VIII

“This is going to be hell,” She thinks as they stand at the edge of the Hoia-Baciu Forest.

She already has to worry about roaming Shades and the Unseelie Fae. The last thing she needs is to be worried about tripping in her heels and breaking her ankle. But there was no other choice. They had to put on their formal wear. It was a masquerade ball and arriving at a party underdressed was a faux pa. And undressing in the Unseelie Court was asking for trouble, even if it was to only change clothes.

Sauda wears a black, long-sleeved, lace dress that is so short it only reaches just below the top of her thighs. If it wasn’t for the sticky fashion tape, all of her goodies would be out.

The long sleeve, thin dress coat she wears over it is only buttoned right under her breast and she lets the rest flow out and the extensive train flares out so her legs are on full display.

She loves this dress, even though she can’t hide too many weapons on her person; she could still fight and she looks sexy. Her favorite part of the outfit though is her mask.

Made of the Deamon Beast jaw that she killed, skinned, and cleaned herself. The bone mask covers the bottom of her face with her bold ruby lips shining through the enormous fangs. Her lips match her bright red eyes.

Since she was going to Hell, why not go in style? She was going full Demon. She let that inner fist open and released all her powers, and that last power boost strengthened her.

Her skin is darker and even more luminescent, like the moonlight is glowing from under her skin. Even her horns changed. They are higher on her head, resting across her temples like she is wearing a diadem. They are skinnier than before and sharp, like they were honed to be knives. Just one touch and it sliced anything open. The tips curved in a swirl on each side and she hangs a precious diamond from them for the ball.

She looks to her right to see a naked Succubus and Siren wearing only a black lace mask covering their eyes. If they were going in, they were going in their best, and for Adorna and Britain, that meant no clothes as expected for their types of Demons.

Adorna is in her Demon form, standing at least seven feet tall. Both sets of wings are out and she talons on each one of her black digits. Her red skin on her body is rigid and decorated with war wounds. She is beautiful.

Dimitri and Dimitra are both on Sauda’s left, wearing simple silk black suits and black silk masks, with small red accents. Dimitra has her hair pulled back in a tight braid, so from the front, they look exactly alike and Sauda can’t tell them apart.

They dressed every Demon to compliment Sauda and look like her minions. Though she is the least powerful of the group, she is the leader. Even Jinn and Elaheh wear simple black outfits and black lace masks. The only one who doesn’t match is Kang Dae.

He is dressed impeccably, Sauda made sure of that. He was supposed to look like arm candy, not a henchman, so Sauda took him to the best tailor in New Orleans, owned by a seventy-year-old black man, that Sauda knew since she moved to Louisiana.

Kang Dae’s mask is the top half of Sauda’s Deamon Beast. He wears makeup, against his will, to highlight his brown eyes. With his cream suit with a deep U vest and black button-up shirt halfway unbuttoned, he looks the part. He even has a smudge of red lipstick on his lips to look like Sauda has been kissing him.

“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but be careful. If you see something at the corner of your eye, don’t look. Acknowledging them gives them more power. When we get into the fairy mound, don’t eat or drink anything. Don’t make any bets or deals and don’t say thank you.”

“Yes, sir,” they say.

Dimitri and Dimitra lead the way, with Kang Dae and Sauda in the middle, and Adorna and Britain flanking their sides. Jinn and Elaheh bring up the rear.

It is hard to keep formation while walking past bent trees, but they try their hardest while trying not to trip over the things covered in the fog on the forest floor.

The Hoia-Baciu Forest is known for its disappearances and Alien sightings, but what the humans didn’t know was that it was really shades and other creatures that go bump in the night. They were lucky if they walked into the forest and then walked out alive.

Sauda feels something touch the back of her neck, giving her chills, but she refuses to look. Then something grabs her hand and she jumps. Still, she doesn’t look.

“Sorry,” Elaheh whispers.

Sauda looks down to see the little Demon holding on to her hand tightly.

“I’m not scared of much,” she says, “but the undead really unnerves me.”

“It’s okay, little one,” Sauda smiles.

“I know I’m older than you,” Elaheh smiles, blushing, “but I really like it when you call me ‘little one’.”

Sauda chuckles and looks forward to keep marching and avoid tripping over anything. She gives Elaheh’s hand a brief squeeze. “Jinn wouldn’t hold your hand?”

“I need my hands to fight, my Queen,” he replies.

Sauda rolls her eyes, unable to get Jinn to stop calling her Queen or Master. “You keep this up, and I might steal her away from you,” she teases.

Jinn coughs, clearing his throat, and Elaheh blush darkens. Sauda bends down to be eye to eye with Elaheh and winks at her. “Don’t worry. I’ll share.”

Elaheh laughs and continues to walk, pulling Sauda along, her ears bright red.

It was good to see Elaheh laugh. Only twenty years since she got her freedom, Elaheh often gets lost in her memories of her slave past. Sauda even had to move her and Jinn to empty officer houses on the base near her because Elaheh’s screaming nightmares would wake an entire barrack.

“We’re at the clearing,” Dimitri or Dimitra says.

Elaheh goes to let go of Sauda’s hand, but Jinn tells her to stay how she is. Both he and Sauda know that there will be things in the Unseelie Court that she used to fight, and on the off chance that she saw them, they didn’t want her to be spooked.

To the human eye, the clearing looks empty. Just a field where the fog surrounding it doesn’t invade. But Sauda and her team could see it. The large grass-covered mound with a cave-like entrance.

“After you,” Sauda says.

Dimitri and Dimitra walk forward and the rest follow. It only takes a second for them to cross the threshold and a second more for their eyes to adjust to the darkness. Little light sprites hover near the ceiling to dimly light the hallway.

Sauda looks forward to see a familiar face, and she puts on a fake smile to stop sneering.

“Lady Sauda,” he smiles, “I didn’t expect the daughter of the Marquis that previously fought La Muerte to be attending the party below.”

The fae stands tall, white skin adorned in shiny trinkets and a crown of holly sitting atop his deep blue hair.

“Unseelie King,” Sauda says. “How nice to see you.”

“What pretty lies,” He smiles. “How jealous I am of that ability.” He looks at the rest of her party. His eyes linger on Sauda’s hands on Kang Dae’s arm and the other one holds Elaheh’s hand. “Quite the entourage,” he says, mouth turning down a little. “A condemned ex-human, and a slave fighter.”

Elaheh startles, and Sauda can smell the anger on Kang Dae. The Unseelie King smells jealous.

When Sauda first started spending her summer breaks in hell with her father, she had caught the attention of both the Seelie and Unseelie Kings, who decided it was okay to ask for her hand in marriage at the ripe age of ten. The two kings had made a competition out of it, only to be denied by Andras.

Sauda can see that the King’s panties were in a twist over it.

“It was nice to see you, Unseelie King,” Sauda smiles, “but we’ll be on our way now.”

“Such sweet lies,” he says, stopping their advancement. He smiles slyly. “Don’t you want to know what I know about the Shades?”

Sauda knows she has to be careful. As Fae, the King can not lie, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t try to trick her.

“Do you know something important where I’m concerned?”

“Yes.”

“Will you tell me?”

“If you make a deal with me.”

“Goodbye, Unseelie King,” Sauda says.

The group moves on and the King steps aside. They begin their descent to the stairs that will lead them to the Shadowlands.

“I don’t understand why I’m so popular,” Sauda says, frustrated at seeing that creep.

“Your father hasn’t told you about the blood treaty between him and the Prince of Korea—”

“Balaam!” Adorna scolds, but keeps them walking. “We’re going into the Shadowlands. This is not the time nor the place for that. Sauda… after this, go talk to your father, but for right now you need to keep your head in the game.”

Soon they are near the entrance and they see a line of Demons in various forms of formal wear and masks, waiting. At the front stand two shades with their hands out, while guests put the invitations to them and walk through the gateway. Sauda can smell the fear coming off of every Demon in the hall.

“There’s no way that those Shades are so well behaved on their own,” Kang Dae says, finally after being quiet since their talk back in the gym. “They definitely have a new master.”

Sauda wishes she had more weapons on her than the fixed-blade knives strapped to her back under her dress coat and her collapsed steel staff, but it is rude to bring weapons to an official party. Even though everyone expects each Demon to hide at least one.

The line moves quickly, and soon they are in front of the Shades. Sauda’s heart beats loudly, but she keeps a calm exterior as she places the invitation in the awaiting hand. Nothing happens, so they move through the gateway.

“Let’s do this.”