Desolation

While Zhutak slept, far away from the red castle, his master was sliding his senses to inspect the wide expanse of a residence burned to the ground.

Until just a couple of days ago, the Straugh mansion had been a beautiful place and, most importantly, an impregnable fortress for any demon. After all, Rigel had checked his safety himself.

Yet, now the residence was a shattered, smoldering mass of wreckage and remains.

That had not been a normal fire.

Devil's Horses... Rigel thought to himself, remembering the being responsible and the destructive power of the already extinguished flames.

Again, Rigel hissed. This was the second time he had checked out the desolate place after receiving April's message. The first time had been to find her ashes.

An unknown, unpleasant sensation pierced his chest. It was strangely unbearable. That distress hadn't left Rigel since the discovery: he had lost April.

Rigel growled. She had been the only human who had shown him value and whom he considered the closest being he had ever had. She was his only friend ever.

An unintelligible message had reached Rigel through the way they used to communicate: it was two pieces of paper enchanted by his sorceress. What had been written in one was seen in the other and vice versa; the method worked no matter how far apart April and Rigel were.

¡So many times they had used that means of communication during those thirty years! They wrote to each other almost daily. Once the paper sheet reached its limit: the content disappeared, so they could start writing again and so on.

The fact that the old piece of paper was all he had left of April seemed incredible. Rigel had answered on the spot, however, April's reply never arrived.

Now Rigel reached for the note and reread it. If at least she had written something more illustrative. At least she could have lived. ¡¡Damn!!

betrayal... please help Lynn...

¿Had they been written with the last of her strength? And the question that most corroded Rigel's thoughts: ¿who?

¡Betrayal... please help Lynn! ¡What a play on words to write! Rigel was exasperated. At first, he had refused to believe it, but he had lost her forever.

April had been the only person capable of awakening some warmth in him. The sincere young lady he had met by chance over thirty years ago, the one who had changed his life forever. Rigel had even tolerated young Straugh just out of consideration for her.

And again, he hissed. Once he got his hands on those responsible: they were going to regret ever having been born. Rigel just couldn't control his rage. It didn't help either the pain he was feeling in his temples ever since he had woken up in the ballroom. He had fallen asleep ¡Him! ¿How extremely strange was that?

What was most unusual was that the scent of the lady, who was currently taking refuge in his castle, was everywhere. Yes, the damned sweet scent of Straugh's eldest daughter was following him like it was the very shadow of him. At that moment Rigel wanted to reach out his hand and annihilate the nearest village with just that move out of sheer rage. However, he controlled himself in honor of April.

Betrayal... He repeated the word in his mind. It would have been easy to guess for Rigel. The only possible way to bypass the security of the mansion was to sabotage it from the inside. So, a trusted person had committed treason. Despicable humans... In honor of April's memory, he was controlling himself so he won't exterminate that rotten race once and for all.

Then Rigel remembered the daughter. Yes, the Straugh's firstborn. A naive and daring young lady who was now in his estate. Most of all she was beautiful, Rigel had hoped she would look more like her mother, but it didn't help that she was completely different. ¿What was he supposed to do with the cheeky little beauty? Because she had dared to challenge him. A mostly young and insignificant human. Rigel shook his head.

Still, she was not an insignificant human. If possible, Rigel didn't want to breathe in her direction again. ¿The reason? Because something in that young woman had almost driven him insane. It had been so powerful, that Rigel had to shut down all his senses.

And there was the question again: ¿What was he supposed to do with her? ¿Be her guardian? No way. ¿Get her a new family and watch over her from the shadows? After all, April had entrusted her daughter to him. No, April shouldn't have done it: the young lady didn't arouse parental instincts in him exactly. Rather: Ever since he'd seen her confront his steward, Rigel had wanted to bite that bold little mouth of hers. The truth was that he had been uneasy ever since the Straughs' carriage had broken through the walls of his residence; not to mention that his muted soul had reacted strangely when he approached her with his mind.

Rigel smoothed back a platinum hair strand that had escaped from his ponytail and he sighed wearily. He couldn't think of the peculiar human at the moment. Yes, his conflict with the young woman should wait. Because firstly, he was going to destroy April's death culprit.

On the other hand, there was Tutanojh and the role this one had played in sending his beast-men after April's daughter. Perhaps it had been fortuitous, but Rigel couldn't leave anything to chance. He had already made an appointment with his spies. Rigel was determined to get to the bottom of it.

If Tutanojh had intentionally gotten his hands on Rigel's territory, then the inevitable would happen: both of them would have a confrontation. And by hell, Tutanojh should have known the Straugh residence was under Rigel's protection.

A long time ago, both Rigel and Tutanojh had drawn the boundaries; since each saw the other, as the only threat in all Scaz.

In any case, Rigel had always known the two great sinners of Scaz would clash at some point. If Tutanojh had messed with Rigel's people, then he had only given him an excuse to begin hostilities once and for all. However, neither of them could directly harm the other.

Simply because a direct attack wasn't an option for none of the two.

Perhaps... Rigel shivered. ¿What if, by chance, Tutanojh had orchestrated the attack? Perhaps Tutanojh had thought it would anger him enough to attack without reservation.

No, that wasn't the way Tutanojh used to do things.

I'm missing something... ¿What is it, April? ¡Damn! And it so happened that, just when he remembered April, Rigel felt a flutter of life. Impossible...

Rigel hadn't felt it the first time he was there. Still, though barely audible and stumbling, it was there now. There was no mistaking it.

April... Inevitably hopeful, Rigel put his senses to full power. Little by little, his steps were taking him toward the pantheon. This was the only place that hadn't been completely incinerated.

With the elegant movements that were inherent to him, Rigel reached an immense Niche. Where are you... Suddenly there was a cracking sound that disturbed the deadly silence that reigned.

Rigel located it as fast as a hawk to its prey. Then, a second later, the tomb began to slide, moved by a hidden mechanism. Again, there was silence and Rigel took two fluid steps forward.

Suddenly the vast tombstone fell, revealing the grave. Smoke rose from within, but Rigel's keen eyes saw the bundle at once. Better than seeing it, he felt it.

Whoever lay inside the tomb coughed, snapping Rigel out of his lethargy. He couldn't believe it himself, but he was trembling with anticipation. Rigel knew he was in denial. So much he wanted to see April.

Of course, he had always known, he would see her die. After all: a human life was as long as a sigh. But, anyway, he never expected her to be torn from him like this.

The bundle shuddered first, then moved heavily to its feet.

It was a person, of course: a female human. The human took an uncertain step toward the opening and sobbed. Although she smelled a little bit like April, this person didn't feel like his friend at all. It wasn't April's soul. Rigel knew it better than anyone.

Finally, the smoke dissipated and a girl was completely visible.

At first, Rigel stiffened.

¿April? It was as if time had turned back thirty years. Rigel wished it so. When it came to April, he always experienced sensations and reactions that he was completely unaware of.

Then Rigel frowned: the truth was that he had recently discovered other reactions and sensations even more novel and disconcerting. Annoyedly by the sudden thoughts, he shook his head once and focused on the girl in front of him: she was an almost exact image of April at twelve years old.

But she wasn't April. She was her youngest daughter.

Rigel knew it because, of course: the resemblance was obvious. But also, because April herself had told him a lot about Snowin. About how much she resembled her physically and how Snowin was a very mature girl for her age.

Right now, Snowin was looking at Rigel:

"¿Who... are you?" She coughed "¿Where are the others?"

Rigel stiffened uncomfortably for a few seconds. The helpless girl did not arouse any type of reaction in him. As expected, except for April, he couldn't feel anything in front of a human. Well, there was an exception now. And Rigel almost hissed at the memory of the older sister.

Suddenly, the girl in front of him suffered a strong coughing attack. Snowin had pale skin. Her bronze-colored hair was cropped to her chin. She was petite and graceful. She even had the same freckles April had on the tip of her nose.

Rigel sighed loudly and the girl looked up at him with big brown eyes, too big for her small round face.

April. It was like seeing her all over again. Rigel felt terrible as if something snapped inside him. Then even before he felt the wetness on his cheeks, the girl's surprised face told him: he was crying.

Rigel wiped away two red tears from his face; it was the second time he had cried in hundreds of years. Now that he had given up taking souls, his tears were no longer black but as red as blood.

So, Rigel moved his hand and made Snowin forget the tears because he needed the girl to be composed as possible. After this, he induced tranquility and peace in her mind.

"Snowin, where is your father"

There was a frown on the girl's features, but after a brief silence, she finally spoke mechanically. Rigel remembered April had told him that Snowin was fourteen years old.

"Mother kept me here when... they didn't find Joshua." She came back for Joshua..."

"¿And your father?" Rigel asked sharply, a muscle jumping in his jaw at the mention of April.

He had found April cremated, the memory of her stabbed him right into his chest and temples. However, the girl's father was another story. Because Rigel had been unable to find his remains.

This time, Snowin's face twisted completely into a grimace of pain. Her quivering mouth split in half as the corners plummeted. Then she did something like a pout and snapped:

"That man murdered my father... He pushed father so the horned monster..." Snowin shuddered and arched "It was horrible, it was so dark inside the tomb... I... I saw everything through the hole in the wall." The girl's hand was shaking, her whole body was shaking "¿Where is my mother? I want to go with her, sir... And with Joshua and Seraphin"

At this point, the poor girl was crying seriously as she hiccupped and choked on her snot.

The crying of humans was not pretty to see. Rigel thought adamantly. He only felt a growing fury, but he was getting closer to the truth. It had been easier than he had thought.

Rigel looked at the girl, who was about to go into a serious hysteric attack, and then he moved his power until he relaxed her once more.

"¿Who was that man? The man who pushed your father." He was more explicit.

Snowin sniffed but her eyes filled with tears, then her lids swept over and a heap of drops streaked down her cheeks one after another, running over in a torrent.

"His... name" The girl hiccuped and then shivered. "Archill..."

So that's how it is. Now, ¿was there someone pulling Mr. Archill's strings? Guess I'll have to ask him in person. Rigel told himself and practically licked his lips in anticipation. Archill... He was going to regret it in every little corner of his conscience.

Then Rigel raised a hand and put the girl to sleep. With tedium, he lifted her in his arms and disappeared from that desolate place.

Rigel knew a perfect family for the girl, she wouldn't lack anything: not wealth, not protection, and certainly not what humans called love. Then the little girl's sister came to Rigel's mind. The truth was, he had been thinking about her ever since the mention of Archill.

On a few occasions, April had told Rigel about the young lord and how in love he was with her oldest daughter. April thought he was... ¿What had she called him? Oh yes: a good boy.

Anger burned Rigel hard and unyielding.

All this gave him more reason not to send the older sister away. Perhaps Archill's motive was her. Maybe the prize was the lady since Straugh couldn't seem to find anyone good enough for the beloved firstborn. However, there could be so many other reasons: some kind of revenge, or maybe it was the damns mines.

In any case, Rigel couldn't get rid of the young woman just yet. Because, to be honest: she had managed to intrigue him way too much. First: she had resisted his power. Then she had challenged and provoked him without precedent.

Rigel appeared from nowhere in front of the Gahel residence. Time ago, they had collaborated with some of his businesses, and currently, they provided him with wine, fruits, and food from their local production.

On the other hand, Nordack was quite close to them. Nordack even liked to spend some of his days off in their company. The marriage was part of the few humans who had relations with Rigel in exchange for the protection of their territory. On top of that: April had known them and held them in high regard. Furthermore, the elderly couple had always lamented the fate of not having children. Rigel was just about to fix that.

Children, and family; the truth was that Rigel did not understand what value it could have. Rigel never understood April's joy, no matter how much she repeated it to him.

April... She filled his thoughts when he appeared in the middle of the living room, causing the elder Gahel to drop a jar of honey from his hands in sheer surprise.

Rigel gave a simple salute and got to the point instantly. He had urgent business to attend to before coming back to his domains. He wanted to locate Archill's whereabouts as soon as possible.