Chapter 21: THE FIRST MEAL IN THE DEMON REALM
Tables stretched out across the courtyard, filled with food and drink that Arella had never seen in the human or demon realm. Trays of shimmering fruits that glowed faintly in the dark, roasted meat that exuded a spiced aroma she had never smelled before and huge jugs of liquid that sparkled in the darkness. It was a feast of demons if Arella had ever seen one.
The demons were cautious to not touch Arella's wings, but some would give her a hand to shake. Some children even came so close to her just to fawn over the black dress. Other demons approached simply to bow or to welcome her. Others were more reserved, showing their skepticism by looking directly at her wings behind covered palms as they whispered to each other.
When they reached the heart of the gathering, two thrones awaited them. One was carved from crystal that had fire blazing inside it. The other had vines that surrounded the arms—vines of pure obsidian, inlaid with shimmering red rubies. They were the same size, and Arella would not have known which to take if Varziel had not directed her to the seat with the obsidian vines.
"Your place, my queen." He let out a toothy grin, and with the close distance, Arella could see the slight fangs that were in the place of his canines.
Arella's steps up the little stage were stable, even though the weight of the moment pressed down on her. She turned, facing the crowd of demons, before taking her seat. The crowd erupted into another cheer, the sound echoing in the courtyard. The seat was cold but surprisingly comfortable. She quite liked how she felt seated on it. Echo settled himself next to her feet, always the faithful companion.
"Long live the queen! Long live the king!" the chant started once more.
Arella's heart raced, as if it finally realized that she had become the Queen of the demons. Their voices shook her to the core.
In the angel realm, there had once been a royal family. However, the council of angels took over when she was very young, and it was what she was used to. It had been centuries since she had seen such reverence directed to two people, and she was now one of those two people.
She turned to King Varziel, wondering how he felt with all the attention that was on them. Once she turned, she realized that his eyes were on her, as if they had been on her the entire time. His blood-red eyes did not unnerve her as she would have expected.