Page 79 of The Demon's Delight
“How about that, Moonflower? A little bit of luck found us after all. The good kind, this time.”
She nodded, and between us, we crammed all the things Merry had given us into our packs. Then we took her advice, leaving Ravenglen behind.
The paththrough the woods was narrow and almost disappeared in places, but it led us to a small hunting lodge just as Merry said it would.
It was a similar configuration though only perhaps half the size of the little way-house cabin. It was a welcome respite, nonetheless.
When we finally arrived, the moon was high in the sky despite the sections of path I’d done my best to glide down with Hailon in my arms. I could manage that much fine, but not for long distances. It had been a quiet walk, my heart sore because my mate was so distant and sad, but I tried to allow her the space she needed to process everything that had happened.
“I’ll work on the fire so we can eat and heat some water for bathing if you want to get us a bit more organized?” I offered.
She nodded and sat on the floor, the assortment of items we had collected on our journey slowly expanding on the rug around her.
Off to one side was the wooden strongbox Hailon had liberated from that terrible house, the cooking gear and all the other gifts Widow Callahan had sent along with us, and the clothing and few other items she’d taken from Sal’s. The food Merry had sent, however, was a substantial pile. In addition to what we’d bought, we were set for a week as far as bruised produce and dented tins went.
“Oh.” Hailon’s voice dropped to a hushed gasp. “This must be what Merry meant when she said some of this was mine. I thought I’d lost this forever.” A smile tugged at her mouth, but it didn’t last. “She must have gone into the woods looking for me.” Tears shimmered in my beloved’s eyes as she held a small knife. “I’ve had this for my herb work since I was seven.” The handle looked to be made from cherry or another reddish wood, and it fit in her hand like the branch it was carved from had sprouted there. The metal of the blade was pitted and thin after so many years of use and re-sharpening. It definitely needed some loving attention from a bladesmith, but I could see that holding it again was like gaining feeling in a numb limb—effortlessly comfortable. I felt the same way about my favorite dagger.
“I’m very glad you got it back.” I accepted it from her to take a closer look. “I’m also happy to find you have an ally like Merry.”
“She was always good to me,” she said with a nod. “Probably as close as I got to having a friend, really.”
I frowned into the growing flames of the fire. “I’m going to go get some water.”
As I pumped water into a bucket, I decided I would never even come close to forgiving Sal for all she’d done. And I would find comfort in making creative plans for her demise until I could either obtain permission from Hailon to follow through or get it done without her knowing it happened.
“We never even used these,” Hailon said sadly after I’d filled the large pot over the flames with water so it could heat. When I turned, I found her holding up the little pots of nail lacquer.
“There’s time yet,” I grinned, taking them from her. “No time like the present, in fact. That’s going to take a while to heat, and we can feast on this lightly bruised fruit for days.” I sat next to her and took her fingers in mine. I used the purple color on her, the act of perfectly painting each of her nails like a meditation. “Nobody’s ever shown such fire trying to do something kind forme like you did at that market, Hailon. I like you jealous as well as greedy.” She opened her mouth to protest, cheeks bright red, but I didn’t leave her time. “Give me your other hand.” She complied, wet nails splayed wide over her knee. “I’ll be back long before this needs to be redone,” I assured her.
“Promise?” she asked. I looked up to find her expression melancholy.
I put the lid back on the pot and held her face between my hands, sure to both give her my full attention and get hers in return. “It doesn’t matter what they do to me, understand? I’m coming back. As soon as I possibly can.”
Hailon nodded, and I started painting my own fingernails with the black lacquer as she turned back to unpacking. She pulled a bundle out of the bottom of the bag that had been mine, eyebrows drawn together. “What’s this?”
I’d meant for it to be a surprise, perhaps for her birthday or Yule. But today was as good a day as any.
“Open it.”
She looked at me suspiciously but pulled off the outer layer of cloth. The second layer came up and she stopped, mouth dropping open.
“They’re beautiful.” She found the little hanger and pulled the small set of wind chimes up near her face. I’d selected a set that reminded me of a stained-glass picture that hadn’t been assembled yet. Hailon pushed the center bar, creating a pretty tinkling noise. “When did you have time to buy these?”
“You were waiting for cake, and I was getting tea.”
She stared at me, disappointment creasing her brow. “All I got you was nail lacquer.”
Her earnest expression had me laughing. “Ilovemy lacquer. And you got me much more than that, Moonflower. You’ve given me everything I never knew I was looking for. Besides, that very night you also got me a substantial serving of righteousvengeance, don’t you recall? I feel like that more than makes up the difference.” I leaned in and kissed her, taking my time with it as I felt her soften beneath my fingers.
I gently held her chin with my thumb and forefinger, mapping the shape of her lips with my own, breathing her gentle exhales and tasting her with my tongue. I was committing everything to memory, so I’d have something to think back on once I left her for Hell. I didn’t care how short the separation might be, I wanted to always have such things freshly available in my mind. When I pulled back, the frustration was gone from her eyes, and her cheeks were flushed with color.
“Are there any other surprises?” she asked. “I’m not sure I can handle any more today, though these are really wonderful, thank you.”
“Actually…” I got up and dug in my discarded pants pocket, producing the little round mirror. “I showed you this before, but we got distracted before I could tell you about it. This is a scrying mirror. You can use it to get in touch with my brothers if you need to.”
“Don’t you need it?”
“I can find another way to get to them from Hell if I have to. Or perhaps Vassago can make one for you. Hopefully we’ll either have made it to Revalia or be close before I have to leave, but it’s worth knowing how to use it either way.” I settled in next to her, then earned a squeak as I pulled her into my lap instead. “Speaking specific words activates the magic. I want you to practice them with me, they’re in the old language like my sigil.”
