The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Seven pt 1

CHAPTER SEVEN

A small ant crawled on top of a fallen leaf, which the demon stared at intently. When the rare wave of wind blew, the leaf flew upward and gently floated to the right. Brown fur came into vision— a hare the size of a foot, running forward to its destination before— SHWICK! A sharp blade of water pierced through.

Eial came running and held the hare by its ears. Whipping his head towards the demon, he blurted, "It wasn't painful for him, I promise!"

That brutal action never ceased to impress the demon, but he resolved to hide it.

"Are you still upset?" asked the elf softly, analyzing the horned being's face.

The demon quirked his head. "And if I am?"

Eial lifted his eyes up to think and then turned to the creature in his hand. "If you are... I'm sure a nice meal will help. I'll cook this extra perfect for you." He smiled briefly before running off to build a fire.

The demon smirked. Then, he hated that he smirked. When the elf acted like this, it was difficult to see him as a threat, even if an uncomfortable feeling continued to settle in him. He looked over at the small being who eagerly set up pillars of sticks to hold the skewered meal. He rubbed the juices of berries on the furless exterior before settling it atop the flame.

Wiping his face from the top down with his hand, the demon sighed, exhausted. Teleportation, huh? The last piece to the puzzle— How he was able to enter the cell grounds undetected, why he knocked out the demon when they were cornered, how they were able to escape.

Use him. Retain his favor. You have a mission, don't mess this up.

As the evening air cooled, the demon made his way over to the fire. Very naturally, Eial spread his fingers and turned them up, twisting tree roots into a stool in perfect timing as the demon took his seat.

Crackling of the flames mixed with the sizzling of the meat resounded in the air as they sat with their own silence. The light was still out as the sun began its course into nightfall. The air was fairly still and smelled mostly of char with the subtle sweetness of the berries.

Eial stared into the colors of the fire. After rotating the skewer once, he decided to break the silence. "I just wish to make sure... do you plan to tell anyone about my abilities? I need to keep them secret."

"Hmm? I wasn't planning to." I'd rather bury myself than talk about an elf with more abilities than me. "But now I'm curious. Why do you keep it so hidden? I'm sure the elven royals would love to have you." To do their dirty work.

"The one who raised me —the demon— had told me to hide it. I didn't dare test doing otherwise."

An eyebrow twitched on the horned being. "So that demon knew, too? About teleportation and all?"

Eial smiled and drew his hands up to conjure another stool right next to the demon. He plopped himself onto the seating and faced his companion with a bright look. "And now you know, too." Not half a moment later, Eial wore a shocked face before removing his stool and making another one a few feet away. "I'm so sorry, I forgot you said you needed space."

Although the elf meant it as an act of consideration, it displeased the demon further. "Eial, my sweet," he said through an annoyed smile. "I'm done with having space. Come closer. Do you want to sit on my lap?"

"Not particularly."

An immediate frown crossed the demon at the quick response, unseen by Eial who removed the skewer from heat and used air magic to cool down the meat enough to eat. Regaining his false smile when Eial looked back over, he spoke as he grabbed his portion of the meal. "Sit next to me again. I've missed my elf dearly today."

With a bashful grin, Eial drew up another stool next to him again and sat down. His teeth sank into the meat and he turned to glance at the demon with his mouth still on the skewer. After a giggle, he let go of the bite and said, "I have missed you, too," before returning to the skewer and biting off the loosened piece.

He's here to use, the demon thought to himself. Convinced himself.

Eial finished chewing before he giggled once more. "Thank you for listening to me. And treating me the same."

Remember your goal. You're leaving here. Alone. "Of course, my sweet. Why would I treat you any different?"

The glow of light from the fire illuminated the elf's eyes and a wide grin dawned on his face before he turned back around and they both ate in peace.

When the sky turned a navy blue and shadows blended with the darkness, Eial hopped in first into their sleeping hut, followed by the demon. He popped his knees onto the cool bed before he turned his head to witness the demon's hurt wing, still unretractable.

"I'll make sure to heal your wing more often starting tomorrow. I'll help you get home as soon as I can."

A sharp smile grew on the demon as he turned around to face the elf. "Thank you, my darling." He walked closer to the small being and bent down his face to level with the elf's. "Such a kind elf you are."

Eial's lips turned up and a slight pink brushed his cheeks. Then, with a sudden "Oh!" he shuffled through the inside pockets of his cape before presenting a stuffed and folded leaf. "This is the same sleeping medicine, in case you need it. Perhaps you need two? You seemed to wake up early this morning with just one dose. But two puts even me to sleep for a while." He rummaged through his pockets again before his expression deflated in disappointment. "Ah shoot, I don't have any more. But if you need it, I can go out now and gather ingredients—"

"Husshh, little elf. One will do perfectly fine." The cold glimmer in the demon's eyes was completely unnoticed by the elf. "Thank you." He grabbed the dose of sleep medicine and went back to his bed, where the darkness covered him completely. "Goodnight, my dear."

The unsuspecting elf wrapped himself in his cape with feelings of bubbles inside his chest. As the warmth filled inside, he made himself comfortable and responded, "Goodnight."