Page 50 of To Hunt a Demon King

“Or something,” Carnon agreed with a smirk.

“Goddess, if I ever get a straight answer from you, I will die from shock,” I said, irritation mixing with excitement and anticipation. I enjoyed this strange dance of words between us, and the arm around my waist that seemed to tighten in approval whenever I lost my temper.

“That would be a waste,” Carnon said somberly. “It’s probably best if I equivocate forever.”

A strange lurch in my stomach made me frown when he said “forever.” It was unlikely we would be together much longer. I was going into the protection of the Demon King, and he would undoubtedly be sent off on more jobs or missions or whatever it was he was hired to do. A flutter followed the lurch, as I decided I should probably make the most of the little time we did have.

“Carnon,” I said, using his proper name for what might be the first time.

“Yes, Elara?” he asked, clearly smirking behind me. I wasn’t sure how I could hear a smirk, but somehow Carnon made it obvious. I cleared my throat.

“I’m still interested,” I said, feeling my heart race a little with the confession. His arm tightened around my waist again, and I heard his breath catch a bit as he leaned close to my ear.

“Then we’d better find a place to stop.”

Chapter 19

It was still several hours before dawn when we stopped at the edge of what appeared to be a town much bigger than the little villages we had stayed in before. The mountains were much closer now, and the temperature had plummeted as we had moved further east and begun to climb higher as we approached the mountain range. Carnon swung down from the horse outside of a sort of boarding stable, and he put a hand on my waist to help me down. I was stiff again from riding, but truthfully, it wasn’t the only reason I accepted the help.

It had been hours since my proclamation, and longer still since I had looked Carnon properly in the eyes. I looked up now, meeting his gaze that blazed a deep green in the dim light. He gave me a heated look, then smirked.

“We’ll have to go on foot through the city, I’m afraid,” he said. I groaned, and he chuckled lightly. “I’m sure Akela would let you ride him, if you insisted.” I looked down at the giant wolf, who whined at me as if offering just that. His head reached my chest, and I probably could ride him if I really wanted.

“That would be a sight,” I said, “but I think I’ll brave the streets.”

Carnon paid a man to take the horse for the night, unstrapping the now much lighter bags of supplies and throwing them over his shoulder.

“Come on then, Red,” he said, holding out a hand for me. I hesitated, which was ridiculous considering what I had suggested I wanted to do with him, but took it. It was large and warm, and he gave my hand a reassuring squeeze as he led me down the dark streets.

Although I couldn’t see everything, light from a series of lanterns punctuated the dark streets, and I could see that the town was well maintained. I could make out clean, cobblestone streets and neatly painted houses in rows that seemed to be taller than they were wide, and there was a place to walk lined with little flower beds and trees. A few businesses had lights on, but most were dark. The town clearly slept, and I felt an odd buzz of energy, despite the lateness of the hour.

I had never seen the witch capital, but I imagined it must look something like this, with buildings rising two or three stories, their stone exteriors in a variety of colors and shades, and flowers in window boxes.

“This isn’t Oneiros?” I asked, breaking the expectant silence that had fallen between us.

“No,” he said with a chuckle, still holding my hand as we walked. “Oneiros lies beyond the mountains. This is Asterra. Just one of many cities where demons and mortals live together.”

“Mortals live in the inner territory?” I asked, surprised to hear this. I had understood that a few demons might choose to live near isolated mortal villages. Mama had done exactly that. But the idea of mortals and demons living together astounded me.

“Yes,” Carnon laughed, sounding both amused and surprised. “Is that not how the witches do things?”

“No,” I said in wonder. The houses looked the same to me, and I couldn’t figure out which belonged to mortals and which to demons. I supposed I should have expected this, what with Carnon being a mortal lord.

We traveled through the streets for some time, Akela padding next to us contentedly like an oversized dog.

“Oneiros is quite a bit bigger and grander than Asterra,” Carnon said when we finally came to a stop in front of one of the houses. It looked like all the others, painted a pretty pastel shade that I couldn’t quite make out in the dark, with an elegant flower garden and a pretty stained-glass window inlaid in the door.

“You look like you’ve never seen anything like this place,” Carnon said. I looked over, surprised to see that he was studying me.

“I haven’t,” I admitted. “I was very isolated in the Witchlands. This place seems huge to me.”

“Don’t let it dazzle you, Red,” Carnon said, guiding me toward the building with a hand on my back. “This really is nothing compared to what you’ll see tomorrow.”

He fumbled for something in his pocket, finally pulling out a small silver key.

“Another inn?” I asked, letting him guide me inside the house.

“Not exactly,” Carnon said, turning to lock the door.

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