Chapter 1 (1665)

Copernicus is found out.

IT was two years into her life before Copernicus saw another demon. She grew for those years in the quiet of her home only allowed to see her father and the birds he gave her as a gift of her creation. He kept her siblings away and made sure even his spouses didn’t go near her. He wanted her untainted. But on the first day of her third year, they came. The children of Dragonguard, three beautiful and exotic dragons. The two siblings of Inubis, royal and slim and enticing. And her own half siblings each different than the next. She was wide eyed and new, staring through dark eyes at the crowd. She vibrated in excitement. Beside her, her father stood tall and furious so no one seemed to want to move. The first to step up to her was a lanky dragon, his hybrid skin a scaly maroon with smooth human paleness. He held out his hand and she took it shyly, her skin mimicking his deep red, making him smile.

“I’m Lokson of Dragonguard. It’s nice to meet you, Regent Copernicus,” he said.

And she fell in love right there.

She couldn’t speak for a moment but finally shook herself out and smiled charmingly, mimicking his movements.

“It’s lovely to meet you as well. I’m sure we’ll be great allies by the end of all of this,” she said.

“I’m sure we’ll be great friends,” he stressed.

Next to her, her father bristled but she kept smiling. Lokson turned to his sister and brother and gestured them forward. His mother  stood off to the side, still and waiting. Though he was the youngest he had been chosen as the one most likely to be betrothed to the future queen and as such, he would make the introductions.

He introduced his oldest brother, Kobre who was a charcoal black with piercing blue eyes and a stern mouth. Then his sister Cambria who was the most human looking with smooth skin and a blue tint that matched her red hair wonderfully. Her emerald eyes matched Lokson’s and Copernicus cocked her head so her bat shaped ears could hear them breathing.

“You’re all so lovely,” she said almost in awe.

“You can be too,” Cambria said honestly, “You’re lucky. You can change anything. I can only warp what’s already here.”

Canterberia, the Queen of Dragonguard, elbowed her daughter with a sideways glance but Copernicus only smiled slowly, letting her uneven skin smooth out.

“Better!” Cambria chirped. Lokson rolled his eyes but said nothing. Kobre looked bored.

“I’m sorry for my daughter. She’s young. Hardly four years old. Please, let’s move on,” Canterberia said regally.

Percy, the king of Inubis stepped forward and presented his two children. Both had skin that glowed in shades of gold and they made Copernicus c**k her head at different angles to take in the light.

“You glow,” she said, reaching for it. When the boy, Lex, stepped into her space she curled clawed fingers against his skin and pierced it so he winced. Reverently, she licked the blood that had seeped free.

“You taste like sunlight,” she said moonily. “Do you think if I ate you, I would glow too?”

“Let’s not find out,” Percy said with a warm smile down at the small demon.

“Daddy,” she tugged on her father’s hand, “Why don’t I glow?”

“You aren’t of Inubis, my blood-love,” he said, “You are pure of Hellion.”

“And that makes you more powerful than all of us,” Lex said with a small smile.

“I know. Daddy told me I get to rule everything when I’m older,” Copernicus said.

“You  get to pick who rules our kingdom, too,” Lex said. Copernicus looked up at her father in awe.

“Really?” she asked with the excitement of a child finding out they can have their favorite toy.

“Didn’t you teach her, Luc?” Percy chided, “She should know these things. It’s an important decision.”

“Relax,” the king of Hellion known mostly as the Satan, Lucas, said with a shrug, “They’ve got hundreds of years left to live before that. She’ll learn in time.”

“She’s young,” Canterberia said, “We have many years before it becomes important. Let them live, first.”

“Daddy,” Copernicus pulled on his hand once more. Luc looked down indulgently.

“Who are they?” she pointed to the six other children waiting by the castle door.

“Those are your half siblings, sweet-blood. They’re also here for you,” he said.

She bounced a bit, her legs shimmering in and out of shape before settling. “So many new friends,” she beamed.

“Of course my one and only,” he said and gestured the other children forward.

Her half siblings glowered but stepped forward. First was Calliope, thin and lithe with wings for arms and long white hair. Second, Calpurnia who stood tall but with a cruel curve to her lips, her eyes so red they made Copernicus squirm. Third was Caspian who reached to take her hand and made her flinch. Fourth was Carlisle who only looked her over and said hello. Fifth and sixth were Cerise and Clea, twins with oval eyes and whiskers. She met each with both joy and trepidation. She had begun her life alone in a castle but now they would all be moving in. For about 100 years they would be with her and she would choose which of each group would be her betrothed. Tradition dictated at least three spouses per Satan and she would choose at least one from each royal family including her own.

SHE didn’t help to move them into the palace she’d grown in. She watched as guards carried trunks of clothing and exotic gifts into the guest quarters. When one of her half siblings stopped in front of her, she jumped.

“You grew up alone,” the girl said. Her winged arms flapped a bit before settling.

“Yes,” Copernicus said hesitantly. Seeing these other children, she already knew she was different. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be. A swirl of smoke dusted her feet as her anxiety built.

Her sister, Calliope, looked down but didn’t comment. “That must have been lonely,” she said.

“I don’t know what that means,” Copernicus said honestly.

Calliope nodded. “I think you’ll figure it out now. But that’s okay. Because you won’t be lonely anymore. I know why we’re here but I’m going to tell you a secret.”

Copernicus nodded. She liked secrets. Father had told her that her birth had been a secret. That she had been a wonderful secret he’d kept from all the other kings and queens because they would be jealous and want to take her for their own. She waited for this secret.

“I don’t care if you pick me,” Calliope said, “I don’t think I want to rule. But I do want to be your friend. I was lonely too, until I met Carlisle. He’s my best friend.”

Copernicus thought back to the still and serious boy with the violet eyes. “He doesn’t seem friendly,” she said.

Calliope nodded. “I know. But he’s very sweet. You’ll see. He likes you. He says he can tell when he meets people how he’ll feel about them based on their energy and yours is fine. Like spun gold. I would be jealous but I don’t want to marry him either. I don’t think I want to marry anyone.”

“I don’t want to marry anyone either,” Copernicus said seriously. She couldn’t conceive of the idea that she would be married. She knew distantly of marriage based only on what her father told her of his six spouses. He never seemed to like them much and they didn’t seem to like him either. She’d once heard one shouting for him and it had felt like claws down her back.

“Well you have to,” Calliope said practically, “But not for a long time. Maybe you’ll change your mind by then.”

“I hope so,” Copernicus said worriedly.

Calliope looked down at Copernicus’ clawed hands. “Can you change your fingers? I want to hold your hand but I’m afraid you’ll cut me.”

Copernicus looked down and concentrated. For a moment her hands seemed to shimmer but then the claws were gone, her fingers instead curved and fine like her father’s when he wanted to play with her. Calliope smiled.

“I’m jealous of that,” she said as she took Copernicus’ hand with her own winged one. The feathers ticked Copernicus’ palm.

“I like your wings,” Copernicus said shyly.

“You could make some,” Calliope said.

“But they’re yours. I won’t take that,” Copernicus said with a shake of her head.

Calliope smiled. “Come on. I’ll show you where we’re staying. You’ll like it. No need to ever be alone.”

Slowly, Copernicus smiled.

THE North Wing of the castle was large and spacious and had been empty until the children moved in. Lucifer watched his half daughter pull the child he’d created into her new room. They were both laughing and something in his chest burned at the sight. For two years he’d locked her away. Made sure his Copernicus had been just that; only his. Watching her smile, her lips too wide and her teeth too uneven, he wanted to snatch her back. She was made to be his heir and they would defile her. But he’d lost the ability to hide her and the other kingdoms were clamboring to see her. To engage their children to her. To kill her if need be.  So he’d devised the plan to bring them all to him where he could watch them and guide her. He needed her to be his, always and forever. When the door shut behind the girls he walked away but resolved to keep an eye on those two and on anyone who got close to his beloved daughter.

“I’VE never seen this much of the castle,” Copernicus said with wide eyes. Calliope had pulled Carlisle into the room with them and they were both watching her take in the room.

“See?” Calliope said, “I told you.”

“Yes. She’s so new. Not like father,” Carlisle agreed.

“What about father?” Copernicus cocked her head.

Calliope and Carlisle looked at one another before looking back at her. “Nothing. He’s just different with us.”

“Oh. He’s so nice to me. We play with my ravens sometimes. He likes to throw food for them to catch,” Copernicus smiled.

“That’s nice,” Carlisle said without warmth. When Copernicus cocked her head again he said. “It really is lovely to meet you.”

“I know! It’s lovely to meet all of you. Do you know where the dragons are staying?” she asked.

Calliope smiled slyly. “You mean Lokson. The youngest son. Yes, he’s pretty, isn’t he?”

Copernicus looked confused. “He was bright. Like those two from Inubis. It glowed from right here,” she put her fingers over her bloodstone in her chest and tapped.

Carlisle’s eyes flicked over her. “Yes,” he said, “He does.”

“I think he would be warm. Don’t you?” Copernicus asked openly.

Carlisle looked at Calliope and they both marveled at the open and guileless child in front of them. They’d expected someone rough and almost evil but she was wide eyed and willing to learn. She wanted sunlight.

Carlisle smiled finally. “Yes. I do think he would be warm. Let’s find him.”

WEEKS used to feel long for Copernicus. Two years had felt like a leaking sink that dripped by slowly. But then the children had entered the castle and suddenly two weeks flew by. She was fast friends with Calliope and careful around Carlisle but the highlights of her time were Lokson, Lex, and his sister Sobel. She copied Lokson’s skin and tried to taste the glowing light of the incubus and succubus siblings. She learned about being a leader with not just her father, but others surrounding her. And she learned to play.

Before they’d entered, her  playing was speaking to her birds and waiting for her father’s whims to slide back towards her. Now playing meant running through the halls and finding her favorite kinds of feet so she ran the fastest. It meant laughing loudly and not caring who heard and copying her surroundings so she could hide better than the rest of them. It also meant learning to lose sometimes. It meant exhaustion and joy and days that no longer felt long. She now knew what lonely had meant and she knew for a fact she wasn’t anymore.

The other children varied in kindness. Some of her half siblings were cruel and tried to trip her or make her bleed. Once, when she’d cried to her father about it, he’d soothed her by saying that some of his children were wicked just as their other parent was and that she’d need to learn to harden herself to pain. So when her half brother Caspian cut her arm until it bled she laughed instead of cried and he never did it again. But it wasn’t just unkindness. Carlisle and Calliope spent their time in lessons sitting with her and ran wild with her in the fire gardens. They never hurt her for fun and once, when Carlisle sunk his teeth into Copernicus’ hand as they played, he fell to his knees and begged for forgiveness. She’d drawn him back to his feet, giggling, and told him that he need never kneel to her. There was joy in her life in a way that there had never been before and she was gloriously happy for the first time in her life.

IT was four months into their stay when they were at dinner and Cambria, the middle dragon, leaned forward to ask,

“Are you ever going to choose one form?”

She didn’t say it unkindly, just frankly and though Kobre elbowed her she kept her eyes trained on Copernicus, waiting for her answer.

Copernicus looked down at her clawed hands. She’d modified them from the claws on her birds. Her ears were that of a bat, curved and fuzzy, so she could hear better. Her father had showed her those. Her skin bubbled and changed with her choices and now sat in a plump, fluid, form. The only thing that had always been the same was her eyes. They were a deep black and expanded when she was upset.

“I don’t know how to change into something I want. Only something I’ve seen,” she said finally.

Cambria looked at her critically. She had chosen a human form to use in everyday functions. Most demons did. Though they weren’t of mixed blood, the human forms tended to be easier to use and more recognizable. Cambria looked to be a preteen with a slim figure and bright red hair. She looked like she’d taken time to figure it out.

“I can help you,” Cambria offered. It was the first time the female dragon had offered anything to Copernicus and the demon princess flushed and looked down.

“I’d like that,” she said shyly.

“See!” Cambria crowed to her brother, “I told you. I wasn’t being rude.”

“That’s debatable,” he said with a shrug, “But you’re lucky she likes you. You know she could kill us just as easily as her father.”

Copernicus cocked her head at the wording. “Could I?” she asked.

The rest of the table stilled. Each day they found out more and more about the demon princess and what she had never been taught. They’d all grown knowing the horrible and furious power of Lucas and when it had been discovered that he’d created a pure blood child they had taught their children with an air of gravity that she could destroy them as well. They had been taught to impress her not just for her throne in the future, but so their kingdoms could also thrive. Luc was the most powerful demon in the Lower World and any child he’d handmade would no doubt be just as cruel and wild. So far she hadn’t shown that side but they were all waiting for it. Her not knowing her own power was terrifying in its own way.

“Did father never tell you how powerful you are?” Calliope asked softly.

Copernicus shook her head. “He told me I’m linked to this land and one day I’ll get to rule it. He told me I’m special. A secret of his. I have three blood stones, not just one and that makes me strong but he never explained that I could kill others.”

Carlisle blinked and took in the information to file away for later. No one had known how many stones sat inside Lucifer’s daughter. He’d been secretive of the number. It was clearly lower than five since she wasn’t flattening cities when she walked, but it could have been two, three, or four. All of which were more than the normal demon. Each demon tended to be created with one blood stone and that was a mix of their parent’s powers. Copernicus was created solely from Luc and he’d created three stones. He himself only had two. He’d made a child more powerful than even he was and he hadn’t told her that.

They all stared at Copernicus in new awe. Three blood stones made her even more of a novelty. She blinked at them all.

“Is that bad?” she asked.

“No,” Lokson said before anyone else could respond. “It’s just different.”

She looked around at the different children. Each one looked different than the next but they all looked at her as if she was the special one. She hadn’t truly realized she was.

“Do I want to be different?” she asked shyly.

Sobel nodded, her auburn glow burning bright. “Yes,” she said, “Being different is something to be proud of.”

Copernicus cocked her head past the normal amount it should tip. “Are you different?” she asked.

“We’re all different, silly,” Sobel laughed. “I’m even different than my brother!”

Copernicus watched them with a calculating gaze. Her face began to morph. It became human and smooth, a soft glow under the surface so the dark brown she’d chosen looked like chocolate gold. She beamed.

Lex and Sobel smiled indulgently. “I wonder if you taste like sunlight,” Lex said kindly.

Something in Copernicus’ chest thudded at his smile and she ducked her head in confusion. The other children laughed but it wasn’t unkindly. Copernicus ducked her head once more.

Above them on the mezzanine Luc and his spouses watched. He frowned furiously. Arista, his first wife, smiled in animosity.

“Do you still think making her was a good idea, my love?” she asked nastily.

He gazed at her steadily while his others looked on passively.

“Yes. This is simply something all parents must get through,” he said.

“You didn’t go through this with our children,” his third husband, Paxton said sternly.

The other spouses nodded. Arista gazed down at Caspian, her son, and smiled fondly.

“Caspian didn’t need you to. He didn’t need you at all,” she said proudly.

“None of them need me. But Copernicus does,” he said with a triumphant smile.

Arista made a noise of disgust. “Children are the highest form of narcissism and you’ve won that contest. You created a whole child to prove you could. And now you’ll make her in your image to show us that you can and that somebody will love you,” her lip curled as she spoke.

“You’re so kind, my dear,” he said in response.

Arista bared her teeth in the semblance of a smile. He shook his head and looked down at Copernicus who was smiling brightly in the presence of others. He felt jealousy spurt through his body but he quelled it. There would be time enough for that.

“AND I can do more things than you all can?” Copernicus asked as she walked with Lex and Lokson to their astronomy lesson. The stars meant many things in the world of the demons and they learned the meanings to better understand their world and their powers. Stars also linked them to the Upper World as they did not shine in Hellion or on any demon plane.

“Yes. You were created without the consent of the council,” Lex said frankly in the way that children do, “So it made my father and mother very angry but we don’t destroy children who have done nothing, they said, so instead they sent us here so we could marry you and have a stronger tie to Hellion as a whole.”

“Us too. Whoever you choose will inherit our kingdom’s crown and throne. That way our ties to the throne of Hellion are strong. My mother and father saw your creation as an opportunity, albeit one they weren’t planning on,” Lokson said.

“I don’t know if I want that much….power,” Copernicus said doubtfully.

“We’ll help you,” Lex offered. “You don’t need to do things on your own.”

She smiled gratefully and took each of their hands. They walked linked together to their class.

THAT first year was filled with new things for Copernicus. She let herself be happy but something left her with trepidation. Though she still spent time with her father, he felt distant and he looked at her differently. It worried her but she had so many new things to do with new people that she didn’t dwell. On her fourth birthday the kings and queens returned to the castle for her party and she was fitted for her first true dress.

“Why do I have to wear this?” she complained to Cambria who had been elected to help her pick the fabric and then to help Copernicus pick a shape while she wore it.

“Because you can’t go naked,” Cambria said with a roll of her eyes.

“I don’t usually wear things that need me to stay in a certain shape,” Copernicus said doubtfully.

“Then it’s a good time to practice,” Cambria pointed out. “You’re going to grow up to be a queen. Haven’t you seen your father’s spouses? They all dress beautifully and they aren’t even ruling. You need to make a statement. So we practice now!”

Copernicus looked at the golden fabric with navy blue swirls that she’d chosen. It was smooth  and soft and had been brought down from the Upper World for her. She didn’t know how to wear something so beautiful. She stared at it doubtfully.

“Come on. Do what we practiced,” Cambria coaxed. She tapped Copernicus’ tar seeping middle and Copernicus sucked in a deep breath, the sticky substance rolling. Slowly, it began to form a human shape. Slimming and making hips, then a stomach, then legs, it worked its way along her body until she stood in the shape of a young girl. Her black eyes blinked out at Cambria and she looked skeptical.

“This feels weird,” she said.

“That’s because you have no hair yet. What’s your favorite color?” Cambria put her hands on her slim waist and cocked her head to look at Copernicus.

She was still too soft for Cambria’s liking who enjoyed people who could cut with their curves, but it was a step in the right direction.

“I don’t know. Black, I guess,” Copernicus said, speaking out of the side of her now human mouth. Frowning, she poked at her lips. Cambria swatted her hand away.

“So think of long, black hair. As black as you like and make it happen,” Cambria said.

Copernicus frowned more deeply. She concentrated and giggled slightly as hair follicles began to push out long black hair. It was wavy and kinked to her shoulders. She beamed at Cambria who gave her a small smile.

“Not my style, but it’s something. Come on, let’s put the dress on. We’ll do your hair from there. And then you need to memorize this form so that at the ball you can stay in it,” she stressed.

“You’re so pretty, Bria. How do you stay in that form?” Copernicus asked with a tilt of her head.

“I’m different from you. I’m given two forms as a child. It’s not endless. I chose this form and it will grow as I do. It isn’t something I think about it. You have it harder. You have to try, at least for now,” Cambria answered.

“For now?” Copernicus asked quizzically.

“Yes. See, your father says you will pick a form sooner or later like he did. It just makes it easier. You won’t lose your ability to change it, but it won’t be as thoughtless. You’ll have a solid form you stay in and options to change it,” Cambria explained.

“But what if I don’t like that form?” Copernicus asked.

Cambria took the now human hand of the younger demon. “It’s okay. We’ll find you the perfect form. I won’t let you pick something bad.”

Copernicus smiled. She loved her half sister and her half brother. She even loved Lokson and Lex but Cambria was honest and kind when it mattered most. Copernicus couldn’t help but feel a kinship with the dragon that she didn’t feel with the others. She was learning quickly that different people incited different feelings and her love of Lex varied from even her love of Lokson. She didn’t know how she’d pick just one person per family to marry when she adored them all. Even Sobel, Lex’s sister, was beautiful and kind. Copernicus felt like an odd and ugly duckling being courted by swans.

She fit into the dress perfectly and when Cambria beamed, she thought she would wear anything Cambria wanted if it made the girl smile like that.

“Look in the mirror! It looks wonderful!” Cambria nearly squealed.

Copernicus turned to the full length mirror that Cambria had wheeled into the room and looked at herself. She was startled by what she saw. She wasn’t tall or especially thin but the dress hung on her form well and the colors matched the mocha skin tone she’d adopted. Her black hair was a bit bushy but Cambria already had her hands in it, folding it and brushing through it so Copernicus leaned into the touch.

“It’s nice to have hair for someone to pet. In my other form it’s best when someone scratches my scales but I like someone running their fingers through my hair, better,” Cambria said.

Copernicus reached up to Cambria’s wavy locks and ran her fingers through it. Cambria sighed and leaned into the sensation.

“You’re more agreeable than I thought you would be,” she said thoughtfully.

“I don’t know what that means?” Copernicus stopped stroking and looked at Cambria in confusion.

“My mother warned me. You met no one but your father for two years. In the grand scheme of our lives that isn’t long, but it’s also your father, so we thought you’d be a bit more vicious. You’re actually just….sweet. And accommodating. It’s a bit disconcerting and for a while Kobre thought you were faking it but it’s been long enough now and I’ve spent enough time with you to see that it’s just….you,” Cambria rambled.

“Why do you all speak of my father like that?” Copernicus asked.

Cambria laughed dryly. “Because he runs all of our lands. Because he’s more powerful and therefore has the ability to destroy us all. Because he lets us all know it.When I was created your father came. He held me and told my mother that I was beautiful. And then he sliced into my stomach just to show he could,” Cambria said flatly.

Copernicus winced and couldn’t find the words to make it okay. She opened her newly formed arms and blinked up at the slighter taller dragon. After a moment of hesitation Cambria stepped into them. Copernicus was warm and soft next to Cambria’s cold and sharp curves. The ice dragon wasn’t used to warmth and she involuntarily snuggled into it. Copernicus giggled when Cambria’s hair tickled her nose. Cambria pushed her back at arm's length and studied her critically.

“Definitely nothing like your father,” she said firmly. Copernicus flushed and looked down, her hair in her face.

Cambria pushed the hair back and smiled.

“Come now, let’s do your hair. It’s almost time for the ball!”

Copernicus couldn’t help but smile back. She allowed Cambria to pile the hair on top of her head in elaborate braids, somehow excited for the night ahead.

THE music was loud and pounding but it felt like someone pouring blood over hot stones. It sizzled and made Copernicus’ blood hot and raging. She stood in her gown and felt large for the first time. For the first time in her life, she felt powerful. She walked into the room with no one beside her and for once, she didn’t look back.

Luc watched his daughter slide into the room and the burst of pride he felt made his skin sizzle. She would be a queen, just as he’d hoped. Her head was high, black hair twisted in waves and braids atop her head and though her potential mates stood behind her, she didn’t turn to them. She strutted for the stairs to the mezzanine with every head turning to look at her. The table of Dragonguard watched her with apprehension while those of Inubis smiled at her entrance.

“There. That’s my girl,” Luc said smugly to Arista.

She sat back and crossed her long legs.

“We’ll see, my dear. Children can be so….breakable. There’s time still to tell,” she said calmly.

Luc didn’t rise to the bait. He smiled at her and replied,

“Yes, we’ll see.”

Below them, Copernicus reached the stairs and when her eyes caught her father’s he saw the fire in them. She blazed in the glory of their world. Her potential spouses fanned out to their families, the half children going to the tables that they were represented at on the main floor as Copernicus climbed the stairs. Her father met her at the top.

“My darling,” he smiled, “You look wonderful. Some of my spouses were worried you’d drop the ball. But look, you’re beautiful. Tonight you shine as the future queen.”

“Daddy,” she scolded with a smile, “I’m four. I have quite a long way to go before I’m queen.”

He pulled back the empty chair beside his seat and gestured for her to sit. “Quite right, my dear. Now, we’ll eat and then you can watch the dances. Until you’re engaged, the traditional dances will be done by us. Once you choose your first, we will introduce you into the rotation.”

He sat and the food was served by smaller demons with barbed tails and sharp fangs. Copernicus looked at the rare meat and grinned. It was her favorite and she waited with clear anticipation to dig in. Her father said the favored words over the meats and then they all began to eat. The music had started playing and demons had begun to turn in practiced motions on the floor. Copernicus looked over the edge of the mezzanine, dizzied by the patterns. She turned to her father with a grin.

“I want to do that, daddy,” she said.

“Well then I’ll get you an instructor!” he said, patting her head.

She smiled and thought about what her half siblings had told her. Blinking up at him she said,

“For all of us?”

The spouses all froze and Lucifer looked down in surprise.

“What?” he asked.

“An instructor for all of us? I’m sure Calliope and Carlisle would love to learn and it isn’t fair to leave out those from Dragonguard or Inubis,” Copernicus said with a charming smile.

“I….suppose, my dear. But wouldn’t you rather do it yourself?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head, “I’ve been alone for too long. I’d love to have the others with me. Of course, if they don’t want to, they don’t have to. But it is only fair. Lex says his father writes weekly. Wouldn’t it be nice if Inubis knew their children were welcomed here?”

Lucifer looked down at his charming daughter. She was manipulating him but he couldn’t find any anger in himself. It’s what he would have done. Finally, he nodded.

“Of course then darling. You can have whatever you want,” he said.

Alista snorted into her goblet of wine infused with blood but he ignored her. Copernicus’ eyes flitted over to the demon before going back to her father.

“Thank you, daddy,” she said graciously, throwing her arms around him in a hug. He patted her back before pulling away.

“Now I must do the traditional dances,” he told her, “You can watch from up here. Next year I will dance with you as well.”

“Okay, daddy,” she said. She slid back into her seat and smiled widely. “I can’t wait.”

THE ball had been a success and when Copernicus had told her siblings and friends of their dance lessons they’d been happy, showing her that she’d done the right thing.  Cambria smiled more in the next few days than she had in all the time she’d been in the castle and that alone made Copernicus happy.

“You asked Lucas for something?” Lex asked in near awe as they sat at dinner two nights later. He still hadn’t gotten over that one child could bat her eyes and Lucifer would melt.

“Yes. Daddy always gives me what I want,” Copernicus shrugged.

It was shocking to the rest of them how easily she said these things. None of her siblings would ever feel comfortable calling “daddy” and none of the other children could understand asking the king of all Hellion for anything more than what he offered.

“That’s nice,” Sobel said faintly.

“And now we all have dance lessons! It’s so pretty to watch! I want to be that beautiful,” Copernicus said with a small smile.

“But you are,” Lokson said quickly and when Copernicus looked up, somehow she knew he meant it. The steady glow she could see in his chest was warm and gentle and it pulsed when he spoke.

“No, not the way it was at the ball. Not the way I was thanks to Bria,” she said bashfully.

Lokson looked at her swirling body which had once more fallen back into it’s ever moving form.

“I think your beauty comes from inside. Not from what you show outside. Plus I’m sure Bria will help you find your form. She’s wonderful at that. She sees into people in a way many others don’t,” he said.

Bria flushed a dark blue and looked down at the table, “Shush,” she said with a scowl, “You’re too nice for a demon.”

“And you aren’t nearly nice enough,” Kobre said around a mouthful of meat.

Lokson nudged his brother and added, “But that’s alright. We balance out.”

“I think you’re all kind,” Copernicus said, “It’s just in your own ways.”

“How am I kind?” Cambria challenged, her skin turning a bright shade of blue that made Copernicus grin.

“You helped me get ready for the ball. You’ve been kind to me, even if you don’t think so. Daddy says kindness will get you killed but I think when I’m queen kindness will keep you alive. After all, kindness can be paired with strength. And like you say, Kobre, niceness comes from different parts of us. Cambria might kill you to take a throne but she will hold up those she loves in the end. Right?” Copernicus said with the c**k of her head.

The silence around the table was only broken by the laughter of other demons in rooms down the hall. No doubt Luc’s spouses were playing darts once more. A game in which each player was given pointed darts to throw at one another. If a dart sunk into an eye, the thrower was the winner but until then it was a lot of shrieking and running, making the castle walls echo with their mirth.

“I think you have a different way of looking at our lives and that it’s wondrous,” Lex said into the quiet.

“It is something,” Carlisle added. Calliope smiled gently at him and reached for Copernicus’ hand which was now somewhat smooth with very little claws.

“You will make a wonderful queen, I think,” she said warmly.

Copernicus beamed and sipped her cup of blood, wondering how she would ever decide who to take in marriage.

“I think the dancing will be lovely,” Sobel said after sipping her own drink.

“I want to partner with all of you,” Copernicus beamed.

“Is there anything else you want to learn? You know father will train you to be queen but you could ask for things now. Things you want. We can only teach you so much. We are children as well and there’s a whole world we could learn here,” Carlisle said logically.

“I want to learn to ride. And how to rule. I want to learn to change my form and keep it. I want to learn to fly,” Copernicus rambled so the small group around her laughed.

“I think you can learn all those things. And more, if you wish. Father would lay his world at your feet if you asked. And I think you should take advantage of that for now at least,” Carlisle said.

“For now?” she asked her half brother who turned a stiff smile her way.

“Someday he might feel differently about who you’ve become. And I’m afraid on that day he will no longer hand you what you wish but instead hurt you for asking,” he said.

Copernicus’ eyes widened. “He would never do that.”

Calliope and Carlisle shared a glance. They knew their father differently and though they both hoped she was right, they knew that someday Lucas would no longer stand to see his daughter contaminated by the children he’d been forced to bring into his castle. They knew that one day he would not be so lenient and on that day all that would matter would be Copernicus and what she would do when she saw the difference.

“Maybe not,” Calliope said.

It was enough to appease Copernicus who went back to her food without thought but it stayed on the other’s minds.

IT took three weeks for Luc to get a dance instructor into the castle but when the call came for the kids to attend they all were excited. None of them had taken real lessons before and the idea of doing something royal made them feel special. But of course Luc couldn’t let it be the only thing he gave Copernicus and so as they filed down the hall to the minor ballroom he called out to his daughter.

“Daddy!” she greeted happily, “Thank you for this wonderful present. I’m so excited.”

“Well I hope what I’m here to tell you is just as special. I’ve brought in a language specialist. I’ll be the one to teach you our language of course, but there are many other languages not just in our Lower World but in the Upper. If you want to be a true queen, you’ll know most of them. And so, for you only my darling, I’ve brought in the best in the land,” he said.

Copernicus looked over at her siblings and the other children. They were watching their feet.

“Yes, Daddy,” she said hesitantly, “But shouldn’t the others learn as well? Carlisle has shown interest in these things. As has Kobre.”

“Ah, but they don’t need it as much as you do. Kobre’s parents can send who they wish and Carlisle will never rule, so why bother?” Lucifer said flippantly.

Copernicus snuck a look at her brother. His characteristic smirk was gone and he was watching his feet. She felt fury snake up her stomach for the first time in her life and looked up, not knowing that her eyes were blazing with flames.

“Then I’ll teach him based on my lessons,” she said decisively. Luc blinked.

“But my darling, why? He’s just a half of what you are. Why bother?” he asked her.

She glared at him openly this time. “He’s my friend. And he wants to learn. So if you won’t teach him, I will. It doesn’t matter if he’ll rule. And no one is lesser than me when it counts. Not until I decide they are. That’s what you taught me, isn’t it, Daddy?” she challenged.

Carlisle had looked up when she’d said his name and now he took her clawed hand, not caring that it pierced his skin. She’d stood up for him and a bright flare of friendship was burning in his spine. All that he’d expected from her had fallen short in the most glorious way. Luc looked at their clasped hands and the blood seeping slowly from his son’s grip. Finally, he shook his head.

“As you wish, my darling. Enjoy your lesson,” he said.

He would not offer his other children the same things he offered her, but he knew he couldn’t push too much or he’d lose her and his gamble wouldn’t pay off. He watched her lead the group down the hall, anger burning all the way down to his fingertips. But he waited. He would wait and she would figure it out soon he believed. Soon, she would be back to being his.

THE dance instructor was a 500 year old demon with long legs and four spindly arms. She had two arms crossed and two just hanging at her sides as the children filed in.

“No doubt by now you’ve learned that being royal makes you different from others. You’re stronger, faster, well trained and just generally better at any given task. With that comes the ritual dances of court. And that is why I’m here. Whether you’re a true child or just a mix, the royal and traditional dances will be something you need to learn and I have been hired by Satan Lucas himself to teach you.”

She stared at the crowd of kids and rolled her dark eyes. “Consider me flattered.”

When the children simply stared back at her, she shrugged and her fuzzy shoulders seemed to shiver with the movement.

“Get in a line, then. I don’t have all day,” she snapped and they scampered to do her bidding but even with her tough exterior, Copernicus couldn’t stop smiling because just a few down the line, Carlisle was smirking and that in itself meant she’d won.

By the end of the lesson they’d learned how to twirl beautifully. And that was about it. Copernicus tripped over her own feet in the partner walk while Cambria couldn’t seem to spin her skirt the right way. Lokson kept laughing when he tripped on his own feet. Caspian and her other siblings that she tried to avoid couldn’t seem to get the basic steps and Carlisle and Calliope were counting out loud to keep moving. Sobel and Lex moved beautifully but they’re actual movements were wrong and Kobre had simply given up and was sitting off to the side.

The demon instructor whose name was told to them as Asphexia, blew out a sigh and clapped her four hands.

“Alright, stop. Stop, stop! That’s just….horrible. And enough for one day. I can’t look at you any longer. Go back to your rooms. Practice if you must but for hell’s sake, be better next week,” she snapped.

They scattered without another word. Copernicus was once more surrounded by her friends and she smiled when Sobel took her hand.

“Thank you,” the succubus said with warmth, “That was wonderful.”

“We were terrible,” Copernicus said.

“But that’s the beauty of it. Now we all get to learn,” Lex said, leaning over his sister’s shoulder to grin at Copernicus.

“I hope we get better,” Copernicus said.

“We will. It took my mother a very long time to learn the dance she does with my father,” Cambria said, “She says it all the time.”

“Thank you for doing this,” Lokson said, “And for standing up for us when your father wanted you to leave us.”

Copernicus hesitated before she replied. She knew that Carlisle and Calliope were watching her and she didn’t know how to say what she wanted to without feeling like she was betraying them.

“For a long time….” she trailed off, “For a long time it was just us. Just me and my father in that room he kept me in. I had my birds but it’s different. I don’t know for sure what he feels or does and I believe he wants my siblings to be lesser than me because he’s never liked or loved their parents but….to me it’s just him being my father. I would like those language lessons and every other lessons he gives me. But I’m learning what it’s like to not be lonely and that means not being alone in all I do anymore. So….I’m striving for more but I don’t know how to see what you see in him. At least not yet.”

She looked troubled but Calliope pulled her face up with winged fingers.

“We aren’t asking you to see what we see. I hope you never do. I know Carlisle feels the same way. We wish you all the best in your relationship with father and we thank you all the same because when it counted you stood by our sides,” she said, smiling at Copernicus.

Copernicus didn’t know how she’d gotten so lucky so quickly. She hadn’t known she’d wanted more but she had. And no matter how it had happened, she’d been handed friends. She’d been handed a young dragon who made her blood stone’s glow brightly. She’d been given an incubus and succubus who were kind and gentle. And of course she was handed her siblings. Carlisle and Calliope who seemed to be her best friends. She loved her father but she was beginning to love her friends and she’d do anything to keep them with her. She smiled widely so the tar in her teeth seeped out.

“Come on. We’ll teach you how to play hide and go seek,” Calliope said.

Her sister pulled her down the hall toward the fire gardens and Copernicus didn’t think to look back. So of course she didn’t see her father at the end of the hall, watching her go.