CHAPTER 26: THE DEMON AT THIS TABLE

All the leaders of the small tribes were there.

Twenty women, each seated at the circular black stone table, elbows resting or hands clasped, their gazes fixed on the center.

All around, nearly two hundred male demons formed a silent circle, standing on the natural tiers. Not a word, not a movement — only the weight of two hundred pairs of eyes watching every motion.

The moment carried a particular heaviness. No one laughed. No one looked away. This wasn’t a simple discussion: it was a negotiation for survival, where every word would weigh like a blade against the throat.

The first to speak was a demoness with split horns and scarlet skin, seated directly across from me. Her voice was deep, carried by a southern Gorge accent.

— The great clans monopolize everything. Ore, meat, the water wells... and now even our hunting paths. If we keep living apart, we will all be reduced to servitude.

To her left, another nodded sharply. Her face was covered in tribal tattoos and a black veil over her hair, but her bare hands struck the table with every sentence.

— We must form a single clan. Bigger than any of the seven that rule this region. Let them understand that we exist, and that we can strike as hard as they do.

The murmurs rose a notch around the table. A woman with pointed ears, clearly of corrupted elven descent, spoke in turn, her voice softer but firm:

— If we unite, we can redistribute the resources. No one will starve in the Gorge anymore. But if we fail... then each of us will be devoured, piece by piece.

The tension thickened, carried by the replies that followed one after the other. Each spoke in turn, sometimes to support the idea, sometimes to point out the risks. Silence fell heavy at the end of every sentence, and the two hundred demons around remained motionless, as if frozen in expectation.

Then all heads turned toward the leader who had brought us here.

— And you? asked the tattooed demoness, her tone sharper. Where do you stand?

A pause. The leader lowered her eyes, as if absent.

— Hey... I asked you a question, repeated the other, more curtly.

She finally blinked, returned to herself, and simply replied:

— I’m for it.

A faint relief rippled through the table... until a cutting voice sliced the air.

— And where did you find a filthy succubus whore for a subordinate?

A glacial breath seemed to pass over Nyss. Her fingers clenched, her eyes darkened with a murderous glint.

Another woman chuckled, her forked tongue brushing her lips:

— Yes... a succubus, an elf... and a human? What is this circus?

All heads turned toward us.

Nyss said nothing, but I could feel her rage burning like an ember ready to explode.

The leader, still seated to my right, no longer moved. I slowly placed my hand on her shoulder.

All the women around the table froze.

In the Gorge, such a familiar gesture toward a leader amounted to a public declaration of dominance. Eyes widened. Murmurs ceased.

I leaned slightly, my lips almost brushing her ear.

— Don’t worry... I’ll take it from here.

A violent shiver ran down her back. I felt her muscles tighten, and a bead of sweat slid down her temple.

Without rushing, I turned my head toward Nyss. Our eyes met. One signal was enough.

Her eyes became entirely black. Her tail unfurled behind her like a living blade. The aura burst from her whole body, brutal, crushing.

A deep rumble rose around us. Then a sharp sound: clang. The weapons of the two hundred demons fell to the ground almost at the same time. All of them, without exception, bent their knees, faces turned toward the dust. Some trembled, others choked under the invisible weight pressing down on them.

The women at the table exchanged shocked looks. None understood how such control was possible.

And then, in the middle of this silence, a sharp clap rang out.

I had just clapped my hands.

When they looked up, I was standing... on the table.

I took my time walking slowly, my boots striking the black stone. The sound echoed against the Gorge walls like a funeral drum. Each step brought my shadow closer to a face, and I savored the way they recoiled ever so slightly.

— You... you think you know what power is, I said, my deep voice cutting the air.

I made a slow gesture toward them, as if presenting a show.

— You think it’s this... sitting in a circle and chattering about resources? Believing a pact changes anything?

I leaned toward one of them, close enough for her to feel my breath.

— Real power... is when every thought in your head narrows to one: "Is he going to kill me?"

I moved to the next, sliding across the table like a predator in its hunting ground.

— It’s when your males, two hundred of them, kneel without me lifting a weapon. It’s when your heart beats so hard you fear it will betray you in front of me.

The woman who had insulted Nyss lowered her eyes. Wrong move.

My hand seized her chin and snapped it upward.

— And power... is this. Deciding that your last second is now.

The blade sliced. A red spray splattered the stone. She collapsed like a puppet with the air let out.

I kept moving forward as if nothing had happened.

Some imperceptibly slid their chairs back. Another fidgeted nervously with her fingers, her nails scraping the stone. The horns of several vibrated with an involuntary shiver, a sign of an instinct to flee they had never felt before.

— Now... you listen.

I raised my arms, turning on myself like an actor drunk on his own performance.

— I’m the outsider you see as an intruder. But I’m already more at home than you’ve ever been here.

A smile split my face.

— You see me as a human? Bad news...

My arms rose theatrically.

— I am the demon of this place. And you... you’re on my territory!

Lowering my arms, my expression hardened.

— A demon, ladies, never asks... he takes. And when he takes, he gives nothing back. Not a weapon. Not a breath. Not even your names.

I let a calculated heavy silence hang, then continued.

— In this gorge, every rock will bear my mark. Every hunting path will be mine. And if any of you dares think she can drive me out... then she will serve as a warning, hung in full view, so the entire region watches her slowly bleed dry.

Nervous murmurs passed along the table. Some sought visual support, but all they saw were my boots circling them, leaving an invisible trail of pure authority.

— This region... I take it. I will strangle it until it spits out every drop of blood and wealth.

A woman farther down suddenly stood and lunged at me, blade in hand.

I didn’t move until the last instant.

Fluid dodge, pivot of the hips, and my foot struck the inside of her leg.

She lost balance.

I broke her arm with a sharp motion, then, in the same breath, my hands seized her head.

Crack.

Her neck gave way.

I let her body collapse onto the table.

The silence that followed was so dense you could have heard the dust settle.

I locked my gaze on the leader at the far end.

— There you have it, ladies... now you understand. Here, words mean nothing without the strength to back them up.

I raised my hand slightly, and Nyss released her hold on the males.

The two hundred demons around us lifted their heads, blinking as if waking from a dream. Then they saw the scene: two of their own lying dead, and the most powerful of the local leaders trembling before a stranger.

A shiver ran through the entire crowd.

I took a step toward the edge of the table, my shadow stretching across the seats.

— Unfortunately... I only need three women among you.

I pointed casually at the leader who had brought us here.

— And it so happens I already have one... right here.

A murmur ran through the circle, but no one dared respond.

— The other two... well... I’ll let you handle that among yourselves. Show me who deserves to remain standing.

I sheathed my dagger, and a thin smile split my face.

— Consider this... your first test under my command.

Glances crossed around the table, charged with a mix of fear, hatred, and calculation. The tension rose, ready to break.

I stepped down from the table and stood behind the leader, a hand on her shoulder. She said nothing. She knew, like all the others, that the game had changed.