Devil Ash Deceit (Devil Ash Saga) Read Free Page B

woke up early enough to contribute to the sun when it would actually make a difference. By the time they were out of bed and out the door the sun was already large enough to bring light to almost every corner of the Kingdom.
    When the light starting pee king in through the window next to Ash's bed the boy turned over to face his roommate instead. Sometimes Aura would have his back turned on Ash, and other times he’d be facing toward Ash. This was a problem because Aura frequently slept with his eyes open. Today was one of those days.
    Instead of trying to ignore it, Ash decided he felt awake enough to get out of bed. He counted himself lucky that today he would get in the bathroom before Aura, who always took too long in the morning. The boy quietly folded his blankets back and climbed out of bed slowly, all while watching Aura's unflinching face staring back at him. Ash stepped lightly to his clothing trunk and began to dig for a clean outfit. Despite his silence, this just happened to be the moment when Aura snapped awake. He jumped out of bed and stepped into the bathroom before Ash could make his move.
    Maybe he’s not really asleep when he’s like that , Ash began to wonder.
    The kingdom was almost fully lit by the time they were exiting their tiny flat. Once again, Aura had taken a half hour in the bathroom. Ash was starving and really had to pee, but was too passive and polite to say anything to his friend. The two set off, as they did every day, walking to the castle. Though they lived in the Northern section of Hell, quite close to the castle, they usually kept to the ground instead of flying. Aura said this was because it helped to wake him up, but Ash thought it was more about getting to see all the cutest shop girls and practice his flirting skills.
    Only on the days when Aura's hair had really given him trouble or they were running late would they fly to the castle. Truth be told, neither of them were in a very big rush to have Shiva boss them around all day. With Castle Hell’s many jutting towers in their sights, the boys were only several blocks away when a most dreadful sound rang out through the streets: the demon invasion siren. Demons had entered the kingdom somewhere. People rushed indoors and closed their windows. Merchants frantically rushed to pack up their wares. Children started to cry. People were going to die.
    "Yes!" Aura said with glee to Ash.
    "It's going to be one of those days, huh?" Ash said smiling.
    It had actually gotten to the point where they wished a demon attack would happen in the morning, giving them bonus time away from drill sergeant Shiva. Goddard’s orders were for them to assist the Royal Guards with clearing out any invading demons. At first, the boys thought it criminal to have to fight demons without pay. They began to realize that time away from Shiva was their payment, and they accepted it gratefully.
    The young men, feeling liberated despite the chaos, brought out their wings and took to the sky. Traffic was a nightmare with all the commotion, forcing them to dodge and dive past other fliers in their effort to pinpoint where all the Royal Guards were going. From a hundred yards above the city they located the source of the problem. The demons had broken through the crumbly portion of wall in the Southern section, which was expected since it happened nearly every week. Ash and Aura beat their wings, anxious to find out what they'd be up against.
    The boys could only catch quick glimpses of the demons at first. They saw roughly humanoid figures lurking between the buildings and avoiding the main streets. The longer they watched, the more the boys saw those dark shapes dart out quick as a blur and snatch anyone trying to escape. When Ash spotted a helpless young boy get snatched, he could wait no longer. The boy dropped from the sky in a free-fall, turning it into a glide only several feet above the street and then landing squarely on the ground.
    The building he stood