Page 12 of A Demon’s Resolve (Demonic Tales and Adventures #3)
CHAPTER 12
The village Trey and Samson led Alec to lay nestled in a small valley high in the mountains. It held no more than 50 huts in various stages of decay. The people themselves looked weary, hungry and afraid. Alec wasn’t sure they understood what was out there hunting them but he was fairly sure they could feel the evil that clung to everything around them.
As they made their way to the heart of the village, Alec saw the distrust of their presence there in the eyes watching them. Several of the older ones shrank back when they glanced his way. He couldn’t blame them. Alec could only imagine his need to destroy - that was currently a part of his every cell - poured out of his body like a rotten stench.
A woman stood at the center of village motioning them to follow her. When the women opened the flap and gestured them to enter, Tarak and Alec squeezed into a too small tent. Samson and Trey waited outside guarding them.
An old woman sat on the opposite side of the tent. She waved to the blanket on the ground and he and Tarak knelt down.
When she took the time to pour them a drink, Alec opened his mouth to insist she tell him what she knew, but before he could speak, she pinned him with a look. It made no sense that Alec closed his mouth and took the cup she handed to him.
She didn’t speak for some time as she sipped her bitter liquid while staring at him. Alec didn’t understand any of what was happening. The woman couldn’t have been more than five feet tall and probably weighed less than a hundred pounds, yet he found himself intimidated.
It didn’t help that her crystal blue eyes seemed to see straight into his soul, measuring the kind of man he was. Alec feared his actions since losing Kian would leave him unworthy. What he couldn’t figure out was why he cared.
He wasn’t even sure he had a soul. It wasn’t something he liked to contemplate. He wasn’t a human after all, he was demon. Their roots were born of evil. Could they have a soul? Since his mother was human, did that mean he too had a soul?
Not that it mattered if he didn’t save Kian. Without him, any soul he might have would be gone with him.
Finally, the woman seemed satisfied with whatever she saw and started speaking. Her language was a local dialect but Sentinels spent years studying all languages in order to help humans so he easily understood her. “I am sorry your mate was taken.”
Both Alec and Tarak gasped in surprise. Trey and Samson had only told the village they were looking for a man traveling with another man, not that one of them had been kidnapped. How had she known?
Her gaze pierced his, holding him still as she continued. “I know more than you can imagine. The answer to your earlier question is yes, you have a soul.”
Shaken to the core, Alec would have loved to know how she could possibly know that, but in the end he asked the only question that mattered. “Do you know where my mate is?”
Her eyes dropped to the ground as if she weren’t able to look at him as she told him. “No.”
It felt like he’d been punched in the gut. He wanted to believe she knew. He’d let his hopes get up. The pain blanketed him again, his control slipping as the fire pit that had been cold when they entered, now blazed to life.
He heard her say a few words and a calming wave flowed through him drowning the anger. Their eyes met across the tent. “How?” he whispered.
A smile formed on her wrinkled face. “You aren’t the only one with powers.”
Tarak tensed next to Alec, clearly not liking what had just happened. The only way she could have done that is if she was a…
“Witch.” She finished his thought for him. “Yes, I am a witch. One of the descendants who lived among demons before you were chased into hiding.”
Tarak quickly stood. “Alec, we need to get out of here quickly.”
Her eyes never left Alec’s. She conveyed not only a deep well of strength, but more importantly knowledge. Shaking his head, Alec said, “No. I want to hear what she has to say.”
Tarak reluctantly sat back down as he was unwilling to let his son face her alone. The tension never left his father’s body as if ready to spring into action. Not that he could do much against a witch’s spells. None of them could.
Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Demons had learned an important lesson. Witches might be able to strip them of their powers to wield the elements but that only caused the Sentinels to train harder. Even without their abilities, both Alec and Tarak could take on a horde of witches with their bare hands.
None of that mattered at the moment. Alec had no idea why, but he sensed this woman didn’t plan to harm him. Even if she had, Alec wasn’t leaving without knowing what she did. “Continue.”
“To alleviate your father’s concern, I will tell you that my clan was not part of the group to hunt you. Just as you were hunted and killed, we suffered the same fate. Not all of us believed you were evil.” Seeing that Tarak wasn’t any more comfortable knowing this, the old woman pushed on.
“It was for this reason we were forced to flee and hide here. Because of the insidiousness of magic, we are very careful in training each generation. Only a few ever learn it and only to protect ourselves from those who mean us harm.”
Not caring whether she was a threat or not as long as she helped him find Kian, Alec asked, “What do you know?”
“I do not know how to find the demon who is attacking our village. He is using ancient magic to shield himself from detection.”
“Then how do you know there is a demon?” Alec wasn’t sure if he believed her but at this point there were no other leads and his gut was telling him to listen.
A tremor escaped her, shaking her whole body. “There is no doubt there is evil nearby but hard as I try, I cannot find it.”
“Okay, let’s say I believe this. How does this help me?” Alec’s frustration was starting to build again. So far this woman only confirmed Brant was somewhere in these mountains but without a location it didn’t do him much good, especially if he was using magic.
“I have been asked to give you a message.” She clasped her hands on her lap in front of her. Her eyes closed. Her body relaxed.
Not sure what to do, Alec waited. Had the woman fallen asleep? Part of him feared she died but he could see her chest rising and falling very slowly. Suddenly, she spoke again but something very different.
“Lor ta drana.” His whole body froze as he heard the same words Kian had spoken when Danara had invaded his sleep before Kian had taken things into his own hands and become a demon. “Listen to my words as they are important.” It was still the woman in front of him, but Alec knew it was his first queen who was speaking to him. “You must find your mate, it requires both of you to kill the evil one.”
He was stunned as he heard the words. How was Kian supposed to fight Brant? He would kill Alec’s mate without having to lift a finger. How can this be happening?
“Stop,” the old woman opened her eyes but instead of the crystal clear blue of before, they were red as a ruby. “You did not trust before. Now you must believe.” Fire blazed in those red orbs.
Alec didn’t hesitate to declare, “Kian is the one person in the world who I believe in with every fiber of my being.”
A smile lifted the old woman’s lips in triumph. “If only that were true.” Before Alec could argue with the queen, she held up a hand to stop him. “He was chosen for a reason,” Danara said. “Try to remember that when you decide you know what is best for your mate.”
Alec had no idea what the queen meant, nor did he care. He just needed to find Kian. “Where is he?” he demanded.
Those ruby red eyes flashed a warning at him for his impertinence but Alec no longer cared. Kian was all that mattered. “You really need to learn to listen. If you believe in the chosen one as you claim, you will trust in him and in your bond.”
The old woman slumped and Alec knew Danara was gone. The frustration threatened to explode from him as he quickly left the tent in an effort to not destroy another village.
Pacing furiously, Alec did everything he could to tamp down on the powers threatening to consume him. He wanted to kill. No, he needed it like a living breathing thing. But it wasn’t these villagers who deserved to suffer. It was Brant.
How was he supposed to find him if Brant was using magic? All demons knew some magic, but most of it was low level stuff in order to hide from humans. It was unheard of to conceal themselves from other demons.
That Brant was able to shroud himself and Kian didn’t seem possible. His steps were quickly eating up the path around the village. Alec had no idea how many times he’d circled around before the old woman suddenly stepped up, blocking him from continuing.
“I am sorry she did not tell you where to find your mate.” The old woman held out her hand, her fingers clutched around something small enough to hold in her palm.
Alec took what it was she offered and gasped. For she’d been holding a small red ruby, the same color her eyes had been when the queen had been talking. In the center, a flame flickered for an instant before disappearing.
“Let me tell you the rest of my story.” The old woman didn’t wait for him as she turned back to the tent.
She’d known he would follow.
It wasn’t until he sat back onto the blanket that she said, “When the magic of the first Danara and Drakarn was formed, they found it imperative to find other humans who could mate with demons. You took great risk changing your mate to a demon without knowing.” She pointed to the ruby in Alec’s hand. “The flame will flicker only when a match is found.”
Alec just stared silently at the ruby he held for several long moments before he’d found his voice again. “How?”
The old woman shrugged. “How does one find love?”
“Huh?” Alec was confused, something he’d pretty much experienced since meeting this woman.
There was a sparkle of mischief in her blue eyes as she said, “Magic, my dear boy. There is no reason when it comes to love.” When he stared at her like she’d lost her mind, the woman chuckled. “When two souls belong to each other, a spark forms.” She nodded to the ruby. “That flame burns too brightly to be concealed.”
Alec had no words.
The old woman stood and motioned him to do the same. Tarak, Trey and Samson stood just outside the tent when they stepped out. She walked them to the edge of the village and bid them goodbye.
She started to turn back to her tent, when she stopped and placed her hand on Alec’s arm. “I feel you have a strong connection to your mate.”
Alec nodded.
“There is one magic that can circumvent what the evil one is using.” She stood there watching him, waiting for something. She sighed when he remained silent. “Lord save us from the stupidity of youth.”
Alec scowled at her. He would bet everything he had he was older than she was.
Finally, she spoke one last word before returning to her tent. “Love.”