The Demon's Return
by Gren Remoz (gren@bk.ru / http://www.outfoxed.net/~gren)
Copyright (C) 2000-2 Gren Remoz.

---- ----

(this is a sequel to my story 'The Warlock's Lair' and I would recommend
reading that story first)

	As Julie surmounted the hill she saw Castle Feldspar, heart of the nation
of Feldspar, not far from where she stood.  From the tops of its towers flew
the flags of Feldspar, the brilliant orange designs inlaid on a red
background.  A couple of the flags were missing, their spires broken just as
they had been when Julie had first seen the castle.  A great ditch, presumably
supposed to be filled with water, surrounded the castle, a large stone bridge
spreading across it and leading towards the oversized gate.
	"At long last, despite days on the road we have finally reached our home!"
Josh said from behind Julie, shouting the words as though he wanted to
mountains themselves to hear.
	Julie could see the great gates open in the distance, allowing a single
figure mounted upon a horse to ride out.  As soon as the figure was beyond the
gates they swung shut once more, thundering to a close.
	Julie stopped on the hilltop waiting for the figure to reach her.  Josh
passed her before realizing she wasn't walking anymore.  He moved back a few
steps so that he was only a single stride before her.
	As the figure neared, Julie could see it was a knight, wearing the
traditional (and only) suit of armor of Castle of Feldspar.
	"Josh!" The knight shouted as he got close to Julie and Josh.  He
dismounted, then continued.
	"Hail Joshua Williams, Champion of the King of Feldspar, Master at Arms
and Leader of the Armies of Feldspar!"
	"Hail, uh," Josh's voice started out bold, but quickly faltered.  He had
probably forgotten the knights name again, as oft he did.  An awkward silence
hung for a moment before he spoke again.
	"Hail glorious knight of Feldspar who would reach out to provide to us an
escort to our home!"
	The knight turned to Julie, starting to speak, but he stopped almost
immediately.  "Why have you brought this fell creature unto our castle?" The
knight demanded of Josh.
	"This is but no fell creature, but is rather my beloved Julie, cursed by a
terrible, fell spell from the Evil Warlock that he cast upon her with his
dying breaths!  Upon our arrival in the castle the court wizard must be sent
for immediately!"
	"A most fell curse!" The knight agreed vehemently, "I shall return at once
and fetch the court wizard so that he will be able to cure this evil spell
immediately!"  The knight, true to his word, started to turn back to the
castle.
	"Wouldn't it be faster for us to go to him, rather than for you to go
fetch him, and bring him back?" Julie interrupted.
	"By the gods themselves," The knight said, "you can be no other than Julie
with wisdom such as that!  I regret this curse that makes you so; I shall lend
you the Horse of Feldspar to journey back at once!" With that the knight
dismounted and passed the reigns to Josh.
	It took only a few minutes to travel the rest of the distance to the
castle on the horse.  When they reached the gate, Josh dismounted and looked
up to the ramparts between the gate towers.
	"I, Joshua Williams, Champion of the King of Feldspar, return with my
beloved Julie who has fallen under a most terrible spell of the Evil Warlock!
Fetch the court wizard at once!"
	The gates creaked open, revealing the barren courtyard within.  Josh and
Julie walked in, meeting the court wizard only feet within the gateway.
	"Now what's so--" he started.  He stopped when he saw Julie.  "I see," he
finished.  "It would appear that the Warlock was more powerful than I had
believed.  Come, I cannot investigate further without the tools within my
trade."
	He lead Julie to his workshop.  Josh followed along behind, uninvited.
	The inside the workshop was almost as barren as the courtyard.  There was
a single shelf that held a row of books, a row of jars (mostly empty, but a
couple with various powders) and a box that appeared to contain chalk.
	"If you'll step into the center of the room," the wizard asked.  Julie did
so.
	"Shouldn't you have more supplies than this?" She asked.
	"Oh, most assuredly, but there is no money with which to buy them.  I am
limited to the few things I have gathered myself.  Josh; since you're here,
get me the jar of yellow powder."
	Josh walked over to the shelf and picked up a jar, examining the contents
with care.
	"It is in the OTHER jar," the wizard told him.
	Josh carefully put the jar back and got the other jar, which held a fine
yellow powder.  He examined this one just as he had the last before handing it
to the wizard.  The wizard took a bit of the powder and tossed it in the air.
As it was in the air, he spoke.

		"Spirits of water and earth and fire,
		Spirits of air I implore,
		Invoke not my ire,
		Of the woman standing before,
		I ask you tell me more!"

	The powder fell to the floor in an untidy pile.
	When there was no other effect Julie suspected the spell had failed.  It
was certain that it had not influenced the powder's travels, since the powder
had already been traveling downwards.
	"Humph." The wizard glared at the powder on the floor.
	He reached into the jar and tossed another pinch into the air.

		"Spirits hear me now,
		My ire is now yours,
		Impertinence I cannot allow,
		I'll set you to endless chores!"

	Looking downwards, Julie could see that this bit of powder had joined the
previous.
	"Humph," the wizard said again.  He kicked the powder, scattering it
across the floor.  "It would appear that your condition is beyond me," he said
after a moment.  "I am sure the king would like to speak to you both, why
don't you go listen to him?"
	Julie shook her head and walked out of the workshop.  It was no wonder
they had never done anything about the warlock if that was the extent of their
magical forces.
	As they crossed the courtyard--Julie going towards her bedroom, despite
the wizard's words--the castle's servant ran up to them.
	"His majesty, the King of Feldspar, wishes to speak with you."
	"What manner of greeting is this," Josh shouted at the servant, "that my
beloved cannot even become clean and dressed before seeing the mightiest king
of this land!"
	"His majesty insists."
	"Humph." Josh snorted, following the servant to the central keep.  After a
moment Julie followed a few steps behind.
	It took only a few moments to get into the central keep.  It took much
longer to reach the king inside.  After the servant lead them through twisting
and occasionally crumbling passages, up and down stairs and through seemingly
random doors, they managed to reach the throne room.
	As throne rooms went, this one was rather disappointing.  The walls were
covered with faded tapestries and torches glowed brightly in their corroded
brackets, bringing light into the small room.
	The throne sat at the far end, next to a plain wooden door that was
half-open.  Through it, Julie could see the small garden patch that resided
right behind the central keep.  The king himself was nowhere to be seen.
	"Why couldn't we have gone through that door?" Julie asked.
	"But, but," the servant said, mouth hanging open and eyes wide.  "But
that's the king's PRIVATE entrance!  No else is allowed to go through it."
	As the servant was speaking the king stepped into the room, closing his
private entrance behind him.
	"I see you have made it," he said, examining Josh.  "You have rescued your
beloved, no?"
	"I have returned with my beloved betrothed, Julie." Josh confirmed.
	"I have heard that the Evil Warlock cast an Evil Spell on her, did he
not?."
	"He has indeed cast a most fell curse upon my beloved, for he has changed
her form unto this, which you see before you now!  The court wizard was unable
to combat the forces of evil that inhabit such as this curse, and so it
remains upon her, possibly until she dies!"
	The king turned and looked at the servant.
	"A horrible curse, I can see," he said, "but is such a thing truly evil?"
	"Most fell for he has given her the tortured form that you can now see
before you; a most fell appearance deserved by only the darkest of monsters
such as the demons he kept!"
	"She doesn't look that bad, does she?" The king asked.  "Doesn't look
tortured at all."
	"It is most horrible!  I can hardly imagine a worse catastrophe to befall
her!  The Evil Warlock truly deserved his name!"
	"It does appear that the wedding will have to be called off, though, does
it not?"
	It took Josh a moment to reply.  When he did, he only said one word.
"Why?"
	"I can't have my champion marrying a man.  Thing of the political impact!
We could loose what little respect the other nations give us now!"
	"But, Julie didn't become a man," Josh said.
	The king reached out and poked the servant's chest with a finger.
	"Sure seems like it," he said.
	"Sire," the servant said, "I am your servant.  Josh's beloved is over
there." The servant pointed to where Julie was standing.
	"How horrible!  This is most fell indeed!  Fetch the court wizard
immediately, we must dispense with this evil curse at once!  I cannot have
such a thing within my halls, just imagine what the other nations would think
of it!"
	"But we just came from his workshop and he said that there was nothing
that could be done."
	"Most evil," the king muttered, "most evil."
	Silence reigned for a moment in the room before the king spoke once again.
	"We shall discuss this later," he said.  "Now we must have a feast in
celebration of the champion's return.  I will allow you a short time to
prepare, then I expect you at the feast."
	With the king's final words, the servant lead them all back out of the
central keep, going through the same maze of corridors and stairwells.  Once
outside, Julie left Josh so that she go to her bedroom.
	Although the path was simpler to remember, it took nearly as long for
Julie to get to her bedroom as it had taken to reach the king's throne room.
This was, in large part, because her bedroom was in the top room of one of the
castle's towers.
	Once there, she shut the door and slid the bolt in place.  The castle's
servant had a tendency to walk into rooms without announcement; something
Julie found rather irritating.  Where she came from, a closed door meant 'keep
out'.
	Walking over to the bureau, she opened the top drawer and withdrew the
meager sewing supplies she'd collecting during the months she'd lived in the
castle.
	She took off the vest, tossing it onto the chair she'd managed to acquire.
Then she removed the shirt that had been under it and looked at the hole that
pierced it.
	Seeing that the hole was rather large and bloodstained around the edge she
sighed.  The bloodstain she'd have to worry about later, but the hole she
could fix.  She started to sit down, but this reminded her of something else
that needed taking care of as well.  The pants she had on would flatten her
tail if she was to sit.  Although that was not an appendage she was enamored
of, it would still not be a pleasant experience.  Setting the shirt and sewing
supplies down she stood and removed the pants.  Setting them on the bed as
well, she retrieved a small knife out of the bureau.
	Using the knife she cut a hole in the back of the pants.  When she put the
pants back on, her tail slid out the hole in the back, allowing her to sit
comfortably.  Before continuing onto the shirt though, she removed the pants
again and secured the edges of the hole so the pants wouldn't tear.  Once she
was done with the pants she laid them out on the bed and proceeded to sew the
bloodstained holes in the shirt and vest.  Once her attire was repaired she
put it on once more.
	Walking over to the bureau, she looked in the mirror that rested on its
top.  Things were definitely not looking up.  Getting turned into a monster
tended to ruin one's outlook.
	Over her shoulders she could see part of her wings.  Although they were
still pressed against her back, she had gotten used to this.  The trip back to
the castle had provided her with plenty of time to become accustomed to her
new body.  When she had more time she'd have to find a tailor that could
design some clothes that would fit around her wings; as it was the shirt and
vest pressed them flat against her back.  She'd have to remove the
aforementioned clothing in order to use her wings, but since she didn't know
how to fly, it was not exactly urgent.
	There was a knock on the door, and the servant's voice entered, carrying
with it a message; "The king wants you to know that your presence is now
required for the feast."
	Julie unbolted the door and stepped out.  "Then let's go," she said.  She
started down the stairs, leaving the servant standing at the top, staring at
the closed door.  A moment later he started down as well.
	It took Julie a while to make it back to the courtyard, the maze of
hallways to her bedroom being what it was.  Laid out across the courtyard was
the banquet table. From the food on the table, it was clear the king was truly
delighted about Josh's return; there must have been half the month's tariff
laid out on the table (not to say that it was much of a feast--peasants had
had larger feasts where Julie had grown up).
	The odours of the freshly prepared foods assaulted her, almost knocking
her back.  She could feel her mouth salivate with anticipation.  The smell was
much stronger than any she remembered, meaning that either they had used a lot
spices in their preparation or that her sense of smell had improved.
Considering how much spices cost, the second option was by far the most
likely.
	Julie got to the table in time for the king to approach from the front
door of the central keep.  The royal robe seemed to flow as the king walked,
or at least parts of it seemed to flow.  Most of it was torn and the material
had worn through in places.  The clothing Julie had taken from the warlock was
much better--the warlock probably had more money to pay his tailor.  The king
seemed oblivious to the condition of his robe as he moved to the head of the
table.  He picked up the glass that rested there and held it up.  Everyone
else at the table (about a dozen, including the servants) lifted their glasses
in unison.
	"On this day we celebrate a wondrous thing.  Our own champion has slain
the most evil warlock that has slowly been poisoning our kingdom for so long.
While his vile taint remains in places, we can now continue with our lives.
We shall have only the work of a moment to excise the last tinges of his taint
from our kingdom."
	The king turned to Josh.  "I must beg of you to forget this love for your
beloved for our kingdom is, though I despair to the utmost to admit it, in the
gravest of difficulty and we cannot afford to stir up dissent at our ways
among the other nations."
	Now the king turned to Julie.  "Although I mean no ill will, I must ask
you to leave our fair nation, for your presence here will attract unwanted
attention and your participation in the court will cause other nations to
question our judgement.  I will allow you the time to prepare yourself for
your journey and will provision you as such as this kingdom can afford but,
alas, I cannot permit you to continue in our kingdom."
	"Your majesty!" Josh interrupted, "I cannot forgot a love such as this
that I have never felt before.  Should I depart from the only one I have ever
loved like this the minute that something should go awry?  Is it not written
that one should never abandon one that they hold dear to dire circumstances?"
	"Sire," a servant said once Josh had finished, "I may not be learned in
the ways of courtly love, but even I would say that one cannot simply abandon
one that they love."
	The king bowed his head.  "You are correct; I cannot ask you to forgot a
love as deep and as abiding as this, for did you not defeat the villainous
warlock for her sake?  How can I ask her to be held by such an evil one as
that then be rescued by one who loves her true, only to be forced out into the
world alone by fell circumstances that would seal her doom to wander the earth
alone until the end of time?"
	Julie listened to the conversation, adding nothing.  She had learned that
the people here were always startled when women spoke up for themselves and
there would be no advantage to that here.  It looked like the king might not
just be letting her go, but forcing her to go.  It was her hope that Josh was
unable to convince the king to retain her.  She had never intended to stay
very long, only long enough to collect some of the fabled 'treasure' that the
kingdom was rumored to have.  That not only said treasure nowhere in sight,
but that she had been caught and, if not for Josh's sudden love, would have
been beheaded had been a most unfortunate turn of circumstances.  And although
Josh's dedication was nice, he had been brought up in a totally different
culture than she had been.
	"So you will allow my beloved Julie to remain, and allow the court wizard
to undo what has been done once he can learn what has been done?" Josh asked.
	"I cannot allow such a fell-looking creature to remain within these walls!
But I cannot ask you to forget a love so dear as this at my desire, or for
political need.  Thus, I must ask that if you are to remain with your beloved
at all that you do so outside of these walls."
	"You would have me leave the only home I ever had ere I abandon my love so
true and deep?"
	"I see no alternative but this, although it despairs me to see such a
choice be put to you."
	"Then I have no choice!  I shall accompany my beloved unto the world's end
and guard her from all danger."
	"Then let us drink to our champion's return and to bid him good luck for
his journeys ahead."  Once the king stopped he took a large sip from his glass
and all at the table mirrored this action.  Julie was not surprised to find
that the glass contained only water; in all her time here she had yet to see a
single glass of wine.
	The meal was without further event, except for that which ended the meal.
Just as the last dregs of food were being eaten from the table, the large gate
opened, admitting a solitary figure.
	"I have come to issue challenge to the one who turned me to ash so rudely.
I wish to meet the furred one without these walls at the setting of the sun,
and if that one is still within these walls at the time, you shall feel my
wrath!"
	The king motioned for the court wizard to move closer.  "What is it?"
	"That is a demon."
	"Should I be worried?"
	"Yes; there is nothing that can be done to stop its path of destruction,
save to spread its ashes to the winds."
	Josh stood from the table, drawing his sword and facing the demon.  "I
have seen you slain thrice, why do you yet live?  I shall cut you down where
you stand."
	Julie stood as well, moving away from the table so that her back was to
the wall.  Since she was unarmed there was little she could do about the
demon.  If pressed however, she would try to remember the spell she'd used to
incinerate it last time.
	The demon responded to Josh, rather than her movement.  "The damned can
never die, and I am surely damned.  You shalln't cut me down, for I am
forever!"
	The king stood, his robe billowing outward impressively.  "Guards!
Destroy that vile, fell and evil thing!  Slay it and kill it and destroy it!
Get it out of my castle!  Keep it away from me!"  The couple of guards at the
table stood, drawing swords.  One ran to find the suit of armor, disappearing
into one of the many side corridors.
	Josh charged towards the demon, his sword crashing through its chest,
spraying its vile blood onto the floor behind it.  The castle's guards formed
a semi-circle behind Josh, waiting for his next move.  The king moved
backwards so that he stood just before the gate into the central keep, ready
to make a run for his life.  Julie concentrated, trying to remember what she
had used to incinerate the demon.
	The demon stepped backwards, allowing the sword to pull out of it.  "Hah!
You have not ruined my clothes this once for they were destroyed from when we
fought last and I shall not claim new until this matter is dealt with."
	The court wizard took advantage of the moment to step forward.

		"Spirits of Air, Fire and Water,
		Spirits of the Earth below,
		Rise up to stop this slaughter,
		Imprison thus our foe!"

	As the court wizard intoned the words, Josh and the guards stepped forward
as a unit, encircling the demon.
	"Such a petty spell has no effect on the likes of me!  Damnation has its
advantages, the least of which is protection from your mortal magic."  The
demon attacked one the guards and although his hand was severed in the process
he managed to knock the guard out.  He paused a moment to pick up the several
limb.  Placing it against the stump, it affixed itself in place once more.
	The remaining guards all thrust at once, leaving the demon looking rather
like a pincushion.
	"I shall destroy you who have attacked me so violently; you shall suffer
this life no longer.

		"Fires that burn,
		Binding eternity to me,
		Winds that blow,
		Bringing time so near,"

	Although Julie had no idea what the demon was doing, she knew it could
hardly be good.  Hoping her memory held, she started on the spell that had
incinerated the demon before.

		"Fires that bind,
		Flames that burn eternal,
		Earth that waits,
		And outlasts time,"

	The court wizard, seeming to recognize both spells, shouted out "STOP!"
Seeing that he was unheeded, he started running towards the central keep,
gesturing for the king to enter.  The guards, being unfamiliar with any magic,
backed off.  The guard that had run off to find the armor stepped out and,
seeing his comrades back away, ducked back into the armory.  Meanwhile the
demon continued its spell.

		"I summon your power,
		I ask your might,
		Destroy that which awaits--"

	Josh, not as inexperienced with magic as the guards, took advantage of the
demon's concentration on the spell to attack the demon, his sword splitting
the demon's head open in a most horrific fashion.  Although unpleasant to look
at, it stopped the spell, giving Julie a chance to finish.

	    "Your power I do claim,
	    And by the powers that bind,
	    And through all of the times,
	    Claim that demon!"

	Julie finished her spell, a ball of energy created by it dodging around
the guards in its way to plant itself in the demon's chest.  Like before the
demon turned to ash which fell loosely to the ground.
	The king and the court wizard stepped out of the central keep, the king
looking upon the pile of ash.  The guards returned their weapons to their
sheaths and the guard that went after the armor stepped out of the armory once
more, still wearing his armour.
	"Did I miss the battle?" He asked.
	"Good job!" The king shouted.  "I am glad to see that someone in the place
is competent at something."  He glared at the court wizard who, ignoring his
lord, walked over to Julie.
	"Where did a fair lady like yourself learn such a vile spell?"
	"Well, the demon tried to use something like it on me back in the
warlock's lair."
	"How did you survive?"
	"Josh stopped the demon before it finished.  Rather like he did this time,
really."
	"For that we are all grateful.  I will scatter the demon's ashes to the
winds myself; he won't be back for a thousand years at least."
	While the court wizard was talking with Julie about the spell, the king
approached Josh.
	"I see you have aided in the slaying of the demon."  The king said, "I
will present you an award for this noble deed, along with your beloved."
	"That mean we can stay?"
	"No.  I'm afraid she definitely will have to leave.  Monsters are bad
enough, but magic wielding ones are inexcusable.  If you are to accompany her
I would suggest you begin to pack immediately.  I want her out of the castle
by sunset."  The king walked over to where Julie was talking to the court
wizard.  "You are dismissed," the king told the court wizard.
	"I want you out off the castle by sunset.  I suggest you start packing
immediately.  Before you leave I want to see you in my throne room for the
award ceremony.  I am going to give you the highest honor this kingdom can
bestow upon you."
	Once the king had moved on, Julie allowed herself to shake her head.
Nobody else seemed to notice any irony in honoring and exiling someone at the
same time.  Still thinking about this, Julie went to her bedroom to pack.

----- ----- -----

	It was just starting to get dark when she entered the central keep, pack
over her shoulder, to attend the awards ceremony.  She was the last to arrive
and set her pack down by the door.
	"Come forth Julie and be rewarded for your efforts for this kingdom that
you shall soon be departing."
	Julie walked towards the throne, amazed at the number of people gathered
for the ceremony.  She hadn't known that many people had lived around the
castle.  Josh was already present, kneeling at the throne.
	"Kneel," the king said when Julie got near.  She knelt, although the ends
of her wings stuck out behind her somewhat awkwardly.
	The king looked around, "does somebody have a sword?"  One of the guards
slid his sword free and handed it to the king.  The king set the sword on
Julie's shoulder and Julie had to concentrate to avoid dodging out of the way.
Most of the swords she'd had aimed towards her had mortal intent.  "Julie
Sawast, Sawsk, Sawasky-"
	"Sawatzke," Julie supplied.  It was a name that had given her nothing but
trouble; outside her native Depisa nobody was ever able to pronounce it.
	"Julie Sawaske, I hereby pronounce you Sir Julie Sawsk, Sawaskal, Sawatzke
of Feldspar."
	"Sir Joshua Williams, Champion of Feldspar.  I hereby grant you the title
Sir Joshua Williams, Chosen of Feldspar, Son of Sir Abraham Williams, Hero of
Feldspar, Vanquisher of Demons, Master at Arms and Knight Warrior."
	"Sire," Josh asked, still kneeling.  "Am I the Hero of Feldspar,
Vanquisher of Demons, Master of Arms and Knight Warrior or is my father?"
	There was a pause.
	"I name you Sir Joshua Williams, Chosen of Feldspar, Hero of Feldspar,
Vanquisher of Demons, Master at Arms, Knight Warrior and Son of Sir Abraham
Williams."
	"Thank you sire,"
	"Thank you your majesty," Julie said, somewhat hesitantly.  Although she
had claimed all manner of titles, she had never actually been given one
before.
	When king lifted the sword from her shoulder, she relaxed.
	"You may stand."  Both Julie and Josh stood.  The king's face took on a
much darker cast.  "Sir Julie Sawasky of Feldspar, I hereby exile you from
Feldspar, although I will allow you to retain all titles and properties
herein."  The king turned, and left the room.  When Julie turned around to
leave she saw that the crowd, small as it was, was also leaving.
	"Can I ask if there's anywhere in particular you want to go?" Josh asked
as they watched the crowd file out.
	"Vusdez.  Hopefully Sir Sirillion is still there.  I need to get some
decent fitting clothes before I do much else."
	"You know the noble Sir Sirillion?  The knight of Vusdez that saved the
thousand virgins from the hands of the followers of the evil Seca?  That rode
into the kingdom on a white horse when it was in need of a hero?"
	"I see his reputation is wide-spread, or at least parts of it."
	"What do you mean?"
	"I've heard Sir Sirillion called a lot of things, but noble isn't one of
them."