The Devil's Smile Chapter Five

Chapter 5: The Waiting Game Day 1



She could feel the doubt and anxiety inside her. A whole day and she had not seen him. She had another two days of imprisonment to endure. All the while, her thoughts never left him.

Lord Zepar, a demon prince, and the man who had stolen her heart. Love? It had always seemed an easy concept for her to understand, or so she had thought. The real thing was far more complicated. He haunted her every thought, and she could hardly sleep. She sat now, waiting in Sachael's citadel, for her chance to see him.

Two days could not come too soon.

What if he didn't show up? What if he gave up on her? What if he waited and then decided not to wait any longer. Three days was an eternity.

She curled herself up into a ball and closed her eyes, letting her mind return to her memory of Zepar's face. Please let he wait for her, please let him be there when she could return to the Mirror Valley again. For now, there was nothing left to do except think and wait.

***



She was late. He had been standing there waiting for an hour now. The sun was setting, but there was no sign of her anywhere near their meeting spot. He felt unsettled and confused.

Perhaps she'd finally wised up to the situation. A demon and an angel? Surely she must see how foolish an idea it was. But part of him hoped she had not. He wasn't ready for this to end yet. He wasn't ready to let her go.



He sighed and crouched down, watching the butterflies that danced at the edge of the pond. It was not so long ago he had seen her there, taking joy in their fluttering dance until he had disturbed them. He smiled slightly at the memory.

But then his reverie was disturbed.



A bolt of purple energy shot past him without warning, and he froze as it hit one of the butterflies in mid-air.



The butterfly burst into purple flames and then dropped dead from the air, withering on the ground. Zepar started, whipping about and seeing the last person he wanted to see on the earth short of his uncle. His heart was pounding.



"Marchosias," he hissed. She gave a sharp laugh.

"Why hello, little Bastard Princeling." He felt a chill of danger rush down his spine and grimaced. Marchosias was the minion of the royal demon line. For thousands of years the Demon Kings had summoned her to do their bidding, and for thousands of years she had been known among lesser demons as the Queen of Hell herself. She had the ability to kill him before he could blink.



"I wonder," she mused, shooting him a wicked grin, "what a worthless little lowlife like you, Zepar, is doing in the Mirror Valley?" Zepar twisted, going on the defensive, and slowly began to rise into a crouch, refusing to take his eyes from her.



"I might ask the same question of you, Marchosias. This is our territory now. I'm free to be where ever I want." A shot of panic ran through him and he was determined to keep his emotions from showing. What if she had Mihr? What if she'd crossed paths with her? Mihr could be dead. She'd stand no chance against Marchosias. And Marchosias was a minion. She was there on only one person's orders: his uncle Beleth the Demon King.

She was at his side in an instant, refusing to let him rise any further.



Her fingers curved about his chin as she bent to gaze into his eyes.

"You're cute, Princeling bastard," she murmured, and he gritted his teeth, "But I don't take no for an answer. Tell me why you're here."

Zepar pulled away and shot up into a defensive stance.



"I'm not accountable to a minion, even you, Marchosias. I'm not doing anything here. I'm just admiring the Valley." He narrowed his gaze. She slowly circled him.



"Really? Sticking with that story, hmm?" She gave another soft, cruel laugh. "Calm down, Zepar, boy, I won't eat you." He grimaced.



"Like I believe that," Zepar hissed, giving her a dark stare in return. "And it's the truth." She smirked.

"Then why," she asked, running a hand up into her hair, "do you look so worried?"



Zepar grimaced and shook his head, crossing his arms.

"Look, woman. I've told you the truth. Now go back to my uncle and report in like a good little minion. You can go tell Beleth that I'm behaving myself and there's nothing he needs to worry about." She laughed once more and circled back around him.

"I see how it is. Still angry at him for your past, I see." Zepar's gaze narrowed further.

"You know damn well I've got every right to be angry. He murdered my mother, he killed my father, and for half of my life, he tortured me, and you - " He broke off, clamping his teeth shut. She eyed him up, then smirked again.

"Yes, I helped him, and it's the only time I've helped him and enjoyed it, little Zepar." She moved as though to run her fingers into his hair, but he pulled back and so she slipped by him instead. "Don't worry. I'll leave you be for now." She turned back to give him a wave.



"Stay cute, little bastard Princeling," she called. He kept his mouth shut, glaring hatred at her. "And remember. You can't keep anything secret from me."

She turned away and then took off back through the trees. Zepar waited another five minutes before finally released the energy he had been holding in reserve. Then he finally drew a breath, dropping into a seat in relief.



He could finally breathe. Finally. He drove away the images that had resurfaced in his memory and considered his options.

She hadn't seemed to know any specifics about Mihr. If anything, she considered his presence a secret to be discovered, and that meant, unless she was playing him, she had no idea of Mihr's existence. It was a hope at least.

He slowly pushed himself up, deciding now he had nothing else to do by play the waiting game. Maybe she would show up, unless she'd been scared off by Marchosias sometime in the middle of their encounter. He crawled up onto the big rock and looked out over the lake and the waterfall as night properly set in.



He would wait for her, and the next day too. He had to make sure his angel was alright. There was nothing else he could do.

***



"He's not home yet. He must have gone back for her," Enepsigos stated flatly, a resigned tone to her voice. Enigma paced the floor, shaking her head. Then she finally glanced up.



"You really think he loves her? How many days has he been going to see her?" she asked softly. Enepsigos sighed, shaking her head.

"Since the Ceremony," she stated. Enigma closed her eyes.

"There must be something we can do. At this rate, he'll never come home."

***



When Zepar returned from the Mirror Valley after a fruitless night waiting for Mihr, he expected to be confronted by two minions determined to have his attention all to himself again. He could not be more wrong.



"Those two," he murmured to himself, then slowly and quietly crossed the room towards them, a light smile coming to his face in affection.



"I guess they're not so different after all."

***



And so passed the first day of the waiting game.


END CHAPTER 5