who are you talking to and why won’t you stop moving?” Hobbi looked up at Sam. His face was stuck in a permanent frown.

“Sorry. It’s a habit. I’ve been talking to myself for the last few days and I got used to it. Besides, I wanted to try out these new clothes.”

Sam was dressed in loose slacks and a blue blouse. The material was much better than anything in the human kingdoms, and it allowed for a wide range of movement. The best thing was the purple slippers. When she put them on, it was like her feet were floating on a cloud. Her old boots pinched and caused blisters to form just from looking at them. If they traded this material with the human realm, they could probably avoid any further war.

“I see. Lord Kale has asked that you meet him in the strategy room.”

“Not the throne room?” Sam pointed at the doors. She always met King Eon in the throne room and assumed Kale would do the same.

“No, he is getting ready to defend the realm from the human incursion and he doesn’t have time to meet here.” Hobbi directed Sam down a long hallway. “Besides, it’s rather drafty in there.”

Paintings of past Demon Kings lined the walls on either side. Each one was dressed in elaborate armour, holding a gruesome skull-shaped mask. They all held a regal pose and looked out as if they were the center of the world.

With each step, a loud squeak filled the hallway. It was getting annoying.

“I’ve been wondering, what’s with the noise in the floor? The black wood is nice, but it’s annoying.”

“That’s the cicada floor, and it isn’t noise, it’s music,” Hobbi huffed, walking faster.

“It isn’t music. It sounds like birds screeching,” Sam scoffed.

“It does not!” Hobbi grumbled. “It warns the people in the castle that someone is standing outside and doesn’t allow anyone to sneak up on the king unannounced. It’s also why we wear slippers inside. You ‘heroes’ caused so much damage to the throne room that it took weeks to repair. Coming inside with your boots on was unforgivable. The master carpenter cried for days when he saw the state the floors were in after you left.” Sam couldn’t see his face but she could hear the indignation in his voice.

“Umm, Sorry.”

“Humph!”

Hobbi was quiet until they reached the strategy room. Holding the door open, he ushered Sam inside.

The low buzz of conversation assaulted her. She couldn’t make out any of the words, but the tension was palpable. Maps spilled over every surface and covered the walls behind the men.

Kale stood in front of a large table with his arms crossed. He was surrounded by several other soldiers in armour, probably generals, looking at a map on the table. Women ran in and out of side doors, bringing messages to people outside the circle, adding to the noise.

He was a handsome man with larger tusks compared to the other soldiers in the room. There was something about him that caused Sam to blush.

Now is not the time for fantasies. She shook her head to get rid of the useless thoughts. She’d always found the men others thought of as ugly, a little more interesting.

“What’s the report on our forces? Will King Matu fight with us?” Kale turned to the man standing to the right of the table. He was wearing a red striped armour with a skull-like symbol on the front.

One of the top generals, I guess, even with the shorter tusks. She couldn’t see everything on the table, but based on the position of the pieces, it probably showed the location of the two armies.

“No,” the general said. “King Matu and the other Demon Lords have pulled back their forces and decided to enforce their borders.” He pointed to the main forces. “This hero leading them and rumours of the new weaponry the humans are using are causing some concern.” He turned to Kale and adjusted his shoulders. “In addition, they don’t trust your leadership. They have abandoned us.”

“I thought Matu would want us to destroy the weapons before they spread more than they have,” said Kale, frowning.

The other men around the table nodded, but Sam could see the worry etched in their faces. It was digging in deep and making them look more demonic than before.

Sam judged the rest of the men surrounding Kale trying to decide how she could get past them. All of them were dressed in simple leather armour, the same kind they had been wearing when she arrived. A few suits of armour that had a green trim around the edge. One orc had an elaborate devil’s mask on the front. She remembered fighting against a stronger metal-clad group.

She’d never heard about the new human weapons. King Eon must have kept that information a secret. Biting her lip, Sam stepped forward.

“Umm, Lord Kale?” She raised her hand to get his attention.

“What? Ah, yes. The human woman. Samantha Morningshire. One moment please.” Kale pointed to a table on the other side of the room.

Sam frowned. She bristled at the dismissal but knew she was the intruder here. Hobbi directed her to the table and he poured her a drink from the pot in the middle.

“Have some kava and wait.”

He handed her the steaming cup and Sam took a whiff of the pungent brew. She remembered something similar from her world but never tried it. Coffee was only available at the cafés and Lord Robert would never allow her to go there. There was too much radical thought in those places, he said. Not suitable for women at all. That attitude always brought up another fight. The smell was the same though, bringing up thoughts of home.

“Samantha, what seems to be the problem?” Kale said as he sat down across from her and scowled at Hobbi. “You’re crying. Is something paining you? I thought the poison was cleansed from your system.”

Hobbi scowled back at the king and poured him a cup of kava.

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Sam wiped her face and gave him a sad smile. “No, that’s not it. Thank you very much for saving my life, your Majesty. I was remembering the other world I came from, London. They had a similar drink there,” she said holding up the cup. “I wished I’d been able to try it.”

“What do you mean another world,” Kale asked raising his eyebrows.

“I was summoned here a year ago by King Eon, I think. Something happened when I touched Akira’s magic sword in the throne room it unlocked my memories. Some of them are still hazy but most are quite clear. I don’t remember any live orcs or goblins in my world. Our technology had moved beyond swords and armour. I remember that before I came here there was talk of building a flying machine, but so far, all the prototypes had crashed. Magic was regarded as fake and superstition. Why?”

Kale was silent as he sipped his drink. He glanced at Hobbi and put his drink down. “There is a secretive human prophecy proclaiming the Realmwalker will destroy their enemies. I’m not clear on the full details, or who the enemies mentioned in it are, but, if they believed it, that could explain why they are mobilizing now.”

“Destruction? No! I don’t want to kill anyone if I can help it. I know we attacked you, and I take full responsibility for that.” She was not going to make any excuses here or blame anyone else for her mistakes. “All I want to do now is get home. I believe that King Eon can send me there, but the portal is only at his castle. Maybe. I’m not sure.”

He put his drink down and faced Sam.

“Be that as it may, getting there might be a little difficult, at the moment.” He took a deep breath, held his shoulders back and said, “Samantha Morningshire, in our last meeting you promised a truce, to bring justice for the people of this land. You asked for and were granted clemency for your attack on our castle. In return, you would present the demands of the Demon Realm to the human king. We would then discuss the terms of peace. Have you succeeded?” Kale's face was a stone mask.

He had taken a big chance in their last meeting. Sam could see the results of his decision now and lowered her head in shame to hide her anger. He knew she had failed from the moment she returned. This was usually where she would punch someone to get her point across. Recently even that tactic had failed. Pushing the anger aside, she raised her head.

“No. I failed in everything. My team leader stabbed me and tried to kill me. I drove away my only ally, and spent the last few weeks talking to a phantasm from my home who only called me a gorilla.”

Kale raised an eyebrow. “What’s a gorilla?”

“It’s an animal that lives in the rainforest in my world. Explorers said they were ferocious beasts that push through any obstacle regardless of the damage they cause.” Sam trailed off and felt her face turn red. “I’m rambling. It’s not important,” she said, waving her hand as she took another sip of her kava. She winced as the bitter taste started to grow on her.

“I see.” Kale was silent.

“This is all my fault,” Sam said, putting down her cup. “If my team hadn’t attacked your castle, none of this would have happened.”

“Maybe. Tension has been building between the two kingdoms for years. There is something you humans want in our land. Something they need. I have a strong idea of what it is they are looking for, but no clue as to why it’s important. That is what’s driving this war. Not your attack.”

“But if we hadn’t attacked, you would still have your support. I heard what was happening and I feel responsible for that,” Sam looked at Kale in his eyes and placed her hand over her heart. “I wish to help you defend this land.”

Kale just chuckled.

“What? You don’t think I’m strong enough?” Sam crushed the kava cup on the table into pieces when she slapped the table as she stood up. She wasn’t going to let anyone get away with disrespecting her. The anger she’d pushed aside came roaring back.

Kale took another sip of his kava, his expression unchanged. “How’s your hand? Do you need Healer to look at it?”

Sam glanced at her right hand. Little bits of cup stuck to it but nothing serious. She grimaced, sat down and plucked them out. “Serves me right.”

Hobbi handed her a cloth to wrap it.

“I know you’re strong, more than anyone in this room. I still have the injuries from our battle to prove it. It pains me to say this. At that time, if you had continued your attack, you probably would have defeated me. Letting you go was as much about saving my life as it was hoping for peace.”

Sam sat there with her mouth open. From everything she had seen the orcs were a proud, warrior people. To admit weakness in front of her like this must have cost him something.

Kale stood up.

“No,” he said. “Up until recently, you thought of us as evil demons. Can you truly say you will help defend a land and a people you recently considered enemies? Against your own kind?”

Sam stared at the floor, biting her lip.

“I trusted you once, Samantha Morningshire. I don’t know if I can afford to do it again.” Kale turned away and headed back to the generals.

“Hobbi,” he said. “Please escort Samantha back to her rooms. If she has nothing else to say, I have a strategy meeting to finish.” He turned and went back to the group.

“Who is leading the human army?” Sam asked before Kale went any further.

Kale turned back to her and gestured to Hobbi to wait. “Our reports say that the Hero Akira is the one in command. I put little stock in that. He is probably just a figurehead for the soldiers to follow. There will be other generals we need to focus on. Why?”

“I’ll show you.” Sam moved to the strategy table and stopped. “If that’s okay with you?” She didn’t want to stick her nose in where it wasn’t needed.

Kale nodded his head and waited.

“Are these red ones your men?” She asked him.

“Yes. The humans are the green pieces over here,” Kale responded. “Do you have a strategy to propose?”

“If Akira is the one leading, he has trained with the best tacticians in the human land. He’s an arrogant dick, but he’s smart. When I was with him, he could often outthink the people facing us by using the land and weaknesses of the enemy. He’s not a figurehead, at least not the way you think.”

“I see.” Kale showed her the black pieces. “These are our sorcerers. They will be held in reserve to provide backup and to block any magical attempt by your army. It is not considered honourable to have them at the forefront. They will also provide support and healing to my soldiers. After the last time, I was able to use the mana potion I obtained from your archer to create my own. It’s not quite the same. Human potions don’t have the same effect on demons. However, I hope to replenish my mages’ strength, if they need it. That said, the combination of spells your mage used almost destroyed me. It will be difficult to defend against. Where did you get it?”

Sam didn’t want to remember that one. “It was an ancient spell we found in the old kingdom of Sywind. It was in a treasure chamber guarded by the last defender who was willing to destroy everything if he was attacked.”

“Okay. How did you get it?” Kale asked again. “Is there a counter to it?”

Ignoring the questions, Sam continued, “Well we couldn’t attack him and his position was too secure so we tried to sneak our way around. When that didn’t work Akira went up and negotiated with him.”

“And…” Kale waited.

“That’s my business.” She’d done many things since she came to this land, but that was the most embarrassing. The trauma from what she had to do with that man still sent shivers down her back. Sam pushed it out of her mind and focused on the map.

“I will respect your decision,” Kale nodded.

“In any case, Mel still has that spell and she can probably use it on your troops. I wouldn’t keep your sorcerers in the background. They need to be ready at a moment’s notice.”

“Thank you for your advice and the information. If that’s all Samantha Morningshire, then please step back.” Kale waved his hand to the side.

“Call me Samantha, or better yet, Sam.” She locked eyes with Kale refusing to back down and just go meekly to her room. Anger got her dismissed. Respect may get her more. There was no way she was going to allow another to fix her mess. “Akira probably hates me. Not only did I steal his victory but I shattered his sword. When I picked it up, the song that thing played in my head was haunting and insidious. It wormed its way in, unlocking my secrets and I can still remember it. He had that sword for years and it owned him. I can draw Akira out. Make him face me and give you a chance to take his men.”

Kale stared at Sam with his hand on his chin. She knew he didn’t want to admit it, but the idea was sound.

Before he could answer, the door to the strategy room burst open and a ghost-like shadow floated in.

“Sire, report we have. A human, we have captured. Collapsed, before he could move deeper, he did. Healer now, with him is.”

“Thank you. I will have him questioned at once.” Kale dismissed the shadow ghost.

“Yes sir. But asked to speak with the Blond Demon, he did,” the shadow soldier continued.

Sam pushed her way past Kale and shoved her face directly in front of the ghost-like shadow. The black apparition seemed to turn a paler colour and floated back. “He did? Did he have a name?”

“No, wearing black he was. Appearing from the shadows, he did. Setting off alarms and a frenzy among my kind, he has.”

Sam knew who this was. She turned to Kale. “Your Highness, I have to go see him. Thank you for everything. I will be back to hear your decision after I’m finished with Ayasse.” She bowed and left everyone in the room behind her speechless as she stalked to the doctor’s quarters, her steps filling the corridors with music.