Page 114 of The Demon's Delight
The large stone kin shrugged. “I was glad to have a project for a couple of days, nothing of consequence.”
He held the gate for me, and we walked out into the city, starting down one of the main roads.
“Are you glad to be away from the ruins?”
He shook his head. “I am, but it’s very difficult to be around this many people all at once. Even the conclave is too noisy. I didn’t realize how much I’d adapted to the quiet.”
“I can understand that. It’s incredibly peaceful there. We aren’t bothering you, are we?”
“No, no. You’re good neighbors.” He kept a very small hut right inside the bounds of the ruins themselves, and we rarely saw him.
“Would you like to fly ahead? I’ll walk as quickly as I can.”
“No, that’s alright. I promised to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, you did? Who did you promise?”
“Whodidn’tI promise,” he grumbled. “Everyone at d’Arcan reminded me, as did your mate. You even have my father and sisters ensuring your safety.”
“I think I feel a bit offended. I can take care of myself just fine.”
He snorted. “We all know that, Hailon. Make no mistake.”
I forced my steps to move twice what they normally would, taking a route that wound around the outer edge of the city instead of going through the middle.
My magic flowed out around me, touching a child with the sniffles here, a man with sore joints there. I let it soothe their hurts, pulling from what had become an almost endless well thanks to living at the glade.
I’d set up a couple of clinics dedicated to helping those who needed it, but also saw no reason not to sprinkle some aid wherever I went if I could. On the flip side, Magnus had called me into the council once, and I’d been able to incapacitate one of the oldest members while he was interrogated, taking away his ability to shift and holding it over the well. Nobody had been the wiser. Between my dedicated practice and obsidian items, I was settling into confident use of my powers.
Something that never would have been possible had I stayed in Ravenglen.
Soon enough, Coltor and I were crossing out of the east gate of the city, silent as we moved ever closer to the Dread Forest and Ophelia’s hut.
The wards pressed in like they always did, Coltor frowning as they hit him.
“Maybe we should have Ophelia come help at the ruins,” he suggested. “These hit like a boulder. Mine seem weak in comparison.”
“She doesn’t leave here. Trust me, I had the same thought.”
As we came around the corner, I stopped mid stride. In the side yard of the hut was a horse. A big one, with familiar markings. “Jacks?”
The horse nickered, but didn’t stop his ruthless pruning of Ophelia’s overgrown grass.
The door of the hut opened, and a smiling Merry stepped outside, along with a laughing Ophelia.
“Hailon!” Merry dashed forward and hugged me.
“Merry? What are you doing here?”
“Ravenglen was no longer the place for me.”
“Did something happen? Are you alright?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine, I’m fine. Nothing like that. I just want something more for myself than working at the grocers and cleaning hunting lodges. I remembered what your man said about Revalia. But Jacks decided to have a mind of his own once we got close. Nothing I did would deter him from coming here.”
“Hello, nephew,” Ophelia said, greeting Coltor.
“Greetings, Ophelia. I brought you some salted licorice.” His hand trembled a bit as he handed over the paper sack of candy.
