When the woman's figure first emerged from the darkness of the road more than fifty paces from the family campfire, she looked like she was carrying some large backpack with black straps around her shoulders. Then she came closer, and it looked like an animal, perhaps a black pig clumsily held; but soon she was close enough for him to tell, and Androx knew it was a demon. She carries a demon child on her shoulders.
He stood up with a gasp, suppressing a surge of panic.
The young woman herself was strange enough to give anyone pause. She walked barefoot, despite the crunch of gravel on the icy dirt road beneath her feet. Only a wide strip of cloth tied behind her back covered her breasts, and a pair of loose pants that didn't reach her ankles rustled on her legs. Her head was shaved, the first hairless woman he had ever seen, which made her look pathetic and scary. Her skin was as pale as Aguna's, indicating that she was from the north.
Androcles swallowed down the fear that rose in his heart and walked toward the road, spear in hand. Once there, he frowned and made it clear to the eccentric woman that she and her passengers were not welcome at his family campfire. He felt his hand tighten around the shaft of the spear, and he was calculating whether he could be fast enough to stab the thing before it ran past him.
The woman met his gaze calmly and continued walking toward him along the icy dirt road. on purpose. Gods, who is she? What is she? Mary's angry sister that no one told him?
He almost jumped when he felt something slip into his spare hand, and he looked down to see that adorable little Galbi had come over to join him. She stood nonchalantly, holding his hand and squeezing tightly against him, trying to keep some warmth. She had thrown a half-bearskin over the ox's shoulders because "he looked cold," and now she was shivering because her thin green linen garment did not keep her warm. Her small golden hair was messy by the wind, which was in sharp contrast to her face that was flushed by the cold wind.
Androchus pointed to the fire and said: "Go back and sit down, girl. Come on."
"Why? What's wrong with them?" she asked, looking at the woman on the road and the demonic child instead of acting nice.
"Yes!" he hissed, almost throwing her down. "Come back!"
"Wait a minute, Dad. I want to talk to them first."
The woman was now only a dozen steps away, and she came over calmly and attentively, with a longing tranquility in her eyes that, although she was still young, she might still be a young man. Androx almost panicked; he could eventually get Gabi to comply - he was usually more stubborn than she was - but he needed her out of here now. If that thing bites her
This is his last resort, A
d
okles said: "Ga
bi girl, do you know what your hair looks like right now?"
Gabby reached out her hands to touch her hair, a look of fear coming over her. She ran to the campfire and said, "Oh! Oh! Mom, can you do my hair? It's such a mess! Please?"
Thank the gods, this girl loves to look pretty.
Scar the Wolf stirred in his cozy hiding place beneath the fur, and Andrels patted him and said, "Stay there."
"Can I have a look?" Wolf scolded
ask.
"No."
"why not?"
A
d
Okles used his free hand to pull the fur taut, holding the little fairy in place, wolf scagging
The twisting soon stopped. Because the woman stopped a few steps away from him and stared at An A with an expression of curiosity or bloodlust.
d
The campfire behind okles. Who knew? It was a cold night, Androx's beard was covered in frost, and she was bald, nearly naked, and carrying a demon on her shoulders as if it were human.
This was the first demon child he had ever seen, and the first demon child he had ever heard of. Its blue-black skin was only visible where the moonlight hit the edges, and it was completely unclothed. It's young, even older than Ga
bi is still small, and A
d
okles doesn't know its gender. Its short, dark hair looked as if it had never been washed, and instead of horns, it had two bumps on its forehead that would one day grow back. It crossed its arms over the young woman's head and rested its head on them. It was asleep, its long, thin, hairless tail swaying with every step the young woman took.
The young woman smiled, maybe just showing her teeth, and said in a softened, friendly tone: "My God, you're a big guy! Hello, fellow travelers. How was the road?"
Androx looked down at her, tightening his grip on his spear. He knew he had to be polite in case she was some kind of god, but it was hard not to scream. "Why are you here? What do you want?" he asked.
"I'm on my way from one place to another, just like you. I wish you could give me a blanket? Little Sephy is always cold here and I don't have anything to make a fire with."
"Seffy?"
She pointed at the demon. Does it have a name?
"I don't have any extra money," he said. His left foot slid back, just enough to relax his posture so he could react if she or her monster suddenly struck. He gripped the spear tighter.
The young woman noticed and frowned slightly, as if she knew what his actions meant. However, she made no similar move. "So, do you mind if I keep him warm by the fire? Looks like there's still room," she asked, peering over where his family was waiting.
"My idea. You can't," he said.
"Why not?" she said.
"Do you know what that is?" he asked, pointing to the group of demons. A cold sweat began to break out on his skin beneath the leather jacket he wore.
"It's a little boy," she answered bluntly, almost as a joke.
"That thing is so dangerous you won't believe it. Its tail—"
"Are you kidding me?" she complained loudly, taking an aggressive step toward him. "Do you think cold and hungry little boys are dangerous? You land people are idiots!"
"I'm talking about, the tail alone can chop your head off!" This wasn't just a little boy. That's a bunch of demons. Do you think you can tame it? Androx said, hoping his sarcasm could mask his fear. Gods, what if she was a she-devil? He'd never seen a female before - what if this was what they looked like, and it was losing its mind and trying to crush him with its teeth?
The young woman gave him a glare colder than the night's chill, and said, "My little Sephie can't even step on a bug. You look much more dangerous than he does. Much more."
"Yes, and-"
"Dad?" Ga
bi interrupt. "What if they were cold?"
"Quiet, girl."
"Dad, look at them! They're cold!" she insisted. With her hair now done, she stood up and started walking towards Anchorex and the strange woman.
"Close it!" he shouted. Gaby paused and returned to Aguna's warm lap, who gave him a dark look.
"Don't look at me like that, girl. Listen up. And you, stranger, because I don't think you realize what you picked up. Those things are not human. They are irrational. They are nearly impossible to kill. I Saw a man tear a strong helmet apart with his bare hands. They were more ferocious than hungry lions, and I should know, for I'd fought them too. What if-----"
The demon woke up and Andros froze. It began to sob and tremble, clutching the young woman's head. It saw Ankles, gazing upon him with silver eyes that reflected the light of the fire like those of his sons. He supposed it did look cold and helpless. He swallowed pity as much as he swallowed fear.
"Dad! He's just a little boy!" Ga
Bi insisted.
"No, Gabby, it's not!" Aren't you listening? I'd be in big trouble fighting him. There is a lot of trouble. Now shut up, because this man is leaving," he said, hoping the underlying fear and frustration in his voice sounded like stern anger.
The young woman gave him a mocking smile, pointing to the demon on her shoulder. "Can this little thing kill you, Westerner? This?"
He said to her with a half-smile: "When its parents find you, they're going to dump you on a bloody shard half a mile away, woman. Don't come near us with that."
"Dad, I want you to help them!" Ga
bi said. "You have to look into his soul like your mother did! He is just a little boy and he is scared! Dad!"
"Ga
bi! What should I do if a little girl quarrels with her father? Agu
e? He said, thinking that the girl would be covered and spanked after a while.
Aguna met his gaze and gave him a long and appraising look, as if trying to figure out how serious he was. Finally she said: "I didn't see what you saw, but I could see clearly what was right in front of me. Maybe that will change one day, but for now, the little guy is harmless."
"He is as harmless as a little viper!" said Androx. By the Godfather, that woman had no idea! She should have dug up the remains of Euphemios and asked him how dangerous they were. Not all the bodies were buried because some fragments could not be found.
The young woman said: "I just got him out of a slave pit, I didn't take him away from his parents. He didn't bite or anything. He just gave me a lot of hugs and don't be like a wimp. I'm not Worried about the cold, but I think it will be frozen to death before long.”
The demon child refused to look directly at Android Kerr; it buried its face in its arms and just looked sideways at him, its silver eyes shining. Firelight or moonlight shines on its blue skin, and only its outline is visible; the rest is like a shadow. The young woman reached out and began rubbing its back, probably to warm it up. Then she said: "Tell you, traveler, if you promise not to harm my little Sephie, and let us warm ourselves by the fire, I will show you the way ahead."
"Not worth it," he replied, adjusting his skirts so she could hear the click of his sword in its sheath, just in case the spear wasn't enough.
"Then let me tell you... um... a good joke?" Come on! He trembled! said the young woman. She was starting to sound a little desperate.
"You know what the gods think about starving orphans, Androchus," Aguin said. She still seemed undecided, which was a good thing for him; if he objected to something of hers, he might find out how much of her frivolous threats about curses were accurate.
"If he wants to feed the devil, he can do it himself." At least his children are still out collecting firewood. They might gang up on him.
The strange young woman said: "Let's do this, Traveler. I will let you hit me hard in the stomach once. If you can knock me down, I will strangle him now. If you can't, you will let us in your Resting by the fire, giving us food and clothes, and treating us like ordinary good people. What’s going on?”
Aguna and Gabby both gasped sharply, and Aguna said, "Oh girl, this is a bad idea. Take it seriously. Just... take this blanket and keep walking."
"What kind of trick is this?" A
d
okles asked. "Are you a god or something? Or are you blind?"
"No, just my father's daughter. Something like that," she replied. "And I'm sure I could take a punch from someone like you."
“Don’t you see my arms? Where do you think these scars come from? Knitting? Or not, you want me to see how serious you are and change my mind out of pity, don’t you?”
Aguna said, "Androx..." She sounded worried, knowing without a doubt how things would end. The grumpy woman might be angry about it for a week, but killing that demon is the best option, especially when the other option is letting it sit next to the lives of people he cares about.
"No, I think I'll accept this condition and wait until she chokes it to death, then I'll tell you what it's like to face them on the battlefield. They're not like men, no matter their size. They're monsters." Ann said Drox, looking gloomily at the young woman.
She met his gaze, unwavering. She straightened her shoulders, turned her heels slightly outward, exhaled slowly, and pushed her open palms toward the ground. The demon tightened his grip on her head, gripping the fabric of her breasts with his toes.
"Why don't you put it down first?" he asked.
"No. I'm ready. I want you to be a man of your word."
"Woman, my honor is stronger than iron. If I kill you with this punch, I will strangle it to death."
Her eyes were on him, but he could tell her mind was focused on concentration. If she were smarter, she wouldn't plant herself firmly on the ground - her best bet would be to try to take a hit and then jump away. She looked ready, though, so Androcles lowered his spear, gathered his strength, and struck his fist as hard as he could into her naked belly. Gabby was shaking and screaming in terror.
The punch hit the ground hard with an echo, but the young woman didn't move at all. She took a punch and didn't even shake. She just stared at him, only now with a fake smile.
He took a step back, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. He may have hit a thick, old tree. The muscles in her stomach were tied to his knuckles like chains, and his whole fist ached. "A goddess!" he said. Instinctively he reached for his sword, but stopped when he remembered the end of his agreement. It was sheer force of will that kept him in check, but it only barely worked.
"I am no goddess," she said, walking nonchalantly from him to the fire. "I'm just better trained than most. My father was stubborn." The demon on her shoulder twisted, as if he wanted to avoid everyone's gaze but had nowhere to hide.
