Hell’s Consort

Newest Chapter for Highest Tier (October 2021)

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Archdemon Empress Luna

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There were a few outraged gasps and shouts throughout the Council Room.

"So, both of you are Archdemons." Queen Morgan closed her eyes and exhaled a heavy sigh.

In that instant,  Luna noticed that the Queen held her breath for a long time as she waited for Ravin and Sloth's response.

Her shoulders had slumped from the realization that her hunch was right.

She opened her eyes to scowl at her Archdemon Familiars. "It is a mistake to allow you to enter my Court and to have seats in the Council."

"Queen Morgan, we must get rid of these Archdemons including the Empress who was possessed with one!" A hooded member from the Council said.

Sylvain pursed his lips as he dragged his fingers down to the length of his thin, brown beard, which went past his chest. "They are a threat to your loyal subjects, Your Highness. It is dangerous that we couldn't see their true forms. Ravin and Sloth can shape shift without detection and fool us all they wanted. " 

Ravin narrowed his eyes at Sylvain. "Like we said we meant no harm, whoever you are." 

Sloth ignored Sylvain and beamed a toothy grin at Queen Morgan.

Yes, it was a poor attempt to get in her good graces, but at least he appeared as harmless as a lion with his blond hair and green eyes. 

"Ravin and I are pure and innocent Archdemons. That is why we got inside the Fall Courts in the First place unless--" He paused and gestured to the rest of the Council Members. This time, Sloth had a mischievous sparkle in his gaze, "--you are basically proclaiming that your alchemists who made the truth serum deserved the execution for their failure to determine our intentions." 

"Some of the Members in this Council are alchemists, Sylvain." Another hooded member of the Council admonished one of the Cadres.

Sylvain winced a little and apologized.

Luna glanced at Sylvain and the Council Members back and forth, carefully observing their interactions.

It seemed like the Members of the Council had a higher status compared to being one of the Cadres, which proved that seniority still existed in the royal politics of the Autumn Courts.

"Why are Archdemons here in the Material Realm?" Another council member, seated beside Xerxes from the back, asked,"The Archangels from the Kingdom of Heaven had sent them to Hell during the Great War?"

"You still remember  that, Endre." Queen Morgan addressed the one who just spoke about the Great War.

It made Luna wonder how Queen Morgan could distinguish these twenty Ancient Fae covered in their cloaks by just the sound of their voice without showing their face.

"Yes, Your Highness." Endre, who was seated on Jora's row, replied. "If you remember, I was one of the first people who joined your side during the uprising when the past ruler couldn't care less about his people." 

Luna frowned, and she could only fix her gaze on the Cadre's mouth because that was the only thing she could see in that angle when the Council Member talked.

Everyone from the Council was worried that Ravin and Sloth were shape-shifters yet, these old men wouldn't even dare expose their faces.

To her surprise, Princess Sapphire was the one who commented, "Queen Morgan didn't come from a royal bloodline?"

"No." There was a hint of a smirk on the Queen's lips. "I  am one of the Knights of the Fall Militia who served the past ruler before me." 

"A female Knight?"

Luna never meant it as an insult, but somehow, it came out as exactly that.

Kotari took offense by her question when his nostrils flared slightly, even if she had no intention to underestimate the Queen.

"She might not be of royal blood to you but she was a heroine to the Autumn Courts." Kotari told her in a nasty tone as he shot her a pissed-off glare.

Her husband tensed beside her, taking it as a blatant disrespect from Queen Morgan's Cadre. Feeling anxious from the rising tension strain between them, Luna forced Apollyon to release her hand so that she could snake her arm around his to stop him from assaulting Kotari.

She had a soft spot for the patient's owl on his shoulder, and she didn't want it to get hurt. 

"I saved the Fair Folk from demonic possession using the magical fruit from the Tree of the Four Seasons during the Great War to prevent the Archangels from killing the innocent." Queen Morgan said as she sank back to her throne, and she seemed to be more comfortable as if she had told this to others a million times before. 

Apollyon's large hand glided upward to clutch at her elbow, pulling her to return towards the table when he heard something that interested him—a whole damn lot! "You do know where the god-damned Tree is!" 

'Now, they were going somewhere!' Luna mused. 

She didn't know how it took so long for the Queen to mention the Tree of the Four Seasons when all of them had exhausted themselves from the journey waiting for her to get to this point.

Queen Morgan looked up at them and explained. "The Tree of the Four Seasons is a sacred tree of the Highest God. Legends had said that this mythical garden existed in the Autumn Courts. But it wasn't originally in our territory from the very beginning.  I had a speculation that it was moved here, instead. Fae Seers from all over the Faerie Realm had told me about this and shared it with the rest without evidence, claiming that a female Archangel had spoken to them in their dreams.

"Their strange prediction was confirmed by the Moirai later on after I found out about my new ability to call upon these three from the Underworld." The Queen gestured at the Three Fates.. "You know how magical abilities surprise us as Faeries grew more ancient with their immortality."