The Sorcerous Prince - 5. Chapter 5: Untangling the Web

Candavorum

The mood was tense, and Mihai felt as though he had made a terrible impression on Empress Guadalupe. The whole day had been tense, from waking up in the middle of the night to having an argument with the Empress' son, Prince Pavel. “I'm sorry, My Empress,” he stammered as he cowered, bowing his head in reverence.

The smirk upon Pavel's face revealed more satisfaction than his mother was capable of tolerating. “Pavel, wipe that smile off your face this instant! You are NEVER to threaten to enter the mind of anyone in the imperial family or anyone else for that matter unless you have a very good reason. Because I did not know of his existence, I now must amend the line of succession. He is, in fact, second in line to the throne of emperor, and you will treat him as such. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Mother,” he cried.

“You have picked up too many bad habits from your brother,” the empress continued. “It will stop now. As of this moment, you are living here in Candavorum, and this palace is your new home. Don't even think of arguing with me about this. You must remain close to Mihai from now on, and you will treat him, as well as King Frederico and Queen Viviana, with due respect as the sovereigns of this land. They answer only to me and High Imperial Princess Selena.”

Princess Selena was the slightly older twin sister of King Frederico, and she was in command of Earth and was only accountable to her older sister, Empress Guadalupe, and in times of emergency, Imperial Protector Nigel Harrington. Despite her closeness to her twin brother in childhood, Princess Selena had also distanced herself from Frederico over the incident that had fractured the family almost twenty years previously and only dealt with him when absolutely necessary. She too had no knowledge of her nephew and likely still did not at this point.

The people of Candavorum and others who were aware of Mihai's existence had all been subject to a spell that disallowed them to mention his existence to anyone the king and queen deemed as unprivileged to the information. It was quite a powerful spell. The only reason that the demons were aware of him was because of the powerful seer of the Demon King, who had unparalleled power.

“Now that your dispute is settled,” the Empress said with a slight pause while she looked at all of them one by one. “We have much to discuss. We need to figure out everything that has happened.” She looked at King Frederico and Queen Viviana and asked. “Is it okay if we also delve into recent events?” They both nodded. “Very well then.”

Empress Guadalupe began by discussing the demons, particularly the current ruling dynasty, The House of the Snake, which was perhaps the most feared of all the demon houses. The Demon King was a Cobra Demon, one of the most feared serpentine demons in existence. His bite was the most deadly of all types of venom known to magical society. All of his generals were also cobra demons but without the special enhancement that made the Demon King so deadly. However, they were known for their ferocity and ruthlessness, and, without the special antidote, their venom could kill a magical person in an hour or less. A mortal would die within minutes.

Almost all serpentine creatures had a humanoid form with the exception of the basilisks. This allowed them to blend in easily unless their eyes would glow red, which was the case for the Demon King and General Diphtheria. However, even in human form Cobra Demons were capable of injecting their venom into their victims. In addition, Cobra Demons had a vast array of demon gifts; which included fiery teleportation, fireballs, ice balls, telekinesis, superhuman strength, and glamors.

Each Cobra Demon had a copy of the Grimoire of the Snake, an evil spell book full of nasty spells, including the one that caused so much pain to Prince Pavel, which was actually a spell to make his body increase the amount of blood it produced. From what Pavel revealed, they had run his blood through a series of plastic tubes throughout the van to allow passage through the barrier. The van had many other magical enhancements including invisibility and hiding of demonic presence, suggesting a high level of sophistication. King Frederico realized that this meant his barrier needed major tweaking to detect anything invisible and deny entry and that the road to Candavorum had to be guarded from that point forward.

Prince Pavel brought up Carlos Quintanilla as well. He had teleported into the dungeon of The Southern Palace of Magic and cast an evil spell that crippled the entire network of portals. In doing so, he prevented Empress Guadalupe, King Frederico, and Queen Viviana from traveling to Candavorum. Some kind of system needed to be developed to prevent others from entering through such methods, whether by natural ability or through teleportation rings. As it was, people had to be within the barrier to teleport to the castle except for the royal family and the staff. Not even the empress herself could have done so, since a sample of her blood would have been needed to allow this. At this point, she interrupted and stated that she wanted such access for an emergency and that similar access should be given to Pavel. This was one point in which the king and queen could have denied the request of the empress, but they chose to grant it. They also decided to allow the guards to teleport in and out of the palace.

Next, it was time to discuss security at the Imperial Palace of Magic in Jevartus. Ida had not been the one to lure Prince Pavel from the palace that day as the real Ida had been tied up and placed in a closet in Pavel's bedroom, most likely while he was bathing. This also explained why Pavel's fairy, Margaretta, had been killed without his knowledge. He had not noticed the dead fairy, because so often a fairy would fade into the background, wanting the charge not to notice the fairy at all times, thus giving them a certain sense of privacy.

Before the discussion could continue, the servers announced that dinner was ready. The entire family went to the dining room to have dinner, which included baked chicken, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, and apple cobbler for dessert. Even though the king and queen liked serving more expensive meals, they had also figured out that they liked a lot of the foods that mortals consumed on a day-to-day basis. The empress was actually impressed by the meal and decided these selections would be added to the menu at her own palace.

They were finished with dinner by 5:30 PM, and that gave two and a half hours to continue their discussion before the festival festivities would begin. While there was much more to discuss, it was decided that further talks could wait until the morning. The empress also said that she was going to stay in Candavorum until Sunday. They were all about to leave when the empress thought of something else. “Oh my god! I think I know who got Pavel to leave the palace?”

“Who might that be, Mother?” Pavel asked.

“Your brother, Karan,” she said sadly. “He has access, and he's a shape shifter. I didn't want to think he could do something like this, but he has been mysterious for the last few years. I have long suspected that he had become a dark wizard, but now it seems almost certain.”

“Wait,” King Frederico interjected. “Isn't he supposed to be the next emperor?”

“Unless nothing changes, yes,” she replied glumly. “He will inherit the entire empire, and I suspect he will rule with an iron fist. He may be my eldest son, but I am ashamed of who he has become. However, it would be difficult to deny him the imperial crown upon my death. At the moment, I can think of only one way, but it is extremely dangerous, and no one is ready to take this step to change the line of succession.” No one knew how to respond to her statements. This was a terrible situation. The fate of the entire empire seemingly rested in hands of a mad man upon the death of Empress Guadalupe.

The Chamber of the Demon Council, The Underworld

Upon hearing about the colossal failure of the Demon King's generals to capture Mihai and Pavel, The Lion Lord requested an emergency meeting of the Demon Council, and he was the first to arrive. This was an egregious error in his personal opinion, and he was sure that the other members of the council would agree. Before this incident, the House of the Snake had run an effective campaign on Earth. They had established a network of criminal activities in the modern world, the likes of which his house, The House of the Cat had failed to do seventy-five years previously. The Lord Lion had been a general in the House of the Cat when Empress Guadalupe's grandfather, Emperor Justino had slain his father, who had been the Demon King at the time. Because his father had been slain, the reign of the House of the Cat was over, and the House of the Snake came out swinging.

Within fifty years, the new Demon King had not only killed Emperor Justino but also his son, Prince Lorenzo, who had been the only successor in his generation. He had almost killed Empress Guadalupe about twenty years later on September 29, 1997, but the empress' husband, Emperor Galen, had saved her life along with that of their unborn daughter, Corazana. The Demon King had bitten the empress, but he had failed to notice that her husband was nearby. Galen happened to be a healer, and he was willing to heal his wife, even though doing so would likely kill him. While there had been a failure to kill the empress, the Demon King had still managed to weaken the dynasty yet again, even though Empress Guadalupe was still alive.

Even given all of the Demon King's successes, the failure to bring the princes into the Underworld would likely be the most costly mistake that the demons had made. The Demon King had been most confident when he went to the Council with his idea to capture them. He had complete faith in his eldest children and their ability to aid in the process of making sure that Prince Mihai and Prince Pavel would ascend into the Underworld, an event that would have most assuredly made them both evil.

The Lion Lord was confident in his ability to convince the Council to allow a test for The House of the Lizard. He came from a proud line of Lion Lords, who had made the House of the Cat one of the most efficient of the houses despite his father's untimely death at the hands of a magical emperor. The Lion Lord's species, the Megalion, was much larger than the magnificent creature on Earth and walked on two legs. With venomous claws, the strength of a hundred men, optic energy beams that would put a certain comic book character to shame, and host of other powers, the megalions were formidable opponents for any wizard or any demon for that matter.

The House of the Cat also had an army, including the Lioness Generals, comprised of megalions. The House also included many werecats. However, many were free and had made it their mission to free the werecats from the House of the Cat. So far, they had been unsuccessful. The House had also had Megatigers at one time, but they decided to leave, because they could not stand being inferior in the pecking order to megalions. The megatigers had since aligned themselves with wizards. This act ultimately led to the untimely demise of the House of the Cat's high status in the Underworld and the death of the former Demon King.

The next to enter the council chamber was Lord Incubus, lead of the House of the Humanoids. These were demons that were naturally human in appearance but had monstrous forms, thus the reason for the house being nicknamed House of the Monster. This House alternated between a Lord Incubus and a Lady Succubus as leader. The Incubi and the Succubi did not get along and would only come together for mating. It was similar to the Cobra King's disdain for his female counterparts, with the exception of his two daughters. The Lord Incubus’ army was made up of 500 vampires and 500 zombies, who were surprisingly smart.

The next was the leader of the House of the Insect, the Ant Princess, who would only be called Ant Queen if her house were in command. Her army was made up of ants and roaches, ones that were huge in comparison with the normal variety, and there were many more of them than in the armies of other houses.

The leader of the House of Jackal, the Jackal Lord was next. With a high level of intelligence as well as magical and fighting abilities, the leaders of this house were feared even by the rest of the houses. The Windigos were numbered around a thousand, and they made up the house's army. The werewolves in the Underworld were under the direction of this particular house.

The Bat Lord was the next to arrive. He was the largest of the megabats, most of which were part of the House of Bat's army. Vampire bats were among the most feared. They were ten times larger than their Earthly counterparts and gave their victims an advanced form of rabies that could kill within twelve hours.

The Lady Black Widow was the next to arrive. Her human form could not hide her nature with dark circles under her eyes and the most sinister of smiles usually crossing her face. The House of Spider was one that wizards hated almost as much as the House of the Snake. Her army was made up of 500 giant tarantulas and 500 brown recluses. All had a human form, and they had thousands of tiny demon cousins that would consume any witch or wizard who dared to enter the House. Only one had ever made it out alive but managed to kill the Lady Black Widow.

The Lizard Lord entered next. He was most delighted by the prospect of this meeting. His house, The House of the Lizard, would be next to take over the Underworld. He was willing to challenge the leadership and go through the six-month challenge that would allow his house to take control. However, this was risky, because his house would drop a position if there was failure, meaning that the Spiders would be next in line.

The House of the Lizard was fearsome to say the least. This House would be entering its third reign over the underworld if he succeeded. Of course, the five houses below his would be required to vote unanimously to allow the challenge to take place. The Lord Lizard was confident, however.. The Perenties and the Sand Monitors made up one of the fiercest armies in existence, and he was confident that the Chameleons and Gila Monsters would be up to the challenge of running the government and business positions required. The lizard demons were all at least seven feet tall in lizard form and were known for their strength. The Lizard Lord and his generals were ten foot tall Komodo Dragons. All lizards had a human form and could stand upright in lizard form.

The Demon King was the last to arrive. His emotions were unreadable, though it could easily be understood that he was not happy about the failure of his house to procure Prince Mihai and Prince Pavel for their evil ascension in the Underworld. General Diphtheria and General Typhus barely made it to the Underworld alive and were fortunate that he had spared their lives. However, if the council voted in favor of their deaths, he would have no choice in the matter. He also could not block a Request to Challenge Leadership by the Lizard Lord, because the Lady Black Widow, Bat Lord, Jackal Lord, Ant Princess, and Lord Incubus would be the only ones who could vote on this matter. The Demon King and Lizard Lord would be excluded from voting to prevent a conflict of interest in the voting process. The Lion Lord had the lowest rank and was ineligible to vote because of a need to keep maintain an odd number of votes.

Because the Lion Lord had called the meeting, he would be the first to speak. “Ladies and Lords of the Council, I welcome you to this special meeting. The last few hours have been disastrous for the Underworld. Prince Mihai and Prince Pavel are extremely powerful now. Had they ascended in the Underworld, they would serve us. Instead, they have become our greatest threat ever. Two generals of The Snake Army have failed in their capture and have been severely injured in the process. On top of that, The Snake Army lost one-hundred men and women earlier today.

“This is unacceptable. Prince Mihai and Prince Pavel should be in the Underworld right now, but it seems that the Demon King's administration has lost its touch. Therefore, I must ask you, Lord Lizard, if your house is up to a six-month challenge, wherein your house will have six months to secure these princes and begin the process of converting them to the dark side by any means necessary.” The Demon King glared at the Lion Lord in utter contempt.

“I will gladly accept the challenge if the Council wills it so to be,” the Lizard Lord replied confidently. “Not only that, but if I succeed, I would like to have the council's blessing to personally kill General Diphtheria and General Typhus.”

“Very well,” the Lion Lord said flatly. “Do you have any rebuttal, my king?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” the Demon King snapped. “My House has been in control of the Underworld for some seventy-five years. In that time, we have killed a number of imperial and royal figures, including the former emperor and his only son. We almost killed Empress Guadalupe and her then unborn daughter Corazana but Emperor Galen died instead.” Emperor Galen had his title through marriage only but helped her carry on her duties with near perfection. His death had been detrimental to the entire empire. I do, however, welcome the prospect of the Lizard Lord's challenge, but should he fail, I want the council's blessing to kill his two oldest children in front of him before I take his life as well should the House of Lizard fail.”

“Lizard Lord, do you accept these terms?” the Lion Lord asked simply.

“I do,” the Lizard Lord replied haughtily before giving the Demon King a wry grin.

“Then it is time to put this issue up for a vote for the remaining five members,” the Lion Lord asserted. “I will start with the Lady Black Widow. How do you vote?”

“Aye,” she replied plainly.

“Very well,” the Lion Lord said gently, as gently as he would ever respond. “That makes 1 aye and zero nays. Bat Lord, how do you vote?”

“Aye!”

Okay, that makes two ayes and zero nays. Jackal Lord, how do you vote?”

“Nay!”

“That makes two ayes and one nay. Ant Princess?”

“Nay!”

“That makes two ayes and two nays. Lord Incubus?”

“Aye!”

“With a vote of three to two, the resolution and all terms have been accepted. So shall it be.”

“So shall it be,” the remaining members echoed.

The Demon King added, “I vote to dismiss this council meeting. Do I have a second?”

“I second the motion,” the Ant Princess chimed in.

“Then if there are no objections, this meeting is concluded,” the Demon King said flatly. No one spoke. “Meeting adjourned.” The Demon King was the first to exit, as he had no more to say.

Candavorum

Prince Mihai was in his bed chamber, He had an hour before the opening ceremony of the Samhain Festival would begin. As usual, his father would be conducting the ceremony before the people of Candavorum as well as guests from all over the world and even a very special guest from Hebalon. There was a knock at the door, and he already knew who it was. “Come in, Fabian.”

“Your Highness, I just wanted to ask you something,” Fabian said, in a tone Mihai could barely hear. Fabian's cheeks were flushed red. Prince Mihai smiled and winked at him.

“And what might that be?” Prince Mihai asked, as if he did not know what the question was. It did not require telepathy for him to know exactly what was on Fabian's mind.

“I was wondering if we... if we could...” Fabian could not finish the statement. Prince Mihai could not help but chuckle.

“Yes Fabian,” Mihai said gleefully. “We will make love after this evening's festivities, that is, if you're up to it at two in the morning. I know I've been avoiding it for a while, and I'm sorry.”

“Do you find me attractive?” Fabian asked with his eyes aimed at the floor.

“Of course I do!” Mihai replied, his happiness suddenly escaping him. “I'm just worried about the consequences. You are very special, and I don't want to feel as though I have turned you into a slave. But I talked to my dad last night about it, and he has made me see things more clearly. You will be a good familiar for me.”

“You were worried about that?” Fabian was flabbergasted. “I live to serve a sorcerer or wizard, Mihai. I have an emptiness inside me, and I want you to fill it. I'm not asking for marriage or anything of the sort. I am aware of your potential for a polyfidelitous lifestyle and the fact that you will one day marry another wizard. But I will have a connection with you that no one else can ever have, not even another familiar.”

“I realize that,” Mihai said honestly. “I just know some witches and wizards have told me that they do not want familiars, because they think of it as slavery.”

“It can be slavery,” Fabian informed him. “If a magical person chooses an unwilling potential, then it becomes slavery. The familiar will still perform duties as he or she is supposed to do, but there will never be the real love that exists if the pairing is mutual.”

“Well, I would not take an unwilling familiar,” Mihai said defensively. “I want there to be a special bond between us. You are like an angel to me, but if you were unwilling, I would send you away.”

“I'm glad you feel that way.” Fabian's warm smile was irresistible to Mihai. The two were only a few feet apart, and Mihai stepped forward until Fabian was in reach. He reached out his arms and embraced Fabian. He could feel the tenting in his boxers underneath his beautiful red silk ceremonial gown just from smelling Fabian and feeling his warmth. The hug seemed to last forever, and neither one of them wanted to let go, but when they finally did, Mihai had other intentions. Mihai reached up and touched the blond familiar's pale right cheek. There was little hesitation as he put his other hand around Fabian's back once again and moved in closer until their lips met. There was electricity and not from Mihai's power as he gently slipped his tongue into Fabian's mouth. Fabian responded with a gentle moan. After their passionate kiss, Mihai salaciously said, “That is a preview for what comes later tonight.”