The Prisoner’s Princess Chapter 130

Bryson

The black sun was setting, causing the crimson sky to get darker and darker until the night was void of all light. If not for the flickering flames between my horns, I wouldn’t be able to see, though I could tell in the shadows that I was attracting the demons that dwelled here. I could hear the flaps of great beasts above, and shuffling of frantic hoof, paw, and footsteps about.

The flaming rain had not stopped, but I could hear explosions in the distance as the occasional flaming meteor struck the ground. They were countless in number, but still sparce enough apart and out of sync that I figured it was how the crops got water since nothing was on fire on the ground. It would only make sense that nothing easily caught on fire here…. Though I had to admit… I did expect to hear wailing, see brimstone, boiling magma lakes and the other stereotypical things you see in movies or read about in books, but it was a quiet country stroll, save the demons in my peripheral vision.

However, there was no fear. To have any would not befit me, and likely make the things that dwelled in the night hunger. Any within sight were on hands and knees, but one thing was interesting to me; they weren’t tormenting the few traveling souls that I Did see. Those souls held no fear either, even waving at demons they seemingly knew. The very few who rode goat headed horses nodded with their beasts, and trudged on to wherever they were going.

I got mumbles of ‘young master’ in hushed whispers as I walked, and I did feel a little famished. My stomach audibly growled, and there was a thin small demon that went about to my knee trembling in my way. He was thin but healthy, bright red with piercing blue eyes that glowed slightly. The small black horns and cow tail he had trembled with him, and I didn’t like it.

I didn’t want this attention, yet I knew that this was probably the Horned One’s idea of ‘showing me’ how his realm looked now for myself without a tour given by him, which would show bias…. I also didn’t like the growing kingly nature gnawing at me… I felt more than an Alpha, I felt like a King. I felt like a ruler and these were my subjects as much as the Horned One’s…

“Young master; please accept this sacrifice.” He begged, being passed a platter that held a roasted slab of meat with black carrots and potatoes, along with a clear glass cup filled with fresh water.

“I assume this is your food. I don’t want or need sacrifices.” I said declining, but they all shook their heads.

“When Farmer Eclaiteas said that he saw one of the master’s sons… we searched for you. This was always meant for You my master. We are but your servants.” He raised the plate higher, and I sighed taking it. I doubted that I would have any peace if I was still hungry.

They brought a small chair and a table that was obviously made for one of them to sit in, putting it in the middle of the damn road complete with a knife and fork, a plate with fruit to serve me, and a pitcher filled with ice. How the fuck they got ice in Hell I didn’t know, but I sat.

The meat tasted oddly enough like man-flesh, not game animal…. “I’m not eating the farmer or his descendant, am I?” I asked sternly and they all shook their heads.

“No. Even the beasts are forbidden to harm the innocent. This soul held the red X of Sin. Whatever he’d done in life we don’t know master, but it was something bad enough that when he fell from the sky, he was marked.” He said holding his hands to his chest, folded on themselves.

“So that’s the flaming rain I see?” I asked, and he nodded.

“The sinners rain as mana from the sky, and we never want for flesh…. But most are only tormented. This is a place of reform after all. Through pain and reliving the other end of the atrocities they’ve committed may they serve the King… if this is too peaceful and you wish to hear the cacophony of screams, we can take you to one of the Rings of Punishment.” He offered, but I waved my hand and continued eating. I didn’t mind eating man flesh, especially if it was a bad person, and he was.

I could see why this soul was here. In life he scammed hundreds of mortals out of their money online. I knew that him being eaten was only the beginning of his torment… he would go to the Ring of Thieves come sunrise, and suffer there until he deteriorates to only energy, or he learns from his evil ways and ascends here. It seemed the longer I stayed here I ‘knew’ more about it without asking.

“Then what ring is this one?” I asked and a much more fit demon answered. He held a sword at his hip, and his skin was a darker red, with black runes on his arms and chest. He also held mighty bat wings, and horns that were larger. He was twice their size but still small compared to me.

“This is the Ring of Rebirth and Judgment my lord.” He said stiffly. “This is the residence of the reformed. They are pulled at his whim to be reborn into witches, drakes, or demons. Those we eat are usually too rich in energy, and our job is to be their first torment. They scream as we eat them yet only someone of your caliber can destroy a soul.”

“We spared no expense master…. We even procured ICE.” Said the first one who talked to me. He looked like a dog that wished to be petted. had little experience with those creatures, but I’d seen that expression before.

“And just how did you do that?” I asked and the large demon looked proud.

“I brought human contraptions from the land of the living in exchange for fair payment. I figured a-fourth pound of gold was enough...” He said with a puffed chest, and I imagine they stole one from someone’s house. I held a chuckle…. Those poor humans likely woke up to their appliances missing, and a large bag of gold coins in its place.

“Does my father know of this?” I asked and he nodded.

“He tinkers with a way to make more here at this very moment.”

I sighed, finishing the food they’d offered. I was very much alive, so I knew I wouldn’t stay here forever. Xaxas faded away when I spoke with him here now that I thought of it, plus I could tell I had room for more, but I didn’t want to be a glutton.

“Then I will go see why he summoned me.” I said getting up, and I began walking again, but now they didn’t follow.

“We will stay and continue hunting the wicked young master.” Said the smaller demon’s general. He had to be, as now that I thought of it, he only went about to my chest, but he was much bigger than the rest of them.

I felt invigorated, and encouraged once I saw torchlight in the distance. The wide road led to a wide iron gate, like the ones medieval cities used to control traffic before electricity. The 100 meter black wall was somewhat transparent, and I could see through a translucent brick pattern how sprawling it was…. The city went to the horizon, as it housed every reformed soul that had ever lived.

There was no traffic though to get in or out, but as I got closer, enormous black serpents as tall as the wall opened the gates by pulling a ridiculously thick black iron chain in their mouths. The wrought iron bars lifted, and they bowed their heads as they held the chains, lowering them as I walked under.

The city he’d made was fully developed now with his palace atop a hill in the center. There were aqueducts, bathhouses, separate flushing public toilets, black smitheries, and more…. And oddly enough I heard happiness and saw smiles. It was sprawling, complete with carts pulled by strange goat headed horses laden full to the brim with food, stone, or gold meant for his palace … People shouted to others orders here and there as there were new black stoned, Romanesque styled buildings going up as I walked, but that progress soon stopped.

I was kneeled to by the multitudes, even the draft animals, that I was ‘the young master.’ The dark gray cobblestone sidewalk parted, flooding into the black stoned streets, as traffic also stopped. The monstrosities that flew above landed, offering themselves as ferries to my father’s house, though I declined.

They looked like Asanguis, though their scales were black. The undersides of all except two were gray, flying in formation like geese. They held no arms or legs, but their dragon heads breathed green fire as they began to fly around me in a circle, like vultures….