Chapter 8: Fairness

Failure... that was what Lily could compose within her mind. As she fell unconscious from the attacks the red woman and the armoured knight inflicted upon her.

Was she about to die? Had her failure made it impossible for her to ever see her father again? Why were those two demons so strong? Were they even demons?

Her mind was in constant work trying to rationalize it all. She couldn't move, nor she could see or hear.

Lily felt the cold and hard stone as she woke up. Before she was still in the stone forest, now she was on the floor of a small room, the floor was made of black stone, and in front of her, there were metal-like bars allowing her to see another room that mirrored hers.

As she tries standing up she notices the chains surrounding her wrists. Her sword was nowhere to be seen. She felt dizzy, perhaps that red woman had poisoned her.

As she recalls the attack, Lily touches her left shoulder, she doesn't feel the wound anymore, how long had she been unconscious for it to fully heal?

"Magic?" She thought to herself as she recalled that white light from the goblin.

"Perhaps it's capable of healing? But why? Why heal me then?" As she ponders, she hears steps echoing in her direction, coming closer and closer to her.

The woman with the red skin shows up, and she smiles. Her black horns, long black hair and yellow eyes made her demonic look ever so cliché. She was tall, at least as far as Lily could see, perhaps she was average in her world, the red woman looked to be about 6 feet tall, which was leagues above Lily's 5.6 feet tall. The red woman was about to open her mouth until Lily decided to interrupt her.

-I don't understand you- Lily said calmly, knowing well, that this demon wouldn't know what she was saying.

-You think so?- the woman said, her voice sounding like that of a mother hearing a young kid say something foolish, yet innocent, except that it held no motherly love whatsoever.

- ?! - "What!" Lily thought yet she was unable to say it out loud. She recalled in the forest the woman spoke nonsense words like the goblins did. Yet now she was speaking a human language.

-wow, you seem, surprised, I guess the nature folk did not use the translation spell on you, heh- the red demoness said casually -That's good, it's a great defence that you didn't understand anyone- she said, her yellow eyes glowed calmly.

Lily then answered, still taken aback by the sudden information -spell? So this IS a magic spell!- she thought out loud, she guessed before that magic was very much real, after all, the fact that suddenly she had understood those goblin children couldn't have been a coincidence. Neither the fact that, that one goblin made her unable to move. Lily deduced magic existed in that world, yet that was the confirmation of it.

-Why am I chaine_...- she didn't finish answering, her mouth closed, eyes looked down into the abyss, Lily knew why she was chained in jail, she killed a bunch of Goblins, a few of them being children, and she fought against the very woman in front of her, she was a menace.

-wow, that face! Awesome, perfect, just don't move...- suddenly a blue light covered and contrasted against the red woman's eyes, it lasted a second, and Lily barely had time to change her expression of sorrow to one of surprise.

-what was that!- she screamed confused by the colour of the magic.

-I took a memory- the woman said so casually -this will be golden for your defence!- she said with the joy of a journalist building up a story.

-defense?- Lily asked.

-yeah! You are being put on trial, if you do well, you can leave this cell!- the woman says with a smile on her face.

-what_ that's ridiculous! I killed so many of those demons! How can you tell me there even is a chance of me being freed?- Lily protested, she didn't think she was mad at the idea of being freed, she was far more mad at the fact that these demons didn't seem that affected by the fact she had killed some of their own.

Lily wanted to act like they weren't intelligent, just animals, to get her holy mission completed quickly, had it not been for the interruption of the woman and that knight, she would have kept on killing entire families like nothing.

She looked at the woman, who seemed unaffected by her protest. -well... We are just that fair- the red-skinned woman said with a smile on her face -just say what you just said to me and we pretty much can say that you will be a free woman!- the woman said joyfully -hold on, you ARE a woman right?- the demoness asks.

Lily was still appalled by the demoness' answers yet she managed to answer the last -um yes, I am...-

-wonderful- the demoness says as she opens the jail's door -now, what is your name?- the woman asks.

-Lily... Lily Starfallen- she answers while the red lady gets closer -what is yours?- she asks in retaliation.

-my name is Deira- The red demon-like woman says, her yellow eyes glowing mildly -pleasure meeting you, miss Starfallen-

Deira knelt in front of Lily who was still chained to the ground, Deira proceeded to use her blue magic again opening the chains and freeing Lily.

-now, please follow me, i will be your representative so we get you out of an execution charge!- Deira says joyfully.

-im- im sorry, execution?- lily asked surprised, she perfectly understood why they would want to kill her.

Deira kept walking in front of Lily, her face being impossible to properly see. -yeah, most crimes lead to execution- The red woman says calmly, as if its the most normal punishment.

-Then why even a trial?- Lily asks, she did murder a bunch of goblins, and it seems they murder people with most crimes, why does she, a being from out of hell, has the right to a trial -why not just... execute me?-

Deira stops and looks at Lily, the woman's face is one of mischief, as if she is revealing a shameful secret -because you are strong- she smiles -the trial is mostly for show, you will be free as long as you work in the name of the king- Deira says smiling widely -oh we arrived- she says.

-but- what does tha- Lily cant finish her processing of the confesion she just heard. Lily's eyes are attracted to the giant entrance in front of her. She didn't pay atention to her surroundings as they walked around, just now she noticed the beauty of the arquitecture surrounding her.

The large stone doors opened from side to side, behind them was revelaed a large red and golden room. A beautiful set of golden lines moved around all meeting at the centered throne in the end of the room.

In that throne there sat a fully white being. It had eyes and a nose and a mouth, yet those were not fully defined, like a white glowing wooden toy not fully detailed. It looked directly at Lily, her pale skin paled in comparison to that king's, well more like it did not pale in comparison, perhaps darkened in comparison was the best saying...

Regardless, around the roo. There seemed to be many different individuals, all of a similar color to Deira, some darker, some paler, there were a few blue or green demons, yet those were mostly a minority.

-W E L C O M E- says the white being, its figure seeming not to fit with its surroundings.

Lily swallowed her dry saliva, depending on what she was about to say it could be her last words.