Chapter seven
Darce’s residence was inside a large cave, which didn’t surprise me. Dylin believed that Noxlin lived in caves in Eallarim. With their simple minds, they wouldn’t be able to create a city like Dallethas.
It was a basic layout. There was a small fire near the entrance, where I assumed he cooked the food he caught for his meals.
A small sleeping mat was against the side of the cave, not too far from the fire, and there was a jug of collected water near his few belongings.
There was also wood that had been collected to burn, and a bow and arrow leaning against the wall.
I was relieved that he appeared to be out here alone, like me.
I couldn’t see any traces of another Noxlin travelling with him.
“What?” Darce questioned, watching me survey our surroundings.
“Did you think there would be a whole army here ready to ravage you?” For the first time since we’d met, he had rendered me speechless, because that was exactly what I had feared.
“Whatever your race told you about us, you would do better by making your own judgement. You’ll last longer out here that way. ”
“Why are you out here alone?” The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them.
“Why should I tell you that, when you won’t even share your name with me?”
“I’ll tell you why I’m out here,” I countered, not falling into the trap of giving him my name.
It wasn’t the fact that Darce could find out I was the princess from my name.
Names were something that were never shared with either race.
High-powered individuals could be worked out in battle easily.
There was no need to put a name to anyone.
Royal bloodline, power-gifted, or common didn’t matter.
When a name was put to them, it only made them more real and slightly harder to kill.
My guess was that Darce was a Noxlin warrior.
He appeared to have some power, but I wasn’t sure yet how strong his darkness was.
Taking down a noc beast took a great amount of strength, though.
“You can go first. What were you and your friend doing out here alone?” He motioned for me to sit near the fire with him as he removed the sword from his back, leaning it against the far wall of the cave.
I kept my sword close to me. “I have some leftover meat from my hunting trip this morning. Are you hungry?” I was famished, but could I accept food from him?
“I’m not going to harm you. You won’t last a week out here without food in your belly.
” I pulled my cloak tighter around my body with one hand as his eyes wandered over me.
“Oh, please! Get over yourself. You think I would be interested in a creature like you? The Noxlin females back in Eallarim are far more attractive than you. How do you camouflage yourself with that hair?”
“You are just as displeasing to me!” I fumed, snatching the piece of meat that he offered. It shouldn’t have bothered me that he’d insulted me, but a small part of me was stung by his words. “A bath wouldn’t be a bad idea. You smell worse than the noc beast you killed.”
“Ouch! Is this how you treat someone that has saved your life?”
“Raiden saved my life! You merely killed the beast!”
“Were the two of you joined? Did you run away together?”
“I am not answering that!” How dare he ask such a personal question.
“We both have made it perfectly clear that we find each other repulsive. That should put your mind at rest that I mean you no harm. I have no desire to thrust myself upon you. Eat!” At his command, I took a small bite of the meat and groaned at how good it tasted.
It was far better than the corn bread rations Raiden and I had been eating. “When was the last time you ate?”
“Last night, b...before...” I couldn’t finish my words, thinking about Raiden and his sacrifice.
“Before the noc beast attacked?” Darce’s voice was soft as he finished my sentence for me. He seemed almost concerned as he watched me.
“A pack of night howlers invaded our camp first in the early hours of the morning. There had to be over thirty of them. Raiden fended them off while I hid in the tree. He ordered me to. I took out as many I could out with my bow, b...but, it wasn’t quite enough.”
“The noc beast would have smelt all the blood. I was tracking it and couldn’t understand why it suddenly changed its course. Now it makes sense.”
“I should have fought harder. Raiden and I could have taken down the night howlers together.” This was why I had begged my father to allow me to train in battle. With both of us fighting, I might have been able to save Raiden.
“Could you really have made a difference?” Darce’s voice was softer, putting me at ease. My arm was so tired from carrying the sword so far, that I placed it down on the floor beside me. Exhaustion hit me, and I finally sat opposite Darce, watching him for any sudden movements.
Undoing my cloak a little while later, I slipped it off my body. The embers from the fire had made the inside of the cave really warm.
Darce sat there motionless, watching me as I pulled my light brown, knee-high leather boots off.
My feet throbbed when released from their confines.
My dark grey, gold threaded, trousers were covered in blood and dirt.
My fitted, white tunic had fared better because of the small amount of gold armour I had around my waist and elbows.
“There is no point wondering what you could have done. Your friend is gone. Survival is all you should be focusing on now.” Darce finally spoke, reaching out to offer me some of his water.
“That’s not poisoned either,” he chuckled as I cautiously looked into the jug.
“I’m not sure how you could tell by looking at it, though.
Unless that is some special power you Dylin females have.
” Glaring, I took a small sip before realising how thirsty I was.
After taking six large gulps, I came back up for air and handed the jug back to him.
“If the two of you weren’t running away, what were you doing out there? ”
“We were on a pilgrimage to the sacred mountains,” I muttered, looking away from him as I rubbed my tired feet.
“Sacred mountains?” Frowning at me, he ate the remaining meat near the fire, before downing some water.
“What could you possibly find that is sacred in those mountains? Doesn’t your kind realise how dangerous it is up there?
” Of course, a Noxlin would see nothing wrong with the hardship our moon goddess, Nantu, had to endure from his race.
“We go and pay our respects to our moon goddess.”
Darce let out a loud laugh, clapping his hands together. “Oh, please don’t tell me you Dylin’s pay their respects to Nantu? You know she was a Noxlin, right?”
“Lies!” I spat, standing up so quickly it startled him. “Take that back, or I’ll run you through with my blade!”
“Can we stop with all your heroics? We both know you can hardly lift that sword. Your stance suggests you know nothing about wielding such a weapon. At least have your feet wider apart!” At his words, I shuffled my feet further apart.
“That’s a little better,” he snorted. Darce hadn’t even stood up, which showed how menacing I must have looked to him.
“Take. It. Back!” Over pronouncing each word, I glowered towards him.
“You have two choices, Dylin. Sit the fuck down and listen to my version of your moonlight goddess, or leave this cave and find your own way home.” Darce threw another log onto the fire.
“I don’t care either way, but if you choose to stay, your sulky, adolescent attitude ends now! How did your friend put up with you?”
“You are infuriating!” I threw my hands up in the air for a moment before I sat back down and crossed my arms.
“You’re still sulking,” he pointed out with a smirk on his face.
“Tell your damn story!”
Darce tended to the fire, stoking the embers a little so the log would catch fire faster.
“Nantu was born of darkness, but became corrupted by moonlight. Like a moth to a flame, she bonded with a powerful Dylin for love, and cursed herself.” I didn’t believe a word of it.
Nantu was never a Noxlin! “When she realised that it was not love but her power of the darkness that the Dylin wanted, Nantu killed herself by jumping off the sacred mountains near Specter Isle. Her selfish actions caused many Noxlin deaths. King Solace sent his best warriors to collect her when he learnt of her Dylin lover’s deceit, but he was too late. She was a dear friend to him.”
“Of course your kind would paint yourselves out to be the heroes.”
“I haven’t finished the story yet,” he scolded, warning me with his deadly black eyes.
A whole star system appeared to reflect back in his dark orbs.
It was something I hadn’t noticed until now.
I motioned for him to continue. “Nantu’s soul beasts will hunt any lonely Noxlin or Dylin found wandering the Barren Lands, draining them of their power and life force.
It’s said that you can still hear her screams near the mountain.
You enter the land at your own peril.” The ending may have been very similar to our own myth, but that was where it ended.
“That may be your legend, but our stories are very different.”
“Let’s hear yours. I would love to compare.”
“You won’t mock me?”
Darce held his hands up as a sign of surrender. “Tell your legend. You have my word, I won’t interrupt you.”