Orelie

*12*

*12*

"Take care of yourself and keep your doors shut tight." Crae carried me off the farm land. I stared at my arm the entire time, not once looking away from the bandages. It happened again, but this time I was the only one. Every single farm we came to had no reports of dead livestock. Everything was perfectly fine.

Crae had a stoic look on his face when I looked up for the first time. He walked swiftly and confidently, not once letting his gaze stray from the path ahead of him. It was hard to tell what he could be thinking. His lips were tight and his face expressionless.

"Crae-"

"I'll be taking you to the Head Healer in town." He said, cutting my words off abruptly. "She will be able to understand this more than me. Her husband hunts Demons and he should be able to give us insight as to why the Demon came after you a second time. I trust those two with my life, so I'll have to trust them with our secret."

I nodded slowly, not wanting to speak. I hope they can figure this out before the Demon wants more than a small amount of my blood next time. I'm finally figuring out who I am and where I belong. I don't want this to suddenly be taken away from me. I love my new life.

Finally, we reached the town once more. Crae made his way quickly to a rather large building that stood three stories high. It's one of the tallest buildings in the town; hard to miss. He expertly opened the door as he shifted my weight and stepped in.

A elderly woman stood from behind the organized counter. "Crae, what a surprise! It seems like it's been eons since we've last met. Who is that attached quite literally to your hip?" She stepped out from behind the counter and placed a hand on her waist.

She stood confidently in bright, inviting clothing. What nervousness I felt was gone the instant I saw her grandmother-like features. I felt like I'd known her my entire life, yet I don't even know her name.

I pulled my gaze from her soft, caring brown eyes as Crae spoke. "I would much rather speak with you and Brykas in private."

She nodded, her silver hair moving. I just barely caught sight of her pointed ears before she turned. "You came at a good time. The Healing House is having a slow day."

"All thanks to you and your husband." Crae stated as he followed behind the slender woman up a flight of stairs.

"Please," She waved him off. "It's nothing, really. Sick come in, they're fine after either a small spell or a potion we give them. It's nothing special."

"Have your forgotten Healers are almost as rare as the Orelie?" She paused at the top of the stairs and glanced over her shoulder. She gave a small sigh and continued without another word.

She brought us to the end of the hall and knocked. "Brykas, I have guests. We're coming in." She opened the door and gestured for us to enter first. Crae adjusted me once more and entered the room.

Brykas stood from a desk. He was ever as tall as the woman. He was slender, but had a bit more defined muscle. His dark hair was a stark contrast to his bright green eyes. I couldn't help but openly stare at his elongated, pointed ears.

"Crae, so good to see you," He stepped out from around the desk as the woman shut the door. "Vaeri, you should have told me Crae was here. I'd have dressed a bit more appropriately." He seemed fine to me in his dark brown suit-like clothing.

"He came in unexpectedly." Vaeri said as she stood beside him. "And he brought a friend. Crae wanted to speak with us in private."

Crae tipped his head to them. "May we?" He inclined his head to the chairs before the desk Brykas was sitting at.