The Princess and the Demon King

Chapter 3 - The Challenge

CHAPTER THREE

"Good morning." Iram greeted me. He sat at the end of a long dining table laden with a feast of various dishes. "I hope that you slept well. Please take a seat."

I held my breath and clenched my fists. I was trapped in a castle in the sky that belonged to a demon king and was filled with invisible servants. I knew nothing about the insides of the castle or its location. My best chance to escape was to co-operate with him and try to ease some information from him about how to leave.

I relaxed my hands and walked to the table. The chair at the other end of the table from Iram slid away from the table and I sat down. Invisible hands pushed my chair closer to the table.

"Yes, I slept well." I spoke formally. "Thank you for your hospitality. Are all of your servants invisible?"

He smiled. "Some of them are shy. They can be invisible if they choose to be." Gesturing at the table, he said, "Help yourself."

"Thank you." I answered. I looked at the various dishes on the table: eggs, bread, pancakes, french toast, a whole ham, an assortment of fruits. Hardly what I would expect a demon to have for breakfast.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Nothing here to your liking?"

"No." I replied politely. "Everything looks delicious. I don't know what to start with."

He laughed at this. "Sorry to disappoint you. I don't have human bones or demon corpses for breakfast." His eyes revealed light amusement. He poked a thick slice of ham and dropped it on his plate. "That dress is very becoming. I am privileged to be dining with such a beautiful woman."

Receiving compliments from the demon king about my appearance made me uncomfortable. I felt my cheeks become warm. I dismissed my nervousness to being caused by my inexperience at receiving such compliments. I replied "You flatter me, sir. It is only the dress that complements my appearance." Changing the topic, I spoke conversationally, "The castle is quite large. It never occurred to me that there were castles in the sky. How old is this one?"

"Two weeks."

"And I suppose other demons' homes can be found in the sky as well?"

"No, they prefer the forests and mines on land." he replied. Smirking, he added, "Closer to human villages."

I ignored the implication in the last comment. Feigning a look of mild curiosity, I asked, "How do your vassals visit you then? I've never heard of demons that could fly."

"Only demons of high rank can fly and perform magic. The higher the rank, the stronger the magic. The only visitors of this castle are demons of higher rank who reign over the dwellings of lesser demons."

"Oh…", my sentence trailed off as I absorbed this information. It looked like the only way to leave the castle was by flight. My heart grew heavy. My chances of escaping the castle looked low.

"Don't think of trying to leave." he told me in an amused tone of voice. "It is impossible to leave without the power of flight. There is no hope of rescue. The castle is  enshrouded in camouflage and protection spells cast by the strongest magic. No one enters the castle unless I wish them to."

With that, my hands started to shake. I could feel my mask of mild interest slip as my face fell. My future was clear. I was absolutely trapped.

A wave of emotion that I couldn't recognize briefly passed over the demon king's face. He quickly hid it and spoke, "However, I can offer you a deal for your release."

I looked at him, startled by his offer. He continued, "There is a magic battle tournament for our kind in one week. It is sort of like your silly jousting tournaments to determine the greatest warrior, except for magic. Win the tournament, and I give you my word that I will free you."

I was stunned. This was no option at all. It had been centuries since women had the ability to use magic. Long before my ancestors' time, the number of girls born with the gift of magic decreased rapidly until eventually no female was born to possess magic. The priests took this as a sign that the gods no longer wished for women to cast magic. The belief grew that any woman who attempted to cast magic would be cursed by the gods. Any spell cast by a woman would betray her and backfire as she died in flames.

"That request is nothing but absurd." I said in disbelief. "Human women cannot cast magic. The gift was lost centuries ago."

"Then you will never leave." Iram replied smugly. "So you reject my challenge?"

Obviously I would refuse. Deciding to accept his offer was basically a choice between death and lifelong imprisonment. I stiffened. Lifelong imprisonment? I would rather die trying to escape than to live with the demon king for the rest of my life.

"No, I accept your offer." I said stiffly.

"The tournament is renowned for the deaths of its participants." Iram warned. His eyes watched me intensely as he said, "You will most likely lose your life. Are you certain?"

My courage faltered. "Yes."

"Then it's your funeral." Iram stood up from the table. "I sense the approach of my vassals. They will be arriving soon with reports of my citizens. I must excuse myself from our breakfast."

He walked towards the door to leave. "You have met my servants, Rose and Elle? They will guide you to the castle library, where there are many resources for the study of magic. Although their magic is far weaker than that of a warrior, I will ask them to do what they can to assist you with your endeavours. I will see you tonight for dinner. Goodbye."

I listened to the sound of his footsteps fade as he walked away down the hallway away from the dining room. I sank in my chair and covered my face with my hands. What have I done? I could not believe what I had just agreed to do. I could almost hear death knocking at my door.

"You're going to lose." a voice called.

I sat up and looked across the room, startled. A demon sat on the other side of the table in Iram's chair. His ice blue eyes glittered as they considered me.

"I have no choice." I said. "I would rather die trying to leave than to stay here forever."

"That is not your only option." replied the demon. "Fulfill my request, and I will return you to your kingdom. My request is simple and it will be easy if you obey my instructions carefully."

His offer sounded too good to be true. "What can I do for you?" I asked casually.

His lips pulled back to reveal sharp, white teeth in a cruel smile. "Kill him."