“Oh good, you’re up! Are you hungry?” the demon asked from the small table near the fire. The words were somewhat muffled, as his mouth was full. “It’s nothing special, but it’s tasty enough. I found salt and spices in the kitchen.” He offered the half-decimated leg of fowl he’d taken a bite from in demonstration.
There was no point in pretending I wasn’t starving. My stomach made a loud rumble as I stared at him, trying to make some kind of order out of my jumbled thoughts. I felt shaky and wrung out but also like I’d gotten the best sleep I’d had in weeks.
“Yes, thanks.”
Seir got up from his chair, squatting to collect another plate and food from near the flames as I maneuvered myself out of the bed. I regretting having to part with the soft mattress. I stared as the demon’s tail twitched on the floor behind him, an odd appendage that somehow seemed both natural and foreign at the same time.
Even the soles of my feet were sore as I made my way stiffly across the wooden planks of the floor toward the small bathroom. Between the way I’d been pinned to the stool and the unusually strenuous activity of taking down my captor’s friends, I was a mess of bruises and aches. I could only imagine the picture I made: bloody, dirty, rangy at best thanks to the living conditions of that house.
After washing the grime from my face and fingers, I joined the demon at the table. He smiled encouragingly at me.
The plate was mounded with pieces of some kind of fowl that had been roasted, root vegetables, and what looked like wilted dandelion greens. It was a decadent feast compared to what I’d been fed for the last few months.
“Thank you,” I muttered as I chewed the first buttery bite of meat.
Looking up, I found him watching me with amusement. His skin was a rich bronze spattered with even darker freckles, like he spent all his days out in the sun. His watchful eyes were a bright gold with a greenish ring in the center, and his head of messy russet waves added a gentle complement to the mix. The curled dark-brown horns I’d seen atop his head were gone now.
This demon looked young and seemed kind despite how sharp his smile was. The three-pointed fangs on each side of his mouth were one of the only menacing things about his appearance. However, I’d seen enough at the house in Olinbourg to know he shouldn’t be underestimated.
“You’re welcome, Derne. Feeling alright now? You were asleep for several hours.”
I nodded as I chewed, the warm food settling pleasantly heavy in my empty stomach. “Better.” I was very annoyed that I’d passed out; I should have been stronger than that. But finding myself in this place was far preferable to where I’d been kept for the last several months.
He continued to eat while watching me. “We should probably talk about what happened back there. And what happens from here,” he suggested, silently offering me more food from his own plate after I finished what was on mine, and then more still from the pot over the fire as I devoured everything I could get my hands on.
I emptied the water from the heavy glass near my plate twice as I made my way through, my thirst intense. Wide eyed, he regarded me with wonder as I finally sat back in the rough chair. “More?” he asked, poised to stand.
From what I could tell, there was no more. And I was feeling the first pangs of embarrassment for having devoured everything in sight, including the remains ofhisplate.
“There’s plenty more fowl nearby. Wouldn’t take but a moment to catch another.”
Awed, I stared. “No. No need for all that. I’m finished, thanks.” I put my mouth into the bend of my elbow, trying to disguise the noise that crept out.
He smiled wide, teeth sharp, but the gesture friendly. “You flatter me. I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Without another word, he cleared the table, tossing the bones and other scraps into theflames. He crossed to the small kitchen area and set to washing the plates.
A demon had just fed me dinner and was now cleaning the dishes, after helping me escape Ignus. It was all so normal and yet incredibly strange. And I still had no idea why or how he’d come back in the first place.
“Why did you come back? How did you know where to find me?”
“Once summoned, it is the demon’s duty to remain by his summoner’s side until their need for the demon’s assistance is fulfilled.” He recited the words like they came out of some kind of handbook. “The circle was broken is all, so I went back where I started, but you told me where we were. That was enough to find my way back.”
“What if you hadn’t?”
“Come back?” He frowned.
“Yes, would something have happened to you?”
He hesitated but gave a shallow nod. “Demotion and punishment are among the consequences.”
“I see.” I swallowed. Of course he didn’t want to face such things simply because I happened to spill some water.
I could see the earnestness in his eyes, the way his hand twitched like it wanted to reach for mine. “You said you needed help. I could see that you did. I couldn’tnotcome back.”
“Thank you,” I said, hoping he could hear how grateful I was over my exhaustion. “So, if what happened before wasn’t a banishment, what is?”
“You need a complete circle and to speak the right words, much the same way you summoned me in the first place.”
“I see.” I glanced around, and he seemed to understand my intent.
