yourself, I can see it. Kill yourself now and go home and warn them. Tell them what’s happening here.’
Michael gestured towards the cube. ‘What if the demons work out the secret of the gravity?’
‘We’re underground, a hundred feet below the city, and nobody but me can travel here. There’s no other way in. Go now while they’re waiting for us to return.’
‘I can’t leave my mother and fiancée. I have to take them back with me.’
‘They’re demons, lad. Leave them.’
‘Are you sure?’
Semias hesitated.
Michael turned away. ‘Yeah. Neither am I.’
‘It’s hard to tell,’ Semias said. ‘Your fiancée isn’t from my region, and your mother has an unusual part-demonic nature. She may be a descendent of the ancient Serpent people.’
‘ What Serpent people? I’ve heard that before. Tell me about them, I think it’s important.’
‘ We don’t have time. The Demon King just pulled your fiancée down to the entrance hall and is threatening her if we don’t return immediately. We need to go.’
Semias teleported them back to find the Demon King in the mansion’s foyer, yelling at a terrified Clarissa, who was being held by two guards. When he saw Semias and Michael he rounded on them. ‘Next time do what I tell you!’
‘ I did exactly what you told me to, I took him to see the engine,’ Semias said.
Michael ran to Clarissa and pulled her out of the demon guards’ grasps. ‘Did he hurt you?’ He held her close and brushed his hand over her hair. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I didn’t touch her. She broke down herself, the coward,’ the Demon King said.
‘Leave her alone!’ Michael pulled back to see her face, and his heart broke when it mirrored the haunted Clarissa back at the Western Palace. ‘Clarissa, honey? Talk to me.’
‘ Where’s Rhonda?’ Clarissa clutched him. ‘Can I go back to my room? I want to be away from here.’
Semias disappeared, then reappeared with Rhonda. She ran to Clarissa and Michael released his fiancée into his mother’s arms. Rhonda led Clarissa, still dazed, up the stairs to their rooms.
‘Next time don’t take anyone anywhere without my permission or I’ll put you back in your cell,’ the Demon King said to Semias with venom. He turned to Michael. ‘Did you see the gravity engine?’
‘Yes.’
‘What does it look like?’
Michael hesitated. ‘You won’t believe me.’
‘Try me.’
‘It’s a brass cube. Featureless. N o external moving parts.’
The King nodded, unsurprised. ‘All right. Now both of you listen carefully to me. Michael , if you can map the internal workings of the engine and provide me with a blueprint, I’ll let you and the women go back to the Asian Heavens, free and unharmed. Semias.’
‘I know,’ Semias said. ‘If I give him the information you’ll leave me here in the city and I won’t be kept locked up and separated from myself any more.’
‘That’s the deal. Will you both cooperate?’
‘I will,’ Michael said.
‘Very well, I will as well,’ Semias said. ‘Let the boy eat and rest, he’s falling over on his feet. I’ll take him back this afternoon and we’ll map out the internal structure for you.’
‘Provide me with an incorrect blueprint and I will knock every tower in this city down, one by one.’ The Demon King glared at Michael. ‘And if I don’t produce a working identical engine from the blueprint you g ive me, I will hunt down everybody you love and I will torture them to death myself.’
Michael slept through most of the day and went out to the dining room as dusk was falling, feeling dehydrated and exhausted. Neither of the women were there, and he went up to their rooms and rapped on their doors. He sent his senses into the room, searching for them, and didn’t find them. They weren’t anywhere in the building. He stormed back down to the kitchen and yelled at the cowering demons.
‘Wh ere are Rhonda and Clarissa?’
‘The King took them, my
Michael gestured towards the cube. ‘What if the demons work out the secret of the gravity?’
‘We’re underground, a hundred feet below the city, and nobody but me can travel here. There’s no other way in. Go now while they’re waiting for us to return.’
‘I can’t leave my mother and fiancée. I have to take them back with me.’
‘They’re demons, lad. Leave them.’
‘Are you sure?’
Semias hesitated.
Michael turned away. ‘Yeah. Neither am I.’
‘It’s hard to tell,’ Semias said. ‘Your fiancée isn’t from my region, and your mother has an unusual part-demonic nature. She may be a descendent of the ancient Serpent people.’
‘ What Serpent people? I’ve heard that before. Tell me about them, I think it’s important.’
‘ We don’t have time. The Demon King just pulled your fiancée down to the entrance hall and is threatening her if we don’t return immediately. We need to go.’
Semias teleported them back to find the Demon King in the mansion’s foyer, yelling at a terrified Clarissa, who was being held by two guards. When he saw Semias and Michael he rounded on them. ‘Next time do what I tell you!’
‘ I did exactly what you told me to, I took him to see the engine,’ Semias said.
Michael ran to Clarissa and pulled her out of the demon guards’ grasps. ‘Did he hurt you?’ He held her close and brushed his hand over her hair. ‘Are you all right?’
‘I didn’t touch her. She broke down herself, the coward,’ the Demon King said.
‘Leave her alone!’ Michael pulled back to see her face, and his heart broke when it mirrored the haunted Clarissa back at the Western Palace. ‘Clarissa, honey? Talk to me.’
‘ Where’s Rhonda?’ Clarissa clutched him. ‘Can I go back to my room? I want to be away from here.’
Semias disappeared, then reappeared with Rhonda. She ran to Clarissa and Michael released his fiancée into his mother’s arms. Rhonda led Clarissa, still dazed, up the stairs to their rooms.
‘Next time don’t take anyone anywhere without my permission or I’ll put you back in your cell,’ the Demon King said to Semias with venom. He turned to Michael. ‘Did you see the gravity engine?’
‘Yes.’
‘What does it look like?’
Michael hesitated. ‘You won’t believe me.’
‘Try me.’
‘It’s a brass cube. Featureless. N o external moving parts.’
The King nodded, unsurprised. ‘All right. Now both of you listen carefully to me. Michael , if you can map the internal workings of the engine and provide me with a blueprint, I’ll let you and the women go back to the Asian Heavens, free and unharmed. Semias.’
‘I know,’ Semias said. ‘If I give him the information you’ll leave me here in the city and I won’t be kept locked up and separated from myself any more.’
‘That’s the deal. Will you both cooperate?’
‘I will,’ Michael said.
‘Very well, I will as well,’ Semias said. ‘Let the boy eat and rest, he’s falling over on his feet. I’ll take him back this afternoon and we’ll map out the internal structure for you.’
‘Provide me with an incorrect blueprint and I will knock every tower in this city down, one by one.’ The Demon King glared at Michael. ‘And if I don’t produce a working identical engine from the blueprint you g ive me, I will hunt down everybody you love and I will torture them to death myself.’
Michael slept through most of the day and went out to the dining room as dusk was falling, feeling dehydrated and exhausted. Neither of the women were there, and he went up to their rooms and rapped on their doors. He sent his senses into the room, searching for them, and didn’t find them. They weren’t anywhere in the building. He stormed back down to the kitchen and yelled at the cowering demons.
‘Wh ere are Rhonda and Clarissa?’
‘The King took them, my
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