Page 24 of The Demon of the Wood

He thought for a moment. “Sometimes I think I must be. I know how fearful humans are of me and my kind. The people who took me thought I was evil.”

“No, no, you’re not,” she said firmly. “I know monsters, Kaemon. You are the furthest thing from one.”

His eyes lingered on hers for a long time, allowing himself to become lost in the beauty of her tender gaze.

“You’re very kind.”

“So are you.”

His hands gripped her arms firmer. They continued in companionable silence for a while, and she finally gained the courage to peek again. She gave a little cry and pointed to herds of sheep.

“They seem so small!” she exclaimed, her face alight.

Kaemon directed her attention to other wonders, a top of a snow-capped mountain, rivers that wound about from farmland to village. Orc Haven showed in the distance. They landed under the cover of the woods outside the town, and he let her down.

The smells and sounds of the market greeted them as they walked up, making his stomach rumble with hunger and his mouth water. He guided her through the southern gate and onto the cobblestone streets. Her eyes whipped from one side to the next, full of wonder.

Thon was a small village, nothing like Orc Haven, and he realized how different this must seem to her. Orcs and goblins, people and elves, all manner of beings, walked tightly around each other, paying only enough mind to not bump into them. Melina grasped the sleeve of his shirt, holding on tightly as people almost separated them. He took her hand and looped it into his, guiding her down the streets, savoring the feel of how perfectly their hands locked together.

They came to the market, and he glanced down to see her expression. A smile bloomed on her face.

“Over here is where you can bulk sell your items.” He tugged her hand and took her to a stall where an older orc male sat, his hair just wisps of silver and one of his lower fangs clipped.

The orc male grunted as they came close, gesturing to the scales he had. “Place what you have down there.”

Kaemon took the nuts out, dumping them, and watched as the dial sprung to the right, showing the weight. The orc rummaged through the nuts, examining a few and grunted again in satisfaction.

“I’ll give you five units for the entire bag.” Shock at the proposed amount showed on her face.

“That works for me,” she said.

The male pulled out a coin purse and counted out five units, depositing the bronze and copper coins in Melina’s hands.

“Do you take crab apples as well?” she asked.

The male grunted an affirmative, and Kaemon deposited the crab apples on another scale. It was a much smaller amount, and the crab apples were worth less, but she received another half unit and looked as if she were about to skip for joy as they walked away from the stand.

“I’ve never had this much money before,” Melina whispered.

Kaemon smiled, light filling him from her joy. “You’ve done well.”

“I need to save as much as I can, but I think I’d like to buy some fabric and sewing supplies.”

“This way,” Kaemon said.

Her eyes snagged on the baked goods in the shop window they passed, and he halted, tugging her back to follow him into the shop. There were cakes and cookies, candies, and chocolates. The air smelled like clove and cinnamon.

“Hallo!” someone said and then a little goblin female climbed onto a stool and popped up behind the counter. Her hair fell in a dark plait down her back, her blue eyes big and sparkling. She gave a toothy smile of greeting, the teeth sharp as razors, though the joy on her face softened the impression. “Ah, Kaemon. I’ve wondered when you would venture into my shop. I see you brooding about in the market enough and I’ve often thought that sweets would cheer you up.”

He gave her a tight-lipped smile. Jacey had always been kind to him, and often bought the smoked meat he brought to market. “I’m not a sweets person.”

“Then what has brought you in today?” her eyes slid to Melina, whose face held confusion.

He stuck his thumb at her. “Her.”

“Oh, I don’t…”

But before Melina could finish, he took out two copper coins and handed them to Jacey. Turning to Melina, he said, “It’s on me. What do you want?”

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