Tipping the Scale

The Man With No Fear (Part 2)

Walking ahead of the two women, he caught snippets of their conversation as they ascended to the upper level of the cave. Crystal kept repeating the same questions incessantly, yet Lidea accepted her fretting with grace. Offering her the same response over and over:

"I will be fine Crystal. I promise to be careful."

Reaching the infirmary, Warchief paused, allowing them to catch up. As they did so, Crystal's sight fixed on him.

"Remember, don't you bring her into danger. Got it?"

He chuckled, earning him a disapproving glare as he responded with an extravagant bow.

"Yes, my lady!"

Behind Crystal, Lidea smiled at his antics before reassuring her again.

"I will be fine. Who knows? It might be me who keeps him safe."

"No doubt. Trouble follows him wherever he goes."

Feeling Lidea's inquisitive gaze upon him, he shrugged. Not wanting to give the demoness an opening to talk about his exploits. Especially as he was eager to feel the sun on his skin. They could entertain Crystal's rambling on another occasion.

"We should really get going or we won't be back before nightfall. Our 'mommy' wouldn't forgive us in that case."

His tongue-in-cheek remark was paired with a playful grin, only he had forgotten that the demoness hated it when he took her concerns lightly.

An imperceptible shift in the air was the only warning he got before a dagger was pressed to his jugular. He had been barely able to track the blade, leaving him exposed to her attack.

Crystal's sapphire eyes, so stark against her russet skin, revealed no emotion as she pressed the blade firmly to his neck. If she had wanted him dead, then he would have been. Luckily for him, the woman was just sending a warning to stop playing and keep the girl safe.

A gasp marked the exact moment when Lidea's human eyes caught up with what had just happened. As if her reaction broke a spell, the tension dissolved from Crystal's stance, and Warchief's shoulders relaxed. With a deft flick, the demoness gracefully turned the handle of the blade toward Lidea as if it had been her intention all along. Her expression brightened and she let out a chortle.

"You should see your faces. Come on, take it. It will do you no good to venture out with him if you have no weapon on you."

Warchief rubbed his neck, ensuring himself that she didn't nick the skin. Of course, she hadn't. However, his gesture seemed to please her as her grin grew wider, causing a shiver to run down his spine. He had never condemned Crystal or any other demon for their nature, but that didn't mean that moments like these didn't fill him with a sense of trepidation. Would she one day turn that blade at him for real?

"Thank you. I will take good care of it."

Lidea had paled but didn't falter as she accepted the blade. An astonishing feat for a young human.

Somehow, her instincts must have told her that the older woman was no threat.

"Good. Go then! I have a lot of cleaning up to do, now that you aren't here to bother me for a while."

Acting though she hadn't just thrown them into emotional turmoil, she disappeared into the infirmary. The door fell closed with a thump.

I will never truly understand her.

He turned and proceeded to briskly walk up the hill towards the eastern end of the cavern. Trusting that Lidea would keep up, now that she wasn't being considerate to the much shorter woman.