The Demon - High and Mighty!

For the rest of the noon, Ryon and Lily floated on a lightened mood, exchanging both playful banter and ideas of what other worlds may look like or consist of, and in silent consent they both refrained from talking about darker topics.

Lily told him about the world she'd come from. A place called Earth. Which Ryon found to be a very lazy name for a land that was made out of - well - earth. He wondered if that was really its name or if Lily was messing with him, but he didn't ask. It didn't matter really, anyway.

„Do you know who it was, that left you on the porch of the mansion?", he asked without further thinking. „Maybe your parents?"

„I don't know that", Lily said. „Either no one saw them back then, or no one had confided that information to me."

Ryon nodded. He had expected something like that.

„So, do you think your origin is here in Tiadar?", he asked further.

„I don't know that, either. Not for sure, at least. But I think it's likely. This world that the Duncans live in doesn't have magic or magical creatures itself. That's why I'm so valuable to them", Lily replied.

Ryon tried to imagine a world without magic, without magical creatures and without magical devices - and failed. That must be a harsh world to live in, indeed! He shared his thoughts with Lily, but she shook her head. „They have another kind of magic to make up for it instead. Technology. They build machines to help them do, what they themselves can't."

Ryon couldn't picture a man-made structure doing their biddings and he made up his mind.

„I think, I prefer magic. It seems to be more practical in everyday use", he said, and heard Lily chuckle.

„I think so, too", she said. „But the people there think different. They don't trust magic at all."

„Well, I think it's true what people say. Other countries come with other customs", Ryon offered, and then added. „And the same seems to be true for other worlds."

Lily nodded. „And in all the worlds there may be, it's everywhere the same: What the peasant can't farm, can only mean harm."

„Right", Ryon said musing. „But that can only be true for worlds where there are peasants. And farms."

Lily snorted and replied mock-snobby. „Peasants are everywhere."

That made Ryon laugh. „Now listen to you being all high and mighty!"

Which in turn made Lily laugh, too.

When the afternoon neared and the sunlight faded, they decided to make camp where they stood.

Ryon cleared the forest floor, so that they could sit a little bit more comfortable and used the dry wood he found to build a tiny pyre that Lily could inflame. Then, they sat down next to each other, and Lily ate another apple she magicked from her personal void. Now they were both listening to crackling of wood.

The next morning found them huddled together, close to the fire against the cold.

„We should get going", Ryon suggested. „It'll only get worse if we don't move."

Lily agreed, even though the thought of walking in the cold seemed so much less appealing then sitting next to Ryon at a fireside. He had managed to surprise her yet again with his compliment, yesterday, and she could still feel a warmth inside her when she thought about it. Her and beautiful? It was the first time a man had said that to her in earnest, and not only as a polite figure of speech.

But there was no time for idle dreaming, now. She knew, that he was right in what he just said. They had to get moving. So, she stood up and stretched her stiff limbs until she regained some feeling in them. Ryon did the same, even though Lily was unsure if that was even necessary for a spirit like him.

When they were ready to go, Lily extinguished the fire and Ryon threw the coals into the bushes, so that no one could think that someone had camped here.

Then they moved on through the forest.

Lily could see that Ryon was occupied by some thought or another, so she let him think and looked up to where the birds sang their songs.

She gradually warmed up and soon found herself enjoying the fresh day. And she had to admit, even after everything Ryon had told her about himself, even after she had learned the fact that he had withheld information from her, she still liked to walk beside him. Maybe he had secrets of his own, but who hadn't?

She, herself, was certainly no exception. So, what if he had been assigned to her? That only meant that he was able to be here with her now. And she could feel, that he was speaking the truth about his feelings. That was all that counted.

She was positive that he would support her and together they would destroy Diana Duncan and all who chose to stand beside her.