When Shandra finally woke up, the first thing she did was to lift the fabric of her blouse and assess her own abdomen. She seemed shocked to see no sign of injury. Only then did the girl look to the side, where Sam and Julian were talking quietly.The young woman honed her ears to try to pick up the conversation, but realized that the two were not speaking English. It didn't sound like any language she had heard before... The syllables seemed hard to follow, and the vowels were pronounced strangely...Could this be the demon language? The language of hell?Shandra stood up, still a little dizzy, and walked to where Sam and Julian were. They noticed her presence and stopped talking immediately, looking at her with concern."How are you feeling?" asked Sam, in her language."I'm fine," replied Shandra, still trying to get used to the strange language she had heard moments before. "But what was that all about? What was that bizarre thing wearing a cloak and hood?"A hunter," Julian repli
Shandra is not sure if she is alive, dead, delirious, or dreaming.All the girl can understand is that she is being held tightly by a man with the scent of roses and jasmine, who besides having sparkling, warm, pink skin, is literally flying and standing in mid-air.She stares at him, startled.The winged creature's voice is sweet and smooth as wine:"I got you."Shandra has no time to react. Quickly, rage-filled growls take over the clearing as Sam and Julian take the natural demon form, and fly at them."Let her go now," Sam threatens, his pointed teeth gleaming like sharp knives."Have you guys showered today? What a horrible smell of sulfur," the stranger complains, making a disgusted expression."We're not kidding, fairy," Julian says, his yellow eyes brighter and more frightening than in his human form."Is this how you people thank me? Frankly, I now understand why all magical creatures hate demons.""We thank you for your rescue, but we are suspicious of your convenient presen
The demons exchange a quick glance, looking resigned, and proceed toward the portal. Shandra feels a mixture of excitement and fear, while Julian and Sam maintain a more serious and alert posture.When they finally enter Dew, Oberon's city, the portal behind him closes with a loud pop. Shandra jumps up in fright and looks at the winged man, who reassures her:"Soon, soon you will be back."The sun above is sunny and without any clouds, which is a giant contrast compared to the gray, cold weather on the other side of the portal. The buildings are huge, all made of a white granite-like material, and roads and trees are spotted in all directions.The fairies, male and female, are of the most diverse colors and sizes. The smaller ones fly faster and release small sparks the color of their wings when they fly, and they are the ones who approach the visitors first."Who are they?" asks a little blue fairy with emerald-colored wings."Two demons and human, Edrina," Oberon replies, smiling sy
The palace garden was much, much larger than any Shandra had ever seen. Royal guards stood in strategic places, serious and focused on their duty. All the most beautiful flowers in the world seemed to be part of the landscape, and the girl did not know which one to look at.A giant glass greenhouse stood behind the imposing building itself. Julian mentally communicated with her once again:"The fairies treat with reverence every tree, shrub or flower that exists. Every leaf, seed and petal is absolutely sacred to them.""And why?""They believe in the Mother Goddess, whose greatest physical manifestation is nature itself. By cultivating these plants, they are worshipping her directly.""So... No taking one of those flowers and putting it behind your ear, right?""Only if one of them offers you that privilege. It would probably be some kind of blessing. But, just to be safe, don't even look at those flowers strangely."Shandra was so excited to see a whole world of fairies, she forgets
"So that's her?" the fairy asks, her eyes vivid and frighteningly overjoyed."Yes, and those are the demons keeping her company.""I see."The woman takes two steps toward the table where the trio is sitting, sniffing the air."But it gets better and better," she comments."I'm sorry," Julian interrupts, not sounding at all sorry. "But who are you?"Oberon gasps and moves toward the unknown fairy, raising his hand as he introduces her:"This is Alaianis, the captain of the royal guard."Shandra can't stop looking at the stranger, who has a beautiful and voluptuous body, but not necessarily strong. It was hard to think of her as someone who could fight, but the girl knew that despising an opponent for their appearance was one of the biggest mistakes she could make.The fairy also wore no armor, but a shiny black dress that looked like a starry night. There was no weapon in sight, but fairies needed weapons to be able to fight.Alaianis' voice is drawn out and sweet, but Shandra knows t
Shandra knows she can't run out, or cast a spell, or scream in fear when Solis is standing right in front of her, staring at her gravely and taciturnly.But that is all she wants, especially when the ruddy-skinned fairy opens a smile identical to the ones Julian and Sam used to open from time to time.Up close, the King is much more majestic, noble and absolutely fearsome; not because he lacked beauty, on the contrary, but because it was obvious that his power, authority and leadership were unquestionable, and Shandra was just a mere human facing his silent judgment.The girl swallows dryly when Solis once again sniffs her."What is your name, human girl?"Should she tell her real name? Since she was now dead, would it be good to lie about her identity?Sam's mental voice quickly warned her:"Tell the truth.""Shandra," she replies, thanking him for his demon protector's help."Shandra, what brings you into my realm?""I am accompanying these demons on their mission, your majesty."He
Oberon and Alaianis almost die of fright. The First Scout turns deathly pale, but the dark-haired fairy is more disgusted than afraid:"Your Majesty, what are you saying?"Shandra herself can't quite understand. Julian and Sam, on the other hand, look confused and surprised at the same time, looking at each other.The King sighs."Can't they smell it on her?"Oberon steps forward."Your Majesty, I'm afraid you may be mistaken. There is, yes, a peculiar smell in her blood, but I don't think it can be a feric heritage. You see, she is human. A human who speaks and coexists with demons. How could it be?""I do not know how, my dear and faithful Scout, but it is indeed Arista blood, the same blood that runs in my veins, and that ran in the veins of my father, my father's father, and my father's father's father. I would recognize it even if I were blind.""I don't believe you have the slightest idea what you are talking about," Shandra murmurs, her eyes vivid with dread."No? Well, allow m
Sitting on a bench of what appeared to be leather, although most likely it was not, Shandra could hear the echo of the shouts, whistles, clapping, and boisterous arguing of the huge crowd that attended the arena.The young woman was inside a compartment in the actual fighting arena itself, and all that separated it from a sandy strip three times the size of a soccer field was a low, rusty, barred gate.Binding his feet and hands were two chains connected directly to the stone wall. They were probably magical, as she tried to recite a spell to unlock anything, and all she could manage was to realize that they were tighter than before.While waiting for the announcement of her battle, Shandra thought about what she would do. Even if it was true, and that fairy blood ran in her veins, that didn't make her skilled at all. All she had been able to do, other than ready-made incantations described in a book, was by pure instinct.Could instinct save her from that disaster? Probably not.Soli