Becoming Fae

I was expecting the demons to be against Harmon being here. They were uneasy and more than a little nervous, but it would seem that Harmon had been busy without me. He’d already started helping people and they were spreading the word that he wasn’t so bad.

The speech I made resulted in a few large carts and the beasts to pull them and the people to drive them to the different villages and towns. We had volunteers to help build shelters when we get to where we were going, and more than a few people were going to start making clothing and shoes when we got the material. By the time I pulled Ben, Blaine, Mal, Naz, and Rollie to a solid shelter to go over the harder points, like choosing where we were going to live, nearly every one of the demons in camp had a job to do.

Now, we had to do ours.

“These locations are best for tunnels,” Naz said pointing at two.

“So far from water, though,” Ben said.

“Is there a way we can maybe... Pipe in water?” I asked.

“It’s possible,” Naz answered. “Tedious, but possible.”

“Would it be easier with magic? I could use the practice with earth. And water,” I said.

“I’m also concerned about smoke buildup and fresh air,” Blaine pointed out.

“My House is very adept in building these underground dwellings. There will be ample ventilation. The light might be a more difficult endeavor,” Naz said.

“Stop,” I help up a hand. “Water. How do we fix that issue?”

“I like the magic pipes idea,” Rollie said. “It will speed up the process significantly and will eliminate the need to forge the pipes as well as breaking ground to bury them.”

“You’ll be able to add filtration to them as you make them. It’s just going to take a lot of energy to do it,” Ben nodded.

“I can’t get stronger if I don’t push my limits,” I shrugged. “Now the air. It gets very cold here compared to the Demon Lands. Will the ventilation cause air drafts?”

“Hmm. Possibly,” Naz hummed thoughtfully. “We can build a test tunnel and redesign the vent shafts until we find one that works.”

“Now, what do you mean light will be an issue?”

“Oil costs money and you’ll go through a lot of it very quickly when you burn it all the time. It’s also very dangerous if one of the lamps falls or gets broken,” Naz said. “We’ve been importing lamps from the elves and light fairies, but now that my House is destitute, I doubt the trade agreement will stand.”

“Wonderful,” I rubbed my temples. “We need an envoy to secure safe lamps from the elves and light fairies. We need to move the camp to one of these locations, dig tunnels, redesign vent shafts, pipe in water... Is there anything else that’s relevant to the move?”

“A way to heat the main areas, like passages and cleaner fuel for the dwellings,” Mal said. “Fae’s right about getting a lot colder here than the Demon Lands. We don’t need people getting sick and spreading it through all of us.”

“Can we maybe build furnace rooms and ducts to spread the heat? Like on Earth?” Blaine suggested.

“It would be a bonus if they were metal,” Ben added.

“That might work,” Rollie nodded.

“Naz, how long before your House arrives?”

“Both Houses should start arriving in two, maybe three days. Pauth can help decide which location has the best ground for building the tunnels,” Naz said.

“A lot of the hounds and foxes offered to help with digging,” Ben said, and Blaine nodded.

“So long as the hounds don’t stay underground for too long,” I added. "We don't need that kind of chaos in-."

There was a pop and a cloud of black smoke that made us all cough before it dissipated as quickly as it came, leaving a short red and purple mottled imp standing on the table where we had the map unrolled.

“My most illustrious queen,” he said with a flair and deep bow. “It is a great and wondrous honor for one as lowly as me to be in your glorious presence.”

“Oh, sweet hellfire,” Blaine rolled his eyes and grabbed the imp by the back of his neck.

“Wait!” the imp squealed, thrashing around. “I have come from my Lord Gluttony’s side! Please, merciful queen, do not feed me to the hound!”

“I wouldn’t bother with a snack like you,” Blaine shook the creature, making him squeal again.

“Blaine? Ever hear the saying ‘don’t shoot the messenger’?” I crossed my arms and tapped my fingers on my elbow. “Put him down.”

“He can talk like he is,” Ben narrowed his eyes. “Never trust an imp, Fae.”

“Really? I was sure that was ‘never trust a fox’,” I lifted an eyebrow at him. “Or a hound, for that matter.”

“You know what I mean,” Ben huffed.

“Speak,” Blaine gave the little creature another shake.

“Stop it,” I snapped and grabbed the imp, who had curled it’s body like a puppy or kitten in its mother’s mouth. “He comes from Gluttony, so he has something for us. It’s counterproductive if he’s terrified and can’t speak.”

“He’s an imp,” Naz snorted.

“Yes, thank you for pointing that obvious fact out. I wasn’t sure if my eyes were working properly. Whew. Glad that was cleared up,” I snapped, putting the imp back on his feet on the table and slapped a hand away from him. “Hands off.”

“Oh, you are truly a benevolent queen!” the imp fell to his knees and grabbed my hand, placing slightly wet kisses on my knuckles. “Such kindness you possess and a heart of the truest gold!”

“Those hands belong to me,” Mal said, pulling me back, the imp followed to the edge of the table without releasing my hand.

“Imp!” Naz snapped, making the creature squeak and cower. “Speak!”

“My Lord Gluttony sends word that aid will arrive soon for our brethren and wishes to inform you of several refugees that have been taken under his care,” the imp said. “He also sends this.”

He produced a small scroll of paper and handed it to me with another embellished bow.

He was kind of cute, actually. He was maybe two feet tall at the most and had a squished face, kind of like a pug, but not as severe, and teeny, little horns sprouting from his forehead. He also had a tail, but it was very thin and had a small triangular point on the end and his feet were cloven hooves, like a goat. His hair was dark and curly, laying close to his head and there was a light dusting of hair of his bare chest. He looked like the demonic version of a cherub, those freaky baby face angels that always gave me nightmares for some reason.

“I can’t read this,” I muttered, handing it to Naz.

“He’s requesting a meeting,” Naz said after reading it through. “It’s in High Demonic. Not many use it anymore and the ones who used to know it, most likely have forgotten it. It’s very old.”

“I see. I may need to learn that, then,” I rubbed my temples. “Add it to the list of things I need to do. You know, the one that multiplies quicker than rabbits.”

“What do we do with the imp?” Blaine growled and the creature squealed and tried to jump off the table but was caught by the tail by Ben.

“Not bullying him would be a start,” I rolled my eyes and pointed at the table. “Ben. Put him down.”

“There’s also a list of names,” Naz continued as Ben tossed the imp back to the table. “The refugees he’s harboring.”

“Make a copy of it and post it for the others to see. Some of these people have loved ones that are missing,” I said.

“Such thoughtfulness, your most gracious Majesty,” the imp crooned.

“Boot licker,” Rollie scoffed.

“What’s your name?” I asked the imp.

“Imps don’t have names,” Rollie said.

“I do so!” the imp puffed his chest with pride, then deflated as he looked around the room. “I am called Treat by Lord Gluttony.”

“That’s not a name, it's a reservation for later,” Mal muttered.

“Did your mother call something?” I asked.

“My mother was a slave. I was called 699872,” he smiled again. “Even numbers are very auspicious.”

“Send him back to Gluttony,” Blaine shook his head.

“I am a gift!” the imp cried. “I cannot go back! It would shame me to be returned.”

“Not my problem,” Blaine shrugged.

“My lord eats the ones that are shamed,” the imp said quietly, holding his tail in his hands.

“Fine,” I sighed, rubbing my forehead to try and relieve the headache I felt forming there now. “We’ll figure something out.”

“Fae, you can’t not give an imp a job and then walk away,” Ben pointed out and all of the demons in the room nodded in agreement. “You think foxes are shifty and morally gray? Imps are worse. Bored imps are like tiny chaos generators that have a shocking capacity for mischief and mayhem.”

“He’s right,” Mal shrugged.

“Ugh. Whatever. Pick a name you like and follow me. I’ll keep an eye on you until I figure out what to do with you,” I threw my hands up. “Gifting a person and slavery? Is this common?”

“It’s necessary for the lesser demons,” Naz shrugged. “Impulse control is an issue for them and having a master tell them what they can and can’t do gives them specific boundaries.”

“Fae? Are you okay?” Mal frowned at me.

“My head just started hurting,” I sighed. “I’m tired and it’s been a long day.”

“Is there anything else that can’t wait until later?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said and looked at Naz. “I’m not sure how much you can do now that we know your House was attacked. We need as many eyes in the Pits as we can get, and I would like to get our own people on the Sins as well. More points of information can never be a bad thing.”

“Agreed. Jarkkis is one of the best spies I have. It was his warning that mobilized my House in time to save a large amount of my people,” Naz nodded. “I will assign him the task.”

“I would like to have a report on the attacks of both Houses tomorrow,” I rubbed my forehead again. “Ben, Blaine, and Mal, find people you trust to help you organize the incoming refugees. Rollie, tomorrow, you and Pauth should go to both sites and determine which would be best for both digging the dwelling and for planting.”

“With it turning to winter, there won’t be planting for months still,” Rollie frowned.

“Subterranean living spaces!” the imp clapped. “I know of a way to grow food underground that is easy!”

“We’ll discuss that later,” I nodded.

“You need some rest. That’s very sharp pain,” Mal frowned. “It’s getting bad really quickly.”

“Wait,” Rollie grabbed my hand and looked at my nail beds. “Shit. She’s been poisoned!”