Eldon finally meets with Shlee's fiancée, while waiting for his sister to be rescued. Will Shelly be okay, and how will Shlee's first fiancée handle Eldon's presence?
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Chapter 21
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Devil's Reward
Shlee tapped Eldon's shoulder and pointed to a large rock. "I think that one is it," she stated in his ear, barely audible over the blowing wind. They were still on his roc's back, flying over the dry landscape on the border between Fire and Darkness's demesne. Eldon was lost in his own thoughts, trying to figure out what he was going to say to the vampire. Somehow, 'Hello. Nice to meet you. You have a wonderful fiancée, and oh, by the way, we're also in love and there's not a thing any of us can do about it,' didn't seem to be appropriate.
"Are you sure this time?" Eldon asked back. This was the third time she'd said it was the spot to land, only to get down there and have her change her mind.
"Stop being a brat," she lightly slapped him on the shoulder. "Everything looks different from above. I'm used to following the trail and scent to it. That's impossible from up here."
He nodded and signaled their ride to land. The roc let out a raucous cry, and banked to the right. A few seconds later they were on the ground and Shlee was running towards the large rock. Large rock was an understatement, as it was nearly as large as the roc.
"This is it," she yelled to Megan and him as they walked up. She was pointing to a spot near the bottom, where the boulder rose up and hung over the ground by about a foot. "This is the one. See right here? This is where we carved our initials after he proposed to me."
Eldon felt his heart drop at those words. Because of what Gloria had done to him and Shlee, he loved her. It was one thing for her to mention it, and to know that they were heading to talk to the other man, but it was another to see the spot where he'd proposed.
"Now, this other fella is a vampire, right?" Megan asked, glancing up at the sky. "It's light here, though a bit dimmer than earlier. I understand that only the Pillar of Darkness's area is dark all the time, and that the borders, like here, aren't as bright. But I gotta wonder, how did he manage to propose to you out here?"
"It's how I knew he truly loved me," Shlee said, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, he was covered up from head to toe, and wearing this big goofy hat, but the fact that he was willing to come all the way out here, just to spend a little more time with me, meant the world."
Eldon felt Megan's elbow jab him in the ribs. "You ever do anything like that to prove your love?"
Eldon glared at her a moment before thinking of his response. "I risk my life all the time. Or I used to, before I became permanent. There are other ways to show love."
"Spoken like a man who isn't willing to go the distance," she scoffed. She flipped around to face Shlee, her deep red hair flipping around behind her.
Eldon ground his teeth in frustration. "I'm currently going to talk to my girlfriend's fiancée, literally going into the Devil's den to do so. I'm doing this so that she, at the very least, can be happy."
"You don't have to defend yourself to me," Megan said with a laugh.
Eldon's fists balled up until they hurt as he struggled to hold in his anger. Who did she think she was? He hadn't asked her to come find him; hadn't even wanted her to follow after them. She didn't know him. What right did she have to make any judgements?
She glanced up at him, and he noticed something in her eyes. Was that approval? What the hell was wrong with her?
He chose to keep his mouth shut, and moved over to Shlee's side. "Where do we go from here?"
"Northwest," Shlee stated as she brushed the dirt off her legs. She pointed into the darkened horizon, and Eldon didn't miss the hopeful gleam in her eyes.
"Cheer up, bucko," Megan bumped him with her hip. "She looks the same way when she looks at you."
He glared at the other woman, but was unwilling to admit that her words offered a little balm to his mood. It didn't help when she ran up to the werewolf and asked, "So, how did you two meet?"
A grin split Shlee's features as her eyes turned distant. "I was going to visit my uncle, who lives in the Pillar of Darkness's demesne."
Eldon didn't want to hear this, but found he couldn't stop himself. He took a couple quick steps and reached for Shlee's hand. He told himself it was
not
to remind her that he existed. He loved her, and just wanted to be close to her. He would support her in whatever she needed. His heart lightened when she turned and smiled at him, before continuing her story. Megan on the other side gave him a speculative look, but said nothing.
"Some people think that it's entirely dark, no light at all within there," Shlee pointed to the darkening sky. "There is some light, though most humans' eyes aren't sharp enough to see it. That much light is forbidden without permission. Well, I haven't been to my uncle's place very much, and ended up getting lost. Despite my heightened senses, one of the creatures that live there snuck up on me."
She fell silent for a moment, lost in memory. Eldon squeezed her hand offering comfort, and she gave him another smile.
"I don't know if something bigger scared it off, but it left me bleeding out on the ground. I thought I was dead for sure. I didn't dare call out for help, afraid of what else might find me." She shuddered, no doubt remembering the experience that had to be horrifying. "I knew the second he approached. I could sense the
wrongness
in him. Despite my injuries, I tried to attack him. My instincts took over, but I was no match for him in that condition."
"Wait," Megan interrupted and shook her head. "You mean your fiancée, or someone else?"
