A Demon's Wrath: Part II (Peachville High Demons) by Sarra Cannon Page A

every demon who has lost someone they love.”
    The king’s face twisted in anger.
    “You have no idea what you are talking
about. The Order of Shadows is not a normal enemy,” he said. “I
cannot simply send out my army and destroy them.”
    “How would you know unless you tried?”
I asked. “Their portals are unguarded. I have seen one of their
rituals with my own eyes. There was no one there to stand against
them. Not a single guard or sentinel.”
    The king lifted his chin and squared his
shoulders. “The demons who live inside the gates of this city
live in safety,” he said. “I do the best I can to send
out patrols to watch over the villages in the outerlands, but it’s
impossible to police them all. The Order is too big and too strong.
If I sent my guards out there, they would all be dead in an instant.
What use is that to anyone?”
    “What use is a king who is too scared to
fight back?” I asked, taking my first steps. “As long as
the Order knows you are afraid of them, they will continue to take
until there is nothing left.”
    “We are immortal,” he said. “The
humans are not. Their lives are short and meaningless compared to
ours. Yes, what the Order of Shadows is doing is horrible. But they
control very dark magic that is nearly impossible to defeat. It’s
in the best interest of the kingdom to wait them out. They cannot
live forever.”
    I could hardly believe what I was hearing. This
was his plan? To simply outlive the humans?
    Andros was right. The king was blind. Ruled by
fear and foolishness.
    “And what about the demons who are being
taken?” I asked. “You would sacrifice them so willingly?”
    “Their sacrifice is minor compared to the
lives that would be lost in a war against the humans.”
    “Maybe, but at least our deaths would be
honorable.” I walked toward him, fueled by my own anger and
determination. “At least we would die standing up against a
great evil rather than allowing that evil to rule us through fear.
There is no honor in Aerden’s death, if he is in fact dead.”
    The king snapped his head toward me. “He is
dead to all of us,” he said. “It is best if you learn to
accept that now.”
    “I cannot accept it,” I said. “I
won’t. I will not be ruled by fear.”
    “You’d rather be ruled by rage?”
the king asked. “You’re a fool and I won’t allow
you to drag my daughter any further into your madness.”
    “That isn’t for you to decide.”
Lea stood in the doorway, tears reflected in her deep green eyes. “I
love you, father, but my heart belongs to Denaer. And my life, my
future, belongs to the demons of the Northern Kingdom.”
    The king’s face crumbled and he shook his
head. “What are you saying?” he asked. “That you
would choose to betray me?”
    Lea crossed the room and placed her hand in mine.
“You betrayed me first. You have betrayed all of us.”
    I looked down into the face of a girl I had known
all my life, but never truly seen as the future queen until that
moment. She had more strength than I had ever realized.
    “It’s not too late to stand and
fight,” I said. “I know the Order is strong, but every
enemy has a weakness. All we have to do is find it.”
    The king stared down at our joined hands, then
turned toward the door. “If you choose to fight, I won’t
stop you,” he said. “But know that the moment you step
outside the gates of this city, I will no longer acknowledge you as
my daughter. I won’t come after you when you are taken by the
Order.”
    He walked through the door of the room, not even
turning around to look at his own daughter one last time.
    Lea took in a sharp breath but did not let go of
her grip on my hand.
    We stood together in silence for a moment before
she finally turned to me. “Are you strong enough to make it to
the camp?” she asked.
    I searched her face. “Is this really what
you want?” I asked her. “Because if you are doing this
for me, I want you to know that I would