**** Here lies The Son of Volttus Blessed be the one Branded by fires ****

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Chapter Twelve: JERKNESS

I was in a bedroom and I was alone, sitting up and panting in a bed. I tossed off the covers and jumped up. I wasn’t wearing my boots but the rest of my garb was intact. I saw a window and walked up to it. It was still dark with a fat silver moon lingering on the horizon.

I had no idea if it was the same night of the day we’d been to the Lake in Cold Woods or another night. Were the two days over? I didn't feel any different. Just very hungry. Ravenous, in fact. So I looked for the door. But first I had to find my boots, which I did by the foot of the bed. I zipped them up and looked around.

The room wasn’t very big. A small queen sized bed and two nightstands – all white. Two ceramic unlit lamps with white fabric drum shades. White walls, white marble floor and a huge arched naked window through which the moonlight came streaming inside to illuminate this chilling space. There were no clocks, rugs or artwork anywhere.

I quickly located the door and went out. But where to go? I didn't know the castle at all. Perhaps if I could go down and out of the building I could find my way back into Demon’s room. Or some other room with people. It was freaky how I still had not seen a single soul other than Azure and Demon in such a massive castle. I mean who did all the work? Everything was sparkling clean and I couldn’t imagine Demon would sweep away the mess of tissues I’d made on his floor – uhm – this morning? Was it?

I shrugged my shoulders as I confidently marched down a marble stairway. It twined downward, around a long and softly lit column of shiny stone and glass niches in the walls. The stair rail was simple and made of iron; no frills, no fancy decorations. Truth to tell it didn't look like a demon’s castle. It was too contemporary in style. One would imagine a demon having a more medieval taste somehow.

I reached the end of the stairs and entered a large hallway. It wasn’t the one I’d been to before. Nothing about it was familiar. There were no windows and this space was circular with pillars all over the place. It looked like a basement of sorts.

I descended into it and stood in its center, looking for a way out of there. An unlit passage led out of the lounge on one side. So I took it. As I entered the passage, my confidence dipped. It was very long. I couldn’t see an end on the other side. I stepped away and frowned. Perhaps I should go back upstairs. I turned away but something made me turn around again and step inside the passage – my curiosity perhaps?

I took a few steps in and stopped.

“Azure! Demon?” I called. I didn't want to go any further lest I ended up in one of his dungeons and died inside a shark. He’d never even know it. “Demon!”

No answer. Just the lingering echo of my own voice. I squared my shoulders and went in further. The passage was unusually dark compared to the rest of the castle I’d seen till now. Even in nooks and crannies, Demon, or whoever was in charge of the domestics, had taken care to provide some sort of illumination – a lamp, candles, or even a worn down lantern. But this passage had none.

I could barely see anything and as time passed and I took more steps further in, a strange kind of fear replaced my courage. I stretched my arms to full length wanting to touch the wall, but my hands touched nothing. I had no clue how wide the passage was and how much deeper I’d had to go to get out. Or if I was getting out at all!

Bang!

In an instant I was out of the dark passage and into an open, lit space.

The first thing that hit my eyes was the dull gold twinkle everywhere. Once my eyes adjusted to the odd lighting, I realized it was an enormous round hall; candlelight and burning torches drenched the space in eerie shades of ochre. A high dome ceiling sparkled above. In the center of the room was a lofty rectangular structure – like a box made of stone. Marble actually. Terracotta shades and a solid slab with a single word carved on top at one end.

Darchuz

Darchuz? What was this supposed to mean? Wasn’t he the king who preceded Demon and died of – I gasped. This was a tomb!

I hastily looked around and discovered two more tombs, similar to that of Darchuz’s. So this was a mausoleum. This could mean I was in the graveyard I had seen. All I had to do was to get out to the blue snow and find my way back to the castle. Yippee!

I looked back at Darchuz’s grave and realized there were other small carvings underneath the name but they were in a foreign language. The alphabets were roman but I couldn’t make sense of the words they formed. The entire tombstone was filled with some sort of narration in this tongue.

I should have looked for an outlet but curiosity won out and I walked up to the other graves. Next to Darchuz was Marzong. Then Kalum. Same sort of tomb. Same engravings style.

Since I couldn’t read anything I decided I’d better get out. I was turning away from Kalum’s tomb when a sharp swishing sound stopped me. I looked around but there was nothing. I took another step when I heard it again and this time there was a visual – a flicker of light. Like a dying flame. Oh wait – a flame. Fire!

“Demon!” I called urgently. “Is that you?”

"Aye." His deep voice sent a chilling echo through the space. I looked to my right and there he was, standing by Darchuz’s tomb a few feet away, holding a long heavy sword in one hand.

“What are you doing here?” He didn’t look too pleased to see me.

“I – I –I got lost. I was starving. I – wanted a midnight snack.”

“Hmm.” He eyed his gleaming sword. “Rumir!”

A tall man, draped in black clothing from head to toe, melted out of darkness. His attire was nothing fancy – a simple black shirt with black trousers and shoes – but his white face looked like a handsome mannequin.

The mannequin man came forward and bent on one knee in front of Demon with his hands crossed on his other knee.

“Krâl,” the man said bowing his head. Demon gestured with his finger for him to get up and he obeyed.

“Shrei ondrum mei khai arrun,” Demon said to him and then looked at me. “He’ll take you inside. Tell him whatever you need and he’ll serve.”

I looked at – uhm – Rumir and decided I didn't want to be left alone in his company. He looked dead. Like a zombie – well – not a zombie since they’re supposed to be ugly and pruny but – he looked dead.

“Aren’t you coming?” I looked at Demon. “Shouldn’t you catch a few Z’s too? We have big decisions to make in the morning.”

“Really? What kind of decisions?” He was slowly swinging his sword in the air, slicing it, as if the big heavy weapon was a weightless stick.

I noticed that every time he swung the sword its blade turned to fire and as he brought it up to a resting position it turned to metal again. That must’ve been the flame I saw earlier. Cool!

“What do you mean what kind of decisions?” I felt more confused than annoyed.

“Don’t you know what I’m talking about?”

He stopped and looked at me. “You ask too many questions.” The same demeaning, patronizing, ugly glint filled in his insanely mesmerizing eyes!

“And you answer too few!” I could feel my cheeks burning. “Who the hell do you think –” My gaze drifted to Rumir and I stopped. “Could you please excuse us?” I said to him.

He looked at me as if I’d asked him to strip.

“He doesn’t understand me.” I glared at Demon. “Tell him to leave. I’m not going anywhere with him.”

Demon rolled his eyes and gestured at Rumir with his head, asking him to leave.

“Sem.” Rumir bowed to Demon, kneeled again and stood up. Then he turned to me and curtseyed. “Goodnight, Milady.” He spoke perfectly and without emotion. Needless to say I was still gawking at him when he merged back into the night outside the mausoleum.

I closed my eyes and frowned. Such a fool I was!

“You amaze me endlessly.” Demon’s sarcasm set my ears on fire.

I looked at him coolly. I had already made up my mind to not fight with him. Lorez and Azure had made it quite clear that I needed his help but he was a jerk and I was still not immune to his jerkness.

“You’re really all ugly and gnarly aren’t you?” Just this one time then I’ll be polite as a saint I swear! “I bet you change into your real self when no one’s looking.”

“This is my real self.” He went back to fencing with the wind, his sword blazing beautifully with every thrust. “But I guess you blew your chance to find that out.”

“O boohoo.” I made a face. “Now quit goofing around. We have work to do thanks to your stupid ancestor."

"Thanks to my stupid ancestor I know how to never lose my powers.” He smiled affectionately at his gleaming sword.

"But we won’t be doing that." I almost laughed. Why would he say that? "We're going to destroy the Scepter, right?"

"Says who?" His eyes were mocking.

"Demon." The trembling in my body trickled into to my speech. "We have to destroy the Scepter – together – it’s the only way for us to survive!"

"Only way for you." He bared his teeth in a cold grin. "I am the Demon of Volttus and so I will be till the end of time.” He walked over to me where I stood frozen by his confession. He caressed my cheek lightly with his fingers and smiled. “Even if it means sacrificing a pretty thing like you.”