"Daemons are an evil race from the wastelands far beyond the Ridge mountains in the north of Edor. They were forgotten by the all mighty Aspects, harbouring their unending hatred towards the bright light given by Aspects to us as a sign of custodianship over all of Niuran against the darkness. Clad your hearts with faith against the daemonic temptations and heretics treating our faith."

-Extract from the Holy Book of Alithea.

 

---

 

 

"Teacher!" Sally's voice pulled me out of my thoughts as I stared blankly at the forest edge. "Could you help me?"

 

  I turn towarded my last apprentice, the potion behind her bubbled heavily as it turned dark green. I stood up and emptied the dark green brew into a cauldron beside me. "Show me what you did." I watched Sally prepare ingredients laid in front of her on the table. Rotroot shavings started to fall on the thick oak table as a small blade perfectly fitting Sally's hand glided on the root's bark like skin. Her hand moved with practised grace as her work slowly progressed. The child cleaned the space in front of her with a quick wipe of her arm, tossing the spare shavings onto a sizeable pile at a foot of the table for later use.

 

Sally's hand hovered over bowls filled with different colour powders, she turned her head trying to see a hint in my reactions as her hand moved over the many bowls. 

 

"The ingredients are in front of you not on my face."

 

The girl hesitantly picked a bowl with the serpent flower powder. A spoonful of azure powder sparkled brightly as it fell into a flask filled with water.  I watched as the silver spoon held by Sally mistakenly scoped another spoonful of the serpent flower powder.

 

"Teacher!" Sally yelped as my hands gently rested on her hands. 

 

"Observe." I said as I guided her tiny hands towards dried caps of yellow spotted mushrooms. The girl made various noises of complete amazement and realization as she watched our hands working on a healing potion. 

 

Does the process she saw for the hundredth time so mesmerizing or she is trying to distract me from the adventurers?

 

"For how long are we boiling it?" I placed the flask over a small stove and lit a fire under it.

 

"Until the sand drops from the bellglass." Sally joyfully answered.

 

"Correct." 

 

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

 

"Watch the fire." I said to Sally before walking upstairs towards the front door. "Hello?"

 

"Hello, Miss Lamia." A heavy stone dropped from my heart as a familiar voice reached my ears.

 

"Your back, I was soo worried!"

 

"I should apologise for making you worry, she gets unreasonably excited sometimes." The tall elven adventurer pointed at her shorter companion.

 

"How about you come in, first?" I opened the door for the two adventurers.

 

  The two came in, Iris took off her jacket while the girl called Siri remained hooded. I led them to the living room and gestured for them to take a sit. 

 

"Would you like something to eat?" I said as I checked on the food, I and Sally had before.

 

The elf's mouth moved in an attempt to reply but the girl sitting beside her shouted as soon as I finished speaking. "YES!"

 

"Oh, I like your enthusiasm about my cabbages."

 

  The steaming hot bone marrow stew was devoured in front of my eyes by an extremely thin, I would even say on the verge of malnutrition girl. Her slender pale hands laboured quickly as the spoon she held zipped between her mouth and the bowl.  The elf tapped Siri on her shoulder causing the hooded girl to almost choke on the thick stew. I watched as the elf wipe the girl's mouth with a cloth as she whispered something to the pale girl. When Siri resumed eating her almost finished meal her speed slowed down considerably.

 

"Would you like some?" I asked the adventurer lazily resting her head on her arm.

 

"I ate beforehand but thank you for the offer." Iris responded with over-the-top mannerisms going back to observing the girl eating beside her with a small smile.

 

  It took longer for Siri to finish the few remaining spoonfuls of my stew than it took her to eat the first nine tenth of the food. I almost felt bad for Siri but she seemed to be happy as truly heart-melting sounds of delight escaped from under her hood as she feasted on my humble food. No wonder Iris adores her so much.

 

"Teacher!" Sally yelled as I heard a quick yet loud series of footsteps running on the wooden stairs. "Finished!" 

 

"Did you clean after yourself and extinguished the flame?" 

 

"Ye-" Her eyes widened as she entered the room and noticed the two adventurers sitting around the table. "Your back!" She enthusiastically stormed toward Siri moving in a wide arc away from Iris. "Let's play!"

 

The about eighteen-year-old girl looked confused as she was suddenly pushed out of the room by the ten-year-old girl.

 

"Off they went." I smirked as baffled Siri disappeared behind the wall.

 

"Indeed." Iris said, her voice betraying her not so subtle longing toward her companion as she stared at where the two girls had disappeared.

 

"You are not jealous about a ten-year-old?" I pulled a chair from under the table across from Iris.

 

"What?" The elven adventurer quickly spun around. "No of course not." She nervously ran her fingers through her black hair.

 

"You know you should take care of yourself more."

 

"What you mean." The elf asked.

 

"I don't know what is your relationship with Siri but I think she would appreciate you taking some time off, scary miss who doesn't sleep." Iris's forehead wrinkled, deepening the frown she seemed to always wear.

 

"I just couldn't sleep that day." The elf sitting across from me tried to wave off the issue.

 

"Sleep is good for you and you should not waste your youth on a such trivial matter." I watched as the elf gave me a look of confusion. "Oh don't give me that look, one thing I learned on my travels is how insufferable old elves can be and you are not one of them. I might be old-fashioned but I think you should not obsess about Siri so much and it will be a shame if such a polite young elf became grumpy like the rest of your kind."

 

Iris rolled her tongue across her teeth in discomfort. "I sometimes wish I didn't become so polite." She stared blankly at the table as she spoke.

 

"Again I don't know what both of you are but I personally know cynical people often surround them selfs with like-minded people while pushing good people away and then finding themselves alone when it's too late to act," I said." So no matter how you learned a skill or from where you choose what to do with it."

 

"Ehhh... I will check on Siri now," Iris stood up. "But thank you."

 

"No problem." I sipped on my drink as she disappeared from the same place as Siri.

 

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

 

  What now? I reluctantly stood up and walked to the front door.