The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen pt 1

Chapter Eighteen

Early the next morning, Eial had woken up to the smell of moss and earth and the slight sweat from a humid night. While his breathing changed, his eyes remained closed, remembering all of yesterday. What an adventure it had been! And what new things he had learned...

"I was hoping Eial wouldn't have to know about him or be involved in any way," his mother had said the evening before, paying vague attention to the unmoving pebbles on the ground. "But with... AE001 alive, that changes things. That means people are actively searching for him, and actively scared about his disappearance. And if they know about Eial, they'll consider him a threat, too."

Although his mother's worries were of reason, Eial was truthfully happy to be involved and to know of the truth. He had been spending so many years for the sake of survival, and now, exciting things were coming his way. Dangerous, too, perhaps, but the new world gave him so many opportunities, experiences, and emotions.

Things were also starting to make more sense. Why he had to hide his powers, why others may fear him, and how he may not be so unusual as he had thought.

Finally, returning from his thoughts, his eyes eased open to the dark morning. As they surveyed the surroundings, he had noticed no one was in sight. He had been used to waking up before the demon, and this felt quite strange. Had he slept in late? But the morning birds still had yet to chirp.

Last night, they'd made simple arrangements. Eial, who had rested enough, planned to twist the tree roots to make a bed chamber, as he was used to. But before he could start, both demons stopped him. One furrowed his brows and the other smirked at the other.

"Don't waste your energy tonight, Eial. Sleep under the stars tonight, I'll keep watch," his mother gently suggested. Despite his refusal to let her stay awake, she reasoned her way to make him agree. "Drokn wouldn't sleep if you stayed awake."

Drokn glared but did not retaliate, as if speaking a language of silence. With both demons's interest in letting him sleep, he did, laying upon a pile of soft leaves beside his demon. In a breath he thought, both of these demons are stubborn in their own way, and drifted to sleep.

So, when he had woken up alone, he was caught a little by surprise. And then, he was caught by another feeling. A wave of dread plunged in him, his mind empty and noisy all at once. It was only a few moments, but to him it felt like hours. When his ears noticed the crunch of sticks, his head whipped towards the sound in shocking speed.

"Is everything alright, Eial?" a familiar voice drifted upon his sight. The demoness, carrying a large pouch, walked towards him in the brightening daylight.

He saw her face and noticed the birds had finally started their morning song. And his heart slowly settled.

His mother had a sorrowful look as she gazed at him and settled to kneel in front of him. "I went to gather some berries and herbs. Maybe you didn't see me behind the trees. And don't worry, Drokn is here, too. Or near here. He decided to leave to do some training. I tried to stop him so he could get some rest, as well, but..." She lifted her shoulders in a defeated shrug and then handed him a folded leaf, stuffed with a sort of powder inside. "Maybe you'll have better luck."

Eial decided to stay for a small while with his mother, observing her collection. In a very habitual way, his mother separated the herbs from her gathering and started to explain how they could be combined in spells to create certain effects.

"Draw a basic spell circle. Make sure a line connects this herb to this," she pointed, "and place something smaller in the middle, like a rock, and it'll dye green."

She had begun to talk about herbs she hadn't gathered yet and their usefulness, how they can be combined. Her eyes lit with excitement as she shared her knowledge, waving her hands in display. Silence only grew when she had started to gather her herbs again, placing them inside separate pouches.

The momentary silence passed, and her voice now calmed, changing the subject. "There's someone who helped me get out of the prison. I'm thinking of visiting them soon."

At this, Eial's eyes widened slightly, surprised. "Mother, you had just been betrayed by a friend you thought to be very close to. How can you trust to visit another so soon?"

His mother smiled. "You know, I'm not sure I necessarily feel betrayed. She had her own reasons to act the way she did. Both of us really changed after... the incident with my brother. Anyway, Eial," the demoness took the elf's hand in hers. "Just because I've been betrayed once, doesn't mean I shouldn't trust again. And sometimes giving second chances opens up your world to amazing things." Her smile warmed further as she gently looked at Eial straight into his eyes.

Bashfully, Eial's gaze strayed down and his mind wandered, to him, to his demon. "I'm going to find Drokn," he said, and stood up, skipping away with some of the berries his mother had gathered.