A Ride of Peril(51)

Another man walked in. Judging by his appearance, I assumed he was also a Druid. He was slightly shorter than Almus but still taller than average with a narrow waist and slender arms and legs. His sartorial tastes seemed to have a flair for the dramatic, fitting red leather trousers with lateral laces tied all the way down to his black knee-high boots. A loose white shirt and a matching red leather vest displayed a multitude of insignia mounted on his chest, and over the whole ensemble, he wore a red leather cape. He handed the cape to the smoky servants, now multiplied by two and quietly hovering around the dinner hall.

The Druid grinned at the sight of Almus. His amber eyes and long black hair were caught in a ponytail. A trimmed mustache and beard masked some of his features, contrasting with his white teeth.

"Almus! Long time, good friend!" the Druid exclaimed, walking up to Draven's father.

Almus stood to shake his hand, then resumed his seat. He didn't seem very happy to see Mr. Drama-Suit, but offered a polite smile nonetheless.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Azazel."

My stomach dropped as I realized that I was in the presence of pre-Destroyer Azazel. He seemed friendly and chatty and certainly nothing like the dark monster he'd become. I balled my fists and gritted my teeth. I was barely holding it together. Then I remembered that I was nothing but a ghost there, unable to do anything to prevent all the horrors that Azazel would become famous for.

"When was the last time we saw each other, Almus? Your inauguration day?"

Almus nodded with a nostalgic smile, as Azazel took a seat next to him and poured himself a glass of water infused with red rose petals.

"It seems only yesterday, though," Azazel added. "You were so green and sweaty and nervous as they handed you the keys to the seventh kingdom of Eritopia!"

"I was lucky," Almus replied.

"No, my friend. You earned it!"

Azazel rolled his sleeves up, revealing dozens of thick rings tattooed on his forearms, from his wrists all the way to the elbows. He showed them to Almus, beaming with pride.

"You earned it, my friend. All one hundred rings adorn your arms as they do mine, symbols of the highest rank among the Druids. You are the rightful ruler of the seventh kingdom. It had nothing to do with luck, and you know it. Stop being so modest! It will get you nowhere!"


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Almus laughed.

"How have you been? How is your first year as one of us? Finding your little slice of Eritopia manageable?" Azazel grinned.

"It hasn't been easy, I have to admit. I may be in charge of the smallest of our twenty planets, but believe me when I say that Persea as a kingdom is quite the handful. I've been dealing with a lot of corruption. I've just cleaned out the agricultural department, demoting all the chiefs to field labor as they were practically holding the meat farms hostage for unnecessary fees." Almus sighed.

"I can't say mine has been any easier. But we've been making great progress. I look forward to sharing it with the council," Azazel replied.

Almus gave him a weary look. "I've heard you say this before, and it has always ended in heated discussions and you walking out filled with rage. Please tell me you've run everything through the council, as per the rules, and that you haven't made infrastructure and legislative changes without telling us first," he said.

Azazel's laughter sounded tense, with an undertone of contempt. "Oh, please, Almus, as if these old fools will ever accept anything that goes beyond camp fires and burning coal! Traditionalists will be the end of us if we don't take executive action, and you know it."

A third door opened, then a fourth, followed by the rest, until twenty Druids, both men and women, walked in from what I assumed were the twenty planets, or kingdoms, of Eritopia. The doors were probably magical portals through which they could all meet in this massive hall. I started wondering in which kingdom my friends and I had been stranded and which of these Druids had once been in charge of it. Cooped up in the mansion for so long, it was easy to forget that Eritopia was much bigger than the small piece I'd seen on a map – that it was an entire galaxy and that we'd only seen parts of the planet Calliope, our temporary home.

The Druids all gathered around the table, taking their seats and nodding at each other politely. They smiled stiffly and made empty compliments. One of them, a beautiful blonde with hazel green eyes, passed next to Almus, prompting both him and Azazel to spring to their feet and bow with reverence. She reminded me of someone, but I couldn't figure out who it was, until I saw the looks between her and Almus. It made sense then-her firm cheeks and the shape of her eyes, even her smile; they all echoed in Draven.