Demon Begging

Chapter 10

*NARRATOR'S POV*

"Louis!" The boy's closest companion, Rae, burst through Louis' room doors.

Louis' fright phase melts when he recognizes the voice and controls the pressured beating of his heart. "What happened?"

"Your daemon." Rae pants, hands on his knees. "They have him."

Right then Louis began to feel the growing itch in his throat, shoving up his neck and choking him. He coughs into the crook of his arm and follows after Rae as they sprint down the halls.

Louis is pushed out the grand double doors that serve as entry to their home, onto the great grass plane where a rather large crowd is gathering. He shakes his head and tries to ignore the burn in his throat as he rushes to the eye of this mass population.

He sees his daemon, efficiently named Ares, amongst the antagonists as they rope him in tighter.

"Let him go!" Louis has to run to Ares' side or suffer major consequences himself. A daemon is strongly connected to their person, and if the line is cut then both sides fall to death.

Ares sees him, and his jet black neck shoots up. Louis will admit he has a mischievous one at his side, but he loves Ares so much anyway and has spent enough time away during his Initiation.

Ares is a dragon, a shape shifting one that will grow to monstrous sizes if his person needs that, or transform to a lazy size that would fit Louis' shoulder.

Greg, the bounty hunter of their village, has two men holding Ares down by ropes around his neck and Louis could cry. His daemon is whimpering for help.

"Is this yours?" Greg tugs on one rope and Ares snaps at the rope.

"Shh." Louis calms the creature down by petting the side of its muscular neck. "It's alright now."

"This beast tore down seven tents of ours." Greg snaps. "And plenty more before."

Louis nods to be polite, his mother would skin him otherwise, before using a nifty blade to cut Ares' ropes.

"I wasn't here before." Louis answers Greg. "I am very sorry for what Ares did."

"Control it." Greg steps in Louis' face. Ares is right there to stand behind Louis and push Greg back over his shoulder.

Louis keeps a hand on Ares' neck when he whispers. "Sitque." (Become small)

Ares obeys and whips around the air once before perching himself on Louis' shoulder and standing proudly. Greg's daemon, a lemur, is more confident now but won't be taking any chances.

Greg leaves with his party and Louis sighs, ready to reprimand Ares when his mother comes riding in on her steed. She is wearing her favourite frown and stops right in front of Louis.

"What happened?" She asks curtly.

"Ares accidentally broke something." Louis paraphrases.

She huffs out a breath and nods. "Tonight is the dinner. Are you ready?"

"I still bear his mark, Mother." Louis says sweetly. "I am still his."

"The mark will last until they step through our door."

"Then he will be here before that."

Louis turns away from his mother, taking Ares with him as he mutters in a low voice to himself.

"Ego volo fugere." Louis instructs the daemon. (I want to fly)

Ares takes off in the direction ahead of Louis, makes a sharp U-turn and comes back as the giant that made people quiver. He bows his head and Louis climbs on, letting Ares take flight in the direction of his own choice.