A Demon Scorned

Saban

We spent a few days with Anita's family. I was a bit nonplussed by how popular I was with the village's children. They were always following me around, asking me to transform into things, or for rides, or just asking questions.

"Well, you're different," Anita explained, laughing, after I complained about it. "They're curious. And you saved Ian last time you were here, so they, at least, have decided you're safe."

I snorted. "Their parents disagree."

Anita sighed. "They'll warm up to you eventually." She frowned. "I think."

"Anita, I ordered an attack on the village," I said, sighing. "They'll never trust me." Why this disappointed me, I didn't know. If they weren't afraid of me, I'd have to spend even more time enduring their spawn. As it was, the children only came to bother me when they could sneak away from their parents.

Anita sighed again. "Perhaps you're right."

A small form came hurtling out of the house and down the stairs, straight into my legs. Ian grinned up at me. "Hi, Saban!"

His father, Tom, was watching worriedly from the doorway, but he didn't try to pull Ian away. A good sign? I looked down at the small human. "Hello, Ian. What do you want?"

He let go of me and jumped excitedly. "I want a piggyback ride!"

I glared at him, making my eyes flash red. "No."

Ian, not intimidated by my show of anger, pouted. "Please?"

I sighed. He wouldn't stop annoying me until I gave him a ride. It was easier just to get it over with. "Fine." I knelt, allowing him to climb onto my back. In the doorway, I saw Tom hiding a smile. I gave him an irritated look.

Ian nudged me with his feet. "Giddyup!"

That evening, Anita and I decided to leave. After all, we still had business in the capital. It was time to meet up with the encountrage that I was supposed to be traveling with. They were traveling pretty slowly, so it wouldn't take much effort to catch up.

The kids seemed to be disappointed I was going, but their parents mostly seemed relieved. Tom and Melody allowed Ian, Clara, and Bell to give me a hug, but the other adults in the village kept their children away, and no children managed to sneak out before Anita and I left the next morning. I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed.

As we left the village, Dross spoke, which was still a rare occurrence. "Lord Saban, I've been wondering... Why do you tolerate the human larvae? You always do what they ask you to, and they don't respect you at all."

I sighed. "I'm pretty sure that, at this point, the only way to get rid of them would be to hurt one of them."

"Why don't you do that, then?" asked Dross.

I shrugged. "They have no way to protect themselves, and I try not to hurt the helpless. Not if I have other options."

Dross spoke slowly. "Most demons... My lord, most demons see weaker beings as food. Why don't you?"

I shrugged. "Maybe it's because I've spent some time at the bottom of the food chain. My father..." I sighed. "It's a long story."

Anita spoke. "Frankly, I have to wonder if that's the only reason. Most demons start out pretty small and weak, but that doesn't change what they do later." She looked at me thoughtfully. "And that's not the only way you're different. Most demons prefer pain over pleasure when they feed. My fellow wizards have done studies on it. No one can work out why."

I shrugged. "I don't have any answers for you, Anita. If... If I am significantly different from other demons, I have no idea why."

And she might be right. I generally needed to be pretty strict with my demons to prevent the strong from bullying the weak. Some, like Rae and Runt, followed my rules without rebellion, but I thought that might just be because they respected me as their leader. It was hard to say.

"It's not like I don't see weaker things as food," I said thoughtfully. "It's more like something inside me is holding that instinct back."

"Your conscience?" Anita suggested.

I shrugged again. "Maybe?" Did I have a conscience? I knew what the word meant, but I'd always thought of it as a human weakness, not a trait I had.

Dross spoke again. "If you're different, my lord, I have reason to be glad of it." She looked over at me shyly. "I'm safe now."

I nodded. "You are." I looked from Anita to Dross. "It's time for me to shift, I think. We'll make better time if Anita can ride."

Dross had less stamina than me, so, after a few hours moving fast, we slowed down to a walk. This meant that, when I heard a cry for help in the woods, I could easily tell where it was coming from. The question was, what to do about it. Was it really any of my business?

I sighed, and mentally signalled Dross to check it out. It was unlikely a demon of her power level would find anything she couldn't handle.

Anita started when Dross stepped off the path. "Where are you going?"

Dross kept walking. "Lord Saban heard a call for help. I am investigating."

Anita frowned. "Perhaps we should all go."

She looked down at me. "Saban?"

I huffed a horse sigh. It was unlikely Dross would need help, but it was even more unlikely that Anita would be in any danger if we all went. After all, she had me, Dross, and her own magical powers to defend her. I turned to follow Dross.

Anita

Before long, I heard the cries for help as well. They were a bit hoarse, as if the person had been yelling for a while. Once, the cries stopped for a bit, and there was a crunch and a cry of pain, as if someone had fallen into a bush.

When I heard the pained cry, I called back, "Don't worry! We're coming."

A moment of silence, and then the voice murmured softly, "Thank the gods." In a louder tone, whoever it was- a man, by the sound of him- called back. "I'm stuck in a ravine. I've been trying to get out for a while... But there's all these thorny bushes at the bottom. Every time I try to climb, I fall and get scratched up more."

He sounded miserable. Also, he had an accent. I tried to place where I'd heard that accent before... "Don't worry, we can get you out."

"You have rope?" He sounded hopeful.

"In a manner of speaking," I hedged, looking at the two shapeshifters.

"No offense, my lady, but I'm not quite sure what you-" The man screamed. It was high pitched, and girly. "What the hell is that?"

"My tentacle," Dross replied dryly. "Grab on. I'll pull you out."

"Tentacle?" The man sounded a bit woozy. I could see the ravine now, but not him at the bottom.

"I'm a demon," explained Dross. "Don't worry, I- " I saw Dross lunge forward.

She looked back at Saban. "He fainted. I caught him," she told us. "I did good?" The last bit appeared to be directed at Lord Saban.

Saban huffed and nodded. That seemed to be enough for Dross. Silently, she drew the man out of the ravine.

He was all scratched up, but I could tell he would be handsome enough if he healed without scarring. I could also tell where his accent was from. The only country where the people had hair that red was Dnota. I'd tumbled a mercenary from Dnota once. No wonder his accent had sounded familiar.

The man awoke from his faint. He looked up at Dross, and groaned. "Oh, gods..."

I spoke quickly. "It's ok, she's with me. I'm a wizard." Technically, she wasn't my familiar, but he'd probably assume she was, which would calm him down.

"C-can you tell her to p-put me down, milady?" he stammered. Before I could say anything, Dross set him on his feet. He looked from me to her. "Thank you. For saving me. I was running low on supplies."

Looking sheepishly down the ravine, he asked, "Can someone get my pack?"

Dross retrieved it, and he took it nervously. He gave me a bow. "Lady wizard, I am Kerin. I am at your service." He looked a bit sheepish. "What skills I possess are yours."

Lady, I remembered, was as much a title as wizard to the people of Dnota, whose male to female ratio was 4 to 1. This would have been corrected by immigration and emigration long ago, but the country, ruled by a queen, was extremely difficult to get to or from. It was situated on an island far out to sea, surrounded by mountains, and inside the crater of a massive dead volcano. A major source of diamonds for the rest of the world, despite its location, it was wealthy. I remembered from my studies the royal family had been having issues with getting female heirs lately.

Then I remembered something else about royalty. I looked at Kerin. "Cerulean eyes," I murmured. "You're from the royal family of Dnota."

He looked even more sheepish. "Yes. One of the many, many grandsons of the poor queen, who has had twelve sons." He looked down. "That's why I'm out here. Not in Dnota. My grandmother sent out all of her grandsons in hopes one would father a daughter to claim the throne."

I blinked. "I... Remember hearing about that. Aren't you supposed to have, like, help?"

He smiled wanly. "My guards all died getting me here. I'm supposed to get to the capital city of Kerath and marry a noble named Marian, who is also a wizard."

I looked at him. "Weren't you supposed to show up, like, a year ago? Marian gave up waiting for you, and settled down with another noble."

Kerin drooped. "Oh. Yes, I suppose I have been a bit delayed."

I shrugged. "Well, we're heading to Kerath's capital too. I suppose you can come with us, and find... Someone to marry."

Kerin nodded glumly. "If any woman wants me."

"I think the possibility that her daughter will be a queen will tempt any number of women," I said dryly.

Kerin sighed. "I suppose. If none of my brothers or cousins have fathered an heir."

I shrugged. "It's possible."

Saban

I ordered Dross to shift into a horse form to carry Kerin. She obeyed, and knelt so he could mount. He would be an ideal solution to the issue of getting Anita pregnant, I noted. I found myself feeling oddly relaxed around the shy, submissive man. I pictured him in Anita's bed, fathering her children, and found my reaction much less violent than normal. Snorting, I tossed my horse's head.

Plus, as a member of Dnota's royal family, he came with a potential alliance with Dnota, especially if he fathered a daughter on Anita before any of his relatives did on their wives. I knew none had managed yet; one of my advisors was keeping track of the drama involving the succession of the Dnotan throne. Looking sidelong at Kerin, I began to make plans.

Sunset came before we arrived at the place we were scheduled to meet my retinue. I found a decent campsite not long after, and decided to stop rather than force Dross, who didn't have my stamina, to travel through the night. Besides, Kerin looked exhausted.

I huffed softly, and knelt to allow Anita to dismount. She did so, and Kerin slid off of Dross, landing on his rump with a thud. Dross, looking over her shoulder in concern, shifted back swiftly to help him up, but he made it to his feet before she made it to human form.

I shifted back as well. Kerin looked nervously between us. "I, umm, didn't think a mage could have more than one familiar."

"They can't," I answered, watching his reaction. "I am the High Lord of Cendan. Dross is my subject, not Anita's familiar."

"Oh," said Kerin weakly. Then he thumped down on his rump once more. When Dross offered him her hand, he looked at it in obvious terror.

"We won't hurt you," Dross told him, looking concerned. "Lord Saban ordered me to play nice with the squishy humans."

"He did?" replied Kerin, voice still weak.

"I did," I confirmed. "Dross is under orders not to hurt anyone."

His terrified look shifted to me. "What's stopping you?"

I looked at him. "At the moment," I admitted, "Not much."

At that, Kerin nearly fainted again. Dross, making a concerned noise, knelt beside him.

"What Saban means is," Anita said, sighing, "He doesn't just go around killing people. No more than you or I do. And nothing is stopping us, either."

Kerin huffed a laugh. "I couldn't kill anybody. I'm pathetic with a sword. And a bow. And pretty much every other weapon they tried to teach me. I'm a defective male." With a sigh, he added, "I can't blame Marian for not waiting for me."

I rolled my eyes. "Combat prowess isn't the only important thing in life." There were a number of demons I kept for their special abilities, not because they were good at fighting. "Stop acting pathetic."

Kerin shrugged. "I supposed I'm at least a good cook." He sounded glum, but the terror was gone. "Can I borrow some of your supplies, Anita? I don't have enough to cook for both of us."

Dross dug the necessity pit for Anita and Kerin while Anita and I set up tents and Kerin did the cooking. According to Anita, he was, in fact, a fantastic cook.

"You're going to have to show me how you can make trail food this tasty!" she enthused.

Kerin smiled. "It's not hard. Just a matter of adding the right spices."

When dinner was over, we all went to bed. Kerin offered his tent to Dross, but she declined.

I snorted. "Kerin, she's technically not a lady. She's a demon. We don't have sexes. Saying "she" as opposed to "he" or "they" or even "it" is a matter of personal preference."

Dross nodded her agreement. "I appreciate you treating me like a lady," she said shyly. "But you're more vulnerable to cold and wet. You need the tent."

"But-" Kerin protested.

Anita snorted. "Just get in the tent and go to sleep." She sounded a bit grumpy, probably about having someone listening in. I didn't care if someone heard us having sex, but she did, and likely had already decided tonight would be a sexless one. I sighed.

Kerin silently obeyed her. He'd obviously decided Anita was the highest ranking member of this group, probably because she was the only human woman. I chuckled. Technically, I outranked her, but, given that I'd do basically anything she asked of me, his assumption wasn't far from the truth.

Anita and I retired to our tent. I gave Anita a massage, but, as I'd expected, she didn't want to have sex. Then we drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to a faint noise and the feeling of Dross's distress. Gently, I disengaged myself from the still sleeping Anita and left the tent to see what was going on.

When Dross saw me, she bowed her head in shame. "Nightmare, my lord," she admitted. "Nothing is wrong.."

Kerin emerged from his tent as I told her, "If you're having nightmares, that's enough wrong that I need to do something for you."

She shivered. "Please don't make me sleep again. That stops the nightmares, but I like being able to wake when I want to."

Kerin spoke up. "I had nightmares as a boy." He held up a set of panpipes. "One of my fathers used to play these for me. That helped."

I looked at Dross, and she nodded. "That might help." She looked down. "I always liked music. I never got to listen to it much, though."

Kerin frowned, and he looked like he wanted to ask why, but, instead, he put the pipes to his lips and played.

The soothing notes put Dross to sleep swiftly. Upon examining her mind, I found no seeds of unsettling dreams. I nodded to Kerin, and, as he took a breath, interjected. "She's out. Thank you."

He nodded and continued to play. I yawned. Sleeping probably was a good idea...

Anita

I awoke to the light of dawn and the sound of bright music greeting the day. Elbowing Saban to get him to loosen his tentacles, I squirmed out of his grip and went to the necessity pit. By the time I was done, Kerin had finished playing and had started on breakfast.

Dross nodded to him. "Thank you for playing for me last night. I think it helped."

Kerin blushed. "Glad to not be completely useless."

I tasted the breakfast he dished into my bowl. "You are far from useless," I noted.

"Very far from," Saban noted, eyes thoughtful. I glanced at him, but was unable to discern his thoughts. "Come on, Dross, let's get the tents packed while the mortals eat."

We caught up with Saban's retinue around midday, as the group was stopping for lunch. As Lord Saban and I entered the camp, with him in human form, the priests, nobles, and servants bowed. "My lord," said a priest respectfully. "Do you need to feed?"

Saban shook his head and turned to Dross. "You?"

"I am hungry," she admitted.

"See that she is fed," he ordered the priest. He turned to a servant. "Take care of Kerin and Anita's baggage, and make sure they get some lunch."

The servant bowed. "Yes, my lord." She took our bags and hurried off.

I looked between Saban's different subjects as I continued through the camp. He seemed to have made a positive impression on the common people, I noted, seeing the awe in many eyes. The priests, on the other hand, seemed a bit begrudging, and the nobles downright resentful, though everyone gave him the respect he was due. Perhaps I should talk to Saban about what he'd been up to?

He was used to governing his demons via fear and intimidation, but humans required a different approach. It was possible Saban needed a few lessons on what it meant to be a human leader.

I sighed. Aside from a few school projects, I'd never been a leader myself. I was not the ideal person for the job, but I seemed to be the only one available. I'd just have to manage.