Ivy’s mouth dropped open in an O of surprise and she nodded slowly. Her imagination wandered as she tried to imagine the situation Zeke had just described. There was no way it could be that bad…right? “I’ll do my best to keep an open mind,” she said softly.
Zeke smiled warmly at her, relief in his eyes, “That’s all I ask…for now.”
His grip on her hand tightened as he led her down a hill, towards an area where the trees were getting thinner. They broke through the forest and entered a small, enclosed valley where Zeke’s home lay. “Welcome to Taberna."
Shock coursed through Ivy’s body as she looked at the small village before her. There were maybe twenty…homes all together. Half of them were small tents and the other half were small, wooden, straw huts. “How many live here?” she whispered, scared to hear his answer.
“Roughly 200 demons occupy Taberna,” Zeke answered, watching Ivy’s face as she reacted to the sad sight before her.
“Two hundred people live here!?” she asked, horrified that so many were crammed into such a small space. How in the world did they manage to survive? And why were they so poor?
Zeke felt a swell of pride in his chest as Ivy called the demons ‘people’ without even knowing it. Maybe there was a chance after all. She didn’t know it yet, but he was hoping that she would be the answer to his people’s prayers.
He led her closer to the village, never letting go of her hand. “You said that there are many more villages just like this one? And villages that are even worse off?” Ivy asked. “Why? I thought demons had an immense amount of wealth…what happened?”
Frowning in anger, Zeke glanced at her, “Yes there are many villages like this. The majority of the demon people live in poverty. I’ll explain it in depth later, but for now, just know that only a select few demons, the one your father is warring against, have the power and the money, leaving the rest to suffer the consequences and fight to survive.”
Before Ivy could form a response, there was a high-pitched squeal and the soft sound of feet against the ground.
“ZEEEEEKKKKEEEEEE! ZEKE IS BACK!” a small girl yelled out excitedly. Ivy tensed and waited for the owner to catch up with her voice. Moments later a small girl who looked no older than five or six, came tearing around the corner of a tent. Her feet were bare and the clothes she was wearing were tattered, but her face was split into a wide grin. “ZekeZekeZekeZekeZekeZeke!” she chanted as she charged him. He crouched down and picked her up in his arms as her small body collided with his.
“How is my little princess?” Zeke grinned at the girl.
She wrapped her small arms around his neck and kissed his cheek noisly. “I missed you terribly Zekey. Rancor still won’t play with me and the other girls think I’m silly,” she pouted.
Zeke chuckled and adjusted her in his arms. “Well they’re the silly ones. You’re the smartest girl I know, the prettiest too.” She giggled and buried her head in his neck, hugging him tighter. “Hey Maura,” Zeke grinned. “I brought you a new friend to play with. You’ll have to be really nice to her though, she’s never been in the demon realm before.”
Maura gasped and lifted her head up, trying to see around Zeke to find her new friend. Ivy blushed and waved her hand with a sheepish grin when the girl’s eyes landed on her.
“Oh Zeke!” Maura breathed happily. “She’s pretty. You always bring me the best presents.” Zeke bit back a laugh as Maura wiggled out of his arms and walked over to Ivy. She looked up at Ivy and smiled warmly. “Hello, my name is Maura and you’re going to be my new best friend.”
KHC Sequel [Chapter 8]
Start from the beginning
