It was a quiet morning as Azrael began her day. The last few weeks had been a hard adjustment for her, but things were slowly becoming a new normal. She had found herself drawn to the city of Asra. Azrael had heard whispers here and there but never managed to visit herself. A small innkeeper had taken kindly to Azrael and let her stay if she agreed to help around. Azrael didn't mind one bit and was thankful for the distraction.

Each morning she would go to the local market and complete the list for the inn and work around the inn until about midday. For the rest of the day, she was free to do as she pleased. Most times she would stay in her little room reading what books she brought. The innkeeper always encouraged Azrael to go and venture out to find those like her. Azrael always politely declined.

Word had gotten around about the incident in Líadain and it brought a painful reminder to Azrael. She deeply regretted telling Raden to leave. Truth be told she was beginning to enjoy having him around even if they had been together for only a few days. He made her feel safe and that feeling of comfort was a scarce one.

Azrael headed downstairs to be greeted by the innkeeper and a small cup of tea. "Any plans for today?"

"I thought I would try and visit some of the shops today. There's this lovely-looking florist that had some beautiful hydrangeas in the window a few days ago," Azrael kindly explained.

"Well, that sounds like a lovely idea. If you wouldn't mind, could you get some nice bouquets for the tables? We need to start preparing for the festival this weekend." The innkeeper passed over a small pouch of coins.

Azrael took the pouch and placed it in her side bag. "What's the festival?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, didn't I? Festival of the Gods. We celebrate it each year. It's just a fun weekend of parties. Sometimes a few of the Gods come to celebrate."

"That sounds like a lovely time!" Azrael smiled and finished her tea before heading out.

The innkeeper had let Azrael have the day to herself. No running errands except for the flowers. Since the florist wouldn't be opening for a few more hours, Azrael thought it to be best to grab some breakfast. She sat down outside at one of the small tables and watched the crowd. Azrael took note of the unique characters that went about their business and smiled. Her food came quickly along with a newspaper.

STRANGE MAGIC IN LÍADAIN SUSPECTS STILL AT LARGE.

Azrael's smile vanished as she read the headline twice more. She sat down her tea and gave this story her full attention.

An attack on the capital of Líadain happened three weeks ago today. The townsfolk of this city started their day off as any other, but it would soon change for the worse. It is believed that a young witch is behind the attack and officials are needing answers as to who this witch is. Mass casualties were reported by the king's royal police. If there is any information please step forward and serve your kingdom and king proud.

"No no no," Azrael whispered to herself. Mass casualties? What had she done this time? Azrael sat the paper down no longer wanting to read the rest. Her hands shook and her appetite had disappeared. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself. Azrael folded the newspaper up and placed it in her bag and left the uneaten breakfast on the table as she headed to the market to try and distract herself.

~~~*~~~

In the last few weeks, Raden had been running around following dead ends. That night he went back to Azrael's cottage but what he found made his heart drop. Ash and soot blanketed the ground where the small cottage once stood. He hid in the forest until the men from the village went back to their homes after they had put the fire out. Raden waited till it was late that night to check for any signs of Azrael, but none were found. Even her workshop was completely destroyed by the blaze.

He tried keeping close tabs on any information about the incident in Líadain or any movement from Oulixeus. Much was kept very quiet and the story changed drastically in the events. Raden knew it was only time before they found Azrael and he needed to be quicker. Mostly traveling by night, Raden went from town to town with no luck. Azrael could be anywhere at this point and there were no leads.

Late one night Raden had grown weary and found a barn to hide in for the night. Two horses were stalled and stood on guard as Raden walked in. He looked around for a spot to sleep and saw there was a loft where some hay was being stored. Raden flew up and spread out some fresh hay and instantly fell asleep. A clicking noise awoke Raden and he was staring at the point of an arrow.

"You move one inch and I'll shoot."

Raden peered up at the shadowy figure but didn't dare move. "I don't mean any harm just looking for a place to sleep for the night."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"I've seen enough of you vile things. Don't think for a second I don't know why you're here demon," the man spat. He pushed the crossbow closer to Raden head causing Raden to fall onto his back.

"You have it wrong. Just let me..."

"Don't move," he demanded.

Raden let out a nervous sigh, "If you pull the chain from around my neck, you'll see it's the pendant of Merikh."

The man narrowed his eyes but didn't move. It was dark in the loft and hard to make out what was going on.

"Samuel, bring me a lantern."

A few minutes later small footsteps were heard below and then plops up the latter. A young boy no older than twelve poked his head in. His face was half illuminated by the lantern he was holding. The boy's eyes grew three sizes bigger as he stared at Raden in awe. He walked forward holding the lantern out in front of him wanting to get a better look. The older man still held the crossbow ready to shoot, but something changed in his eyes.

"Papa," the boy whispered not taking his eyes off Raden, "I've never seen a demon who looked like that."

"I'm not a demon," Raden answered, "Like I said, I just needed a place to sleep for the night and I'll be out of here before sunrise."

"Then what are..."

"Shut up Samuel." The man turned back to Raden and lowered his weapon. "You hungry?"

Raden tilted his head in confusion at the sudden change of demeanor. "Umm..."

Samuel stepped forward cautiously and held out a hand for Raden. "Come on we have some fresh eggs." Raden took the boy's hand and stood up. His wings were dusty and had straw stung in-between feathers. The boy was quite mesmerized but the older man didn't give a second glance as he climbed down and start towards the house.

Raden followed the boy to the house. There wasn't much to it but it was nice. A two-bedroom home with a large open room and a small door leading to what one could assume was a kitchen. The man walked through the smaller door and disappeared into the other room. The boy ran off into what was assumed his bedroom leaving Raden alone. He looked around but there wasn't much to look like. It almost seemed that no one lived here from the looks of the mostly empty room.

Raden walked through the doorway and saw the man sitting at a table resting his head on his hand. "Is there a reason for the sudden change?"

The man looked up with tired eyes and sighed, "My wife was a believer. A follower of Arjan."

"I don't understand."

"She had her head wrapped around the idea that Arjan was going to protect us when this mess happened and those demons started showing up trying to eat my horses and take my wife away. Her belief in Arjan wasn't smiled upon by these demons. For months I was taking routine trips to the barn to kill any of those nasty pests that hid in the shadows. All because of my wife." The man leaned back in his chair looking Raden dead in the eyes.

Raden leaned forward. "Where is she tonight?"

"Dead," He answered bluntly, "She was working in the garden one morning while I had gone to the farmers market to sell some of the crops. Clean claw marks across her face and her heart ripped out of her chest. They had come early that day." Raden could see the sadness in the man's eyes.

"What does this have to do with me?"

The boy came running into the kitchen and hopped in his father's lap smiling. He was holding something tightly in his hands. The boy looked up and smiled at Raden and place the small pendant necklace on the table. Raden picked it up and studied it closely then looked up with surprise.

"Where did you get this," Raden asked.

"A being such as yourself came by a few days after she had been killed. Explained who he was and what he was doing here. I of course wasn't one to believe the psycho, but he showed me some things I couldn't refute. Said he was here to bring my wife with him to a peaceful afterlife," the man explained.

Raden let his hard exterior fall for a brief moment as he held the pendant he knew too well. "It's not too often that humans are chosen by the Gods to move to an afterlife with them. Your wife must have meant a lot to Arjan."

The boy perked up at the name of the God. "Who's Arjan?"

"Life. That's what most would know him as," Raden explained giving back the necklace. He turned his attention to the man. "Is that why you didn't kill me?"

The man nodded tiredly. "Whoever that was, I never got a name, showed compassion on my wife and my family. I am in great debt to any that share this pendant." Raden nodded in respect. For once in his life, he was shown kindness and respect by someone, not of his own kind. It felt good for once.

The man told his son to run off to bed because it was getting late. The boy said a sweet goodnight to Raden and left the kitchen. The man stood up and stretched a few joints popping here and there. He disappeared and quickly returned with a few blankets and a pillow handing them to Raden. Raden was allowed to sleep in the empty living room and told not to leave before breakfast. He agreed.

Movement could be heard muffled by the walls. Raden moved under the blankets and felt warm beams of light hit his face. He slowly opened his eyes to see the small boy sitting there watching him. The boy ran off when he was caught and Raden took this as his queue to leave the nice warmth of the blankets. He stood with a stretch of his wings feeling sore from the overuse the past few days and slowly made his way to the kitchen.

"Here." The man handed Raden a plate of fresh eggs and fresh bread. "Eat up before you head off."

"Thank you." Raden went and sat down with the boy who was shoving food quickly into his mouth. Raden turned back to the man and ask, "Would you know where the closest town is?"

"That would be Asra," he answered shortly, "Can I ask why?"

"I'm looking for someone. I left her which she wanted but looking back I should've stayed to protect her," Raden became quiet as he continued. The guilt was starting to build again.

The man didn't say another word but gave an understanding nod. He sat down and ate his food and cleaned up while the boy ran out to the barn leaving Raden to sit alone. "I can take you into Asra. I need to go into town anyway." And left it at that.

Raden was grateful for the stranger's help. Hopefully, he was one step closer to finding Azrael.