He reached down and touched Princess Sera’s temple, murmuring softly. The girl immediately stirred, and sat up, blinking. It took a count of three as the princess looked around at the strange man standing above her, at all the people lying in heaps, and her brother and grandmother on the floor. Then she screamed.
It pierced the skull. The whole huge room was filled with it, rising with each hiccupping breath the girl took. Rigidly upright, she did nothing but scream, till her face was scarlet and she looked fit to pitch over. But the demon prince had made his point. Not one of the fallen so much as twitched. Even the Kellian didn’t glance her way.
"What a sad lack of dignity," the demon said, about the time Sera was starting to go maroon. "This is the quality of Tyrland’s false kings, is it?"
Amazingly, that was enough. Sera jittered to a stop, gazed up at the demon in outrage, and then threw herself on her brother’s body, shaking him urgently. Skin mottled and hair all-abouts, she looked just a baby, no match for anyone.
"Put restraints on those two," the demon prince said, and Captain Illuma left off lining the Sentene along the wall and produced two more of the thorny things.
Princess Sera gasped as the first of the things wrapped around her grandmother’s wrist, and shook her brother with increasing desperation, then stood and tried to pull him away from Captain Illuma. "No!" she cried. "Leave him alone!"
Captain Illuma didn’t even seem to notice, just dropped the worm on Prince Justin’s free wrist and turned back to moving people off the black central square, removing their weapons and lining them up against the walls. The demon prince looked critically around the room as more Kellian arrived carrying people. Kendall recognised two members of the Hand, ones who had been in the infirmary.
They were sorting out the mages. Not killing anyone, just moving them all together and putting one of the thorny worm things on the wrist of every mage. A restraint. It must be something to stop them using magic.
"Wake up," the demon prince said, bending over Prince Justin, and then repeating the motion for the Queen. "Can’t have the guests of honour sleeping through the royal progress."
Queen Astranelle was the same dainty, pretty type as her granddaughter, but didn’t show any sign of blubbing despite waking up with a demon standing above her. She picked herself up off the ground with the minimum of fuss, looked around her and said, "The worst result?"
"I suppose that would depend on your point of view," the demon prince said, in the same conversational tone he’d used with Kendall.
Prince Justin, struggling as his sister latched her arms around his neck, managed to get to his feet. "You – you’re–"
"Helecho Montjuste-Surclere," said the demon, nodding as if they’d been introduced at a party. "Be quiet now."
A group of Kellian came in carrying more people. The only one Kendall recognised was Lady Weston, but they all looked important. A few were given horrid bracelets, and then the demon walked from one to the next, telling them to wake. But he wasn’t interested in talking, completely ignoring their outrage and distress and the Queen’s murmur of explanation. With a glance at Captain Faille he said: "Tear the throat out of the next one who speaks."
Even the most hysterical of the newcomers instantly choked into silence. Kendall didn’t blame them: Captain Faille was always scary, and was far worse now that he wasn’t a person anymore. Unconcerned, the demon turned all his attention back to Rennyn, like a wolf who had decided to stop circling and go in for the kill.
It must be nearly time. Kendall tried escaping Sukata’s grip again, but it was pointless. Still, most of the Kellian had left, so they were really only dealing with the demon, Sukata, her mother and Captain Faille. There were ten captives standing now, and while the Kellian were strong they weren’t carrying any weapons. Could they possibly give Rennyn the chance she needed?
"Lift her."
Captain Illuma hoisted Rennyn up by the armpits, which didn’t wake her any more than Kendall’s efforts. The demon prince reached out and gripped Rennyn’s chin, his mouth widening in a gloating smile.
"Wake up, cousin."
Rennyn blinked, and tried to stand straighter, but was hampered both by Captain Illuma and the demon’s hold on her chin. Kendall could tell the demon wanted her to be upset, and was glad Rennyn didn’t give him any satisfaction. She turned her eyes left and right, taking in the piles of people, and the Queen and her small group of nobles clustered nervously under Captain Faille’s watchful eye. For a long moment she looked at Captain Faille, then finally the demon.
"I suppose it really was too much to hope I’d never have to deal with you again."
"So pleased to disappoint," he said, letting her go. Captain Illuma stepped back as well, and Rennyn lifted her wrist to look at the thorny thing. There wasn’t any blood where the spikes had pierced the skin, and the flesh around it was blanched white.
"Don’t play with it – its defences are very amusing," the demon said. "And you don’t have a chance of overwhelming it without this." Eyes glittering, he held up the necklace which carried Rennyn’s focus.
But Rennyn barely glanced at it, surveying the room again. "She means to rule, not ruin."
The demon looked just a little nettled. Not, Kendall thought, because of what Rennyn was saying, but because she wasn’t acting particularly frightened of him. "Ruin? An odd notion. A Queen overcomes treasonous attacks to return to her kingdom. That is what is happening here."
"And the incursions, the Azrenel particularly, would have benefited her rule how?"
"Azrenel are not at my beck and call," the demon said, shrugging.
Rennyn glanced at him, assessing him in a way which left Kendall unexpectedly hopeful. Rennyn hadn’t given up. She might have lost the power of her focus, and have that thing on her wrist, but she was looking for weaknesses, a way to turn this around. If she could grab the Queen’s focus at the right moment–
"Where did you get the power for that casting?" she asked next. "Even with some immunity to the perils of the Eferum, that was beyond any focus you could have summoned in so short a time. At least with much of the localised Efera being caught up in the Grand Summoning."
"Borrowed power," the demon said, and recovered his smile. "A tiny fraction of what is coming."
"You used the city’s main circle to transmit it?"
The smile broadened. "Yes, and yes the sleep doesn’t extend outside the main circle. But, dear cousin, if you’re counting on rescue I hope whoever is playing hero can overcome these." He cocked his head toward Captain Illuma and finally had the satisfaction of disrupting Rennyn’s calm assessment of her surroundings.
"The Kellian are weak to magic," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I wouldn’t rely on them overmuch."
Pleased, the demon stepped closer to Rennyn. "Is it your brother you’re waiting on? I’m told you’ve put him somewhere safe. Does he come dashing in at the last moment to save the day?" His hand darted out to tangle in Rennyn’s hair, stopping her move to step back. "Aren’t you worried? Time’s running out."
"Did you start out as a monster?" Rennyn asked, sounding more annoyed than anything. "Or do you work at it?"
"I knew I was going to enjoy you," the demon said. He tightened his grip on her hair, pulling her head back. "Where were we, cousin? Do you remember?"
His head lowered, and he bit her. Bit her neck. Kendall wasn’t sure if she only imagined the sound it made, or the faint swallowing noise which followed, but she couldn’t mistake the pain and disgust which flashed across Rennyn’s face. Princess Sera made a sympathetic whimpering sound, quickly stifled. Kendall didn’t blame her. The air felt thick with dark magic. This was a true monster, a Night Roamer, a blood-drinker, and none of them were enough to stop him.