Mr. Limer had a plate of cheese, bread, and bacon waiting for me when I came out of the room. I sat down at the table and tried to eat. I was starving, but had no desire to eat. It was still sinking in that I lost everything. That my family was gone. What should I do now? I am 20 years-old. I am supposed to be married, have kids, and already started my own business with my husband or be a at home mom. Our parents didn’t make us worry about what we were supposed to do. My sister put the bakery first, so she never found a man. My older brother was training to take over the winery. Once he was in charge, he could get any girl he wanted in just a few years of starting his own business. I was going to help Phebe with her bakery. She had always dreamed of expanding our family business to the capital. She wanted to give the queen her baked goods.
It hit me right there. The choice was a sample one. I should do what my siblings dreamed of. I should take our family business to the capital. I should keep our little bakery going. Everyone worked so hard, and gave up so much for our bakery. I couldn’t give up on it just because everything is gone. They may not be here, but I am… I have to live for them.
“Are you ready to talk about what happened, Layla?” Mr. Limer broke my thoughts.
“I do not know what happened…” I did not want to tell him the truth. That a mysterious man came into the bakery, and burned everyone and everything to ash. That I grew wings, horns, and had flames all over me. That the flames didn’t hurt. That the man caught fire on his own. I wasn’t sure if he burned with the bakery, field, and cottage or not. I was not sure if he was even dead.
“I was alway in the flower field, by the apple tree when I saw smoke. When I got close enough, I heard screaming from inside the bakery. It was my family yelling for help…” This was somewhat the truth. They yelled for help, and I could do nothing. I could not move till it was too late… Why couldn’t I move? I could feel tears trying to come out my eyes, but I held them back.
“All of them?” He asked, sorrow filling his voice. You could tell this bothered him alot, but it was also normal to lose everything and everyone in a fire.
“Yes, Phebe, Isaiah, Damine, and Isabell…. They are all gone. Dead. Ash.” I could feel the tears falling again. I could not hold them back any longer. The food sat there staring at me. I felt like I had a lump stuck in my throat. Like someone had stolen my will to speak.
“You need to eat something dear…” He looked at me with pity. I felt a pit in my stomach. It was my fault they are dead. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him they died because I was there. How could I eat when I felt so much guilt?
“What will you do now?” This question was easy now that I had decided. I had to live for them, It was my fault they are dead. I couldn’t do nothing. I couldn’t give up.
“I will go to the capitol.” I tried to say it with as much confidence as I could muster.
“How will you get there?”
“Would you be willing to let me borrow your carriage?” He rubbed his forehead. It looked like he had something on his mind.
“You know your mother was the kindest woman I had ever met since my wife died years ago. She helped me through tough times. If it wasn’t for your mom, I don’t know if I could run this farm the way I have been. I’m sure your father thought she flirted with me, and that’s why I gave her free stuff… But the truth is she was just friendly to me. I needed that too...so I feel like I should repay the favor in your time of need..” He got up, and went to a box on the table. I couldn’t see what was in it, but he pulled out a pouch.
“This is all my savings over the years. I had planned to use it to get Isabell a small bakery to thank her, but since she is no longer here…” He paused, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. He was letting it sink in that she was gone.
“It’s yours to have.” He smiled, but all I could see was sadness. He must have really cared for my mom.
“I couldn't,” I said, looking at him in awe. I stood up shaking my head no.
“You can, and you will.” He set the pouch in front of me. There was a hint of order with a joking tone to it.
“This will get you started in the city. You should have enough to buy a place.” He smiled. I picked up the pouch and looked inside. There were 10 small gem balls of different colors. Most people would use gems, or jewelry for money. The money worked like this: Small gem shard was $1. 100 small gem shards were the same as 1 shard. 1 shard was $5. 20 shards was the same as 1 small gem ball. A small gen ball was $10. 10 small gem balls were the same as 1 gem ball. 1 gem ball was $50. 2 gem balls were the same amount as jewelry. Jewelry was worth $100. For a small place in the capitol, I would have to use five of these gems.
“I can’t accept this Mr. Limer.” I said pushing the money toward him. It had to take a lot of work to get this much money. It was like a small fortune, and I had done nothing to earn it.
“It’s okay Layla. I’m getting too old for this… so I am selling the animals and 700 acres of the farm. All I am keeping is the house, a cow, and a chicken. Enough to have eggs, cheese, milk, and bread. I’m getting a lot of money out of it, so this is nothing.” He pushed the pouch closer to me. I sat back down. I did need the money. I couldn’t do this on my own.I may not deserve it, but I needed it.
“Thank you, Sir.” I picked up the pouch, then handed him a gem.
“Can I please buy a horse and your carriage?” He grinned at me, then let out a laugh. It was only fair to buy them since he had given me so much already.
“Yes dear, you can. Let’s go pick you out a horse.” He got up from the table, and I followed, grabbing the cheese off the plate. I felt I could eat a little bit now. He had cheered me up by talking about how kind my mother was. We went into his horse barn, and there were 3 horses. There was a white horse with an odd mark in the center of his back. It was the shape of flames going down his spine with wings on either side of it. The mark left his hair the color gold. There was also a black horse, and a yellow-brown horse, but they did not catch my attention like the white horse.
“How about this white one?” I asked Limer. He walked over, then went to touch the horse. It neighed at him, and stepped back.
“I have no clue where this horse came from…” He was surprised it was even in his barn.
“Is it not yours?” I went to pet it, and it walked into my hand. It was like it already knew who I was.
“I have no clue, but it seems to like you.” He handed me an apple.
“Give her this.”
“Her?” He pointed to her underside.
“No penis.” I walked closer to her with the apple in my palm.
“Here girl…” She sniffed my hand, then ate the apple. I smiled in excitement. She really did like me.
“I want her.”
“Okay, take her then. Do you have a name for her?” I thought long and hard for a perfect name for her. I settled on Alsie for strong-willed. I had a feeling this horse would go far.
“Alsie.” He smiled at the sound of it.
“Perfect!” He led me back into the house.
“You will stay here for the night. You can head out in the morning.”
“Thank you, Sir.” He waved me off with his hand.
“No worries.” I was still tired from the walk so I ate the bread, and went to sleep on the bed. I fell asleep with tears in my eyes, and awoke tired. It had only been a day, but I was already home sick. I knew I had no home to go to though. Mr. Limer was waiting for me in the kitchen. He put together a bag of food, and water for me to take on my trip.
“The carriage and Alsie are ready to go.” He pointed out the window opening. There was a wooden carriage with leather straps for Alsie. There was no roof for the carriage, but there was a back part for me to put my stuff. Mr. Limer gave me two of his dead daughter’s outfits, two loaves of bread, a block of cheese, and a canteen of water. There were also the 9 small gems in the pouch. I hugged Mr. Limer, and headed out. I was grateful for all he had done for me and my family.
The city was 40 miles away. It took almost the whole day of non-stop riding. Aisle didn’t seem to get tired out, or need to stop to eat or drink. The city was surrounded by a giant wall. There were four gates to get in and out of the capitol. My family's cottage was on the outskirts of the Mouradian territory. The ruler of the Mouradian territory was a young queen by the name of Cecilia. I did not know much about her, other than she lost her parents from a assassination. They were poisoned at a banquet that Cecilia did not attend. She was only 12 when she came to power. I’ve heard she is a fair ruler.
I entered the north gate. There was a guard that took a fee from you to enter. I gave him a gem, because it was all I had, so he gave me shards of a smaller gem in return. The capital was called Epithet. It had about 32,000 acres inside the walls, but Mouradian was about 1 billion acres. We were in a bigger territory than most. Inside the walls were stone buildings with two stories. They looked like houses. There were stands along the stone road for people to sell their goods. It was rare to have a shop of your own, but I was determined to get one.
To get a building, I would have to go to the merchandising guild. I had no clue how much it would cost to get a license to sell, but I would pay anything to keep my family alive. The building was easy to find, because every building had a sign hanging from the roof. There were bars and taverns, clothes and shoe shops, and homes with many rooms to live in, cafés and more. There were also guilds. Each guild specialised in a specific thing. Lucky for me, most of the guilds were in one spot. Thanks to the signs, I was able to find the merchandising guild easily.
The merchandising guild was a stone building with two stories. When you entered the building there was an open space with tables and chairs, behind the open area were several desks with clerks behind them. There were stairs that led up to an open space with more tables and chairs. There was a bar behind those table and chairs. It was nice. People were talking to each other at the tables. It sounded like important conversions about how they ran their business. I walked up to one of the desks. Trying not to bring attention to myself. “Hello ma’am, my name is Wonda. How can I help you?” There was kindness in her voice. She looked me up and down. I wondered if she noticed my horns. “I’m new in the capital. I would like to purchase a building I can use as a home and a shop.” She turned around, and walked to a table full of maps.
“Hello!” The man spoke to me in a voice unlike any I had ever heard before. It was like a relaxing sound that melted all my troubles away. As he spoke, I could feel a calmness wash over me. I felt happy for the first time since my family died. “What are you?” I asked. He paused, and looked at me confused. “I am a customer?” He tilted his head, smiled, and showed his brilliant white teeth. “That’s not what I meant… What is that on your head and your back?” I pointed at the wings and halo. His eyebrow shot up. “You can see them?” I was confused now. Was I the only person that could see them? “Can’t everyone see them?”
I felt calm, and safe as Theodore looked into my eyes. He would protect me, even though I had horns and different colored eyes? I have always been different, but my family did not care. They were the only ones to accept me for me, and now they are gone… but now there's this angel. He says he knows who I am… but does he really? I just met this guy… could I really trust him with my life? His silver eyes made me want to believe him. To trust him. “And who am I?” I asked, looking at him, pleading in my eyes. I had never wanted to know who I was or who my parents were, but now that I am alone, my family gone, I wanted… no, I needed to know. He let go of my chin, then turned around. He walked to the door, and opened it. “It’s better you don’t know. I will be back.” He turned to face me with one foot out the door. &
At the bottom of the stairs stood a woman dressed in black, kneeling on one knee. Her head was down, facing the floor. She was dark skinned, and had a cat tail and ears. She wore clothes I had never seen before. They were tight, unlike mine, and showed her figure. “Princess!” She spoke with power in her voice. It was like she was speaking to God himself. She looked up, and I saw them. The cole black eyes the other demon had. I took a step back. “I am here to bring you back home. Your cover has been blown and it is no longer safe for you above ground.” In that incense, Theodore came into the shop. He was fast. One minute at the door, the next by my side. “And what can you do to protect her? Not a thing! Isn’t that why she is up here in the first place? Because Luc
I was standing in the bakery, holding Jamira's hand, then I felt a hot breeze against my skin. I closed my eyes for one second. When I opened them, I saw rock. I felt sick to my stomach. As I tried to gain my balance, I fell to my knees, holding my stomach. It felt as if my guts were being pushed up my throat. “I feel like I might throw up…” I let go of Jamira’s hand. I slowly got to my feet, then looked around. There was a red sky, with a black sun, with a golden ring around it. It was like an eclipse. There were black rocks surrounding the whole area as far as I could see. I was standing at the top of what looked like a castle. The castle was made with obsidian. There was a pretty shine to it. Unlike my hair, the rock shined with a tint of gray spots all over it. The doors, a red tint of obsidian. From what I could see, we were standing in the yard of the castle. There were different kind
“Layla?” The woman stood from her seat fast. She ran up to me, and looked me over. “Lucifer! It’s Layla! The woman jumped up and down, her breast bouncing so hard, they looked like they were going to come out of the fabric. She hugged me tightly, making me feel like I was in between closing walls. “I... can’t… breath…” I got out a few words before she squeezed all the air out of my lungs. “Breath?” The lady asked, like it was a weird statement. She looked at Jamira. “This is my daughter Layla, right?” Jamira looked seriously, and said yes. Lucifer got up from his seat, and walked to the woman. “Lilith, she’s been in the
Theodore came up with a schedule for my training. Jamira was to work in the morning at my bakery while Theodore taught me how to use my angel powers. I got a few hours to eat, and run errands that I needed to do once the afternoon hit. When it was evening, Jamira taught me my demon powers while Theodore worked. I would train till dinner. Once dinner hits, I’d close the store, eat dinner, clean myself, then go to bed. Jamira made her a spot in the attic on my side of the room. Theodore took some of the profits from the bakery to save up for a bigger place. Jamira would teleport me back to my cottage that burned down to train. I still owned the land, even though my family is dead. At first, it was hard to focus without thinking about what happen. As time passed, it got easier. Theodore did the same, thought instead of teleporting there, we flew. He said one day I would fl
10 years have passed. The year 890 b.c. Deveen turned out to be really smart on top of his cuteness. With Theodore baking in the morning before we trained, and Jamira keeping orders done, all Deveen had to do was greet customers and run the register. Not many people read and write so the signs had a picture with the name of the place. On the commoner side of the capital I got picture orders, having to guess what the customer wanted, but here on the rich side, people can read and write. We had a drop box where people could place an order. It was Jamira's idea. She said me delivering orders by teleporting could help me focus more, and practice not being seen. We also trained on stacks of hay at the field. My goal was to burn the hay without burning what's around it. We started off with a pile, and it got smaller and smaller till it was a strand of hay. Theodore had me practice not using my fire, but instead a ball of light that burned t
I am 24 years-old. I have been writing books since I was 13 years-old. I have written 7 books total, but lost 5 to a house fire, and did not have backups. I lost my desire to write after losing my first 5 books. It has been 9 years since then. This is my second book I have published. I am a mother of 1 daughter, trying for a second child. I want to make a living as an author, but also become a daycare teacher. I have a cp in early childcare. My passion is my child. I love and live for my family. They matter more than anything. I hope you liked my book. Please leave me comments if you think something is wrong or want something explained in the next book. Thank you for all your support. I want to give thanks to the people
The road led straight to the castle. It was narrow, and to the sides were balls of flames flying upwards from lava. I felt as if one wrong turn of the carriage would be our death. Could an immortal survive lava? Would our body's regenerate? Would we burn forever? The idea of it chilled me to my bones. Sanguinex must have noticed, because he squeezed my hand. His touch was calming. I could hear the screams of humans, but I could not see them. Once we got to the giant doors, my heart began to pound. I knew this was not my first time meeting my parents; I did not understand the skip of rhythm. Allie stopped at the big red doors. "Are you ready princess?" Jamira opened the carriage door, and stepped out. She turned, and reached out her hand towards me. I was hesitant, but I took it,
“Are you ready to go princess?” Jamira was standing against the cave entrance. I was going home… Or what I am supposed to call home. I told my father I would stay for a few years. I wanted to get to know him and mother. I wasn’t sure if we would get along. Jamira reminds me all the time that I am nothing like the demons in hell. She says my human nature stops my true potential. I laugh everytime she says that though, because Theodore says the opposite. He thinks my demon side gets in the way of my potential to be an angel. I am happy just being myself.We are going through a cave, because I wanted to bring some of my belongings. JAmira says we can’t teleport a lot of objects. She tells me the cave entrance is a portal to hell. I find it interesting, because it is not an unknown cave. She says you must know the right words to say to be able to enter. No human can
I opened my eyes to the sight of daybreak. The sun was barley in the sky, so I knew it was still early. Sanguinex was asleep next to me. He must have tired himself out last night. I got up, leaving him on the bed. I looked through my wardrobe for something to wear, and got dressed. Should I leave him on the bed sleeping? I looked at him peacefully sleeping. I decided to carry him with me. I took a thin cover, and wrapped him around my chest snuggly. This will work. I opened the door, and headed to Jamira’s room first.“Good Morning girls!” I tried to be as uplifting as possible, afraid they were still hurting from last night.“I want to wear this one!” Rosalita yelled with joy.“Aunty, can I wear this one?!” Flora was excited a
I walked into the house, slowly closing the door behind me. I did not hear any noises. I assumed everyone was still asleep. I was in a rush, but had to move slowly. I did not want anyone asking questions. I really didn’t want anyone to know what just happened between me and Ezekiel… because I didn’t know myself. There was passion in that kiss. But where did that passion come from? I did not have feelings for him, and from what I could tell… He did not like me either.“Focus!” I spoke to myself softly.“Momma!” Sanguinex was smiling in my arms. He was precious. I had only had him a day, but I already felt a mother-child bound for him. For all four of the kids. I felt like everything would be alright now that they were here. I hugged him to my chest… not t
I laid in bed, listening to Jamira and Theodore put the kids to bed. The baby boy laid beside me. I had him wrapped in my arms. We have not bought the extra beds yet, and since it was the kids first night in their own beds, and rooms… Jamira slept with the twins in her bed, and Theodore sat in a chair, watching over Tempest as he slept. Theodore says it is a choice for an angel to sleep. I wandered over and over about the gift from God that Theodore spoke of to no avail of the answer. All I could think about was the children. I hoped for the future together, and I prayed that I could change their lives for the better. I laid in bed, thinking for some time. When I looked out my window, the sky was dark. Lights filled the sky. The moon is hidden by darkness. It was pitch black outside. I got up, unable to sleep. The baby, too, was unable to sleep. He laid on my chest… eyes wide open. He did not make a sound. His eyes just stared at me.
Flora was really shy about undressing, but hearing her sister’s past, I was patient. I sat in the chair next to the tub, heating the water up, as she walked over.“I’m ready…” I looked up at her. She was covering her chest and vigina. Her shoulders were scrawny. You could see each bone clearly. Her collarbone looked like it was sucking in her skin. Her rib bones showed on her ribcage. Her hips were so visible, it looked like she did not have any fat. She had a small belly… Barely there. I was not disgusted at her, but at the way she came to look this way.“Do you need help getting in?” I feared touching her. I felt one wrong move would break her. She shook her head no, and stepped inside.“Is the water
“Okay kids… I want you to know your new last name. If you decide you would rather be Theodore’s or Jamira’s child, that will be fine too. If you will have me as your mom… your new last name will be Celestia. That is my human family name.” I had no clue what my deman family name is, but that was a question for another time. The children looked at each other.“So we are going to be brothers and sisters?” The twin holding the baby asked shyly. I got down on the floor, and sat beside them.“Is that a problem? You can always have Theodore or Jamira adopt you.” I wondered if maybe one of the girls already fell in love with Tempest. Jamira’s eyes shot up as she realized why we had our little conversion in the kitchen. Theodore just shook his head. He
As we walked down the fields to get to our house, the kids ran, and played. It was like this was their first time being outside. They stopped to look at everything. They were interested by the way the plants grow, by the wind that made the trees dance, and by the sun that felt hot on their skin. I smiled at the sight of them running around. I had made the right choice. As we got to the walkway that led to our front doors, the children stopped mid play.“Are we to live here?” Tempest asked in awe.“Is it not to your likings?” I asked. I was not sure what they were expecting. We only had four rooms, but I had thought about what to do as we walked. Me and Jamira would share a room, while the twins would take Jamira’s room. Tempest can sleep downstairs in Theodores room. And for the last ch