“What does Raziel look like?” I asked Ilyana. I could feel everyone lean in and perk up at my question. All eyes were on Ilyana. Even Marian looked at her intently.

“She is always dressed in her armor which is unlike anything that you have ever seen. It is black and red and ignites sporadically. The shoulders have curved sharp spikes and the arms also have spikes. Her helmet is oval shaped and there are two horns on it. The only thing you can see of her are her eyes. Her eyes always change colors. When I first saw her when I was kidnapped from my village, I was shocked to see her. As I said her armor would ignite and she would be covered in flames and those flames would rebound all over her armor. It was like looking at a walking flame. Her eyes were a green color that matched my own and I thought for a second that she was an elf. She spoke to me and I swear I felt her voice in my entire body. It was very soft. It was unlike anything that I had ever heard. She told me that I was now hers and that I was going to help her create a powerful world.”

It was silent as we all took in Ilyana’s words. The sound of the fire crackling was the only thing that I could hear. Ilyana looked at me with a sad expression on her face. I knew that the elf was thinking back on that time.

“So, you don’t know what Raziel looks like at all? None of the whores told anyone or even the men?” Marian asked her.

Ilyana shook her head. “Everyone is curious but afraid to ask and I think the whores and the men are physically unable to.”

“What do you mean?” I asked her.

“There was a story that spread throughout the kingdom after Raziel had received the 10th male slave. The last slave was a Foxen who had five tails and was very handsome. One of the dark mages that worked in the castle tried to get the Foxen to tell her what Raziel looked like because she desired her. Everyone in some way or other desires Raziel. Whether sexually or they are simply in awe of her, we all do. I did as well even though she had me kidnapped, killed my people, and destroyed my home. Well, the Foxen was completely unable to tell her because he could not remember. It was like his mind was erased. He simply could not tell even though he knew that he had sex with her. We all came to believe that those that Raziel has sex with are put under some sort of spell. The spell seems to wipe their memory after she has sex with them.”

I was surprised by this and did not know what to say. No one knew what she looked like?! That was hard for me to believe. I turned to the oldest person in our group.

“Cyrena, you were never told what Raziel looks like?” I asked the witch.

Cyrena furrowed her brow as she tried to think. “I guess there has never been a clear picture painted of Raziel. I have heard all kinds of stories about what her physical form looked like. Some said that she was a monster with great wings that bit the heads off her enemies. Others said that she was a demonic serpent that took on human form. Others have said that her body is made up of parts of humans and elves. One thing for certain is that she has always been described as a demon. She is not of this world but of another dimension.”

“She is not of this world?” I asked her.

“No. No one knows where she is from but it is not from Alargon. She arrived here centuries ago and has reigned supreme since then. She has appeared in battle several times and is covered in armor as Ilyana said. She was with her army when they fought to take Ferren. Now the war is fought with just her horde and she does not even need to join the battle because no one could match her. She hasn’t need to leave the castle.”

“So, she arrived here just like I did. She just appeared one day?” I asked her in surprise. It was just like me. I wondered where she had come from. She definitely did not come from Earth so where?

“Yes,” Cyrena said.

“Yes,” Ilyana said as she nodded. “She just arrived one day and it has been havoc ever since. No one has been able to figure out where she came from or what she truly is. We do know that she is a demon because she calls herself the Demon Queen and her power is real evil. I have witnessed her power many times and it strikes fear in all of us that serve her.”

“What have you seen?” Oronia asked Ilyana. She asked her in a frightened voice. I did not blame the Rabika for being scared. I felt on edge myself. Ilyana had already told us about the heads on spikes that were all around the gates of Ferren.

“There have been several elves and humans who have tried to escape from under her rule. Don’t get me wrong there are many that have willingly joined her because they love evil and the power that it brings. They love to inflict pain and take glee from hearing others scream and beg them to stop. But there are many like myself who were kidnapped and brought to her kingdom to serve her and some have tried to escape. When they are captured they are brought before Raziel. One day, several elves were brought before her in the main square. Raziel’s armor was covered in flames. She stopped before the elves who cowered before her on their knees. All she did was lift her hand and the elves exploded. There was blood and gore everywhere. Parts of their skulls shot up into the air and broke apart on the ground. Everyone watched in horror. A few even screamed and some laughed and smiled. It was a terrible sight.”