The Demon

Chapter 6

It was getting darker. Thanatos and Aylee were both exhausted after the fight with the Mafia Women. Aylee's wound had been bandaged, and she leaned on her dragon's back. 

"Where are we going?" Thanatos asked.

"The Lake of Blood," Aylee replied.

"Oh that!" Thanatos said, "Would you like me to tell you the history?"

"Sure," Aylee said, "I don't have anything to waste."

"So basically, long ago, the Great One founded the Lake of Sapphires. The water made of pure sapphires, the rocks made of smooth smoky quartz, the coral made of colorful gems, the sand of sparkling clean sandstone. Mermaids with tails of all the rainbow colors flitted in the lake. People could easily swim with the mermaids, because the Great One enchanted the Lake to be filled with oxygen and air so the people could breathe underwater. People really liked this place, and some even asked the Great One to convert them into mermaids so they could live there forever.

"Unfortunately, when the Demon One defeated the Great One, he spilled the blood of the Great One into the Lake, turning it red, thus known as the Lake of Blood. As for the creatures in the Lake, they fled, and never were seen again."

"That's so sad!" Aylee said.

"Yes," Thanatos said, "According to legend, the woman or man who defeats the Demon King, needs to spill the Demon King's blood into the Lake of Blood, in order to conjure it back to the Lake of Sapphires and bring back the mermaids and other creatures."

"That's interesting," Aylee said.

"Yes," Thanatos agreed, "Quite interesting."

"It's getting dark," Aylee said, "Shall we sleep?"

"Sure," Thanatos said.

He reached into Void's bag and pulled out two blankets and a long rope. He tied the rope around Aylee's waist, before tying it to his own, and finally securing it around Void's stomach. He handed Aylee and blanket, then curled between Void's spikes and went to sleep.

Aylee could not sleep. She lay on Void, feeling the wind from his steady wingbeats as he winged through the night. He had been noticeably quiet during the trip to the Lake of Blood, and Aylee did not know why, but she did not want to stress her dragon out more.

Her hand reached into their bag and brought out the Bone Necklace, an especially important aspect of their quest to make the Fireblade. Her hand traced the carved piece that the Bone represented; a demon skull. Her eyes fell on the thread that looped through the Bone. It was made of a light material that looked like the color of rusty gold. The thread was thin and sparkled deeply in the moonlight. She hadn't noticed the details before, but she noticed how the rusty gold color just looked that way. When she looked closer, she realized that it was the color of blood, dark red blood. Her hands traced the Bone again, and with a start, she realized that the Bone's cracks were filled with dried blood. But when she traced it again a second later, it was gone; the thread also turned back to the color of rusty gold.

This had to mean something. But what? Aylee was so confused. She gently shook Thanatos awake.

"Thanatos," she hissed.

"W-w-what?" he murmured sleepily.

"I need to tell you something," she said.

Thanatos rubbed his eyes as he sat up, "What?"

"So, you know this necklace," Aylee said.

"Of course," Thanatos said.

"Well, something happened," Aylee went on to explain what happened with the necklace. Thanatos's eyes grew wide.

"Oh....oh.... this cannot be!" he gasped as she finished the story.

"What?" Aylee said.

"Nothing," Thanatos said, shock and fear in his eyes, "It's nothing."

"What, Thanatos?" Aylee said.

"It's just...it's a sign," Thanatos said, "The Demon King suspects you are here."

"What?!" Aylee said, "No way!"

"Yes," Thanatos said, "The Demon King has many ways to express his suspicions, and this is one of them."

"So, what should we do?" Aylee asked.

"Pick up the pace," Thanatos said, "Can Void go faster?"

 "I'm trying my best," Void murmured in Aylee's mind, "I can try to go faster."

"Thank you," Aylee said.

She turned to face Thanatos, "Void will try to go faster."

A sudden gust of wind blew at them as Void shot through the sky, his wings stirring up powerful winds as he flapped.

Soon, Aylee saw a massive expanse of blood-red water.

"Void! There!" she called to her dragon,

Void flapped elegantly to the ground a short distance from the Lake.

"Thank you," Aylee murmured, rubbing Void's snout, "We'll call you if anything happens."

Void gave her a snort, then took off, his black wings almost invisible in the dark sky.

Aylee and Thanatos cautiously treaded towards the water. They felt incredibly nervous but also very prepared.

"Who are the ones we need to ask the items from?' Aylee asked.

"Either the Blood Princesses, or the Sea Dragon," Thanatos said, "The Blood Princesses are worse."

"What are the Blood Princesses?" Aylee asked.

"They are terrible things, created by the Demon One," Thanatos said, "They reside in the Lake of Blood shortly after the real mermaids and other animals fled. They inflict fear, and love to drink blood. They usually come out after dark, to search for unsuspecting animals or humans to feast upon. They have been here thousands and thousands of years, ever since the Demon One defeated the Great One. They....they...... they are the ones that killed my father."

"Tell me about it," Aylee said gently.

"My father one day was drunk, and he walked down to the Lake. He was so drunk; he literally drank the blood from the lake. Instantly, the Blood Princesses dived at him, and the oldest killed him on the spot. I never even knew until three days later, when I went down to the Lake bright and early and saw the remains of his bones and his body. I was so horrified that day, I screamed so loudly, I pleaded to the gods, I prayed to the spirit of the Great One, but nothing made my father come back. He was truly gone,' Thanatos shuddered.

Aylee gently placed an arm around his shoulders and stroked his hair.

Suddenly, a hissing noise spread through the clearing. And the two of them stared in horror, as the water started to shift.