The sparsely furnished room before Ayperos held nothing more than a large table surrounded by chairs and a white screen hanging from the ceiling. Nevertheless, the room did harbor something of great importance: A large window overlooking the city, with a clear view of Adramelech's castle. “Alright, Kesh, I’m going to have to set you down for a bit.” He gently laid Keshiema on the meeting table, then placed his hand against the tempered glass. Concentrating his aura around his fist, he punched the glass, shattering it into fine dust.

  The office door swung open, and demon soldiers flooded the room. Before Ayperos could get to Keshiema, one of the soldiers fired a crossbow, embedding an arrow into one of his wings. By the lightning shock of pain, he knew the arrow had a sunstone tip, so he tore it from his wing, hoping to limit his exposure to the poisonous mineral.

  The Fire-Daemon from the stairwell picked up keshiema as the other soldiers aimed their crossbows at Ayperos. “Hold your fire!” Seeing her wound, starting to bleed again, he grimaced. "She's bleeding," he mumbled, "and cold..." He focused his aura to keep her warm. Keshiema knew she was in the arms of an enemy, but the warmth was comforting. Her star returned, ever so faintly, and the bleeding slowed.

  Ayperos's dark aura radiated around him. “Moloch! You dare attack a member of the royal court? Stolas will have you crucified for such treason.”

  “My apologies, Prince Ayperos,” Moloch spoke his name as though it tasted terrible, “but the king as ordered this girl be delivered to the castle. He has reason to believe this demon is a threat to the crown." When her body temperature rose, Moloch stopped using his aura. Her star vanished again, and the icy chill returned instantly. Keshiema clutched at his blazer, trying desperately to obtain that warmth. Relenting, Moloch once again used his aura to soothe her. You and Ipos are free to go, but I will be taking the girl.”

  ***

  Beelzebub raced forward. A small knot formed in the pit of his stomach as the lights in the old tower shut off. Flashing red lights dimly glowed through the tinted windows. Looking for a way in other than the main entrance, he circled the building. As he approached the southern face, a window shattered several stories below him.

  Sensing Ayperos’s aura, he flew to the window. As he neared, he heard someone shouting to hold fire. Clinging to the window below, Beelzebub listened, assessing the situation. “You and Ipos are free to go, but I will be taking the girl.”

  Beelzebub flew into the room before Ayperos could react recklessly. “Soldier, stand down! You will not take this child. She is under the protection of the Academy; thus, her life falls under our jurisdiction.”

  After a long, assessing stare, Moloch set Keshiema back on the table. She whimpered as the warmth of his aura faded away. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Prince Beelzebub.” Taking a step back, he raised his fist, signaling his soldiers to lower their weapons. “Let’s go, team, the outcome is as Botis said it would be.”

  When the guards left the room, Ayperos and Beelzebub rushed to Keshiema's side. “Ayperos, let me take her. You’re injured and flying will be difficult enough without the burden of a passenger.”

  “Thank you, brother.” Ayperos stepped aside to give Beelzebub room to lift Keshiema. He stopped as Keshiema lightly tugged on his coat.

  Finding a connection to Ayperos, she sent him a telepathic message. “Take my necklace. It should help you.” she drifted in and out of consciousness, making arguing with her difficult. Her pulse was faint, and he wished he had more energy to spare.

  Taking the necklace, he gently patted her head. “Thanks, Kesh. I’ll give it back when we get home.”

  Beelzebub gestured to the broken window. “Go ahead of me, Brother, so I will know if you fall." As Ayperos turned around, Beelzebub took the discarded sunstone arrow and cut through Ayperos's already injured wing, then shoved the arrow into his back, breaking off the end. Ipos flew up, trying to claw at Beelzebub's face. Beelzebub smacked the raven out of the air. After hitting the wall with a loud thump, he fell to the floor.

  Ayperos stood up, barely having the strength to draw his sword. Beelzebub kicked Ayperos in the stomach and, using the hilt of his dagger, knocked his brother unconscious. "Please forgive me, I had no choice." Picking Keshiema up, he flew towards the King's castle.

  ***

  Smiling, Tobias went into the classroom as Penny summoned the children. As soon as each student walked through the classroom door and spotted Tobias standing by the chalkboard, they quieted lingering conversations and obediently took their seats. “Good morning, children.”

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  “Good Morning, Mr. Tobias.” The children spoke in unison, smiles radiating from most of their faces.

  “Miss Penny kindly asked if I could come read you a story today.” He looked around the room, taking in each child's face and committing it to memory. “But I think I’d rather just answer any questions you might have about the outside world.” The children went wide-eyed with shock before erupting in loudly whispered conversations. All at once, the talking ceased, and hands started shooting up.

  “Is this a good idea, sir? “ Penny interrupted quietly. “I thought you forbade this subject.”

  “Times are changing, Miss Penny, and the rules must change with them.” Looking back at the children, Tobias pointed at a young girl. “Yes, you with the pig tails.”

  “Start by introducing yourself, then ask your question.” Penny sweetly instructed the small child, guiding her through the process of having an important guest.

  “Um, my name is Ginger, and I, um, I was wondering. Are there really monsters outside the village? Mommy says I shouldn’t go into the woods because a monster might try to take me away.”

  “Ginger, to answer, yes, there are monsters.” The girl looked frightened by the answer. “But to clarify, that is not all there is. There are also warriors, trained to protect you. There are even people who are fighting every day to get rid of the dangerous monsters.” The girl seemed satisfied with his answer, so he moved on, pointing to a boy slightly older than the others.

  “My name is Trey. I’ve heard rumors there are humans living in Denim. Why do they stay?” The boy's deep brown eyes showed a bold defiance.

  “Fear, mostly. Most of the monsters living in Denim keep a tight hold on the humans that reside there. Attempting to flee results in painful death more often than not. Any life can sometimes be more appealing than no life at all.” Tobias felt the weight of his answer settling on the boy’s shoulders. He intended to answer these children’s questions as truthfully as possible. As the boy settled, Tobias called another child.

  “My name is Co, and I want to know if there are nice monsters too. I knew a bad human once. He tried to hurt my mom and me. So if there are bad humans, can there be good monsters?”

  Stunned by the child's perceptive nature, Tobias took a moment to answer. The children stared, sitting at the edge of their seats, waiting for the answer. Penny also looked at him impatiently. “Yes.” A loud thump on the window startled everyone. Tobias cautiously approached the window. Finding a dark lump lying on the outside sill.

  “What is it, Tobias?” Penny looked over his shoulder curiously.

  Opening the window, Tobias carefully picked up the downed creature. “It’s a bat.”

  “Can we eat it?” one of the students called out loudly.

  “No, they are forbidden.” Tobias looked at Penny, obviously annoyed. After examining the small bat, Tobias cradled it in his arms. “Perhaps today’s lesson can be about the Forbidden Foods?”

  Penny shot the annoyed look right back at him. “What a wonderful idea. Children, say goodbye to Mr. Tobias!”

  “Goodbye, Mr. Tobias!” The whole class waved and smiled as he thanked them and walked out.

  Waiving down a patrolling guard, Tobias commanded him to gather every soldier he could find for an emergency war meeting. “We will meet in the Town Hall in twenty minutes.” With a respectful salute, the soldier ran off to find his comrades.

  ***

  A soft glow emanated from a distant doorway, just bright enough to give shape to the bars making up the far wall. Faint buzzing filled the air, like flies hovering around a too-full trash bin. The stale air reeked of old blood and rotting flesh and moisture coated the stone walls.

  Beelzebub hated himself as he set Keshiema down on the raised concrete slab. Placing his hand over hers, he willed some of his aura to go to her. As he left the cell, slamming the bars closed behind him, he prayed the loaned energy would be enough for her to heal.

  Fearing his father's temper, Beelzebub hurried to the throne room. Soldiers stood guard in every shadow within the dark hallways. He nervously chewed on his cheek, making sure to keep his head up as he walked. Unless commanded, the soldiers would not dare to attack him. At the moment, he had done nothing to warrant that command. Seeing the doorway held ajar by a large Orc-Daemon, Beelzebub cautiously entered the throne room. Reaching the center of the room, he bowed deeply. “I have delivered the Hell-Child, as you asked Father.”

  Adramelech smiled as he stood from his large throne. “Thank you, my son. I expected nothing less of a Horseman.”

  “Then you shall keep your promise? My wife and her child are safe?” He held his breath as he waited for the answer.

  Adramelech paced the room, stroking his goatee in deep contemplation. Each tapping of his hooves sent a ringing through Beelzebub’s ears and a tremble down his spine. “That all depends.” Beelzebub’s heart sank at the words. “What have my children been hiding from me, while working with the sons of those treacherous fallen kings?” Adramelech stopped pacing and loudly stomped a hoof. “Botis!”

  “Yes, My Lord?” The feeble old demon stood from his throne-side mat and hobbled his way to the king.

  “Take down Beelzebub’s mental wall.”

  “Sir, if I remove the blockade to his mind, I won’t be able to put up another, the secrets he holds are not few. Many of them could be your downfall."

  “Did I stutter, old man?” Adramelech yelled viciously. “Remove his wall!”

  Beelzebub swallowed the lump in his throat as the old demon placed a shaking, wrinkled hand on his forehead. “Tesk bare joy shibata, orpha quire ro abbetta. Tesk bare joy cryssta, orpha quire fret bar. Tesk bare joy wara, I orpha quire greave band.”

  Pain filled Beelzebub’s mind as a searing white light consumed his vision. When the light faded, he felt dizzy and faint. “That gives 'light-headed' a new meaning.” He joked, trying to hide his nervousness.

  “Reveal all memories he has concerning the Hell-Child.”

  “I will need his Sigil painted on the floor in fresh blood.” Botis spoke calmly, as if the request was like adding to a shopping list. “I’ll also need some hair from the subject. A copper piece engraved with his sigil would be helpful, but not necessary. I recommend having the Solomon Circle cleaned before we paint the sigil.”

  “Guards, have this done immediately!” The guards around the room quickly scattered. “In the meantime,” Adramelech grabbed his son by the hair and lifted him to face level, “you’ll have to be kept close by.”

  Tesk bare joy shibata, orpha quire ro abbetta. Tesk bare joy cryssta, orpha quire fret bar. Tesk bare joy wara, I orpha quire greave band. = What once was sealed shall now be opened, what once was protected shall now lay bare. What once was given, I shall now take away.

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