What now

For hours the lesser demons freed from the bookshelf were being hunted down inside the palace walls. Many demons tried to escape the palace and possess the residents. Fortunately, they were stopped by either the locust witches, Ghersengs, or the friends of Rufus.

Still, many were dead. Mothers, wives, and sisters wept as the palace guardsmen slashed open their throats. At least a hundred personnel of the palace had been killed.

The queen was sodden with grief. She lay in her study, looking after the bookshelf that lay bare. She had not moved an inch since that day, guarding all the still-sealed demons as the seal of the bookshelf was broken.

Rufus entered with a guilty look on his face.

"Do not blame yourself, and you are not to reason for this calamity," the queen said.

"That is not the reason I am here. I am here to ask you to help me ensure that such unwanted bloodshed will never happen again."

"By that, you mean you would have me join you in your war. Against the empire, because it was an imperial prince who freed the demons and caused this doom," the queen said, annoyed and silencing Rufus.

She sighed," I am sorry for my rude tone. I know it was not your idea to come and persuade me now when I am grieving. Most likely, that Olympian woman was the one who suggested that you go and convince me now. Not a bad idea, and yes, I have an unquenching hatred towards that prince right after those two demons. But no, even if I wanted to and my people were willing to, my duty lies here."

Rufus stepped forward and looked at the bookshelf. Many demons, sealed as books, lay there, with Rufus feeling like they were laughing. No seal was guarding them; anyone could just walk in and break them free.

"The sorcerer who sealed them inside this bookshelf came to Kairouan by chance. He only asked for one of the demon books in exchange for building the seal, and then he left. Until another seal is built, I will stay here to guard this."

Rufus grabbed one of the books from the shelf with the queen trying to stop him, but before she could, her eyes widened. The book turned to ash and dust and crumbled away like it had aged millennia.

"What did you just do?"

Rufus touched the entire bookshelf, which started to rot away as time moved faster in front of their eyes. The book with them withered with the cries of the demons being heard by the two.

The books that were unable to be destroyed by anything from burning to shredding decayed away by the slight touch of Rufus.

"I believe you could now aid us?"

Satifa ran to the dust and ensured she didn't feel any power from it. She was sure that the demons had been destroyed.

"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" Satifa asked him.

"My divine power isn't always absolute. Once my divine sphere didn't obliterate everything inside it, so I wasn't sure what could happen if I tried to destroy one," Rufus explained.

Satifa pondered for a second but then smiled.

"I will call the clan leaders. Persuade them as you persuaded me, then you have me and even an army."