Chapter forty one
Abraham roared again and scraped the marble floor with razor sharp nails.
And Paul found himself swallowing again in fear, but he managed to keep up the chant with a slight stammer. It wasn't the King's actions per se that scared him. It was because he knew that action was supposed to make something he wouldn't like happen.
The scorching flames drew together from all across the courtroom, crawling along the floor like a colony of snakes would…closer and close towards him. Of course they couldn't go past the invisible shield of God he had, but what they could do made him prefer he was burned.
Fire formed a ring so closely around him, spreading and intensifying to temperatures in accordance with the glow in the King's eyes.
The heat could be called a taste of hell…
Consequently, the man's words reduced abruptly to a careless stutter, and the mild sweat beads on his face were now spilling out of his skin like spring water.
Abraham smiled mildly at the beloved sight. Although he was still surrendered to his knees, he felt the weakness slowly transfer from his bones to those of his enemy.
At that, he growled again, setting the fire to an even better version of hell.
Paul screamed agonizingly when the heat left traces of blisters on his skin, and even more pain when his sweat drooled over them with a sting.
It wasn't long after his talisman slipped from his weak grip and unto the floor.
And Abraham seized the opportunity with delight. He pranced forward with a snarl, quite ready to tear his foe into pieces. The ring of fire dispersed as he did, letting him through like obedient little flames they were.
When the Priest realized his disadvantage and focused on the King, what he saw coming at him was a devil like being, the bearer of death itself.
Although his moves were as disordered as they were quick, he slipped out a sword from his hip and faced the tip forward.
It had surprised the djinn that he couldn't do anything about the sudden blade that pierced through his chest and out his back. Abraham roared fiercely at the biting pain, hitting the Priest's face with a fist on reflex.
Paul Herrman plunged backwards at the blow by a good ten meters to the other end of the courtroom. Nothing like a fist that sent you off your feet.
The pain the King felt was, of course, only short-lived. Afterwards, Abraham pulled the sword out effortlessly and gave it a mild bend that ended up cutting the metal in half. Readily, his wound healed and he pounced forward again with another roar.
Paul Herrman heard his own heartbeat. Never…never in his years of demon slaying had he encountered one this difficult.
His wound closed perfectly like it was never there! Neither was his crucifix enough to hold the djinn back!
With his elbows propping his body up from the floor, he'd seen metal get broken like a twig.
And by God, he would never seek out a figure of his dreams again.
But of course, he had to survive first.
***
Jeremy was twitching his nose as he strived to register the smell he picked. "Is that…fire?"
Surely, the new cook had left a pie baking for far too long. But as he frowned, he figured the choking smell was coming from above him while the kitchen was below.
Meaning it wasn't the new cook.
For a moment, he settled to let it go and focus on his…work.
The Prince set his lips back upon the neck of his mistress, tracing soft kisses down the length of her torso.
Gasping, she'd clutched the sheets in response.
Ahh…responsive, he smiled.
Next, he began to wonder how she'd react to his lips on one of those round luscious…
The smell of fire teased his nostrils again. Frown deepening, he glanced upwards.
All this smoke just to back a pie! It must have been spiritual intervention that hit him when a much more reasonable explanation came to his mind.
Abraham!
At the thought, he shot up from his bed, ignoring the totally confused lady he was about to leave wanting in the middle of foreplay.
Quickly, he snatched his sleeping robe and wore it upon his half open breeches.
"Who in the world struck his nerves this time," he whispered angrily just before he barged out of his bed chamber. Of course not forgetting to fasten up.
***
While they were sure a literally heated war was happening inside the courtroom, here they were casting lots on who was to chain a dog.
The smell of smoke excited them, but mostly worried though.
Martin had volunteered to _sacrifice_ in the end. With a sword in his shivering hands, he and the animal moved around in a circle, casting glares at each other in the process.
The dalmatian seemed impatient enough. After a bark or two, he pounced upon the Prince.
Martin stumbled over his own foot and was forced to the floor, a holy barking dog striving to dig its teeth into his flesh. But he clutched the jaws desperately, quite certain this wasn't the way he wanted to die.
"I can't hold on for much longer," he screamed…and meant every bit of it. The fangs he saw getting closer were enough to weaken his self will.
And of course, help came.
Jeremy showed up from absolutely nowhere and shoved the dog off his brother's body with a foot.
Just as he wanted, the animal made him the new target. After casting an accusing glare on every other soul around, he shrieked in a near order. "Razia!"
At the point, the water demon seemed to remember her King needed her now. So what if…what if it was the dalmatian of a demon slayer, a stab was all it was going to take, right?
Abruptly, she pulled out a pair of blades from the leather around her hips, swallowing the last of her fear.
Fred, the dog, glanced away from the man in a sleeping robe and towards the lady in sky blue satin, baring its teeth like it always did.
A look around made it understand it was surrounded, but its nose picked up the scent its been trained to track for years. And at that, it cast dark eyes on Razia.
Moments passed and they almost thought it was a sign of surrender. They'd dared to.
Now, she studied the dalmatian dash towards her snarling. All she needed now was the perfect aim.
Four feet apart, she swirled closed and stabbed. Right after, she assessed the bleeding animal which had fallen at her feet. With harsh breaths, it sulked and laid there for what felt like forever.
Razia immediately marched towards the courtroom though, making a mental note to treat the innocent dog later.