The Daemon

Thank you all for reading!





Chapter 11





Percy ran into the room breathless and bedraggled looking. His “finery” was mussed and looked wrinkled and maybe torn. He had bruises around his mouth and eyes. A small trickle of blood lined the side of his mouth. There was a panicked look in his eyes as he leaned against the door.



“My boy, get our things together now!” Running around in a panicked manner, Percy started to shove items into bags and roughly grabbed Ara’s leash. Ara barely moved to do as he was told before he was yanked nearly off his feet. “Move! Move, move, move.”



The collar nearly choking him as they ran out the door, Aranata was red faced and confused. This was an unusual occurance. What could have possibly spooked Percy?



The boy was nearly thrown to the ground as Percy shoved their belongings as him as the saddles were ripped off of the stall walls. Then the bags were ripped out of his hands and tied haphazardly onto the animals. He was grabbed about the waist and thrown onto the horse while Percy jumped on behind him.



“We need to leave love. They are after us. They’ll separate us if they catch us and we don’t want that do we baby? I need you and you need me too. I won’t let them take you away. We’ll be together forever.” Percy rambled on as he spurred the horses into a gallop. His hands were tight on Ara while even the saddle horn dug into the boy’s ribs.



“We’ll make it little love. We’ll have time together like we want. I won’t let them take you away. I did not even get to have you fully yet. I was just waiting for you to be ready. I was taking care that you would not be hurt by it. You love me don’t you?” Percy placed a kiss to the back of his head. “Of course you love me just as much as I love you. We’ll get away and I’ll make sure that we finally experience the ultimate pleasure together. You’ll see, you’ve been so patient and we’ll finally be together like we should be.”



Ara’s eyes were wide as they raced into the forest. His breathes were gasping and sounded frightened. In the distance he heard people screaming and yelling. It sounded like an angry mob.



“Don’t worry baby, shh, you’ll see that everything will be okay.” Percy said comfortingly.



Fluttering sounds were soon heard and the horses began to whiney in a frightened manor. Percy cursed as they wheeled in a different direction. No matter how hard he yanked on the reigns, the horses balked and headed in a different direction. It seemed they could not leave the forest. Curses rent the air as Ara was jerked this way and that in Percy’s arms as he fought for control of the horses. Soon both horses reared into the air and threw them off.



Ara lost his breath as he hit the ground and then lost consciousness. Percy dropped not too far from him and scrabbled his way to the boy.



“My lovely, my little boy, wake up please!” Percy picked him up and started to run in a random direction while practically chanting, “wake up, wake up, wake up.”



Hoof beats were heard not far behind them and the panicked human tried to pick up his pace. He held the little one closer to him like a mother protecting her babe.



“No, I won’t let them take you!”



Suddenly a weight was thrown over them, knocking them all to the ground.



“You will not take him with you!” a dark voice growled out. The dark figure stood over the panting and frightened human.



“No more running. You will not touch him any longer, bastard!”



Percy wimpered in fear as the dark being loomed over him with blazing red eyes and sharp fangs and he drew back a little. Noting an unconscious Ara he tried to scramble over to the child but was blocked by the large form.



“Did you not hear me when I said you will no longer have the boy? Are you that dumb to challenge me?”



“Please, please, please, don’t harm my boy. Don’t hurt my love.” Percy begged.



“He is not yours!” was hissed back at the trembling man.



“No! He is mine! You are wrong he is my boy, my perfect little boy!” The wild look in his eyes just got more intense and insane. When Mikan approached the boy, Percy growled and leaped for the vampire. With a knife in his hands he screamed,



“You won’t take him from me!”



Mikan swatted him away and Percy hit a nearby tree. The crack of his spine was loud and the following scream echoed in the forest. A piercing whistle followed and the flutter and buzzing sounds increased in the near silence.



“He is yours to do as you will.” Mikan’s deep baritone was said out to the surrounding woods. A whoosh of wind and leaves surrounded the human. Screams were heard, blood flew and as the leaves settled, it revealed an empty spot where the man used to be.Though he would have loved to hurt the human himself, Ara came first and the Lilkin would hurt him enough before killing him.



Mikan turned and scooped the boy into his arms when he noticed a flutter nearby.



“Why are you still here little one?”



A purple blur zipped up to them before revealing a Lilkin with rainbow dragonfly wings floating before them. Her short frizzy purple hair framed a very young face, and her elfin ears twitched lightly in curiosity.



“Anje (Ahn-jay) was curious,” she reached delicate fingers toward the boy. “May Anje touch?”



“I will allow it, but do not harm the boy.”



“Anje no hurt,” she said as she reached for the red and black hair. “So pretty….”



“I will take him into town,” Mikan frowned, “he needs a healer.” At first he had thought that it was just because he had the wind knocked out of him but the boy did not stir as he was moved.



“Anje sees he is dreaming.” She fluttered over him and landed on Mikan’s shoulder.



“Dreaming?”



“He sees something in dreams. Maybe it tells something he needs do?” The light buzz of wings bushed a puff of air into his ear.



“You are saying that he is in the middle of some sort of true seeing.” He looked down at the boy and his furrowed brow. Quickly he mounted Shade and took Ara with him back to the settlement.







I was floating. It’s dark and yet I am not scared and there is just this sense of peace within me. Where ever I was it felt vast and unending. I suppose if I were dead it would not feel so empty. My mother, my father and my sisters would be here. I did feel maybe that I did not want to exist anymore but there was also a part of me that was screaming to live. I was afraid to wake and face the pain of these last years have brought to me yet I could do nothing but live each day.



Words go through my mind about who I was, who I am and who I will always be. There is no escaping fate and it was time for me to be who I always was meant to be.



A bloom of knowledge bursts into the darkness, a small spot of light. With this light comes a vision of men. These men kneel before someone…me? A pledge of loyalty, smiles of hope and a sea of people who all believe in me. The light gets brighter and new faces appear. Mother? Father? Everyone I knew and even faces I did not know before but would mean something to me.



In the distance, where it is still dark, another light blooms as a small pinprick and I know that this light is the future. This future that I can move toward and my past I can tell that as I grow it will be revealed to me, lighting this darkness that surrounds me. It is as the words have said who I was, who I am and who I will always be. I am me.



I slowly opened my eyes to a dimly lit room. Where I was I wasn’t quite sure but I was not scared. Too much had happened to me to be upset by the changes. I was warm and felt good. A buzzing sound had me turning my head to my right. There was a little person dressed in purple and lavender hovering near me with rapidly flapping dragonfly wings.



“Oh! Anje is happy you wake.” A smile lit up the young face. She looked like she was about my age just really small. “Anje will tell Mikan you is up ‘kay?”



Before I could blink she was gone. I could feel a smile on my face for such childish enthusiasm. She reminded me a bit of Airen. Soon there was the sound of heavy footsteps coming closer.



A dark man entered the room. His raven hair swept behind him in a cape-like fashion. The red ringed eyes drew my attention and held me.



“I am glad that you are awake, Ara.”



The deep velvety voice just seemed to caress me inside and out. Why did this person affect me so much? His voice was familiar and his face was familiar too. It scared me a bit, especially after Percy was always telling me that I was his. I did not want to belong to another person, not like that.



“Oh little one don’t be frightened.” The dark man held out a hand to me, palm up. “Do not fret, we saved you from that horrid being and I can take you home.”



Home? There was no home anymore. Why would I go home when there was no home?



“Don’t you remember your grandmother? She waits for you. I came to bring you back to her.” He sat next to me on the bed but did not touch. “I know you did not really interact with your cousin but he runs your parent’s store for you. The townsfolk miss you too. There is Makhail, and Kairen, they have gone crazy with missing you.”



I listened and realized something.



“You are the one that talks to me.” My voice was raspy and quiet with disuse.



“You can speak…” the dark man whispered. “May I hold you Ara? I have waited some time to meet you and I have looked long and hard for you.”



I just nodded and reached my arms out to him. When I was pulled into his lap I felt like I was finally coming home. I felt a sigh leave me and I snuggled down in contentment. The voice had said to have hope and now here he was in the flesh for me.



“Introduce Anje too!?” squealed a small voice.



“Ah yes, Anje this is Kiiren Aranata and Ara this is Lilkin Anje of clan Frost Flower and of Mystic Forest.”



The little being bobbed in a curtsy in mid air and giggled as she hovered before me.



“Nice to meet you,” I said with sincerity. She was cute and a feeling of connection to a sense of happiness that I had lost was forming. I turned my head and looked up at the man.



“Your… name?” It was difficult to speak after so long.



“Oh, I do suppose I have not introduced myself. I am Kairen Mikan cousin and lieutenant to Lord Kairen Enyant. I am certain that you have probably seen me from a distance. I handle things that he cannot.”



“Okay.” That was all the energy I had at the moment and I started to nod off on his lap. He smelled of warmth and nature, like if a warm breeze held a scent this would be it. I buried my head into his shirt and just held on as I fell asleep.





A disturbance woke me and it was not one that sounded good. People were yelling and there was a crash and a few bangs. What it was I did not know but considering how my life had gone these last years all I can think was that it was about me. I worked my way to the edge of the bed and tried to stand. It took me a little bit to get to my feet but once I was, I moved toward the window and the noise.



Looking out, I saw many people. Humans like Percy were gathered in front of the building I was in and were yelling at Mikan and a woman who seemed to bar their way. They were all armed with something like poles, pitchforks and whatever they could get their hands on. There were maybe twenty of them. I pulled back a little so that they would not notice me easily.



“Let us in! You’ve got the fairy boy in there and we want to make sure he is okay.” Someone screamed from the crowd.



“People just calm down! He’s just a little boy, you’ll scare him.” The woman said. She seemed a bit golden everywhere. Her hair shone with a warm honey color and even her skin had a golden hue. She wore a simple blue cotton looking dress with a white apron in front. She seemed familiar to me.



“You can’t keep us from him! It’s not fair Ayisa (Ah-Yee-sah) you are the only one who has been allowed to see them because of who your father is!”



Them? Who are these people talking about and what is it that draws those like them to me? I was starting to get frightened again. I had only had what felt like a few moments of comfort and now this. Though my heart was pounding I just focused on the fact that Mikan seemed to be trying to keep them away.



“All of you go home! There is no way I would allow all you fanatics near the boy. He has been through too much as it is.” The deep voice of Mikan growled out at them.



“You don’t scare us! We won’t leave until we get to meet him.” Another anonymous voice yelled out.



“You only got him back here because we got to that man who thought he could enslave one of them!”



“Yeah! The boy is one of the Fae and you don’t hurt them around us!”



“He is not Fae. Go home all of you. The child is another of demon kind. He is not what you think he is.” The lady tried to calm the crowd.



“Don’t lie to us! We don’t believe you. No other are as beautiful as the Fae and he is what we would imagine one to be.”



“Damn you idiots! I am part fae so I should know what the hell I am talking about.” The lady seemed to have lost her patience with the crowd. “Get your asses away from my front stoop or I’ll blast you all to kingdom come!”



I could hear Mikan’s chuckle from here.



“We won’t go!” someone else shouted. A few of the crowd had dispersed at the threat from the woman.



“Stubborn fools the lot of you,” grumped the lady.



“If you will not heed the lady’s words I could show you why you should not give such little regard to the words of a vampire,” Mikan warned.



“You can’t be a vamp, they fry under the sun!”



“Shouldn’t you be sleeping right now?”



“We are in the demon world not human lands. Maybe such weaknesses occur in your world but you are in mine and I can easily rend you limb from limb,” he growled.



I could only guess that he had flashed his fangs at them because there seemed to be a collective gasp. They seemed reluctant but they did slowly leave and I crawled back into bed.



I was confused as to why they would think I would be of the demon race of Fae. My ears were not so very pointed nor did they point up and I was not really as glittery as they were purported to be. Not many meet them due to the fact that they live in underground homes located in the forests. They did not invite many into their homes and there were stories of the tricks they would pull on those that they do. I could feel the wrinkling of my brow as I tried to work this out in my mind.



I just ended up shaking my head and giving up after a little bit. I wondered where Anje had gone off to. Being that the Lilkin were related in a sense to the Fae, I hoped the crowd did not try to do anything to her.



“Ara, we probably woke you with all that fuss. I apologize,” Mikan said as he entered and came up to me.



“Why do so many people want me?” I asked Mikan.



“I don’t really know little one but these are just fanatics who like the Fae.”



“I am not Fae.”



“No you are not,” he said and picked me up.



“We are going to go get you something to eat so why don’t you get dressed? I’ve brought up some clothes for you.” He handed me a packet wrapped in brown paper.



“I’ll let you get ready. I’ll be right outside waiting for you.” He ruffled my hair and set me down. He gave me a reassuring smile before leaving the room.