Page 19 of Myths and Manuscripts
But what I saw instead took my breath away.
People of all shapes and sizes, some with horns and others with fluffy ears and tails, were putting pies on their windowsills to cool and playing with children. Stalls lined the main road likea marketplace full of everything from bakers to tailors, all with the same ashen skin as the Demon Lord.
This was a demon town!
I stepped forward, my curiosity bubbling up inside of me like the book well itself. I had to see this. I had to know what the town was like because I couldn’t remember it being mentioned in the books.
Voices hushed as the demons turned to stare at me one by one.
“Hello.” I smiled at them warmly. “My name’s Willow.”
A short demon with a plump loaf of bread in his paws gulped, his tail twitching. “Hu-hu-human!”
He dropped the bread and fled, hiding behind one of the buildings.
“Wait, no.” I shook my head. “I’m not here to hurt you. I came with the Demon Lord.”
But instead of greeting me back, they either fled or drew weapons. Did nobody hear me? What was going on?
A group of stern-looking demons with swords marched forward, horns gleaming under the purple sky. They looked like soldiers ready to slay the evil human who’d encroached on their territory.
“Humans are not allowed here,” one of the muscled demons said, gripping a spear. “You kill us on sight, but think you can just waltz into the heart of our nation? You’ll pay dearly for your overconfidence.”
I swallowed hard, holding my hands in the air as I slowly stepped backward. “I didn’t mean to, I’m sorry. I’ll just leave and you’ll never have to see me again...”
The tip of his spear sliced my cheek before I even noticed him moving. A small trickle of blood dripped down my face as pain pulsed through me. This was supposed to be a story, but I was bleeding for real!
I stumbled back, fleeing before things got worse. I had to get back inside the castle. Where was the Demon Lord??
Cheers rose up behind me as I ran away.
“You’re safe now everyone,” the demon called back to the market. “Do not fear the human; we’ll take care of it!”
Seriously, were demons really that terrified of humans? They had strength and magical abilities that the humans in this book could only dream of. So why did they seem so proud of scaring off one completely non-violent woman?
Something about this town didn’t feel right, but I’d be damned if I was going to continue exploring without the Demon Lord. Not that I’d admit that to him, of course.
Except, instead of going back to his castle, I’d sort of ended up in the forest. The shadows cast by the big trees seemed to move on their own, taunting me, leading me deeper inside. The trees were white, like ghosts in the night, and I wasn’t sure where I’d entered. I turned around, searching for the castle, but all I saw were trees. Trees with demonic red eyes in their branches.
My pulse pounded in my ears. I’d barely taken two steps into the forest, so how could I be lost already? I stared at the stark white trees as memories tugged at my mind.
Grandpa had always skipped over the scary parts about this story when I was young, but there had definitely been a white forest. One that the hero was never supposed to enter for fear of getting lost inside for eternity.
My eyes widened. This had to be the Wandering Woods!
It was supposedly the Demon Lord’s best defense against intruders, and I’d walked right into it. Sure, I’d wanted first-hand knowledge of the book, but why oh why did I have to get caught in that grumpy demon’s trap while doing it?
Dead leaves covered the ground, crunching with each step I took. I swore I saw movement too, like little creatures dashingthrough the leaves, leaping from tree to tree, laughing at me.
I clutched my bag, wishing I had magical defense potions in here instead of books, snacks, and healing herbs.
“Calm down,” I muttered to myself, “just calm down. Everything’s going to be okay. The Demon Lord will return, and he’ll get me out of here.”
A soft keening sound pushed through my growing terror. It sounded like something was in pain.
I searched for the noise, spotting a small bunny-like creature beside a tree holding its paw strangely. The bunny had gorgeous long black fur and big floppy ears with horns curling back over its head. Its bright red eyes landed on me as black and red flames sprouted in the air around it in a defensive circle.
“Don’t be scared,” I said, kneeling slowly. “Are you hurt?”
