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Charlie Morningstar’s rose-colored eyes blinked open at the strange scratching sound at her door, and she whined, throwing her pillow over her face. “C-come in?” she called blearily.
Nothing happened for a moment, and then a knock, followed by more scratching.
The princess sighed, pushing herself up and stumbling to the door, grabbing her pink robe to make herself somewhat decent. Her hair was a complete disaster, but she was too tired to care.
She opened the door, blinking, and wondered if she was still asleep.
Standing there in the hallway, staring back at her, was a red-haired, marooned eyed…
Deer.
~*~*~
The Radio Demon had been somehow transfigured, to Charlie’s great confusion.
That confusion had increased to dismay upon realizing that it was not just her co-manager, but the other staff members of the hotel who had also been transformed.
She had rushed to each room, Alastor trotting along behind her, and discovered that the entirety of the demonic population had been transformed, seemingly into the creatures whose attributes they shared.
The Radio Demon was, of course, a tall and imposing red stag; his black antlers wide and branching, with viciously sharp looking tines. His fur was the color of rust (or blood), with black accents along the ruff of fur about his shoulders, ears, and tail, and near his slender hooves.
Vaggie was a gray and lilac-colored moth, about the size of Charlie’s hands, with pink X patterns speckled across her silk-soft wings. One of her eyes still had a small X to it as well, though it was so faded as to almost be invisible.
Angel Dust was a white spider with a single glistening golden fang, and pink stripes along his legs. He was also the size of a dinner plate, to Charlie’s absolute disgust and horror.
Niffty was a bright red ladybug, bigger than her earthly equivalent considering she was the size of Charlie’s cell phone. She only had a single antennae.
Husk was a black cat with amber eyes, and white spots on his muzzle, stomach, and feet. He looked about the same size as a standard cat; though his fuzzy brow was streaked with red fur, which made him look as though he was extremely perturbed by this whole affair.
Charlie couldn’t blame him, as she wrangled the gang in the lobby and had Alastor watch them. She had no idea where Razzle and Dazzle were, and wondered if they'd been summoned back to the palace by her parents’ magic.
She went to check on their residents, and saw that they now had two mice, a sheep, a pig, and a large green bird as occupants of the hotel. She shooed the larger animals downstairs, carrying the smaller ones to join the others.
Charlie tried to turn on the news, but the station just broadcast a “technical difficulties” notice, so she shut it off.
“Alright, everyone, I know that we’re all confused and worried! I’m going to call my parents right now to see if they have any ideas about what’s going on.”
She stepped away, and heard the animals making their own array of chirps, grunts, meows and squeaks as she tried calling Mom, then Dad.
Both phones went to voicemail, because of course they did.
Charlie sighed, tapping the phone against her forehead. Was this going on everywhere?
She went back to the others, twining her fingers as she tried to figure out what to say. The creatures in front of her milled about such that she wasn't completely sure they were still fully-aware beings.
Save for the Radio Demon, his maroon eyes watching her as closely as ever.
“Okay, I imagine they’re looking into it, I’ll give them a bit to get back to me with info. Please stay calm, everyone. Can you all understand me?”
They were all gazing vaguely in her direction, at least from what she could tell. Okay, that was something.
"We just need to take it easy, and work together to get through this. As long as we're all together we can-"
Alastor stomped his hooves and made an urgent noise that sounded like a cross between a grunt and a bleat.
Charlie looked to him, and he tossed his head towards the others. He wiggled his antlers, which was rather cute, but she knew he was desperately trying to tell her something.
Count!
Her rose-colored eyes darted to the others, and she made a mental check of all the staff and residents. Four staff, six residents.
Wait, six?
"Baxter!" Charlie cried, dashing toward the basement.
~*~*~
She'd been prepared for the worst, knowing the scientist that hid away in the Hotel's lowest level was a delicate creature, considering his aquatic persuasion.
But as the blonde demoness wandered through Baxter’s lab, she didn't smell dead fish, which she took as a good sign.
From the hallway came the rhythmic clattering of hooves and Alastor peeked his head in, sniffing the air.
They looked around, but couldn't find him. Charlie called out, her voice wavering in her worry.
A splash came from a side room, and they followed the sound.
The room was a bathroom, and Baxter sat in the tub, now a gray fish with faint green accents, about as large as the red deer's head.
That was interesting.
"Al?” Charlie looked to her companion. “Were you awake when all this happened?" She gestured to her business partner's newly cervid form.
His head quirked, and she imagined he'd be grinning wide if he still had his normal mouth. He followed the action with a quick duck of his head, nodding briefly, mindful of his antlers.
"What happened?" Charlie asked, then stopped herself. Of course, he'd have no way to communicate that. She had to find some easier way to get information across. "I wish I could ask you what... happened." She sighed. "We need to know what caused this."
Baxter splashed in the tub.
The pair blinked at him. "Do you... know?" Charlie asked, leaning down to the fish. He swam in a large circle for a few circuits, then began to trace another pattern.
Alastor scratched at the wall behind her, and her stomach twirled and dropped as she looked at what he had marked. It was crude, but the same shape that Baxter had been trying to approximate in the tub.
A star.
The Radio Demon stepped towards her, his head ducking to her arm, buck teeth grasping at her sleeve and tugging.
She let him lead her, promising Baxter they'd be back to check on him and begging him to be patient.
Alastor led her to the elevator, which he'd wisely used to come down to the basement, not trusting the stairs on delicate deer legs.
The lobby sounded like a zoo, all the animals making their own assorted noises.
Alastor herded her toward the front door. "Can you understand them, Al?" Charlie asked.
He tossed his head and grunted, in what she could infer as a negative. That was discouraging.
More bad news waited outside the Hotel, where Alastor gestured up to the night sky with his nose. Charlie could have seen it even without his guidance.
The red pentagram was shattered.
The circle was mostly intact, but the lines that had made up the star were in tatters as the pattern bowed downwards, as though something had torn through it.
It reminded Charlie of an enormous maw, with teeth ready to swallow her kingdom up.
~*~*~
She tried her parents again after dawn, leaving another voicemail.
As her animal companions had no way to feed themselves, it was left for the princess to care for them. She took up the job without complaint – her duty had always been to her people, it was only her tasks that were different.
She switched out her typical Hotel garb for an old blouse and long flowing skirt that she didn't mind getting dirty.
Charlie brainstormed potential solutions with her silent co-manager, and they decided to sequester the larger animals in the garden during the day, letting them roam around the privacy of flowers and more sturdy furniture.
After they’d put them outside, they worked on moving spare furniture about the lobby to make a rudimentary pen for the creatures to come inside at night so they didn’t have to go up and down the stairs.
Considering that there was no way to know how sapient their companions were without checking them every few minutes, Charlie decided to keep predator and prey creatures separate, putting the mice and insects in separate containers in the kitchen.
She couldn’t catch Angel Dust, and frankly didn’t want to, but he had taken up residence on the top of the liquor cabinet, evidently spying on Husk, who was curled up on the bar.
Some things never changed.
~*~*~
She was coming up with a feeding schedule for everyone when their first batch of visitors arrived. Two cows, a goat, three cats, and a sheep.
Alastor snorted at them, but Charlie welcomed them gladly, reassuring them that the Hotel had always been a sanctuary for those seeking help.
Unfortunately, she had no way of knowing their names, and apologetically assigned them status based on their shape and order of appearance.
By the time she had introduced their new residents to their respective pens, Alastor had trotted over to her, tossing his head toward the door again.
Two lizards, another spider, and a porcupine milled in the entranceway.
And on it went, animals trickling up the path. Some were alone or in pairs, others were in small groups.
Charlie did her best to check them in, and Alastor herded them to wherever suited them best. They rearranged the Hotel again, filling rooms with like creatures they didn’t want to risk leaving unattended in case of an accident, and keeping the largest animals corralled in the lobby
Nothing came after sunset, and the Hotel sounded like a jungle, all sorts of animal noises ringing across the night landscape. Charlie and Alastor sat outside, to get a little distance from the din.
The lights of the city still shone, as though nothing was amiss. The princess took in the sight, and wondered if the citizens out there were still fighting each other.
She tried reaching out to her family again, but it went to voicemail like always.
They took a tally of their wards, and Alastor kept an eye on each of the groups, breaking up any fights that boiled over with a harsh glare and stomping hooves.
Charlie rushed about the kitchen, arranging food for everyone, at least vegetables for the herbivores, and some form of meat for the carnivores. She fed Baxter ground up crackers, not really sure what else to do for him.
She apologized for not being able to do more.
~*~*~
By the afternoon of the second day, they had more residents than they had rooms. The princess fought to keep her temper even, swallowing the bitter irony that the Hotel was more popular now than it had ever been.
She made her rounds diligently, keeping the mess to a minimum with a good schedule and Alastor as an extra pair of hands and eyes.
Still, despite their organization, it was a grueling pace. After a brief supper, Charlie dropped to the sofa in the lobby, dog-tired.
That night, they heard the first sounds of civilization since the whole affair had begun. Car engines blaring, and explosions.
Close enough to hear, but not to see.
Charlie slept in the lobby that night, and the Radio Demon didn’t sleep at all.
~*~*~
There were some out there who hadn’t been affected, and that made the princess desperately want to head out to the palace, to see if there were any answers there. She’d be a lot harder to ignore in person, after all.
“I could drive, it wouldn’t take that long,” Charlie told Alastor as they stood by the garage.
His maroon eyes looked to the limo, then back to her. His head quirked and he snorted.
“I can drive!”
A huff as he looked back to the vehicle.
“It’s not the best car, admittedly. But what else are we supposed to do? Wait?” her hands ran through her blonde locks. She needed a shower, or at the very least to sit down for more than two minutes.
The Radio Demon’s large ears flicked, and he looked toward the entrance.
Charlie sighed, following him as they went to greet their new guests.
~*~*~
The blonde demoness slumped against the nearest wall, tears of fatigue brimming in her eyes. She checked her messages futilely, despite knowing in her gut her parents weren't going to answer. Why did they even have phones, when they never seemed to use them? She might as well communicate via letter, she thought in frustration.
She needed to control her temper, in case demonic traits were somehow linked with this.
In that case, if she couldn’t be angry, she could only be worried.
She swallowed. Were her parents okay? Dad wasn’t a demon, technically. But mom was a sinner demon, same as all those here who had been transformed. She was the original, so what if whatever was happening to their people was worse for her?
How widespread was this?
There were so many questions and people that needed her help, but she was only a single person.
Her hands shook, and she called her mother.
"H-hi Mom, it's me again! Just wanted to make sure you and Dad were okay? We're doing good here at the Hotel, it's busier than ever since everyone has changed, so that's encouraging. Hopefully everyone will want to stay after things get back to normal.
Have you found out anything about why this happened? Please let me know if you've heard anything. Hope you guys are okay. Oh yeah, I said that before... I’ll let you go before I ramble too much. Love you! …Bye."
She told herself she should be used to the silence. Her parents were constantly busy with the duties of royalty, and she didn't have a lot of friends.
But since she'd started her redemption project, she'd been surrounded by people to give her encouragement, advice, support, and love.
They weren't related by blood, but the Hotel was their home. These people were her family.
What if they were stuck like this?
A wave of fear gripped Charlie, and she felt hot tears spill down her cheeks.
Her shoulders were painfully tight, and she curled her knees up to her chest, hugging herself as she cried.
Charlie didn't hear the newcomer approach, but felt a cool nose at her arm. She looked up to see Alastor staring down at her.
"Oh, h-hey Al," she sniffled, offering a smile and wiping at her face. "You doing okay?"
His head bowed close to hers, sniffing her face.
"I'm s-sorry, I just need a minute, okay?"
She closed her eyes, trying to draw in a steadying breath, when she felt something warm and damp at her temple, pulling her from her thoughts.
Charlie blinked up at the red deer's face as he leaned over, giving her tearstained cheek a delicate lick.
A kind of kiss.
She gazed at him, befuddled. He wasn't attracted to her, she knew. He wasn't attracted to anyone. But it was such an intimate gesture, what was he thinking?
"Oh, you like the salt, don't you?" Charlie realized after a moment with a sad chuckle. She sniffled, wiping her other cheek with her hand. She held up her palm to the deer. "You can take it, it's okay. Just don't bite, please?"
But Alastor didn't lick her hand. Instead he pushed his muzzle into it, letting her feel the warm fur.
She was startled by how soft he was.
Charlie scratched his muzzle gently, much like she did for Razzle and Dazzle.
She was surprised he would let her touch him. He might be one to pull her into a dance, or put a hand on her shoulder, or grab her arm or waist to guide her somewhere, but he so rarely accepted physical contact in return.
He moved his head closer, inviting her to pet further. His maroon eyes closed as she ran her hand along his oval ears. They were even softer than the rest of his head, practically down.
He pushed closer after a moment, letting his forehead rest against her temple, the tines of his black antlers framing her head. Alastor's breath blew against her hair, and she giggled as the warm air tickled her ear.
She put her hands up around his neck in a careful hug, and he waited patiently, letting her hold him.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “I’ll try to be stronger for you. For everybody.”
The demon deer let out a long breath that was almost a sigh, nuzzling into her hair.
"I just wish I knew how to handle the quiet," Charlie admitted. “Taking care of everyone helps me ignore it, you know? But it’s just so exhausting.”
Alastor’s head quirked, and he pulled back gently. His maroon eyes gleamed down at her, and he jerked his head in a gesture she recognized.
Follow.
Charlie rose curiously, trailing after as Alastor led her to the elevator. They went up a level, then down the hallway.
“Our office?” The princess sighed. “Okay, I get it. I just have to tough it out and work through it, right?” She couldn’t help a tiny pout. It had been a long couple of days.
Alastor grunted, knocking at the door with an antler.
Charlie opened the door, letting them inside. Her companion went to his side of their desk, nosing at a drawer.
“In here?” Charlie opened the drawer for him, and he nudged at something inside, trying to grab it with his teeth.
“Let me do it, here,” Charlie offered, reaching inside and pulling out a blue-gray book, reading the cover. “Mystery of the Blue Train?”
Alastor nodded at her.
~*~*~
“Okay, I think I understand what you were trying to say,” Charlie admitted, setting the book down at her side carefully as she took a drink of her lemonade. “This is kind of nice.”
She sat in the grass outside the hotel, deer Alastor curled beside her, his neck turned to where he could watch the front gate. His large red head rested on her knee - anchoring her to the quiet, after a fashion.
The city was so… tranquil, with only the calling of birds (or were they demons?). It was a nice sunny day, and with the lack of traffic, the air was fresh in the way it only was after it rained.
They’d not seen any more demon animals come around, which gave her time to enjoy the book Alastor had been reading. He'd been making the rounds on his own to see to everyone, and she'd left it to him to let her know if there was anything wrong.
"I feel a little bad thinking I might miss this once we're back to normal," the princess murmured. "You won't tell anyone, right?"
His oval ears flickered at various noises in the distance, but he didn’t seem overly concerned and stretched lackadaisically with a soft hum, his head rubbing against her leg.
Charlie smiled, scratching him by his velvety ear as she went back to reading, trying to figure out why Poirot had disagreed with the other members of the cast that the mystery was already solved.
She was almost out of lemonade when Alastor’s head left her knee; and she glanced up, expecting to see another batch of animals having made the sojourn to the Hotel, but was surprised to see another Hellborn.
“Hello, Charlotte,” Seviathan Von Eldritch greeted quietly.
“Sev... hi,” Charlie’s rose-colored eyes blinked in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Since the Pentagram went down, we were trying to get a sense of scope. From what we understand, all the sinners seem to have turned into animals. Who would have imagined we needed them so badly, eh?”
The princess stared at him coolly. “Without subjects, there is no kingdom.”
The reptilian Hellborn considered that for a moment. “I was thinking of you, since it seems like only Hellborn and Imps haven’t been affected. There’s no one running the shops or clubs or anything. All the servants vanished, we’ve had to fend for ourselves since this started.”
“I see,” Charlie’s rose-colored eyes narrowed. “It sounds like you’ve had a hard time,” she replied flatly.
“I wanted to check on you, see how you were doing. We should probably stick together, right? A few of us went to the elevator, but it’s locked down.”
She had an idea who he was referring to, and had no desire to see any of them. “Father sealed it.”
He was the only one on this level with that authority. If it was sealed, then it meant the king wasn’t on this ring any more. She looked to the broken pentagram. Daddy, where are you? Are you and mom okay?
“You’ve not heard from him?”
“No,” Charlie said, and immediately regretted it. He didn’t need to know that she was in the dark, apparently more so than himself.
“Ah. Seeing to your wards, I imagine.” His green eyes regarded the Hotel near them mockingly.
“The king sees to the kingdom,” Charlie replied coolly, letting her posture reflect her authority, scant as it was. “I’m his heir, and so see to our people.”
She didn’t have to justify herself to him. Alastor must have sensed her discomfort, as he took a step between them, his head lowering slightly.
Seviathan blinked at the sanguine deer. “Is that… the Radio Demon?”
“Naturally the co-owner of this hotel should be here, no?”
“But he’s so… look at him!” he laughed, that particular Von Eldritch chuckle that Charlie couldn’t stand.
“You should have seen him before. He was three times as tall and had two sets of antlers. His teeth spooked the others, so he chose a more pleasing form.”
Charlie didn’t like lying. It made her feel weak, but she didn’t want Seviathan to think he could come here and be a bully.
Her comments seemed to have given the other man pause, and Alastor stared at him, craning his head in a slow, methodical way, showing off his antlers. They were almost preternaturally black, as though they were absorbing the light, and looked sharp as his claws were normally whenever he used his magic.
The Radio Demon would not let himself be looked down on as prey, and only a fool would think he was harmless in this new form.
She could practically hear him joke about how it wouldn’t be the first time he’d killed using the tools of a deer.
She missed his voice.
“There’s nothing for you here, Sev. Please leave,” she asked her ex. Her instincts demanded her to be polite and give him courtesy, and she figured non-engagement was the fastest way to be rid of him.
They didn’t need any demonic battles raging here, not with so many sinners about who couldn’t protect themselves.
“Oh come now, Charlotte. We’ve been so frightfully bored. There’s nothing to do, and the only intelligent beings around are Imps. The Radio Demon’s able to take a form other than some base animal from earth, I’d really be interested in seeing it.”
Charlie was grateful for her alabaster coloring, so he wouldn’t be able to see her pale. “He’s not some performer-”
“Oh, I think the population of Pentagram City would very much disagree,” Seviathan sneered. “Sweet Charlotte, you were always such a terrible liar.”
“You’re one to talk,” Charlie spat back. “All this talk of sticking together, spare me! I’ll bet you and Helsa and the rest were just running around kicking a bunch of demons that can’t fight back! Call yourself strong all you want, you’re a worse liar than me.”
The air around Seviathan wavered dangerously. “Careful, little Charlotte,” his green eyes narrowed.
A rumbling sound came from beside Charlie, and they looked to see the demon deer’s neck was almost flat with his back, his head pitched lower than before. His maroon eyes shone red, glowing like firelight.
He bared his teeth, though they weren’t the sharp fangs of his traditional demonic form, they were still large, and he snarled.
His ruff flared out, and she thought for a moment his antlers might have grown wider.
The green-clad Hellborn scoffed. “Oh please, as if you even could. You’re the mascot of Charlotte’s petting zoo.”
The air in the space around Seviathan Von Eldritch blanched and rotated, practically ripping free from the rest of reality as he condensed the space, infusing it with arcane energy. With a flick of his wrist, he launched it like a spear towards the Radio Demon.
Charlie dove to the side, aware of how wide of an effect the spell had. Alastor jumped clear, landing in the other direction.
She landed heavily, scrambling to her feet. As she rose, the Radio Demon roared, charging forward towards the Von Eldritch heir, his head bowed.
Seviathan pitched out of the way, lashing out with dark energy as a sallow green tendril erupted from the air in front of him.
The red deer dodged up short, kicking out with his long legs, and jerking to get another angle for a charge.
To his credit, Seviathan was spoiled, but he was nimble as well and understood how to best use his particular skills. He moved back to give himself space for another attack, and this time it struck the Radio Demon’s antlers, arcane energy wrapping around the branching limbs.
“Sev, stop it!” Charlie shrieked, dashing forward. She whipped a spark of fire toward the Hellborn that burst in front of his face.
The Radio Demon was practically on top of him at the distraction, kicking at his chest and biting, attempting to crush him under his hooves.
“Al, stop, please!”
The Radio Demon whirled his head, his antlers slashing at Von Eldritch’s face as he leapt away. Two of the tines raked across his face, and the Hellborn rolled blindly to retreat.
Alastor returned to Charlie’s side, head low as he faced the other man, ready to charge again. Red dripped from his black antlers, and he bared his fangs, which were similarly stained.
Seviathan made his way to his feet, ready for another attack, staring back at them in savage anger.
The demon deer growled deep, daring him to move in again.
“Leave!” the princess commanded, her own fangs bared. Fire danced in her hair and her eyes. She sensed it around her feet, as well. “If you touch him again, I will send you to the void myself. I swear it on my house!”
She had never shown her demonic form to her former boyfriend, it was a part of her she was always trying to hide. The brief knowledge fueled the flames of her resentment. Most everyone seemed to prefer her sweeter persona. She was easier to handle that way, wasn’t she?
The revelation of her true form unnerved him, she could tell. But Seviathan Von Eldritch was prideful as any Hellborn, and didn’t cringe, didn’t quail. He kept his dignity, though he minded his wounds carefully. “I’ll leave you to your beast, beauty,” he spat, turning and leaving before she could get another word in.
“Fuck you, too, Seviathan,” Charlie replied to his back.
The Radio Demon gave a rumbling growl, then a snort.
She didn’t dare move until he had fully gone, watching the Radio Demon’s body language carefully. Alastor kept his eyes and ears trained in Seviathan’s direction, before finally turning back to her after a little while.
He tilted his head in a curious regarding gesture. “This doesn’t bother you?” she asked him as he leaned in, nuzzling her cheek. “I’m teeth and claws and anger. I’m running a redemption program when I have no way to experience redemption myself. I’m hypocrisy incarnate. Isn’t that pathetic?”
Alastor's ears flicked, and he craned his neck to carefully twine his horns with her own.
Smoke sizzled on her cheeks as she returned to her more refined form. “Al, we’ve got to fix you soon. I feel like we have a lot to talk about,” she sniffled as her horns vanished back under her hair.
The Radio Demon’s furry shoulders shook, in what she assumed was the deer equivalent of a shrug.
Her feet were aching terribly. “Let’s get back-'' she said, but as she tried to turn, it felt as though her legs had been chopped off at the ankles. She dropped with a yelp, sprawling onto the dirt.
Something was terribly wrong with her feet; and she writhed, kicking off her shoes desperately.
Rather than staring at thin pale toes, she was looking at a pair of slender white hooves.
~*~*~
Walking on her changed legs was impossible, the new pressure sent horrific shocks of agony straight up her shins. In the end, she was forced to drape over Alastor's back as he hauled her back inside.
The animals were slightly quieter, and Husk wandered over to see what was wrong.
"We have to go to the palace, Al," Charlie gasped, blinking away tears. "I need to know if my parents can do anything about this. And if the Hellborn come around again, we won't be able to fight them."
Alastor bowed his head.
They came up with a system for her to slide onto his back using furniture and they practiced her riding on his back around the hotel.
She slipped off more than once, but he was ever-patient, and her skill as a dancer helped her find her balance enough for them to complete the evening chores.
They brought in all the animals still outside to keep them out of sight in case anyone else came by, and left water and food in their pens, enough for a couple of days if rationed properly.
The princess explained the plan to everyone, hoping they could understand, and that things would hold together while she was gone.
~*~*~
At dawn the Hell Princess and the Radio Demon set off, the horizon still purple with the first light of morning.
The city was quiet, as it had been largely since this whole affair had started, Alastor’s hooves ringing against the lonely pavement as they made their way toward the palace.
She wasn’t an experienced rider, nor he an experienced mount, so he took his time as he weaved around abandoned cars and dodged debris.
They kept to the main avenues mostly, not wanting to risk any potential ambush. The quiet helped them to pick up on the sounds of cars or hellish laughter, and they were able to go around the noises with ease.
The pair passed through Cannibal Colony, and Charlie saw more creatures about here, watching them with wary eyes. A dusty gray and brown peacock flitted near them; and Alastor paused near it, bowing his head, as though in greeting.
“A friend of yours, Al?” Charlie asked, smiling at his gentle interaction with the other creature.
He seemed to be recognized here, as an assortment of creatures of all kinds gathered, mostly birds but she did see cats and dogs among the crowd.
Charlie looked to the shattered Pentagram. What in the world had happened?
“We’re going to fix this, I promise!” The princess told her citizens. “Please, be patient for a little while longer.”
Alastor took them on ahead, and some of the creatures followed along for a few blocks, before returning to their familiar territory.
They were making terrible time, and the Radio Demon tried to experiment with more speed, which left her straining for balance as she gripped the ruff at his shoulders tightly, pressing in with her thighs to keep herself upright.
The faster pace was painful on her hips, which burned about as badly as her warped ankles. If only Angel Dust could see them now.
Her heart grew heavy at the thought of her friends. She hoped they were alright. What if one of the other Hellborn came around before they returned?
“I should have had you pull me in a cart, it would have been faster that way,” Charlie lamented.
Alastor grunted, turning back slightly, and she put out her hand to mind his sharp branch of his antler. There was swirling blackness in it, and it was far cooler than the rest of him.
She put a hand on the other branch, which felt a lot better for her balance.
“Hey, Al, do you mind if I hold you like this? It feels like it might be easier.”
The demon deer took off at a gallop, which told her he probably didn’t.
~*~*~
Despite the smoother ride, where she found a steady rocking rhythm that didn’t make her feel like she was going to fall off the second he decided he wasn’t going to go perfectly straight, they still had to take breaks, and after they got past the nightclub district, he took her through a park.
This area looked to be almost completely untouched by whatever had happened, or perhaps the creatures here were better at hiding.
As they moved quietly through the trees, they came across a pond; and Charlie balanced on a bench, sliding off the demon deer’s back.
He sniffed at her as she gave a yelp of pain, and she dared lift her skirt to look at her ankles again. Golden blonde fleece almost covered the pale hooves of her deformed feet, and the change was creeping up her legs, to just about halfway to her knees now.
Come tomorrow, it was going to be past her knees.
She should have held her temper, damn it all.
She wanted to cry, but Alastor nosed at her pack, dragging it onto her lap to get her attention.
Eat, there’s not time for sorrow.
They couldn’t wait here forever. Which was a pity, because it was a pretty park. There were rose bushes about the sides of the path nearby, and the pond shone like clear glass.
Alastor went to the water's edge, lowering his head to drink.
As he drank, Charlie munched on some crackers and drank her own water. After a little while, she saw movement nearby.
Deer.
The creatures were red like the Radio Demon, though slightly smaller. Emboldened by the unnatural quiet of the city, they came closer, ears and tails flicking about. Their eyes were a beady red, and Charlie let them sniff at her, offering some of her crackers to them.
Alastor didn’t seem to care for the other creatures, perhaps seeing too much similarity in their shape. He trotted back to her, jerking his horns toward another shorter buck that had approached.
He lowered his neck for her and Charlie climbed onto his back. The other deer trotted away, watching them warily from the edge of the lake.
Had they been her people, before?
She stared back at the other deer for a beat, and as they rode off, the princess could not tell.
~*~*~
The palace grounds were silent as the void, not so much as a mouse scampering about.
Alastor’s hooves had clattered on the pavement of the streets of Pentagram City, but they thundered here.
“Mom?” the princess called as they approached the castle. “Dad?”
Her voice boomed across the landscape – if anyone were here, they would have to have heard it. The silence was so oppressive, she could practically feel the noises they were making.
The Radio Demon ears twitched as he listened as well.
They appeared to be the only living things in this place.
As they approached the enormous front door of the palace, Charlie saw it was stitched shut by golden runes, her father’s work. Hasty work too, judging by the way the scriptwork was stretched.
There was no getting into the castle, not with this barrier in place.
“But why would he ward the palace, and not call me?” Charlie asked aloud to herself. “What about mom?”
Alastor hummed, and nosed toward the center of the doorway.
Suspended in the runes was a bright red apple. It would have been sitting there for days, yet it looked pristine. A rolled up note looked to have been speared through it, shimmering in runes.
Alastor moved to where she could grab the paper. She would have been the only one who could.
A note for her.
The Radio Demon moved to a bench nearby, where Charlie could sit and read.
Gently, she lowered herself down, and unrolled the last words of her father:
Charlie-heart,
By the time you've read this, I'll have already gone.
The pentagram’s shattering appears to have been caused by divine energy from our heavenly brethren. I'm not certain exactly what happened; I believe this was some accident caused by one of their redemption schemes.
I never told you when you brought up your hotel, but you are more like them than you know.
I'm headed to Purgatory to meet my brothers on relatively even ground to figure this out. As you know, my relationship with our kin isn't the most compassionate. If my presence there is viewed as an invasion, I doubt I'll be able to return.
To protect your mother, I've set a ward on the palace. Time will not proceed within its walls until the Lord of Hell returns to the Throne.
If I have not returned by the time the sun sets on the seventh day, that throne will be yours. Knock on the front door, and the seals will open.
I've done what I must. I leave the rest to you.
All my love, dearest apple.
"Heaven?" They looked up to the shattered pentagram. "This was caused by angels? What could they have been trying to do?"
Alastor huffed.
Charlie patted his neck. "All this time… I thought the Exorcists were Heaven's only strategy for reducing Hell's population. I wish I could talk to them."
Alastor nuzzled her hair, his breath blowing through the blonde locks.
"M-maybe I'll be able to if I'm Queen? Once the seal breaks I can access the elevator. We can go to the Goetias – if anyone in Hell would be able to fix something that's gone wrong with magic, it would be them.”
She drew in a shaky breath, hating herself for planning for her father already being gone. All they could do now was wait – to find out if he was to ever return.
The princess wept, for there was nothing else to do.
~*~*~
They slept outside the palace that night, Charlie tucked into Alastor’s side as he curled around her, waiting for the King to return.
The sun was the only thing to greet them the following morning, and as the dawn transitioned to day, they set off back home to the Hotel.
Based on their improving travel time, they should arrive back by mid-afternoon, with enough time to make sure the others were still safe and give themselves a chance to rest up the following day. If Lucifer hadn't returned by the next morning, they would make the return trek to the palace and… she would take the throne.
Charlie knew the plan was for her to become Queen one day, but she could never have imagined these circumstances.
The destroyed pentagram was beginning to disappear behind gathering clouds, the fractured edges dipping lower, as though the whole structure might yet fall from the sky.
Thunder rumbled as they continued down the avenue, and Charlie could just see the Hotel in the distance. Rain began to fall, a breeze kicking up, although it appeared to be blowing almost straight down.
They blinked up at the rain, and Charlie gasped.
A cluster of pale lights hovered around the pentagram, slowly separating. There were six in total, circling around the pentagram, and after a time, the shape began to come back together, with one of the glowing shapes dropping lower as the circle fixed back in place around the star.
Dad!
The king was fast as a flash, a falling star unto himself as he rocketed back to the palace.
"Should we go back to meet him?" Charlie asked.
Alastor turned back briefly toward the castle, then paused, before dashing back off toward the Hotel, running as though they were being chased.
Rain fell, soaking them both to the bone, and coating the whole of the landscape around them.
Curiously enough, the rain seemed to be alternating between warm and cold, causing a fog to form, pouring about them as Alastor ran.
The rain became a fine mist, almost stifling in its warmth, and as she breathed in Charlie coughed harshly.
Alastor wobbled, and they tumbled to the ground. She blinked away tears, and heard a second person coughing.
It occurred to her after a dizzy moment that she was perched on top of another humanoid figure. "Al! You're back!"
"My, what a wacky adventure!" The Radio Demon shifted underneath her, elbows beneath him on the pavement. "Although this isn't the most comfortable position to be your cushion, my dear."
"Oh! Sorry!" Charlie pushed off of him, flushing as she sat up to check her legs. They were normal again, thankfully, with no trace of wool or hoof to be seen.
“All’s well that ends well, my charming demon belle!” the deer demon sprang to his feet, dusting himself off. He wasn't wearing his usual dapper overcoat, evidently not having it on when he'd been transformed.
Charlie rose to her knees, admittedly a little worried about standing again, the sharp memory of pain fresh in her mind. “You weren’t hurting while you were transformed, were you?”
“No, my dear,” He smiled, and held out his hand to her, as though asking her to dance. “I don’t believe our situations were exactly the same.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true,” Charlie nodded, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet. “Maybe because I’m not a full demon?”
They looked back to the pentagram, and could hear the sounds of the city beginning to return in the distance. “What do you think their purpose was, turning everyone into animals?”
“Heaven knows, as they say,” Alastor shrugged. “Although perhaps that might be true this time!” he chuckled. “Or maybe they were just playing with fire and it was an accident all along.”
The princess wasn’t sure what was worse, foolishness or lunacy.
“Well, there’s no telling today, explanations will undoubtedly come later. In the meantime, we’ve got a hotel full of hopeless sinners to sort out. Let’s dash on back and I’ll whip us up something proper to eat!”
“Jambalaya?” Charlie deadpanned with a smirk.
“If you insist!” Alastor replied cheekily, giving her a delicate tap on the nose.
They went to head on, but it was as though she’d forgotten how to move, her legs buckling immediately. Fortunately, Alastor was as graceful in his normal form as he had been as a deer, catching her under her arms. “Fallen for me already, dearest?”
“Of course you’d say that,” Charlie frowned, but laughed all the same. “What an awful joke.”
“It’s in my nature!” The Radio Demon bragged. “But you are alright?” he asked, his voice dropping a bit.
“I think so? I just need a minute to remember how to walk normally, I guess.”
Alastor hummed, regarding her bare feet. "Why, we can't have you about these filthy streets sole-less like some animal!"
She expected him to conjure her something, or perhaps to shadow-warp them back to the Hotel. Instead, he swept her up into his arms with startling ease considering his lithe figure. “It would be quite poetic for us to return home the same way we left. I was your legs for a time; I can tolerate being so a little while longer.”
Charlie felt heat on her cheeks at being carried in such an old-fashioned way, his arms under her knees and back, holding her to his chest as he set off back down the path. He began to hum some old tune as they went along.
“You know, technically I was on your back when we went to the palace,” the princess noted.
The deer demon's lips met her hair, and she was positive she would be blushing the rest of the day. “Touché, chérie. I could carry you that way, if you’d rather. Personally, I prefer this way.”
This way worked just fine.