Devil Ash Days (Devil Ash Saga) (30 page)

The Prince smiled. Goddard knew ex
actly what he’d wanted to hear.

“
You’ve heard about the legendary ‘Hand of God’, yes?”

“Of course, but it’s just a story,” The Prince said. “Don’t tell me all that we’ve done has been because of a fable!”

“It’s no fable, My Prince,” Goddard said. “I finally found him.
We
found him. Ash Kaplan is that boy. And
we
have him; not the angels!”

“And once the boy reaches his full potential? What then?” The Prince
asked, lowering his blade at last.

“Then, we use him to take the Earth for ourselves,” Goddard said. “And once the Earth belongs to
your father
, you may do with the boy as you please.”

The Prince’s wicked smile grew, and so did his murderous intentions.

Chapter Twenty-Five: The After-Party

With the instruction of gathering everyone he knew for a party that night, Ash set out to gather ‘everyone he knew’. He arrived at Gio’s just as the tailor was closing up shop. Gio greeted him eagerly and ushered him inside. He’d heard about the day’s exciting events, and asked the boy all about it. Ash felt silly relating the story, and how he’d in essence saved the
Kingdom.

When Gio asked about the suit coat he’d given him, Ash sheepishly admitted it was destroyed in the fight. He thought Gio would be angry,
but instead he appeared pensive and retreated to the rear of the store. When he came back, he was holding the black peacoat Ash had taken a liking to before.

“For you!” he
said, thrusting it forward at Ash. He didn’t know what to say, so he thanked Gio and quickly put it on. It was a perfect fit. Ash invited him to the party, which he graciously accepted. Gio told him he’d finish closing the shop and meet him there.

Ash arrived back at their flat before Aura, who seemed to be exhausted again. The death-toucher returned carrying a large sack that clanked loudly, which he carefully set down on the floor next to the door.

“Cool coat,” he said, complimenting Ash’s new jacket. “What’s all this?” he asked, referring to the open space Ash had cleared for their party by pushing the beds out of the way.

“I made room for all the girls,” Ash replied. “Where are all the girls?” he asked, noticing the distinct lack of anyone feminine.

“The girls…” Aura th
ought back to the hours prior to his return home. Embarrassing, dreadful hours that Aura would never speak of again. He never thought he would see the day when every single girl in South Hell openly laughed in his face and mocked him for losing a fight, and having to be saved by Lady Shiva. It was his own personal nightmare come true. His reputation was falling apart. Try as he did to coax them, not a single girl would come to their party after hearing how easily Aura was tossed aside by Apsat. To make matters worse, Apsat was known for being a pathetic weakling. The part where he had gained super-powers seemed to have been left out. 

“Forget the girls!”
Aura said. “Tonight is about male bonding over our first successful mission!”

“Alright, sounds good!” Ash said. There was a knocking on the door, and when Aura went to open it he was surprised to see Gio the tailor, but even more surprised at the vivacious beauty he had yet to meet: Yazma Bethilda.

“Well
hello
!” Aura said, eyeing the woman from head-to-toe and instantly forgetting the words he’d said only moments ago about male bonding. Yazma moved past Aura and acknowledged Ash instead.

“Good evening, Ash,” she said
with a cheerful smile.

“Yazma! What
’s up?”

“I ran into Gio
on his way here. He mentioned you were having a party, I hope it’s alright that I tagged along.”

“Not a problem at all!” Aura
said. “I’m Aura, by the way. Aura Draxler. I’m kind of famous.” He offered his hand, which she hesitantly accepted. When he tried pulling her hand towards his mouth to kiss it, she shook abruptly and pulled her hand back.

So much for male bonding
, Ash thought.

“Gio told me all about what happened today,” she
said. Aura and Ash both turned red in the face. “I brought you a gift.” The woman reached into her handbag and pulled out a pair of gloves. She handed them to Ash, and he inspected the presents with glee. They were black, fingerless gloves that were made of durable leather. “I heard you finally mastered your flame,” she said. “These gloves are to protect your hands from scorch marks, which sometimes occur when we use our flames too often.”

“Th
anks a lot, I’m really grateful.” Ash smiled. With the coat and gloves, he felt like his wardrobe was complete. He put them both on, and did not remove either for the rest of the night.

“Let’s get this party started!” Aura tore open the large bag he had brought in, and pulled out a few bottles of
booze, passing them around the room. They each popped their own bottle open, toasted, and drank. When Yazma asked to hear what had happened that day, Aura just
had
to tell his side of the story (which ended up being full of lies, fabrications, and exaggerations but was a good deal more entertaining than the real story).

“So there we were – Ash and me (for in his version, he played a
key role
in helping Ash defeat Apsat) – the only ones standing between this hideous monster and total destruction of the entire Kingdom!” There was no telling the heights of which this story could reach, but unfortunately it would never be told. At that moment Shiva pushed her way through the door. She examined the situation; the four of them sitting on the floor surrounded by empty bottles of liquor.

“Evening Gio, Yazma,” she said in the most polite tone she could muster. She was having a difficult time keeping her politeness in a room that currently housed her three least favorite things: alcohol, parties, and the combination of Ash and Aura. Gio sprang to his feet and shot a hand forward to shake hers. Ash had to hand it to Gio: he was good at enthusiastic greetings.

“It is so nice to see you again, Lady Shiva! You must be so proud of your team!” Shiva said nothing, but offered a weak smile that wasn’t at all convincing. “Come and sit with us!” Gio pulled her down to the floor where she sat between him and Yazma. She didn’t say or drink anything, even when handed an unopened bottle. Aura tried to resume his story from where he left off, but every time he exaggerated something Shiva corrected him with a clearing of her throat and the interjection: “
Actually…
” Aura finally tired of her butting in and quit the story, saying “you all know how it ended.”

Now at an awkward moment in the evening, Ash and company grew fidgety. Ash pulled his flame-wing pin from his pocket and attached it to the lapel of his new coat. Glancing around at the three of them, Gio noticed the
ir team emblem: Ash’s, pinned to his peacoat. Aura’s, replacing the button on the neck of his jacket. Shiva had modified hers into a hairpin, which she stuck in her hair. Gio took interest in the unique symbol.

“My friends, what is this emblem you all wear?” He pointed with his bottle towards Ash’s pin.

“Oh, that’s our team symbol,” Ash said, glad that someone finally spoke.

“It’s very stylish!”

“Oh, thanks. I think Goddard made it up.”

“Actually, he found it in a book,” Shiva
said. “I remember seeing it before, too.”

“It’s very fi
tting for all of you!” Gio said. “It gives me an excellent idea for a new fashion line!” He sounded excited, more so than usual. He dazed out for the next few minutes while Aura excused himself to the bathroom to fix his hair. He was certain that Yazma wasn’t into him because of his
hair.
The crowd remained silent, until Yazma spoke up.

“Ash, shouldn’t yo
u thank Lady Shiva for coming?”

“Oh, yeah,” Ash
said, surprised. “Thanks for coming,” he told Shiva.

“I don’t
want
to be here. I’m only following orders,” she replied. Gio cracked a smile, but they were pretty sure he was still thinking about his fashion line.

“Well, even if that’s the case, we’re glad to have you here,” Yazma told her. “Aren’t we, Ash?”

“Yeah… totally,” Ash muttered.

“
Why
?” Shiva asked. “It’s not like I’m any fun to be around.”

This time
Yazma did not respond. She merely gave Ash a silent glance that said, “
Well, tell her!
”

“Well, because you’re
our friend. We
want
to hang out with you, believe it or not.”

“Again with the ‘friend’ talk? I don’t know where you got that idea, but I am most certainly
not
your friend.”

“Well you showed me around and took care of me, and
most importantly made sure that I didn’t die. So I think of you as a friend,” Ash said. Yazma cracked a smile. Shiva attempted to argue back, but Aura returned from the bathroom and loudly interrupted them.

“Okay Shiva, why don’t you have a drink?” he said, deciding that perhaps now was the proper time to try his patented peer pressure technique that had worked on so many other girls.

“Absolutely not,” Shiva told him. “Drinking alcohol dulls your senses and significantly weakens you. I would never voluntarily put myself in danger like that.”

“Danger? What danger
?” Aura asked. “It’s a party!”

“My friends,” Gio
said, “I’m afraid I’ve been so engrossed in inspiration, I haven’t been able to properly concentrate on our party.” As if there was any sort of party going on that required any amount of concentration.

Gio stood. “Admittedly, my mind is more focused on my work.
I must leave at once and begin designing some stylish new clothes for you all.”

“I suppose I should take off as well,” Yazma
said, much to the dismay of Aura. “I think it’d be good for the team to have a night to themselves, wouldn’t you agree Gio?” As they made their way to the door, Gio turned around and offered a final thought.

“Lady Shiva, if I may offer one piece of advice…” Shiva raised an eyebrow. “Your friends wish only to spend the evening in your company. Perhaps it
wouldn’t
be the worst thing in the world if you simply allowed yourself to enjoy one night with the people who actually desire your companionship. Just a thought.” With a wink from Yazma, the two disappeared through the door, leaving behind one awkward group of devil youths.

The three of them sat there uncomfortably for a few minutes in silence. Finally, Shiva couldn’t take it any longer and submitted to the pressures of
fun
. She broke the silence and said “Oh fine, give me one of those.” They handed her a bottle. “I will partake in…
partying…
just this once. This
will not
become a habit for us, though.” Ash and Aura nodded silently, although they were both thinking the opposite.

Shiva raised her bottle, and the two boys did as well. “To the success of our first mission, and my first-ever drink.” They toasted, and the mood lightened significantly.

They sat and drank and talked and laughed for hours. Everyone recalled what was going through their heads during the fight with Apsat, and gave their thoughts and perspectives on the entire mission. It was the general consensus that they all thought they were dead. Shiva and Aura thanked Ash (indirectly, of course) for saving their lives. Aura confided in his new friends the secrets of his death-touching hand. Turns out, it only worked on demons and, though Aura had never tested it on humans, was led to believe it would also work on them. After all, that’s originally what the death-touchers were created for.

Ash accidentally spilled some of his drink on Shiva. Shiva smacked him in
angry retribution. Aura laughed at the two. Shiva and Ash threw empty bottles at Aura. Shiva and Aura introduced Ash to some of the native songs of the devils, and Ash in turn led them in a spirited rendition of ‘Speak of the Devil’ by the Misfits, holding his bottle like a microphone.

They joked, laughed, and generally got along better than they ever had. They got completel
y drunk and made a mess on the floor. Shiva let her hair down, and Aura caught Ash staring at her more than once. Shiva kept complaining that her father would think less of her if he knew what she was doing. The truth was her father couldn’t care less. This night was the most fun Shiva had had in her entire life (though she’d never admit it). On Aura’s scale of fun nights, this one couldn’t even compete with others. Still, he was glad they were finally able to unwind. As for Ash, he had finally felt as though he fit in.

He was able to laugh and joke with Aura, who was an all-around
nice, funny guy. Aura’s free spirit and sense of humor made him someone that Ash desperately needed in his situation.

Surprisingly, Shiva possessed some qualities Ash admired as well. She was fiery and passionate and dedicated to her workload. Whether it be fighting for her life against demons or beating Ash up at sparring, the girl was determined and spunky. Ash had a suspicion that he needed someone like her in his life, too.

Their fun carried on all night long, until a faint light from outside crept into the room. Mostly sober now, the three of them headed outside. “May as well contribute to the morning sun,” Aura said with a heavy sigh, as if he was doing a great deed. He and Shiva held out their hands and formed small balls of fire in their palms. Ash watched, until Shiva nudged him in the shoulder.

“You too, Ash,” she said
.

Ash smiled, and stuck his palm out as well. It was now an easy task to summon the flame, and just for show he created a larger fireball than either of his teammates. They released their flames, and together the
trio of fireballs rose through the sky, joining hundreds of other flames from all over the Kingdom of Hell, until they merged together and formed the artificial sun that Ash could never contribute to before. The resulting sunlight washed away the darkness of the night, bringing a brand new day to Hell. Ash smiled, feeling tired but content.