Page 18 of The Demon God's Desire

The rest of the village has shown up because of the commotion now. Some of the mothers are holding their curious children back from rushing forward to see the elf up close.

“I have to help him,” I tell Allan, who stands close to my side with worry in his green eyes.

“You don’t have to do this, Bridge,” Allan says gently. “I know you want to take care of everyone but it might be better if we eliminate this threat before it can become a threat.”

“I agree,” Andrew calls out. “You don’t want to bring more elves here by having this guy hanging around.”

“I don’t think they will be,” I tell him. “He was alone when I found him. I think he was really far away from his people. He didn’t seem to think that he’d be rescued anytime soon. He told me to just let him die or kill him. That means he didn’t think there would be anyone coming after him.”

“Still,” Harriet steps forward. “We don’t want to invite trouble by keeping him around. The most humane thing to do would be to put him out of his misery like he requested.”

“We can’t kill an innocent being!” I yell, feeling like I want to tear my hair out.

“I’m with Bridget!” Laura calls out. Dean shoots his wife a look but she crosses her arms. “He can be sent off once he’s well. And if he attacks us, there’s plenty of us to go against one dark elf.”

“What about our son?” Dean demands to know. “You’re okay with putting him in danger?”

“No, of course not!” Laura tilts her head, squinting at her husband. “But he’s not in danger right now. The elf is clearly unconscious. He poses no threat.”

“I think the best course is to eliminate him before he becomes a threat,” Allan says, stepping away from me to face me. Several of the other villagers stand with him, literally opposing me by taking their side.

My blood boils inside of me as I stare at Allan. How could he be acting like this? “You mean to tell me you’re okay with refusing aid to another living being who can’t even do you any harm?” I ask, crossing my arms as I face off against him.

“Oh, he’ll be doing plenty of harm if you heal him,” Allan retorts. “Once he’s better, you can bet he’s going to rampage against us. You’re putting the whole village at stake with your need to be a savior.”

I gape at him, uncomprehending how he can be so cruel. “I thought you cared about people,” I tell him, unable to disguise the hurt in my voice.

“I do,” Allan’s own green eyes widen. “You have no idea how much I care for...the people of the village,” he insists.

“That’s why I say we eliminate the threat now,” he continues.

“No,” I tell him, glaring.

Jake interrupts us, striding over from where he was standing with the other villagers. Jake is another of my close friends and he stands with me, facing off against Allan. “I think we ought to move him somewhere a bit more shaded and a bit safer,” he says quietly to me.

I agree and Jake helps me move Guilri’s body to the center of the village, near the well. We prop him up there so he’s in the shade while everyone around us debates the morality of saving his life.

Everyone is talking at once and things are growing more heated when I hear a throat-clearing noise from behind me. When I turn to look I see that Guilri has moved, propping himself up so he’s leaning against the well, trying his best to look casual.

I know that he must be in a lot of pain and I almost rush over to him but he clears his throat again loudly, drawing attention to himself.

“You will heal me,” he says firmly. “Or you will all face my wrath.”

“See?” Dean shouts, pointing forcefully at the dark elf. “See?”

“I was right,” Allan says. “He’s a danger to us all.”

“Now see here,” I protest, turning to face Guilri. “You can’t make threats like that.”

“If you don’t heal me, I shall invoke the wrath of the Hearthkeeper and have her smite the entire village. Women and children included. I’m her favored warrior so I absolutely can call on her.”

We all gape at him now. “But if you do heal me, I’ll make sure you are all peacefully returned to your owners.”

The entire village is immediately set off about this. We’re free people and don’t belong to anyone. I can feel the tension in the air, the fear and anxiety at the thought of being dragged away from our homes and returned to the very lives we sought to escape.

“Dark elf scum!” Allan yells, throwing himself towards Guilri. The only thing stopping him is Jake, intervening to keep him from getting himself killed. “We have to kill him now, while we have the chance!” he pleads with the crowd.

I realize I need to intervene before things get out of hand. “Stop!” I yell. “Stop!” I turn to Guilri.