My Demon, My Love...: Changes of Heart

Early the next morning, Reve rose and began to ready himself to address their group. They may be small in number, but for now, they were all that he had, and they would have to do. He, Azlyn, and Hunter made their way to the great cavern; where the Mystics had gathered everyone in preparation for the speech.

“Your majesties.” Eistein addressed them with a bow as they entered.

They walked to the front of the room and turned to face the group that gathered before them. All eyes stared at them, eagerly awaiting the announcement that was to come. What were they all going to do now? How were they all going to survive after what they had just done? This was all new to Azlyn, but it was not to Reve. He had been bred for this kind of thing, Azlyn took a deep breath, reminding herself that she may be in the spotlight sometimes given whom she had married. Though she could have never prepared herself for how much she would be thrust into the spotlight after the speech that Reve was about to give.

Reve took a step forward and cleared his throat before he began. He knew that he was about to change the course of history and he wanted to make sure that all of his words were well chosen and spoken with the determination that he intended.

“I thank you all for joining me here today. I know that yesterday was a hard day for many of us. We lost a true and loyal friend; an honorable demon who must never be forgotten. Zareb was the best of us and the world will never be the same without him. But know that his sacrifice will not have been in vain. For the path that we embark on today will be one that will change the course of our civilization as we know it.

For too long things have remained as they were from the time that the first clans came together to speak rather than shred each other too pieces. Nothing in our laws and way of being has changed; despite the evolution in the very nature of demonkind. We are no longer ruthless, savage brutes. Should not our advancement in culture and education be reflected in our way of life? Too long we have recognized the cruelty of slavery yet done nothing to stop it. Well, this stops here, and it stops now.

It is time for our society to join all other civilized cultures in recognizing the evils of what our ancestors have wrought. I know I speak for both, Dalair and myself, when I say that we want our children to grow up in a world where they will be respected for their stature and their strength as all demon children are. Not a world where they are rejected and forced to live in the shadows, hiding from a world that will not accept them. It is time to change the realm. It is time to give humans the rights and respect that they deserve. I decree that demonkind no longer has the right to enslave humanity. And if you are willing to follow me then we will ensure that we make it such.

My brother, the king, is weak and many of his men do not respect him. Ones loyal to the crown will follow him; ones loyal to the realm will follow us. It is time for change, but change cannot happen without great upheaval. We must spread our message far and wide; we must overthrow the King and Council. Prepare yourselves, demons and humans alike…” Reve paused, a devilish grin spreading across his face before he spoke his next words. The paternal demon in him knew this was necessary to protect those that he loved, but the soldier in him, the solider in him loved this all too much.

“We are going to war.”

End of Book Three