Love as a Form of Binding Ch. 09

They walked toward the entrance together, the little imp reaching up to hold the hand of the old demoness as they went. They looked a little alike, both on their hooves and with their wings folded behind them. They might have even been related if one looked at first glance, but one was an old demon and the other was a rather young imp, and from that vantage point, they were not really the same at all.

"Ye'll really come back?" Illa asked a little nervously, "I'm afraid that I am dreaming all of this."

Mother freed her hand for a moment and gently slapped the imp's bare flank once. Illa rubbed her haunch in surprise and looked up, "What was that for?"

"Come," the rich voice reverberated in the old vaulted hall as she chuckled, "we still need to wash, now that you know that you aren't dreaming."

After bathing and eating, Mother leaned back against a wall with Illa sitting next to her. They'd talked for hours and she decided that she liked the imp quite a bit. Mother knew how Illa must have felt over all of this time here alone. At eighty, Illa was really just reaching her prime as a young imp female. To have lived here like this for most of her life had to be terrible.

She felt Illa move and she opened her golden eyes to look down in curiosity as Illa leaned against her. She admired the girl's long dark brown hair, so sleek and lovely now that it was clean, though like her own, it was still wet. The sight of her little ram's horns made her smile.

"I feel like I'm owin' ye so much already, "Illa said, "and ye gi me such comfort. I'm wanting tae gi ye something back but I've nothing tae give."

The demoness smiled, "Just tidy up what you can and it will be enough. Do you know anything of the passages on the lower level? Could you guide us?"

"Aye," Illa nodded, "But I've nae been there for a long while now and I can nae get the door open. I think it's been charmed tae stay shut."

"Leave the opening of the doors to me," mother said as she began to get up.

"I've got to get back. I'll see you in a few days, Illa. I'm happy to have met you."

The little face grew worried as she looked at the tall demon. "Are ye really coming back, Mother? Please, ... don't leave me here all alone again. I dinnae think I can bear it to be alone again."

"I will come back, Illa, "she said, "if you wish, you can come with me, but the trip would be cold and you'd have to make the journey twice. Meeting the others might be a shock all at once, too. The choice is yours. I'll carry you both ways if you want that."

Illa decided that she could wait, since she wanted to clean the place as much as she could to repay her new friend for the kindness of bringing her the deer. She hugged the demoness tightly and kissed her cheek, "No, I think I'll stay and clean up as you asked."

When Mother stood up, Illa laid her head against that one spot above the mound of the demoness for a moment and she sighed as she held herself against the tall one tightly, feeling the same sort of comfort that she'd known as a child.

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Illa was on her way back to the hall from the newer manor house. Clearing away the rubble had taken a day of hard work for someone of her stature, but she hadn't really minded it. By rights it ought to have been done long ago anyway. The floor had taken most of another day. She'd gone to the manor house and taken a bucket, a broom and a mop, carrying them all back to the small rear entrance in the gully. After a lot of sweeping, she'd made countless trips to the well for water to wash the floor with, but now it looked much more presentable and almost neat.

The cleaning gear then presented her with a problem. She had nowhere to keep it, and she knew that sooner or later it would be missed. The hall was reputed to be haunted as far as most of the people in the area knew, but she doubted that any of the tales included the theft of things such as she'd taken, so she'd stolen back to return them.

She was most of the way back when she felt the approach of the ones that Mother had told her about. Illa's heart thrilled in a bit of fear, but mostly, she was excited. She began to run for the bolt hole. She wanted to get a look at them from a place where she was at least a little sure that they couldn't see her easily and she'd need to get there first for that. She dove into the hole and ran up the small steps to the hall. Once there, she flew up to a small niche and hid herself.

She wondered what they'd look like. She thought her tall friend was beautiful, and hoped that the rest were all like that as well. Though there hadn't been any around for a while, she'd seen enough ugly goblins to last her a time yet, she thought. Demons looked much nicer to her.

Illa could just hear the quiet clatter of their hooves on the stones at the top of the entrance way steps and she fidgeted a little in her excitement. Mother had told her that a demonlaird was coming. She wondered what a male like that must look like.

A thought crossed her mind that she wanted to see a male demon a little more her size, but she knew that she'd likely never see one living here. Illa had long ago given up wondering where she might find a male imp, but it was still a pleasant little thought to imagine one when she frigged herself at night.

She hadn't even seen a single one of their hooves when Illa caught a glimpse of something utterly amazing as a small shape shot down the stairs ahead of the rest to stop and look around.

Her friend hadn't told her anything about this one.

There was still enough light left in the day to filter down here, and to Illa it lit up a grand sight for her little heart. She was looking at a young kobold with long blonde hair flying behind him as he began to run around in joy, peeking here and there as though he was trying to be sure that he was really there in this place.

He turned a little away from her and she caught sight of his tail, a little different from her own, she thought as she admired his bottom. She sighed to herself quietly.

But when he turned around and stepped forward, thinking that he'd heard something, Illa almost gasped and had to make a conscious effort to hold herself still. She wondered how it might feel to kiss those lips and hold someone like that to her tightly. The thought felt so good to her, but then she felt her mouth begin to drop open as she stared leaning forward a little to see better.

She almost fell for a moment, but she caught herself and sat back again. Illa smiled to herself, remembering that Mother had said something about a small surprise, and if this wasn't just that, well then she didn't know what was.

She really hoped that there was no female kobold in the group.