"We meet again, Princess," said Biwanari. The demoness's smile bone chillingly sweet. "Enjoying the view? Marduk is a lovely place, is it not?"
Mint had heard the stories of Marduk, the kingdom on the western edge of Saine ruled by Minervians. She's assumed it'd be a desolate, dark place, constantly veiled by gloom and despair. It was surprisingly colorful, actually. Black trees adorned with glowing leaves of violet swayed in the breeze; various shades of amethyst grasslands stretched as far as she could see. There were fields, cities and people all living their lives here. It was more similar to home than she expected.
"It's different from what I imagined," Mint admitted. The balcony of her quarters was on the highest tower of the Marduk Castle, a prison in all but the word, but the commendations were fit for a royal. "Even now, I didn't expect to be treated so well."
Biwanari smirked, "it wouldn't do for us to mistreat you at this state. If we don't hold up our side of the bargain, how would we gain followers?"
"True." Minervians had a reputation of fulfilling their contracts, sometimes in unexpected ways, but they were always fulfilled. "On the surface, all appears the same, but a deeper look reveals the vileness of it all."
When she'd been brought to Marduk, it's been on the back of a dragon. The trade for her and the promised Nacht happened with such utility it was frightening. One day she was told of the exchange; the next day she was escorted out of the capital. The day after she was in an entirely different land. Her first glimpse at the dark kingdom had been from the sky, and everything appeared the same as any other city.
"Vile? Is that how you see it?" Biwanari chuckled.
How else would Mint describe what's she'd seen? After being placed in her quarters, Mint had quickly grown restless. Pacing the floor of her the entire first day. When offered a chance to stroll the gardens—she instead asked to tour the city, and to her surprise—was given permission, with an escort of course.
"Mothers whoring out their daughters, fathers pitting their sons against one another." Mint faced her jailer with clenched fists. "How such a place functions is beyond me."
For Minervians, the greatest honor was to become a demon as soon as possible. Whorehouses littered the streets, offering maidenhoods for next to nothing, so the daughters of Marduk can become succubi. The sons were thrown into pits, forced to fight brother and friend until the bitter end. The winner feasted on the hearts of those he'd slain.
"It's merely how we are; there is no place for the weak here." Biwanari replied from her seat with the air of a lounging cat. The demoness lay undignified, her limbs and tail sprawled across the sofa in the most unladylike manner, with her clothes in a disheveled state. "Wouldn't the world be better off if everyone could freely pursue their desires without consequence? Besides, we function well enough."
"I'm surprised there's any order or function here," between the whore houses and fight pits, there were bakeries, smiths, and craftsmen. Everything that every other civilization had. "How do they factor into no place for the weak?"
Biwanari joined her on the balcony overlooking the city. "Knowledge is its own strength. We figured that out a long time. You need not understand us, dear Minette; you've no need to. This is merely how we learned to live."
"You didn't learn. You merely adopted human customs out of utility. If you hadn't, the Solarians would have won the war outright years ago." Mint knew as she spoke, she condemned her own people in the same breath. Just as the angels of Solaris divided evenly between the three sisters, so did the humans. Though not as even Minerva and Elfania would have liked. The reason there were so many races upon the earth, the various elven races, the Vulpa, Yorgmen and Drin, was simply because each goddess needed more warriors to fill their ranks.
Besides the Drin, there were no other Solarian races beside human. Rather than try to create the perfect race to reflect her holy image like her sisters, Solaris welcomed all into her embrace. Her welcoming warmth domesticated the feral Vulpa, civilized the savage Yorgmen, and even converted a fair number of elves to her cause. The bulk of Solaris's forces were human, and by their hands alone they fought the forces of Minerva and Elfania.
"What we did was no different from your lot," Biwanari said with perhaps a hint of resentment. "You Elfanians have strayed far from your roots at the behest of Elfania. Unlike you elves, we do not pretend we're not imitating our enemy."
Imitating humans, yes, that is perhaps what they've been doing. Funny, she never thought of it that way. It's simply how she'd been raised.
"Perhaps you're right; it makes me wonder what we will become at the end of the war. If we live no differently than humans, what is the point?"
"It matters not," Biwanari chuckled. "You'll not see the end."
"And what will the Minervians be without the Solarians?" Mint looked the demoness—no the fallen angel—in her fiery purple eyes. "What will you do when you win?"
"Whatever I want, of course, same as I've always done. Torture the weak, indulge in whatever catches my fancy. Same old, same old."
"So it matters not if the war ends, correct? In fact, for you, wouldn't it be better if it drags on forever?" Her question seemed to cause Biwanari to pause. "I saw how eager you were when fighting Verk. Would you still find such excitement after Minerva's victory? Would you still feel the same tingle of ecstasy if you could simply be summoned instantly without delay? Can you live without the fear of death?"
Biwanari cocked her horned head, giving her an apprising look. "Is this your attempt to trick me into setting you free? Such things won't work on me, princess."
"But didn't you say you could do whatever you wanted?"
"You know we can't disobey our mother's wishes." Biwanari's hand twitched.
"Then you are not as much of a slave as the humans below?" Before she could blink, Biwanari's hand was around Mint's throat. The demoness seethed as her eyes blazed with pure hatred.
"Watch your tongue, Princess."
"Why should I? I'm destined to die, right? To become your sister, correct? I'm the cornerstone that will bring about your mother's victory, so why do I need to be demure in my end? Better yet, why should I hold my tongue before a mere slave?" Mint felt the tips of Biwanari's claws press into her flesh. To say she wasn't afraid would be a lie, but she couldn't show that. She remained resolute, fighting to keep the smirk on her face as Biwanari's face became more and more monstrous. "Go ahead, you're free, aren't you? Or are you merely another one of your mother's slaves?"
"Nice try," Biwanari instantly reverted to her typical demure, though she could see the rage burning in the demon's eyes. "Very clever, Princess. But you're no sooner ready to die than anyone else. Be sure to clean yourself up, would you?"
Mint heaved a heavy sigh as Biwanari left the room. Her heart thundered, and the skirt of her dress was embarrassingly damp. She looked out over the city and then the ground below. If she could, she'd leaped from this balcony.
"Even with the curse, I doubt I would have the courage or perhaps the determination."
A part of Mint wondered what the conditions for summoning a demon such as Lilith were. It was obvious she needed to be alive with her body intact. Did Lilith need to consume her soul in order to possess her body? If she slit her own throat, would her body still be a suitable vessel? Couldn't they simply put Lilith in her corpse? Her studies hadn't included such things, so Mint couldn't be certain what the determining factor was.
"So much for my heroic, tragic end, not that I was looking forward to it." Looking out beyond the horizon, a particular thought came to her. Mint was reminded of a story her mother read to her as a child. It was a story about a captured princess—many such tales had that in common—and how the princess pined for a hero to save her, and when he did, they lived happily ever after. Of course, the rift between reality and fiction was stark. History was filled with many grizzly gruesome ends of captured princesses; she would no doubt just be another list in the ledger. "But if…"
Though a plea to the divine had caused this situation, Mint folded her hands once more, but hesitated when deciding which goddess to pray to: Elfania or Solaris? Surely both would have cause to spare her from her current fate. It was a matter of which one would have her alive at the end.
"I know I've made a selfish, halfhearted request already," Mint searched for the words as she looked towards the sparkling evening stars. "But if you indulge me once more, I promise I will repay my debt."
Mint prayed until the morning of the next day. The servants attending to her snickered, saying they've seen many others do the same and not change their fate. She continued to pray, never moving, forgoing food and water. Even as the servants forced bread to her lips.
"Starving yourself won't work either," Biwanari told her on the third day, forcing her to eat. Though she was compelled to eat, Mint kept her hands firmly clasped. On the seventh day, she received a response.
I have sent for you.