Volume 3 Chapter 49 – Procession (Patreon)

Five minutes passed. Galandir's brows were furrowed in concentration while Morrigan channeled her magic into him. Another five minutes passed. She looked at her friend in worry, but didn't dare to interrupt him—he was wholly focused on his task. Another ten minutes passed and she began to worry.

However, then there was a loud noise that reminded her of a shattering glass and Galandir's expression relaxed. "It's done."

She reached her hand towards the door and reached the handle with no obstructions. But instead of opening it, she turned on her heel and approached the window. "I'm sure that Azrael has set up some guards outside the room. We're going through the window in my shadow form."

"At this point, I'm beginning to wonder whether I should call it 'our' shadow form," the elf chuckled and took Morrigan's hand again. 

"Don't think that I'll be giving you free rides forever," she retorted and melded them both into shadows. Oddly enough, his presence did not seem as heavy anymore. It was just as radiant as before, only the brightness didn't bother her anymore. In fact, it felt no different than if she were just carrying an extra object with her.

"Did you lose some weight?" She asked him using Telepathy, as she sped down the Demon Castle wall. 

"No? Why you ask?" 

"It's just so much easier to carry you in shadow form now."

"Maybe it has to do something with us channeling our magic into each other?"

"That has to be it. I can't imagine anything else that would be different."

Morrigan reached the backyard and noticed a lot of demon guards patrolling the area. She snuck through the bottom of the bushes, making it impossible for them to notice her. Before long, she had made her way to the dragon stables where Haku was restlessly pacing around, occasionally releasing a puff of smoke. 

She materialized out of her shadow form, startling the dragon a little bit. But his surprise was short as he began nuzzling against her and Galandir, wagging his tail happily.

"I'm glad you have returned. I didn't know what to do cooped up in here. I sense something really evil in the city and it's slowly coming closer.

"Coming closer?" Morrigan asked.

"What's coming closer?" Galandir asked curiously, not having heard the dragon's thoughts.

"I don't know. Something old. Something unpleasant. It makes me want to run and at the same time burn and destroy it," Haku said in Morrigan's mind, and she recited it to the elf.

"Perhaps it's another black orb?" he guessed.

"No, no. It's something far worse, but at the same time, it is familiar. Or vaguely familiar at least."

"Haku says it's something worse, but apparently it's familiar," she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Some improved version of the black orb?" Galandir guessed, but Haku shook his head.

"It appears not. But few things are certain—it's not good and it somehow involves Father," she said and there was a moment of silence as everyone seemed to think on the best course of action. After a while, Morrigan spoke up again. "I think we should first discover what exactly this dangerous thing is and then act from there."

Both Morrigan and Galandir looked at Haku—the giant dragon who was already the size of two two-story houses. This subtle operation could not be done together with him, but at the same time, he was such a powerhouse that leaving him behind was equally foolish.

"You don't happen to know spells that can turn giant dragons pocket-sized? Or invisible?" She asked Galandir.

"No. As a matter of fact, I do not."

"Please, don't leave me behind," Haku whined and lowered his head to the ground. Morrigan patted him on his head, feeling truly bad for her friend—he only wanted to help. 

"How about this— Haku will stay here and we'll call him when we need him? For him, flying to any place within the city shouldn't take more than a few minutes," Galandir said.

"How do we signal him?"

"Fireball, a bright flash of light, something that illuminates the darkness. That should be an obvious enough signal," the elf suggested.

"I would love to go along with you right away, but if you need to stay hidden, then I shall wait here and watch out for your signal," Haku spoke. Morrigan smiled and gave the dragon a hug.

"Thank you for understanding, Haku."

"I assume he's on board then. Let's start our secret reconnaissance," the elf said, and Morrigan took his hand, melding into the shadows once more. She crept through the bushes again, sticking to the darkest parts, away from any lights. The guards were incredibly vigilant, so she often had to stop and wait for one of them to pass, before she continued.

It was clear that just running along the path as a shadow would quickly get her caught, as they likely had been warned of her possible escape attempt by Azrael. Nevertheless, even these vigilant guards could not cover the whole territory and before long Morrigan had managed to slip beyond the walls and into the city.

"So we are out of the castle. Where are we supposed to go next?" Galandir sent the message to her mind.

"I think we best start at the main gate of the city. I imagine that's where both our and the enemy are gathered. Surely we'll be able to glean what is happening from there."

"Sounds like a plan."

The streets of Linberor were a bit more hectic than the Demon Castle. The soldiers were gathered in clusters, talking among themselves, unsure of what to do. They had been ordered to stand down, but just abandoning their duty didn't seem right. So instead everyone just stood along the sides of the streets and waited.

The citizens of Linberor were also nervous about the ongoing situation, some of them peeking out of their houses, trying to understand what was going on. A few braver folk had even left the safety of the homes and joined the confused soldiers.

Morrigan understood their confusion and used it to her advantage, moving through the streets quickly, not worrying about being spotted. The soldiers were paying much attention to their surroundings anyway, only occasionally stopping their chats, hoping to hear something happening. However, there were no resounding noises of battle anymore. She didn't know whether it was a good sign or not.

"Citizens of the Demon Kingdom!" A familiar feminine voice spoke up from somewhere across the city. Her voice was amplified, however, it wasn't as impactful or effective as Alphegor's amplified voice, making it hard for Morrigan to make out her words at once. But even so, she recognized the voice.

"It's Asdeus!" She said to Galandir mentally, her whole being churning in disgust. "Why is she here? Why does this woman always appear to ruin everything?"

"Asdeus? Who is she?" the elf sounded worried, no doubt having picked up on Morrigan's distress.

"She was my and Deziara's teacher when I was a small child. She discovered that I used to be a human and then tortured me. Later she reappeared and tried to capture myself and Deziara, however, I managed to escape… Oh no!"

"Please do not be alarmed by my presence or the presence of my soldiers."

Remembering the horrible magic Asdeus had used on Deziara, Morrigan pushed herself to move faster, zipping through streets at lightning speed, and heading straight towards the source of the voice.

"Oh no? Oh no, what?" The elf asked.

"She has magic that allows her to control other people! What if she has captured Father?"

"Captured the Demon King? No way. I mean it sounds impressive and all, but each magic has a price. Do you really think she'd be able to control somebody as powerful as the Demon King?"

"Not under normal circumstances, but he must be weakened from all the ongoing fighting. Not to mention the black orb that's been draining magic."

"I have come to Linberor, not to cause bloodshed, but rather bring a new era of peace."

"Faster! Faster! I must hurry to Father's side!"

Asdeus's voice grew louder and more clear with each second as Morrigan ran as fast as her being could manage. Galandir's voice resounded somewhere in the back of her mind, but she was so focused on moving faster, that she couldn't even hear him.

"The weak king Alphegor has admitted that my vision of the future for the Demon Kingdom is superior. That I'll be able to bring prosperity to the demon race."

"No, no, no! Please no!" Morrigan chanted in her mind, desperately rushing forward.

Finally, she made it to the main street and saw how Asdeus was being carried on something that resembled a palanquin, four bulky drow men holding each of the handles. Alphegor was walking behind it, his head hung low. He was unbound but was walking without a fuss, not showing any signs of resistance. After him walked Azrael who was equally meek, with his head hung low. 

Morrigan's first instinct was to materialize out of her shadow form and attack Asdeus head on, but Galandir's voice got through to her and she stopped in the shadow of a barrel standing on the street. "Keep calm. We want to understand the situation first."

"I'm sure many of you disagree, but think carefully my dearest demon comrades. Less than a decade ago this king signed a peace treaty with the Fallen. But why? Our kingdom doesn't need them—we could have defeated them at any point. But instead, he chose to show mercy. Do demons do that?"

People were beginning to emerge from their homes, whispering among themselves as they watched the processions—some with mild curiosity, some in horror. 

"No, we do not give in to our enemy's demands! Now we have to trade with the fallen and provide their people with jobs while robbing those of our own kind. I bet you all know at least one demon struggling to find a job, don't you?" Asdeus addressed the crowd.

Some people began nodding thoughtfully in agreement, while a few shook their heads.

"Why should we give our jobs to the fallen? Demons should look out for other demons, instead of trying to save races who have long since caused their own downfall. Are we responsible for the mistakes other races commit?"

More and more people came out of hiding and more of them began nodding along with Asdeus's words.

"She's trying to take the throne for herself!" Morrigan wanted to scream, but instead, she silently crept through the shadows along with the procession.

"Keep calm!" Galandir tried to pacify her. "We're well hidden now. Wait for the right opportunity."

"I'm sure many of you are proud of our noble Nachtstern bloodline, but even the noblest of rulers grow old. Our king has had a long reign, but even he acknowledges that it is time to step down."

Alphegor nodded his head as did Azrael, no doubt it was Asdeus forcing them to do so with her magic. The people and soldiers who were now gathered in a thick crowd along the sides of the main street gasped in shock.

"Has our King given up?"

"Has His Majesty grown weak?"

"That can't be possible. King Alphegor has always been the strongest king."

"For every mighty demon, there comes a time to step down. King Alphegor has served our kingdom well, but we all must agree that it is time for his reign to end. The old age has made him tired. We must let our king rest," Asdeus said with a smile. "It is time for a new ruler to take his place."

Before Galandir could object Morrigan materialized out of her shadow form, appearing straight in front of the procession and forcing it to stop.

"You're wrong!" She declared, standing like an impenetrable flame in front of Asdeus. People looked at her and then at Asdeus, whose eyes narrowed when she saw Morrigan.

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