Demon Day

The Rae Wilder Novels

Book Two

DEMON DAY

Penelope Fletcher

Copyright © 2011 Penelope
Fletcher

All rights reserved by the
Author

Smashwords Edition
(
1
^ST
)

British English
(BrE)

All characters and events in
this novel are fictitious and resemblance to real persons, living
or dead, are purely coincidental.
No part
of this novel may be reproduced, stored or transmitted without the
prior permission in writing from the author.

thedemongirl.com

If you are new to this
series, I advise you first read book one
Demon Girl (The).

For the readers who said
‘hai’

Chapter One

The path to contentment should be
clear to one with a purpose, yet I diminished into the realm of the
lost.

Grief smothered me until I gasped for
air.

I hummed with passion. Hate. I wanted
the High Lord’s head on a pike. I wanted to dance manically around
his corpse, and give in to the dark whispers in the corners of my
heart. Nothing less would appease the burring ache in my chest, the
carnivorous sense of loss that threatened to consume me.

The dew from the dawn soaked the
understory, and smoke from the bonfire faded. I can barely remember
what I had seen as I had stumbled through Orchard, fairy Wyld, and
place of my birth.

Coming to a halt at base of three
large tree trunks the colour of ash, I had gotten a vague sense of
being surrounded, and a low intense hum of feelings pressed on me
from above, like whisperings of the gods calling from the heavens.
I had looked up, dazed, and gasped at the fallen stars scattered
across the forest canopy. The twinkling I had glimpsed among the
rich green leaves was fairies and their auras. An immediate kinship
bloomed in my heart and it petrified me. I had looked into their
shinning faces and seen exactly what my arrival meant to
them.

The fairies stood on the
porches and outer steps of tree houses seemingly growing from the
thick bark that coated the broad tree boughs. The males and females
wore long tunics and dark trousers beneath, similar to what I had
seen in the Grove, but these people seemed softer somehow. These
were not warriors, but families with young children and elderly
folk who peeked down at me with expressions of awe. The elderly
fairies, faces wrinkled, and hair shades of pure white and gray
boggled my mind. How many centuries could have to pass for a
fairy’s skin to wrinkle and back to become curved with age? Two
thousand? Three? Not that I had forgotten, but it brought my own
age into question. I had eighteen years of memories as a human. I
was …
had
been a
Sect Disciple found on a Priest’s doorsteps, and was given to the
Clerics to become a protector of humanity.

Yet Breandan, the fairy-boy who had
found me, claimed I was born before him. Two hundred years before
him. That was when my mother had split the key to the grimoire - a
powerful book of spells - into three amulets and hidden them with
magical guardians. One, the amulet of protection, had been given to
my older brother Conall. The second, the amulet of wisdom, had been
given to me. The last, the amulet of power, had been given to her
nephew, and the heir to the fairy Wylds, Devlin.

Had the protection of the key been my
whole purpose maybe I would not feel the need to run away. Perhaps
I could have adjusted into my new life as a demon, a kind of being
I had been raised to hunt down and kill if it threatened the safety
of my human home. But what came with the amulets I’d nearly died
for was a responsibility to use their power to protect and guide
the fairy people, the cornerstone of demonkind.

Stricken with grief, stumbling across
the Wyld, I found myself in the midst of the people I was destined
to protect they intuitively looked to me for reassurance. Shaken
and frightened after the sensational and violent departure of their
High Lord they turned their faces down toward me, and I felt the
weight of every gaze – a thick swelling of anxious consciousnesses
pleading for me to soothe them. But I had nothing to give. Nothing.
I was a girl, angry, and full of anguish. What did they expect from
me? I watched their Lord abuse and murder my best friend. I was
forced to watch her suffer, unable to help her as iron chains
drained my power. Alex had been chosen for being nothing more than
a source of purity, and as a twisted way for Devlin to get back at
me. How could they have expected anything from me? I saw nothing
but monsters. Pointy eared and fanged monsters in a myriad of
colors and creeds reaching out their talon tipped fingers to trap
and torture me.

Shivering, I came back to myself and
glanced around. I sat by a pool of cool water, and the most
beautiful lush flowers I had ever seen bloomed in the morning
sunrays. The air was fresh, and scented with a zesty bouquet. I
breathed in deeply, letting the cool air chill my lungs even as my
mind fought for clarity. The air tasted sweet and earthy, and every
noise no matter how low or loud washed over me like raindrops, like
music. Colour was intense and everything seemed to shimmer and
glow. As the dawn passed and the sun climbed higher in the sky the
soft radiance emitted by the flora intensified. Never had I
experienced a dawn like it. When I was at Temple the sun always
retreated behind low and dark clouds, covering the land in a
perpetual twilight. Here everything was made of light and shone
brightly.

I was not alone in this magical
place.

After I had emerged from the earthen
tomb I encased Tomas, my vampire, inside to hide from the sun that
scorched his skin, Breandan had spoken a few terse words with
Conall. My brother had motioned for me to follow him after gently
placing Alex’s shrouded body on the altar she had lost her life
upon. Ignoring him, I had walked off, needing to stretch my legs
and make sense of everything I had been through. It was then I had
come to the centre of the fairy Wyld, and caught a glimpse of the
rest of my kind. Sensing my panic, he’d clasped my elbow and
brought me here, to the sparkling pool, and left me to go and do
whatever fairy lords do after such a night as we had
suffered.

The two fairies he’d left me with had
taken one long look at me then coaxed me to the pools edge. Slowly,
they had approached and when I did not move or speak they began
their careful grooming of me. Each touch was feather light and they
clearly had a deep appreciation of my personal space for never once
did I feel like hissing at either of them. Wrapping my arms around
my legs, and resting my chin on my knees, I let them tend to me.
They dressed me in a sheath of dark muslin and tied flowers into my
hair. They were attentive and respectful, so I sat quietly let them
do what they wanted. In honesty, I didn’t know what to do, or
think, and getting upset over a gentle rubbing down with a soft
cloth and flower scented water seemed silly.

“
I sense you have had
healing magic, Lady Priestess,” the older fairy-woman said in a
tinkling voice. “It is not wise to indulge in healing magic too
often, but would you let me sing to you? You will find it soothes
your mind and revives your body.”

I eyed her distrustfully, but even
maintaining that seemed too much effort, and I shrugged lifelessly.
She smiled her eyes crinkling at the edges, and she sung to me in a
soft, lilting voice. I let the words wash over me, and was
surprised when I did begin to feel better. Finishing she peered
into my face, and I gave her a genuine smile, even if it was a bit
small. She beamed back at me and gave – whom I realized was her
apprentice – a short order to tidy up.

They stood, but I remained seated,
glancing at them in vague interest. The elder fairy paused. “Should
you have need of me again my name is Lily,” she motioned elegantly
to her apprentice who stared at me in awe, her chubby face
pinky-purple. “And this is Grace.”

The fairy-girl sank into such a low
curtsey the ends of her red hair scraped the forest floor. “An
honor, Lady Priestess,” she greeted breathlessly, remaining bent
over.

“
Hai,” I blurted
uncomfortably, my voice cracking from lack of use.

Lily winced delicately, her papery
features wrinkling. “I served your mother and I know the burdens
can be many. Should you ever have need of me do not hesitate to
seek me out.”

With a small nod of her head Lily left
me at the pools edge with my thoughts, gliding away with her hands
clasped in front of her. Grace trailed behind her; the woven basket
of oils and cloths clutched in her hands, shooting me an amazed
look over her rounded green shoulder.

Liking the peace and quiet, I enjoyed
the sight of the sun climbing higher in the sky, edging toward
dense cloud cover I knew would smother its radiance until the next
dawn. I suspected outside of the Wyld the bright yellow sunshine
would become pale.

I heard the crunching of
leaves behind me. It was not Breandan for I could sense when he was
near.
My
brother?
I frowned when feet too big to be
Conall’s stepped into view.

“
We must talk,” a gruff
voice commanded. And it was a command. I doubted this fairy knew
how to address others in a casual manner.

“
I thought you had returned
to the Grove?”

“
I came back. For
you.”

My eyes drifted closed. “Right now,
Lochlann? Must we do this now?”

He exhaled loudly. “I can bring myself
to understand how this may be hard for you, but I do not have the
luxury of time. Nor do you.”

“
Devlin will still be there
in a few days from now. He’ll die by my hand, and it doesn’t matter
if it is today or tomorrow.”

“
You know I cannot allow
that.”

My eyes opened and I shrugged, peering
at nothing. “At what point did I give the impression I give a damn
what you say?”

“
You would listen if
he
asked you. But you love
him, don’t you?” Lochlann paused, waiting for my answer. I said
nothing. “Your love I do not need.” He crouched down on his hunches
beside me. “I need your loyalty, Rae. I need your respect and,” he
grabbed my chin and yanked my head round, “at the very least I need
your full attention.”

I jerked from his grasp and glared at
him, my body recoiling at his touch.

His handsome face was stony,
unimpressed, and his eyes narrowed at the same time as
mine.

Lochlann was a fine fairy male. He was
bulkier than Breandan, rugged, and from what I gathered much older.
His ears had the point of fairy and his skin had the faintest of
green tinges. He had no tail or wings, but what he did have was a
powerful and commanding presence that I had to fight not to feel
intimidated by. His hair brushed his shoulders in golden blonde
waves, and his jaw was square. The most striking thing about this
fairy lord was that he had one green eye and one blue, both cold
and beautiful. I saw much of Breandan reflected through that gaze,
and it made me uncomfortable.

“
Why do you, Breandan, and
Maeve look so different?” I asked. “Conall and I have the same
coloring even though my fairy form is like this.” I looked down at
my tail, flicking on the ground by my leg. “Not that I understand
why I’m shaped differently either.”

Lochlann watched me for a while before
he said, “Truly, you know nothing of what you are?”

I flushed. “Just what I’ve learned
from the Clerics.”

He snorted. “Then you know nothing.
Fairies conceive like humankind but our bodies do not work the
same.” He frowned. “The genetic markers do not behave the same. We
are all born with a purpose and a destiny. We all used to have
green skin, red, or light colored hair, wings and tails, but as we
evolved and mixed with other races our blood diluted. You and
Conall come from an ancient bloodline, and there is strength in
your blood that defies time. You have wings and a tail, proof of
this. We have not seen a form so pure in a long time, Rae. It is a
great honor.”

He hadn’t answered my question. “And
your family?”