CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE .
The body slid from the chair and collapsed.
Silence.
Nobody spoke
For several seconds, the only sound was the faint crackling of the torches.
They had seen death before.
They had killed enemies on battlefields and watched comrades fall beside them.
But this was different.
The demon had been speaking to them one moment, threatening their commander the next, and then had ripped his own head off with his own claws.
A few guards stared at the body in shock, and horror, they've always been predators to other realm this.... this was them being the prey, without even knowing. The generals no less couldn't hide the shock on their faces, and the realization of what this means.
Roan's usual humour had vanished completely.
Kael recovered first, his hand still wrapped around his sword.
Zaiel stared at the headless body, shock briefly crossing his face before his expression tightened.
His gaze shifted to Damiel.
For an instant, his brows drew together, as though he had noticed something.
Then he composed himself.
Damiel, meanwhile, remained perfectly composed, his expression giving nothing away.
He looked from the body to the severed head.
Then he turned
"Now you understand."
His voice cut through the silence.
"The creature is real."
This was the reason he allowed the others apart from his shadow's in the first place, so they could see it first hand, and be his witness, then the council and everyone else will realize how urgent and real the situation is.
"And it is already inside the capital, probably amongst us already."
The words settled over them like a death sentence, as they looked at each other trying to determine if they were really themselves.
The Fallen Angel had entered their capital.
It had possessed a demon.
It had killed two demons without hesitation.
And it had just announced that it intended to use Damiel to find something it called the KEY.
The war was no longer approaching.
It was already here, and it has just began.
Damiel turned toward the generals.
"I want the watchtower guards who were on duty from the day I departed until my return brought here. Immediately."
"At once, Commander."
He looked toward the remaining guards.
"Remove the bodies. Search their homes, question their neighbours, and investigate anyone who interacted with them after their return. I want every detail reported."
"Yes, Commander." They chorused.
"Go."
The soldiers moved at once.
As the bodies were carried away, Damiel glanced toward the dungeon entrance.
The creature had made its position clear.
Now he intended to discover how it had entered his kingdom.
And who had allowed it to walk through those gates.
The watchtower guards arrived shortly afterward.
They entered in formation, their armour clinking softly as they bowed before their Commander.
Damiel leaned his lower body against the edge of wooden table, as he relaxed his upper body back, his expression unreadable.
"Sit."
The guards obeyed, taking their places on the chairs arranged before him.
Damiel examined their minds one by one.
Most contained nothing unusual. Their memories were filled with patrol schedules, conversations with fellow soldiers, meals, and the repetitive routines of guarding the capital's entrance.
Then he reached a guard seated at the middle.
Damiel stopped.
Something about him was wrong.
It wasn't like the first two, no, his was like he was trying so hard not to think or remember some memory, as though he was trying to give him what he wanted not what he needed. Clever, Damiel thought
Damiel withdrew from his mind.
He would not reveal what he had found just yet, he continued till the last one, none other thoughts was unusual. But he asked anyways.
"Did any of you notice anything unusual at the gates during my absence?"
"No, Commander," they answered in unison.
Damiel studied their faces.
"You're dismissed."
The watchtower guards rose.
"Except you."
His gaze settled on the demon in the middle.
The guard froze, panic washing his facade expression.
"Ye..ss Commander?"
"The rest may leave."
The others bowed and filed out, leaving the selected guard alone with Damiel, Kael, Roan, Zaiel, and the others.
The door closed.
Damiel approached the watch tower guard.
"Tell me was there anything unusual at the gates."
"No, Nothing unusual, Commander."
Damiel's expression didn't change.
"Interesting."
He pulled out a chair and sat opposite him.
"Then you won't mind explaining why you're trying so hard to suppress your thoughts."
The guard's face drained of colour.
His gaze moved everywhere but Damiel's.
Kael noticed.
"So you do remember something."
The guard swallowed.
"I..."
Damiel waited.
The silence became unbearable.
"Don't make me repeat myself" Damiel said coldly, clearly impatient.
Finally, the guard lowered his head.
"There was a farmer." The watch tower guard began as Damiel leaned back.
"Continue."
"He came to the gate with another demon. He said he was his brother, someone who had come from the north."
"The North?" Kael and roan asked in unison, as they looked at each other.
"Yes, He said his brother had been caught in the werewolf attacks injured, and his home was destroyed and had nowhere else to go. He wanted to bring him into the capital, and let him stay with him until things settled down."
Damiel's eyes narrowed.
"And you let them in."
"Yes, Commander."
"Did you inspect the said demon?" Damiel asked.
The guard hesitated.
"He was wearing a cloak."
Kael's expression hardened,as he spoke.
"That wasn't the question."
"No, commander. I didn't inspect him."
"Why not?" Damiel asked.
The guard looked increasingly panic.
"They were both demons, and the farmer said they were brothers. I thought it was reasonable to let them through."
Damiel's gaze remained fixed on him.
"Reasonable?!." Damiel questioned.
The word sounded almost thoughtful.
The guard mistook it for encouragement.
"Yes, Commander. I thought I was helping someone who had suffered during the attacks."
"Anything else?" Roan asked this time.
The guard swallowed.
"Another demon came later that night."
"Another one?."Zaiel spoke this time, chirping in.
"He is a trader. He had a cart filled with goods for the market. He'd left Avalon earlier that day, so I was surprised when he returned."
"Did you question him?"
"Briefly. He said he'd heard about the werewolves roaming the north and had decided to return he wasn't sure were they'll attack next."
"And you let him through." Damiel asked.
"Yes, Commander."
"Without checking his cart." Damiel asked again.
The guard lowered his head.
"Yes."
Kael stepped forward, suspiciously.
"Why?" He asked
The guard looked up, unease.
"Because... I know them, sir. They live in the same neighbourhood as me. We are all friends."
"Just friends, or friends with benefits?" Roan asked.
The guard avoided eye contact.
"I.... we....
What was in it for you Roan asked again ,he didn't believe he was someone who did something just because they were friends.
"He promised to give me some of his goods, and he offered to buy the drinks that evening. I didn't think there was any reason to suspect him."
Zaiel stared at him, as he spoke angrily.
"You allowed two demons into the capital without proper inspection because they were your friends and neighbors, one claimed to be helping his brother and the other promised to buy you drinks?"
The guard flinched.
"When you say it like that—"
"How else should he say it?" Kael interrupted.
The guard fell silent.
Damiel rose from his chair.
The guard's voice trembled.
"I made a mistake. I understand that now. Please, Commander, forgive me. It won't happen again. I swear it."
Damiel regarded him for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
"Of course it won't."
Relief flashed across the guard's face.
He opened his mouth to thank him.
Damiel drew his sword.
Before the guard could register what was happening,
Damiel striked
One clean stroke.
The blade flashed through the air.
The guard's head fell, and his body collapsed from the chair.
Blood splashed across the stone floor.
Damiel lowered his sword.
"The audacity."
His voice was quiet, but the fury beneath it was unmistakable.