The royal city of Port Cressida has a new King.
Casper Ashe.
After spending years chained to the floor of a dungeon, haunted by visions of a beautiful woman, Casper is finally free. As Port Cressida's new King, he has two priorities: restore peace t...
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Sophie Ashe POV
The Mountain Side
Gwendolyn flees into the trees as her father's body dissolves into ash. The black flaming sword disappears, too, transforming back into a small black knife.
I sit in the snow, thinking about what happened and how I'd just seen my parents. I'd never seen my father before, nor had I seen my mother look so healthy and happy.
I could feel tears welling up, so I got up and gave my arms and legs a little shake. My tears could wait, but first, I needed to get to Mia.
I screamed Nico's name into the night air. Seconds later, I heard him call back. He sounded far away, so I kept yelling until he emerged from the forest into the clearing.
He went grey when he saw the bloody half-healed hole in my chest.
"What happened?" He asked.
"It's nothing. Just a scratch," I replied, closing my jacket to hide the hole. "I killed the demon, and I'm pretty sure Mia is now free."
Relief swept over Nico's face. "Brilliant, you amazing girl," he smiled.
"But," I said, quickly raising my hand, "Octavia sacrificed herself, and there's now a hell portal behind the lodge. I think Luc and Mia are in danger. The portal was opened to let demons in."
"Why would Octavia do that? Why would demons want her son on the throne," Nico asked.
"It's not that straightforward. Let's head back to the car, and I can explain," I replied.
We backtracked through the woods to the main road. I took the opportunity to fill Nico in on Octavia and her apocalyptic cult. When we returned to the SUV, Nico's cell phone lit up with messages and calls. Something bad was happening back at the lodge.
We got in the car and travelled back down the mountain towards the lodge. We needed to get back and find a way to close the portal. I could use my black flaming sword to slaughter any demon stupid enough to stand with Gwendolyn. However, if the portal remained open, the demons would keep coming.
"We need help," I said, thinking out loud. "Rayne?"
I called out the demon's name, hoping he was hiding in the shadows, listening to me.
"Rayne? I fulfilled your stupid bargain. Could I have my husband back?" I called out.
Nobody responded. Frustrated, I tried again. Still, no one answered.
Nico shook his head, "He's a demon. They're all slippery bastards. We'll get Casper back, but we'll need to call upon a demon expert or exorcist. I know a couple of guys who might be able to help."
This didn't feel right. Rayne helped me. He always helped me, even when it looked like he wasn't helping me. I reached down and stroked the handle of the knife that he had given me. The knife that had saved my life.
