The Sorcerous Prince - 4. Chapter 4: General Diphtheria's Plot Part II

Author's note: The beginning of this chapter is not chronological with the end of the previous chapter.

Jevartus, October 30, 2002

General Diphtheria had been waiting at a small but beautiful beach house in Jevartus waiting for a woman to bring her a member of the imperial family. It was a long wait as she had arrived at the beach house before 9:00 A.M. General Diphtheria despised waiting, especially on a planet that was ugly to her. She found the dank and dark Underworld much more aesthetically pleasing than a tropical 'paradise'. To say that General Diphtheria's taste was unusual for a demon would have been untrue. Demons never liked Earth or Hebalon except for the few locations that reminded them of home.

Morning turned into afternoon, and there was finally a knock at the door. Hopeful that the woman had arrived with the child, she opened it. An elderly woman appeared before her, but General Diphtheria could see no child, especially not an exceedingly powerful one. “Where is he?” Diphtheria asked plainly.

“Now now dear, he is with me,” the woman assured. “Pavel, you can take off your cloak now as long as you're in the house.” In fact, he was in the house. He had squeezed between the two women and started exploring. However, this venture would be short lived as he heard his nanny's voice.

“Okay Ida,” he replied and obeyed. General Diphtheria turned around and saw a boy, around eleven or twelve years old removing a powerful wizard cloak, one that seemingly not only made the user invisible but quieter. Pavel had yelled when he replied to Ida, and yet it sounded like a whisper.

“Pavel, this is General Diphtheria,” Ida said, concealing a chuckle.

“Ida, she's a demon!” the boy cried. “Why would you bring me here?”

“I'm not really Ida, foolish child,” the woman cackled. “You are going to get to know General Diphtheria very well. Worry not. She won't kill you. She is under orders to make sure you remain alive. Do as she says, and maybe, just maybe, she will make this a pleasant experience for you. Ta ta for now, boy.” With that, the woman walked away. Pavel tried to follow her, but General Diphtheria held him back.

“You will not escape me, Prince Pavel!” the demon snapped. “You're my prisoner. You are going to be a gift to the Demon King. He is going to love you.”

“Your kind do not know what love is!” Pavel spat.

“Well, he does love two things,” General Diphtheria replied with a nefarious grin. “He loves money and power. You can provide both.”

And so began the journey that led to the torture session just outside the barrier of Candavorum. General Diphtheria had to do two things. She had to fool the barrier, and she had to fool Queen Viviana, neither of which were easy tasks even for a demon such as herself. Still, she was confident that she could do this by hiding the demons in a special flying vehicle, one that would use the blood signature of Prince Pavel to mask the demonic presence. It could only be a member of the imperial bloodline, the very bloodline that was the king's that would allow them to enter the city of Candavorum without being detected. At that point, it was a matter of divide and conquer. There would be thousands more people in the city, and even Queen Viviana's powers would be thrown off with demons in a crowd of people. Beyond that, it was a matter of finding Prince Mihai.

Candavorum, October 31, 2002

“I still know so little about this prophecy,” Prince Mihai said during breakfast. The previous night he had not slept much, and he wanted to know more. His parents offered little in this regard, and he did not find this at all amusing.

“The answers will come,” Queen Viviana said flatly. “You must learn to be patient. I know little about it except that there were to be two princes would will save the world, time and time again. There were no specifics given to us at least. The woman who shared the prophecy had a premonition of the arrival. She only knew the identity of one from what I have gathered. She has never met you.”

“Who is she!” he demanded.

“Son, please be respectful,” King Frederico said sternly. “We need to tell you a few things. First and foremost, it was Empress Guadalupe the Second who made the prophecy. She apparently knew Pavel was part of the prophecy, and she also knew that bad circumstances would bring Pavel into contact with the other. We have basically hidden you from her for a reason. We didn't want to believe it could be you even though you and Prince Pavel were born exactly four years apart. She had not known about you before then. We have always had a tumultuous relationship. She... caught me in a bit of a compromising...”

“Please Dad, I really don't need to know details of your sex life,” Mihai interrupted. “I'm guessing that she caught you with her husband.” The king nodded, confirming Mihai's suspicions, or so he thought. Truthfully, Mihai had been accidentally reading his father's mind, and he had seen the whole thing as his father remembered it. “But who is she to you? I know we're related to her somehow.”

“The empress is my sister,” King Frederico admitted. “I slept with her husband when she was pregnant with her oldest son at the time. They had an open relationship, but apparently, she didn't like that it was me...”

“Gross, Dad! I really don't need to hear this,” Mihai bellowed. “I saw it happen, because I cannot control this power. I'm already trying to get the image out of my head.”

“Sorry, son.” The king's cheeks were a deep red at this point. It was frowned upon for a telepath to read someone's mind without permission or a very good reason to do so. Mihai already knew this, but telepathy was one of the most difficult powers to control. “Now, I need to go see Empress Guadalupe. I am not looking forward to this. We've been here on Earth for a while now. It just so happens that my predecessor had no children and died unexpectedly. It was the perfect excuse for her to send us here. I'm not looking forward to this. Fortunately, I have a quick way to go there.”

The king and queen went to the lowest level of the castle where there was an arch-shaped object. There was a staff to the side and ten feet away. The staff had an orb a little larger than a snow globe on top. King Frederico pressed his right hand onto it and felt a small prick in his thumb. The magical orb was there to test his blood, because he had selected the Imperial Palace of Magic as his destination. Only someone who was part of the imperial bloodline could use this means of transport to enter the palace with this method. Since his grandfather was the last emperor and his sister was the current empress, he qualified. Still, his sister would neither be expecting this visit, nor was she going to expect their request for information.

Meanwhile, Prince Mihai realized that his friend, Carissa, had neglected to tell him what time she would be at the park. The park was two miles from his home, and he really wanted a distraction from the whole ordeal with Prince Pavel. He also wanted to try to talk to Konstantin. He felt as though he was still relatively safe, because his mother would be extra cautious about any demons she could detect. He also figured that even two of the Demon King's generals could do little to harm him if he were around people. Though he was not the most popular at school, almost all of his fellow students hated demons just as much as he did.

Mihai figured he could use telepathy to find Carissa. He closed his eyes and sought her mind. Even though he had never contacted her mind, he still knew what signature to seek, and it was not long before he found her. 'Carissa, it's me, Mihai! I'm starting to ascend, and I really need a distraction. What time should I be at the park?'

'Wow Mihai, that's awesome!' she thought. 'Two o'clock is when I will be there.'

Even though he was looking forward to his outing, his focus went back to certain unpleasantries. Prince Mihai was both dreading and looking forward to meeting his aunt, Empress Guadalupe II. She had not gotten along with his father for quite some time, and it seemed that his suspicions about his parents were correct. They were like hippies, free love and all. He had also smelled a certain burning plant that he had long suspected was illegal in the mortal population and had noticed how his parents would act soon after consuming the substance. It was not often that they would partake as they liked to be able to perform their duties well, but it was an occasional treat. Their attitude was apparently not in line with the empress' way of thinking, for they had a tendency to take their sexual escapades and party life to an unacceptable level. Despite his objections, even he could see himself falling into a similar lifestyle.

It had been about a half hour since his father and mother had left through the portal in the dungeon level of the palace. He had no idea when they would return, and he decided to go to his bed chamber. Lothario had faded into the background for most of the morning, but he decided to speak once Prince Mihai lay down on his bed. “All they need to do now is confirm what I already know. You are the older prince in the prophecy. I also want you to know that once you receive more powers, I will be leaving. My assignment with you has almost reached its end. I'm going to miss you a lot, my prince.”

“It means a lot to hear you say that, Lothario,” the prince replied most sincerely. “I'm sorry I've played so many tricks on you. I have been bitter for the last few years over my lack of powers.”

“You've been my best charge by far,” Lothario replied firmly. “I've been around for over a thousand years. Some of my charges have thrown fire potions at me. You've only given me sleeping potions and yelled at me a few times. I don't blame you for being bitter. Your birthday is in two days, and you have only just now started to ascend. I want to warn you some more about your ascension. Would that be alright?”

“Of course it is, Lothario,” Mihai crooned.

“Telepathy was only a sign of things to come,” Lothario warned. “You will have five more gifts as well as strong magical ability coming all at once. Your powers will come in a flurry. Anyone in your presence could be injured or even killed in the fall out. I do not know where you will be when it happens. I just know that you are a ticking time bomb. It could be that The Shield of the Gods descends upon you once again to protect those around you. However, I cannot say for sure if this will happen. You also are going to have a capacity to master your powers much more quickly than most do.”

“How can I have so many gifts?” Mihai asked incredulously. “The most I've ever heard of is four, and that is quite rare.”

“Well, it has happened before but it has been many years,” Lothario stated authoritatively. “However, you and Pavel are different from most of those who have had even that many gifts. I see you having six gifts each for now, but the number will double within the next five to ten years.”

“Are you telling me that we will be the most powerful wizards ever?” Mihai gasped in disbelief. “This is impossible.”

“Well, that's arguable,” Lothario suggested. “Diederik and Vilem were quite a pair. Their exact number of gifts is unknown, but it was more than six.”

“That's amazing, but...” His voice suddenly became gloomy. “How is Pavel going to escape those demons?”

“I do not know,” Lothario said cautiously. “I just know that you are the key to freeing him. While you have not yet met, your lives are now tied forever.”

“He's a little young for me,” Mihai said flatly, causing Lothario to laugh.

“I do not know if it will ever be to that extent, Mihai,” Lothario could not stop giggling. “He will grow up though.”

Jevartus

King Frederico and his wife had been talking to the empress for over an hour. In that time, they had showed her a picture of Mihai and told her what Mihai had seen. The empress confirmed that it was indeed Mihai she had seen in her premonition, but she had not known his name. She further explained that she only knew that her son was part of the prophecy when he started to get older and look exactly like his father, just like the other boy she saw. His black hair, brown eyes, and dark skin were most striking, and her son reminded her of the husband she lost almost as much as her daughter, Corazana did. She also told them that she regretted holding a grudge for so long and that she wishes her brother had been there through the difficult time after her husband died.

“I need to see Prince Mihai now,” the empress said flatly. “He is the key to bringing Pavel to safety. I just know it.” As it would turn out, she was correct about this but not in the way she had expected.

“That's not a problem,” King Frederico replied reassuringly. “We figured you'd want to meet him.” As the empress led the King and Queen of the South to the portal, they were all silent. Since the empress and her brother both had imperial blood, they could have had a guest each. Both Empress Guadalupe and King Frederico placed their hands upon the globe that rested upon the staff, one that was similar to the one in Candavorum but with different carvings upon the golden staff. Both of them felt the familiar prick as the magic globe tested their blood. The globe turned green to indicate the acceptance of their blood, but the portal did not activate.

The empress spoke up first. “This is most unusual, and it could only mean one of two things. Either someone has blocked the other side, or someone has cast a powerful spell to block the entire network, which would take a very powerful wizard, perhaps even musical magic.”

“Well, that means a dark wizard with teleportation powers has entered the palace.” King Frederico was furious. “He must have had some very special means to subjugate the special barrier that only allows one of our own to enter.”

“That is exactly what I was thinking,” the empress agreed. “Still, this may also mean that your son is in grave danger. We must at least try another destination. How about the Palace of the Midwest?” the empress asked, uncharacteristically seeking approval. Both the king and queen nodded in agreement. Once again, Empress Guadalupe and King touched the orb, and the portal still would not open. “This is not going to be easy to fix,” the empress concluded.

Candavorum

Prince Mihai arrived at the park about ten minutes early. He noticed some of his classmates there, including Konstantin and some of the guys he was known to hang out with. Carissa had yet to arrive, but he knew that she soon would. Mihai glanced in Konstantin’s direction and received a simple nod of acknowledgment. This was more attention than he usually received, but he was satisfied. Mihai figured a lot of the issue was that people were afraid to talk to him because of Keegan, who just so happened to be one of the most popular guys at school.

The day was nice and pleasant with temperatures in the upper 70's. This was not at all unusual for an autumn day in Texas. The only thing that could possibly make this trip to this park an unpleasant one, in Mihai's eyes, was for Keegan and his friends to arrive. But before he could contemplate that idea any further, Carissa arrived and motioned him to join everyone else. Mihai followed her even though he was nervous. He decided to go talk to Konstantin, and he figured Keegan's absence would allow Konstantin to feel more comfortable around him.

“Hi,” Mihai said softly.

“Hey,” Konstantin replied, seemingly uninterested. “What brings you here?”

“Well, Carissa wanted me to come, so I did,” Mihai said sheepishly.

“Oh yeah?” he asked? “I seem to remember your friend asking me out last year.”

“Yeah, she's mentioned that a time or two,” Mihai replied quietly. “She's nice just so you know.

“I'm still not interested,” Konstantin said flatly. “It's nothing against her or anything. She isn't my type.”

“What is your type?” Mihai asked. Silence... This was definitely not a question that Konstantin was ready to answer at this particular point in time. “I'm sorry.”

“That's quite alright,” Konstantin assured him. “You know how it is. I tend to keep some things to myself. I am a duke's son after all.”

“Yes, I understand completely,” Mihai said with a charming grin, one that Konstantin did not fail to notice. “So are you ready for the festival tonight?”

“Your Highness!” Lothario yelled.

“What is it, Lothario?” Mihai grumbled. “I'm trying to talk.”

Lothario put his head into Mihai's ear and whispered. “I just wanted to let you know that Keegan and his friends are here.”

“That's all I need,” Mihai sighed.

“What is it, my prince?” Konstantin asked.

“Well, I guess Keegan is around here somewhere,” Mihai replied. “I should probably leave.”

“Please don't,” Konstantin insisted. “I'm tired of following his stupid rule. I want you to stay, and if he gives you any trouble, I'll help your security people take him out. I'm not going to let him bully you anymore.”

“What has brought this on?” Mihai asked incredulously. “We just started talking.”

“Yeah, but I have always wanted to get to know you better,” Konstantin admitted. “I've even avoided you when I have come to the palace with my father, because I don’t think he likes you very much. Anyway, I don't see Keegan yet. Lothario must have seen him from the air.”

“He could have,” Mihai agreed. “Fairies have really awesome vision.”

“That they do,” Konstantin beamed. “I remember my fairy, Lugh. He was a pain in the ass, but he could spot someone from miles away.”

Several minutes later, Keegan and his friends joined the group. Surprisingly, Keegan made no move toward him, but Mihai noted the dirty look he gave Konstantin, and the obscene gesture Konstantin gave Keegan in return. “Thanks,” Mihai said simply.

“It's no problem really,” Konstantin said in a seemingly salacious manner.

'Is he flirting with me?' Mihai thought to himself. Before he could contemplate Konstantin's intentions any further, he felt a strong presence. Prince Pavel was close, very close, and he turned to his right to look for any sign of him. The presence he felt was coming from that direction, but Mihai could see nothing. He also knew that Pavel was not alone. Suddenly a large van appeared, and he saw him. Not Pavel, but a familiar dark-haired figure with red eyes, stepping out on one side and the evil demon woman he had seen when he had been inside Pavel's mind. He also could not help but notice that each of them had urn-like objects in their hands. He could surmise that this was a very bad thing.

Both of them opened an “urn” and from them, dark clouds emerged. Moments later, there were demons everywhere. Though the Demon King told them to only bring a few demons, they had brought at least 100 of them, and they were no ordinary demons. They were all massive, like body builders. Mihai only had two people in his security, Fabian and a wizard named Gustav, who was actually guarding Mihai for the first time. They always kept themselves at a distance from Mihai so that he could have private conversations and so that he could feel like he was alone when he felt the need, but they were quickly there in front of him to shield him from demons as Gustav was also a teleporter.

Mihai was not about to depend solely upon his security to defend himself. He quickly withdrew his wizard sword. Suddenly, he felt himself surrounded by The Shield of the Gods again. He then felt a quivering in his body. His body lifted from the ground and there were streaks of lightning around him. He could not control his right hand as it extending into the air. He closed his fist around a wand that had appeared. This was the first time ever that the gods themselves had given a wand to a wizard, let alone two wizards. Mihai looked at the van just as it incinerated before his very eyes. He could barely see it, but another Shield of the Gods had descended upon a preteen boy, who quickly joined him in rising above the ground, receiving a wand just as he had.

'Let's destroy them, Mihai,' Prince Pavel told him telepathically. And he felt as though he could. The surge of energy was like nothing he had experienced. Both shields disappeared, but Mihai was still in the air and surrounded by a bubble of electromagnetic energy. Soon all the demons ascended into the air but not of their own accord. Though Mihai knew that this rush of energy that both he and Pavel felt must have been partly because of the gods he was amazed at Pavel's ability to lift all the demons, including the generals, into the air. He also knew that he could kill all but the demon generals with a surge of electricity. That is exactly what he did. He could feel the intensity around him. It was a strong surge of electrons going through every single demon there. Their bodies exploded in mid air, and he saw spurts of blood and chunks of flesh stranded in the air by Pavel's magnificent telekinesis.

The two generals were still alive, but their bodies were severely charred by the intense electrical surge. By now, everyone below had moved out of the way as they wanted nothing to do with the charred remains and burnt blood that was sure to hit the ground any moment. Pleased with their work, Mihai and Pavel released the two generals, and the remains of their soldiers and floated over to the others. “You haven't heard the last of me,” General Typhus screeched. “I will have my revenge! Mark my words.” Then, the two demons vanished in a cloud of smoke. Mihai knew that he would one day have to deal with them again, but for now, he and Pavel were safe.

Now it was just hours before the festival, and Mihai already had the power he wanted. He had to return to the palace. “My parents should be back by now, but they are not. If I'm not mistaken you can discover the reason why they are not. They were supposed to bring your mother with them.”

“Well, I already know the answer,” Pavel said haughtily. “That bitch demon was in contact with a dark wizard named Carlos Quintanilla. He's a very powerful one, and he's one of those one percenters who are so dark that they have contact with demons.”

“Well, I'm sure he's long gone by now,” Mihai muttered. “There's not much we can do about it. Anyway, are you okay? I know they hurt you physically.”

“The worst part is when that f**king bitch tortured me.” Pavel was did not seem frightened. More or less, he was offended. However, Mihai knew this was a front. There was no way a kid his age could be completely unaffected by what had happened. He also let the language slide as he felt that Pavel had the right after all the suffering. “Of course, the way they pumped my blood into these weird tubes all over the van was not less painful.”

“You seem relatively unharmed though,” Mihai noted.

“The Shield of the Gods healed my injuries.” Pavel, however, knew there was something more. “I also believe that healing is another of my abilities. The gods must have kicked it into overdrive though along with my other powers. I know I could not lift all those demons again if I tried, and I doubt that you could destroy them all with electricity.”

“I don't think I could either. That was definitely because of The Shield of the Gods. I don't know if you have heard about Queen Orla, but she did something truly amazing.”

“I'm aware of it,” Pavel replied, rolling his eyes. “You must think my mother doesn't make sure I know about all the important legends. She is quite the authority I'll have you know.”

“I know very little about her,” Mihai said honestly. “And nothing I've heard about her up until now has been from my parents.”

“They wanted to hide you, didn't they?” Pavel inquired, bitterly. “How could they do that? Aren't you part of our family?”

“Well, there was a dispute,” Mihai countered. “It's not that simple.”

“What was the dispute?” Pavel asked petulantly.

“You're too young to know,” Mihai stated firmly.

“The hell I am!” Pavel spat. “You know I can find the information the hard way.”

“Try it, and I'll blast you,” Mihai hissed.

“You wouldn't dare!” Pavel yelled back.

“If you ever enter my mind for information like that I will,” Mihai screeched. “I don't care who you are or who the hell you think you are. There are rules, and one of them is that you do not have permission to enter someone's mind without asking first. Probing to speak to them is one thing, but raping their minds is totally inappropriate even for us.”

“Well, I'm above you!” Pavel insisted harshly.

“Why does it have to be you that I'm tied to?” Mihai asked coldly. “You are nothing but a spoiled brat, and I can't stand you! Now get the hell away from me!”

“I will not have you talk to my son that way!” Empress Guadalupe ordered. Mihai flinched.