Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Chapter 55

Dulce expected to have to entertain the Queen as soon as they arrived at the castle, but there was no sight of her. Servants in livery showed them to their rooms, and immediately after, Moira guided them to where the summons was to be held.

The witch led them down to the dungeons, to a room as similar as the one she had in her witch’s shop. Here, the ingredients were more neatly arranged, no doubt the work of the castle servants.

Ruoxi opened up a labeled cupboard and peered into it. It held sharp-smelling plants, which made him scrunch up his nose and lean back. "You seem to have a very favorable relationship with the Queen." He noted idly.

Moira already had a summoning circle drawn on the stone floor of the large room, but she got down on her knees to energetically wipe it so she could draw an even better one. "I wouldn’t say that. Queen Aylin is eccentric, no one is truly close to her."

Dulce hovered around her, a worried expression on his face as he intently watched her go through the motions of getting ready for the ritual. He truly hoped the summoning would work this time, because fixing another mistake would be more trouble than it was worth.

Ruoxi flitted around the room, peeking in every cupboard, no matter how unsettling its contents were.

Asael leaning against the wall quietly, was much like him, but Kath’tan doing the same was rather odd.

The Fiend hadn’t spoken a word since he found out that his death had been paid off, it was rather difficult to tell what was going through his thoughts.

Asael paid little attention to him, his own head rife with thoughts. After they left Alderth, their next journey would be to the east, and after they got to the desert castle, it would be the end of the journey for him.

It was almost enough to be a little envious of the Fiend, Kath’tan couldn’t leave, so he didn’t have to leave.

"Could you help me light the candles, Dulce?" Moira asked as she rifled through shelves for obsidian. The witch was usually strange and unsettling, but right now, there was an intense focus on her face, her movements swift and sure.

Dulce hesitated, worried that his input would certainly disrupt the ritual. "Are you sure I should do it?"

Moira didn’t insist, coming over with an understanding expression on her face. "Perhaps I should do that as well." She decided, doing as she said.

After a few minutes of meticulous preparation, the summoning circle was ready. Moira had drawn it with such precision that it seemed like the witch could prepare the ritual with her eyes closed.

She offered Dulce a silver dagger and stepped back, her eyes so wide open she forgot to blink.

Ruoxi stopped wandering around as the final steps of the ritual drew close, curious. Being captive for over half a millennium meant that he was behind on several things. He hadn’t seen a Hellhound prior to his capture, they lived in the depths of the Deep Woods, which was a dangerous place for outsiders.

Kath’tan was young and sheltered, but he had seen Hellhounds before. His expression wasn’t one of curiosity, it was an odd one, the same one he wore when he had been challenged to see Cubi as a species with their own individuality.

Asael watched the Vampire hold a wrist over a candle and press the blade to his skin, seeming to be waiting expectantly for something.

Dulce let the blade rest against his wrist for a moment, expecting failure. Perhaps he was doomed to never summon a Hellhound, and he couldn’t keep ripping Demons from their lives.

The blade sank down, red blood spilling down into the candle flame. It immediately exploded into a cyclone of fire, plumes of flames swallowing Dulce up.

-+-

In the heart of the Deep Woods, soldiers with different loyalties marched through the forest. It was alive, plants and creatures lurking in the depths, waiting for the right moment to strike.

It had been a few centuries since the Deep Woods had been this lively. With the dwindling population of Hellhounds and the species driven into hiding, there were fewer and fewer hounds to capture, so only a few hunting parties still risked the treacherous forest for whatever reason, wealth, fame, or power.

The downfall of the Hellhounds had begun a millennium ago, when their King and Queen had been defeated, leaving the weaker population to fend for themselves. And as lone creatures, it meant that despite their strength, they were easy prey for capture.

There were rumors that the royal family had an heir, and although capturing the heir as a baby would be the easiest method, Hellhounds couldn’t survive outside of the Deep Woods before maturity. Children and fledglings would die within days of being taken out of their home, it was why the population kept dwindling. Children couldn’t be born out of the Deep Woods.

So the perfect time to capture Hellhounds was when they crossed the threshold into maturity, breaking off the vines of the woods, which were all connected, and shifting into Hounds for the first time. They were weak on their first shift, their massive, lethal bodies ungainly.

Despite it being nothing but a rumor, Fiend Dukes had sent out elite soldiers to retrieve the young Prince. While it took most Hellhounds a few decades to break away from the Deep Woods, royalty remained connected to the vines for a millennium, and the time was almost up.

They had combed through the woods for a few days now, a few unlucky Hellhounds falling prey to the large-scale hunt. Despite working side by side, there was discord between the soldiers. As soon as the royal Hound was found, they would all turn against each other.

Whoever captured the Hellhound first would be victorious, and with the strength of Hellhounds, it was unlikely that the losing parties would make it out of the Deep Woods alive.

It was said that it had taken the combined might of Wrath and Chaos faction Fiends to defeat the King and Queen, as well as the added strength of hired Shadow Demons and even a Holy Demon.