Page 21 of Their World

He walked on my right while Dhun walked on my left.

The demons who walked about the city eyed me warily, but one look from Zoman sent them scurrying on their way.

Most of the buildings were housing of one kind or another, apartments, duplexes, and houses, but there were a couple stores as well. We walked into one store and I was immediately intrigued by all the items. They were pieces of the burned trees, carved into shapes with symbols on them.

“What are these?” I asked Zoman.

“Totems with protective symbols,” he answered. Pointing to one he said, “This is a symbol for strength.” Pointing to another, he said, “This is one for increased stamina.”

“Do they work, or are they just for decoration?”

“How rude!” the male storekeeper shouted. He was a large demon, his head and horns were so tall he had to duck in the shop to keep his horns from getting stuck in the ceiling. He was wide as well, his shirt buttons were strained as they tried to keep from snapping off, bits of his skin and … fur … showing through the gaping holes.

“Rude?” I asked.

He snorted. “I do not sell fakes! These are one hundred percent legitimate protection symbols.”

“She’s not from here,” Zoman told him. “She doesn’t know about our world and is learning.”

The storekeeper narrowed his eyes at me. “You have no horns?”

“I’m only part demon,” I explained. Just saying it made my heart pound, and yet, I also felt a strange sense of rightness to acknowledge it.

“You poor thing,” he whispered and shook his head sadly.

Apparently, it was important to them to have horns. I wondered if the shape or size mattered to them?

“Do I have to hold them or just keep them in a pocket to work?” I picked up the figure that looked a bit like Jol, it even had a spiked mace in its hand, with the symbol for strength on it.

“You put it on your mantle, recite the words, and it will activate. Then, you leave it on your mantle and it will increase your strength, including your resolve,” the storekeeper explained. His voice was much softer and his body had relaxed now that he’d learned I wasn’t insulting him.

“Will it strengthen just me or everyone who lives in the house?”

“One item per person,” he explained.

“What are these symbols for?” I asked and moved to the next shelf.

The storekeeper explained them one by one to me. I pulled out my notebook and tried to draw the first symbol, but the storekeeper snatched the book out of my hand and the pencil.

“Hey!” I shouted.

He waved his hand dismissively. “Go look around more. I’ll draw them for you. Your first attempt hurts my soul.”

My mouth dropped. “Now who is being rude?”

Zoman chuckled, but covered his mouth when I turned to him.

Going to the next row of shelves, I inspected the other items offered for sale. There were some cute items and I wished I had money or items to trade for some of the things.

As I turned to the next shelf, my eyes widened, and I gasped at the item I saw. Reaching out a shaky hand to pick up the silver snake with ruby-colored eyes wrapped around a lily, I stroked a finger down it, feeling a deep pull to it.

“What have you found?” the shopkeeper asked as he stomped over to me.

“What is this?” I asked and held it on my palm so he could see it.

“Ah, that. It’s from an old prophecy.”

A strange anxiousness filled me. “What does the prophecy say?”

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