Alien's Bride Book Three (15 page)

He continued rambling, but Harsen moved out of earshot.
 
He knelt before his altar and finally allowed the tears to come.
 
Iyla coiled her serpentine body around his nape.

Harsen shuddered when he entered his throne room and saw a demon page standing before him.
 
This was the first Darkhelm demon he’d seen besides his own mother.
 
Like her he had ruddy skin decorated with tattoo-like pigments.
 

He wondered if his mother sensed the regime had changed in her people’s favor.
 
They hadn’t spoken since last spring when he came to tell her about his father’s death.
 
(She was jubilant over the news, as he expected).

Harsen sat in the solitary throne of the room.
 
Eldridge stood beside him chewing his nails.

“Presenting His Royal Highness, representative of the demon god Exinious, and the new ruler of Sencrysi, King Esther the Malevolent Saint.”

A dozen demon servants carried in King Esther on a perfectly balanced litter.
 
He appeared to be a contemporary of Eldridge, though Harsen knew he was at least thrice as old.
 
Age made him look shrunken in his lavish royal costume.
 
He kept his yellow eyes fixed on Harsen as the servants lowered his litter.
 
The page knew when they were finished without turning back to look.

“Presenting Her Royal Highness, second wife to King Esther the Malevolent Saint, and mother to Prince Royal Romi, Queen Ashla the Serene.”

The demon queen’s kind expression seemed to prove her moniker.
 
Thankfully nothing about her demeanor reminded Harsen of his mother.
 
(Since he had to have a demon mother, why couldn’t it be a sane benevolent-looking one like Ashla?)
 
If she were mortal her appearance would suggest an age of 50 or so.
 
More likely she was at least half the age of her husband.
 
The servants lowered her litter close enough for King Esther to take her hand.
 

Harsen noted the slight smile Esther gave his wife when their eyes met.
 
He felt a pang in his middle.
 

“Presenting Prince Royal Romi, sole heir to the Darkhelm throne.”

Not only did the prince have relatively pitiful introduction, he strode into the throne room on foot.
 
Harsen found him strange, even for a demon.
 
First, he was smiling in the nervous, ditsy way Leeta smiled when she was introduced at balls.
 
Second, he walked in with his hands cupped together and held against his chest.
 
When he took his place just diagonal to his parents’ litters he looked at them and giggled.
 
The laugh made one of Harsen’s eyebrows shoot up.
 
The king and queen nodded to their son in return.

The page turned on his heel in a way that looked practiced and exited the room.
 
Everyone looked at Harsen. He squared his jaw and stood.

First, he bowed.
 
Doing so was simply good manners.
 
It wasn’t as though he accepted their authority.
 

“I’m Prince Harsen, Crystalline priest of Sencrysi.”

Romi made a sound like a delighted gasp.
 
Harsen ignored him.

“Where is your king?”
 
Esther had a deep booming voice that belied his shriveled appearance.

Harsen’s mouth stretched into a wry smile.
 
“You’re our king now.
 
Isn’t that so?”

“Where is the
former
king?”

“Haven’t got one.
 
Sorry.”

Esther stared at him.

“I couldn’t manage both the duties of priest and king, so I never ascended the throne.”
 
He looked up and tapped his forefinger against the side of his face.
 
“The idea was for Leeta to take a husband and he could be crowned.
 
I guess the people didn’t much like that.”

Romi’s smile turned ecstatic.
 
“No, they didn’t.”
 
He blurted a quick laugh.

Harsen focused on him a moment more.
 
Was he insane?
 
His mother’s insanity had never been this joyful.
 
He seemed tremendously young—perhaps nineteen.
 
Harsen wondered if he was simply a hooligan.

“Are you saying King Leonard is dead?” Ashla said.

“Yes,” Harsen said.

“Then I am truly sorry.”

Harsen swallowed and lowered his head.
 
He never dealt well with sympathy.
 
It made his grief surface.

“What of your mother, Queen Dorathea?” Ashla said.

“She’s not well.
 
Never been well, actually.
 
She’s um…locked up.”
 
He looked at them.
 
“Under a minister’s constant care, of course.”

“Devotees of Darkhelm often lose their mind when forced into the Crystalline clan,” Esther said.

Harsen’s lips parted.
 
“Is that so?”

“Of course.
 
They’re condemned.
 
Part of their demon essence is purged.
 
They’re robbed of every scrap of their identity.”

Harsen felt as if bugs crawled under his skin.

Ashla kissed her husband’s hand to silence him.
 
“We shall take responsibility for our kinswoman.
 
She’ll be put to right once she can return to Darkhelm.”

Harsen swallowed.
 
“Splendid.”

“Now then,” Esther said, “where is the princess?”

Harsen drew in a long breath through his nostrils.
 
He smiled grimly, then smacked his lips.
 
“Yes.
 
Well.
 
You see.
 
She’s quite run off.”

A response would have eased his discomfort.
 
The demon royalty merely stared at him.

“Eloped.”
 
He focused his smile towards the floor.

Esther’s eyes narrowed.
 
“So.
 
The Crystalline clan provides no royal heir to transition our regimes?
 
Despite it being proscribed in both our religions, and as practiced for several thousand years.
 
Is this what you’re saying?”

“Not at all.”
 
He lowered to one knee with a flourish of his robe.
 
“I offer myself.”

“Oh!”

Romi’s outburst made him look up.
 
The prince stood with a delirious smile and had his hands cupped together below his chin.
 
His demonic eyes seemed to sparkle.
 

“Father,” Romi said, “may I accept?”

Harsen looked at Esther as panic overtook him.
 
The demon king held his chin in consideration.

“The princess is truly gone?” Esther said.

“Well…well yes, but—“

Ashla faced her husband.
 
“Let him have the priest, dear.
 
You know he’s always shown such inclinations.”

“What of an heir?”

“He’ll outlive the mortal.”
 
Ashla smiled in her serene way.
 
“His first marriage should be a happy one.”

Esther shrugged, and then nodded.
 
“Oh, very well.
 
We accept.”

Romi clapped his hands together.
 
“Thank you, father!”

Harsen felt the color drain from his face.
 
“You’re joking.”

“Joking?”
 
Esther scowled.
 

He climbed up.
 
“I can’t…I won’t.
 
I have an unwed aunt.
 
Once you kill me she’ll be the heir to the Sencrysi—“

“Kill you?” Ashla said.
 
“We’re not barbarians.”

Romi’s face became sad in the same exaggerated way he showed happiness.
 
Esther leaned forward to look at him.

“Take care, priest!” Esther said.
 
“Your words verge on insult, and you’ve distressed my son.”

Harsen’s mouth went dry.
 
He looked at Romi.
 
The young prince would not meet his eyes.

“I…I can’t exist amongst demons.
 
I’m devoted to my faith.
 
You see, there’s…there’s no place for me in this new regime.
 
I thought you’d do me the favor of killing me—so I wouldn’t have to do it myself.”

Romi gave a coo of sympathy.
 
“Oh…but really, I fancy you
because
you’re a Crystalline priest.
 
You’ve such a magnificent aura.
 
Why, you’re beautiful, my prince.”

Harsen gave a laugh of exasperation.
 
“So you want to destroy me?
 
Contaminate me?”

Romi became stricken.
 
“Not at all.
 
You’ve more power to do such things to me, if you wished.”

Harsen stared.
 
The nincompoop demon child had just intrigued him.

“You claim to be devoted to the Crystalline faith,” Esther said.
 
“The rules of a regime change are clear.
 
In keeping with your own precepts you must abide this marriage.
 
To take your own life would be shirking your sacred obligation.”
 

Harsen shoved a hand into his hair.

“Further—you chose this, and no one else.
 
I will not have my son the victim of a cruel joke.
 
Harm him from within or without and you’ll be dealt with.
 
As our kinswoman, your mother, learned—there are fates worse than death.”

“We are not villains,” Ashla said as if to diffuse her husband’s threat.

Harsen focused on her kind face.
 

“Romi is not your enemy.
 
He’s a quite precious boy, as I’m sure you’ll see.”

The page reentered the room with a trumpet.
 
Harsen had no idea how he knew the audience was over.
 
He played a regal tune as the litters were raised by servants.

“We leave for Darkhelm in three nights,” Esther said.
 
“It is now the capitol of Sencrysi—and your new home as consort to Romi.
 
Kindly prepare to leave this place forever.”

 
The words didn’t affect him.
 
He was still numb from the earlier devastation.
 
Harsen remained on his feet until the room cleared, then collapsed into his throne.

“That went splendidly, don’t you think?” Eldridge said.

Harsen glowered at him.

***

The first day Harsen did nothing.
 
He didn’t even take food or drink.
 
Iyla had to note his depression, but the immortal dragon’s patience was a constant.
 
She let him wallow as he pleased until the next sunrise.

Then the crimson dragon led in two servants bearing a feast.
 
She had them spread it over his bed and leave.
 
Harsen could barely register the happenstance.
 
He’d become fixated on dying of natural causes in his sleep.
 
Not a suicide—not his fault, and certainly a great many men died at 30 or younger.
 
Iyla’s feast only added to his disappointment.
 
Not only was he alive—his weak mortal body demanded food.
 
He snatched a loaf of brown bread without prompting.