Chapter Twenty Four
Tingling sparks of anticipation thieved away at the demon's sleep, yet he did not feel unrested the morning after. Insomnia took the elf, as well, as he stared blankly out to the open fields. Eventually, the elf turned to Drokn, asking for permission to lay next to him. As the demon undoubtedly agreed, the elf snuggled deep within the demon's chest, breathing in his scent, feeling his pulsating heartbeat. Gripping tightly, as if he wanted the sensation to be etched into his memory.
Walking no longer felt like a chore to the demon, whose strides turned long, not the faintest fatigued felt. It was not until Vrona had forcefully stopped Drokn for a break that he paused in his steps, using the explanation that Drokn had to conserve his strength for the big battle.
Vrona filled in the other two of the plan so far. How there are others at the palace they would have to meet up with and strategize, to which Drokn wondered how they would even get into the palace without being in the prison the next moment.
He didn't bother to ask. He was more powerful now. He could do anything with brute force, anyway.
"You're a key component to this plan, Drokn," Vrona stated as they continued their walk. "When a ruler is gone, we need a replacement immediately to not cause anxiety and chaos within the people."
Drokn envisioned himself, striking down the king and stepping forward a new king, He'd smile at the people and ensure he'd be the best king that could happen to them.
Noticing the dark grin spreading on the demon's face, Vrona smirked and playfully smacked the demon's back. "Don't get too caught up in your fantasies, now. Remember why you're doing this."
In the far distance, the heights of the cities spared into view, grazed by the shadows of a few larger clouds. Drokn's heart tingled. A moment he had been waiting for, striving for, training for, so close. Unintentionally, the excitement caused a few sparks of dark magic around his hands. Suddenly, he felt the gentle hold of someone on his wrist. He could tell without even looking that it was the elf's soft hand.
"Don't waste your energy," Eial smiled. As the magic in the demon's hand faded, the elf slowly brought his hand down, curving his fingers around the demon's hand.
Looking down towards the elf, the demon's grin grew less sinister and more the excitement of a child. He twisted his hand and intertwined his fingers with the elf's. Waving their interlocked fingers a few times with each step, he then brought their hands up and giddily placed a kiss atop the elf's.
Rumblings of thunder manifested during their last night outside the territory. They'd taken shelter under a tree and under the disguise of the elf's barrier on the backside of a small hill. It was odd seeing the cities —specifically these well kept cities that were near to the palace— so close to them. The moment became more tangible, yet also unreal as if a dream.
While the demon daydreamed, the elf felt quite the opposite.
As he put up the barrier, he had subconsciously tested the vibrations of their surroundings on habit, a practice he used to make sure he was safe and away from others. And that's when he took notice to it.
Not that he hadn't felt the pricks of his skin prior, something unsettling in the air. But he waved it off, his mind concerning with other events. Assuming his unsettled emotions were for another reason. However, with putting up the barrier, the elf felt waves of—
Magic.
Of all the elements.
Similar to the crater, the elemental magic intertwined, speckled through the ground, speckled through the air..
Eial had contemplated whether to bring the matter up to the other two, but seeing their mind focused with the task on hand, he thought better of it. Defeating the king was important, and the latter can wait if not an immediate threat.
If not an immediate threat.
He didn't want to distract them. He didn't want them to be hurt. One at a time.
Thump. Thump.
The elf's heart and mind lay in a different nightmare alongside the dreams of the others.
~~~
Thunderstorming, dark skies were perfect for infiltration, allowing them the ease to be hidden better than during a sunny daylight. Rainy weather can be sensed as ominous, but for the demon, each blast of thunder that vibrated within him prickeled his skin with deep thrill.
Eial's small barrier had protected the three from the pouring rain, but Drokn couldn't take the intensity of his emotions. Impulsively, he grabbed Eial and brought him outside the barrier, immediately drenching the two with the sharp, cold liquid. Vrona turned away with a smile, letting them have a moment in their privacy before the big moment.
With reddened irses, Drokn laughed and placed his forehead against Eial's. Eyes wide, they looked into the elf's sweet shape of his eyelids. Laughing once more, he clawed his fingers through the elf's hair and breathed in the elf's lips with his own, drowning his emotions into passion.
Towards the end of their kiss, the demon lingered his lips against the elf's with a smile, giddiness prancing within his chest at the thought of the future. Eventually, the demon held the elf close in a hug, sharing the reverberations of the storm. Eial held tight, as well, the thrill contagious from the demon.
The elf listened to the demon's rambles in the rain. How he'd grown powerful, how he'd take down the king easily now, how he'd build more health facilities in the outskirts— how he'd first get more staff to work with that doctor, Bluhn.
He'd buy that one burly demoness a drink. He'd definitely forgotten her name.
He'd help K'ra...
He'd save Gru...
He'd...
He'd...
Eial patiently listened to each plan as he closed his eyes against the warmth of the demon's chest.
That same night, the three made their way towards the city. As he saw the tall towers and the demons in the distance, Eial's heart pounded in memory. His mind flashed to the last time he was close to the inner cities, close to the demon territory on this side where the demons he'd met were not as kind to him as they were in the outer towns.
"It'll be alright. I'm with you," Drokn reassured the elf.
The elf hadn't known he was making his anxiety so obvious until his eyes made contact with the demon's and he recognized how wide they'd turned. His hands were gripped to the hood of his cloak, tight enough that nail creases formed on his palms.
"I won't let anything happen to you," the demon said with the confidence of the strongest demon in the world.
But his unfound confidence was contagious, and the elf smiled bashfully, believeingly. Or rather, he reminded himself that he had to stay strong for the demon, to help the demon. If his nerves were shackled, it could hinder protecting the demon and his goals.
Swallowing the bit of anxiety that remained in the back of his mind, he stepped forward.
When they were met with a wide river dividing the land from the outskirts to the cities, Drokn frowned as he looked at the demoness —who held a knowing smile— before begrudgingly grabbing the demoness to fly to the other side. As for the elf, he followed with himself sinking into the river, using water magic to propel him to the other side.
The night streets were fairly bleak in that side of the city, rare of people except for a few passerbys who couldn't care about others wandering about. Drokn wondered about their plan as they walked closer to the castle gates, hiding in the shadows of buildings.
"Don't worry, I've got this!" Vrona responded simply.
The gates were as tall as the demon remembered. In fact, everything was as he remembered. As if the lack of his presence for so long hadn't made a dent. His gaze darkened, but his ambition grew. He will defeat the king. He will defeat the king. He will be noticed by the people.
Before he knew it, in the midst of his thoughts, Vrona had stepped into the open in front of the guards. The three had hid behind a narrow building, planning out their next move, yet the next thing they knew, the demoness had wandered out, and even more absurdly, beckoned for the other two to follow.
She better have a fucking plan, the demon thought as he stepped forward, his chest high. Eial, in the meanwhile, tried to hide within the back of the demon.
Step...
And another...
The three stood in front of the guards, who revealed their weapons, preparing to defend.
"We are just merely travelers!" the demoness exclaimed, hands up in the air.
Drokn's eyes grew wide and slowly turned to Vrona, a beaming fury piling.
She continued, "We come in peace!"
When the guards did nothing to let them pass, she turned to the other two and shrugged. "Well, I tried."
And the next moment, the three were cuffed and thrown in the cells.