Summoned to a Shattered World

Birthright Chapter 3 - Cold Steel Oath

The smell drifting from the little wooden structure made my mouth water. I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten. Forgetting whatever reservations I may have had, I rushed forward.

The simple curtain of dried leaves that served as a door hung open and I peered inside. Junivan stood with her back to me, stirring a pot hanging over a fire. Not wanting to be rude, I knocked on the wall.

Junivan looked over her shoulder at me and smiled warmly. Even that minor show of kindness warmed my heart in this world that had so far been little more than terrible and bewildering.

"Come on in," she said, "dinner's almost ready."

I did as I was told and sat down at the little table by the fire. It was only big enough for two people at most. The Demon Lord really had fallen low if this was where she lived. There was almost no other furniture in the room, two bedrolls and a chair. My dorm room back on Earth hadn't been great, but it was a palace compared to this.

I heard someone clear their throat behind me and glanced back. The impoverished Demon Lord I'd been forced to serve was glaring at me. "That's my seat," she said.

I grudgingly gave it up and sat on the ground. "This place is even crappier than I thought."

"Mind your tongue," the Demon Lord said. "You can sleep outside if you don't find the accommodations up to your standards."

I lowered my head. "Sorry." This place wasn't great, but it was still a lot better than sleeping outside in the forest. Especially given the unknown and presumably hostile nature of said forest, based on what I knew of this world so far.

I'd seen only a tiny fraction of it so far, but it hadn't seemed too hospitable so far. Arriving somewhere drenched in blood and being forced into the service of a demon wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. And that's without even mentioning the Paladin.

I shivered at the thought of running into him again. The last two encounters had been enough to last me for the rest of my life. "We are safe out here, right?"

The demon sitting in the chair beside me shrugged. "For now."

I swallowed. "Then you mean the Paladin who attacked us earlier might still track us down?"

"Quite possibly. But we won't be staying here long."

She seemed awfully nonchalant about this whole thing, as if it were someone else's problem. "Shouldn't we be a little more worried?" By we, I of course meant her. I was plenty worried as it was. "He nearly killed us not that long ago, in case you forgot."

"Be that as it may," the unconcerned demon said, "it'll be a while before any of the humans have the free time to venture this far out from the city."

I wasn't sure if I should admire her courage or doubt her sanity. Okay, that's a lie. I definitely doubted her sanity. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because I do have some measure of good luck. The demons are assaulting the city as we speak. They shouldn't be able to spare anyone to hunt us down for at least a day. More than enough time for us to get out of here."

I was surprised. She'd thought this out a lot better than I assumed. Maybe serving her wouldn't be so hopeless after all. Junivan brought out a spoon and bowl for her mistress and I. She filled the bowls with the contents of the pot and handed us our portions.

The stew was watery, with just a few vegetables and a bit of meat. Objectively speaking, I can't say it was particularly good. Not something I'd have been happy to be served back on Earth. But in that moment, hungry as I was, it was delicious. And more importantly it filled my stomach.