Sympathy for the Demons (Promised to the Demons #1) - Lidiya Foxglove Page 0,14

too sharp, that one.

“Get—out. I gave you permission to go to the healer, so go already.”

Uram slammed into Gillian trying to leave. I stared at the empty doorway. I was starting to get the feeling I was losing my touch. I would bet the Withered Lord or the Master of Webs never had to deal with such unruly servants.

But high demons weren’t very chummy with each other. Maybe this was actually the secret downside of imprisoning people’s souls. You ended up spending your life alone in a castle with a bunch of fools.

Oh, that’s right. The Withered Lord was destroyed recently…I almost forgot. At least I am still here, undefeated.

One thing I knew, however, was that marrying a toad would certainly not improve my image.

Chapter Six

Jenny

The only way I understood bravery was from reading books. Being brave was not something my normal life called for. You didn’t need to be brave to make a cake or change bed sheets. You didn’t need to be brave when every day was the same. To defy Bernard in any way was impossible. When he asked me to do something, I felt a tug deep down in my stomach and I just had to please him.

It all started on that terrible day. Bernard had been curled up under his covers, muffling his sobs into a pillow, for hours and hours, while Mrs. Franch wailed downstairs. Jenny and Mr. Franch’s bodies had just been recovered from the ocean. All I wanted to do was comfort my poor boy.

“Maybe it would make Mom feel better if…if you could be Jenny for her,” he whispered.

“Be Jenny?” I thought it was like a pretend game, but maybe not a very good idea.

“You look a lot like my sister!” he said.

At that time, like any familiar, I didn’t interact with his mother very much. It was just me and Bernard.

“You could put on her clothes,” he said. “And we could call you Jenny. And you could eat dinner with us every day. I bet that would make her feel better.”

I felt very nervous about it, but I would also do anything to make Bernard stop crying, so I put on one of Jenny’s dresses. It wasn’t a conjured dress, but a real dress, so I had to make all of my magical clothing vanish first and slip it on my naked body, and I felt all the little tugs and seams that didn’t fit exactly right. I felt like an impostor as I came down with Bernard and he said, “Mom, it’s Jenny. See? She can make some pancakes for dinner like Jenny. Celeste is just like Jenny.”

I thought his mother would be freaked out. I thought she was be horrified at the idea of her son’s familiar pretending to be her daughter. For one thing, it was against the town laws.

I had no idea it was actually the last time I would ever hear my own name.

That evening, as I was settling in to sleep, farther away from home than I had ever been, a thunderstorm brewed in the desert landscape, and I could feel magic in the air. All seven of us familiars were immediately on edge. In amongst the rain and the flashes of light, a group of wizards appeared in the dark green uniforms of the Sinistral council guard. We hid in the trees and brush, watching them approach the house.

There must have been a dozen of them, and they strode forward, undaunted by the rain. They loomed large and I could feel the power emanating off of them, as the ones in the back were murmuring and moving their hands, working spells. I knew they were creating this unnatural storm. I immediately sensed that they were stronger than Helena or Bevan, and they were most certainly stronger than us.

We’re here to protect them, but what am I supposed to do? I thought. I was frozen in place, and I wasn’t alone.

Helena came out to meet them. She was keeping her cool, although she must know she was outnumbered. I felt guilty watching her because I was sure I’d never be that cool. The warlock at the head of the pack was speaking to her in a deep, low voice that grew increasingly angry.

The other familiars still were staying back.

Is anyone going to help her? I wondered. We promised Bevan we would!

It occurred to me that none of us were leaders. No one was stepping in to become a leader. Even though some of them