Page 101 of Huntress

“You folks treat all magical creatures as if they’re your enemy. And while we’re grateful for your skills in times like these, we aren’t interested in criticisms or helpful suggestions on changes you think we should make to our way of life,” Liam said. His tone wasn’t unfriendly, but it was firm.

“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to suggest you change, it’s more that I’m confused. And impressed, and a bit anxious for you. Until two days ago I'd never heard of a system like this, let alone seen it in action,” Elsie breathed a big sigh. “I like it.”

Harold and Liam grinned. “We like it, too. The last guy you folks sent never managed to let his guard down and enjoy his time here. Maybe you’ll be able to figure it out.”

“Doubt it,” Saint muttered. Elsie shot him a dirty look.

“Tell us about this demon we’re here to deal with. What are his habits? Where does he usually approach the village from? Is there any particular trigger for the nights he pulls his pyro act?” she asked.

“As far as we’ve been able to figure out, his father was killed, and he’s decided we’re to blame. The problem with that is until he started showing up, we hadn’t even known there were salamanders in the area. They don’t typically come this far north, the winter freeze lasts too long,” Liam said.

“He sneaks in quietly, but we’re not sure where he’s entering. Salamanders have a chameleon quality to ‘em, blending in and whatnot. We don’t know he’s here until something’s on fire.”

“We caught him one time. Held him for a few hours, but he wouldn’t say anything other than to tell us he’d burn the whole village to the ground. It was the following week that he burned that barn,” Harold added.

“You let him go?” Elsie questioned.

“What else were we supposed to do with him?” Liam cocked an eyebrow. She didn’t have a non-violent answer for them, so she kept her mouth shut.

The watchmen retreated into the room, lit a lantern, and started a game of cards, mugs of coffee between them. Elsie and Saint stayed outside. He leaned against the wall and sat down, one leg propped up, the other out straight—a full-on tripping hazard.

She made full rotations, sipping her tea and moving her body to keep it warm. An hour passed, and at some point Elsie leaned against the railing, watching little forest critters move around in the dark. There wasn’t a single demon in sight.

She was starting to think Anne was right. They could have stayed warm and comfortable in their beds at the inn for the night.

“Do you really think you should be leaning on that death trap while we’re this far up?” Saint questioned.

“It’s sturdy enough.” Elsie demonstrated by giving the railing a little shake. “See? It hardly even wiggles.”

“Time to move.” Liam poked his head out of the doorway. “Good time to pack it in if you’re cold.”

“I’m good, this tea is really helpful. You Northerners are onto something with this stuff.” Elsie realized she hadn’t shivered once in the past hour. Her belly was warm and kind of tingly, and her skin was gently flushed.

Saint took the thermos from her hands, opened the top, and gave it a sniff. All he smelled was pine and ginger. He took another drink and handed it back to her. Demons were naturally a few degrees warmer than humans, and he was perfectly comfortable in the cooler weather.

“Suspicious of tea now?” Elsie snorted, then climbed down. They made a wide arc around the village, their trek taking them past the houses at the furthest edge of their borders. A few had fires lit, but most were dark.

The climb up the mountain was simple enough; the paths formed by time and hundreds of trips by previous night watchmen. There were even stairs carved into the steeper places.

At the next watchtower, Harold and Liam posted themselves at the bottom.

“You can go up if you want, it’s a great view,” Liam said. “But I warn you, the wind is even worse up here.”

Elsie climbed first, with Saint right behind her. At the top, she went straight to the railing overlooking the village. The lights in people’s windows twinkled below, while the stars shined above. The red moon hadn’t quite crested, bathing the clouds in dusky red light.

The demon joined her, lightly bumping her shoulder. Elsie’s skin blazed, her brain misfiring at the brief touch, and she took a slight step away from him. She was too warm. Unzipping the jacket, she tossed it into the room behind them, letting the cold breeze cool her down.

Saint’s nostrils flared slightly as he glanced at her.

“What?”

“Your scent was all wrong with that thing on.”

“Did that bother you?” Elsie laughed, the sound catching in her throat when she saw the serious look on his face.

“It did. You reeked of a human man.”

The depth of his voice sent warmth pooling south of her belly, and her cheeks flushed. She looked away. A heavy ache crept languidly through Elsie’s body; the sensitivity in her skin turned each gust of wind into a caress.