Rival Demons Read Online Free Page A

pretty certain of that. "So your father is the
king of the entire shadow world?"
    "No," she said. "The world is divided into two
kingdoms. The north and the south. My father is the King of the
North."
    "And what about the King of the South?" I asked.
"Would he be willing to help us?"
    Jackson and Lea exchanged silent looks.
    "What?" I hated it when they did that. It always
made me feel like they were keeping things from me. Or maybe what
really bothered me is that they were obviously sharing in something
I couldn't be a part of.
    "Forget about the entire Southern Kingdom,"
Jackson said. "They won't help us."
    His answer wasn't good enough for me. I knew he
wasn't telling me the whole truth. "Why not?" I pushed.
    "Because the two kingdoms are rivals," Lea said.
"Enemies of the worst kind. If anyone so much as crosses the border
between lands, the king has them thrown into his dungeons to rot.
Wars have been fought in the lands between the kingdoms, leaving
nothing but ghosts and monsters. Even if we wanted to, we'd never
make it there alive."
    I swallowed nervously. The way Lea's voice
cracked a bit when she said ghosts terrified me. If it was
something she was this obviously afraid of, it was something I
wanted no part of.
    "Does the Order take demons from their side of
the shadow world too, then? Or is it just the north?"
    Another look passed between Jackson and Lea. I
wanted to confront them about it, but I was so tired of being
angry.
    "We don't know," Jackson said. "I would assume
so, yes. But there's been no communication between the two sides
for a very long time. The Southern Kingdom is completely separate
from us, as if they were a part of a completely different
world."
    "I never came across any demons in the human
world who were from the south," Lea said. "But that's not saying
much, especially since I couldn't find a way to communicate
directly with any of the demons who were already slaves. It was
rare to find a free demon like Jackson or myself."
    "So it's possible that the Kingdom of the South
would want to fight against the Order," I said. "Even if it meant
pairing up with some of the demons in the north for a little
while."
    Lea rolled her eyes. "You don't know what you're
saying," she said. "This rivalry is ancient. There is a hatred so
strong between my father and the King of the South that nothing,
not even a common enemy, could bring them together."
    Frustrated, I leaned back against the wall of
the cave. How would she know if no one had ever tried? If no one
had talked to the demons in the south for more than a hundred
years, how could they possibly know what was going on over
there?
    "It's complicated," Jackson said. "Don't forget
that demons are immortal in this world. We don't pass into the
Afterworld unless we choose to here, or unless our lives are
wrongfully taken from us."
    "Immortal means forever," Lea said. "And trust
me when I say that forever is an awfully long time when it comes to
holding a grudge."
    I had so many more questions, but I was having a
hard time keeping my eyes open. Besides, it seemed like each answer
just led me to another question. And since we weren't leaving this
world any time soon, I figured I had time to ask more questions
later.
    "I'm going to lay back down," I said. I curled
up close to the warm fire and willed my mind to stop spinning.
    Lea got up and walked back toward her post at
the cave's entrance.
    Jackson leaned over me and placed a warm kiss
against my forehead. "When Mary Anne wakes up, we'll try to get on
the road," he said. He placed a blanket over me, and I pulled it
close. "Get some sleep. I'll be up front guarding the entrance to
the cave if you wake up and need anything, okay?"
    I nodded, then closed my eyes and fell fast
asleep.
     
     
Shattered
    A gentle nudge woke me the next morning. The
fire had long since gone out, but a shimmer of light gleamed in
from the mouth of the cave. I yawned and looked up, surprised to
see worry on Jackson's face.
    "What is