Bound By Hate (Gale) {Book 1 of the "Bound" Series}

9: The Nightmare Demon

"Lily, could you hand me the assignment file?" I asked, turning to the Exceed.

"Here," he said, handing it to me. "What does it look like we have to do?"

I opened the file and quickly read through the documents Master Makarov had placed inside. "It seems we have to take out a powerful demon that has been destroying a small island village. According to this, the islanders speak their own language, so other hunters that have gone haven't been able to get a lot of information out of them. Because of this, they could never locate the demon." I frowned. "That's odd. If it's on an island, the hunters shouldn't have had any problem locating the demon."

"Communication with the islanders will be crucial, then," Lily murmured. "From what you've just told me, only they will be able to lead us to the demon--or be able to give us any information on it."

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Should we wake Gajeel and tell him?" Lily asked, looking down at the sleeping dragon slayer in my lap.

"No. We can tell him once we get off the train. We'll have to find a boat once we get to Hargeon, so I can explain everything while we're searching."

Suddenly, Gajeel's eyes shot open, and he sat up. "What the hell were you---ugh." He fell against the window before he could finish. I could sense his motion-sickness returning, and my stomach clenched again.

"You fell asleep about an hour ago. When we went around a curve, you fell over into my lap. I didn't want to wake you, since it seemed you felt better when you were sleeping, so I just left you there," I said.

"Oh," was all he gave me as an answer.

"Would you like to lay in my lap again?" I asked. I didn't know why I was, honestly. Some part of me felt bad for him, and didn't like to see him looking so miserable.

His eyes widened in shock as he gaped at me. "What?"

"It seemed to make the ride more bearable for you," I shrugged. "I can feel how awful it is, and I don't mind if you do," I said as I smiled at him.

"No way--" The train hit a bump in the tracks, causing him to fall over. His Nausea must have gotten the better of him, because he didn't try to move. Instead, he relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes.

I aimlessly stroked his hair, having nothing better to do. I was amazed by how soft his hair was. The long black spikes looked rough, but they were incredibly soft to the touch. I saw him grin a little in his sleep, so I giggled. He likes being comforted just like everyone else. He can't be too bad, then.

"Levy," Lily said, bringing my attention back to him.

"Yes?"

"We're here." I looked out the window, surprised to see the train had come to a stop.

"Gajeel," I whispered, shaking him, "we've arrived."

He yawned, sitting up as he rubbed his eyes. "About damn time," he grumbled. We grabbed our bags and got off the train. The small port town was a flurry of activity as people went to and from the parked train. I could smell the sea from where we were, and took a deep breath.

"I'll find someone with a boat while you fill Gajeel in," Lily said. He summoned his wings before flying off over the crowd.

"A boat?" Gajeel asked, following me to an empty bench. I patted the wood beside me, waiting for him to take a seat. "Don't tell me we're getting on a boat next."

"It will be a short ride," I reassured him. Before he could protest, I held up my hand. "We're going to a small island just off the coast here, so we should only be on the boat for about ten minutes. I read over the file Master gave us, and this mission might be a little tricky. The citizens in the small village we're going to speak their own language--and are the only ones who can help us find this demon we were sent to kill. With any luck I'll be able to understand them and translate for us. The other hunters who have gone on this assignment could never find the demon because they couldn't speak with the villagers, so I assume that means they know something important about the demon's location."