Page 32 of Fated to the Demon Lord

Hedge witches were usually humans who wielded nature magic, drawing power from the living world around them. Many demons dismissed their abilities as insignificant, while humans often distrusted them for practicing a form of magic considered uncomfortably close to that of demons.

I turned the page and skimmed the table of contents. The book was divided into three sections. The first covered defensive and nature-based spells. The second cataloged plants and their uses. The title of the final section made me pause. Spells to Unravel a Demon.

Ways to defeat demons? Damn it. If only I had magic.

I set the book aside to take with me. Most of the plants growing in the demon lands were familiar, sharing much with those found in human territory. Yet during my months as a slave, I had come across several species I couldn't name. Perhaps the book would shed light on the stranger flora of these lands and the purposes they served.

Now, I needed a book with a map. It took me a bit longer, pulling out different history books until I came across an updated military tome. I opened it. Yes, it showed the demon kingdoms in the demon alliance and their major cities. I set it with the hedge witch's spellbook.

I sighed. It would be unwise to bring much more, and I needed to start on the book about Spiritu Malignos.

I settled onto the cushioned bench next to the window, cracked open the cover, and started reading.

I awoke in my bed as Erlinen burst in. With a frown, I looked around. How did I get into my room? Last I remembered, I was in the library reading by candlelight.

“Time to wake up,” Erlinen moved to the curtains and threw them open, letting in the first rays of morning light. “You must get ready to go.”

“Go?” I sat up, startled. I glanced at my side table, and my three books lay stacked there. Vaelor must have carried me to bed after I fell asleep and then had my books placed on the table. I blinked. That was oddly… considerate of him.

“The Final Proving begins today,” Erlinen sniffed. “Let me help you out of the dress and put on these clothes.” She held up a white shirt and a pair of brown pants.

I stared at them in surprise. “I haven’t worn pants before.” The thought of putting them on made me feel uneasy for some reason.

“You want to be out in the wilderness in that?” Erlinen huffed, motioning at my fancy dress.

Survival was more important than comfort at this point. “No, I’ll wear them.”

Erlinen worked on unfastening the gown and then handed me the shirt. I slid it over my head. It was large and long-sleeved, but someone had hemmed the sleeves with uneven stitches.

“And the pants,” Erlinen held them out to me.

“Did you alter these?”

“We don’t carry clothes in human size around here.”

I stepped into pants and pulled them up. Gods, this felt strange. “Did Lord Vaelor order this?”

She nodded as she yanked the ties on the pants tight, and it cinched about my waist. “Being dressed as a man will help you from being recognized by the demon army.” She grabbed a large man’s cloak and settled it around my shoulders and lifted the hood. “Keep your hair tied back and the hood raised.”

She picked up a bag, limped over and put the books inside, then she handed it to me. “The food in there should last you five days. If you ration it,” she added.

That was only half of the ten days Vaelor had to find a body and return. “What about the other days?” I asked.

She shrugged. “You’ll figure it out.”

Despite my new clothes, Erlinen still wore a dress. I followed her downstairs into the front entryway where Feron waited with a bag of his own supplies. Vaelor stared out the window, his arm leaning against the pane and his eyes fixated on the outside. The fancy suit from the past few days was gone, replaced by a loose shirt, trousers, and boots. Apparently, he could choose what clothes appeared on his spirit form.

Tension radiated from him. His jaw was clenched so tightly that the muscles along it bulged. It wasn’t fair that he even had a muscular jaw.

“She is ready, my lord,” Erlinen said with a slight bow.

Vaelor turned to look at me, his gaze traveling over my body in a way that felt like an inspection. I fiddled with the strap on the bag.

“Thank you, Erlinen.” Vaelor stepped away from the window, approaching me.

He grabbed two swords off a front entry table and held the larger one out to me. “Draw it.”

“Do I really need⁠—”