A Demon Scorned Ch. 02

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of non-consensual or reluctant sex.

*****

Anita

I awoke, and looked around my cell. It was pretty bare. Stone walls. A crude table and chair. And the cot I was lying on. That was all. I noticed that, while I was sleeping, someone had left food on the table. With a soft sigh, I sat down to eat.

Saban's arrival was, in many ways, an absolute disaster, not just for me, but for the world at large. An unbound, unpledged demon was always trouble, and demon lords were both especially powerful and capable of commanding other demons. I wondered if Saban had brought any of his demonic minions through with him. I hoped not. Dealing with Saban himself would be hard enough.

With a start, I realized I was uniquely situated to do something about mitigating the damage a loose demon lord could do. Saban had been in love with me before I'd dismissed him. Perhaps I could make him fall for me again? Except I had no idea what had attracted him to me to begin with. I also really didn't like the idea of being the kind of manipulative bitch who held a man's heart on a string.

Although Saban was hardly the only man I'd bedded, I'd never really had much luck in the romance area. Most men tended to find me intimidating. I also wasn't exactly good looking. My build was slight, with few of the curves most men were attracted to, and my facial features were more harsh than delicate and feminine. Not that the human idea of beauty likely mattered to Saban. I also doubted he would be interested in traditional romance.

With a pang, I wished I'd never sent Saban away. And not just because it had ultimately ended badly. I'd missed him...

I wondered what Saban's plans were now that he was ruler of Cendan. Odds were good he intended to attack one of the countries bordering his new domain. Cendan had been suffering from a drought for some time now, and was likely low on supplies. The traditional Cendanian response to that was to raid other countries. The council of wizards and the army in my home country, Kerath, had been preparing in case Cendan's priesthood turned their eyes on us, but they hadn't expected to be facing a demon lord. That would likely throw a wrench in any defense plans they'd made.

I needed to warn Kerath about Saban. I needed to warn my people. But how?

*

Saban

I awoke feeling grumpy and tired. With a sigh, I got out of bed and looked around my lavish bedroom. These ostentatious displays of wealth didn't really interest me, but humans seemed to expect them.

With another sigh, I set about preparing to face another day. I washed my face, and combed my long black hair. Then I closed my eyes and focused.

Demons were capable of materializing simple items. Said items vanished when the demon who created them was no longer touching them, limiting the uses of the ability, but it made getting dressed in the morning a lot easier. With a touch of my will, I made clothing appear on my naked form.

Boots, rugged and practical looking. Leather armor for my pants and shirt. The style was slightly different from what I'd worn as Anita's familiar, as Cendanian fashion was different from Kerathian. I didn't really need armor, as my swift healing took care of most wounds, but it looked nice, as did the sword on my belt, which was as unnecessary as the armor. When I needed to fight, I typically used claws and spiked tentacles, not a sword.

The finishing touch to this ensemble was a simple golden crown. No gems, no ostentatious spikes. Just a simple nod to mortal expectations, to remind them who ultimately in charge.

There was a knock at the door. "Sire?" asked a timid female voice.

Ah, yes. The maid. "Enter," I said. Servants were one of the more irritating aspects of leading humans. In the demon realm, housekeeping was minimal, cooking was nonexistent, and messengers were unnecessary, as I could call my demons with my mind. In the mortal realm, I still didn't need to eat as human did, but I needed humans to fetch things for me and to clean. Most of them were terrified of me. That had been amusing at first, but it quickly got tiresome.

The girl entered cautiously and bowed low. "Your secretary will be here momentarily, sire, so that you may go over an approve your schedule for today." Her voice was barely audible.

As she scurried past me to make the bed, I caught a glimpse of something on her face. I caught her arm, and she froze. Gently, I turned her to face me.

Half of her face was heavily bruised. I frowned. "What happened?"

The girl looked away. "I fell, sire."

I gripped her chin and turned her back to face me. "Never, ever, lie to me," I told her coldly. Had she been a demon, I'd have added some pain to the lesson to make it stick, but humans were different. More delicate. Easier to frighten. "You're a horrible liar. Also, the bruise is hand shaped. Someone hit you."

Though unable to turn away, she still didn't meet my gaze. "Yes, sire." Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, sire."

"There's no need to cry," I told her, mildly exasperated. "Just don't lie to me again. Now, who hit you?"

Startled, she met my gaze briefly. "Sire?"

"It's a simple question. Who hit you?" I asked again.

The girl shook her head, looking even more frightened.

"You're scared of them," I surmised. "Trust me, however frightening or powerful the person who hit you is, I'm worse. Who hit you?"

She looked away again. "Lord Hubert, sire."

My secretary bustled in. "I'm sorry I'm late, High Lord Saban," he told me. Then he frowned. "Is the maid bothering you, sire?"

I cocked my head thoughtfully. "Not exactly. Who is Lord Hubert?"

The secretary- Bartholomew?- frowned. "A powerful member of the nobility. Why do you ask?"

"He hurt my maid," I told the secretary. "I would like to talk to him. See that he is sent to me in the throne room, as soon as you and I are done with my schedule." Ah, schedules. How annoying. With only a hundred or so demons at my command, I hadn't needed to plan my time, but my human subjects numbered in the tens of thousands, spread throughout the kingdom. To do everything that needed to be done, I needed to use my time wisely.

The secretary presented me with a paper. I looked it over, and frowned. Religious ceremony after religious ceremony lined the paper, with gaps for various entertainments. "Surely they don't need me for every ceremony at the temple," I told him coldly. "And, while I'd certainly like a little time to myself in the evening, I don't need huge breaks throughout the day. Cut out all of the entertainments. And tell my High Priest that he can have an hour of my time for religious activities. No more."

"As you wish, High Lord," Bartholomew told me nervously. "What would you like to do instead?"

I cocked my head thoughtfully. "For starters, I'd like to see maps of the kingdom, and descriptions of the towns and cities. Imports, exports, local politics. That sort of thing. I also need to review tax records, and your laws." And possibly make some changes. But that would come later. "I'd also like to schedule a time when the common people can approach me with problems." Only the desperate would likely come to me at first. Hopefully, over time, that would change.

The secretary blinked. "The common people?"

"Anyone is welcome to approach me then," I said. "But this will mainly be for commoners, yes."

The maid and Bartholomew were both looking at me like I'd suddenly grown another head. Which would be well within my powers. But still.

I sighed. "I know Aio was relatively hands off." And lazy. "I'm not."

Bartholomew recovered first. "Yes, my lord."

The maid bowed deeply. "Sire? May I attend to my duties?"

"After you answer a few questions," I told her. "This Lord Hubert? Has he hurt you before?"

She looked away. "Yes, High Lord." She paused. "And others. Once he broke a maid's arm, and she lost her place here. Because she couldn't work."

I scowled. I hated bullies. "Thank you... What is your name?"

She bowed again. "Bessary, sire."

"Bessary. Thank you for telling me this," I said. "You may do... Whatever it is maids do." I raised a hand. "Please don't bow again. Once when you greet me is enough."

Bessary froze mid bow and almost fell over. "Yes, sire." Then she turned, went over to the bed, and began to fuss with the sheets.

I turned to my secretary. "You have one hour to revise my schedule. If it does not meet with my approval the second time..." I trailed off threateningly. "I will be in the throne room."

I stalked from the room. The more I thought about Bessary's bruise, and the frightened look in her eyes, the more angry I grew. This Lord Hubert had hurt one of my subjects. Someone under my protection. And she was scared of him. The only person my subjects should fear was me.

In the demon realm, I had gained a reputation for being viciously protective of my own. No one outside my control would dare to harm what was mine. My own demons almost never hurt each other. They knew how harsh my penalties could be. This Lord Hubert would learn. So would the others.

I took a deep breath and calmed my temper. It would not do to lose control.

*

Anita

Meal done, I set about examining the magic blockers for what was probably the twentieth time.Once again, I went over the intricacies of the three spells in minute detail. Once again, I had to admit that I couldn't break all three. Not easily or quickly, anyways. And without the element of surprise on my side, escape would be impossible.

I mulled over the problem. To escape, I needed my magic. The collar and cuffs blocked my power. I needed to remove them.

Or did I? With a start, I realized that the design of these magic blockers was, in some ways, flawed. These blockers inhibited my power by blocking the mental channels my magic flowed through with thick gates. One of the loops in the one of the magical gates could be widened, which would allow some magic to follow through. Not enough to return me to full power, certainly, but a little. Would it be enough to allow me to escape? I certainly intended to try.

*

Saban

I paced in the throne room. Where was Lord Hubert? According to the messenger, he was in the palace. He should be here by now. I scowled. He would pay for keeping me waiting, as well as for injuring someone under my protection.

I looked down at the mosaic on the floor, and my scowl darkened. It depicted that lazy lump Aio. Changing the mosaic was nowhere near the front of my agenda. The care I owed my subjects came first. However, eventually that mosaic would show me, not Aio. Perhaps I'd have them depict the battle where I'd killed my father...

My musings cut off abruptly as the doors to the throne room opened. "Announcing Lord Hubert," the herald declared.

Lord Hubert himself entered slowly and pompously. He was a fat man, I noted, with lavish clothes and an oily mustache. "High Lord Saban," the man intoned. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He bowed low.

"I have reports of you bullying the servants," I told him.

Lord Hubert blinked. This was obviously not what he'd expected. "What?"

"You heard me," I snapped. "You've been bullying my other subjects. You even went as far as to break one girl's arm. This must stop."

Lord Hubert smiled obsequiously. "But, High Lord, they are merely servants! Surely worrying about them is beneath your dignity."

I cocked my head. I knew my expression didn't look quite human. I didn't care. "I'm not worried, precisely. They are mine. As you are mine. I do not condone damage to things that are mine."

Lord Hubert's smile grew less obsequious. "High Lord, you are new here. You don't understand how things work. Perhaps I can explain. Servants-"

His eyes widened as I reached out and gripped him by the throat. "Perhaps you are right." I smiled. More or less. "Perhaps I don't understand how things use to work here." I lifted the fat man off his feet. "The thing is, though, I don't need to understand how things use to work here, because they don't work that way anymore." My not quite smile widened. "Things work the way I want them to work, or they don't work at all." My grip tightened, ever so slightly. "Understand?"

The fat man's eyes were wide. He obviously was having some trouble breathing. "Yes," he wheezed. "I... I understand..."

I released him, and he crumpled to the ground. "Get out," I told him coldly.

The man got to his feet hesitantly, and bowed low. "High Lord, may I ask who accused me of-"

"No," I told him. "Now, out." I could see my secretary in the door, schedule in hand. "There are things I must attend to."

*

Anita

I worked slowly and carefully to disrupt the structure of the binding spells. If I went too quickly, I might accidently damage them to the point that someone would notice. I could also hurt myself doing this if I wasn't careful. Intricate or extremely powerful magical workings damaged the pathways through which magical power flowed. Since those were a part of the brain, I was essentially risking brain damage by doing this.

I'd once been captured by another wizard. That was when I broken a collar for the first time. Immediately afterwards, my mind had been heavily damaged, too damaged for me to use my powers in complex spellwork. Saban had been the one to rescue me, once I'd broken the magic circle keeping him prisoner. This time, I would need to be functional enough to rescue myself.

So I went slowly. Excruciatingly slowly. It might take days for me to finish my work. But, eventually, I would be able to use my powers once more. Then I could escape.

*

Saban

I spent the morning pouring over papers, documents, and maps. It was boring, oh so very boring, but it needed to be done. I needed to know the realm in order to govern it. I fully intended to visit the various towns and cities of my realm at some point. However, that would be after I'd secured enough loot through raids to keep the humans fed through the winter.

If only I'd been able to bring my demons with me when I'd entered this mortal realm. I could ask them to visit places for me. However, I couldn't order them to bear the excruciating pain that came from forcing oneself through a mostly closed portal. Runt, my second, and a few of my generals had volunteered, but I needed them to look after things in the demon realm while I was away. I would likely be gone for a very, very long time.

I wished one of my priests was powerful enough to fully open the portal, but not even my high priest had that level of raw power. Anita likely did. Raw magical force was her specialty as a wizard. Unfortunately, she and I were no longer on the same side.

In the early afternoon I held the first of my public audiences, during which commoners were allowed to approach me with problems. My heralds and the local bards guild had spent the morning announcing it. By the time of the actual audience, I was certain most of the city had heard about the event.

As I entered the newly designated public audience chamber, I looked around the room. I'd chosen a relatively simple chamber near the outer walls, in the hope that it would be less intimidating. There was a small dais with a chair on it for me. I noticed with distaste that the chair was very ornate, almost to the point of being a throne.

I debated asking for a different chair, one less likely to intimidate the people who came. If anyone came. Odds were high no one would, I admitted gloomily.

With a sigh, I settled down to wait. Even if no one came, I would see this through.

No one arrived during the first hour. It was very boring. I was debating on sending one of the page boys for a book when someone peeked timidly through the doorway.

It was a small boy. His face was thin, too thin, and rather dirty. I debated on the best way to encourage him to enter. Should I call him to me, or pretend I hadn't seen him?

I chose the former. My eyes locked on his. "Enter," I told him.

He froze. I could hear his heart pounding, smell his terror. Damn. He was going to run.

If he were a demon, I could have forced him to approach. I could have opened his mind, and examined it for whatever was troubling him. But he was human. I kept my face steady and calm, but on the inside I was growling in frustration.

To my surprise, the boy didn't run. Slowly, ever so slowly, he tiptoed into the room.

He must be desperate, I mused, and, when I looked him over, I could see why. His clothes were ragged, and he was so thin I could see his ribs through the holes in his shirt.

He stopped well away from the short dais and executed a shaky bow. "High Lord." His voice was small and tremulous.

"What is your name, child?" I asked, voice as gentle and non threatening as I could make it.

He began to shake. "T-Trevor, if it pleases you, High Lord."

"Trevor. What do you need?" Being this gentle went against all my instincts as a demon, but, if I was to help, I needed him to talk to me. And I wanted to help. He was, after all, one of mine. My property. My responsibility.

He took a deep breath and started in on what was clearly a prepared speech. "I am here because the kids, the ones in the city, the ones without folks to go to, we'd like food, if it pleases you, High Lord." His shaking got worse.

I knew from my experience with Anita that, in Kerath, children without parents or relatives lived in orphanages where they were taken care of. Anita and I had visited one once to ward it against fire. I hadn't really paid much attention to the children there, who weren't my problem, but I seemed to remember they looked well fed, and, if not exactly happy, not abused, either. I wondered why Cendan didn't have a similar system.

I turned to the page boy waiting in the corner. "Bring food for Trevor," I ordered him, "And a scribe." I turned back to Trevor. "After you've eaten, we'll talk."

*

Anita

In the evening a pair of priests came and marched me out of my cell. As we traveled through the corridors, I tried to memorize the route we were taking, and all of the side passages and windows I could see. If I was to escape, I needed to know the layout of the place.

We entered a bedroom- Saban's bedroom?- and one of the priests ordered me to strip. I did so, slowly and reluctantly. When I was naked, they shoved me down onto the bed. My wrists were bound to the headboard of the bed. Then, they secured long chains to my ankles. Slowly, my legs were forced above my head, leaving my pussy and ass exposed. I squirmed, humiliated and helpless. I knew who had arranged this. Saban.

After they were done, the priests left. I probed the magic binding spells wrapping my power. Still not enough give for me to use an unlocking spell. I was trapped, waiting helplessly for Saban to come an amuse himself with my body.

*

Saban

All in all, it had been a productive day. I was pleased. I'd set up a place for the street children to get food in the city, and I'd started the long, tedious process needed to create orphanages. Land had been set aside for the purpose, and I'd hired architects to design the buildings. I'd also interviewed a few candidates to head the program. With any luck, by the time I set off for the raid, I'd be able to leave the rest of the preparations to the new head of the Orphan Project.

Humming softly, I headed for my rooms, where Anita waited to satisfy my hunger. I pictured her, bound, naked, and helpless, and my desire for her, for her body and magic, grew. I licked my lips in anticipation, imagining burying my face in her helplessly exposed pussy. I would-

Suddenly, magic flickered to life around me. Snarling, I looked around to find myself within a demon binding circle. I hissed. This was not good.