Chapter 7: Maria

  For those in the spacecraft with eyes, it was easy to see that New Paris was unlike its namesake; it boasted some of the largest hanging gardens in all of Eden. Fruits and vegetables grew from every porch, every window, and every corner. Venus flytraps would snap and bite at bees as they rushed to pollinate every tree, and the tentacles of sundew waved at Alfred's ship as it flew by.

  The lingering signs of protest and battle were still there, but from the skies above, within the walls of a spacecraft, it would never reach them. They were in the unique position to ignore the conflict and just embrace the beauty around them.

  It was truly a place where urban life and flora met and lived in harmony. In Maria's youth, she would hear stories about it, one of the greatest cities in the solar system, only second to the living forest that was The Garden.

  Soon enough, the ship flew towards the Lincoln Manor, a building of staggering might. Eight stories and too many rooms to count. Made of the finest marble shipped directly from Earth itself and covered in green and brown vines across its entire surface. A marvel of architecture.

  Alfred, who had driven all this way, took a deep breath and began to descend the ship towards the palace. As the craft descended, he reached under his seat and tapped a button. With that tap, the craft became dark, and the Earl spoke calmly. "No light in, no light out. We are functionally invisible. I have the rest of the path memorized; do not worry."

  'I would hope you would know the way to your own palace.' Thought Maria, who at this point was used to her world being dark. Blindness had a certain way of creating a comfort in not knowing exactly where you're going.

  As the spacecraft traveled, a chill grew over Maria, and goosebumps grew across her skin. She sensed minds. A lot of minds—more minds than she was comfortable with.

  "Do you have visitors, Earl?" Asked Maria.

  "Yes, I have chosen to reveal the prisoners on the day of the naming of my heir. I thought I mentioned that." Said Alfred.

  There were easily hundreds of minds in that palace, some of them demonic in nature. In fact, a great deal of them were demonic in nature. There must've been a demon for every mortal in that palace. "You sure have picked quite the crowd to reveal the prisoners to." Said Maria.

  "Well, as I said before. Lucia was quite popular. A lot of people want to know about this case." Replied Alfred.

  Judge Martin looked over at Maria and gulped. "Are you okay, detective? You look... tense."

  "There is strong magic in that palace, hundreds of people. This isn't even a coronation; this is just an heir naming. Why are there so many people?" Said Maria as quiet as a whisper.

  "Strong magic, well, of course. The aeonic order will be there. You have worked with them before. It'll be alright." Said Martin, raising an eyebrow at the blind woman.

  Truth be told, Maria didn't even notice the knights of Aeon among the crowd. She had to search the minds for a long while before she found one she recognized. It was none other than Jacob. She knew that mind—something familiar among all that glut.

  "It's not just knights, Earl; your palace is crawling with demons." Said Maria, finally.

  Alfred froze. "How can you tell?"

  "I see their minds along with those of man." Explained Maria.

  "Are you sure it's not just the one that follows you?" Said Alfred. "The demon who you sold your eyes?"

  "I'm very sure. If I had to guess, there's as many demons as there are knights in your palace right now." Said Maria.

  "In that case we must tread carefully." Said Alfred.

  Maria's lips curled at the Earl's words, and she shook her head. It was difficult enough to keep one's nerve in a new city with unfamiliar people, but now with demons in the mix, it was almost impossible.

  "Having regrets already?" Asked Alfred.

  "A few," said Maria.

  "Well, at least your honest. Do not stress yourself worrying too much about what lurks in the corners of the supernatural. A demon is of no threat if it does not have your soul, and only one demon has yours. None has mine." The earl said.

  Maria clutched her chest. "I sold my eyes, not my soul."

  "Even better," said Alfred.

  With that said, the ship finally came to a complete stop; the doors of the spacecraft burst wide open, and light appeared from within the vehicle once again. Maria, Alfred, Martin, and the guards were now in a garage of the palace.

  "The party is upstairs. You all are my guests, so I will lead the way." Said Alfred, standing up and being the first to leave the craft. The soldiers each coming to him and standing to each side of him.

  With just Martin and Maria left in the craft, Martin her his arm. "It may be easier to get around with a bit of help." Said Martin with a cheery grin.

  "I do appreciate it." Said Maria, who accepted the arm, and left the spacecraft with Martin.

  When she exited, Maria could feel the many souls inside of the palace, both human and otherwise growing stronger and stronger. It took a lot of strength to focus on just one soul, but she did it anyway to address Alfred.

  "If it's okay with you, I would like to speak to the knights of Aeon before I meet with your son Earl. I think they could be helpful in finding some of the demons." Said Maria.

  "Leaving the future head of New Paris waiting? You are braver than me." Said Martin, interjecting with a soft chuckle.

  "You can, but do not leave him waiting long. The prince has offered you his time; the time of nobility is not offered lightly." Answered Alfred.

  "Still as humorless as ever when it comes to your titles, Alfred." Said Martin.

  "I take my duties seriously; I do not poke fun at your work as a judge; do not poke fun at my work as an Earl." Said Alfred.

  Judge Martin pursed his lips.

  "I had to earn my title; yours was inherited." Said Martin, who scowled at Alfred.

  The two men stared at each other for a brief moment, and the tension that grew was palpable. Maria separated her arm from the judge and bowed her head.

  "Stop arguing. You both have your titles; they're both valid." Said Maria.

  The words fell on deaf ears.

  "I had to fight inside this very garage for my title; what do you know of that?" Said Alfred. "What do you know of what I went through for my title?"

  Maria frowned. "You don't mind, I will take my leave. If you're just going to argue."

  "Detective, go on ahead. Um, Jeffery, go with her; make her she's attended to." Said Alfred, waving a hand at one of his guards.

  The guard, Jeffery, and Maria made hurried steps up the stairs well as fast as their feet could take them. They moved until the arguing from the two men was nothing more than a whisper, and they both took a deep breath once they were up the stairs.

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  Little did Maria know, but she immediately attracted attention once she ascended into what was the main hall of the palace. People took a good look at the woman who had bandages where eyes should've been, and talk ensued almost immediately.

  "Is that another demon?" One person said.

  "That is not the dress of a noblewoman." Another said.

  The first phrase rang in Maria's ears much more than the second. Another demon? She thought. Did one dare to reveal itself in this very palace? Her mind raced. She was not sure whether to walk in the direction of all the voices or flee to go in the opposite direction. She searched for the familiar mind of Jacob to no avail and quickly came to regret coming up the stairs with only a stranger to guide her.

  It wasn't until a third phrase was said that Maria knew what direction to go. "Is that the blind woman who reads minds?"

  It wasn't a voice that Maria was familiar with, but nonetheless, it had a honeyed, sweet tone to it that made Maria feel comfortable. The source of the voice walked over to Maria and spoke once again.

  "You must be the Maria Smith I have heard about. I am Lady Amelia Lincoln. Welcome to my palace detective. Did my husband not escort you here?" Said Amelia, who reached out her hand to Maria.

  "He's still downstairs." Answered Maria.

  "Well, in that case, come; I'll find you a place to sit. You must be famished after such a journey from Bethel." Said Amelia.

  Maria's stomach was feeling rather unwell now that she had a chance to think about it.

  "I am; what is there here to eat?" Said Maria.

  "What do you like to eat?" Asked Amelia.

  Maria tried to think of a plethora of fancy foods she imagined nobles eating, but her mind failed her.

  "Macaroni and cheese?" She answered.

  Amelia Lincoln tilted her head and just smiled at the young woman in front of her. "You know, most people when asked that by a lady of nobility usually say caviar or king crab. I like your answer, it's new."

  The lady clapped her hands together and a servant came rushing out to greet her. "Ser, make this woman hear your finest macaroni and cheese. Do not skimp on the cheddar either we can buy more if we need to."

  The servant saluted Amelia, said "yes ma'am!" and ran off to complete his task.

  Next Lady Amelia guided Maria to a seat in the throne room and took a seat next to her. "My son wants to meet you. Do you want to speak with him now or wait until you have eaten?"

  "Actually... I wanted to speak to the knights here first. Specifically Jacob. From what I hear demons have taken hold in your palace and I think he would know what to do."

  The noblewoman's demeanor changed entirely, what was once a smile became a scowl and she hissed out a phrase. "Who told you a demon was here?" Asked Amelia.

  The change in demeanor rattled Maria and her heart raced. "No-no one. It's my power. I don't read minds. I see them." She explained.

  "I see. Well yes, one creature of unknown race was here earlier. We are not sure if it was a demon, but it could've been. Demonic magic has no palace within these walls, and trust it will be taken care of." Said Amelia.

  Maria nodded. "No demonic magic within your walls. That's understandable. I'm assuming that means I will be handling the interrogations elsewhere? Probably would be good to do them somewhere the demons aren't." Said Maria.

  "Interrogations? Demons as in plural?" A moment of realization came upon the Lady Lincoln. Her eyes grew wide and her scowl got more intense. "Do you mean, you are a practicer of- oh. I swear to god. When I see Alfred I'm going to-" a small grumble erupted from the woman and she gave an awkward smile.

  "You need to speak to Jacob immediately and figure out how to get rid of these pests you have brought into my house. Follow me." Amelia grabbed Maria's hand, and dragged her out of the throne room quickly much to amusement of many spectators who had come for the crowning.

  Maria was brought to a room that opposite of the royal changing room, and Amelia knocked on the door hard three times. In a moment it was opened by Jacob who was now wearing two blades around his belt, the ceremonial sword of a knight of aeon and a ruby dagger dripping with demonsblood.

  "Hello, my lady and hello Maria. It is good to see you both again." Said Jacob.

  "You, her. Get these demons out of my house. Now." Said Amelia, before leaving and closing the door.

  Inside of that room Maria immediately two separate minds. The familiar one that was Jacob, and another.

  "Who's that?" A new voice said, from someone who could only be the other mind.

  "It's the blind woman who reads minds, Orin." Answered Jacob.

  "Oh yeah, blind woman who reads minds. Cool." Said Orin, who stared at his phone.

  Maria groaned.

  "Are you the reason everyone calls me that?" She asked, tilting her head towards Jacob.

  "Nope, but it is what everyone calls you nonetheless. Would you rather people start calling you the succubus of Eden again?" Said Jacob with a shrug of his shoulders.

  Maria shook her head, and then spoke. "You have a point. Anyway, what do you know about the demons who came here?"

  "Demons, plural? As far as I knew there was only one here, but multiple is news to me." Said Jacob.

  "Honestly I'm more interested in that one you know than the others." Said Maria, who raised her fingers to her chin. "It revealed itself didn't it?"

  "It did. God knows if it's still here, but unlike most demons clearly it wanted to make its presence known to us." Answered Jacob.

  "What did it say?" Asked Maria.

  "Some nonsense about demons being invited into the palace. The ramblings of a mad creature. It left a dagger from where it came and now I have put in charge of keeping an eye on it. Orin here has offered to help me." Said Jacob.

  The elder prince, Orin's attention was focused more on his phone, than the conversation at hand. He only took the time to look up when his name was said.

  "You're awfully quiet." Teased Jacob. "You're not going to greet your father's guest?"

  "Hm?" Orin took a good look at Maria and set down his phone with a grin. "I was expecting you to be older. How old are you?"

  "Twenty two." Said Maria.

  "And a detective? You're talented, Beauty and brains." He turned to look at Jacob. "If I may, I want to give the detective a tour of the palace. It would be my honor."

  Jacob squinted at Orin and shook his head.

  "A knight of aeon takes no wives."

  "I wasn't going to do anything." Said Orin.

  "The last time you gave a woman a tour of the palace. I found her-" Jacob paused. "-inspecting weaponry. You're not giving a tour to the guest, absolutely not."

  Maria struggled to stifle a laugh and chuckled.

  "He can't keep his sword in his sheath?" Asked Maria.

  "He cannot. It's an issue that plagues most of the order. Worst than any demon's dagger is the desires of bored young men." Said Jacob.

  Orin just groaned in response.

  "Speaking of that dagger, may I see it?" Asked Maria.

  The elder knight nodded and grabbed it from his belt with a great deal of caution. "Be careful, the blade is oozing with demonsblood."

  The detective nodded back at Jacob and grabbed the dagger by its handle, and then ran her hands through the entirety of it. Her fingers were dipped into the black blood and it ran down her hand like rain in the night.

  "Is that new?" Said Jacob.

  "What's new?" Asked Maria.

  Jacob watched as the blood ran through the blind woman's hand in awe and reached out to touch the droplets himself only to be burnt by the wretched blood.

  "Ah!" Yelped Jacob.

  "What?!" Said Maria.

  "Maria, you are human right?" Asked Jacob.

  At this point even Orin had put down his phone entirely and was watching Maria with a perplexed expression.

  "Yes. What kind of question is that?" Said Maria.

  "Everyday I thank the aeons that I chose aeonic magic as my study, for the practice of demonic magic still baffles me even at my advanced age." Said Jacob. "I have never seen someone touch demonsblood the way you touched it."

  "You can't be burnt by something that's inside of you." Maria said, matter of factly. "I am as much demon as you are aeon. Meaning not at all."

  Maria handed the dagger back to the man and smiled. "I did not invite the demons that are here, nor do I know how to get rid of them. I know demons are attracted to events of importance. Events they have seen in the flames of the future." Mused Maria. "Maybe, just maybe they want to see the heir of one of the richest cities in the world get crowned. That's pretty important."

  Orin raised an eyebrow. "I mean she's not wrong. Maybe this dagger is just some weird demon gift."

  "We need to test it nonetheless, but yes you may be right. Maybe these demons aren't as big as issue as we once thought." Said Jacob. "We can come back to this later. I'm famished, and the crowning should be starting soon enough. None of us should miss it."

  By the time the three of them finished talking and exited the room the crowning was soon to be underway. Hundreds of people sat in the throne room of the Lincoln Manor circled around The Charcoal Throne. There left only space left for the path from the entrance to the throne itself. Maria wished she could see it; she had heard of The Charcoal Throne only in history books and legends. It was said after Saint Johanna Lincoln commanded a fleet in the Conquest of Erdene the very first king went to earth, her home and had this very throne built for her as a gift. Its sight was said to be mesmerizing. Maria on the other hand had to hope it was beautiful as it looked in pictures online that she had seen when she younger and had her sight.

  By now both Judge Martin and Earl Lincoln himself had both made their ways upstairs. The Earl was sat of course on the throne and the judge called for Maria so that she could take a seat next to him. Orin and Jacob chose to sit next to each other on the right flank of the noble family, knights keeping guard in case anyone would dare to harm the future Earl of New Paris on the day of his crowning.

  Once everyone was sat, the Earl spoke with a level of bass Maria had not heard before and commanded the attention of everyone in the audience.

  "Ladies and Gentleman of the Kingdom of Eden and Erdene. I applaud you for finding the time to visit my palace during this time of change. I hope all of your journeys here were without trouble and I hope you all find the accommodations here in this place acceptable." He stood up from the throne and held his hand up high. "Today we are here to celebrate the crowning of my chosen heir and to reveal the prisoners who are suspected of killing his predecessor. First, the crowning."

  Triumphant trumpet playing began to ring through the palace, and a group of guards all armed entered the palace room. One by one they lined the path from the entrance and held their bayonetted rifles up high, behind them came a boy dressed in a tuxedo and wearing a burgundy silk cape. He walked down the path with his fists clenched together and his gaze seemingly avoiding the crowd.

  "My heir, Prince Malachi Lincoln."

  Malachi walked up the steps of The Charcoal Throne and soon enough replaced his father on the seat. His mother then stood up from her seat and walked up the throne to stand to the left of him on the throne's platform. The Earl stepped down to where a servant handed him a bronze crown and he quickly returned upwards to give his next speech.

  "May Prince Malachi rule over New Paris in my steed when I cannot rule anymore." The Earl went to place the crown on his son's head but was stopped when his wife held out her hand.

  "And may he become the king of Eden and Erdene, the successor of Emre and the sword of the aeons." Added Amelia.

  Earl Lincoln nodded at his wife and then finally crowned his son causing the room to erupt in a fury of clapping.

  "Arise Crown Prince."

  Malachi took to his feet and bowed at his father, who then returned to his throne; taking a seat and lowering his gaze.

  "People think that House Lincoln is to be trifled with, they believe that they can kill our Crown Princess Lucia and live another day. They are wrong, and examples will be made of them." Said Alfred in a booming voice.

  Alfred stomped his foot on the platform, causing it to shake a little. "Reveal the prisoners. I want everyone here to see their faces. Guilty or innocent, we know all of these people were there at the scene. Even if they did not kill my daughter they were bystanders nonetheless who allowed it to happen. Look at them closely, for them it may the be the last time they see the outside world and for you it may be the last time you see them."

  A door could be heard being forced open in the distance and with that came the clattering of chains, the gnashing of the teeth and the weeping of prisoners. A masked man was the first to arrive in the palace, he wielded a chain in one hand and a hand-ace in the other.

  Behind him came three individuals dressed in orange overalls , each of them were handcuffed and clearly exhausted. They all squinted and could not seem to focus on anything in particular, clearly it had been a while since they had seen sunlight.

  "Bring me Jasmine Tiwary." Said Alfred.

  Cameras flashed and people gasped when Jasmine walked forward, people who knew of Lucia knew of Jasmine. When she was arrested Maria could recall how every news network rushed to report it. She was petite woman with long brown hair, tan skin and hazel eyes. Even Maria knew that, she had saw Jasmine on television many times before she sold her eyes.

  "Bring me Jonathan McNair."

  A boy who couldn't have been much older than Malachi walked forward. No one gasped at the sight of him. He was white, and gangly. A ginger with a red goatee that was starting to grow.

  "Bring me Michael Jefferson."

  A man walked forward and Maria's ears burned with remembrance when she heard the name, for a moment she was brought back to her childhood traipsing through Bethel. 'I once knew a Michael Jefferson' she thought. Maria considered entering the man's mind and confirming her suspects, but decided to against it. Instead she sat there quietly, her brain buzzing with curiosity. Michael was black like Maria, a man with a shaved head and sunken eyes.

  If only Maria could see, because if she could she would've known that Michael was staring right at her feeling the same curiosity she did. Because he once knew a Maria Smith.