Odin by Sandra R Neeley

Author:Sandra R Neeley [Neeley, Sandra R]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sandra R Neeley
Published: 2024-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Ignoring the looks of curious passersby, Simone made her way into the square she knew she’d find at least Malice, if not more of her family in. Barefoot and filthy, her dress stained and dirty, she held her head high as she marched through the gates and starting looking around.

Malign found her before she found him. “Simone!” he shouted, rushing her way.

Simone turned toward the sound of his voice, and as the crowd of people between them cleared he was only a few feet from her and coming fast. “Malign,” she said, her voice cracking as he swept her into his arms, holding her against his body as she hugged him back.

“Are you well? Are you unhurt? Tell me you are unhurt!” he demanded.

“I am unhurt,” she assured him, just as Venom rushed to embrace her as well.

“We have searched for you every day and night!” Venom said, pulling her in to hug her, too.

“I’m sorry I frightened you,” she said.

“Malice and the others are out searching for you right now. We stayed in the square looking for you or at the very least, the Demon, in the hopes of forcing him to bring us to you,” Malign said.

“Where is he? He will regret taking you from us,” Venom growled, drawing the hesitant glance from one or two nearby humans.

“He’s not here.”

“How did you get away?” Venom asked.

“I just walked away. He didn’t harm me — not physically, he didn’t…” she stopped herself mid-sentence before shaking her head as if clearing her mind of the whole thing. “None of it matters. I’m home now. I just want to go home,” Simone said, looking from Venom to Malign.

“Absolutely. Let’s go. You were the only reason we were here today. We’ll take you home so you can get cleaned up and get some rest,” Malign said.

Venom had already hurried away to pack up their supplies and offerings they’d put out for sale. It took only a few minutes before he came back toward them, pulling both his and Malign’s filled wagons behind him. “Let’s go.”

The Gargoyles walked one on either side of her, careful to keep her between the two of them, and even took care to walk around shadows that fell on sides of the streets they traversed. It would have been comical if she wasn’t so upset. After the third time of them steering their path away from a dense shadow that fell in front of them thanks to a shoppe standing a little closer to the street than the rest, she finally looked over at Malign. “You don’t have to keep avoiding the shadows. He’s not coming back for me.”

“How do you know he won’t be back?” Malign asked. “I would not give you up so easily!”

“He doesn’t want me. He left me at a convent. The shadows won’t do us any harm, because he won’t be hiding in them.”

Malign and Venom shared a look that said quite a lot without the use of actual words.

“And when he

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