Page 15 of Their World

Dhun growled and stepped between the demon and I.

“Hello,” I greeted as I stood and dusted off my hands. “I’m a guest of King Jolmach’s.”

It canted its head. “A guest? We don’t have guests here. Not since the plague. I think you’re a thief and I’ve caught you red handed in the King’s Garden. The punishment for that is death, little thief.” It leapt to the ground beside me and I realized their hands were feline paws with thick claws that reminded me of Triston and his cheetah paws.

“My name is Princess Liliana,” I said with a smile. “What is your name?”

“Oh, the thief is a princess?” the demon said and laughed. In a mocking tone, they bowed and said, “Then I shall bePrincessAzgon.” She laughed a tittering laugh. “Yes, yes! I like it. Princess Azgon.”

Clearly, she was mocking me, but it was okay. I was an outsider here.

“It’s nice to meet you, Princess Azgon.”

She tittered and purred. “Well, the pleasure will be short lived since I have to kill you.”

Dhun barked and growled at her.

She hissed at him. “Quiet, you traitor! We all know you were drafted to the other side while you stayed there!”

Dhun snarled and puffed up, his quills rattling in threat.

“Easy, there’s no need for any of us to fight,” I said and raised my hands.

“No fighting. Just your death,” she said with a nonchalant shrug.

Sighing, I opened up my powers, summoning the darkness. “I don’t want to fight you, but I’m not going to let you kill me, either.”

Her eyes widened at the shadow snake wrapped around my arm. “You have shadow powers?”

“Among others,” I said and shrugged one shoulder.

Azgon tapped a claw against her thigh, silent a moment, but then shrugged and said, “No matter. Thief must die.” She leapt at me and Dhun headbutted her in the stomach, knocking her back from me. She spun, kicked him in the side, and sent him flying into the garden wall.

“Dhun!” I yelled, worried as he slumped unconscious to the ground. My hair began to glow as my fury over him being hurt grew.

Her claws sliced my arm open, making me hiss in pain and jump away. My shadow snake struck as she neared again, biting down on her arm and making her cry out in pain. She tried to pull it off, but since it was made of smoke, her hand simply passed through the spot she tried to touch. Clawing her own arm, she forced the snake to release her and return to me.

We both stood, squared off, arms bleeding, snarling at each other.

“What is the meaning of this?” Jol snapped, a force similar to an alpha command made me take a step back.

“Y-Your Majesty,” Azgon said and bowed her head. “I-I caught this thief!”

“Thief? What could she be stealing from this dead garden, Azgon?” He stomped closer to us, brows furrowed and fury radiating throughout his body and making his aura red.

Azgon squatted, trying to make herself as small as possible.

Dhun got to his feet, shook his head, and trotted over to Jol.

“It’s alright,” I said, not knowing if he might kill her for hurting me. “It was a misunderstanding.” My relief that Dhun was alright lifted a huge weight from my shoulders and my hair stopped glowing.

“Dhun told you she was a guest,” Jol snapped, ignoring me. “Yet you dared to attack himandmy guest?”

“Azgon is sorry, Your Majesty,” she whispered, her back bowed as she moved farther away from both Jol and I. She glanced at me and said, “Her wound is healed already. See? Azgon didn’t cause too much damage. Just … just trying to scare. No death.”

“Tell everyone you know that this woman is under my protection and the punishment for harming her is death. Get out of my sight, Azgon, or I will declaw you,” Jol threatened with a deep, vicious growl.

Azgon glanced at me one more time, this time with curiosity, before leaping up to the wall, and disappearing over it.

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