Chapter 26

Mertieha had no love for the Shadow demons. As far as she could tell they were an oozing race who dealt with every situation in an underhand manner. They had no stomach for real fighting or at least they didn't as far as she could tell. They were stalkers, backstabbers, tricksters, thieves… the underhanded list was a mile long and not one scrap of it sent any admiration flying from Mertieha in their direction.

Still, the reward she'd been promised more than made up for having to deal with one of them, especially if that one was their childish leader. She wasn't too sure exactly where she was going to find her, but she did know how to summon her. Making her way into a clearing in Shadow territory, she set about setting up the ritual she needed. She knew she'd have to work quickly if she didn't want to be caught by those who no doubt lurked nearby. The thought of the unseen eyes sent shivers up and down her spine. Her hatred for the Shadows only grew; they were a pointless race who didn't deserve to exist.

Having finished the set up for the spell in record time, she set about using the ritual. Murmuring a few carefully chosen Etean words under her breath, she waited for the angry cry that would signal Hickarama's arrival.

'Mertieha,' the teenager spat at her, 'what the hell do you think you're doing?'

'Saving you from yourself Hic,' Mertieha grabbed the youthful leader by the wrist and dragging her out of Shadow territory.

Unfortunately for her, Hickarama put up much more of a fight than she'd expected. Especially as she'd used charms to stop Hickarama from using her powers.

'Get off me you frozen ape,' Hickarama demanded, 'and give me back my powers thief; you had no right to take them.'

'And you had no right to be working with the Veronsen,' she hissed back, 'but that doesn't mean you aren't.'

'What the hell are you talking about?'

'You know full well what I'm talking about,' Mertieha gritted her teeth, as she considered the possibility of Jumping them both to her room, rather than put up with this struggle. 'You are helping the Veronsen with their rebellion.'

'No, you've got it wrong,' she shot her a look, 'the Veronsen are helping me with mine. Hell deserves a ruler who knows what they're doing.'

'Hell already has one of those, his name is Ni.'

'Then why were Ice demons trying to take it away from him last night?'

Mertieha knew she couldn't answer that question. It was as if the second the idea of rebellion had been put in her head she had to try it, to at least see if it was possible. When she'd been stopped at the first hurdle she'd lost faith in the plan and since then hadn't been able to work out what possessed her to try in the first place.

'I wasn't trying to take it from him last night,' Mertieha lied, 'I was trying to stop the Veronsen.'

'Funny, how would you even know they were there?'

'I had my sources.'

'And I have mine,' Hickarama laughed almost cruelly, 'and they tell me you were there trying to take over, not to stop them.'

'Your sources are lying to you,' giving up on dragging her, Mertieha ignored the consequences and Jumped them both to her room. 'Fortunately mine weren't.'

'What the hell did you bring me here for,' Hickarama finally managed to pull her hand away. 'What are you hoping to gain?'

'Your promise that you'll stop working with those deceitful Veronsen.'

'They're not deceitful.'

'Aren't they?'

'No more so than I am.'

'And you use that as a guide to trust them,' Mertieha laughed. 'They will destroy you the second they get the chance. I mean, even you have to admit they've proven themselves untrustworthy.'

'Proven themselves untrustworthy how?'

'Do they have Ni's thrown yet? Do you?'

'Other matters interfered with that.'

'You can't hide behind that screen forever. Face it; they're never going to give you what you want.'

'What would you know about what I want?'

'A lot actually,' Mertieha smirked. 'Did you really think you were the only one?'

'The only one what?'

'The only bastard of Ni's ruling a Demon Tribe?'

'What?'

'Why do you think me and Ourama have the positions we do? Why do you think any demon leader has the position they do? Did you think you were different to us somehow?'

'I don't believe you,' Hickarama glared at her, 'you can't be a bastard of Ni's.'

'Oh, but I am little Hic. And the leader you replaced, your so called father, was nothing more than your half-brother; everyone in your tribe knows that.'

'Don't lie!'

'I'm not lying little Hic,' she shook her head, 'it's been the tradition for centuries, since the beginning of time even, for all Demon Tribe's to be led by Ni's blood. That's the only way he can keep an eye on us. Of course we're all told by our mothers that no one's supposed to know, but everyone does. It's just a tradition we're not supposed to talk about.'

'My mother was told I was supposed to be Ni's true heir,' Hickarama's eyes flamed with anger. 'Even if you're just another bastard of his, I doubt you were told that.'

'You're right,' Mertieha nodded, 'my mother was never told that I was supposed to be Ni's heir, nor did the idea ever get placed into my head. But perhaps that was just your mother filling your head with ideas of grandeur. Since a male traditionally rules your tribe, your mother might have thought it wise to instil you with a little ambition.'

'Oh, it was more than that,' she pulled herself up proudly. 'See I knew of False's existence long before any of you did. I knew he was meant as my replacement.'

'For the Shadow Tribe?'

'No, as Ni's heir.'

'And how did you come by that information.'

'My mother told me.'

'Perhaps your mother was trying to do more than I thought…'

'You doubt my story,' Hickarama half hissed.

'No, I don't doubt it, I'm just curious as to some of its details.'

'Because you doubt them?'

'No,' she folded her arms calmly, 'but I do wish you'd stay here with me, let me figure this out for you.'

'Why?'

'Because the Veronsen can't be trusted.'

'Are you sure about that?'

'I'm certain. We all are. And so should you be.'