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My mind conjured pictures of a hellscape, eternal fires, and screams of pain from all who were punished by the winged creatures with pitchforks. That was what I was taught about demons. I shuddered.
But Savida had a kind face with a broad smile and an exuberance that filled the air with energy. He didn’t look like any depiction of a demon that I had ever seen.
Perhaps his species had been villainized due to fear of the unknown. Humans are good at that.
I thought about the witch trials, slavery, homosexuality, and disability and how they’ve been treated throughout the ages. Humans were notorious for killing and villainizing what they didn’t understand.
Charlie seemed to have similar thoughts because he said, “A demon. Of course.” He ran a hand through his hair before turning to Daithi, “Youfoundhim here? Wondering the streets of Birmingham?”
“I had a premonition that he was buried in the human realm. So, I came and found him,” Daithi told him, his tone emotionless, giving nothing away.
“Buried?” Charlie’s eyes flickered between Savida and Daithi. “I don’t understand.” Savida shuddered, and Daithi glared, saying nothing more about it. I could see the curiosity burning in Charlie’s eyes, but he changed the subject, asking Daithi, “So, this isn’t your first time here?”
I was getting frustrated with Charlie’s line of questioning.Ask about where they came from!It was times like this that I wished I could talk to him like I could Winnie.
Daithi shrugged a shoulder and leaned back into the sofa before answering. “No, but I came to find Savida and take him home. We did not look around in case he was in danger.”
“Take him home? Where are you from exactly? Where is Álfheimr? You mentioned realms … You appeared out of nowhere …”
Yes! Now we are getting somewhere.I leaned my head on my paws, my ears pointed forward, listening intently.
“There are many realms in one interlinked dimension.” Daithi opened his hands, and bright, colorful sparkles jumped into the air to form nine balls. Charlie gasped, and I flinched even as my eyes widened in awe.
“I am from this realm, Álfheimr.” A bright green ball came to the forefront and expanded, showing the details of the land, the rivers and lakes, the people roaming around on stone paths and stone homes.
“My people can create portals to the other realms.” The illusion focused on one person, who then created a tiny ball of bright pink light. When they stepped into the ball, the focus shifted outward until all the nine colorful balls were visible again, and the pink ball came to the forefront, expanding to show the green person coming through the mini ball surrounded by pink figures. “Myself, Savida, and Zaide have been traveling the realms like this for many years now. Does this clarify things for you?”
“Yep,” Charlie squeaked, his face frozen with a look of amazement and confusion. He looked rather constipated, and I could practically hear the cursing and screaming happening in his mind. Grunting to clear his throat, he composed himself and continued, “Thanks for the visual presentation. It was very enlightening.”
“You’re welcome.”
A short silence followed until Charlie asked, “You really want to look around this realm?”
Daithi paused, glancing for a second toward my chair. “Yes. That is why we got in contact with you.”
“But why me?” I recognized the suspicion in Charlie’s eyes. He often looked at me like that, even when I was behaving myself.
“I told you. Because I saw you.”
“Saw me in a premonition?”
Daithi looked at the golden giant residing in the chair above me and, upon getting a signal I couldn’t see, told Charlie, “Yes. I was looking for someone and saw you. I believe you will help me find them.”
“Okay, that makes more sense. I’m good at finding people.” He chewed on his lip thoughtfully. “So, do you want to look around the world, or do you want me to find someone?”
Daithi raised a green brow. “We assumed finding someone would require a certain amount of traveling, so both.”
Savida grinned, his excitement glittering in his dark eyes. “I would like to see mummies. I understand they were buried and unearthed like me.”
Charlie smiled at Savida’s enthusiasm but replied to Daithi, “That might have been how we look for people before the internet, but now I just tap, tap, tap”—he imitated tapping on his computer keyboard—“and bish, bash, bosh, sorted.”
Zaide’s gravelly voice shocked the room. “You can find anyone? With tapping? Is it magic?”
“It’s … a human’s version of magic.” He waved his hand, dismissing the poor explanation. “I can find people. I just need to know who you’re looking for.”
Daithi cleared his throat and glanced quickly at the golden giant above me. “Her name is Margaret.”
My heart raced at the sound of the name. I shrank in on myself, curled my tail tight against my body, and dipped my head. But I listened. My feline curiosity peaked, and I was on tenterhooks waiting for more information.
