Whistle While You Work #13 – Final

Hennessy stood at the tower window with his arms crossed. He was frowning and his brow was furrowed to the point that his eyebrows came close to touching.

Below him, Tomas was loading possessions into his wagon. Maleena sat on the bench, crying.

The man was moving with frantic speed, throwing things into the back with no care for their condition. A few times, the sounds of a crash would make Maleena jump, but Tomas ignored her and rushed back inside for another load.

“Do you have any idea why this is happening?”

The air beside the wizard shimmered as the demoness took form. She looked out the window and shrugged a slender shoulder. “He would appear to be scared. His movements look frightened.”

“He almost died today,” the wizard said. “And he swears that he does not know how he got home.”

The creature said nothing.

They stood side by side for a few minutes, watching the carpenter finish and jump up beside his wife. He grabbed the reigns, snapped them hard enough to make the horses jerk, and left.

“He offered no explanation,” Hennessy said. “He refused to stop packing long enough to talk to me. Even Maleena could not get him to say anything.”

The Demoness said nothing.

***

She walked with slow steps. It was important to appear strong, but she was terrified.

The last messenger who delivered bad news had been dragged through the fields until only the stump of his arm remained.

“You have news?”

Lady JoTaugh jumped. The voice behind her revealed nothing, yet she was sure it held pain.

“The new mage has fled. His fear drives him away from his destiny.”

“Then he is not the one we needed.”

She turned around and looked at her lord with confusion. “I thought he was the one.”

The demon lord smiled and stepped closer. “No, the idea of a chosen one is a lie. The only thing that matters is finding one who will do what we want.”

“There is no chosen one?”

“There has never been a chosen one. Throughout the worlds and all the times, there is only the one who takes action. The lucky one, not the chosen one.”