Chapter 12 - Willow #2
He nodded curtly, shoulders as stiff as the bed he’d been sleeping on. I shook my head and stepped closer to the girl. “Hello, Rosie. My name’s Willow and this big grump is just a little shy. We’re happy you’re safe.”
“Really?” The little girl’s mouth dropped open. “Mom, he’s shy just like me!”
I laughed and patted her on the head, my fingers brushing over her cracked and ashen horns that looked nothing like her mother’s vibrant ones.
The shopkeep jerked her daughter away from me, shooing her into the back room again.
Her eyes looked haunted, pinched with worry for her child.
I dropped my hand to my side and took a few steps back.
“Sorry.” I bit my lip, not sure what else to say. Something was wrong with the girl, but it didn’t feel like my place to ask since I was one of the humans her mom obviously feared. “I’ll just wait outside if you want.”
“You’re not leaving.” The Demon Lord put his hand on my shoulder, grasping it tight enough that I couldn’t move even if I wanted to. His shadows enveloped me with all the warmth his tone lacked as he leaned closer to whisper in my ear. “We’re on a mission, remember? Ask her about the child.”
He really had a problem reading the room sometimes. I took a deep breath and turned my attention back to the mother who was looking like she was the one who wanted to flee.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated, bowing my head like I’d seen her do earlier.
“I shouldn’t have spoken so casually to your daughter, but I promise I meant no harm.
When I came to this village, I had no idea what to expect, but after spending the day talking to people, I can tell I’m missing something. Why did the humans take your daughter?”
Her fingers dug into her arm, pressing in so deep they left white marks in her skin.
“You don’t know? They drain our magic to fuel their tools.
Most of us can withstand it and regain our magic eventually, but the young are still developing.
If their horns crumble, that’s it. Their magic is gone for good.
That’s what your kind are doing to us every day. ”
The Demon Lord sucked in a breath, but thankfully didn’t react otherwise.
If that’s what was really going on during all those fight scenes in the books, then he was justifiably evil.
Who drove him to be that way though? There had to be something bigger going on, a plot that I hadn’t wrapped my mind around yet.
It just didn’t make sense with what I’d read in the previous books.
“I didn’t know.” I shook my head, moving until my back was up against the Demon Lord’s firm chest. He hadn’t budged or cried out in anger.
He was still as stone, like always. “But why would they do that? Humans might not have innate magic, but they can mine magical ore that powers everything they’d need.
” Magical ore a lot like all those purple stones I’d been seeing around town.
I gasped, spinning back to the Demon Lord.
“You said demons are innately magical, right? So if that seeps into the earth and humans mine it, then all the magic humans use here is really from the demons, right?”
His gaze hardened as he spotted the little girl peeking out from the curtains again. “And since humans are the greediest of all the species, they wouldn’t be satisfied with just our leftovers like that. No. They’d want our magic straight from the source.”
That changed everything. He wasn’t just waging a war to take over the world, he was waging a war to stop his people from being used like living spellstones that were drained and recharged over and over again until they broke.
I suddenly felt the need to sit down as the series I’d loved so much shattered around me.
The hero was meant to stand for justice and all things good in the world, but if he was secretly working to steal everyone’s magic then I couldn’t ever read those books again. I couldn’t write an ending like that, not a chance. It was too horrific.
My stomach grumbled again, but I clenched my arms around my abdomen and tried to hide it.
Going out to eat seemed so callous now, like I was on a fun date while they were fighting for their lives.
What was the author thinking adding in a plot twist like that?
Now I just wanted to end it all with the Demon Lord winning and throw the whole series on its head.
Who cared if fans hated it? After seeing that little girl, it felt like the right thing to do.
After a few minutes, the shopkeep walked over to me and handed me a bottle of water.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dumped that all on you like it was your fault.
If our lord sees something in you enough to make you his consort, then I know you’re not like them.
I know you’ve got a good heart just from how you reacted to my story. ”
I took a few gulps of water to steady my nerves. “Thank you. I really had no idea that was happening, and I bet most humans don’t either. We’ll figure out what’s really going on and put a stop to it.”
“Of course we will.” The Demon Lord’s hands clenched into fists, his knuckles white as he stared at the child behind the curtain. It was like he was burning the image of her into his memory so he’d never forget what he was fighting for. “I’ll do anything to protect our people.”
Chills raced down my spine. There was the villain I’d expected based on the books. He was like a morally gray avenger, waiting to wipe out the enemy by any means necessary. I smiled just a bit. At least he’d finally gotten in touch with his inner bad guy.
Knowing why he was the bad guy was a huge step forward. Now I could work on planning the rest of the book. I finished up the water and handed the empty bottle back to the shopkeep with a smile. “Thank you.”
She nodded and handed the Demon Lord a slip of paper. “We’ll have your mattress ready for you in a few days. Stop by again if you ever need a magical seamstress.”
He nodded and waited for me to join him by the door. “Let’s get you some food.”
I almost said no but Dain was still standing guard outside like he’d been doing all day.
He’d slept outside the castle last night too and refused the nuts I’d tried giving him, so he must be hungry by now.
We needed to stop for food so he could finally take a break. Then we could plan our next steps.