The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Ten pt 4

Around the fire, the elf and the demoness seasoned and prepared their meal. In the meanwhile, Drokn had wandered back inside the cabin and laid atop the bed in wake.

The crackling fire and shifting fabrics were the only sounds outside during the preparation. When the skewers were set to roast and they had nothing to do but wait, Eial and his mother sat around the fire, not too close, but not too far apart.

Eial looked around in thought and decided to break the silence. "Mother... why do you act that way with... Mr. demon?"

"Mr. demon?" she chuckled with a raised brow. Then, twiddling with a blade of grass, she sighed deeply. "The way I knew to be a mother was... different. Until I met you, Eial. I never learned to care for anyone else before. After being locked in the dungeon, I never got to see him, either, or raise him better. Drokn was always a selfish brat, but I didn't think he would still be so heartless after meeting you. Seeing how he left you alone in demon territory after he'd already set your bond. I can't forgive him for hurting you."

Eial pinched his lip together, and after a thought, opened his mouth. "Mother, thank you for your care. But I do not wish to see him hurt on my behalf." His eyebrows curled up as he peeked up at his mother.

"But I can't sit around to see my child treated poorly."

"But he is your child, too..." Eial lowered his gaze and hugged his knees. "Not everyone has the chance to reunite with their birth parents..."

Sadness and defeat wore on the demoness's face and her lips gaped slightly. Closing her eyes, she replied, "Alright, I'll try."

Eial smiled at the demoness and moved to sit a little closer. "Why were you locked in the dungeon?"

The demoness glanced at Eial and shifted her eyes to the fire. "It's nothing to worry about." She took the blade of grass between her fingers and threw it into the flame, watching it burn.

Not pushing further, Eial decided to change the question. "Were you released from the dungeon, then?"

Still staring at the fire, she responded, "No. I broke out. There was a guard I collaborated with in exchange for medicine for her sick relative. I got out as soon as my teleportation spell was complete."

"The teleportation spell... did you use that on Mr. demon?"

"Yes. There was no other way to make you two meet."

"How did you make it? I didn't think it was possible, without—" Eial looked at his hands and then back up at his mother.

"Are you underestimating me?" she joked as she turned to face Eial. "I just needed all the main elements, and well, let's say I had some of your hair available to act as a guide."

"How did you add elements to a spell?" Genuinely curious, Eial's eyes sparkled in interest.

"Phoenix wing for fire, desert jasper for earth, water from the crystal lake, and a bloomed caelus flower for air. It was the flower that brought the most issues. It's temperamental and takes years to bloom. But finally, I had one successful flower, and needed to use it before it wilted."

Eyes wide open, Eial sat still while trying to process the new knowledge.

"Tell me more about you, Eial. What happened while I was gone?"

"I just—" Eial's memories immediately thought of their separation— the emotions intertwined with those memories— and his lips sealed shut.

Noticing the tense posture, the demoness's expression mellowed. "I gave you a hard time, didn't I? I'm sorry, Eial."