“Wait!” Tabitha called, her voice hoarse and croaky.
Raxx turned back to glance over his shoulder at her.
“The princesses and Lephas... Free them. Take them to the king’s compound and hurry.”
“How much time do we have? Where is Zelrus? What kind of trouble is he in?” Raxx spluttered.
“The king is on his way, his horse can go no faster... Faeries are on his heels,” Tabitha’s face was emotionless as her eyes stared vacantly into the darkness. “Go. Go now.”
“Surely the princesses would be safer—”
“No.The king’s life depends on it,” Tabitha replied.
Raxx didn’t hesitate to hear more. Within seconds, he was hurtling through the streets of Banesteppe towards the king’s compound. He hoped that Oriel would, for once in his life, be found in a suitable state for action and not drunk, laid up in bed with some woman.
Raxx approached the guards posted outside the compound, materialising as he sprinted through the gates.
“Raise the alarm –now!” he yelled as he ran past them. The demon disembodied once more and hurtled through the stone walls of the building. Though Raxx hadn’t paused to ensure his request had been answered, moments later the large iron bell, located in an old lookout tower, began to ring.
It was a noise all demon kind dreaded. It filled the hearts of even the bravest of men with fear. Banesteppe was under attack.
Raxx crashed into the king’s quarters, almost sagging with relief as Oriel jolted to his feet from behind the desk. A pot of ink tipped over, ruining whatever document the prince had been working on.
“Your brother returns. He’s in trouble.”
“What? Where? What kind of trouble?” Oriel snatched his sword belt from the chair behind him, his fingers fumbling as he hurriedly fastened it to his waist.
“No time to explain – faeries, that’s all I know.”
“Raxx I—”
The shadow demon didn’t hesitate. He disembodied and span on his heel, throwing himself from the second story window. His wings shot out as he glided down to the ground. No sooner had his boots touched the cobbles, than he was sprinting once again, majick pumping through his veins as he made his way towards the cells.
It would have been infinitely faster to teleport but with an unknown threat fast approaching, Raxx couldn’t risk the majick expenditure. A little extra power could mean the difference between life and death.
The demon crashed through the doors and the guards jumped to their feet. “The commander – release him immediately.”
“B-but sir, we—”
“Now!” Raxx spat, pushing his way past the stunned demons. “The princess too – tell them to get to the king’s compound and find Prince Oriel.”
Though he heard their spluttering as the guards attempted to understand the frantic situation, Raxx shot forwards, skidding around a corner and leaping to take two steps at a time as he hurried to Faye.
Outside her cell, he faded straight through the bars. Majick formed a sharp blade at his fingertips and he darted forwards, slicing clean through the chains that strapped the princess to her bed.
“Wh--?” she gasped around her gag, thrashing with surprise.
“It’s me. We have to go,” Raxx muttered, trying to keep his voice as calm as he could, though his heart still pounded in his chest. He pulled her gag free.
“Raxx? What’s happening?” Faye’s hands flew to her face as she tugged off her blindfold. Her eyes widened and her face paled. “Lori?”
“Lori is fine. I haven’t got time to explain, we have to go,” Raxx snapped, grabbing the faerie more roughly than he would have liked and dragged her to her feet.
“But I—”
He ignored the princess’s protesting and grasped her tightly, disembodying them both. Uncaring of the fright he may give her, Raxx threw himself straight through the wall of the cell and plummeted to the ground below.
His wings shot out and fought against the bitter winds as they attempted to slow their descent. They hit the ground forcefully and Raxx dropped forward onto one knee for a moment as he steadied himself. Faye clung to him as if her life depended on it. The demon realised with startling clarity that indeed, perhaps it did.
