The Elder's Path by J.D. Caldwell Page B

impossible for a creature to survive at least 700 years, wasn’t it? Her own Sage Tree was from the ages before Arc, but it was a tree, not a giant three-eyed wolf. “Am I to assume you have been here for all that time?” she asked, realizing she was prodding but unwilling to stand like a simpleton playing ‘yes and no’ with this stranger.
    Marcho’s great jaw opened and closed a few times, and then he spoke again with an abrupt “Yes.”
    Blinking, Lyn processed that information for a moment, and then decided to ask the obvious but potentially rude question. “Marcho, what are you, exactly?”
    “A demon,” h e answered shortly. He sat perfectly still, almost expectantly. He wasn’t exactly answering her questions, but he didn’t seem averse to being questioned, nor overtly hostile.
    Lyn decided to press forward with her questions and see where she got. After all, it wasn’t every day that one ran in to a 700 plus year old demon. “A demon...But how? That kind of sorcer y is, well, a myth.”
    With the same stoicism, Marcho replied, “I assure you, it is not.”
    Lyn frowned, unsure as to what to ask next. “If that is true, what are you doing in Arc? And why did you think you were in Velheleon?”
    “At the time of my arrival, th is place was known as Velheleon. It is only logical, upon hearing it is no longer, to assume that I was elsewhere. I now know better.”
    “Alright then, let me rephrase. Why were you here in the first place?”
    “To carry out my summoner’s orders.”
    While Lyn understood that the demon was not intentionally dodging questions, she twitched at his response; she was beginning to be irritated at having to phrase her questions so specifically. “I deserved that. More to the point, what were your orders?”
    “To locate a nd eliminate the demon Umbra. To return it to the Void at expense of all else, to stay until this is completed, at any cost.”
    “The demon Umbra? There are no demons out in the world, at least not that I know of. Why would you still be here?”
    “I am unable to return to the Astral Plane. Therefore, Umbra is still at large in this world and must be sought.” He seemed to hesitate at this, and to Lyn’s surprise continued, “I was unable to achieve my objective in the old world. I sought this place of refuge to wait for Umbra to move to a new host, to make a mistake that would lead me to it. It appears I was sealed away longer than I had thought.” He looked sidelong at the young girl. “It is curious that I should awaken now. Perhaps I should be asking you the questions.”
    Lyn, taken aback, did not respond. “In what manner did you find me?” he asked with no accusation in his voice. Lyn proceeded to explain her presence in his cave, and why she was there. There hadn’t seemed to be any strange or extenuating circumstance to her, just chance. Marcho did not seem to agree. “The universe works much more efficiently than in simple chance, young one,” he replied, “coincidence is rare at best. I feel a resonance within you. My fate is tied to yours, somehow.”
    Lyn had a diffi cult time understanding what he meant at first, then with a panicked wave of her hands she said, “No, no no, you can’t come with me! I’m supposed to be visiting all the provinces and the people there! Learning, teaching! I can’t have a giant demon beast with me! Can you imagine how people would react? I’d be the first Druid to cause utter discord and chaos!” The two sat in silence for a time, Lyn panting from her outburst.
    After a moment of embarrassing silence while Lyn recovered, Marcho spoke again. “It has been centuries, and the world has been made anew. From your reactions, I determine that the culture of the old world has been destroyed along with it, and the world has reverted to a less developed state. It is impossible that my master is still present; I would have been awakened much sooner if that were the case.” He paused for a moment. Unsure of