Sadrahan’s first find took less time than he expected. The air graced his wings and the bright sun warmed his back, the day was cloudless, clear, and comfortable for a long flight. ‘I’m getting used to this.’ He realized. ‘My wings feel stronger than ever…’ He flexed the fingers he’d previously broken, a slight pain shot through his hand and up his arm, but it was brief. ‘Those are almost healed too.’ He thought as he spotted the walking demons, it wasn’t one, it was a pair, a female of his kind. Her red skin was torn in places that were still healing over, and in her arms lay a young child that even from above was clearly far underweight.

“Hail!” Sadrahan shouted, she looked around. “Hail!” He shouted again and her eyes went skyward, her cheeks were sunken and her jaw fell open when she saw him flying toward her. She tensed her grip around her young one, though as he came closer it was obvious her grip was not worth much.

He landed a handful of paces from her, the ground shaking under his feet at the impact, “I’m Sadrahan, do you know a male named Sarthas?” He asked.

Her red eyes filled with wild hope. “You know Sarthas?!”

Sadrahan pointed toward the distant mountain. “I picked him up days ago and took him back to my mountain. He told me more of you might be out here.” He extended his left hand to her. “There’s food, water, and safety. Come with me, and I’ll take you to it.”

Her eyes narrowed with suspicion, “How do I know you didn’t sell him out, that you’re not one of the tame demons working with the humans, one of the turnskins?” She demanded, then stepped back, shrinking away, Sadrahan’s maw parted and bared the teeth within, his glare was steady.

“Humans destroyed my village, killed my wife, I refuse to work for them and don’t know what you’re talking about with ‘tame demons’. You can come with me and live, or stay here and rot. Make your choice.” Sadrahan snarled.

“What… what do you want then, for our lives? Nobody gives anything for nothing anymore… we’re not your village. No… forget I asked.” She said, rubbing her horns against those of her passed out child. “Whatever you ask, it doesn’t matter, no price is too high. Please… just feed my son, feed me, and we are yours forever.”

“Start with your names.” Sadrahan said, his calm returning when she bowed her head to him.

“Liln. And my son, Assamo.” She said, and put her hand into Sadrahan’s outstretched palm. His hand closed around her fingers, the strength that pulsed within dispelled her fear that he was one of the tame ones. ‘They never fed even those well enough to be this strong. And those didn’t have wings either.’ She allowed him to draw her closer, and when he scooped her up under his arms and took to the air, rather than fear, she wept bloody tears of joy. ‘We’re going to be all right… Assamo, we’re going to live!’ She cried out in her heart and watched the mountain draw closer.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

Sarthas watched the exit for hours, even moving a little bit still hurt, counting the water droplets that fell into the lake was the only thing to keep him occupied. ‘What if he doesn’t come back? I could probably make it to the water… and successfully dip my head underneath long enough to avoid starving to death. There’s a cheerful thought.’ He snorted as he took the last bite of meat in his hand. ‘He did say there was more here… what if I could crawl out and find it, it’s probably not far.’ There was a more appealing thought.

But in the interim, he waited, listening to the falling drops of water that kept the lake endlessly full, and the faint trickle of water flowing out. ‘The snow, maybe? Could that be the source for the dripping?’ He wondered, that made sense. The cooing of the baby went up a little bit. It wasn’t hard to guess the bits of the story Sadrahan hadn’t spoken of. Getting her out had to have been no mean feat. ‘How many others are there like us? The human traveling merchants mentioned stories about burned out villages before… none of us believed them, burning a village just seemed too stupid and short sighted… at least until they threw us into the mines.’

He closed his eyes and sighed, ‘How many demons died in cave ins? How long before humans go and take the lands that were once ours and make them theirs…?’ His blood became ice in his veins, ‘How long before they expand all this way and come for the mountain?!’

No sooner than the thought came to mind than he heard the heavy footfalls that could only have been Sadrahan. His prediction proved true, and the demon entered the cavern bearing a woman and child in his arms, he sat the pair down against the stone wall just behind Sarthas himself and said, “Wait here, I’ll bring you something to eat.”

It might as well have been the voice of their gods, his promise echoed by the mountain itself.

“Liln?” Sarthas asked when he tilted his head toward her.

She sat up against the wall where she was placed and clung to her unconscious son like a lifeline. “Sarthas?” She whispered, “It’s true?” She asked when Sadrahan was gone.

“I suppose so.” Sarthas replied, he put his hand to his throat and coughed several more times in quick succession as the pain racked through him again.

She fell silent until Sadrahan returned, in his hand was a haunch of meat still on the bone. “Thank you…” She swallowed, “I’m- I’m sorry about what I said before. I was only afraid.”

Sadrahan grunted and shrugged. “Just eat. I’ll be back soon. The water from the lake is good, but don’t struggle for it, I won’t be long and I’ll give you as much as you need.”

Liln’s hand closed around the goat bone, her eyes were ravenous and focused on the meat, but before she took her first bite she asked, “Back? Where are you going?”

A sense of sudden fear washed over her afresh that was worse than before when he was an unknown.

“Sarthas said there were more of you out there that escaped. I’m going out to see if I can find any.” He said, and when he said it, the already large demon became like a looming giant in her mind.

Rather than say anything however, she only gave a tiny nod and tore into the meat, savoring the bloody flesh and the promise of a full belly to come, though she watched as Sadrahan vanished out of view, and she prayed quietly to the gods, ‘Please let him return.’