Heart of Darkness

Skender dragged himself back to the castle although he was just teleporting. His mind was still clouded from all the pleasure he received yet the hunger that quickly rose as soon as he left her.

“You are finally back,” Vitale said when he met him in the hall. Skender prepared himself to listen to his curt lecture but the demon skipped it. Instead, he handed him a pile of papers. “You reek.” He said wrinkling his nose.

Skender smirked knowing what he meant.

“I need a raise and a few days off,” Vitale said looking like he had enough.

“Granted,” Skender said. “Is Blayze back?”

“No.”

Skender decided to ignore him.

“I am going to announce soon that I will marry Roxana.”

Vitale looked like he wanted to commit suicide right there.

“Well, Zarus likes weddings so maybe he could deal with this part,” Vitale told him.

“Of course.” Lazarus appeared at the mention of his name. “Are we having a wedding already? Oh my.” He looked him up and down. “And look at you. I am not even going to ask where your future bride is. I am sure she needs some rest.”

Skender shot him a glare.

“Alright. Excuse my thoughts. Back to the wedding. You just leave it to me.” He told Skender. “Do you want something simple or extravagant?”

“The latter.”

His smile widened. “Great. Then this will be the ultimate royal wedding. The handsome king chose his queen among the commoners. We should let the world know first whom you have chosen as your bride.”

Vitale watched him with one brow raised.

“It is the king’s ball soon. You should invite her and dance with her. That is one way to let the world know and from there…I will take care of it when questions arise.” Lazarus said.

“Very well then. Is there anything I need to know?” He asked turning to Vitale.

“All is in the papers. There is a court meeting in the afternoon.”

“Did something happen?”

“Just the ones conspiring against you. The left party found out and wants to complain to get your favors.”

Lazarus sighed. “Maybe I should complain before them so they lose their chances. It is tiring with this game of left and right.”

“Alright. I will get back to work.” Skender said and left the two to give each other deathly glares.

Once he got to his study he sat down to review the papers when he got a surprise visit. Someone he hadn’t seen for a while. He had almost forgotten the task he gave her.

“Marie.”

“Your Majesty.” She curtsied. “It has been a while.”

“Yes. How are you?”

“In good health. You look to be much better.”

“I am. Thank you.”

She walked closer to the table. “I found something strange.” She began. “I looked for the witches who could possibly want your blood. Why yours? The only reason I could think of that makes you different is that you are a defender. From what I found, the blood is used for some very strange ritual to create a species that is a mix of human and animal.”

Human and animal?

“Does it sound familiar?”

Human and animal with the ritual of demon blood. What could it be? And why specifically his blood.

“Could you not find anything else?”

She shook her head. “No. It seemed like no one truly knows. It is just what they heard from others and some believe it is not possible so I am not sure what is true and what is a rumor.”

He nodded. “Alright thank you.”

“Did you become a defender yet?” She asked.

He became thoughtful. “I am not sure. I just know I have become complete. I have become myself.”

“Well, I am happy for you.” She told him. “I’ll leave you alone.” She curtsied and he gave her a nod before she disappeared.

Skender sat silently for a while putting some pieces together in his mind that made sense yet not. He didn’t know why a mix of human and animal with demon blood made him think of shades.

He teleported to watch Constantine’s home from afar and listen to any sound. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for. It was just a feeling.

“You are here too,” Lucrezia’s voice spoke as soon as she arrived. So she suspected something as well or was she keeping an eye on him?

“What are you doing here?”

“He isn’t in there. Just like his father, he disappeared and became hard to find. Where could a shade possibly hide if they live in this world?”

“Well, witches are involved.” He told her.

“Must be very skilled witches who are willing to work with shades.”

“Did you find any information about who could have killed my parents?”

“No, but where is your grandma?”

Skender stiffened. Why was she suddenly asking about her? “I don’t know.”

He didn’t see her since his parents’ deaths.

“Well, if you wanna know maybe you should start looking for her. I will look for her as well. She might know something.” Lucrezia said.

He would see his grandma after five hundred years? She made it clear she didn’t want to see him. Or was there something he didn’t remember yet? He reached for the destroyer, but they both had certain gaps in their memories it seemed. He could be missing something crucial.

“I don’t know how to find her or where to begin.”

“Perhaps you need to trigger some memories.”

Trigger memories? He had to go back to his home. Where he grew up.

Skender made his way to where it all began. His life, his torment, his loss. He didn’t even recognize the place anymore but he knew it was here. In five hundred years everything had changed. There was no way he could trigger any memories this way.

He walked around the neighborhood, remembering what every house looked like and every garden. Remembering certain smells and certain voices. He stopped and stared ahead at the new mansion built where his home used to be.

“Alexander.”

Skender froze. That voice. He turned around slowly to find a familiar mesmerizing lady standing there.

“Grandma?”