Outside a village, a storm raged, like the clash of an epic battle between gods. The force of the rain and wind clashed against the roof of the house. Groaning against the weight of the elements, the house shook as if, at any moment, a demon would tear through and ravage asunder everyone inside.

“The weather sounds as if Dregnal’s Army is outside trying to get in,” Naltric grumbled as he looked out the window through the sheet of water cascading down the glass. The light from inside the house made the darkness outside appear darker. Unconsciously, Naldric ran his hand across his belt, where his sword would have been if he was still part of the heavy infantry unit for the royal army of Camblin.

“Thinking about your old glory days?” Fanil, the mayor of the village, chuckled. “Just hearing the weather outside and feeling its ferocity truly makes one question the greatness of mankind.” Fanil was the kind of man that seemed more like a father figure than a leader. His ability to inspire the villagers and nearby villages made him a great leader.

Even with the terrible weather, today was a special day for both Fanil and Naltric, who had arrived to look over Shelastis, a villager about ready to give birth. Outside the small house's bedroom, both could hear the cries of Shelastis and the encouraging voice of Lestan, the village midwife. The two of them shuffled their feet occasionally, the natural tendency of all men who wait while women take part in the miracle of life. The occasional shaking of the roof from the weather was a welcomed distraction for the men and helped to dampen the noise emanating from the bedroom.

“Do you think Kalt will be able to make it through this weather?” Naltric asked Fanil. “I know that he went to the nearby village for trade purposes, but if he doesn’t get back soon, he’s going to miss the birth of his child.” Kalt was the husband of Shelastis and often moved between the neighboring villages.

“I’m sure that he’ll be back in no time. The roads between the villages shouldn’t be too bad. I’m glad we went with Yali’s suggestion to place gravel over the dirt roads. In the past, we would have travelers coming in with their wares, but more often than not, end up in a ditch due to heavy rainfall.”

The sky suddenly lit up, like an explosion, from a bolt of lightning, which then caused the glass windows to shake from the force of the thunder. “That lighting struck close by,” Fanil observed, looking out the window.

“Did you see that?” whispered Naltric walking closer to the window, trying to see through the thick sheet of rain.

“Is it Kalt?” Fanil approached the window next to Naltric, trying to see Kalt’s wagon.

Without a word, Naltric grabbed his oiled cloak off the peg next to the door and opened the door while throwing the cloak on. Stepping out into the elements, the cloak did a decent job of keeping his clothes dry in the deluge of rain. Feeling the rain hit the cloak took him back to the days of battle. Standing outside with his cloak on was a comfort that kept him dry and somehow safe against feelings of anxiety. “I hope what I saw was Kalt and his wagon,” he muttered to himself as he waded into the darkness. He wished for a lantern to try and see through the darkness, but with the storm outside, the lantern would have only hindered his vision. In this weather, the rain hitting the warm ground would cause fog to appear, making the light of a lantern illuminate the fog. The light would also make it impossible to see the lantern on Kalt’s wagon to let others know he was approaching. Looking back, Naltric could barely see the house, but just as he questioned whether to go back or not, he heard the sound of a wagon’s wheel going over gravel. “Kalt, is that you?!” He shouted in the direction of the noise.

“Help me over here!” Kalt replied out of the dark. His lantern must have gone out from the heavy winds, further emphasizing current conditions.

Naltric ran over to the wagon, and Kalt’s figure became visible as he got closer. Kalt waved his hand to get Naltric’s attention, which was only visible from the occasional flash of lightning. “What happened?” Naltric asked as he reached the wagon. Looking into the wagon, he could see a shape covered by canvas. He heard the sound of flint being struck by steel and then light from a hooded lantern gently illuminating the immediate area. Setting the lantern down on the wagon floor behind him, Kalt lifted a portion of the canvas to expose the face of a beautiful young lady cradling a baby boy.

“I found her on the side of the road on my way back. I don’t know how I was able to see her through this downpour.

When I got off my wagon to see if she was okay, I noticed the baby she was holding. From the look on her face and how she didn’t respond to me lifting her onto the wagon, I’m guessing she was out there for a long time.” Kalt explained to Naltric. The woman seemed to shy away from the light as if she were trying to hide in the darkness.

“We need to get the baby inside quickly,” Naltric said. They needed to carry the mother and the baby back to the house. At this moment, Lestan would have her hands full in delivering Shelastis’s child, so Naltric would need to wake the village’s healer and bring him to the house.

Interrupting Naltric’s chain of thought, Kalt grabbed Naltric’s shoulder and pointed to the baby. “I would normally agree, but look at how steam is rising off the child’s face as the rain hits. If you get near it, you can feel the heat coming off the baby. From what I can see, I think that’s the only reason the mother is still alive.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Looking at the baby, Naltric could see the color of the baby’s face was normal like the weather around them was nothing. At the moment, he couldn’t think about this peculiar phenomenon and instead focused on the task of getting them out of the rain and someplace warm. “Kalt, head over to Shelastis’s house right now, and I’ll go get Jek from his place. I’m sure he’ll know what needs to be done.” After seeing Kalt nod his head in agreement, Naltric took off towards Jeck’s house, the healer. Picturing the village, shaped like a horseshoe with the village entrance between the two points, Jeck’s house was at the opposite end of the entrance next to the mayor’s house. They were located diagonally to Jeck’s house on the other side. In the center of the village were shops and the local market to help travelers peddle their wares.

Running at full speed, Naltric passed by various parts of the village, finally seeing Jeck’s small house, which looked smaller next to the mayor’s building. Naltric flew over the stairs leading up to the front door and pounded his fist on the door, hoping it would be enough to wake the healer.

“Who is it?” a voice called from inside the house. Slow footsteps could be heard past the door as Jeck approached, then opened the door. The healer was slightly older than Naltric was, though not an elder. Jeck’s face showed obvious fatigue due to the hour of the night and being woken from slumber. “Naltric, what are you doing here at this hour? Did something happen?” Jeck asked, with both surprise and worry written all over his face.

“Healer, I apologize for waking you up in such a manner, but we have an emergency over at Shelastis’s house,” Naltric answered, bowing his head in reverence.

“Did something happen with the delivery?” Jeck's voice was laced with concern.

“No healer, the delivery seems to be progressing just fine. The problem is with a lady and baby that Kalt found on the side of the road, outside the village.”

Upon hearing the situation, Jeck turned and went to turn on a lantern sitting on the table next to the door. Naltric averted his gaze from the small flame since he was in the dark for so long. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Jeck gathering various herbs and bottles of liquids into his healer’s pack. In just moments, Jeck was ready to follow Naltric back to where Kalt took the lady, the baby, and the mayor were at.

Returning to the house took a lot longer due to the pace the healer could go. Due to Jeck’s age, they could only go slightly faster than a walk. The rain seemed to weigh them down and only hinder them. Naltric tried to ease the burden for Jeck by carrying the healer’s pack, so when they finally reached the house, the healer’s breathing was only slightly heavy.

Opening the door, the first thing that Naltric noticed was the lack of screaming from Shelastis. Kalt was also missing from the main room, and when he glanced over to the mayor, the reassuring smile he saw calmed him.

From the light of the lanterns in the kitchen and main living area, Naltric could see the layout of the house. Since Shelastis and Kalt were the only people living in the house, the size was modest compared to the majority of houses in the village. The door led directly into the living area, where the kitchen was tucked into the corner in the back right, with two bedrooms on the left of it. Shelastis, Kalt, and Lestan would be in the bedroom next to the kitchen. Lying on a bundle of blankets, Naltric could see the lady and baby in the corner next to the heater across from the kitchen, the wood brought in and lit by Kalt to heat the house. Walking over to the lady, Naltric crouched on the floor to get a better view as Jeck examined the two new arrivals. The lady was truly a beauty, even compared to the other women in the village. He couldn't help but feel a strange attraction to her. As his gaze fell to the baby, he noticed the child staring back at him. This by itself would have been abnormal, but what really struck him were the colors of the child’s eyes. The child’s eyes were like black pearls with red pupils, red like the realm of the Fiery One was trying to seep out through them.

“Yes…this boy has demon blood within him, though he seems to be only half,” Jeck whispered quietly to Naltric.

Turning to look at Jeck, his eyes wide in alarm, “Demons haven’t been seen since the War of Light and Dark that took place ages ago. I thought it was merely a myth that the Order of Grace spewed out for new converts.” He asked Jeck, a trace of fear mixed in with wonder.

The light from the lanterns seemed to dim briefly as if the talk of the Dark pushed back the light. Both of them looked back to the mayor and saw that he had taken a seat on the other side of the door, staring out the window as the rain slowed. After an uncomfortable time of silence, the mayor looked at them, “The fact that the boy is a half-demon does not matter. Once the mother is awake, we shall welcome them to be a part of the village if she wishes. I’ll not turn away a mother and child as long as I’m mayor of this village.” He answered with finality.

“Regardless of whether they stay or not, the appearance of a demon, whether half or whole, can only mean the beginning,” Naltric whispered, his eyes returning to the eldritch child.

Outside they could hear the howling of wolves.