by T. J. Quinn
“Tomorrow morning, with the first part of the gold. We have to go meet him with the carriage where he left me this morning,” she replied, finishing her soup.
“Will you stay here tonight?”
“Yes, I won’t go back home until he’s back with the last lot of the gold,” she explained. “It would be too hard to explain to my father my constant exits.”
“Yes, you’re right about that. I’ll be more than happy to have you here with me,” her grandmother assured her.
Chapter Fourteen
Despite her tiredness, Rhiannon couldn’t get much sleep that night. It was as if a vital part of her was missing and she was unable to get much rest.
She was up, and ready way before the sun came up, and she urged her grandmother to get ready as well. She wanted to be at the meeting point before the sun came up in the sky. Fortunately, the demons hadn't shown up that night, so they were able to make the small trip with no fears.
Kael was already there when they arrived.
“Did you have a good trip?” she asked, jumping out of the carriage.
“Yes, all went according to plans,” he assured her, barely containing his desire to hug her tight.
Gwendolyn’s presence held him back. He didn’t want to cause Rhiannon any kind of trouble. But apparently, she didn’t think that was a problem since she ran into his arms.
“I’m glad. I spent the whole night worrying about you,” she confessed, in a low tone,
“Your grandmother,” he whispered back.
“It’s alright. She will understand,” Rhiannon assured him, tilting her head back, eager to feel his lips on hers.
He didn’t make her wait much longer, claiming a passionate kiss from her delicious lips. “I missed you last night,” he murmured against her lips.
“I missed you too.”
Behind them, Gwendolyn cleared her throat. “If you two don’t mind, I believe it would be a good idea to load the carriage,” she said, with a hint of irony in her tone.
Chuckling, Rhiannon freed him and turned to look at her grandmother. “You’re right, we shouldn’t stay here much longer.”
Nodding, Kael loaded the carriage with the first cargo of gold. “I believe I brought half of it, so I should be able to bring the rest in one more trip,” he informed them.
“Wouldn’t it be too heavy for you?” she asked, with a frown.
“No, believe me, we can carry things a lot heavier. The reason I didn’t bring it all was I didn’t think the blanket would hold that much weight,” he explained.
“Yes, you’re right, it would have torn at some point,” she agreed.
“I’ll go back now. I want to be back tomorrow in the morning with the rest of the gold,” he said after they had loaded the carriage.
“Please, be careful. Grandma said the demons are acting strange, that could mean they are not as predictable as they have been so far,” she warned him.
“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart, I’m sure I can handle them,” he assured her.
His words confirmed her suspicions, but it wasn’t the time nor the place to question him about it. “Just try to stay safe,” she told him anyway.
“I will. Meet me here tomorrow morning at the same time.”
She nodded, and after one last kiss, she watched him fly away.
When she approached the carriage, Gwendolyn was still examining all the gold he had brought them.
“This is much more than I expected. And he’s bringing more in the morning?” she asked, with awe in her tone.
“Yes, he is. We left a lot more behind, but we considered we had more than enough and it would be more complicated to take it all out.”
“Yes, I can see.” The old woman let out a deep sigh. “Would you like to tell me something else?” she asked when they started their way back to her cabin.
“No, not really and before you tell me this relationship has no future, that he will leave soon, let me tell you I’m aware of all that, I just decided it was worth the pain,” she said, not willing to give her many details.
“It’s your life, I guess, but perhaps it doesn’t have to end, at least, not with his departure. Nothing is holding you back, Rhiannon,” she pointed out. “You could always ask him to bring you back if things didn’t work out.”
“I’m not sure he would want to take me with him,” she let out a deep sigh. “For now, I won’t think of that. I intend to relish the present and let the future take care of itself.”
“Very well. You do know your father won’t approve this,” she said, in a low tone.
“He doesn’t have to know. We both know he wouldn’t understand and I won’t turn my last days with Kael into a useless fight.”
“I suppose you have a point there.”
When they reached Gwendolyn’s cabin, they stored all the gold in a safe place, and after that, Rhiannon decided to accompany Gwendolyn on a visit to the nearest village.
“Are we visiting Esther? Is she feeling better?” Rhiannon asked, on their way there.
“Yes, she’s had an incredible recovery, thanks to a strange medicine Kael gave her. I have no idea what it was, but it sure cured her.”
“Kael? What do you mean?”
“He came with me that night. Esther’s son had come looking for me, and he offered to take him back. The kid seemed to trust him, so I let him,” Gwendolyn explained. “Anyway, she was very ill, so much I didn’t think she would survive the night. I guess he understood that and went looking for the medicine. He told me he had brought it from his planet.”
“Well, it’s a pity you can’t use it on other people, but I’m glad you used it on Esther. Joshua needs his mother.”
“I know, That’s why I’m still keeping an eye on her, just in case. But so far, she has been alright. She’s living a normal life.”
“That’s awesome. I’m looking forward to seeing her again,” Rhiannon said, smiling.
They found the other woman shopping in the small market. Rhiannon had trouble recognizing the other woman. Not only did she look healthy, but she also seemed rejuvenated. It was amazing.
“You look great, Esther,” she greeted her.
The woman chuckled, happy. “I feel great like I haven't felt in years,” she assured her.
“I believe you.”
“I’m already finished here. Why don’t you wait for me and I’ll prepare you a cup of tea? I baked a cake this morning I’m sure you’ll enjoy,” she invited.
“Thank you, that will be great. I’ll visit another patient not far from here, so we’ll meet later at your place,” Gwendolyn accepted the invitation with delight.
“Perfect, I’ll see you then.”
Rhiannon accompanied her grandmother on her visit, and by the time they reached Esther’s house, she was already there waiting for them.
They had such a lovely time, drinking tea, having some of the delicious cake the other woman had baked, and chatting with her and little Joshua, they lost track of time.
“The sun is coming down,” Gwendolyn said, looking out of the window, “We should leave now, or the night will catch us on the way home.”
“Oh, yes, we lost track of time, the tea and the conversation were great,” Rhiannon said, getting up, immediately.
“Perhaps you should stay here tonight. The demons have been acting strangely these days,” Esther said, worried.
“No, I’m sure we have enough time. Thank you for everything, Esther,” Gwendolyn bid the other woman goodbye.
She walked them to the door and stayed there, while they got into the carriage and rode off.
She was still at the door when they heard the raucous that preceded a demons’ visit.
Startled, Gwendolyn urged the horse to move faster, looking for the shelter given by the woods, and Rhiannon turned back to make sure Esther had been able to take cover inside her house.
Instead, what she saw made her let out a loud cry of despair. “They got her, grandma, they captured Esther,”
she cried out, as she watched the demons flying down on the helpless woman and capturing her.
She had tried to go back inside her house, but she hadn't had the time, and they captured her when she was still halfway there. Rhiannon was unable to see Joshua anywhere, and she prayed he wouldn’t come out. The demons wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.
They only captured women.
“There’s nothing we can do, Rhiannon, we have to take cover, or they will capture us too,” the old woman shouted back, and though Rhiannon knew she was being sensible, every fiber in her body screamed in protest.
They managed to enter the woods before the demons realized they were there and soon they were riding through the woods at an insane speed, just in case they decided to go after them.
When they reached Gwendolyn’s house, they jumped out of the carriage and ran to the cabin, locking themselves inside.
“This is so unfair, why did this have to happen now? Poor Joshua,” Rhiannon ranted, pacing her grandmother’s main room.
“There was nothing we could do to save her, you know that, don’t you?” Gwendolyn said, in a stern tone.
Despite her words, Rhiannon knew she felt as furious and frustrated as she. “That doesn’t make me feel any better, grandmother,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “Someone has to stop these monsters, we can’t keep living this way,” she protested.
“Perhaps you could convince that someone to stay a bit longer. I’m sure he could end this plague.”
Rhiannon nodded. She would certainly try. It wasn’t his fight, but perhaps he wouldn’t mind helping them getting rid of the demons.
All she could think of was of little Joshua, of how scared he had to be, after witnessing his mother’s abduction. She had to do something.
“I think the demons already left. I can’t hear them,” she pointed out, looking at the door.
“Yes, I’m sure you’re right.”
“I’m going back to Esther’s place,” she announced, walking towards the door.
“No, they could return, it’s too dangerous,” her grandmother protested.
“They never return. Joshua is all alone, probably hurt. You know very well no one will leave their houses until the sun comes out,” she replied, opening the door.
“They are acting strange these days, we can’t predict them anymore.”
“I’ll take my chances. Please, go meet Kael in the morning and send him to meet me if I’m not back by then,” she asked, leaving the house and heading to the stables where her grandmother kept her horse.
“Rhiannon! This is not a good idea,” her grandmother yelled, but she didn’t listen.
She couldn’t leave the poor boy all alone.
She pushed the horse to its full capability, eager to get to the nearest village as soon as possible. As she imagined, the streets were empty. No one had left their houses, too afraid of the demons.
She was scared too, of course, she was, but she just couldn’t abandon the child.
Chapter Fifteen
She reached the house and looked for the boy there, calling out his name, but he was nowhere to be seen. She figured he had run into the woods, too scared to stay in the house or worse, trying to find his mother. He had no other family, and he had to be grieving the loss of his mother. That would make him crazy enough to follow the demons.
She jumped on her horse and rode around the village, calling out the boy’s name, with no luck. The sun was coming up in the sky, and she was starting to feel desperate.
In a slow pace, she headed back to the woods, always calling his name, still hoping he would be hiding there.
“Rhiannon, what happened?” Kael’s voice startled her, and she looked up, just in time to see him flying over her.
“I can’t find Joshua. I think he followed the demons,” she told him, letting a single tear to roll down her face.
He landed a few steps away from her, trying not to startle her horse too much. “Your grandmother wasn’t able to tell me what had happened. Why would Joshua want to follow the demons?” he asked, in a stern tone.
“They took his mother, they took Esther,” she sobbed, jumping down from her horse and running into his arms, craving his comfort.
But she couldn’t reach him. Right in front of her eyes, she saw him roar his anger, fly over the trees and turn into a creature she had never seen before.
His face elongated until it turned into a snout, with huge, sharp fangs, his clothes were torn into a million pieces, and his body was covered with scales. His claws grew until they became deadly weapons, as well as the ones on his wings.
She knew he could shift, he had warned her about it, but what really surprised her was the way he burst into flames. His whole body changed as if he was made of fire. She could still distinguish his features, but now they were made of the most potent fire she had ever seen. He roared once more, and for a tiny moment she felt sorry for the demons, they didn’t stand a chance against his wrath.
He sniffed the area and flew away before she was able to utter a word. Taking a deep breath, she looked around, still trying to find Joshua, hoping he hadn't done anything so stupid like going after the demons.
But she reached her grandmother’s house with no signs of the little boy.
“What happened? Where’s Kael?” she asked her, the minute she jumped down from the horse.
“He went looking for the demons and Joshua,” she explained, feeling too tired all of a sudden.
“What? That’s too dangerous,” Gwendolyn started saying.
“Yes, for the demons,” she assured the old woman. “Now I’m sure Kael is the one behind the ash people found in Esther’s village,” she explained.
Gwendolyn opened her mouth as if to say something and then closed it, just to open it a few moments later. “Do I want to know this?” she asked, breathing hard.
Rhiannon shook her head. “Probably not. We’ll have to wait and see if he can find them or at least, find Joshua.”
“Yes, yes.”
They spent the rest of the morning putting away the gold he had brought, trying to keep themselves busy and sane. Rhiannon was so worried, she felt she could almost climb the walls and crawl around the ceiling.
At midafternoon, they finally heard the flapping sound of his wings as he landed in front of the cabin.
They rushed to the door just in time to see him retreat his wings and walk to the cabin with Joshua in his arms.
“What happened?” Rhiannon asked, running to meet them.
Kael flew away, pursuing the faint scent of the little boy, too worried, too enraged to notice the change in his body. All he could think of was of the poor woman he had saved and her little boy. He couldn’t allow the demons to take them away, not if he could do anything about it.
He had never felt a rage so violent like the one rushing through his body, and he was sure he would destroy every single demon he found in his way. With their latest abduction, the demons had just turned the villagers’ fight into his fight and he wouldn’t rest until he had destroyed them all.
It didn’t take him long to find Joshua, hiding behind a tree, a few miles away from his village, scared and exhausted. The poor child was unconscious, and Kael decided to leave him there, while he tried to follow the faint scent of the demons before it faded away.
He flew as fast as he could, but the beasts had too much advantage and soon he had lost their track. Cursing the universe, he roared and turned away to return to where he had left Joshua.
It was only then when he realized he had changed.
Startled, he landed and looked at his own body. His whole body was transformed into a fire creature. He had never heard his people could shift into one of them. Yes, they had an inner fire, called the fire of life, and blowing fire was one of their most powerful weapons, but he had never heard they could shift the way he had. Not even their legends talked about anything like it.
Sighing and wishing he was home so that he could show his family what was
happening, he changed into his humanoid form, and the fire disappeared. Curious, he changed back to his full drogon form, but this time, he didn’t change into the fire creature, making him conclude the fire was associated with the wrath, and that he probably would be able to conjure it when he needed it. It would just take some training.
Pleased with his new weapon, he turned back to normal, just leaving his wings displayed and went looking for Joshua to take him to Gwendolyn’s place.
He needed to talk to the women and see if they had any idea where he could find the demons.
The child was still unconscious when he picked him up in his arms and took him away. Both Rhiannon and Gwendolyn came out of the cabin waiting for him, and he was able to see the surprise on Gwendolyn’s face when she saw his wings. But fortunately, there was no fear.
“What happened?” Rhiannon asked him.
“I found him passed out, behind a tree. I guess it was too much for him,” he explained.
“Were you able to find the demons?” she asked him, anxious.
“No, I lost their track not far from where I found Joshua,” he replied, oozing all his frustration in each word.
He carried the child into the house and laid him down on one of the couches.
“You shouldn’t have gone after them all alone. It’s too dangerous,” Gwendolyn protested, closing the door behind them.
“No, it’s not. Besides, I don’t think I would find anyone here to help me. So far, I haven’t seen a single person trying to fight these creatures,” he replied, furious. “All they do is hide away the minute they hear they’re approaching. Not even the desperate cries of a child drag them out of their safe houses.”
Gwendolyn nodded, ashamed of her fellow villagers. Kael was right. People were so scared of the demons no one would even try to fight them, not anymore, anyway. Her husband had died in one of the first battles against the demons.
“They are too afraid,” she said, not trying to excuse the villagers, just stating things as they were.
“I understand, but there is a time when you have to face your fears and put up a fight. Otherwise, life loses its meaning. You stop living and start surviving,” he retorted.
