Trigon's Daughter
Chapter Four
by
Cuervos Bestia
She scrambled backwards, towards the raised platform. Her back hit something solid as she tried to climb the steps. She spun around in surprise and looked up to see the monster from her dreams. A hulking red form, bulging with muscle, armed with a pair of antlers from his forehead, looked back down at her.
He chuckled darkly, "Hello, Daughter."
Raven continued looking up in a mixture of awe and fear at her father. She couldn't discern any visible hint of emotion on his face. His four red eyes continued to stare unblinkingly back at her.
"Have nothing to say to your sire?" Trigon growled, annoyed with Raven's lack of response.
"W-why did you bring me here?" She asked shakily.
It was at this moment, before her demon father could respond, that Trigon's six sons burst into the throne hall. They all appeared dishevelled from Raven's earlier attack. They all glared at her venomously as they neared the dais. Jared and Jacob jerked Raven to her feet.
"Apologies, father. She-" began Jared.
"I will not hear excuses. I await an explanation." Trigon interjected with narrowed eyes.
Jamon weakly stated, "Father, she caught us by surprise!"
"You let a small girl less than half your size best you?" Trigon sneered, almost in disgust for his six sons.
The brothers said nothing and were unable to look their sire in the face. Finally, Jared stepped forward.
"We won't let it happen again Father."
Trigon said nothing but made a dismissive gesture.
Raven was being dragged from the throne room. She could see her chance at escaping slipping from her small hands. Summoning another burst of power that had been larger than all the others before, Raven detonated it amid her brothers and sent all six of them flying in all directions. She flew forward and came face to face with Trigon. The demon king looked mildly amused at the commotion Raven had caused.
"Why am I here? I wish to go home!" Raven protested. Her emotions causing sparks of power to once again dance around her balled fists.
Whatever response Raven had envisioned from Trigon, she hadn't expected him to outright laugh. "There was a reason I hand selected you to be my heir." He chuckled again. "Not even an adolescent yet you cause enough trouble for your older, stronger and more knowledgeable brothers. Such potential you wield in your little body."
"I don't want to be your heir!"
"You have an inbred imperiousness, little one. I can only assume you have inherited it from me; like father, like daughter. What you desire does not matter here. You are my chosen heir; you are the Gem. You have no choice." All traces of amusement had gone from the demon king's face. "It is a great honour to serve me. Take her away."
Raven felt hot tears begin to form in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She floated despondently to the floor. Jacob secured manacles to her wrists once more.
"Let's see you try to break out of these." He whispered roughly into her ear. "You will not embarrass us in front of father again."
Raven was once again jerked roughly to her feet and made to walk. She didn't even look back as she left the throne room.
That night, Raven had been shown to her rooms and the manacles had come off but the doors had been locked and no amount of her power had any effect on her new prison. The rooms themselves were far better than what she had been expecting. Raven had envisioned bare stone walls and maybe a bed of straw if she was lucky. But instead the space was well decorated, almost lavishly so. There was a large soft bed against one wall, a bookshelf filled with books and a closet with numerous outfits lined the other. Raven noted that the only thing missing was any form of window.
Raven lay curled up on the bed, her face red and tear-stained. She didn't know how long she had been laying in the same spot nor did she care. What was the point of anything anymore?
A light knock on the door interrupted her brooding thoughts. Raven chose not to answer but the knocking came again, this time accompanied by a meek voice.
"E-excuse me Your Highness. I have brought you your meals." The female voice was shaky and hesitant.
Raven was puzzled by the title. Why call a prisoner 'Your Highness'? At the mention of food, her stomach growled hungrily at her.
"Go away." Raven responded sullenly, her pride winning against her hunger.
There was no more knocking after that so she assumed whoever was there had followed her demand and gone elsewhere. Raven heard the sound of a door opening and looked up in surprise.
"Please do forgive me, Your Highness, but you must eat." For the first time Raven saw the owner of the timid voice. It belonged to a small female creature, possibly a bit larger than Raven. While humanoid, it had mouse-like features including whiskers, rounded ears and, if Raven was not mistaken, a glimpse of a tail swishing beneath the creature's skirts.
Raven sat up and stubbornly wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She continued watching the creature as it placed the tray of food on a sideboard.
"Who are you?" Raven asked, eyeing the tray.
"I serve you in all that you may wish. You may call me Mina if it pleases you." Mina answered with a small bow. "I suggest you eat Your Highness. I believe your training starts tomorrow and you would do well to have energy."
"Why do you call me 'Your Highness'? I am no one important. And what do you know of my training?" Raven questioned impatiently.
"You are the daughter of Lord Trigon, ruler of this realm, the title belongs to you. But, unfortunately, of your training, I know nothing."
Raven did not want to hear any more of the monster that was her father. Turning her attention elsewhere she stood from the bed and approached the food-filled tray. It looked to be some form of meat and vegetables, although not any that Raven had seen before. "What is this?"
"It is roasted griskot with morot and artor. In your dimension, I think it is like pork, carrots and peas, Your Highness."
Raven made a face of disgust; the names themselves did little to increase her appetite, but it did smell delicious. Deciding that her hunger could no longer be ignored, Raven began cutting into the food. She let a small sigh at how good it all tasted.
Mina stood awkwardly in the centre of the room. Unsure whether she had been dismissed. "…If that is all, Your Highness, I will take my leave if it pleases you."
Raven had almost forgotten that there was someone else in the room. She hastily swallowed her food and turned to the mouse-like creature. "Will you be back later?" For the first time since her arrival in the hellish place, Raven looked and felt like a six-year-old child. Her eyes were wide and doe-like and the small girl's voice was pleading.
She smiled softly, "Yes, Your Highness. I am here only to serve you." Mina bowed again and exited the room.
Raven soon finished all the food and returned to lay huddled on the bed. She closed her eyes and thought of her mother, of her home, of Brother Azriel and of how her life had been changed irrevocably. She let a shudder run through her body as another round of sobs forced its way out of her throat. She didn't startle nor did she care when her power threw the tray to the floor.
Arella stood by Brother Azriel's bed. She held his limp hand tightly in her own as she watched his chest rise and fall rhythmically. She had been told that he would live; luckily the spear had not been poisoned. Of course, he would still need time to recover.
Raven had been missing for just over two days. Azar had tried to locate her but had been unsuccessful; Raven was far out of her reach. Arella took a seat beside the old man's bed and recalled the words Azar had spoken to her only hours ago.
A few hours before...
"He has taken your daughter to his own cruel dimension. It is found far beyond my influence and only a fool would try to enter it, if they even had the ability. Trigon's dark power makes it almost impenetrable. I'm sorry, Arella, but there is nothing I can do for Raven now. Trigon will not kill her – she is far too valuable to him. She is his selected heir after all." Azar paused, knowing that what she was about to say would possibly cut the young woman before her to her very core.
Arella and Raven were far from the ideal vision of a mother and daughter relationship. Raven's powers and her training in controlling them was a prime contribution to their unique situation. And while Arella had never voiced it aloud, not even to herself, Azar knew that clandestinely the young mother harboured feelings of disgust and perhaps even rage toward her own daughter. Raven herself was blameless in this regard, she had not asked to be conceived by rape to be the heir to a cruel and sadistic demon conqueror. But Azar didn't judge Arella for having such feelings; she knew that Arella also held a great of love for her child despite the circumstance surrounding her birth.
"But, while I say that he will not kill your daughter, I believe strongly that he will corrupt her spirit and taint her soul. He does need her to be his portal ultimately; he will need Raven's demonic nature uninhibited."
Arella felt a sickening desperation begin to writhe in her the pit of her stomach. Her daughter was in the clutches of a tyrant and there was nothing she could do. Arella wanted to crumple to the ground and cry out her grief as she had done earlier.
"Arella, I have a task of great importance to bestow upon you. The weight of it is heavy and you won't be able to do it alone." Azar stated.
"What is that you would have me do? I… I do not know a large amount of magic! I cannot do what you are tasking me with!" Arella replied, panic-stricken.
"How do you know what you cannot do if I have not even told you yet?" Said the older woman, mildly amused. "Besides, I intend for you to continue your education. You will take Brother Azriel with you to Earth. I hear he is to recover with time. He will be an appropriate teacher and confidant for the war to come."
Arella balked for a moment. "W-what? What war? What are you talking about?"
Azar sighed heavily. "I was hoping that by raising your daughter here amongst the peace and enlightenment of Azarath and teaching her the ways of my people that the destruction that had been prophesied millennia ago would pass by unfulfilled; but it appears I had hoped for too much."
"What destruction? What prophecy?" Arella was tired of the High Priestess' vague comments, she wanted to know what she was dealing with and she wanted to know now.
Another sigh escaped Azar's lips before she continued, "A long time ago, a prophecy was made that one day, a girl, a Gem, would be born from the physical embodiment of evil and darkness. She would be powerful and beautiful, but, she would bring destruction, death and the end of worlds in her wake."
Arella's voice caught in her throat and she didn't know what to say. How had no one told her? Told her that her little girl would bring such pain and death to so many?
"Why? Why did you never tell me?!" The young mother found herself shouting. Thankfully the two women were alone in Azar's private chambers.
"I believed that the prophecy would have less possibility of coming true had you not known. Tell me honestly, Arella, would you have loved or loathed your daughter had you known what she was to become? What she was to become instrumental in?" Azar countered, a fierceness was present in her voice that had not been heard before.
"I… I do not know." Arella meekly answered. "But I know that she is still my child. I will always care for her."
Azar stood by the balcony, gazing out at the beauty that could only belong to Azarath. She continued as if such strong displays of emotion had not just been displayed by both women. "We do not have much time. Now that the Seals have been breached by Trigon's sons, they are significantly weakened. He could easily come through." She turned to face Arella. "You will be leaving for Earth. You are to prepare for Trigon's ascension to that realm. If the predictions were correct, his ascension will be heralded by the embodiment of the Seven Deadly Sins. Raven will be his portal; she is the powerful conduit needed for Trigon to enter."
"But Azar, when? How long do I have to prepare for this?"
"It is not an exact science… but the prophecy foretold that the end of worlds would be brought by a girl who had lived sixteen summers."
"When Raven is sixteen years old then?" Arella guessed.
Azar nodded minutely, looking out over the view of Azarath once more. "I suggest you begin packing your belongings. You and Brother Azriel will be transported as soon as preparations for your travel are finished." She faced Arella, "I understand that I am asking a lot of you but I must give one more piece of instruction. You will take the Book of Azar with you."
"Are you serious? The Book of Azar?" Arella replied in complete surprise.
"Yes, its teachings will be useless to anyone if it is to stay here and be destroyed. Not only that, but you will need it if you are to stop Trigon." The older woman explained patently.
Arella stood for only a moment, taking in the scenery around her and the information she had heard. "I'll do it. You can rely on me."
That had been hours ago. Arella had packed her belongings and readied herself for the journey ahead. It had been six years since she had been on Earth. She wondered if the world had changed much although she thought it likely that it had. She had been called Angela there and she lived with her parents in Gotham. It honestly felt like a lifetime ago and Arella would say that it had indeed been different.
She was no longer a rebellious teen that had dabbled in almost every form of drug and alcohol she could get her hands on. She was twenty-three years old and she had an important task to complete. Arella had a purpose and a plan and more than anything, she had the entire world depending on her.
She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear Azar approaching her. The priestess placed her hand on shoulder, breaking Arella away from her reverie.
"It's time to go Arella." Azar smiled sadly. She carried the Book of Azar in her hands.
"I know." Arella returned the smile, "How will Brother Azriel heal on Earth? I doubt my home world has technology able to deal with magic."
"Do not worry; I will place him into an induced healing trance. He will heal on his own." Azar pressed the tome into Arella's hands. "The Book of Azar is yours now. It will aid you greatly and hopefully you will be able to pass on the values, knowledge and magic that Azarath embodies. Perhaps it will make Earth a better place, just as it has done for Azarath after all these years."
Arella sniffled, "I will." She placed the book into a satchel at her hip. She wrapped her arms around a surprised but grateful Lady Azar who soon returned the gesture. "Thank you, thank you for everything you've done for me… and for Raven."
Azar simply nodded her acknowledgement as the women broke their embrace. The priestess approached Azriel and lightly placed a hand to his brow and mumbled an incantation that Arella was unable to make out.
A group of priests entered Brother Azriel's small room. The five men moved about the room fluidly as they prepared the space for a trans-dimensional portal. Arella stood in the centre of the room beside Brother Azriel's bed as a circle was drawn around them and their belongings. Azar watched from the side of the room as the ritual was arranged.
Within moments candles had been lit and it was completed.
Lady Azar stepped forward and recited an old incantation. "Ut sisterent sunt viatores. Et adducam eos ad loca sua et non declinant a semitis eorum."
A bright light began to emanate from the circle drawn on the floor.
"Ut sisterent sunt viatores. Et adducam eos ad loca sua et non declinant a semitis eorum!" The priestess chanted again although this time with more force.
The light became blinding and had spread to every corner of the room. Arella shielded her eyes with her hand but could no longer see the room or Lady Azar. A blaring gust of wind hit her in the face and it sent her tumbling to the ground.
Arella opened her eyes slowly, half expecting to be blinded by the light. She was pleasantly surprised to see a dim room in front of her. She stood shakily and gathered her belongings a pile. Arella checked Brother Azriel and was relieved to find him still unchanged in his bed.
Taking stock of her surroundings, she noted that she had transported to what looked like a small apartment. She noticed a flight of stairs leading to a lower level. Her curiosity got the better of her and she followed them down. The stairs lead to a large room that appeared to be a store. Strange archaic items lined shelves spread throughout the room. Arella walked to a front window and looked out into the street.
It was busy with people and cars and it appeared to be a warm sunny day wherever she was. Arella knew that they were being transported to an Azarathian safehouse but she wasn't sure which one.
The young woman stepped outside and marvelled at her familiar yet completely foreign surroundings. A few people gave her puzzled looks at the sight of her outfit but Arella didn't take any notice. What had taken her attention was the sight of a large bridge. Arella somehow remembered the structure from her high school days on Earth.
She was in Jump City.
And that is the end of chapter four. I was on a roll the past few days so this was finished a lot quicker than I had thought it would be.
The plot is almost in motion. Raven has been introduced to her father and Arella is in Jump. I wonder what could happen next?
Please leave a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter!
Sincerely,
CB xox