“Just in that respect?” Faye teased, shooting the demon a small smile.
“Shut up,” he replied, but returned her smile.
“It would be unlikely, but not impossible.”
Without a word, Raxx turned on his heel and began hurrying back towards the clearing. Faye did a double-take before scurrying after him.
“Wait, where are you going?” she called.
“We need to get down there. Jumping isn’t an option for us with the horse in tow.”
Faye jogged to keep up and pulled her scarf down from her face to gasp for breath. Gaia’s head shot up as she saw them approaching.
Raxx shrugged Lori and Faye’s travel bags from his back and handed them to the princess. “Here, take the satchels. Get on the horse and head in that direction.” He pointed across the forest.
“What? Why? Where are you going to be?” Faye asked, hurriedly heaving the bags onto her shoulder.
“I’m going to scout ahead and find a safe way down.”
“I’m the one on the horse. Surely it would be quicker if I--”
Raxx interrupted her with a chuckle. “Princess, you have no idea. Try not to miss me too much.” With a devilishly handsome grin, the demon vanished.
Chapter Five
Darkness had begun to drape itself over the woodland when Raxx finally found what he was looking for; a narrow passageway between the rocks of the cliff face. It was treacherously steep and was going to be tight in places, even if Faye dismounted to lead the horse though, but it was a safe path down to the forest below.
With every second that passed, the night drew in and Raxx felt his strength beginning to return. He rolled his shoulders, stretching the aching muscles in his back. It had been a long time since he had used this much majick over such a short period. Despite the soothing effect the shadows provided, they did little to temper his exhaustion.
Satisfied that the route he had found would be suitable, Raxx turned and began following his tracks back towards the princess. She couldn’t have gotten too far – not by his standards at least. It had been a risk to leave her alone, but Raxx took solace in the ace up his sleeve or, to be literal, in his pocket. He fished the crystal out and held it up cautiously by its chain.
Its surface had returned to a familiar dull silver, though he was certain it would not remain that way for long as he journeyed closer and closer to his new travelling companion. He didn’t believe in prophecy and fate – much to Tabitha’s annoyance – but the strange reaction from the crystal had piqued his interest.
The source of all this pain and let down – it’s a woman.
Tabitha’s words, from all those years before, resounded in his head. Though Raxx was loath to admit it, he had been plagued with curiosity after the witch had read that fortune for him. Despite dismissing Tabitha’s premonition as nonsense, Raxx had gazed up at the night sky on more than one occasion, thinking about this mysterious woman, wondering who she was and when he would meet her. His rational mind had told him to throw the trinket into a drawer to gather dust alongside the other peculiar gifts Tabitha had bestowed on him over the years, yet instead he had visited the local goldsmith and had the crystal fashioned onto a chain to wear around his neck.
That burning need for answers hadn’t lasted, naturally. When staring into the night sky had delivered little in the way of guidance, Raxx had turned his attention to his king. He became distracted with new war efforts and eventually, the crystal had been forgotten. The shadow demon hadn’t given it much thought thereafter, until it started burning a hole in his chest earlier that morning.
A faint glow caught Raxx’s eye and his lips quirked into a smug smile. The silver surface of the gem began to shimmer. His assumption had been correct, he was getting closer. Whilst he had lamented his choice to leave Faye unguarded, Raxx was now coming to realise should she attempt to escape, or be abducted, he would always be able to track her whilst this crystal was in his possession.
The demon hurried ahead, desperately denying his keenness to lay eyes on the pretty princess again. The crystal grew brighter still as he sped through the dark forest.
Was Faye this mysterious woman Tabitha had foreseen? Raxx’s rational side was embarrassed for him for even contemplating it. Not only was she faerie, but she was a princess and the daughter of King Lazuli – his own king’s nemesis who was determined to wipe demonkind off the map. Faye would never be interested in him and Raxx shouldn’t want her to be.
The demon shook himself and pushed forwards. Tabitha was toying with him; that was the only explanation. The witch loved nothing better than getting inside people’s heads – both literally and figuratively – and was an expert at mind games and manipulation. For all he knew, Tab had bewitched the crystal to react this way so it would light up around women who were wholly unsuitable and unobtainable, just to mess with him. Tabitha, whilst one of his closest friends, was a sadist in its purest form. He had seen her weaving elaborate plots before, ones that wouldn’t come to fruition for decades or more. Would she go to the effort of all this, just for her own amusement? Absolutely. Raxx gritted his teeth.
Soon the crystal was glowing brightly and the demon slowed to a walk, casting his eyes around the forest for signs of Faye. She was nearby but the bright glare from the gem was hurting his eyes, making it hard to see. Raxx squinted and shaded the worst of the light from his face. There, in the distance, was a faint pin-prick of firelight. Raxx raised a brow with surprise. The princess knew how to light fires, even in the depths of winter when all forms of kindling were frozen solid or buried beneath snow and ice. Interesting.
The demon tucked the glowing gem back into his pocket, being careful not to touch it as he did so. He rubbed his eyes as they steadily recovered from the crystal’s blinding light and stalked closer.
There was a small clearing amongst the pines. A fire roared at the centre, crackling and popping as it devoured the branches stacked within. A tent had been erected and Raxx eyed the construct. It was small, but the canvas material it was made from had been meticulously cared for. It was painted with a thick layer of wax to keep any moisture out and the edges were embellished with delicate gold embroidery. Nothing like the shabby, moth-eaten tents he’d had the misfortune of using in previous years.
The horse stood a way in the distance, tethered to a stake in the ground by a long rope. The mare was greedily tucking into a hay net that had been strung up on a tree branch. She was untacked with a thick padded blanket draped over her back to keep her warm.
Raxx stalked closer still, finally laying eyes on Faye. She was huddled near the fire, wrapped in a blanket with the hood of her cloak pulled up over her head to keep her warm. The faerie was staring into the flames. Raxx wondered what she was thinking about. The faerie looked tense, almost frightened. He crept towards her.
Faye’s eyes flickered with recognition and she sat bolt upright. She froze, her blue eyes darting around the woods. Back at the inn, Raxx had wondered if Faye was able to sense him. It wasn’t unusual for majick users to be able to sense the abilities of others’, but what unnerved him was the faerie was able to do so even when he didn’twantto be sensed. Raxx had stalked many older, more powerful people than Faye. How was it this faerie could sense him when no one else had been able to?
