Page 13 of Their World

“Stop!” I ordered and all three males froze.

“I see it,” Jol whispered, astonished. “A sprout.”

Zoman whispered, “But the Grand Advisor said?—"

“He said a lot of things, I’m sure,” I whispered. “Come on, little sprout. You’ve got your light and your water. Show your king what you can do.”

I swirled the water around it in a circle, letting it touch the roots without blocking the light or letting the water soak into the soil too much to lose it.

The sprout responded, doubling in size.

Zoman gasped.

My powers weakened, my abilities almost maxed out. I had to let it go. I had to let it try to thrive on its own.

“Little sprout, I have to let you go. You have to do this on your own for a bit. I’ll soak the soil around you so you have water to grow. Don’t die on us. Fight. You can do this.”

“She’s talking to a plant like it’s a person,” Zoman whispered, clearly thinking I was insane.

Pushing the water directly into the soil around the plant, I released my hold and opened my eyes. The little, dark green pair of leaves glowed in the early evening light.

“Go get water and one of the protective nets,” Jol ordered Zoman.

Smiling, I turned to Jol, who stared at the plant as though it were the first time he’d seen one. “There is life, Jol. It needs help, but it is there.”

He turned to me, eyes wide, and said, “You really are a goddess.”

Shaking my head, I said, “I’m pretty weak when it comes to my nature magic. There are much stronger elves in my world.”

Jol surprised me by leaning over and pressing his lips to mine. “Youarea blessing, whether a goddess or princess or queen. And while the Grand Advisor may have misinterpreted some things from his visions or lied, you are the one I needed to come here.”

Chapter

Four

After the shock of Jol kissing me wore off, we went to the kitchen to make food, and he surprised me by inviting me to his room to share the meal. While I was slightly nervous about going to his room, uncertain if he had the wrong impression, my curiosity outweighed my nervousness. I hadn’t seen his room yet, and I wondered what the mysterious demon king lived like compared to the guest room I was using.

His room turned out to have a living room, bedroom, and a patio that had a cover so you could sit outside even while it rained with a small round table. The outdoor set up was definitely one I wanted to mimic if I ever got a house of my own.

Walking around his room, I inspected the knickknacks he had on his dresser and shelves. They were all from my world and were random things like a ball, a dragon’s scale, a radio, and a picture frame with a stock photo in it. There were also several small mana stones in the room.

“They’re gifts from those who travel to your world,” he explained when he saw me looking at the picture frame. “Things that intrigued them so they gave them to me. Come, let’s eat before it gets cold.”

Following him out to the balcony, I sat in the chair he pulled out for me and waited until he sat before picking up the fork to eat. I’d taken some of the items in his “cold box” as he called it and pantry and made a basic shepherd’s pie. I had tasted it after cooking, so I knew it tasted good, but I waited for Jol to taste it first.

He took a bite, and his eyes widened. “This is delicious.”

“Thank you,” I said and ate my bite. “I’m not the best cook, but I try to learn new recipes that I know others will enjoy.”

“I’ve never had anything like this. It’s very flavorful.” He took three big bites and closed his eyes as he ate.

I knew I was spoiled in comparison to others in my world, but seeing him enjoy a simple dish so much made my heart hurt for him and his people. There was so much I took for granted, even when I tried to be understanding.

“If we can come to a peaceful agreement, I would love to show you around the main city and take you to my favorite restaurants,” I said. “My mom’s favorite restaurant has the best dessert.”

“Dessert?” he asked.

“Sweet treats,” I answered. Tapping a finger against the necklace’s gem as I looked out at the city view, I said, “I wonder if I could find a portal to go through and grab some stuff and come back like you send your troops?”

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