The cleansing room

As Valerian leads me inside, a strange purple light swirls around my step, resounding around the room with an ethereal, purple aura that captures the breath in my lungs.

"This is the cleansing chamber, though it's more of a cave, really. It purifies demons, or anyone that has been to the Upper Realm. Ensures no tracking spells have been put on you, or anything of the sort, and wipes away any scent of the Upper Realm. The Upper Realm stresses out a lot of demons, it reminds them of bad times, and I know you don't think you have been tracked, but it's better we cleanse you, just to be safe."

Gawking, I stare wide eyed around the room- or cave, soaking in all the information like a cat basking in the sun. It is beautiful, it truly is. A strangely perfect encapsulation of the man who stands beside me- dark and brooding, strangely ominous and yet simultaneously filled with an enigmatic wonder, a curiosity for life and the wonders of the world.

The room itself appears like a giant gaping cave, illuminated by purple crystals that stud the wall in periodic flares of light, lit further by tiny balls of gold and blue light wavering in the air before us in little puffs of smoke. But the most astounding thing is in the centre of the room: a lake, or a huge body of water, seemingly limitless in depth, and bubbling with a faint lilac light. As I edge closer, the fumigating smell of lilies hits me full in the face, causing me to recoil slightly from the sheer potency of it.

The source of the smell resides on the outer edges of the cave- a spectacular array of black lilies, and a few white ones too, wavering in a light breeze that washes over my skin.

Glancing over my shoulder to see Valerian popping down my shoes, I tiptoe closer to the lake, curiosity getting the better of me. On closer inspection, I note that the lake does have a bottom, perhaps nine or ten meters down in the centre, though slightly shallower towards the edges- just deep enough that someone might stand in it. The scent coming from the water is spectacular, no doubt a product of the lilies that drift fortuitously on the side-lines.

To one side of the lake, there is a set of steps that leads down into the water, an obvious point of entrance. All at once I suddenly realise what I need to do.

Face flushed, I turn round to face Valerian.

"You want me to get in?" I ask, twiddling my thumbs to take a look at the lilac water rippling behind me, shimmering with a kaleidoscope of light.

I never have been much of a swimmer, and so by that nature, not being a fan of water pretty much comes with the territory. The Queen never had time to teach me how to swim. Her royal duties were far too important than spending any time with her only child, so the only experience I have with swimming was the one time I went with Alastor. He took me out to the lakes where the Folk used to swim, it was a peaceful evening, and the air was cold with the dying chill of a long departed summer. Alastor had learned to swim from a very young age, and was adamant about teaching me- a useful life skill, he had called it.

It started off well- small strokes around the lake, desperately ignoring the murky abyss beneath my feet that threatened to suck me down. Until a nixie had caught me and dragged me down to the bottom. That was the day I found out about my powers, my ability to incinerate things into dust. By the time I was finished, all that was left of the lake was a gaping hole in the ground.

Alastor and I never went back there again.

Valerian dances over to brush a hand against my arm, raising a brow inquisitively, shocking me out of my daze.

"Well, you might want to take off that dress first, chérie. We have bathing clothes. But if it's of any reassurance, I can carry you in if you are too frightened to," he offers, obviously having seen the fearful thoughts that flew across my head. Adamantly, I shake my head, stepping back a little.

"I'm not taking my dress off in a vicinity as close as this. As hideous as it is, I would rather maintain my dignity in front of you- no, I don't care that you are handsome, I have heard all the excuses before, don't even try to convince me," I snap, leaving him temporarily speechless but equally entertained by my actions, his mouth twitching. Boldly, he takes a step towards me, his eyes twinkling nefariously.

"So you think I am handsome? Well, cara mea, I am flattered," he grins with a sly wink in my direction, taking a few more steps forward, with each one driving me a few more steps back.

"That's not what I meant," I grumble waving a finger accusingly in his direction, not that he seems to care. Intentional complement or not, the Devil seems all too happy to take it.

"Look," he sighs, splaying his fingers in a wave of exasperation, his eyes flickering shut in order to gain his composure, wings tucking neatly behind him.

"Rules are rules, I am afraid. You may be one of the highest, honoured members of my court, but you still have to be a law abiding citizen. I promise if you get changed, I will not look. I know what type of pictures they paint of me in the Upper Realm- a creature of chaos governed by only his merciless desire for harvesting and consuming mortal souls- or something like that. Much to your fortune, I am much more of a negotiable, law abiding creature, and I will not do anything of the scandalous nature" he retails, sighing, as if he has told this tale many times over, rapping his fingers together impatiently, the gold and silver rings clicking on each heavily adorned finger.

Sceptically, I raise an eyebrow. Perhaps Valerian has proven himself to at least be much gentler than I had initially intended, and law abiding to the extent that he is the one who makes the rules to follow (which in all honesty, just gives him free reign in the world), but negotiable? That seems like a stretch too far.

"You? Negotiable? How so?" I scoff, folding my arms across myself in obvious disbelief. The thick white fabric scratches at my arms, tickling my skin, like a thousand mites are crawling over my body. It is no secret that I would like to guess this monumental disaster off my body as soon as possible, but I have enough dignity left to know that would be a very bad idea in front of him. I don't trust men as far as I can throw them. At least, most men.

In response to my question, Val indicates to me.

"I saved you, did I not? Gave you a deal despite the fact you were technically always mine to take anyway, I gave you a choice, non, chérie?" he says, quite obviously right, but there is no way I would admit that. Instead, I remain staunchly silent.

"Besides," Valerian adds, realising I am not going to answer. "I only consume the souls of mortals on a Wednesday."

With the utter seriousness on his face, I can not quite be sure if that is a joke or not- not that I plan on asking. If being a demon means that you have to consume peoples souls, then count me out.

Standing my ground, I shoot him a disgruntled stare.

"Well either way, you can't make me get in that… pool."