by Jillian Keep
It seemed as if time slowed down in that instant, her life flashing before her. She had time to appreciate the look of deviousness on her opponent's face. The smug derision on the elven master’s.
It was surreal.
She was going to be defeated by her own fire – or maybe worse! – and it’d look like it was her fault.
She bent her will to stop it even then, but nothing could alter her destiny it seemed. Nothing until…
The ring on her finger shifted, and she saw the red lines hidden in its azure depths grow. It was no longer just amplifying her powers; it was working with Varuj. She could sense that fact.
When the fire hit her, instead of hurting or harming her, it instead absorbed into her, much like her familiar did when she desummoned it. She could feel the heat within her! Or was it Varuj again?
She wasn’t certain, but when his voice echoed inside her mind to Exhale! she had to obey.
A great plume of fire and smoke erupted from her mouth in the shape of… of Varuj! Though it was only an instant, and then it took on a more explainable outline of another antelope, that then cavorted with her familiar.
As she finished exhaling the smoke, it joined the other two. Three beautiful, magical animals prancing as the crowd erupted into applause.
Never had she felt such gratitude for that demon. For his prowess and ability.
And for showing up the smug elf.
She smiled brightly as she spun, her robe flowing about her ankles as she took a moment to revel in the spectacle. It was the first time since she got there that she truly felt… enjoyment.
The elder student fumed quietly, eyes darting about and feeling bothered by having been outdone by a mere hopeful. Though once she’d finished her spin she saw one of the entourage around the master beckon her over.
She complied, and once there the master said to her in an even tone, “You’ve a great deal of promise. And we can turn that into something great at Gaul’di-mere Academy.” He simply turned and left then, no more time to spare for her or the event it seemed, though one of the entourage with him spoke up.
“We’ll be in touch with details. You’ll come start soon,” he stated, “so be ready.” Then he turned and left with the rest too.
She couldn’t believe it.
Her dreams were actually coming true.
Her face flushed red and for a moment she felt faint. Gaul’di-mere Academy.
Her.
Firia’s smile damn near broke her face and she had to force herself not to leap for joy. One of the best Academies in the land… and they wanted her! A human that they weren’t even going to let compete!
Best of all, she’d actually be going to school with Mae’lin, one of the few people who had ever been kind to her.
And all it took was a little help from her new demon… accomplice.
Okay… a lot of help.
She could feel him inside of her, the demon’s excitement so high. It was like he wanted to rise up out of her and join her in her celebration, but knew better than to do it there amidst the ongoing events.
She needed to get out, to be alone and celebrate.
She had to tell her father!
Firia was giddy as she began to leave, needing to get away before anything else went wrong. Before they tried to steal this moment of happiness from her.
Chapter 11
Firia was jubilant as she made her way back home. She even found herself hopping and skipping as she made the journey.
Not only had she done it, accomplished her life’s dream of being accepted to an academy, but she’d been fortunate enough to get into one of the most prestigious magical academies in the land. And not even that far from her father! It was beyond what she could’ve thought realistic for a human without any training!
When she arrived back to her father’s small cottage, she almost didn’t see the notice tacked to her front door. Though at the sign of the constabulary, her heart froze.
She knew what it said before she even tore it off and read it. Her father had been arrested for theft of the ring, and they’d taken him in to the constables office for questioning and jail.
Her heart could barely take the constant ups and downs of her rollercoaster life the past week.
“Noo,” she cried out, to no one and nothing. She swore her heart was breaking and her eyes filled with tears. There was no way that they’d believe someone like him was innocent…
Yet the human, the one in charge… he’d been kind, hadn’t he? The way he looked at her had been sympathetic. She had to speak with him, alone. Convince him.
Chapter 12
Firia arrived at the constable’s office nearly breathless. It wasn’t a large building, for they operated outside the town and serviced the rural areas around where her father and she lived. Though the moment she abruptly set foot in, all eyes turned to her.
The familiar constable rose up from his desk in the back and he came forward towards her. “Miss Tunst,” he said, “your father is fine. He’s safe, don’t worry.” He was so quick to reassure her.
Her body trembled despite her best efforts at keeping calm as she looked up at him. Her blue eyes were rimmed with red and she knew she couldn’t hide the fact that she’d been crying from him.
“Can I speak with him?”
He hesitated but smiled to her. “Sure. Follow me,” he said, leading her in around the barrier and into the back.
The rows of cells were all empty, but for one, and her father looked so sad and unhappy. She’d not seen him in such a state since his bout of depression following her mother’s death. His shoulders slumped. His face seeming to sag with sorrow.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” the constable said, shutting the door and leaving her there.
“Daddy, please tell me this isn’t true,” she said as she went towards him, reaching out for him. “I know it’s not, but you have to tell me.”
He stood up from his hard-wood bench and went to the bars. “Oh sweetie,” he said, his own eyes looking so reddened. Not with tears, but the stress and strain that she knew so intimately he felt. She’d seen it in him in those long, hard days. “I bought the ring,” he said, reaching out through the bars limply, “but… but I suppose I should’ve known the chances were high it was stolen. I just… I just didn’t want to think of that. Not when you could use it.”
She felt a rush of anger at whoever had sold her father the ring, and she brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. “Daddy, who did you buy it from? Where were they? What did they look like?”
He shook his head and let it hang low. “They know who it is already,” he said sadly. “They knew before I even said it. He’s a known crook and con man,” he said, and she knew he felt so stupid. “They said I’ll probably be free to go soon. I just… I just wish it had been enough… enough to get you through the contest,” his face hung downwards, but she could tell, for the first time in so many years, her father was on the verge of tears.
“Daddy… Dad. I got in. They accepted me into Gaul’di-mere. It worked.” She was trying so hard to hold back her excitement, but she realized then that it was all he wanted to hear. He didn’t need her to save him from this place.
He needed her to give him hope.
Her father was slow to lift his head, but when he did, she saw the wide-eyed look on his face. “You… you made it?” he asked, and though there was surprise on his voice, she knew he’d had complete faith in her. Just not in the circumstances that bound them. “Gaul’di-mere?”
“Yes! I.. they had me back today. They… put me against one of the students. A student, dad, and I still did it. I still impressed those…” she lowered her voice, “those elves.”
Her grin spread across her face and her brows went up in the centre. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
She realized just how right she’d been. Nothing could have cheered him up like that news. Not a single thing she could have said or done would’ve made him smile like he did the
n. Nothing else could’ve brought the joyous tears to his handsome, dignified face. “My girl…” he murmured in disbelief. “By the gods… how could I have raised such a girl?” he shook his head and laughed, clutching her hands so tight. “You are more than I could have ever imagined a child of mine could become, Firi.”
She caressed his knuckles, kissing them tenderly as she tried to hold back her tears. “So now we gotta get you back home so we can celebrate. Now that they know who the thief was…” she smiled, but it was tight.
The ring was hers now. It couldn’t be returned to the original owner. Someone was going to pay for it and she prayed it wasn’t him.
He shook his head, grinning like such the foolishly proud father he was. “Don’t worry about that. It’ll sort itself out sweetie. You’ve got bigger things to worry about then some silliness with your old dad.” He hadn’t stopped squeezing her hands. “You go home tonight and make yourself a fine meal. Okay? There’s something I was saving in the cupboards for when you did this. And I want you to enjoy it to the fullest.”
“Dad,” she whimpered and her lower lip trembled. She was so happy and so worried all at once. “You’ve done so much for me. They… couldn’t take the ring from me. It’s mine now. Bound to me.”
He blinked in surprise and looked down at the azure stone, the faint traces of ruby so hard to see, she didn’t think one could make them out unless they were looking for it. “How…” he shook his head with surprise. “You never cease to amaze,” he said with a smile. “Good. You deserve that ring more than anyone, sweet child. I’m glad of it.” He gave such a defiant smile, she knew he would be glad to accept any fate as long as it meant she kept that edge to help her succeed.
“You didn’t know, dad. I’ll do what I can, okay, but know how happy I am. How much you’ve done for me, alright? You’ve… You’ve done so much for me and now I’m really going to the Academy. All because of you.”
She was being emotional. She knew that.
But at that moment, she loved him more than anything.
He had not cried since that long-ago time when both their lives had been irrevocably changed forever. Though now it was so much better. “I only helped bring out what was in you, Firi. And I’d gladly pay any price for that little bit of help I rendered.”
The knock came on the door, a courteous reminder from the friendly constable outside.
“Go home and celebrate, sweetie. I might be in here a day or two, but you’ve got big events ahead, and you need to be ready.”
She nodded as she kissed his hand again. “Be strong, dad. I love you, and don’t think I don’t still need you!”
She was still crying as she went to the door and swiped away the tears quickly before opening it. “Thank you,” she said as she slipped out, then looked up at the constable. “Can I speak with you in private?”
The constable took a look around then nodded, “This way, miss Tunst.” He guided her to a small office in the rear, shutting the door behind them. “Sorry for the interruption, but there’s rules about how long you can visit with prisoners, ma’am.” He sounded so sincerely apologetic.
“That’s okay,” she sniffed and tried to force a smile at him. “I just… What’s going to happen now?”
“Well,” he started cautiously, rubbing a hand back over his own dark hair. “We’re looking for the man your father implicated to corroborate the story. Now, if we can get him – and we know this man and what he’s like, so I believe your father, personally – we can hopefully clear your father of all suspicion. If we can’t? Well,” he frowned just a bit, “we’ll hold him briefly, but I don’t think in the long run we have anything to hold him on, and he’ll go free regardless, miss.”
Such a wave of relief crashed through her and she leaned against the wall to hold her balance. It was better than she could have anticipated. Hoped for.
“Is there anything I can do? He’s… Dad’s never been in trouble like this before and after he lost mom he’s been… sad. This is hard on him.”
He gave a wan smile, “Even if we had the man right now, miss, he’s too wily to just confess. And we’d have to hold your father a bit longer anyhow. There’s nothing left for you to do but go home and wait.”
“Will you tell me if anything changes, Mister…?”
“Alderon,” he said pleasantly. “Darby Alderon. But a new student of the Gaul’di-mere Academy can simply call me Darby.” There was a certain sort of shared pride in his look for one of his own people’s accomplishments. “Congratulations, Firia.”
She smiled genuinely at him and felt her cheeks grow red. “You heard, huh? Thanks. I’m… I’m really excited.”
“You should be,” he said. “But you earned it from what I hear. Don’t ever let anyone convince you otherwise,” he said with a light touch to her shoulder. “You do us all proud.”
She bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering. “Thanks, Darby. Let me know if anything changes. I really appreciate you taking care of my dad.”
He nodded. “I’ll treat him as well as the law allows. So rest easy, Firia.” He moved to the door and opened it up for her, the noise of the outer office filtering back in.
Chapter 13
It felt so good to be alone for a moment. To be able to let the joy and sorrow and anguish simply flood through her and not have to explain why she was laughing one minute and sobbing the next. She was just processing everything, and it was coming at her so fast.
The fact that her dad should be out, though, helped build her up a bit, and let her enjoy her success. She’d worked so long and so hard for this chance, and finally it was hers.
She’d really done it.
Firia was used to her home being quiet; her father worked so late, and though she liked to follow him to the academy he worked at as often as she could, it wasn’t always possible. Not with classes and her own chores.
As she took the quiet time to deal with the aftermath of the explosive last few days, she was slow to notice the new presence. It wasn’t until the sound of cupboards opening and closing reached her ears that she was aware she wasn’t alone.
With care she crept out, though the visage she found rooting through her kitchen wasn’t what she expected.
In the light of the orange setting sun, Varuj’s dark skin was like bronze, his hair a metallic sheen to it. His robe hung low, and she could see his shoulders beneath his long strands of hair.
“How’d you get out?” she asked, curious as she wiped her face free of the happy and sad tears. She felt like she’d been crying for days, but the emotional rollercoaster was really putting her through the wringer. “And are you… hungry?”
He turned, and the smile that lit his face was both beautiful and infectious. “Starving,” he said. When he bent down and reached into the pantry he pulled out a large, brown-paper wrapped package. “Mmmm,” he said, unwrapping the rare elven-bred venison that her father must have bought special for her victory celebration. “This smells… simply divine,” he remarked.
She took a step forward and pushed her bangs off her forehead. Why was she so concerned with how she looked around him? He was just some… disgusting demon that she owed a lot of her success to. Yet looking at him, the way he was, it was so easy to forget the disgusting part. And the demon part.
She blinked her large blue eyes and tried to stare past him instead of at his beautiful skin. “I didn’t realize you got hungry. Have I been starving you?”
“Mm, a bit,” he remarked, laying down the package and looking about ready to bite into the large flank of meat raw. “Luckily when I shed my old form, it freed up a lot of excess energy for me to consume. In other words,” he said with an endearing smirk, “I was a bit bloated for a while. That kept me sated until now.”
The idea of him cannibalizing his own body was strange, to say the least.
“Ew,” she whispered as her nose crinkled. She smoothed back her hair and tucked it behind her ears. “So I guess it’s time to talk again, hm
?”
He arched a brow and peered at her sidelong as he took hold of a knife, holding it a bit awkwardly as he began to cut the meat. “I enjoy talking with you,” he said, slicing the meat into smaller cutlets. “You’re rather pleasant to speak with.”
She snorted and then flushed in embarrassment, watching him slice the delicacy. “I’m glad a demon thinks I’m pleasant. Must mean I’m higher ranking with your lot than the elves.”
It was strange watching the beautiful yet alien man work away. He was such a mix of the primally attractive and the fearsome. He had shed almost all of his bestial appearance, but still, she knew some of it must still lurk within him.
He lit the stove with magic rather than match, and began to set the frying pan down, laying out the cutlets to sizzle. “Well, we are partners now, are we not, Firia?” he asked casually, apparently knowing his way around a human kitchen with the same sort of familiarity he showed with their language: capable but a bit stilted. “How do you like your meat?” he inquired with a pleasant smile.
“I… don’t really know.” It wasn’t something she had a lot of experience with, or choice of. She shifted awkwardly under his gaze, embarrassed at her lack of knowledge. “However you have it, I guess?”
Her blue eyes went to him and she thought of his statement. That they were partners.
He’d given her so much, gotten her so far.
“What will you do with your freedom?”
He picked through the assortment of spices, taking a sniff of each one. Finding some interesting, others repugnant, and a few tantalizing. “Your journey is not over yet,” he remarked, applying some to the frying meat. “Elven academies are tough. And exhaustively long even for their kind I hear,” he said, sticking his nail into the cutlet then licking his finger for a taste of the red juices. “Perhaps you might have use for a partner still, hmm?” He arched a brow and peered over at her almost innocent-looking.
