A Demon's Flame

By Rachel Lee Flowers

Eithna is tired of the castle's walls, and longs to escape. Little does she know that her escape will unravel Queen Silvia's plan to murder her. This also results in Eithna meeting her father, Jay, for the first time. Will meeting her mysterious father be a good thing? What does the future hold for Eithna? Only time will tell.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rachel Flowers
• Release date: Sep 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088046487

Book preview

Prologue

THE BIRD BEAST'S LAMENT

He should have expected this to happen. He never was good at telling how much time had passed, and that sense of time only worsened with his curse. He held the wrinkled hand of his best friend in his rather large, taloned hand as he sat down next to the bed with his large, bird-like wings folded behind his back. His friend gave him a tired smile. He tried to get words to come out of at least one of his many mouths, yet Morgana was the one who spoke first.

Jay…Why don't you take my heart now? I won't be around for much longer. You'll be able to wish yourself human again if you do, The witch whispered.

I…I can't do that, Morgana. What…what kind of person would I be if I ate a person's heart? I'd… I'd be an awful person. He curled his long tail, covered with hundreds of eyes around himself. Morgana had closed her green eyes and fallen asleep as her breath slowed and then stopped.

He picked up and held the corpse of Morgana gently in his arms as he looked at the notes pinned on the clean, wooden wall, as well as the ones that had started to fall off. They were notes on the number of her failed attempts to reverse his curse, along with many notes on plants, herbs, and flowers and how they could be used as medicine.

He cradled Morgana's body and hoped that he would feel some sort of movement. But all he felt was Morgana's body temperature cool down until she felt like ice.

Morgana, please…Please wake up. He didn't get a response. Jay gently moved her brownish-scarlet bangs out of her face. She only had a few wrinkles under her closed eyes and a few strokes of grey wrapped in auburn hair, but they looked akin to shooting stars.

As he carried his friend's corpse, the house slowly started to rot, which had started from the roof. Though it had begun to dip down, it never quite fell, the rot not letting a piece of black wood hit the ground. As Jay traveled through the house, he hadn't noticed the wooden stairs decay behind him but felt the chilly breeze ruffle his feathers. Only when he was outside the house did he notice that all that was left was maybe a few wooden walls, some wooden boards with mold sticking out, and some of the floors were missing from the house.

As Jay walked, he noticed that the color of the forest had started to return, but the color was rather dull and almost lifeless. Though the forest had felt relatively empty, strangely enough, without the monsters that had lurked around every corner, the ones that served to keep others from getting to the witch's house, he knew that regular wildlife would eventually return.

His main concern was finding a good enough place to bury Morgana. After some thought, he buried her in the large fields of forget-me-nots, since they were her favorite flowers.

He looked around with the many eyes on his tail to find a suitable rock to use as the gravestone. Once he found a good stone, he used his magic to chip away at it, tiny sparks flying from his fingers until the stone was the proper shape. He dug a hole in the ground with his talons, put the gravestone into the ground, and laid Morgana's corpse into the hole, the pitch-black feathers on his arms covered in dirt.

He looked down at the grave and didn't notice that he was crying until he saw the splotches of tear spots on the soft ground. He stared at Morgana’s grave for a while and laid down next to it. Her death was something he should have expected to happen. Sure, she did live longer than expected, but she was still gone.

He closed his eyes. He was glad to have met Morgana. He was grateful that she had let him stay at the house when there was nowhere else to go. He was thankful for their being friends. He was thankful that he had helped her gather plants. He was thankful that she taught him about medicine and how to care for wounds.

He let out a strangled and inhuman cry from his mouths, one located on his neck and two others located on each of his shoulders. He sobbed so much that his eyes burned, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

The ground below him felt hard and smooth, a stark contrast to the soft dirt and prickly grass on which he had fallen asleep. He opened his eyes and sat up to look around. He noticed the grey stone floor and the grey walls with strange symbols on them. The symbols read and curved at different angles. The room was cold and dark.

He looked at his hands, surprised to see that they seemed utterly human until he noticed that he still had his talons. He felt much smaller than he usually did; he hadn't been human-sized in a while. Not only that, his teeth were still rather sharp. His hair was long enough to reach his waist.

Where…Where am I? This… doesn't seem like home, he said, then noticed what had sounded like footsteps. He stood up slowly, a bit dazed.

Oh, are you awake? A silver-haired woman who wore her hair in a low ponytail smiled as she walked into the room and looked down at Jay, since he was slightly smaller than her. I found that you were outside of the castle, the woman gazed at Jay with a concerned look on her face. I figured that sleeping in the desert was uncomfortable for you. Jay noticed that she seemed to have some air of authority around her.

Was he asleep in a desert? That couldn't be right. He was in a forest. His friend's forest. It wouldn't have been possible, right? Though he didn't know how long he had slept.

A…Am I trespassing, ma'am? If so, I'm so sorry-The silver-haired woman put a lace-gloved finger to Jay's lips. Her golden eyes looked right into Jay's. He became silent.

Now, now…my name is Queen Silvia Majack Flare…you may just call me Silvia, however. She moved her finger away. Jay could get a better look at her and noticed the sleeveless silver evening gown with golden flames weaved onto the bottom of the dress. On her left wrist was a metal bangle bent into the shape of many black flames, each with a ruby at its base.

I…I am confused. I was asleep in a forest, and then suddenly I'm here! He twisted the end of his long hair in a stupor that she was a queen.

Oh, you poor, poor thing…you must be so lost…. Silvia waited for Jay to let his guard down. Before putting her spell on him, she touched his lips and kissed him. Jay's irises glowed a slight hue of pink.

Now then…follow me, all right? Jay, completely wrapped around her fingers, nodded in response.

Chapter 1

Tiny Flame

Alittle girl, around the age of six, looked outside the window of her room, which gave her a good view of the oasis that was surrounded by the town. However, anytime that she had asked to leave the castle…

Now, Eithna, Silvia said with a small smile. Why would you want to go outside? Everything you'll ever need is right here in the castle, and it's safer here than the outdoors because there are bandits and monsters and weather outside...

I understand, mother…. Eithna had heard this speech many times.

I wasn't finished talking, Silvia frowned at Eithna. But, at least you know what I have to say. The knights and I will keep you safe as long as you are in here.

Eithna sighed and looked away from her mother. Sure, the castle was huge, and the castle being safer than the outside world was likely true, but it didn't change the fact that she would rather be outdoors. She didn't want to just be trapped in here for the rest of her life!

Eithna tapped a talon on the glass of the window. What could she do? She was only a kid. If she tried to escape, a guard would simply catch her and put her back inside her room. She would be scolded.

She had noticed that the number of knights in the castle had started to dwindle. Maybe a holiday was going to come. Or maybe they had planned to take a vacation. That wouldn't have surprised her.

She hopped down from the windowsill and finished looking outside for the day. She moved to the mirror of her room and looked at her hair with her golden eyes. It was as black as the night sky, and it was as messy as a bird's nest. She held up a brush and hummed as she ran the ordinary brush through her hair.

She didn't have anything better to do. Maybe she could read a book or two. But even then, she had read the same books in her small collection over again and again. Some of the books were about the stars; some were about animals she was not able to see. There had to be something she could do in this castle. She climbed into her large, soft bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe she could try to sneak out at night.

Eithna wiggled out from under her silky covers and walked over to the window. She saw that the town was shrouded by darkness, and only the lunar and the stars illuminated the sky. She looked at the darkened hallway that was connected to her room.

She was certain that if she had used a flame to guide her way, it would alert what few guards there were to her presence. Instead, she walked quietly and slowly, so she wouldn't trip over her long dress.

Once her eyes were adjusted to the darkness, she moved a bit more quickly. She heard the clinks and clunks of armor. She hid around the corner of the long hallway and saw that there was a knight.

I thought that there was someone else here…. The knight bent over to pick up a large, black feather off the ground. Must just be an avian. The creature must have somehow gotten into the castle at some point.

Eithna bolted away from the knight. An avian? She thought to herself. The feather was rather large…but she didn't know many bird species. And it seemed to show how few guards there were. She guessed that the knight would be kept busy trying to find the avian.

Eithna slowed down and noted that there were three paths she could choose. Yet, she couldn't see what was at the end of any of them. She had decided to pick the left path; she would find her way out of this labyrinth-like castle. Even as she ran, the hallways felt endless.

She thought about going back to her room, but she shook her head. She was too far from her room and might be seen by someone. She decided to continue on but paused at a section of the hallway. She noticed the scratch marks that had decorated a corner of a grey wall. She saw the many black feathers that were on the ground. The feathers were rather large: they were each bigger than her hand.

The scent of blood splattered on the walls and floor almost made her ill. Whatever was here must have been big, as it seemed to have left some indents in the walls. Though, the fact that whatever had been able to