Chapter 2

Malkina Lands

The Aurelia Plane

Sam inhaled sharply as the tug of unfulfilled vengeance burned in his chest. He studied the queen as she walked down the main hall of the castle, barely able to keep his demonic instincts in check. She was clad in one of her finest gowns—a voluminous swirl of gold and black lace that sparkled against her ever-present metal breastplate. Her cat-like tail flicked out from the folds of her dress, the hem of which trailed on the stone floor. But although her feet were hidden, Sam could see something was wrong.

A small limp punctuated Queen Thema's normally graceful glide, and it made Sam's vision blur with fury. He clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. Someone had injured the queen. He needed to make them pay.

Curved black claws shot out from under his fingernails, yet he retracted them quickly. Queen Thema did not need him charging through the castle in a frenzy, especially not today. She was expecting her sister and her royal court to arrive soon, and Sam knew she wished to make a good impression. Pressing his back against the cool stone wall, he took three deep breaths to calm himself.

Several courtiers rushed past him, and Sam hoped they hadn't seen how his big hands trembled. They were dressed in colors that complemented Queen Thema's gown, just as she had requested for all the recent meetings with the other queens of Aurelia. There were seven of them altogether, all sisters, each ruling over a specific territory and race in the Aurelian dimension. They were ordained to protect the crossroads between worlds, and over the past few weeks Queen Thema had requested a visit from each of them. One by one, they had come—with the exception of the Goblyn queen, who had gone missing decades ago.

Today's visit from Queen Cebna of the amphibious Nereid court marked the final meeting of the queens. Sam didn't know the nature of these events, nor did he care. He merely wished they would end soon so he could get back to the stack of unread books waiting for him in the library.

As Queen Thema came closer, her sharp golden eyes spotted him, though Sam had commanded the shadows to surround him in darkness. She placed her hands on her hips and called out, "Samael, step out of the shadows and come at once. I need all my guards at the ready and looking fearsomely brutish."

Sam frowned as his plan to stay hidden evaporated. Although Queen Thema's people, the Malkina, had grown used to having a demon living among them, his presence always unnerved visitors. He dreaded hearing the horrified gasps once the royal court of the Nereid saw him, but he wasn't going to go against the queen's wishes.

He took up pace behind her. "You're limping. Who has harmed you?"

She looked up with surprise, the top of her head only reaching Sam"s elbow. He noted that the black kohl she used to rim her eyes made their wide shape even more striking. Her broad cheekbones were dusted with sparkling powder, intensifying the glow of her lined skin. She patted the tower of black braids twirled into a bun on top of her head. "No one, dear boy. I merely stepped in the wrong place."

"Were you attacked?" he growled, his internal drive for vengeance provoked. Although he had escaped the blood wagons years ago, the volatility of his moods remained.

"Oh no, I was foolish and careless on one of my recent patrols," she said, fluttering her hand. She lifted her skirt to stick out her lightly-furred leg, displaying a jagged cut across the top of her left hind paw. "It's healing nicely."

"This happened on Gaia? At the hand of a human?" Sam didn't know much about living humans, but his experience with their undead had shown them to be a cruel and brutal race.

"It was merely an accident that occurred near one of my portals. There is no one to punish, rest assured." A wry smile curved across her face as she reached up to pat his muscled arm. It was a motherly gesture that spoke of their shared history.

The heaviness of Sam's rage lightened. The throbbing pressure in his horns receded, and his shoulders relaxed. No one had harmed the queen, so there was no need to seek vengeance. He closed his eyes briefly, grateful to feel more in control of himself and his emotions.

"You must be more cautious during your visits," he said.

"I am quite capable of taking care of myself, Samael," the queen snapped. Then, turning her attention away from Sam, she bellowed to the servants and courtiers within earshot. "Everyone in their places! The Nereid court does not trade their fins for legs every day, you know. My sister is a notorious gossip, and I will not have her telling tales that the Malkina's reputation for elegance and beauty is unfounded."

The sound of pounding footsteps echoed through the hall as black-and silver-clad courtiers rushed past them to line up along each side of the hall. Even the roaming band of cats—sacred animal of the Malkina—congregated in one spot at the command of their queen.

"Now Samael, for the welcome ball tonight, you may take the night off if you wish," Queen Thema said. The small orange cat that was her constant companion rubbed against her skirts.

"For what reason?"

"I thought you might enjoy some time to get to know the Nereid people," the queen replied innocently, her tail flicking.

Sam shook his head. "You know how unruly some of your guests can get as the wine flows."

"Yes, yes, but there are no threats. Just a bit of stumbling about and light depravity."

"And why should I not stand guard for that?"

"Many of the females are very beautiful. I thought you might wish to… get to know some of them better."

Realization of the queen's true intentions for him settled like a boulder in his gut. He dropped his chin as a familiar burn of shame rose. Yet again, Queen Thema was trying to play matchmaker and pair him off. But when every female he encountered looked at him with fear or revulsion, the queen's attempts were as futile as they were humiliating.

"That's not going to happen," he said tightly.

"Nonsense," Queen Thema said, then studied his face. "I do not forget the debt I owe you, Vengeance demon, and I wish to see you happy. Why can't you—"

"I will do my duty as a guard, and that's all," Sam interrupted.

The queen arched one eyebrow as the lines around her mouth deepened. Sam jerked a hand through his long, dark hair and glared down at her.

Although he usually appreciated that Queen Thema never treated him differently from the Malkina, this time it angered him. He was not the same as the males of her race or any other males within the realm. He was a demon. And while his people believed all demons had a fated mate, Sam had accepted long ago that he would never find his own. It was yet another birthright taken from him, a destiny destroyed the day he was kidnapped as a boy from the Underworld.

Mercifully, the queen's focus on his loneliness was cut short when trumpets heralded the Nereid court's arrival. The wide castle doors creaked open, and they both stepped forward to peer down onto the grounds. A group of Nereid was moving across the stone bridge that connected the castle to Thema's nearby forests.

As Sam surveyed the court, he caught a whiff of fresh mint in the air, the queen's favorite plant. Rows and rows of the fragrant leaves had bordered the castle for as long as Sam had been living there. The sharp scent made Sam remember with a pang the days when he couldn't smell anything but the sulfur and smoke of the Underworld. He blinked as he relived the days when his eyes didn't hurt from the blinding sunlight streaming through the innumerable castle windows, and his ears weren't pierced with shrieks of delight over the latest castle gossip. The shrieks he longed to hear were those of victory and conquest, and the laughter of vengeances fulfilled.

Will I ever see home again?

He stepped back when Queen Thema moved past him to call down to the group, "Sister! Cebna of the Nereid, welcome to the court of the Malkina."

A creature with blue hair and a crown of coral looked up and waved. "Sister! Thema of the Malkina, the Nereid court accepts your welcome."

Small barnacles clung to Queen Cebna"s pale face, and her webbed, fin-like ears twitched. Though they walked on two legs, the Nereid moved with slippery, supple movements much the same as their sacred animal, the fish. Unlike the felinesque Malkina, who had smooth skin save for their furred legs and pawed feet, the Nereid were covered in iridescent silver scales.

Queen Thema turned back to Sam with a smile. "I must begin the customs of welcome, but take heart, demon. I have not been having these meetings with my sisters for nothing,"

"What do you mean?"

She pursed her lips for a moment. It was an expression that Sam had seen her make countless times when she was debating which details to divulge and which to hold back. "We are working on a plan to find our lost sister. There's been a… development recently. I haven't yet collected all the information."

"You know I care little for royal business," Sam said.

"Yes, but this is different. Something has happened that's either a great threat or a great opportunity. Either way, it could help illuminate the secret of Queen Lilith's disappearance."

"And yet you won't tell me what it is?"

"Not until I have a plan. Please don't take offense, but I don't want you charging off to handle things your way. We both know how volatile you can be."

Sam felt the back of his neck warm. "I see."

"This is a delicate matter, one that requires careful planning."

Sam shifted his weight. "May I at least ask how finding the lost Goblyn queen affects me?"

"Yes." She smiled then leaned forward. "I believe the secret of her disappearance may hold the key to sending you home."

After the welcome ball for the Nereid people ended at midnight, Sam gratefully fell into his bed. His puzzlement over what Queen Thema had said about him returning home made it difficult to sleep. His dreams were full of hellhounds, imps, and lakes of fire until he woke abruptly just after the sun rose.

There was a disturbance somewhere in the realm. A tug at the corner of his mind made him glance around the room. He heard no sound, but something felt different.

He rose from bed and opened his chamber doors, wondering if someone had dared to make the 1,000-step climb up the tower to approach his sanctuary. There was no one. Crossing the room, he jerked apart the balcony doors and stepped onto the broad terrace. He rubbed his eyes until they adjusted to the direct sunlight. A breeze blew his hair back from his shoulders, and he relaxed slightly. No matter how sumptuous he made his chambers, he would always feel more comfortable outside than within four walls.

Sam walked around the balcony, scanning for anything unusual. He inhaled deeply but only smelled the usual scents of the forest and castle, plus the light musk of the Malkina people. He had become adept at identifying each of the seven Aurelian races by their scent—Goblyns smelled of oakmoss and Lycah of birch tar, while the Vowa emitted a pungent hay scent. Harpies smelled of fresh air, and water races like the Nereid and Drago smelled of seawater and sand.

Finding nothing unusual, he moved inside when the slightest trace of an unfamiliar aroma wisped past him.

Inexplicably, his heart began to pound with excitement. Anticipation flowed through him, along with pleasant warmth. He stood still, waiting for the aroma to drift by him again. When it came, it was the slightest flicker of a smell he had not encountered since childhood. A fruit that came from trees not found in Aurelia. It only grew in two realms he knew of—the Underworld and Gaia, the human plane.

Pomegranate.

After quickly dressing, he bounded down the spiral staircase. When he reached the first floor, he nearly collided with Arkaya, the castle steward.

"Forgive me, my lady," Sam said, taking several steps backward.

Arkaya's sharp green eyes fixed upon him. "You have scented an intruder too?"

Sam blinked, but then wondered why he should be surprised at her question. Arkaya's sensitivity to threats was nearly as strong as her skill in magic. She was unfalteringly loyal to Queen Thema, and not just because they shared a bed. Sam had always admired how Arkaya understood the value of rules and order, with little tolerance for foolishness.

"Yes," he said. "I don't know what it is, but it's somewhere on the grounds."

"I'll find it," she said and tucked a strand of gray hair back into the long braid stretching down her back. The ring of keys hanging from her hip jangled as she began walking toward the gates.

"I'll come with you," Sam said.

"No. If it's a threat, the Queen would want you here. Stand watch at the gates." Arkaya bent to grasp the middle of her wooden walking stick, and twirled it around three times. Instantly, the ends extended, transforming it into a fighting staff that was only a few inches shorter than she was. The top end had been sharpened into a menacing point.

"Take this," Arkaya said, pressing a polished piece of white crystal into his hand. "If I need help burning a body, I'll summon you through the crystal."

Then she swept ahead of him to open the castle gates.