Come With Me - Meliodas x Reader

Chapter 36 - The Druids' Holy Land

Hawk's mum bounded over the landscape. The resounding trotterfalls pounded rhythmically in your head. You were sitting on the bar, legs swinging and fiddling with a cork you had found. Meliodas and Elizabeth were staring out one of the windows. Everyone else was dotted around at tables or just standing.

'Please wait for us, Diane,' said Elizabeth. 'We'll find you no matter what it takes.'

Meliodas turned to look at everyone. 'But still, three hundred miles is a lot of ground to cover.'

'Yeah,' said King. 'I'm glad we're moving fast, but ... Hey, Merlin? Tell me, is there any way you could use teleportation? 'Cause I'm really worried about Diane.'

Light and darkness swirled within Aldan as Merlin spoke. 'Unfortunately, for right now it's all I can do to keep my soul contained in Aldan. Sorry about this, King.' She did sound genuinely troubled.

King looked at the table sadly. 'All right.' But then something across the room caught his eye. He glared. You followed King's line of sight and saw Gowther. Oh dear.

'Not only that, but I'd like to keep a reserve of my magical power for emergencies,' said Merlin as an illusion of her body appeared again.

'What do you mean by that?'

Merlin held out a hand and a rectangle appeared in front of King. It was a map. 'In the direction Diane's heading, from the ruins of Edinburgh Castle along the way, I'm picking up waves of monstrous evil.'

King gasped. Meliodas frowned. You chewed on your bottom lip. You twisted the cork so much it sprang free of your grasp and rolled along the floor.

—

Fraudrin looked down at Galand who was lazing just in front of him and said, 'You're saying you killed Meliodas?' He tried to keep the disbelief out of his voice but some slipped in.

'That's right,' said Galand. 'I also got rid of the other pesky gnats in his group ... and her.' His voice coated the word in poison. Fraudrin blinked. It couldn't be. Galand continued, 'But to be honest, the whole thing was really disappointing. How could the heretic who once struck terror into the heart of the Demon race meet such an end?'

Fraudrin's mind whirled. He tried to conceal it. 'Is this true, Galand? It seems rather hard you could bring him – them both – down so easily.'

Galand sat up slightly. He grabbed his halberd. 'Are you doubting me? So you don't trust what Galand of Truth is telling you?'

'No.' Fraudrin kept his eyes fixed on the ground in front of him. 'I'm well aware of your powers. I'm just a bit surprised.' Should he tell them? But if he couldn't believe Galand's word, what could he believe? He thought back to the blood and the rain. To the stopped hearts and Meliodas's rage. Could he believe that?

Galand was silent for a moment before making a quiet noise of surprise. Fraudrin looked up just in time to see the red-armoured demon stand up.

'Are you going somewhere again?' asked Gloxinia.

'Just a little walk,' said Galand, picking up his halberd. 'It's not in me to sit still like the rest of you.' And he was gone.

Fraudrin barely noticed. He needed time to think.

—

You froze. Across the bar, Meliodas did the same. You looked instinctively to Elizabeth, noting the look of surprise and concern. Meliodas's footsteps hit staccato on the wooden floor.

'Hawk's mum, stop for a second,' Meliodas shouted from outside. You joined him on the verandah just in time to see Hawk almost slide right to the edge as Hawk's mum stopped suddenly. But you pushed aside his pained squeals.