Free Devil's Workday (Devil Aster Days Book 1) by Mitchell Olson Page A

to get closer. That was exactly what he had intended to do, until he got a very real wake-up call.
    “The other men are dead, sir,” the soldier told him. Aster took a moment to actually look around him at the chaos he had orchestrated. Besides the hundreds of dead demons lying at his feet, he saw some familiar faces: The faces of several of his own men. Good soldiers, each and every one of them. Always loyal, always following orders. His comrades . They had families. They had died because their Commander hadn’t had the sense to see they were in danger.  He looked at the one remaining soldier, still scared and fighting for his life. It became painfully clear they had to turn back at once.
    Aster took one last fleeting glance at the sword in the sand, before the storm winds kicked back up and obscured the area around them.
    Igniting an enormous fireball in his hand, he launched it at the demon that was about to bite down on the last remaining soldier. The fireball collided with the demon’s head, exploding it to bits. The soldier, who’s eyes had been closed tightly in fear of imminent death, slowly opened his eyes. After getting a good look at the demon carcass on the ground with a crater for its head, the soldier turned to see his Commander.
    “We’re retreating,” Aster said.
    The soldier was very relieved to hear that.

Part Two: Aster and Archen
     
    Their retreat back to the safety of the Kingdom of Hell was not an easy one. It was a dangerous and time-consuming withdrawal in which they were still pursued by the demons. Once back at the city walls, however, they were provided cover-fire from the guards stationed at the wall there. They entered through the South Section of the city.
    The Kingdom of Hell was split into four sections: North, South, East and West. In the middle of the cities laid the Royal Castle: home of King Satan. Despite what images that name might imply to a human, Satan was actually a very kind man and beloved ruler of the devils. The solider that had accompanied Aster on his frenzied suicide mission to the desert was dismissed, and returned to his post in the South Section’s barracks. Aster had to report back to the main barracks located at the castle.
    As Commander of the Royal Guard, the only “police force” in Hell, Aster was constantly busy. It was a huge change for him as up until a few months ago he was only a Captain. The four Captains each presided over their designated section of the City, with the Commander giving them their orders. Aster’s promotion was unwanted, however, as the last viscous demon attack left them without a Commander. They were understaffed and had been dealt a crippling blow, and Aster just so happened to be the #2 choice for a Commander.
    Aster chose to forgo the use of his wings to fly back. He was in no hurry. It wasn’t a terribly long walk back to the Castle anyway, and he always enjoyed patrolling the streets on foot. It took him back to a simpler time when he didn’t feel the burden of responsibility lie solely on his shoulders.
    The walk back to the Castle was calming. He didn’t encounter any criminal activity, but then again he didn’t really expect any. When people saw the Commander coming, they knew to be on their best behavior. Aster was a large man, roughly six feet tall with a body of pure muscle. Because of his father’s strict training regiment he’d been working out his entire life. Another factor that attributed to everyone’s good behavior was his armor. The particular black armor that he now wore was that of a Commander. At an early age, the citizens of Hell learned to differentiate between the various types of armor. The lowest soldier’s armor was red, and covered the bare minimum of skin required. A Captain’s armor was also red, but was a full-body suit. Commander Aster’s armor was similar, but black and much spikier.
    No matter where you were in the city the castle seemed to be looming in the distance, always visible.