by Jon David
The mayor ignored the second question. “We must give peace a chance to prevail. He is our neighbor.”
A woman rose from the crowd, and the mayor gave her the floor. “Miss Ramirez?”
“Why wasn’t the new ordinance put to a vote?”
Sounds of approval echoed through the audience.
“The city elders and I all agree that allowing demons into town, so long as they’re peaceful, is a step in the right direction.”
Miss Ramirez appeared a bit annoyed but kept her composure. “But…we had an incident earlier today. Everyone is talking about it.”
There were rumblings from the audience.
A voice called out, “Two demons attacked some girl.”
Morgalla sank in her seat.
Pleasedontnoticeme, pleasedontnoticeme, pleasedontnoticeme…
“What does the sheriff think?” another person asked.
“Sheriff Dillon assures me it was just some sort of misunderstanding.”
“We wouldn’t have this problem if you didn’t let demons in town.”
Again, grumblings of disapproval came from the townsfolk. The mayor raised her hand. “We feel that peace with Lord Makrus can be achieved.”
“At what price?” Ramirez asked. “What are we giving up, and what is he offering?”
“He offers protection.”
Another man rose with his hand in the air. “Protection from whom? He’s the only one we have to fear.”
“Makrus has never declared war or attacked us in any way.” The mayor spoke with clarity.
“But…if we allow those who follow him and only him into town, that might be a prelude to an invasion.”
The people applauded the man speaking. Morgalla wanted to stand and tell them of her experiences, but good sense kept her silent and still.
Morgalla detected the apprehension of the mayor. She kept a calm demeanor on the outside, but the demon-in-disguise knew better. The audience was quickly becoming a mob.
The mayor had to wait for them to calm down again. “We cannot let fear rule our lives. Since before any of us were born, the inhabitants of this town have let the shadow of Dracon Peak rule their lives with fear. We must give peace a chance.”
Morgalla was uncomfortable being in a room full of souls who were all skeptical and borderline angry. She felt her heart race and tried to keep calm thinking about guavas.
The meeting was adjourned, and Morgalla noticed at least it had stopped raining. With wet clothes, she still trembled under her cloak. Night had fallen, and she wasn’t looking forward to the possibility of sleeping in a tree again. As her teeth chattered, she felt fear course through her because of the uncertainty. This was the first time being away from Delilah…who always knew what to do.
“Are you okay, dear?”
Morgalla turned and saw a frail woman with white hair. She was shorter even than her, and that was saying something.
“Oh…uh…yeah. I’ll be okay,” Morgalla replied.
“You don’t look okay. I saw what happened earlier today with those horrible demons.”
“I’m…well, I’ve faced worse.”
“I feel so bad for you Izari sometimes. You won’t be able to get back to your camp in the dark.”
Again with that name. What were these Izari? Why did so many people think Morgalla was one of them?
“I’m not…”
The small woman interrupted her. “Do you have a place to sleep tonight, dear?”
It took little convincing for Morgalla to go with the woman because she was offering a warm, dry bed. They walked slowly. The woman could only move so fast. Morgalla thought for a moment that maybe she might need some help, but with her spirit, she seemed as strong as any of the younger people in town. As they arrived at the woman’s home, Morgalla realized she didn’t even know her name.
“Oh, by the way, I’m Morgalla.”
“My name is Doretta, but please call me Dottie.”
Dottie’s home was small and humble, but it was clean and warm. After helping her build a fire, Morgalla was shown to a bedroom.
“This belonged to our daughter years ago, but it hasn’t been used for a while. Hope it’s okay.”
Morgalla’s heart lifted, and she couldn’t help but smile. “It’s perfect, thank you.”
She hung her wet clothes around the room and slipped under the thick, warm blankets. Exhausted from the day’s activities, Morgalla found sleep easily.
Morgalla was awakened by the rays of the morning sun. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and climbed out of bed. She ran her fingers through her hair and noticed her ears had grown much larger, and her horns had returned. Surprised, she rushed to the mirror on the wall and saw the demon face again. She’d changed back overnight. She closed her eyes and concentrated, hoping maybe she had some sort of power over this transformation. When opening her eyes again, the human disguise had returned. Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked to the window and watched Dottie outside gathering kindling and firewood from a woodpile. Morgalla dressed in her britches, tunic, and boots and ran outside. Dottie was having some trouble lifting some of the logs, so Morgalla insisted she carry them inside.
The old woman was overjoyed. “Oh, thank you, dear.”
They built a fire in the kitchen stove, and Dottie made some breakfast. With a rumbling stomach, Morgalla was thrilled by the smells that filled the room.
“Why are you so nice?”
Dottie glanced over her shoulder, confused. “Why wouldn’t I be? See, that’s the problem with some people in this or any other world. Why shouldn’t we help each other?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so suspicious.”
“Well, you Izari have faced some troubles, I know. But you have a lot of supporters here in town. More than you may think.”
Hearing the word again made Morgalla roll her eyes. Thankfully Dottie didn’t notice.
“How come they don’t want Izari in town?”
“Your parents never told you? Well, if you ask me, it’s due to the whole witchcraft thing. Maybe also because they’re children of nature. But some might still hold a grudge for being brought here against our will.”
Dottie served breakfast, and Morgalla shoveled the food into her mouth. “Against your will?”
“Oh, it happened long before even I was born. We were all brought here from a planet called Earth.”
“Brought?”
“Abducted for slave labor to work in their mines. Damn demons.”
Morgalla swallowed hard and frowned. “Yeah, um…damn demons.”
“A wizard and his followers tried to fight them and get our people home, but unfortunately that didn’t go over too well. We won our freedom from that bastard Makrus and his father, but with the portal here so small and only leading to Hell, we weren’t going anywhere.”
“And you’ve been trapped here ever since?”
“Well, trapped is a strong word. Remember this happened long ago and no one is alive anymore who remembers the great revolt. Ever since then some people went with the wizard and his clan…your people…but the majority of us stayed here to build the town. They must not talk about this among your clan.”
“No…no, we don’t.”
“Well, now that bastard Makrus lives up in his castle on Dracon Peak with his followers. Pardon my language, dear, but there’s the constant fear that he might come down and try to conquer us again. Some of our own people have gone up and joined him. I guess they felt he could offer them a better life.”
Morgalla had more questions, but they were interrupted by someone entering the house. It was a woman dressed in heavy clothes, middle-aged if Morgalla had to guess by her appearance and her soul. The woman seemed surprised she was there.
“Hi.”
“Uh…hi,” the woman replied with a note of apprehension. “Mother, a word please.”
Dottie excused herself and went into the next room with her daughter. The women thought Morgalla couldn’t hea
r them, but little did they know the demon in disguise had great hearing. Dottie’s daughter was aggravated for sure, not just from her soul but from the sound of her voice. The women tried to keep their voices down, but she was still able to hear some of the words.
“Alek said you brought an Izari girl home?”
Dottie’s command was immediate. “Keep your voice down.”
Morgalla felt uncomfortable as she crunched on the bacon. She ate every crumb on her plate quickly as the two women had their discussion in the next room. Morgalla searched around the kitchen and noticed the sink and the area where clean dishes were put to dry after she had washed them. By the time she was done, Dottie had walked back in.
She snapped at her daughter, “My breakfast is cold now, Sera. Thank you.” Dottie noticed Morgalla had done the dishes and was holding the last clean plate. “Oh, sweetie you didn’t have to do that.”
“Well, I…” Morgalla started, but Dottie reached for the dish and put it in the cupboard.
“I’m amazed she even knows how to clean anything,” Sera said as she left.
With a slam of the front door, Morgalla felt the embarrassment from her benefactor. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay.”
“I just don’t know why she’s so untrusting. Don’t let that make you think this isn’t a good place to live. Really, it is. We stand by our neighbors and have done so for generations.”
“That’s what I like about it.”
“I’m sure there’s a place for you here.”
“Well, where I’m from is a little difficult at times to live. There’s only one reason why I would stay.”
“Is it because of someone close? Family perhaps?” Dottie asked. Morgalla nodded. “Why not bring them here too?”
“I don’t know if Delilah would fit in here.”
Dottie took Morgalla’s hand and squeezed it as much as an old woman could. Morgalla managed a smile.
13
The Forest of Iron
Delilah remained on Morgalla’s mind over the next couple of days. Dottie was more than accommodating, and Morgalla even offered her money as compensation for giving her a place to stay. She took every moment to help around the home, primarily cleaning up.
Most mornings Morgalla woke to a mist among the surrounding mountains. On this day the air was cool and crisp, and the fog cleared up before midday. People went about their business. Where demons had sneers on their faces, and their souls hid dark emotions, these humans were actually quite happy and weren’t afraid to show it.
One afternoon, Dottie was standing on a footstool in front of the fireplace, trying to reach for something that hung above it.
“Want me to get that?” Morgalla asked.
“Oh, thank you, dear. Even when I was as young as you, I’d still have trouble reaching it.”
Morgalla stood on the step and stretched to reach the object Dottie wanted. It was long and rested on a rack made of wood. Her delicate hands grasped the cold metal, and she lifted the heavy object down.
Now standing on the floor, Morgalla looked curiously at the item made of heavy metal and wood.
“What is it?”
“It’s a rifle.”
“Oh, I thought it was a gun.”
Dottie laughed. “A rifle is a kind of gun, dear.” She set the heavy weapon on the coffee table. Morgalla noted that she had already laid out a large cloth and a pile of small tools. “Even though this hasn’t been fired in a while, we still gotta keep it clean.”
Dottie’s hands, weak and arthritic, struggled to hold and open the device. Morgalla gladly did the heavy work, and her elderly companion showed her how to do it. She also couldn’t help but notice the name Robert Haven engraved into the metal.
Morgalla pointed to it. “Who is this?”
Dottie paused, and Morgalla sensed a slight shift in her soul. “He…was my husband.” She then nodded to the framed photograph of a much younger Dottie with a man and two young girls. “It’s been difficult without him. This weapon hasn’t been fired in almost two years, but it needs to stay clean. Just in case.” Morgalla continued to wipe the weapon. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
Morgalla looked at her. “I…well, I guess I don’t have much to talk about.”
“Please, you’re more than welcome to say something here.”
Morgalla smiled. “Yeah, I know.”
“I take it you’ve never fired a gun before?”
“No.”
“Well, I could teach you, but I don’t know how good a teacher I would be. But if you’re as handy with a firearm as you are with a sword, you would be an asset to the community.”
“How did you know?”
“The sheriff told me,” Dottie answered and pointed to the pendant hanging around Morgalla’s neck.
“Well, it’s just for defense…”
“Don’t need to explain anything to me. The world is a dangerous place. We all need to know how to defend ourselves.”
Later in the day, they went shopping for groceries. Morgalla contributed some money and carried the bags home. Dottie even taught her how to cook on an item she called a stove.
Dottie had noticed that Morgalla’s clothes were a little dirty and torn, and she offered to take her to their local retailer to buy some new clothes. Dottie offered to pay, but Morgalla insisted that she use her earnings for them.
Walking back to Dottie’s home, Morgalla couldn’t help but hear a slight rumbling in the distance, and it wasn’t thunder.
“What’s that?”
“What’s what?”
“That sound, it’s coming from over there.”
“My goodness, you have good ears. I don’t even hear anything. You must be talking about the river and the new electric station.”
“What’s electric?”
“Electricity,” Dottie said as she pointed to one of the tall street lamps. “They’re gonna light all those up with electric power. Can you believe it?”
Morgalla could only stare with confusion.
“Why don’t we go take a look, if you’re curious,” Dottie suggested.
The rumbling got louder the closer they got to the station. As they reached the entrance to the massive brick and steel building, a man and a woman appeared in front. Morgalla guessed they were guards because of their weapons and the same gold star she’d seen on the sheriff.
Dottie waved. “Hi, Suzin. Hi, Rik.”
They smiled at Dottie and nodded politely to Morgalla. She returned the gestures.
“My friend Morgalla here was just curious about the station.”
The female deputy looked at her companion and then back to the old woman. “Well, we have strict orders from the mayor herself. The station is going to be under guard twenty-eight, seven.”
“Oh, that’s a shame.”
Rik interjected. “I suppose if it was just a minute or two…”
The iron doors parted, and the two women entered the massive structure. What had been a light rumbling on the outside was a grinding of steel and a hiss of steam. Morgalla’s jaw dropped at the massive machines all around her that rocked and turned. Wheels with teeth spun at different speeds. Some were small, but others reached as high as the ceiling.
Dottie found a seat to rest her weary bones, but Morgalla explored this strange man-made forest before her. She soon lost herself in the scene and didn’t even notice the group of people touring the facility. When she froze as if she had done something wrong, they all looked at her.
“I didn’t touch anything, I swear,” Morgalla said.
The mayor stepped up and laughed. “I asked what you thought of our new achievement.”
“Um…well, it’s certainly impressive. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“You don’t work here?”
Uh-oh.
Morgalla’s eyes grew wide. “I…I’m here with someone.”
“She’s with me.” Dottie stepped forward. “We were just curious
about the station, is all.”
“I see…” the mayor replied.
“We should be going, dear.”
Dottie took Morgalla’s hand, and they left. As they walked out, Morgalla had to take a peek over the iron railing and watch the mighty river that flowed past the station.
“What does it do, actually?”
“Oh, the station? Well, somehow the river runs by, makes all the gears in there turn, and we get power for all the new electric lights.” The old woman shrugged. “I have no idea more than the basics, but they say it will light up the town at night, and soon it will heat our homes during the winter.”
A single whispered word escaped Morgalla’s lips. “Wow.”
They were making their way back home when a procession met them in the street. Dottie hadn’t seen it at first, but when she did, she stopped and made a strange gesture to Morgalla.
“I forgot Deni Santamaria’s funeral was today.”
Morgalla was silent, clutching the paper bag of groceries to her chest. The procession walked past. A group of six people were carrying a large wooden box, and a crowd of people trailed behind them. Morgalla felt her heart start to race. She took a few steps back, feeling the black cloud of people in mourning.
Morgalla noted the size of the box.
It looks big enough for someone to fit inside…
Her hand then went to her mouth due to her epiphany.
She tried her best to hide her reaction to the procession, but her sweating forehead was a giveaway.
“You okay, dear?”
“Y…yeah, I’m all right.”
Dottie took her by the shoulder and led her away. Morgalla felt a lot better when they got home.
“What will they do with her?” Morgalla asked.
“Oh, they have to burn the body. Otherwise, that witch who lives up in the mountain will bring her back.”
“What?”
“Why yes, sweetie. She brings back the dead to work in the mines of that bastard Makrus.”
Morgalla’s hand went to her mouth in shock.
“Believe me,” Dottie continued, “what we wouldn’t give to get our hands on that witch.”
“Why haven’t you? There’s thousands of people living here.”