Page 9 of The Princess and the Demon

Picking two books off the shelf, I patter back, closing the door behind me gently.

Seated once again, I set the books side by side. One was a Latin dictionary, the other a Latin to English dictionary.

I flip through the pages of the first book, running my finger along the S’s to look for the first word, ‘Sacrificium.’ My finger stops on the word, “Sacrifice.” I whisper aloud. I move on to the next word. ‘Sanquinis.’

“Blood.” I whisper again, a chill creeping across my skin.

As I begin to decipher the words, my blood begins to run cold.

“A blood sacrifice of both parties.” I say out loud, sitting against the high back of the chair. To force the demon into a bargain, someone must have blood from both parties. Mine and…

Amons…

I swallow thickly, fear enveloping me. In order to attempt a new bargain and force the demons hand, someone would have to be willing to trap the demon long enough to draw blood.

How in the world do you trap a demon?

I set the parchment aside, worrying at my lower lip.

I continue flipping through the heavy parchment, but there’s nothing else that explains it.

Plopping against the backrest of the chair again, I frown.

Where could I find a tutorial on conjuring a demon?

I close my eyes, placing a forefinger against my temple, rubbing gently. Suddenly the day has caught up to me, and I yawn.

I scoot my chair back, stretching before standing. I look down at the books, choosing to leave them here.

Taking the candle with me, I exit the room, locking the door behind me before placing the key in the pocket of my skirt.

Tomorrow morning, as soon as its light out, I will continue looking for an answer.

3

AMON

The sun glints off of my blade as I swing it, decapitating the lesser demon in front of me. Others swarm me, but I make quick work of them as well.

The air starts to take on a metallic tinge, and my mouth waters.

The scent further drives my blood lust, and I swing again with a flourish, beheading two more demons.

A thin sheen of sweat mixes with the blood on my face and arms. I bare my fangs as I dispatch another demon with grotesque features similar to that of a boar. It falls to the ground with a guttural groan.

I look around me, noticing the onslaught has slowed. Leaning down I wipe my blade clean on the fur of the dead demon.

The sound of metal against flesh still fills the air, and I take a running start to ascend the small hill to my right. I can get a better view from up here, and I shield my eyes from the sun as I search the battleground for my brother, Allocer.

I notice him about forty meters across the clearing. He dispatches a small handful of demons with a flourish of his blade. He turns to look for me as well, and I raise my blade to catch the sun.

My army thins out, making their rounds across the battlefield to ensure there’s no living lesser in the area.

It wasn’t very often we had to come to this plane, but this hoard was getting far too large, and far too close to Delyra.

That could pose a problem, and it was my job to ensure the kingdom stayed untouched.

I squat to sit on my haunches, reaching up to wipe the sweat from my brow.

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