The Demon and the Elf (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty Four pt 1

Eial had contemplated whether to bring the matter up to the other two, but seeing their mind focused with the task on hand, he thought better of it. Defeating the king was important, and the latter can wait if not an immediate threat.

If not an immediate threat.

He didn't want to distract them. He didn't want them to be hurt. One at a time.

Thump. Thump.

The elf's heart and mind lay in a different nightmare alongside the dreams of the others.

~~~

Thunderstorming, dark skies were perfect for infiltration, allowing them the ease to be hidden better than during a sunny daylight. Rainy weather can be sensed as ominous, but for the demon, each blast of thunder that vibrated within him prickeled his skin with deep thrill.

Eial's small barrier had protected the three from the pouring rain, but Drokn couldn't take the intensity of his emotions. Impulsively, he grabbed Eial and brought him outside the barrier, immediately drenching the two with the sharp, cold liquid. Vrona turned away with a smile, letting them have a moment in their privacy before the big moment.

With reddened irses, Drokn laughed and placed his forehead against Eial's. Eyes wide, they looked into the elf's sweet shape of his eyelids. Laughing once more, he clawed his fingers through the elf's hair and breathed in the elf's lips with his own, drowning his emotions into passion.

Towards the end of their kiss, the demon lingered his lips against the elf's with a smile, giddiness prancing within his chest at the thought of the future. Eventually, the demon held the elf close in a hug, sharing the reverberations of the storm. Eial held tight, as well, the thrill contagious from the demon.

The elf listened to the demon's rambles in the rain. How he'd grown powerful, how he'd take down the king easily now, how he'd build more health facilities in the outskirts— how he'd first get more staff to work with that doctor, Bluhn.

He'd buy that one burly demoness a drink. He'd definitely forgotten her name.

He'd help K'ra...

He'd save Gru...

He'd...

He'd...

Eial patiently listened to each plan as he closed his eyes against the warmth of the demon's chest.

That same night, the three made their way towards the city. As he saw the tall towers and the demons in the distance, Eial's heart pounded in memory. His mind flashed to the last time he was close to the inner cities, close to the demon territory on this side where the demons he'd met were not as kind to him as they were in the outer towns.

"It'll be alright. I'm with you," Drokn reassured the elf.

The elf hadn't known he was making his anxiety so obvious until his eyes made contact with the demon's and he recognized how wide they'd turned. His hands were gripped to the hood of his cloak, tight enough that nail creases formed on his palms.

"I won't let anything happen to you," the demon said with the confidence of the strongest demon in the world.

But his unfound confidence was contagious, and the elf smiled bashfully, believeingly. Or rather, he reminded himself that he had to stay strong for the demon, to help the demon. If his nerves were shackled, it could hinder protecting the demon and his goals.

Swallowing the bit of anxiety that remained in the back of his mind, he stepped forward.

When they were met with a wide river dividing the land from the outskirts to the cities, Drokn frowned as he looked at the demoness —who held a knowing smile— before begrudgingly grabbing the demoness to fly to the other side. As for the elf, he followed with himself sinking into the river, using water magic to propel him to the other side.

The night streets were fairly bleak in that side of the city, rare of people except for a few passerbys who couldn't care about others wandering about. Drokn wondered about their plan as they walked closer to the castle gates, hiding in the shadows of buildings.

"Don't worry, I've got this!" Vrona responded simply.

The gates were as tall as the demon remembered. In fact, everything was as he remembered. As if the lack of his presence for so long hadn't made a dent. His gaze darkened, but his ambition grew. He will defeat the king. He will defeat the king. He will be noticed by the people.

Before he knew it, in the midst of his thoughts, Vrona had stepped into the open in front of the guards. The three had hid behind a narrow building, planning out their next move, yet the next thing they knew, the demoness had wandered out, and even more absurdly, beckoned for the other two to follow.

She better have a fucking plan, the demon thought as he stepped forward, his chest high. Eial, in the meanwhile, tried to hide within the back of the demon.

Step...

And another...

The three stood in front of the guards, who revealed their weapons, preparing to defend.

"We are just merely travelers!" the demoness exclaimed, hands up in the air.

Drokn's eyes grew wide and slowly turned to Vrona, a beaming fury piling.

She continued, "We come in peace!"

When the guards did nothing to let them pass, she turned to the other two and shrugged. "Well, I tried."

And the next moment, the three were cuffed and thrown in the cells.