Diana and the Island of No Return by Aisha Saeed

Author:Aisha Saeed
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2020-07-13T16:00:00+00:00

Diana grew still. She stared at the hundreds of people who awaited his command, standing in even rows stretching four columns deep beneath the night sky. Save for the sound of flames flickering in the bonfire, silence filled the air.

“Tsk, tsk. Not very polite, are we?” The demon tilted his head. “When someone says hello, I do believe the correct protocol is to respond with a greeting in kind.”

Diana’s mouth felt as dry as sand. His words were muted because of the petals stuffing her ears; nevertheless, they chilled her to her core. The demon’s eyes were gray and swirled like two dust storms in his pale, translucent face. Though he was a good five yards away, he seemed to tower over her. His lips were spread wider now. The hair on the back of her neck stood up. It was one thing to plan on defeating a demon to save Augustus’s people and her own, but it was another thing entirely to look evil in the eye. What exactly were they up against?

“I must tell you,” the demon continued, “you have managed to keep matters interesting for me. A remarkable endeavor, as I have seen a feat or two over my two centuries of living. But I confess that you will be my favorite capture thus far.”

“Apparently I’ve kept matters so interesting that you actually haven’t bothered to capture me yet,” Diana responded coolly. She tried her best to keep her fear from showing, but his words shook her. Two centuries of living? Did she honestly believe that she, Augustus, and Sakina could truly destroy a creature that had managed to terrorize humans for that long?

“Not yet. You are a clever one, I shall grant you that much.” The demon chuckled. “Perhaps it is why the reward for your capture was the highest he has ever offered.”

“Reward?” Diana repeated slowly.

“Oh yes, a splendid one.” The demon nodded. “Once I take you to him, he will be quite pleased, and you, my dear, will make me richer than I could have ever imagined.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Oh, you most certainly will.” His lips twisted into an ugly smile. “There are few things I am more certain of than this. And my townspeople here will be thrilled to ensure your compliance.”

“They’re not your townspeople! You’re forcing them to do your work!” Sakina shouted from behind Diana. She rushed to Diana’s side and put her arm tightly around her friend’s shoulders. Her eyes blazed with anger.

“I would be careful how you speak to me if I were you.” The demon’s eyes narrowed. “And I must say, as pleased as I am that the boy delivered Diana like he promised, I could have done without the extra baggage. No matter. You can be taken care of easily enough.”

Augustus. Diana turned her head slightly to check on him. The trees obscured him from the demon’s view. Furiously, he ripped through the ivy, searching for the flower. Her heart raced. Clearly, he hadn’t found it yet.

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