Page 31 of Demons Treasure Warlocks

“What was that?” Darius asked breathlessly. His hand was sweaty on Bale’s bony wing.

“I—I don’t know. Shit… holy shit…” Bale gathered Darius into his arms and buried his face in the cloud of hair, desperate for the contact.

When the creatures’ attention shifted toward the cottage next door, it sent chills down Bale’s spine. Isaac and Caspian. Would they stay inside? Would they want to investigate? Did they have the strength to repel?

Bale couldn’t take the chance. They were his friends and Darius’s family. He had to make sure they were safe.

With a rough and much needed kiss of good luck from Darius, Bale stepped out into the cold dawn. The air bit down to his bones, and every breath was a shock to his lungs. Time was of the essence, and he had to protect Isaac and Caspian. Darius could protect himself in a pinch, but these two were so kind and vulnerable.

Bale loped on all fours, making good time as ice cut into the flesh of his feet. He saw Isaac stepping out on his front porch and then the aggressive noodle person reaching out to grab him. With one mighty leap and a beat of his wings, Bale landed on the shadowy creature.

The noise that filled the air was horrendous. Bale was stunned as the sound reverberated in his head. The shadow wriggled out of his arms as others of its kind swarmed over him. They picked at his vulnerable wings, and Bale could hear the membrane tear once more. Agony and shocked whited out his thoughts as he clung determinedly to his captive. He wailed loudly as again he lost a major part of his self.

The painstaking work that had been done to heal and patch his wings was destroyed in seconds.

Gathering all his strength, he threw a punch at one of the faces he could see when his hand was sucked into the depths of the hollow body.

“Bale! Let go! They’re going to take you away!” He could hear someone shouting distantly, but he intended on seeing this through. Bale was going to send one of these things back to the hell it came from.

His hands slipped, and he had to contend with stabbing pinches of pain on his wings, but Bale continued. The shadow creatures never spoke. Their perseverance was as determined as Bale’s, but Bale refused to give in.

As the sun pierced the sky, blinding him with the reflection off the snow, the noodle creatures disappeared into clouds of ash. Bale fell face-first into the compacted snow and cried out in pain.

Hands, friendly ones, gently rolled him over and covered him with a warm blanket. A pair of hands lifted his chin, and he met the sad golden eyes of Caspian. “Cas.”

“Let’s get you in the house.”

He was lifted to his feet and helped into the kitchen where he was laid on the floor face-first.

“Okay, we’re going to need something for the wings. Damp towels and any of that salve from before. Does Bale still have some, Dare?”

“I think so? We should call Adam and see if he can pop by the Tea Shoppe to pick more up. Ads and Trey should be here. What the hell were those things?”

The conversation went on without him as Bale blocked out the ache and the worry of possibly losing his wings for sure this time.

“Sit up, Bale.” Gentle touches moved him to a sitting position, and his fingers were wrapped around a warm mug. “Drink that. Geez, he’s still shivering. Can I use your dryer?”

“Yeah, sure. You know where it is.”

Years later but likely only minutes, Bale was wrapped in a fluffy towel, and Darius was crouched in front of him. Concern and disapproval dripped from him.

“What?”

“You could have gotten killed, Bale. What were you thinking?” Darius’s scolding was sharp with fear and worry.

“I did what any of you would do. I saved a friend.” Bale winced as he shifted. When the pain settled, he took a sip of his doctored tea and relaxed. “Hey, Dare?”

“Hmm?” Darius was fussing with how the towel covered Bale, which made Bale ache to snap and snarl like Darius usually did. He was fine. Let him lick his wounds in private.

“My wings?” It was hard to ask, but Bale had to know.

“It’s not as bad as you think,” Darius hedged. He refused to meet Bale’s eyes as he considered it. “I want some of that salve Hawk made you. Once that’s on, we can see the extent. For now? Just chill. If they’d let me, I’d run and grab Master or Bossy to lay on you.”

“I can do it?” Caspian’s whisper-soft voice was quivering. Bale lifted one arm, and Caspian slid in to cuddle close. Bale ran an unsteady hand down Caspian’s back. It helped for him to offer support to someone else.

Time slipped around him. Sometimes Darius asked him questions, but he was largely ignored until the front door opened, and Trey and Adam burst through.

Trey had his winter coat off in a second as he stormed the kitchen. Adam was slower as he hung everything up and straightened everyone’s boots. He paused in the wide doorframe of Isaac and Caspian’s living room where Bale had migrated. It was much warmer than the kitchen.

---