Not What It Seems
Chapter 19

I sat in the carriage with Zeriah as we made our way to the village Arkmaster. I stared down at one of my hands as I contemplated something that surprised me. Zeriah’s tears. It had been the first time I had ever seen her cry. What was strange was the fact that when I touched her tears, I felt a tingling sensation from the wet. Was that another sign that she was a pure soul?

At the time, I didn’t want to focus on it. The highest priority was finding an antidote for Zeriah that didn’t need us to go to Diab. I knew for certain that Xegon had the antidote for this poison. It was one of his ways to get souls to go to Diab. And it was a trap. Hardly ever did someone enter Diab and was able to leave. I wanted to avoid that place if at all possible. Zeriah didn’t deserve it. And honestly, I didn’t want her to be turned into a demon. She wouldn’t remember me. And I couldn’t guarantee that she would remember me.

Zeriah slept most of the ride while I wrestled with my thoughts. Thanks to the carriage, we actually made it to Arkmaster in half a day rather than a full day. Once we arrived, I carefully woke Zeriah and helped her out of the carriage. One glance around, and I could tell a large difference between Laencaster and Arkmaster. Though Laencaster had the Magic Academy, this town, which was significantly smaller than Zeriah’s hometown, was filled with Magic Users. Even though I disguised myself, I felt as though these Magic Users could see through it and could tell I wasn’t human.

“Lady Zaria’s home is the one at the top of the hill.” Firefly said as she began to use her staff to feel the ground in front of her.

I clasped her hand in mine as we made our way up. The staff helped her know where dips and rocks would be that she could stumble over, and it helped her significantly. But she still depended on me to guide her to our destination. An aching feeling came to my chest once more as I watched her. She was being strong. But it hurt to watch. If Ripper hadn’t arrived at Laencaster, she would still be living a happy life, and she wouldn’t need to be strong. But it was bound to happen because of me. No matter what, if I remained with Zeriah, Ripper would have appeared eventually and did whatever he deemed right to get the pure soul to Xegon.

We arrived at Lady Zaria’s home and I knocked on the door. Waiting patiently, the door opened, and I saw a dark-skinned young man answer. A seraph, a child of an angel. But from what I could see, he probably didn’t know.

“Can I help you?” He asked.

“I need to see Lady Zaria.” Firefly stated to the man. “She should be expecting me.”

The man nodded. “Right, yes. She told me that you would be coming. Come in.”

We entered the large home, and I took in the look of ingredients and potions on multiple shelves surrounding the main living area. Anywhere you looked, something was moving and practically alive as it acted according to its master’s command. I guided Zeriah over to the couch and sat her down. I remained standing though.

Soon after the young man went through one door, an older woman came into the living area from the same door. She was shorter but confident, and I could practically see the strong magical aura radiate from her. She looked over us. One glance told me she knew I was a demon. But once her eyes saw Zeriah, she smiled.

“Hello, little one.” She greeted.

Firefly bowed her head. “Hello, Lady Zaria. I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances.”

“I did hope that one day you would visit me again.” She said as she walked over to her. “But either way, I am glad that you are here. I was told about what happened.”

She glanced over at me once more. Firefly responded. “Yes, we were hoping that you may have the antidote to the poison.”

“I will have to examine the poison first.” Lady Zaria stated. “That means I must examine you. Little one, who is your friend?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She responded. “I forgot to introduce him. This is Vudu.”

“Interesting.” Lady Zaria said as she stood up and walked over to me. Looking me over, she brought a hand to her chin. “You are not like other demons, are you? There is something different about you.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I guess there is. But I can’t tell you what. I don’t know myself.”

She stared at me. “Remove your mask. I want to see your true form.”

I was startled at her demand. My eyes went to my Firefly, but she remained staring towards the direction of noise. When she didn’t say anything, I let out a sigh and let the magic drop. Lady Zaria’s face didn’t change. The form in front of her didn’t frighten her, and she seemed satisfied it.

“Better.” She said. “Little one, I must prepare to study the poison. It will take some time, so please relax here while I do so.”

Zeriah nodded. “Yes, my lady. How is your family?”

The older woman let out a laugh. “They are well, thank you. My grand-daughter, Enya just visited with Leon. They left a couple of days ago after helping fight off a Warlock.”

“A Warlock in Arkmaster?” Firefly asked in astonishment.

“It was Starick.” Lady Zaria explained. “He wasn’t happy that his love potion on Enya didn’t work. Apparently, he was removed from the King’s service and he hoped that marrying into my family would restore his reputation.”

“It shocks me what some people will do for power.” Firefly stated. “Who was the man who answered the door?”

“That’s Bernard.” Lady Zaria answered. “He was traveling with Enya and Leon before coming here. He’s going to join them again once I am done. But I required his assistance. How did you meet your demon friend here?”

“I was trapped in an enchanted mirror she bought.” I answered for her.

My Firefly chuckled a bit. “Something drew me to the mirror. And he hasn’t left me alone since.”

I saw a small smirk come to Lady Zaria’s lips. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Should I be worried for you?”

Zeriah’s hand reached up and touched my arm, causing me to look down at her. With a smile on her face, she responded. “I think it’s been good. Though there have been some down and crazy moments since he came, he brought adventure to my life that I hadn’t expected to happen before. I’m grateful for that.”

The unfamiliar feeling came to my chest once more. The warmth spread and caused my cheeks to feel different than usual. Though this feeling was still new to me, I wanted to welcome it into my life. I didn’t want it to end. That unfamiliar feeling, I wanted to become familiar and constant. And I had a feeling that Zeriah would be the reason for that.

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