6 Story Time

Clober went to bed unusually late that night. Brightise was counting down the minutes until the moment her sister would fall asleep and she would be able to get Paula alone.

Unfortunately, Paula's five children were a bad influence on her. It was well past 11 o'clock when Clober started feeling sleepy. Brightise led her to the smallest bedroom in Paula's house and tucked her in.

That was when Clober asked her the question she was dreading the most.

"Where is Morral? Can't we go find her? She must be lonely."

Brightise racked her brains for something to say.

"Oh, we will. You just have to rest a little first. It was really kind of Paula to let us stay here for the night. Did you say thank you to her?"

Clober nodded with sleepy eyes.

"Good girl."

Brightise rose up and left the room quietly. Paula was waiting for her by the fireplace. She was weaving something, but she set it down on her lap as soon as Brightise approached her.

Brightise sat down as far away from the fire as she could. She knew it was necessary to keep the house warm, but the memory of that wall of burning flames around her was still fresh.

"Why did they take her?" she asked Paula straightforwardly.

Paula sighed. "What do you know about Fire Demons?"

"They are evil and all-powerful and a disaster for our crops."

Paula shook her head. "Fire Demons are not evil. They set fire to villages and forests, because fire is what is keeping them alive. If the flames on their heads and hands go out, they will die. They can't enter the Land of Flowers, because the Elves won't let them near their forests, so they're left with us humans to torture. The Land of Warriors is too much trouble, so they usually attack Selgonfield. Simple People have no special powers, so we are easy targets. You are too young to know this, but Desert Danagan used to be a part of Selgonfield. The Fire Demons burned it to the ground 300 years ago. It's actually not a real desert. There is no sand there. Only ashes."

"What does this have to do with my sister?" Brightise asked.

"Twenty five years ago, during one of their raids, one of the Fire Demons did something unspeakable. He fell in love with a human. He didn't burn down her house or ruin her yard, as he was supposed to. Instead, he watched her. She was the most beautiful creature he had seen in the whole Land of Oasis. No Fire Demon, Elf or Warrior could compare to her."

"The demon did not hurt her, and when one of his brothers tried to set fire to her house, he warned her and helped her escape. The woman was afraid at first, but soon she realized that he was not like the others. Every time the Fire Demons would attack her village, he would warn her in advance. The two of them became tentative friends, and that friendship soon turned into love."

"There was one insurmountable problem though. The demon could not touch her. Like all Fire Demons, his hair and the palms of his hands were on fire. If he tried to touch her, he would burn her alive."

"There was only one solution, one way for the demon to turn into a human and live with her forever. The Fire Demon jumped into a river. He experienced the most excruciating pain he ever had, but when he got out of the water, he was no longer a demon. The fire on his hands and hair had been extinguished. His palms had obvious burn marks on them, and his hair had turned into the most brilliant red color."

"That demon was your father."