Chapter 11

With the threat temporarily adverted, Ni had made no short work of sending False, Lus and Kisara home. He'd then spent most of the night talking to Helen. She was obviously still reluctant to marry him, although it was clear she was warming to the idea. Safe in that knowledge Ni had allowed her to retire. He'd then spent the time until dawn examining the state of his palace. There had been a fair amount of damage done in the east wing, but everywhere else appeared fine.

Not feeling as though such a limited amount of damage was really worth his time, Ni made his way back to his own chambers. He never slept, of course, his own chambers where there as a ceremonial thing. A place to give him a little privacy from the rest of hell. It felt good for him to be on his own now and, sighing heavily, he fell back upon his bed. For a few long minutes the silence drummed blissfully around him. Then there was a strange sound kind of like a static pop, followed by a kind of white noise.

'Ni,' a voice buzzed through the distortion, 'we need to talk Ni.'

'Leave,' he rolled his eyes, figuring it was one of his minions, 'I've nothing to say to you right now.'

'But I've plenty to say to you,' the voice hissed and buzzed, 'starting with you two youngest bastards.'

'They're none of your concern,' he growled, annoyed at his minions impudence. 'Leave.'

'I can't do that Ni,' the voice cut clear as a figure appeared in the room, 'you see they're exactly my concern.'

Sitting up Ni's eyes took a quick glance over the figure. She was tall, grotesquely scarred and there was an impressive crown of horns growing through her hair. She also had leathery wings attached to her back and from that alone it wasn't hard to identify her; she was a self-damned demon, a minion of Hetch and not a concern of his.

'What are you doing here,' he glowered, 'your kind have no right to be in hell.'

'That was their choice and has nothing to do with me. I'm simply borrowing this form right now.'

'Borrowing…'

'I do not wish for you to know my true identity,' she cut him off.

'So you're someone I know then,' he frowned.

'I am someone you are aware of, even if we have never formally been introduced,' she swaggered across his room in order to examine things. 'Your youngest girl is causing me a lot of problems you know. She believes herself your true heir and is so angry at you tossing her aside she'd be willing to kill you in order to get what she wants.'

'I'd expect nothing less from a child of mine,' he couldn't help but smirk proudly. 'But so many factions are trying to rebel at the moment, what makes her any more concern than any of the others.'

'Your daughter is working with the Veronsen-Vii; both sides have agreed upon tit for tat and so she is helping them retrieve their children,' she shot him a look. 'That makes this my concern. And it also makes it yours.'

'Mine,' he stared at her, not quite sure what she was getting at.

'You know the destiny of those children as well as I do; they're not meant for hell.'

'They're not meant for heaven either,' he remained calm.

'I know and that's something I don't want to see change; which is why the Pure is the best possible parent for them. Who better to raise young balances than a balance?'

'I'm sure my mother will appreciate that thought,' Ni rolled his eyes, 'she'd want any excuse to keep her hands on them.'

'You still insisted on using the female nouns, even though the Pure is technically male right now.'

'She will always be female as far as I'm concerned; it doesn't matter what her outer casing looks like.'

'Good, because I'd hate for any of the gods to oppose me reinforcing that notion.'

'Either you're more powerful than I initially gave you credit for or you're more foolish,' Ni smirked. 'And I'm guessing you're a Balancer, here to make sure things go the way the Council would prefer,' he chuckled. 'So many people in this situation have Dual Destinies, don't they? For my plans to work they must go one way, for yours they must go the other. You're my competition.'

'If that's how you must view me,' she narrowed her gaze, 'then yes, I am.'

'Why did you make me aware of you?'

'Because I needed you to be,' her wings spread behind her, making her appear even more fearsome than she already was.

'Your plan will cause more chaos than mine,' he couldn't help but point out.

'Aye, but my plan will benefit the Balance more when complete, we both know that.'

'Mine won't destroy it you know.'

'I know, but it will leave it weakened at a time of unrest and we cannot afford that right now.'

'You can't be certain of that.'

'Yes I can. Just as certain as you are.'

'What makes you so certain,' he smirked. 'What magic lamp did you rub against to get your insight here?'

'You were not the only one who heard her cries for help, you know. I may have only been a child myself at the time, but I was powerful enough to respond.'

'Really?'

'Yes and I probably did a whole lot more helping than you; after all it takes purity to save lives as powerful as theirs.'

'It also took more than one of you,' he smirked as he leant in towards her. 'You really think I wasn't aware of three little fireflies meddling in things which should not have concerned them? I would have happily let those boys die for the information I obtained faining to help my aunt. But the fact she believed I saved them just benefitted me more.'

'I knew the risks when I decided to interfere. I knew she would come to that conclusion, but I'm a lot more powerful than you are now and I'm not afraid to use my powers to suit my means.'

'You say I when you mean we,' he chuckled. 'You three brats are the cause of all the Duel Destinies right now.'

'You're right, I am.'

'Why are you so insistent on it just being you?'

'I'm not insisting anything.'

'You are, every time you say I when you mean we. Still, no matter, I'm far more interested in what side you're on.'

'The side of the Balance, obviously.'

'And let me guess, you're one of those Balancers who likes to have a little fun with what it means to be a Balancer, right?'

'There's no rules saying I can't have a little fun, is there?'

'So this is going to be fun for you then?'

'This is what it is,' she shrugged and half turned away. 'If it is fun then it is fun. If it is also cruel then so be it. I cannot make it something it is not any more than you can.'

'Can't you?'

'No.'

'Then this is a game between me and you,' he tilted his head thoughtfully.

'Yes and one I plan on winning.'

'Good luck,' he flicked his gaze up to meet hers, 'because I'm not going to make it easy for you. Not by any means.'