Chapter 10: Maria

  An hour had passed, and Malachi lay in the inspection room with a burning hole in his stomach—a hole that dripped with the black blood of a demon. A bed had been made for him to lay on, and his parents stood over him, along with Jacob and his brother Orin. Maria stood to the side, for she was wary to get too close to the young prince. Even without her sight, she could feel the hostility in the air.

  "This is because you let that demon woman into our home. You picked a detective and let another Incubus of Eden into our throne room." Said Amelia.

  Maria had overheard Lady Lincoln say those very words before, and she had a feeling that she was supposed to hear them. The noble lady did usually voice her opinion quietly; she only seemed to speak louder when she knew Maria could hear her.

  "You let him go into the crypts with a blind woman and a junior knight for protection?" Said Amelia.

  Another phrase Maria had heard, but she was sure it was meant for Orin as much as it was meant for her.

  The Earl Alfred Lincoln and his wife Amelia Lincoln had argued ever since the accident; the two of their voices were both hoarse from the grumbling and fussing, and with an hour passed since the accident, they simply stood in silence.

  The tension was thick, and Maria was sure no one wanted to be the one to break it. It took a while, but Alfred cut through the silence with a few words, quiet in tone but as strong in intensity as ever.

  "Jacob, do everything you can to save my son. I cannot bear to lose another child so soon after the last." Said Alfred.

  Jacob stood there in a bulletproof vest and camos, his sword and the ruby dagger still at his waist. He stared at Malachi's wound, and to the Earl, at first he did not respond. Blue waves of light came from his hands in an attempt to heal the damage, and as he tried to inspect the wound closely, he reached for gauze and shook his head.

  "It is my promise to do what I can, but I must admit this is not a wound that heals easily. A magic blade, filled with the blood of a demon?It will corrupt Malachi from the inside, and at best I can stop the corruption but not remove it without removing the corrupted parts themselves. We need to find out where these daggers are coming from."

  "Did you check that damn thing for fingerprints yet?" Said Amelia, pointing at the ruby dagger at Jacob's waist.

  "It doesn't match any of the prisoners; that assassin may have been acting alone." Answered Jacob.

  "Two of my children attacked, and it was someone acting alone? No, this is a conspiracy against my family." Said Alfred.

  "And that conspiracy is for the detective to figure out. I am here to focus on the issue at hand. Your son. I need to watch for signs of life, a chance to curb the corruption." Said Jacob, still not looking up from the wound.

  "Corrupted or not. Will he survive?" Asked Amelia.

  "I cannot promise that, my lady." Answered Jacob, who then turned and looked at Alfred. "My liege, you may need to consider the possibility your throne will have to go to your brother. If Malachi does not survive, then that is your next step."

  Alfred furrowed his brow. "Save my son. I will not rest until you do. Jacob, I want you to work until he's healed."

  After he spoke, Alfred went to leave, but his wife's voice soon stopped him.

  "Alfred, In the meantime, what are we going to do about her?" Said Amelia, pointing at Maria. "She cannot stay here any longer."

  Maria bowed her head down. It was no secret that a user of demonic magic was rarely trusted, especially when they were around new company.

  "Who says she leaves?" Questioned Alfred.

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  "I say." Said Amelia, who sneered at her husband.

  "I am the Earl. I have the final say. The detective stays." Said Alfred.

  "Alfred. I swear to the aeons and the gods above. If my son dies because of this demon woman, I will execute her myself." Amelia Lincoln's voice was deathly serious. She gripped the edges of her son's bed as she spoke, and if she gripped any harder, she may have left dents in the bed's frame.

  Maria's face grew red with embarrassment, and her voice was quiet when she went to speak.

  "Um, I am afraid I cannot participate in this investigation." Said Maria.

  The Earl's head snapped in her direction, and he tilted his head at her. "No one is leaving this palace or leaving this investigation. Especially not when there are assassins on the loose trying to kill every innocent person under this roof."

  Maria felt queasy, and her head ached.

  "I cannot continue. I know one of the prisoners personally, and as a result, that is an improper relationship for me to have as an investigator. I must leave." Said Maria.

  A smile crept upon Amelia Lincoln's face.

  "Too bad, well, that settles it. The detective leaves. Tonight." Said the Lincoln matriarch.

  "No," said Alfred.

  "What do you mean, no?" Asked Amelia.

  The Earl puffed out his chest and spoke with an authority he usually only saved for speeches on his throne.

  "There is only one person who can find out what happened to our daughter, and that is the person who can see into the minds of the people who were there. Cameras were destroyed, witnesses can be bribed, and witnesses have been killed. The facts and rumors have been muddied like spit in water. We have the one woman in all of Eden who we know for sure can find out the truth. She is worth more than all of the gold in Rivers Bank for that. Maria, if you try to leave the investigation, it's treason. If anyone tries to order Maria to leave the investigation, it's treason." Alfred then took a deep breath. "Now tell me, Maria, who do you know?"

  Maria clasped her hands together and smiled awkwardly at the edges of her mouth; her tongue felt dry, and she couldn't help but imagine Malachi as he lay bloodied on the bed. She felt conscience-stricken by what had happened to the prince, and although she knew she was not at fault, the thought that she had brought the demons had refused to leave her head.

  "Michael Jefferson. We grew up around each other in Bethel not that long ago."

  "Were you close?" Asked Alfred.

  "Very, we went to dances together as friends. My grandparents and his parents knew each other very well. There was a time I would've seen him every day."

  The Earl nodded at Maria, and an understanding look came upon him.

  "Judge Martin told me of your origins. The paths of Bethel. Where poverty is more plentiful than a good night's rest, where a criminal is born every day. You were lucky to make it out with your morals." Said Alfred.

  Maria raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

  "Michael did not make it out with his; we know for a fact he spoke to my daughter many times that day; she died, yet when interviewed, he claimed he had never met her. Even if he is not a killer, he is hiding something. The Michael who you grew up with is not in that crypt right now." Explained Alfred.

  Maria's head ached even more than it did before, and visions in her head of Michael being the one who stabbed Malachi began to form. She rejected the thought, but it lingered nonetheless.

  "The Michael I grew up with is no more. You are right." Said Maria, even though she did not quite know if she meant it.

  "In that case, will you bring justice to my family?" Asked Alfred

  "It is my duty, and I will serve it well." Answered Maria.

  "Wonderful. The interrogations will begin tomorrow, as I promised before. I need you to obey your duty, Maria; all of house Lincoln does." Said Alfred.

  The blind woman walked closer to Malachi's bed and kneeled. "Thank you for choosing me for this investigation, Crown Prince. I will bring justice to your house." She spoke, arose, and then made her way to the exit of the room.

  "I'm going to go back to my room." She announced to the group.

  Jacob looked up from Malachi's wounds and gave a faint smile.

  "May the aeons bless you, Ave Maria." Said the old knight.

  "May the aeons bless you. Ave Jacob." Said Maria.

  As Maria left that room, she could hear Amelia begin to tear up, and she could hear Orin going to comfort her.

  "It'll be alright. I'll stay here with you and Jacob if you want." Orin said.

  "I should've never let you join these knights; we need you here. Not off on some other planet." Said Amelia Lincoln through tears.

  Maria could hear them continue to talk, but as she walked away further, the words began to fade; she knew their words were not for her ears. This was a family affair, and she knew that she wasn't quite that welcomed of a guest.

  Maria walked to her room; it was situated on the first floor of the place, not far from the throne room or the inspection room. She had to practice walking to it about ten different times to have it memorized, and luckily for her, by the time she made her exit from the inspection room, she knew the path better than she had known anything else about the palace.

  The room itself wasn't anything special; it had purple walls, a few faded paintings, a window, and minimal furniture. She had overheard a servant muttering something about making sure she didn't bump into anything earlier and had come to the conclusion that whatever furniture was there had been moved for her arrival.

  Once in her room, Maria laid down on her bed, kicked off her shoes, and she breathed in a sigh of relief. Despite the somber mood, Detective couldn't help but smile. She finally had a chance to rest, and if not for the familiar mind she saw encroaching on her room, she would've fallen asleep right then and there.

  The mind was a demon, her demon specifically. After a day of peace from the wretched demon who was contracted to guide her, the demon had returned as wretched as ever.

  "You cannot sleep just yet, Maria."

  "Ugh." Maria's smile had quickly shifted to a frown.

  "Ugh, indeed. Don't think I was going to let you have all the fun without me." The demon revealed itself to Maria, and even though the demon knew very well, Maria did not know whether or not it did. The demon's wings had a new fervor to them; they flapped excitedly, and they seemed to be ready to bounce off the walls of the room from the moment they arrived.

  "You can have your fun after I have my sleep." Said Maria, closing her eyes.

  "My kin told me of your misadventures, Maria." The demon laughed, and god, it was a coarse guttural laugh. "Bringing all of these demons to the court, letting that prince's blood be spilled."

  Maria bristled. "I see you're taking Lady Lincoln's side on this."

  The demon teeth chattered. "I take no sides. I just like to press your buttons."

  "You know what would really press my buttons?" Said Maria.

  "Do tell," said the demon.

  "Telling me why all those demons were at the crowning."Said Maria as she sat up from her bed.

  "Ha, you almost got me there. No can do detective." Replied the demon.

  "In that case. I'm going back to bed." Said Maria.

  "Fine, have your rest. Tomorrow our time in the spotlight begins." Said the Demon with another flap of its wings. "I'll be sure to wait up for you."