Page 36 of Aofie's Quest
I lay back, my heart thumping in my throat, and for the first time since I found my mother, I began to feel something akin to hope.
Chapter Thirty-Two
True to his word,Romulus returned later with more food. It was the soup again, and this time I ate it all, enjoying the chunks of tender meat floating in a dark broth with potatoes and carrots and something green. I glimpsed my thin arm, my skin stretched taut over my bones. I needed to eat and recover my full strength before leaving.
“Where is Takari?” I asked Romulus when I finished my meal. The light was dimming. Sheep bleated and calm voices spoke to them, singing a lullaby.
“Spending some time in solitude,” Romulus said. He plucked the cork from a jug and tilted it to his lips, taking a long sip. “She is worried about her people, but she shall return in the next day or so.”
I nodded, my eyes drawn up to the winged creatures painted on the walls. A chill went through me as I studied them, my thoughts returning to Adomos. I wet my lips to ask another question when Romulus passed me the jug. “Try it. You’ll feel better.”
Dark red liquid sloshed against the sides and emitted a dark and bold scent. “What is it?”
“The wine of Elsdore.” Romulus crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the wall beside me. “The hills are lush and the soil bountiful, making it the ideal climate for vineyards. Here is where the grapes that create some of the sweetest wines in all of Labraid are grown. Aside from wine, Elsdore is known for its trade goods. The cellars and other store rooms are below us. If you ever need to trade and you can gain weapons or clothing or food made in Elsdore, buy it. For whatever is made here is almost priceless.” Breaking off his speech, Romulus jerked his chin to the jug. “Try a sip. It will take your mind off grave things.”
I lifted the heavy jug to my mouth and took a sip. Bright flavors surged in my mouth, sending a warm rush through my body. Before it faded, I took another sip and the warmth flared again. A sweetness hung on my lips and my skin tingled as my shoulders relaxed. The tightness in my newly healed skin faded. Turning, I stared at Romulus.
He arched his eyebrows. “Good, isn’t it?”
“I’ve tasted nothing like this before, not even in the Beluar Woods,” I exclaimed, tilting the jug to take another sip.
“Whoa, that’s enough.” Romulus’s fingers grazed mine as he took the jug and corked it again.
I giggled as my emotional anxiety evaporated and a calmness seeped through me. I eyed Romulus, grateful he was pleasant to look at, although when my gaze fell to his lips, I quickly looked away. “We are in Elsdore?”
“Aye, the hills of the gods,” Romulus confirmed. “Ironic, though, that the witches rule this land.”
“Witches?” My blood ran cold and my eyebrows furrowed. Witches were evil. They were the ones who tricked my mother.
“Aye, right.” Romulus took another drink of wine. “I keep forgetting you don’t know the history of Labraid. Takari wanted to come here to seek advice from the three witches who guide Elsdore, for this is not a safe land. You were fortunate the shepherd brought you here before nightfall.”
A shadow of dread hovered over me. “Why?” I squeaked. What could be worse than being ruled by witches?
Romulus frowned. “Because of the demons. They only come out at night—great, blue, bat-like creatures who eat humans, sheep, anything living that moves. If it’s alive, they feast on it—aside from plants. They don’t care for those, which is why the bounty of Elsdore is plentiful. The demons are blind, during the daylight they crawl back into their dark holes and caves and hide. During daylight, the Elsdorians can go out, tend the vineyards, graze the sheep, and leave on expeditions. Many hope for a solution to keep the demons at bay permanently, but none has arisen yet.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. My jaw flapped up and down as I put it all together. Jezebel had brought me to Elsdore for a reason. She wanted me to die, but not by her hand, because she knew I was a child of the gods. Instead, she brought me to a land thick with demons. Stunned, I stared at Romulus. “Why don’t the people leave if the demons are so bad? Are they impossible to kill?”
Romulus studied me. There was a question in his eyes, but he did not ask it. “This is their home,” he said gently. “The people love their land, and you must have walked through the hills. You have to admit it is a lush, beautiful paradise. Because the city is under siege each night, the Elsdorians come to the temple for safety. Archers perch on the rooftops, keeping watch lest the demons come too close. The demons have caused the people to form a tight-knit community. They have learned to rely on each other, and many destructive habits—mistrust, lying, stealing, and betrayal—have fled from this place. There is no crime, only people willing to help each other get through the day and stay safe during the night. Every now and then a sheep is carried away by the demons, but the temple is a haven. However, some fear it is only a matter of time until the demons break through the defenses.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, puzzled. “It is terrible to live life in fear.”
Romulus shrugged. “Many have gone to seek their fortune elsewhere in Labraid, but others weigh the cost. Oftentimes the fear of the unknown is more terrible than a known evil they already know how to deal with, and so they stay.”
“I see.” I thought I understood the fear of the unknown, especially after what had happened to me. “Romulus, I was kept as a prisoner in a cave in the hillside.” I swallowed hard and forced myself to go on, even though I already suspected the truth. “No one goes up there. Is it because they are afraid to stray too far from the city? Or something else…?”
Romulus’s gray eyes bored into mine. I was certain he knew what I alluded to, and had questions about why I appeared in the city, clean and bandaged. I rubbed my shoulders as my eyes misted over.
“Elsdore is named for an inactive volcano,” Romulus told me. “Legend claims that long ago, a great god of fire came down and filled the land with fire and lava. However, when it settled, green grass grew out of the ash, the great rocks turned into rolling hills. Even now when you walk the hills, you’ll see boulders sticking out from the land, a reminder of the wrath of the gods. After the gods left, a horde of lesser demons came, led by one greater demon. Legend says he is a giant among demons, with blue skin, legs, and arms like the trunk of a tree, and wings that allow him to fly wherever he wishes. If he chooses, he can control the horde, but if he leaves his cave and attacks, Elsdore will be lost. That is the terror the people live in fear of, that one day the greater demon will rise. If, in fact, the legends about him are true. If so, then he lives high up in the hills, but no one is brave enough to search for his hiding place.”
My thoughts raced and I turned my face away from Romulus, recalling Adomos. Was he the greater demon? The description fit and yet, he wasn’t dark and evil, or full of malice and vengeance. With shaking hands, I reached for the jug of wine, recalling the sensation that had awoken within me when I touched his cold skin.
“Aofie? What is it?” Romulus placed his hand on my knee again, the gesture intimately familiar and comforting.
The wine burned through me, soothing my panic, and the words burst out of my mouth—words I’d been unwilling to consider. “I think I met him. The greater demon. He’s not dangerous or evil. He just wants to be left alone.”
Romulus’s expression went tight. “Did he hurt you? Are you sure he wasn’t part of Jezebel’s torture?”
“He wasn’t,” I protested, unsure why I was protecting him. “He helped me; he took care of me.”
