We left the palace in a hurry. Even though the assassins have been dealt with, there was really no reason for us to stay anymore. The deal has been sealed, and the only reason to stay would be to enjoy the hospitality of our host. But, after what had happened, nobody was up for it. Not even the host himself.

We got back in our self-pulling chariot and went home. The road back home was rather lively, with everyone telling their part of the story, quite excitedly at that. You’d think that what had happened would sour everyone’s mood, but hey … the demons and common sense clearly don’t mix together.

The only one who didn’t partake that much in the conversation was Anna, but I don’t think that’s because she was suffering internally. I don’t know her well, but I’d say she’s just a quiet person in general. That’s the impression she left on me.

By the time we got back, it was already midnight. Even though I struggled to stay awake and couldn’t wait to fall onto the bed after such an eventful day, the demons insisted that we were to have something called the after-party. Why would you have a party after a party, I don’t know, but they were very excited about it for some reason, so I didn’t feel like souring their mood. They were generous towards me so far, and I really didn’t want to appear ungrateful. I can’t say I trust them, not even now, but I knew that Mun-Hee and Anna would take care of me, even if I happened to fall asleep in the middle of it.

We went to the castle roof, which I hadn’t visited before. Ira was already waiting for us, standing next to a small table. Some big bottles stood on top of it, with the strange cups that the demons call glasses next to them.

“I can’t believe you all made it,” Ira said.

“You shut the fuck up!” Mun-Hee pointed the finger accusingly at him. Strangely, the tone of her voice wasn’t hostile. It actually sounded playful to me.

“What? Didn’t I do a good job?” He said.

“You all did a hell of a job,” the queen said, “Especially our new member.”

She started patting my head vigorously.

“I don’t think I’ll ever thank you enough,” She said.

“It was nothing, your grace.”

That made her laugh, “Don’t call me that! I may be a queen, but after today you have to call me by my first name.”

“I … that would be extremely disrespectful.”

“Not if I’m insisting on it. You saved our asses, so you deserve some special treatment. Our society rewards competent people, and you’ve just proved yourself.”

“I … thank you, your …”

She leaned in, face to face: “Have you already forgotten the name of your queen?”

“I …”

“It’s Karla.”

“I … I understand.”

“I demand that you call me like that from now on.”

“That’s enough. Leave the girl alone,” Anna intervened, moving the queen away.

“I must say, that was some impressive performance Snirba,” Ira said.

“I … did nothing special. I just knew about the labyrinth.”

“And that’s what’s impressive. You’re far more knowledgeable about the palace than any of us.”

“And that’s exactly why she was there with us,” the queen said.

“What are you trying to do? Get on her good side?” Mun-Hee asked Ira as she was handing a glass to him.

“What? I also want to be saved when in a pinch.”

“As if you’ll ever get in a pinch while hiding behind a kompjuter skrin.”

“Eric got spirited away right here.”

Ira’s words ruined everyone’s mood in an instant.

“You really have no tact, do you?” Jens said, glaring at Ira.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t choose to be socially awkward.”

“But you’re choosing to stay that way,” Mun-Hee added.

“Guys, this is not about your petty quarrels,” the queen said, picking up one of the bottles from the table, “Now is not the time to mourn those who are missing, but to praise those of us who lived! That being said Ira, you should really have some therapy sessions with Mun-Hee. As a psajhologist, she can help with your issues. Who knows, you two may even get even closer like that.”

“Aww, hell no!” Both of them responded simultaneously. “Besides,” Mun-Hee continued, “he needs a psajhajtrist, not a psajhologist.”

The queen started shaking the bottle she held in response: “Well, let’s get this bad boy out first. Everything will go smoother after that.”

She shook the bottle a bit harder, and the cork flew out, right off the roof. Instead of some drink, foam started spurting out of the bottle, prompting the queen to get the glasses quickly. After the initial foam, an actual drink started pouring through. Even though it was the middle of the night, the bright lights on the roof gave me a clear vision. It looked like wine, but it was transparently white, with a slightly golden hue.

And it had a lot of bubbles coming out of it. Does everything these demons drink must have bubbles?

Filling the first glass, the queen reached her hand out to me: “Hero of the day gets the first one.”

“I’m not …”

“Just take it,” she shook the full glass cup in her hand, prompting me to take it.

I tried bringing the glass to my lips, but Mun-Hee brought it back down.

“Not yet,” she said, “We’ll drink it at the same time.”

“Oh … ok.”

It wasn’t long before everyone had a cup in their hands. They arranged themselves in a circle, raising their hands to their eye level. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was some sort of a magical ritual.

I did my best to mimic what the rest of them did. Luckily, the queen noticed my confusion.

“What we are going to do now is make a short cheer, after which we will clink our glasses and drink at the same time.”

“Clink?”

“We’ll make them touch each other gently, just enough for the glasses to make a sound,” Booker clarified.

“But … these cups are made out of glass,” I pointed out.

“So?”

“Are you not worried? What if the glasses shatter?”

“You don’t have to ram it like an idijt,” Ira responded.

“Idijt? I’m not familiar with that word.”

“That’s what Ira is,” Mun-Hee said, “Don’t worry, it’s a special kind of glass. It will break if you throw it to the ground, but it’s durable enough to handle a little bit of clinking.”

“You can consider this to be a ritual of sorts,” the queen said, “We’re doing it to celebrate all of us getting back in one piece.”

“An ajtist ritual,” Anna clarified.

“What is an ajtist?”

“An ajtist is a person who doesn’t believe in gods,” the queen responded.

I must’ve looked at her the wrong way because she started waving her free hand dismissively right after saying that.

“It’s a long conversation, and not the one we should be having right after escaping death. Now is the time for celebration!” The queen raised her hand again.

Luckily, Booker found it fitting to give me some explanation: “But you have nothing to worry about. Just because it’s not a religious ritual that doesn’t mean it’s sacrilegious.”

They joined their glasses, leaving me no choice. Thinking for a short while, I realized that participating in this godless ritual wasn’t a big deal, considering I was surrounded by demons. It’s not like I knew what I was getting myself into, so I was certain that the gods would understand.

And the good thing about it was that I wasn’t taking part in it as a sacrifice. Asking me to partake in their ritual in such a way made it obvious that they wanted me to become one of them … for better or for worse.

So, we clinked our glass cups. They did it much stronger than I expected, but the cups stayed in one piece, and I finally got to taste that transparent thing.

It tasted … good. It tasted like a high-quality wine made out of some different fruit. Which makes sense since grapes probably don’t grow in hell. Especially in a frozen one.

It didn’t take long for the demons to lose their inhibitions. Actually, their queen lost hers first. She started hugging me, patting me, treating me as if I were some kid who needed constant attention. She was even more bothersome than Mun-Hee was when we first met each other, if you can believe that. Ira was loud and obnoxious, spouting nonsense, most of which I didn’t understand. Mun-Hee responded in kind, refusing to let a single Ira’s sentence go without rebuke while Jens was stuck in the middle, shaking his head in disapproval all the time. After a while, I realized Ira was talking nonsense just to rile Mun-Hee up. Even without the tail to show it, there was no mistaking his enjoyment in seeing her seethe with rage. I don’t realize how she didn’t figure it out yet. She knows him far longer than I do.

Anna and Booker were the only ones who didn’t let their guard down, besides me. It was the first time I was given inebriant in this place, an alien one at that, so I was careful not to fall prey to it.

“So, how is it?” Anna asked, pointing at the cup in my hand with her eyes.

“It’s delicious. And very light.”

“And yet, you’re not chugging it down. That’s good,” she nodded in approval, “It’s wise to be careful with a drink you’re not familiar with. Especially since this is a light … how do you say … inebriant? Most of the stuff coming from our world is much stronger than this.”

“It’s nice to see that you’re settling down and finding a purpose here,” Booker said.

“Of course she isss,” The queen started fondling my cheeks from behind. As she stood right behind me and was much taller than me, she rested her fat tits on top of my head.

“Have you found a purpose?” Anna asked me.

“To be honest, I’m not sure. All I know for sure is that I should follow Jens where he goes.”

That made her laugh: “Well, that’s funny. You don’t realize what your purpose is, even though you’ve fulfilled it.”

“I’m … not sure I understand …”

“We all have a purpose here,” Anna continued, “The queen represents our people. I guard her. Jens helps us create a good image for our people. Mun-Hee is good at judging other people and predicting their behavior, while Ira is always rational, which helps him see the broader picture. Don’t let his stupid rants fool you. It’s just that he likes … I haven’t learned your word for it yet … he likes messing with people. But he’s actually the most rational out of all of us when he’s not messing around. He is probably one of the most rational people in this place.”

“Actually, I think that’s exactly why he loves toying with other people’s emotions,” Booker added, “He has no idea just how much he is hurting others because he has never experienced any emotional pain whatsoever. Completely rational people have a really hard time understanding the emotions.”

“Anna told me about everyone else, but what is your purpose?” I asked him.

Booker and Anna exchanged a look between themselves. Anna kept quiet, letting us know she wanted him to answer the question.

After a long pause, he finally said: “I’m here just to be black.”

He kept a straight face for a few moments, but I bet my facial expression made him burst out laughing in the end.

“Sorry … I know it sounds strange,” he collected himself quickly, “but that’s really how it is!”

“Now, it is true that he came with us to the palace because he’s black,” Anna continued, “We want to show how diverse our people are, so we need someone who is black with us. But Booker is selling himself short. The truth is, while Ira is probably the most rational, it is Booker who is the smartest out of all of us. While we’re all concerned with mortal pursuits, he studies celestial bodies. Stars, for example. Unlike us, whose purpose is to help our people gain the upper hand, his purpose is to understand the secrets of … hmm, you’d say plane. To understand the secrets of this plane of existence. How it was created, what kinds of energy are out there, and what will happen with it. Yes, he is coming with us to the palace because he is black, but we chose him out of all the black people because he is the perfect, shining example of his kind. No one else will represent his people better.”

“Thank you for your kind words,” He responded.

“It’s true! Honestly, if you were a bit younger and would get rid of that fat stomach, I’d jump on your dick in a minute just to reward you for being such a good, hard-working, useful person.”

“That’s …” All of a sudden, Booker looked uncomfortable for some reason.

Noticing that, Anna turned her head in a dramatic manner: “Actually, now that I think of it, maybe I really am a succubus? I mean, I enjoy it no matter what, have endless stamina, and can seduce people on a whim.”

“You’re fucked in the head, that’s what you are,” The queen responded from above me, but she didn’t sound mad though.

“Aren’t we all? Aren’t all of us here twisted and strange in our specific ways? “

“Shut the fuck up, before you start giving Snirba some weird ideas.”

“But isn’t she exactly the same?” Anna pushed on, “Can’t you see it in her eyes? She’s not right in the head either. And please, don’t get me wrong,” she stretched her hands out towards me in defense, “I don’t mean anything bad by it! Being flawed doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”

“All right, that’s enough of crazy talk,” Booker interrupted her, “You’re starting to sound like Francisco now, and that’s a bad sign. I think the time has come for us to sing our song now.”