The Healer and the General

Part 9

When Demi woke up, she felt more refreshed and excited than she had ever before. She dreamt of the woods and a flowing river. The scent of earth and rain had also filled her dreams, making her think she was truly running under the green canopy once again. As soon as she got the chance, she'd go into the woods.

When she peeked outside, Demi could see the sun slowly rising. It seemed as if the camp was still asleep though. She put on her, now favorite pair of pants, a loose blue blouse, a brown leather jacket which covered the Ura slave brand, and her new shoes. Demi quickly brushed her hair and put it in a loose bun with her mother's hair clip.

Demi's mother had always said that it would bring her luck and an extra dose of magic when healing. So, whenever things got tense, or there was about to be a fight, or when she was about to help a patient, Demi put her hair up with it. The hair clip was fairly simple, it was shaped like a very long beak, with small designs, that resembled vines, running up and down it. There had once been small gems in it, that looked like flowers, but they had fallen off over the years. The once shiny metal had turned to a bronze-ish color.

Unsure of where to go, Demi wandered around camp. She wondered why they were here since this land was currently kind of like no man's land, even though it technically belongs to the humans. Hard to tell, not that she cared too much, as long as they weren't allies to the Southern Fae.

When Demi felt the sun on her face, she relished it. She was kind of free and it seemed like they didn't know she was a half-breed, so things were going well. The weather was also perfect. Maybe a little chilly in the mornings, but it would warm up in the afternoon. Silently laughing at herself for being so positive, she realized that she hadn't eaten in a few days. Demi hadn't even noticed because of how used to an empty belly she was. At the thought, her stomach rumbled.

"Ok, ok. I get it. Just keep it down, will ya?" Demi said quietly to herself.

Eventually, she got lost, but as more people were waking up they all headed toward the center of camp. Demi followed the flow of people until she smelled something delicious. She walked toward it, following her nose. Whatever it was made her stomach rumble even louder. Demi hoped to all gods that it was food and that she could have some. What she saw next was shocking.

Everybody was gathered in and around a very large tent. There were platters of fruits, bread, meats, and other things that Demi had never seen set up on outside tables. Everybody was lined up waiting patiently and talking happily while they waited for their turn to scoop up some food. There was also some kind of drink being served. People sat in and outside the tent on tables and cushions.

"You're gaping," Demi jumped. Glancing behind her, she saw Eric watching her. Stupid fae, they were always so quiet.

"Of course I am. I've never seen anything like this." She gestured to the setup, and all the happy people. In the Ura clan, everybody was responsible for their own food, besides Elena and her generals. Demi only got the scraps, if there were any. People were also usually pretty grim, never smiling and only talking to who they needed to. "Nor have I seen most of the stuff spread out over the tables." She only recognized some things and that was just from her childhood.

"Well then," he started to lead her to the line, "I guess we'll just have to expand your palette." Demi just smiled. She wondered what she'd look like once she had a proper meal every day. Eric had begun to talk to some of the people around them. He didn't introduce Demi, which she was thankful for, since she was already being a little overwhelmed.

Demi had only now realized how large the camp was. There had to be about a hundred different families here, maybe more, which was smaller than the Ura clan, but bigger than most other clans. For the second time, she wondered what they were doing here. Deciding to ignore it until after breakfast, Demi continued to move up in line. She doubted that anyone here would even answer her questions if she found the courage to ask them.