Page 17 of The Demon's Delight
Back at our simple camp, I set her down on a log before squatting near the low flames to tend the steaming pot, hoping my heartbeat wasn’t audible to her. The raging pulse in both my ears and my pants was very distracting, and it was my own fault.
Once her feet were thoroughly dry, Hailon put her boots back on and set up our meager bedrolls near the flames. We both curled up cross-legged on our blankets to eat, the little tin bowls cupped in our hands in the heavy quiet. Bugs trilled, frogs sang. The creek babbled gently in the distance. It was peaceful.
“I’ll wash up in the morning,” I offered.
Hailon nodded, her blinks slow and eyelids heavy.
Dark had fallen completely, and the stars were bright overhead. My brother Rylan was an expert at charting their movements and knew all the stories associated with them. I’d picked up plenty just being around him but was far from as knowledgeable due to how much time I spent in Hell.
“Do you have a favorite?” I asked, looking over at Hailon to find her gazing up at the sky as she shifted her bedding around so she could lie down. The little wooden horse was in her hand as she snuggled in. I was fairly certain she kept it in her pocket at all times. Her thumb rubbed along the gold-tipped ears.
“My Aunt Sal told me all about the stars. She has the cycles down to memory too. We plan a lot of our medicine making around the sky.”
“Your Aunt Sal sounds like a lot of the witches and mages I’ve met.” A faint lift to the corners of her mouth assured me that she wasn’t offended by my words. I wasn’t yet certain she was a witch, but one of the men had flung that word at her as a slur. “My brother has studied the stars for hundreds of years. He’s got an observatory at his school in Revalia, even. Fancy telescope and everything.”
“Wow, that’s …”
“Incredible,” I agreed with her unspoken awe. “It’s truly marvelous. He’s very dedicated.”
“Sounds like it.”
“How many brothers do you have?”
“Six.”
“Are you all close?”
I started to nod, then shook my head. That still didn’t feel right, so I ended up shrugging. “We don’t spend much time together anymore. Everyone has their own adventures happening. Rylan and Vassago are here on Earth. Tap manages the crossroads. I’m here and there. Ipos, Bas and Sitri are more like me. Mainly in Hell, but they have their own places they venture off to as well.”
“I always wondered what it would be like to have a sibling.”
“For us, there was a lot of madness. But joy too. We get along well, when we see one another. You mentioned your Aunt Sal?”
“Yes, she’s my only family. I’ve lived with her since I was small.”
“Oh. Can I ask why?”
Hailon breathed in slowly through her nose. “I know what she told me, I know what I remember… and I know that neither of those are the whole truth.” She rubbed the smooth gold parts of her carved horse more intently. “I know that I had a mother, but I couldn’t tell you what she looked like or the sound of her voice. I don’t know anything about my father. I’ve been with Aunt Sal since I can remember, and she’s been a dedicated parent to me.”
“But?”
“But… I also get the feeling that she never wanted to be. That I’ve long overstayed my welcome, despite it being out of necessity.”
“Oh.”
“She and my mother were friends, so she’s not actually my blood relative. Something happened. I don’t know what exactly, but my mother left me in her charge and… that’s that. I appreciate all she’s done, but I worry my presence has stolen away the life she wanted for herself. She’s mentioned things, over the years…” She bit the inside of her cheek. “I try to be sure to give pieces of it back to her where I can. It’s probably not enough, though.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I kept my silence. Her worries weighed on me, as well.
“Do you have parents?” she asked. “Demons aren’t born, right? Not like people.”
“No. My brothers and I, we fell.”
“You were angels?” Her tone was curious, not surprised, which was intriguing.
“Once, yes.” I did not elaborate, and she did not press. Truth was, the years before the fall were becoming more faded all the time. I worried that soon I wouldn’t recall them at all.
“Is it difficult to be hundreds of years old?”
