Screams of pain and distant moans echoed through the halls. The castle itself was opulent, almost beautiful in a strange, unsettling way that Blade would normally have found garish, but here it somehow fit.
They moved into another hallway, this one lined with demon guards dressed in the same woven rope garments. The guards followed someone ahead.
From the lizard’s perspective, all Blade could see was the figure’s back and long hair, braided and trailing down.
“Fuck, it is Prince Lug. What is he doing in this part of the palace?” the imp whispered, quickly hiding behind a statue of a very large, lethal looking demon.
The lizard followed suit, pressing itself into the shadows.
They stayed still until Lug and his guards passed. Blade did not know how, but he felt a ripple in the air as the prince moved by, as though the space itself vibrated around him.
He held his breath, somehow sensing the fear coming from both the imp and the lizard.
Who was he?
He focused on the prince, but all he could see was the side of his face as he passed, the rest of him disappearing into the corridor ahead.
“Fuck, that was close,” the imp said as he rushed out of the shadows and ran down the hallway until he reached a massive door with a skull for a handle.
“Wait here. He hates lizards,” he muttered.
He pushed the door open and slammed it shut in the lizard’s face.
The lizard turned away and faced the hallway instead. Nothing happened for what felt like an eternity.
Blade was just beginning to pull away from the vision when the door opened again.
The imp stepped out, head bowed, speaking softly to the prince he had just been with.
Movement caught Blade’s attention behind them.
The prince did not spare the lizard a second glance as he passed, but someone else moved in the background.
Blade froze.
He could not believe what he was seeing.
Drago. He was alive.
He had seen right.
Dressed in dark robes, Drago followed the imp and the prince, his eyes glowing a deep, burning red filled with hatred.
The lizard trailed behind them at a cautious distance, keeping to the edge of the corridor.
“Brother,” the prince said ahead. “Morning.”
“Lug,” the lizard whispered, pressing itself flat against the wall. There were no statues here, nowhere to hide.
“Athan, morning,” Lug said, his voice deep and rich.
Blade wished he could see the feared demon’s face clearly, but the lizard stayed pressed against the wall, doing everything it could not to be noticed.
“I see you are still keeping company with these lowly demons. Perhaps you should leave the palace and go find your mother,” Lug added.
The arrogance in his tone made Blade’s teeth grind.
“No need for insults this early in the morning,” Athan said. “Every demon is important in the underworld, including mymother, who somehow managed to entice our very important father.”