Raven's Soul. Volume 1
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But the king was right: without their magic, the demons were worth little. Quickness, strength, and agility left the demon, and Derek's sword went deep into its chest. The dagger fell from his weakened hands.
– It's not… It's impossible! – The demon wheezed out its last breath.
– Go back to your ancestor, you bastard," Derek said quietly into its face, pulled his sword from its chest and cut off its head.
– War awaits us, Derek… War! – Bergil muttered and sighed heavily. It was as if a huge stone had fallen on his shoulders. A stone of knowledge that soon hordes of demons would attack the peaceful, defenseless people of Kaldwind.
– Yes, Bergil, war," Derek replied grimly, staring at the corpse of his defeated foe with disdain. – Send the bastard's head to King Lamar: let him know that we fear neither him nor his black magic.
Half an hour later, a council of war was assembled to decide the life and death of the entire kingdom.
Chapter 2
– O Great, O Terrible, our beloved Lord! – The Chancellor burst into the throne room with a shriek.
Lamar, the demon king, was annoyed by his servant's honors, but he didn't want to part with him, because the fussy demon had all the paperwork on his shoulders, and he did it well.
– Don't you shout! – The king waved him away with slight disgust.
– But…but… – The chancellor had a difficult fate: he had to tell the king about the recent incident and not lose his head, so he mumbled in an attempt to find the words.
– "But what?" – Lamar sipped from the golden cup and stared lazily at his approximant. – Had the angels finally sinned? Had the light come to a wedge? Has the lake of fire dried up? – The demon ruler chuckled, curling his fingers on his free hand.
– Not quite, oh, Great, there is such a thing … – almost a whisper began to speak cowardly chancellor.
– You tell me that the humans have declared war on us! – Lamar's laughter rumbled through the hall, and all the courtiers present caught it like a contagious disease.
– Yes… You could say that… You will definitely want to bare your sword now, my Lord," the servant said uncertainly, clutching the scroll in his hands.
Suddenly there was silence in the throne room, but a few seconds later the demons were laughing as they had never laughed before. Even the chandeliers seemed to move and the walls shook. But King of Flammehav did not yet know what he was about to hear.
– I'm sorry," the Chancellor said uncertainly.
– It turns out you have a good sense of humor! – said the King.
– Oh, Great One! People killed your brother! – exclaimed the Chancellor and shrank back in fear of being hit in the chest by a fireball, even closing his eyes.
– What?! – The demon king roared, choking on a sip of red wine.
– His head was cut off, Lord, right in the main square… He was kneeling and grinning… And then chick, and his head flew… – It seemed that if he had the opportunity to curl up and not lose face, close to the king would have done so.
– Everybody out! Now! – Like an awakened volcano, the supreme demon exploded. – And you stay! – Pointing his finger at the chancellor, he drained his cup in an instant, leaving not a drop of his favorite tart drink in it.
– Perhaps you would like some more wine? – remarked the Chancellor, trying to get away from the heavy topic.
– How did those wretched men bring Daryal to his knees? How dare they do such a thing? Where had their fear of the great Flammehav gone! – The king thundered and thundered. Flames danced in his eyes, the veins in his arms swelled with tension, and his handsome face seemed threatened to burst every vessel, so red with anger.
– I don't know why, but he didn't use his magic, at least that's what they say…" the subordinate tried to explain.
– Why was he executed? – Lamar could not sit on his throne and jumped up from it as if it were covered with burning coals. – Tell me now!
– For numerous crimes. Murder, violence and something else minor… King Derek made him a laughing stock, we can't let it go… No one would dare to bow down and then kill a member of the Rossi dynasty… I think we should send an envoy to these savages and declare war on them! – Finally in the voice of the Chancellor appeared confidence and determination.
– Let's do it! – After cooling down a bit, the demon king returned to the throne and, covering his eyes, continued: – My brother's body must be taken to Flammehav. With the head. – The last two words, the supreme demon said as if he had just had his caddy ripped out.
– Alas, that is impossible. They burned it, my Lord," the king's servant shed light on the new details.
– Then let Derek's palace go up in flames and plunge into a Hell… Let it burn like my poor brother's body… Let his entrails burst from the heat in his own chambers! – Lamar threw the bowl at the chancellor, and the latter, tucking his tail, ran out of the throne room.
All of the demon king's instructions were carried out as quickly as possible, and at dawn the envoy set off in the direction of Kaldwind. When the diplomat arrived at the gates of Sturfjell, he was full of determination and anger, and knew that he would soon be able to have a lot of fun with the humans. The demon king had given him the order to kill King Kaldwind, and he had even thought of a way to do it: everything had to be beautiful, spectacular, so that others would not be punished. And he had a special handwriting, which he would gladly show to the whole world.
The gates of the city opened, and the demon was taken to the palace as he had demanded. A few hours of waiting, and he was finally ushered into the throne room. The assassin was jubilant in his soul, mocking the wretched humans and more confident in his abilities than ever. He was not shy in expressions, "poking" the king Derek Merkswerd and completely ignored his personal guards. What can humans do against demons? Nothing, of course. The conversation was coming to an end, and the demon was already seriously annoyed by the king's smile and his self-confidence, so he decided to wipe the grin off his face and execute the sentence. But no such luck: for reasons unknown, the demon's magic ran out, and soon his head was separated from his body by King Derek's sword. The demon's head was packed in a beautiful chest, decorated with jewels and flowers, tied with ribbons and sent to Flammehav, Queen Varma as a gift. To her, for women panic when they receive such surprises, at least they get angry. That way the rumors would spread faster through R?vann, and then spread throughout the fire kingdom. Let the demons know that the humans no longer fear them and are ready to fight back.