Ileus: The Dark Prince

Chapter 707  Den of Demons

Kaizan now faced the demon who was hovering in the air in front of him. With one companion dead, the demon was in a rage. "I dare you to plunge that sword in me, Kaizan!" he hissed.

Kaizan knew that the moment he plunged the sword in him, his blood would spurt out on him and it would kill him. "This isn't a dare!" Kaizan hissed back. "This is called challenging an opponent who you think is foolish!" He swiveled his sword in his right hand. "Guess what? I have a better idea." He winked at the demon. He lunged at him but he lunged in a way that he landed on the right. As soon as he was on his side, he struck the demon's wing with his sword and then dropped to the ground. The demon roared with pain and was caught with shock when the jāmbia hit him beneath his chest. The demon was hurled back and hit a tree before he crashed down on the ground, dead. As Kaizan got up unscathed, Ileus moved his hand up in the air. The dagger hurled back in his hand.

Now only one demon was left with whom Haldir was fighting. No. Haldir was dodging him. When he saw that Ileus had killed two demons already, he took the third one to him and it was easy for Ileus to stab him to death because he was too distracted.

Ileus wiped the blood of the demons from jāmbia on the body of the nearest. His chest was heaving and his hair was stuck to his sweaty forehead.

"That was close!" Kaizan breathed as he looked at the winged creatures. Their blood was flowing out in rivulets killing everything that came in its path. The three backed away from them. When Ileus had gone at least fifty meters from them, he hurled a beam of red light at them. The three demons were scorched to death.

Haldir collected the horses and brought them. "I don't think that Kar'den would be so stupid as to flaunt an attack on us," he said as he handed the reigns of mounts to Kaizan and Ileus.

"Flaunt an attack?" Kaizan chuckled through all his tiredness and mounted the horse. "That's an interesting way of putting it up," he said to Haldir.

"He is right," Ileus replied. "If these demons are on their way to Galahar, then why would they leave a trail of shocking incidents behind them?" With one swift swing, Ileus too mounted his horse.

They started moving and everyone fell into silence, each trying to think about the attack of the demons and how it was related to Kar'den.

"Kar'den was pushed back to Zor'gan many years back. His kingdom was brought to ruins by us. Rather than focusing on fighting with us, he would rather concentrate on building back his kingdom. He is not a fool to use whatever resources he was left with to send us a horde of a dozen demons," Ileus said after a long time.

"That right," Haldir supported his theory. "Kar'den has ruled Zor'gan for hundreds of years. It is not easy to rebuild a ripped apart kingdom in a span of five years. I mean why would he waste his money on attacking us and maintaining an army when he simply can't?"

"Then why has he sent these demons?" Kaizan asked.

"From what I feel, these are rogues. They are not the real deal," said Ileus.

"But didn't one of them said, and I quote, "King Kar'den sends his greetings"?" Kaizan reminded them.

Ileus took a deep breath. "He was tricking us." Saying that he suddenly changed direction, steering his horse to the left.

"Where are you going?" Kaizan called him. "The Horned Falls are straight ahead."

"I am going to meet the remaining demons!" Ileus shouted back. "And I want you to go and inform others to join us. Since we won't be too far from each other, I will keep my mind link open to you. We will communicate via it and I will tell you the directions as to where to meet."

"Are you fucking mad?" Kaizan gritted his teeth as he too veered left. "There must be at least a ten more out there. Do you plan on taking them all alone?"

Haldir too joined. "I will be with him," said the elf. "Do as Ileus say."

"I am not leaving him!" Kaizan grunted. How could he? If anything happened to Ileus, he would never be able to forgive himself.

Ileus stopped his horse and turned to look at Kaizan who had gone several meters ahead. When Kaizan realized that Ileus had stopped, he turned his equine and trotted back to the prince. Haldir was right next to Ileus.

"I am not asking you Kaizan," said Ileus in a very serious voice. "This is an order."

Kaizan's eyes widened as shock blasted through him. Sometimes, Ileus ordered him, but this was different. He ordered him not because he could, but because he wanted to save Kaizan from danger. The demons were a dangerous lot and only Ileus and Haldir had the ability to tackle a horde by themselves. "Ileus—"

"Go Kaizan. I want those Mozias and werewolves here. The moment you reach, let me know, okay?" Ileus commanded.

Goosebumps lined his skin. "Yes, Your Highness," he addressed him more as being sarcastic than being the king's second in command. He hated leaving Ileus like this. And it wasn't because he didn't trust Haldir. Haldir had promised his lifetime allegiance to Adrianna that he would be with Ileus. But because he wanted to be with his friend through thick and thin. With one last look into those golden eyes, he turned his horse and disappeared into the thick forest. He heard the heavy clumps of other two horses in the opposite direction.

It took him two hours to reach the Horned Falls and when he reached there, he saw the Mozias and werewolves interacting with each other like they were childhood friends. They were joking, eating, laughing and having one big party. He grunted at the sight and every person out there immediately jumped up to attention. "Pack up. We need to leave," he snapped the order.

Everyone out there burst into activity.

---

It was not difficult to find the winged demons. Ileus and Haldir left their horse to graze almost two hundred meters back and then walked through the woods to reach the place where the demons had camped.

They were all resting in a small clearing in the woods. While some were acting as guards, rest were either sleeping or eating. The air was full of rotten stench. Both of them hid behind a grassy mound. They surveyed the clearing.

"What is your plan, Ileus?" Haldir whispered for the first time.

"I intend to go in and talk to their leader." He chanted, "Utufaniye tusionkane."

"That is the stupidest idea I have heard in a long time."

"I have already enveloped you with me in an invisibility spell," Ileus replied and got up. He turned his face to the right and said, "The bastard is hidden in that tent." He pointed to a tattered tent that flapped in the wind.

"Still, it isn't a good idea to enter the den of demons!" Haldir cautioned.