Margit Sandemo: The Ice People 33 - Demon of the Night

“You can see for yourself,” he moaned. “You must find me a proper bed.”

Vanja teased him: “I thought demons didn’t sleep in proper beds?”

“No, and they don’t wear trousers either,” he retorted angrily. Then he stretched out in bed. “I love to lie like this. I’ll become a truly decadent demon.”

She stared at him. “You certainly didn’t hear me use that word!”

Tamlin didn’t seem at all guilty. “Oh, I suppose I must have picked it up somewhere else.”

“You’ve been out among other people! You mustn’t ...! How did you get out? Can you reach the key? Because I always lock my door from the outside when I go out!”

“Dead simple!” he said wearily, because that was an expression that Vanja used often. “Doors!”

“Yes, what about doors?”

“Listen here, hell-cow! What do you honestly think a demon is? A baby?”

Tamlin got up and walked over to the door. He walked straight at it and disappeared. Then he came back with a triumphant smile on his face. When he smiled, it was from ear to ear in his slender face. His narrow lips seemed to stretch as wide as he wanted. His nose was quite small and was actually the only human feature in his horrible face.

“Abracadabra,” he said happily.

“And here am I looking after you so carefully!” she moaned. “So why on earth do you stay in my room?”

“Because it’s comfortable,” he said breezily. “That way I’ve got somebody to tease. You’re just so incredibly stupid!”

“Oh, thank you! Well, you can go where you like, you little beast. I don’t intend to be at your beck and call!”

Tamlin just laughed. “Get me a new bed!”

“Oh, you’d like that, would you? You can jolly well sleep on the floor.”

“So I’m back in favour, am I?”

“Have I any choice? I can’t let you walk about among the others day and night, can I?”

Then she turned her back on him. She heard him pull his bed linen and mattress down onto the floor.

Vanja had almost fallen asleep when she suddenly stiffened. Something was quietly creeping into her bed behind her back.

Tamlin whispered hoarsely: “The floor is so uncomfortable.”

“But you can’t just ...”

“Oh, yes, I’m fine here,” he replied, arching his back.

He was quite cold. He placed one hand over her chest while his bony knees dug into her back.

Somehow, Vanja couldn’t help feeling touched that this small, lonely creature didn’t have anywhere to sleep. She turned over and tucked her arm under his neck, which made him creep closer and breathe in the warmth from her throat. Just like a little child, she thought.

“What on earth are you wearing?” she whispered. “These aren’t your doll’s trousers, are they?”

Tamlin chuckled quietly. “They got too small. They felt tight around ...”

“That’ll do, thank you! I don’t want to hear bad words. I suppose you’re right, the trousers must have been uncomfortably small. What are you wearing instead?”

“Your nice white scarf. It makes an excellent loincloth – far more suitable for a demon than those ridiculous trousers.”

Vanja sighed heavily. “My best scarf!”

“You’ve only got yourself to thank. I’d prefer to be without it. But since you’re such a prudish young person, who can’t stand the sight of a healthily built ...”

“Tamlin!” she hissed, but didn’t manage to drown his horrible little word. “Oh, you little beast! What am I to do with you?”

“Oh, you’ve nothing to complain about; you’re all right,” he said smugly. “Let’s try and get some sleep, shall we?”

“I doubt whether you sleep at all!” she murmured.

“That’s none of your business,” he replied cheekily. “Now go to sleep, stupid.”

Actually, it was quite nice having somebody else in her bed. It was just like when young André lay next to her. She felt protective and also touched. She pulled Tamlin closer to her, stroking his stiff hair. She could feel that he was chuckling – a mocking laughter.

In the middle of the night, she was woken up by a sensation in her body she had never experienced before. It was a wonderful, ticklish feeling between her thighs: something smooth and gentle had slipped in. Vanja turned quite stiff, thinking that she had a snake in her bed.

Then she remembered Tamlin, who was lying next to her, apparently peacefully asleep. His tail had slipped into the most secret part of her body and was rubbing back and forth between her thighs. Suddenly, the small, heart-shaped tip found its way to the opening right in front, vibrating like the tongue of a lizard on an extremely sensitive spot she hadn’t even known she had.

With a swift movement, she pulled it away. “Out! Out of my bed,” she whispered hoarsely. She could hardly say the words because she felt such strong sensations all across her abdomen and right down her thighs.

Tamlin woke up drowsily. “What are you doing with my tail?” he asked her in a reproachful tone of voice. “Leave it alone!”

“You aren’t asleep! Out you go, I don’t want to see such bad manners!”

“What sort of manners? Am I to blame for what my tail gets up to when I’m asleep?”

This remark showed very clearly that he knew perfectly well what had happened. “Dear Vanja, it will never happen again! It was an accident. My tail wasn’t used to lying so close to an unexplored being. Forgive its curiosity. Now it knows what you look like. It won’t happen again. Can we sleep now?”

“Will you promise?” she asked, still so agitated that she was shaking all over. The worst thing was that she would have liked the tail to carry on, which made her feel ashamed of herself.

“Of course, I promise,” he replied. “On my word of honour!”

What might a demon’s word of honour be worth? However, afraid of revealing how shockingly aroused she was, she didn’t dare insist on throwing him out.

“Tamlin, if that happens again, you must know that it will be the end of our friendship because I won’t want to see you again. Understand?”

“Yes, yes, Vanja, yes, yes,” he muttered, creeping down beside her again just as before. She relaxed. She didn’t see Tamlin’s smile. Because he had also discovered a new, exciting game that was surprisingly pleasant.

He sighed with satisfaction. This big warm bed was really nice!

Chapter 3

One night a few weeks later, Tamlin, the demon of the night, sat up in bed. He pulled his ears back, bending his horrible head slightly and placing his arms protectively over it.

What he feared most had come again.

The voice that made him cringe in submissiveness and fear was calling.

It called from far away, like an echo on the wind.

“Slave,” it whispered slowly and hoarsely. “Slave! Slave, miserable creep. Can you hear me?”

“I’m coming,” answered Tamlin’s thoughts.

For a moment, he looked down at the sleeping girl beside him and quickly pulled the blanket over her head so that she couldn’t see him. Then he slipped out of the half-open window and took off. His wings were now fully developed but he tended to keep them pressed closely together on his back, so that Vanja had never seen how big they were: now they unfurled themselves in the night, carrying him swiftly far away.

He knew instinctively where he needed to go because this wasn’t the first time that he had given a report. The voice had been calling him since before he was able to fly, when he had had to stand outside during the night, sending thoughts to his lord and master. He had been proud of his honourable task. Now he was big enough to be allowed to meet his awesome ruler face to face, albeit not in reality, as Tamlin was aware. He was to meet a replica, strong enough to control and subdue the demons of the night that Tengel had in his power.