Page 51 of The Demon and the Broken Girl

A scuff of footsteps draws my attention. My head whips around, but there’s nothing to see, only darkness. My pulse quickens, tension coiling. Then his voice—familiar, if frayed—fills the silence.

“I’m back,” Daeva says softly. The sound of him dropping something on the floor, perhaps a bundle. “Sorry it took long. The forest’s near empty of game.”

He’s been hunting or scavenging. Again, all for me, for us, while I lie here like dead weight. My throat tightens with shame. I force the words out, voice husky. “Any luck?”

A pause. “A hare, scrawny. Better than nothing.” He moves closer; I feel his hand slide under my elbow, steadying me. “How do you feel?”

It’s such a futile question, but the concern in his voice chips at my defenses. I swallow. “Same,” I whisper. “Blind, hurting, and… cold.”

He exhales. I imagine him nodding, regret etched into every line of his body. “Let’s get you near the fire. I started it earlier, though it’s burning low.”

He coaxes me upright. My entire body protests. I clench my teeth against the pain. Daeva guides me carefully across the slanted floor, one arm braced around my waist. Every step is precarious. The slightest tilt and I might stumble, falling headlong into black nothingness. My heart races as he settles me on what passes for a seat—some crate or stool with a missing leg. It wobbles, but he keeps a grip on my shoulder until I’m stable.

“There,” he murmurs. I hear him crouch, possibly building up the fire with bits of damp wood. The hut is so cramped that the corners might be within arm’s reach, but I can’t be certain. All I know is the crackle of flames as they’re coaxed to life, the slight warmth that tickles my face.

We sit in silence for a time. The hush weighs heavily, thick with all the things we haven’t said since everything fell apart. At last, I break it, my voice trembling. “Daeva… do you think we can keep traveling soon? I—I can’t see how.”

He’s quiet for a second too long. “Not in your condition,” he admits softly. “And I’m not well myself. The crossbow bolt’s poison is still in my veins. We push ourselves now, and we might not survive.”

A lump lodges in my throat.We’re stranded.“I’m sorry,” I say, voice fracturing. “I know I’m slowing you down.”

He hisses in exasperation. “Stop that,” he snaps, though not unkindly. “You never asked for this. I’m the reason you lost your eyes. If anything, blame me.”

A fragile laugh escapes me, hollow and sad. “I don’t blame you. I chose to walk this path. I—” My breath catches. “I’d choose it again, even after all this.”

He doesn’t speak, but I sense him shift closer. The bond between us thrums, laced with guilt and something deeper. I recall how we sealed our contract with that savage kiss, how the mirror shards stole my sight. My entire future changed in a heartbeat, yet I can’t regret staying by his side.

Time passes in hushed tension. Eventually, he leaves me alone with the guttering fire, mumbling that he’ll try to cook the hare. My throat is so dry, but I don’t have the will to ask for water. I hear him rummaging on the side, likely scraping the last bits of salt from our dwindling supplies. The roof drips in the corner, each plop a reminder of how broken our refuge is.

I shift, feeling the creeping numbness in my legs. My chest feels tight, anxiety swirling.I can’t just sit here, losing hope.Summoning courage, I push to my feet, ignoring the spike of pain. My arms extend, searching for a wall or a table to keep balance. My fingertips brush rough wood, damp and speckled with moss. Step by step, I inch forward.

My body protests every movement, but I grit my teeth, determined not to be a burden. If Daeva can hunt in his wounded state, I can at least stand. My foot catches on something—a broken chair? My heart seizes with panic as I nearly topple. My hands slam into the wall, scraping my palms. Pain flares, but I keep from crying out.

“Careful,” Daeva warns from across the hut, hearing the commotion.

“I’m fine,” I lie. My voice wobbles. “I just… needed to move.”

He hesitates, then I sense him returning to his task. Good. Let him see I won’t surrender to darkness.

Shuffling along the wall, I feel the soaked straw stuffed between the planks. Each slow step sets my nerves on edge. My shoulder aches, my bandaged eyes throb, but I manage a few paces before I must rest. Breathing heavily, I lean on the wall. Then it happens.

A spark of pale luminescence flickers in my vision—like a mote of light dancing across a black canvas. I freeze. My mind reels.Did I imagine that?Then another mote appears, drifting ghostlike in the void. My breath catches.That’s impossible…I can’t see.Yet here they are, swirling flecks of faint silver glimmer.

They swirl faster, merging into patterns that ache behind my ruined eyes. And then the darkness cracks, not into sight but intomemory—jarring, vivid scenes that assault me:

A grand hall, polished floors reflecting torchlight. Hooded dark elves chanting in a circle. Their voices resonate with arcane power. One steps forward, lifting a ceremonial dagger that glints ominously. A human youth is dragged into the center, wrists bound, eyes wide with terror. He’s slender, his face gaunt with fear. He pleads in a language I don’t recognize, voice cracking…

I gasp, lurching backward. The vision intensifies. I see the elves forcing the dagger to his chest, see shimmering runes carved into the floor. A mirror stands at the hall’s far side—massive, etched with the same runes we saw in that cursed ruin. The boy’s scream tears through my skull. Blood splashes, and in the mirror’s reflection, I glimpse an older elf, his features twisted, leaning on a staff. He cackles as the youth collapses, life draining away. The hall swirls with dark magic.

“Stop,” I choke, pressing my hands to my face, heedless of the pain. My voice trembles. “Gods, stop.”

But it doesn’t stop. The vision warps, plunging me deeper. That same boy—Daeva—writhes on the floor, hair matted with blood, eyes glazed with betrayal. I see arcs of raw power swirl around him, the chanting intensifying. The ancient elf presides over it all, grinning as though he’s absorbing the boy’s essence. Then blackness swallows everything.

I jolt, staggering until I hit the floor. My heart hammers as the motes of silver fade, leaving me panting in the real world—alone in the hut. My hands shake.What did I just witness?

“Calla!” Daeva’s frantic footsteps approach. He kneels, voice taut with worry. “What happened?”

I gasp, tears flooding behind the bandages. “I… saw,” I stutter. “I saw the day you were sacrificed, Daeva. When…you were human.”

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