Devil Ash Disarray (Devil Ash Saga Book 3) (44 page)

“I know,” said Goddard. “There are at least two greater demons left. They’re in the throne room… with your father and brother. We can only hope that Prince Killian was able to handle them on his own.”

Goddard strained his muscles trying to stand. His body was too weak to move. Ash and Aura moved to lift him, but Goddard shook his head.

“Don’t bother with me,” he said. “I don’t have the strength to go anywhere. You all need to go to the throne room this instant!”

“That’s all you had to say,” Shiva replied, the corners of her mouth bending into a satisfied smile.

“I hate to have to ask this right now,” said Ash, trying not to sound too anxious. “But do you have any more of that medicine for me? I’m all out. I could really use some more.”

Goddard hung his head shaking it side to side. “I am sorry, but I’ve failed to complete a fresh batch for you. I’m all out too.”

Ash’s heart was like a stone sinking through an endless ocean. His breath was stolen as if he’d been punched in the gut. He couldn’t muster a reply.

“Get to work on a new batch then,” Aura said. “We’ll be back for it after we take care of our little demon problem.” He winked at Ash, hoping to instill a little confidence in his friend.

“It will take me longer with these wounds,” said Goddard. He tested his strength by struggling to climb to his feet. “Check back with me… when you’ve completed your mission.” The Royal Advisor leaned on a table as he spoke, looking to the members of his team one last time.

“This is the most important mission we’ve ever faced. Failure is
not
an option. Protect the King. Protect
each other
. Eliminate any and all greater demons. And most importantly, don’t let them take Ash!”

The human boy felt touched that Goddard considered his safety so highly. Unfortunately, those good vibes weren’t enough to erase the anxiety he felt at not being able to replenish his stock of feel-better pills.

“We got it,” Shiva replied with confidence. “We’ll kick some demon ass!”

“Damn straight we will!” Aura said, raising his gauntlet-clad fist.

The team left Goddard alone in his lab. Ash watched through the open doorway as the Royal Advisor hobbled around inspecting all the damage. The boy hoped that the damage done to his lab wouldn’t impede the scientist from completing his work before it was too late. Ash left the lab following his friends closely, putting every fiber of faith in his body in them to keep him safe in these trying times.

“
Look at all this free blood
,” Goddard said to himself in amazement.

The trip to the throne room was silent. No one spoke, and there were no guards or servants around to be heard. With the artificial sun dimming outside, the halls took on an eerie orange dimness that felt somehow just right. No one knew what to expect when they reached the throne room. They had plenty of ideas, but not enough time to think about it.

They were at the large metal double-doors that stood between them and the King in what seemed like no time. Shiva placed her hands on the doors, testing to see if they were locked. She applied only a small amount of pressure and the doors parted slightly. The Royal Princess shoved her way into the throne room, joining the most unbelievable situation she’d ever seen.

Standing in the middle of the spacious throne room was Prince Killian. His back was turned to the team, but he looked like he was in mid-swing of his giant sword Infernos. The strange thing was, the Prince was not actually
moving
. He stood frozen like a statue in mid-swing of his sword, staring straight ahead.

Before him, lying at the bottom of the steps leading up to the elaborate Satan family thrones, was a familiar body clad in all-black, spiky armor. Commander Stryd wasn’t moving, and it was not possible to tell if he was breathing.

Up the steps to the thrones, three more people were gathered. At least, two of them were
people
. One was definitely not a person, but the all-too-familiar blue-and-black greater demon.

Demon Prince Otozek
.

Prince Otozek stood before the middle throne chair where King Al Satan sat. The devil King was in a more pathetic state than usual. He sobbed uncontrollably as the demon prince’s pointed tail leveled at his forehead. Captain Miles stood idly by, observing happily.

“
Sh-sh-Shiva
!” the pudgy King Al called out in glee seeing his daughter.

“At last,” Prince Otozek said. His arms crossed in boredom, his back turned to the devil King, he stared straight at Ash. “
You came
.”

“
Get out of here
!” They couldn’t see his face, but they knew it was
his
voice. “I’ve got this under control! I’ll kill
all
the demons!” Prince Killian said.

From his perch, King Al sobbed as Otozek pushed his pointy tail into the King’s skull. After a few seconds, the devil King’s whimpering ceased.

“The noises this one makes were driving me to madness,” the Demon Prince said.

“Leave him alone!” Shiva said, stepping forward. “I’ll fight you instead!”

“Shiva…” Aura said.

“I know,” Shiva replied. “They’re faster than even Killian. We’ve got to be careful.”

“You okay, Ash?” Aura asked, turning to his friend.

“Yeah, actually,” said Ash. His body was calm, any trace of worry removed from his face. “I feel good. The nausea hasn’t kicked in yet, but I don’t want to go any closer to
him
.”

“You won’t have to,” Aura said, unsheathing the sword he borrowed from his friend. “My guess is he got the jump on Killian with his tail stingers. But since we already know about those, we won’t be taken by surprise. I’ll charge in first and-”

“Would you throw away your King’s life so easily?” the demon Prince asked, amused. “Do you really think you can cross the room to attack me before I pierce his brain and take his life?”

Shiva grit her teeth and clenched her fists. She wanted to grip her bolas and toss it at the smug demon prince, but she obeyed her instincts instead. The greater demons
had
them for the moment.

“We’re not giving you Ash,” said Shiva. “And you’re not killing my family!”

“
Silence
,
devil scum
,” the Captain, possessed by the demon Moskazek, spoke up in defense of his master. “You have no right to speak to the Master like that. Right now he is committing a beautiful act of mercy on your behalf.”

“Just what are you talking about?” Shiva asked, uneasy. Mercy from a demon could not mean anything good.

“Our time here has come to an end,” the demon Prince said. “I must return to my father’s side. It appears Gnusek has failed to return alive. No matter, now that we have a fresh human with us.”

“Come over here and try taking him!” said Aura, stepping in front of Ash.

“While I could easily wipe you all out here and now, I unfortunately do not have time to spare. That’s why I’ll be speeding things up from here.”

“Get ready to run Ash,” said Shiva.

“Uhh…” Ash said, unmoving.

Whatever the boy might have said was interrupted by the demon prince’s next action. His long tail flicked, quick as a flash. Instead of piercing King Al’s forehead any further, the prince repositioned his deadly weapon. The thick demon tail found its way into Al’s open mouth.

Shiva and Aura took an instinctive step forward, moving into action before their brains could process the situation. They stopped dead in their tracks as Captain Miles stepped forward as well. There was a sword in his hand, the tip of the blade brushing against King Al’s side.

“Keep in mind,” said the possessed Captain, “I can still end your precious King’s life any time I choose.”

The team was forced to sit and watch as Otozek entered the King’s body. His entire tail first wormed in through Al’s mouth. Then the demon prince began to shrink, his body twisting and melting into impossible shapes as he force-fed himself to King Satan.

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Stolen King

King Satan swayed on his throne like he was nodding off during an important meeting. Only his eyes remained wide open, his mouth gasping and gurgling like a broken dishwasher. The pudgy commander in chief rocked back and forth, his eyeballs rolling back in their sockets.

Then it stopped. King Satan ceased his babbling and sat up proper. The King focused his eyes on the people before him. There was an unusual air of sophistication in his demeanor.

“Welcome devils.” King Al rose from his throne. “And of course, my guest of honor, the
human
.”

The girl could take no more. Twin fireballs formed in Shiva’s hands.

“Shiva,
don’t
.” Ash dared to be so bold as to put a hand on Shiva’s arm to calm her.

“
I know
.” Shiva grit her teeth and extinguished the flames. Her eyes focused on the tip of the blade pointed at her father’s throat.

The demon riding in the Captain’s body laughed. “You think you’re faster, little devil girl?” The Captain whipped his blade forward faster than a blink. Pierced through the tip of it was a small moth that had gotten into the chamber. The creature had just happened to fly by to help prove the demon’s point.

“
AAARRRRRHHH
!” Prince Killian was still frozen in mid swing of his sword, but he sounded like he was holding up alright. “
I will exterminate your demon filth from this world
!”

“I guess that puts an end to
Operation: Taily-Slicy
.” Aura slid his borrowed blade into the sheath attached to his back. He turned to Shiva. “So what do we do now,
leader
?”

Shiva kept her mouth shut. Her eyes glued to the King. The Demon Prince, in control of her own father. This was her worst nightmare come true. She clinched her jaw shut, fighting the urge to cry out.

“
Weak
.” King Al’s voice. But it wasn’t really Al, of course. “This body is so weak. It’s agonizing. Being stuck inside such a pathetic creature.”

“We have what we came for, Master.” The Captain. Possessed by Moskazek, the mosquito-like greater demon. Still holding a blade to the King’s body. “Shall we depart now?”

“Ah, yes.”

King Al and the Captain took an experimental step forward. They moved in sync, the Captain’s blade never more than an inch away from the King’s neck. The devils in the room were powerless to move, some more than others. They could only watch as the possessed men deserted the throne.

“
Step aside
.” Never before has an order from the lips of King Al Satan sounded so fierce. So dominant. Never before had his eyes held the power to skewer. King Al, piloted by Prince Otozek, strode up to Shiva without ever breaking eye contact. “You will be permitted to live a little while longer, provided you move out of our way. I’m leaving here with this body.”

“Like Heaven you are!” Shiva braced herself as the possessed King approached. She was standing in his way. It was her intention to not let him pass, but without any actual means of stopping him, it was only a reckless desire.

The King turned his nose up at the girl. “You wouldn’t risk killing your own father. Now get out of our way.”

“
No
!”

King Al backhanded his daughter with such strength and speed it was made possible only because of the demonic power possessing his body. The real Al would never strike his own daughter. Even if he did, it wouldn’t hurt her much. Not like this time. This time,
it hurt
.

Ash slid behind Aura as the demonic duo stalked toward them next. Aura held up his death touch hand and ignited some blue sparks.

“You still afraid of this?” he said with a nervous grin.

King Al locked eyes with Aura. “We have other business to attend to. Your demise will have to wait.” A shiver ran down Aura’s spine. King Al’s tone was completely serious. Certain.

The Devil King/Demon Prince shifted his eyes to Ash next. “Same goes for you,
human
.” He leaned in closer. In a low sadistic tone he said, “
I hope my father saves me a piece of you
.”

In that moment Ash felt completely powerless. Like an ant standing before a man. The difference in their power seemed that great. He wanted to run, to get out of there as fast as he possibly could. But he knew it would not help. His body was in no condition to flee.

Or
fight
.

The King marched on, ignoring the devil boys. With the Captain’s blade to his back, King Al left the throne room. Prince Killian wailed like a lunatic as Aura moved to check on Shiva. There was a giant bruise swelling on her cheek, but she seemed otherwise okay. She wouldn’t lift her head to respond though.

No matter what Aura said, the girl would not reply to him. Her eyes looked distant, unfocused. Like she was desperately trying to flee from reality. Frustrated, Aura looked back at Ash to see that he wasn’t doing much better.

Despite feeling like his legs were made out of pudding, Ash remained locked in place where he stood. He could feel the demon Prince’s toxin working to shut down his body. It was stronger when the demon was in his true form, though. Now that he was hidden in King Satan’s flabby body the toxin’s effect was weakened. With the distance growing between them, the ability weakened.

Ash collapsed to his knees breathing heavily.

“
Hey Draxler
…” Aura turned back, surprised to see Shiva’s head raised. “This isn’t really happening, right?” Tears streamed across her bruised cheek. “This is all just a really bad nightmare, right?”

Aura clenched his teeth, finding it difficult to reply to his teammate. Prince Killian’s psychotic roaring didn’t help the situation. On the flipside, it was an unwanted soundtrack to the whole event. The sound and the memory associated with it would haunt Shiva’s nightmares for years to come.

“Come on Shiva, snap out of it! We have to go after them! You too Ash! On your feet!” Aura worked overtime to rally his team. He started by yanking Ash off the ground and up to his feet. The boy staggered, but was determined to remain standing. Aura paced back over to Shiva again, leaning down and getting right in her face. The closest their faces had ever been. “You’re a
Satan
! It’s time you started acting like one!”

Shiva slapped Aura across his face. She didn’t use any soul power, so it hardly hurt. But it was a shocking surprise nonetheless. The girl climbed to her feet, raising her head in determination.

“
Right
,” she said, wiping the last few minutes away. “Let’s go!”

Shiva headed for the exit, her teammates in tow. Ash cast one last look back at the frozen Prince, howling like a mad beast. He would probably never have a better chance to kill the Prince than this. Just his luck, he couldn’t even if he wanted to. Truth be told, Ash was depending on Prince Killian, his sworn enemy, to handle the greater demon problem. What a sad turn of events, he thought, to have his life depend so greatly on one of his worst enemies.

The team fled through the castle hall and backtracked until they spotted something suspicious. One of the large hallway windows was shattered. Broken fragments of glass spread across the windowsill, but there were no shards on the floor.

“They went out this window.” Shiva stepped in to the window frame. Outside she could see the side courtyard. Below on the lawn, tiny flakes of glass twinkled in the dusk. Shiva didn’t hesitate to jump down on top of it. The guys followed.

Shiva’s head bobbed erratically on the hunt for demons. For her father. “Draxler. Can you use that soul sight thing to find them?”

“I don’t know how helpful it’ll be, but I’ll give it a try!” Aura replied, gripping his wrist to power up.

“There’s no need.” Ash had his head tilted up looking back at the castle. “
Look
.” The boy pointed up.

On top of the tallest spire extending from the tallest tower of the tallest roof of the Royal Satan castle stood King Al. The Captain was still at his side, blade ready.

Shiva threw her hands up in the air. “
What the Heaven are they doing up there
?”

“They’re just… standing there,” said Ash. “If they have some kind of escape plan, it looks to be on hold.”

Aura took a deep breath and faced his friends. “Alright guys,” he said. “Just leave everything to me.” He removed his metal gauntlet, revealing the black cursed hand.

“
Excuse me
,” Shiva said, popping a defiant hip. “You really think you can fix
all of this
with that little power of yours?”

“I don’t ever really
think
anything,” Aura replied. “I just know that I have to try. I can’t ever say I succeeded if I’m too afraid to say I tried and failed.”

“Guys, he’s doing something,” said Ash, keeping a watchful eye on the King on the roof.

“What the… why’s he waving his arms around?” Aura asked.

A sudden realization dawned on Ash. It had to do with the direction the possessed King was facing. There was a tremendous amount of noise coming from that direction, but the small side courtyard they were stuck in was too low to see over the wall.

“I think he’s just…
waving
.” A grave look came over Shiva. “
Oh no
.”

The girl’s wings shot out of her back as she left the ground, powered by a burst of soul power to her legs. Her teammates followed her to an upper balcony, making sure to keep an eye on the King at all times. As they flew the low, indistinguishable sounds became louder.

The balcony offered a clear view of the possessed party with the added bonus of a more scenic view of the Kingdom. From their new vantage point, the group could see the empty front courtyard. They could see over the courtyard walls, where they found the source of the growing sounds of chatter.

The crowds of concerned citizens were all meeting up in front of the castle gates, staring down the line of weak-kneed Royal Guards. Or staring at their backs, since everyone was facing the same direction. All eyes pointed to the bizarre spectacle happening on the roof.

“
It’s him
!
It’s the King
!”

“
King Al
? How the heaven did he get up
there
?”

“What’s this all about?”

“
Why’s the King on the roof
!”

Shiva stopped paying attention to individual voices. She let the sounds blend back into one incoherent sea of background noise.

“They uh… probably shouldn’t be seeing any of this.” Shiva spun to face Aura, who looked like he was having second thoughts. “So get up there and put an end to all this! Before more people show up!”

“But Shiva...” Aura scratched the back of his head nervously. “It’s just going to look like I’m attacking the King to all those people…”

“We can explain ourselves later! First priority is getting my dad down from there and getting that damn demon out of his body!”

“That’s seriously a lot of people.” Ash was still staring off the balcony at the swelling crowds gathering outside the castle gates. “They’re starting to spill into the streets of North Hell. The Nobles will
not
be pleased about that…” Ash grinned weakly.

“Okay!” Shiva turned to Aura again, face full of new determination. “Just get up there and avert the worst disaster we’ve ever faced while the whole Kingdom watches.
No pressure
. Go!”

“Sure.” Aura turned his back to the girl. “
For you
…” he mumbled to himself as he faced the waving King on the roof. Al had never looked so ridiculous, and here Aura couldn’t even make fun of him. Worse still, he had to assault the guy in plain view of like a million people. That was sure to mix up his reputation among the masses.

A fortunately timed explosion meant that Aura wouldn’t have to make the first move. The flames erupted from the same window that the gang crawled out of after the demons. Once their attention was drawn to the window, something blasted out of the broken frame and into the sky leaving the courtyard behind.

It was Prince Killian. The mad devil was finally free of his paralysis and looking to settle up with the demons. Once he was outside and in the sky, he locked on to the targets on the roof and charged as fast as he could fly. Screaming like a barbarian the entire time, flames shooting off his body like volcanoes spewing magma.

“It’s
Killian
…” said Shiva, surprised to see her brother recovered so soon.

“He’s free,” said Ash. “I guess the toxin does wear off.”

“This is the perfect distraction.” Aura brought out his wings. “Look after Ash. I’m off!” The death toucher departed from the balcony, chasing after the maniacal Prince.

The hordes of spectators outside the castle walls pointed and screamed as Prince Killian drew his sword, rising like a rocket up the side of the castle. This of course caught King Al’s eye as he was waving, luring in the unsuspecting devils of Hell.