Chapter 30: Chapter Fifteen - Anomaly (Part 2)
"Wait!" Akila's hand shot out to stop him from drawing any concealed weapon. "Please, I'm honestly harmless. I'm here to give your wife this water skin. I only wish to help. Here, take it." She thrusted the water skin to him. "It's pure, untainted water. If you don't believe me, I can take a sip to prove it to you."
The demon's suspicion never wavered though he accepted the water skin, uncorking it and taking a quick sniff. He took a swig, confirming that it was safe to drink before nursing his sick wife.
Akila cleared her throat awkwardly. "I don't mean to be rude but your wife is human, isn't she? And your son is half-demon."
"What of it?" he asked gruffly, sparing her not a glance.
"I've yearned to meet someone like the two of you," she admitted frankly, surprising the couple. "To see you with my own eyes...it's like a miracle come true."
"Why would you say that?" the male seemed perplexed.
"The man I love...he's a demon." It was the only answer needed to be said.
The demon's brows furrowed. "You look familiar and your accent is refine. Who are you, human? You're no commoner and you're travelling with the Demon King."
"It's best if you don't know. I don't wish to create anymore misunderstandings," she replied tactfully. "Please, can you tell me what happened here? Why do you claim it's the Demon King's fault?"
Grim faced, the demon started to explain. "A few weeks ago, we discovered that our food and water have been poisoned and soon after, the villagers succumbed to an unknown illness. Half were dead by the end of the first week, and even our livestock and crops failed to survive." His lips thinned with displeasure. "We've lost many of our human comrades as well."
It didn't escape her notice how he referred to the humans in the village. "How are you unaffected?"
"I was away on business and when I returned, it was too late to save everyone. After a thorough investigation, I discovered a group of renegades were granted shelter here days before the illness spread. They fled after perpetuating their cause. That was how I learned that the Demon King had killed the Emperor and those renegades are the consequence of his coup d'etat. I blame him for inciting chaos and destruction around the regions."
"You're mistaken. It isn't his —" Akila defended hotly only for the Demon King himself to interrupt with his grand appearance.
"If I were truly responsible for it, then I'd happily take the blame," Zagan declared from the doorway, ducking his head as he entered, his gaze brushing Akila — ensuring she was unharmed — before focusing on the family. "It's true that I killed Orsova but unfortunately those renegades belonged to his reign, not mine." He gestured towards Akila. "This woman before you is Princess Akila of Cronoa."
The demon shot an accusing stare at Akila and she responded with a feeble smile. It had not been here intention to hide her identity.
"This is the work of a human rebellion," Zagan concluded on the spot. "I would never seek to endanger my own kind. That goes against every reason why I killed the previous Emperor." His lids lowered in suspicion. "It strikes me as curious that you are exceptionally articulate for a demon living in such poor conditions. Answer me demon, are you Sparus or Castus?"
Begrudgingly, the other demon's answer was clipped. "Antiquus."
Akila noticed that Zagan was shocked speechless by that revelation. Why did it matter to him? What did those names mean?
"Antiquus?" he repeated, dumbfounded. It was incomprehensible that a highborn demon was living in Balgia, not to mention his mate was...human. "How is this possible?"
"Was he the demon you spoke of?" the antiquus asked Akila.
Her answering nod was stilted, earning a frown from Zagan.
"Now I understand why you were curious." The antiquus approached Zagan, towering over him by a foot. "If you are truly the Demon King, then prove it that you mean us no harm. Help me save this village."
Zagan didn't move or flinch at the ultimatum, though he felt a stirring of annoyance at being commanded like a servant. This demon might be an antiquus — a noble — but Zagan was now the Emperor. He was no longer the useless halfling, begging for scraps.
Akila situated herself between the two demons, her hand on Zagan's stomach. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Castelis is working on finding the cause of this plague, so let us not fight amongst ourselves."
The antiquus gave her a funny look she wasn't sure was a good or bad sign. "My name is Jarrach." He motioned towards his wife and son, who hid behind his father's legs. "This is my wife, Elena and our son, Raam."
"I am Zagan and Akila is my concubine."
Akila's face heated up at the bald introduction of her status. It wasn't something one should announce as if they were talking about the weather.
Jarrach's lips twitched, taking in the young couple before him. "If you can heal the villagers, then we will forever be in your debt."
"That would be needless to say," Zagan said coolly.
"What he meant to say is that we will try our best," Akila assured the older demon. "Why don't we let your wife get some rest? You may keep the water skin." She latched onto Zagan's arm, her voice lowered for his ears alone. "I would like to have a word with you." And then she dragged him outside.
When they were gone, Elena croaked. "Those two remind me of us when we first met."
"Indeed," Jarrach chuckled, his head shaking slightly. "I think the Demon King is more stubborn than I was."
"How far are you going to drag me along?" Zagan demanded irately, being hauled off like a wayward child.
Akila released him, hands perched on her hips. "I'm sorry, but did I not just defused a situation that would have been made worse by your antagonizing behaviour?"
"Antagonizing?" he scoffed. "It was the truth."
"Well not everyone can handle the truth, and you didn't have to be so direct." She rolled her eyes in vexation. "How did you find me?"
"From the scent of your blood."
"Blood?" Her brows drew together, glancing down at herself. "But I'm not hurt."
He nodded towards her palms. "Yes, you are."
Raising her hands, she swiped the dried scratches on her pants. "I can't believe you can track me like an animal with just this small amount of blood." It was disconcerting.
He shrugged. "I do have a great sense of smell."
"Did you need me for something?" She returned to her original question. "Is someone hurt? Do we need to call for reinforcements?"
"I've already dispatched a message back to the castle for rudimentary supplies. The rest will depend on what Castelis has discovered from the villagers. In the meantime, try not to wander too far away. It's not safe here."
She sighed. It wasn't safe anywhere lately, but she didn't want to start another argument. "I'll be careful."
He caught her arm when she brushed by. "Where are you going?" he asked, harsher than intended.
"To find Castelis. Hopefully he has good news."
"I'll come with you," he insisted.
Grudgingly, she led the way back into the heart of the village. They found Castelis inside an old decrepit hut, saying last rites for the dead. Once finished, he approached them with a bleak countenance. "It's not good. Whatever ails them isn't poison but I suspect a kind of parasite that lives inside its host and kills them from the inside out. It's a mystery how the organism entered their bodies. My guess is perhaps through the bloodstream or from their food and water source. One thing is clear, it's a fast-acting parasite that shows no mercy to its host."
"Is there a cure? Something to kill the parasite?" Akila demanded. "The demon we met did mention that someone had poisoned their food and water."
"That's probably not the reason. If it was poison, I would have recognised the symptoms and the villagers would have been dead in days, not weeks." He opened a portal right where he stood. "I need to look through the archives in Bocelus. I think there was a similar case centuries ago that was recorded down by my ancestors. While I'm away, be careful not to get too close to the infected. We don't know for sure how the disease spreads. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Let us know if you find anything useful." Akila flashed him an assuring smile, which he returned in kind. With the Dryad gone, Zagan motioned for her to accompany him. "Come, let us see what else we can do to ease the villagers' suffering."
It was the first unselfish request he had ever made, and her heart expanded a little. By sundown, Castelis hadn't returned, heightening the stifling disquiet and tension in the air. Akila sat outside her tent, watching the uninfected children — both demon and human — playing a distance away. A few hours earlier, Zagan's warriors arrived with fresh food and water supplies which she eagerly volunteered to distribute to everyone. Zagan had strictly forbade her to get too close to the sick, hovering over her as he assisted.
Akila noticed the little boy who bade his friends goodnight and made a beeline towards her. Raam flashed a timid smile, sitting beside her on the dirt with a stick in hand. "My Da said that you're a princess. Is that true?"
She was amused by his curiosity. "Yes, I am or rather was a princess."
"What's it like to be a princess?" The question was harmless yet it sat heavily upon her soul.
"Honestly, there's nothing special about being a princess. If I could choose, I'd rather just be someone ordinary."
"But why?" he complained, drawing stick figures in the earth, concentrating with childlike innocence. "Being ordinary sounds boring."
Akila watched him fondly, arms hugging her knees. "I think being normal is wonderful. You have the freedom to do anything you desire. No one will try to stop you from eating too much cake, spending time with your friends, going wherever you wish or control your actions. I can ride a horse anytime and be free to leave when I want." As soon the words leave her lips, she realized how miserable she had been cooped up inside the castle. Yes, she was granted the finer things in life but at what cost? Her freedom and the lives of the innocent?
"I think you're weird, princess. If I were a prince, I would do my best to help the poor," Raam rambled on without guile. "And after that, I would build my da and mama a big house on a hill by the sea where the pastures are green. Mama can tend to her roses while da rears his sheep."
She laughed, ruffling his hair. "Yes, I think that's a wonderful idea. You're a kind and selfless boy. If I were a man, perhaps I could have done something in the past. Unfortunately, a princess doesn't have the same power that a prince or emperor has. It's the way of the world."
"Why would you let it stop you?" Raam lifted his trusting brown eyes, his words wise beyond his age. "Aren't you here helping us now?"
Silently, she reflected that he had a point. If Akila never met Zagan, she would still be an ignorant princess living in a gilded cage, heedless of the people's suffering. If she never met Zagan, she would never have experienced this moment, or feel like she was living an adventure, finally making a difference in people's lives while enriching hers. Though, it didn't mean she wanted her family dead in exchange. She couldn't change the past but, she could definitely look forward.
Taking a deep breath, she picked Raam into her lap. "I think you're right. Maybe it's not so bad being an fallen princess... someone common yet uncommon." She held his dominant hand with hers. "Here, this is how you draw a person."
Raam giggled happily as she made up a story along the way, introducing new characters he had never heard before. The little boy's laughter echoed throughout the village, bringing new hope to the desolate atmosphere.
Standing by the well, Zagan couldn't take his eyes off the little lamb and the boy in her arms. He knew that the child was like him – a halfling. The only difference was that he had parents who loved and protected him. The fact that Akila was treating the boy like her own, made his heart clenched painfully and he knew a moment's worth of envy. Look at how far he had fallen, to be envious over a child for being loved.
It was hard to comprehend what Akila was thinking, or why she didn't hesitate to never be unkind to demons.
She was different.
And it made him entertain dangerous thoughts — thoughts that led him to imagine about a different kind of life, kindling an emotion he never felt before.
Hope.
And it was a treacherous feeling.
Weekly Power Status
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