Chapter eight
I adjusted to the light of the fire as I opened my eyes. When I saw my surroundings, I remembered where I was: in a cave with a Noxlin.
“How did you sleep?” Darce asked from the far corner of the cave.
“You seemed to have had a few nightmares. You glowed so brightly at one point that I had to surround you with darkness. You were a beacon to any beast hunting us. I was worried it might have woken you, but you calmed down.” My powers! Were they finally manifesting?
“My powers come and go,” I lied, sitting up and picking up my leather boots. “I don’t remember any nightmares.”
“You’re not in control of your powers yet?
Are you immortal?” Darce questioned, moving a little closer to me.
In the dim light, I noticed he was only wearing his skin tight trousers and vest. His dark armour had been removed, probably while he’d been resting.
I could see every contour of his muscular body.
His tall, strong frame was well defined.
It was as perfect as his face. I would never tell him that I found him strangely attractive, but it made me wonder if Darce found me as vile as he had suggested.
“I have yet to fully come into my powers, and I’m not sure if I’m immortal,” I lied, pulling my boots on one at a time. “I am hoping Holy Ether will bless me with them once I have completed my pilgrimage to pay respect to Nantu.”
“Holy Ether will probably grant you higher powers if you take down a moon beast.”
“If you have nothing good to say about my moon goddess, I suggest you keep your mouth shut!” My tongue was savage this morning. Perhaps it was everything I had gone through yesterday, but this male irked me so much. A small smirk played on his handsome face. Handsome. What was I thinking?
“I will try my best, but won’t guarantee anything.” He watched as I stood up and dusted myself down. “Maybe I should teach you a few moves with your sword. That way, when you threaten to gut me with it, you actually stand a chance.”
“You would train me?”
“Not train, as such. I would simply give you a fighting chance to defend yourself if anything happened to me.” I didn’t like the idea of losing another protector, even if he was Noxlin. “Are you given any guidance at all by your general?”
“Female Dylin are not allowed to train for battle.” It was a small piece of information that I could offer him.
We had been on many battlefields with the Noxlin.
It wouldn’t have come as a surprise that females weren’t trained.
Only a few powerful ones were allowed on the battlefield, and they were far from the front line.
“Interesting. My kind has always suspected as much.”
“My revelation won’t give you any advancement on the battlefield! Our light power is stronger than your darkness. You can’t defeat us.”
“Let’s leave the politics of war to our leaders, shall we?” Darce tilted his head towards the direction of the cave entrance. “We have bigger things to worry about. If you want me to guide you up the mountains, we’ll need supplies. Do you have any food?”
“I have corn bread.” I reached for my bag, counting the portions I had left.
If we were careful, there was a month’s ration for the both of us.
“I have a month’s worth for us if we’re careful.
” Darce reached to take a piece of cornbread from me.
The expression on his face when he put it into his mouth made me think he’d spit it out.
“That is awful,” he winced, trying to swallow what was left. “No wonder you’re all skin and bones if that is the food you eat!”
“It keeps for months! That’s why we bring it. Do you have any better suggestions on how we’ll survive without food?”
“How good are you with that bow and arrow?” When I frowned at him, Darce continued. “We’ll catch our meals. It’s what my kind do. We enjoy good food, no matter where we go.”
“I know how to hunt.”
“There was almost no hint of annoyance there, Alora. You’re learning.” I didn’t respond to his clear bait. All I wanted was to pay my respects to Nantu and get home as fast as I could.
We were using each other to stay alive. That was why we had this truce. Once Darce and I went our separate ways, we’d be enemies again.
Running him through with my sword was still the outcome I preferred, but I had to be sensible and vigilant. If I wanted to stay alive, I needed him alive, too.
“Eat some of this cornbread.” Throwing a piece at him, Darce caught it with ease, using shadows to guide it to his hands. “Whether you enjoy it or not, it will give you some strength to hunt.”
“For once, I agree with you.”
After our breakfast of cornbread and water, I followed Darce out of the cave. It was daylight, but the two suns hadn’t crested the mountain tops. Pulling my cloak tighter around my body from the chill in the air, I swung my bow and arrows over my back.
“I know of a clearing where the smaller animals graze and go for water. We should be able to hunt there.”
Darce was quick, but silent on his feet. His body almost moved in the same way as the shadows he controlled. Looking down at my hands, I willed my power to the surface, but got nothing but a dull spark. My powers had manifested briefly yesterday, so what was I doing wrong today?
Darce led us to the most beautiful, still lake that was surrounded by mountains. We snuck behind a large rock and waited for something to catch our attention.
****
“DO THE LARGER BEASTS drink here?” I whispered into his ear. Our closeness wasn’t something I found particularly comfortable, but we needed to keep ourselves hidden if we wanted to catch something.
“You’ve already watched me take down a noc beast. Is there really any need to be concerned about other beasts?” The arrogance of this male.
“You said it was mating season. What if two noc beasts come to drink here?”
“This is too far out from their mating grounds. We’ll probably see a few hell dryads and night howlers, though. Are you opposed to killing any of them? You don’t worship any of those beasts, do you?”
Darce was goading me to snap, I could see it in his star-speckled eyes. “Aren’t hell dryads peaceful creatures?” I inquired, ignoring his comment.
“You’ve done your research. Does your kind make you learn all of that before your pilgrimage? You can’t have known that off the top of your head.”
“I enjoy research, actually. The palace library back in Dallethas is one of my favourite places to visit.”
“You’re not a common Dylin female then? I can’t imagine you’d be allowed in that library if you were.” How could I be so foolish, almost giving away my rank like that? Quickly, I rebuffed before answering.
“I work in the palace, not that it’s anything to do with you. All Dylin are granted access to the library should they need it. We are a giving, helpful race.”
Darce snorted under his breath. “As opposed to my race, who are barbaric, ruthless killers? That’s how you describe us, isn’t it?”
“Among other things.” The smirk on my face as I spoke made him narrow his eyes at me.
“That’s what your race wants you to believe. How often have you left your precious city, Dallethas, to explore Afterlight Veil for yourself?”
“This is my first time,” I admitted. “But I know all the battle stories between our races, and the pain your kind has inflicted on us in effort to gain more power.”
“The pain my kind inflicted?” His tone was the most aggressive I’d witnessed since meeting him.
“Do not say another word, or I’ll leave you here to die, you heartless, self-indulged fledgling!
You think you can sit here, preaching to me of battles you know nothing about!
” His dark, deadly eyes froze me to the spot.
This was what Raiden had told me to fear.
The predatory gaze of my enemy was burning deep into my soul.
I had no doubt that Darce could snap me in two with his power.
I had no idea how long our eyes were locked in a fixed stare.
Neither of us seemed to want to break the hold.
I dare not look away, for fear of Darce killing me where I sat.
The turmoil in those eyes as I studied them, though.
The entire universe seemed to be colliding inside their depths.
It made me wonder for a moment what he had seen in battle.
Now wasn’t the time to bring that up. If I valued my life, a change of subject when Darce finally spoke would be a good idea.
A small boar wandered into the clearing, finally breaking our eye contact.
“Let’s see your aim.” Darce’s tone was still annoyed. “You must be useful for something.”
My blood boiled in fury at his statement.
Reaching behind me, I drew my bow and an arrow.
Waiting until the boar was busy drinking and I had a clear shot, I took aim, testing the slight breeze that might make my arrow stray from its target.
It wasn’t enough to worry about. Pulling the string of my bow back, I let my arrow fly.
It struck the boar in the side, killing it instantly.
“Are you disappointed that I didn’t miss?” I seethed at his shocked face. “I’ll have you know, I’m useful for many things!”
“Is that so?” His eyes lightened in humour. “If you’re offering yourself to me, the answer is still no. I’m not sure that I’ll ever find you attractive enough to want you in that manner.”
“Pig!” I seethed, watching him make his way to my kill.
We carried the boar back to the cave, along with more water that we collected from a fresh spring near the lake.
“Are you against me smoking this meat with my shadows to make it last longer?” Darce called over to me as he sliced the boar. “It will bring you no harm, but rancid meat will.”
“If you can eat my cornbread, I trust you with your smoked meat.” After raking the embers of the fire, I put another log on. It was starting to rain outside, and the night was drawing in.
“The cornbread will probably taste better with the meat. It’s so dry.” Slipping out of my cloak, and boots, I moved towards the back of the cave to join him. Darce was in his undergarments again after removing his armour.
“How long have you been out here alone?” I asked, watching him expertly cut up the boar.
“I’m not entirely sure. Around three months, if I had to guess.”
“Three months!” I had only been out here a month and was ready to go home.
“It’s a common thing for my kind. It’s a good test of willpower to come to these mountains alone.”
“Killing those moon beasts is a test for your kind?”
“No, I’m killing for revenge.” I swallowed hard, watching his knife.
“Alora, how many times do I have to say it? If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already.” He snorted, shaking his head.
When Darce was this carefree, his features were.
..beautiful. A surge of light began to glow down my arms towards my hands as my body jolted with a feeling I’d never experienced before.
It was a form of joy, but it bled into every inch of my body.
“Fuck, should I be worried? Can you control it?”
“I’ve never glowed this bright before,” I gasped, studying my hands. Tiny flecks of light were settling all over my arms.
“Try to contain it, if you can. We don’t want to draw any attention to the cave. It’s warded to conceal, but if too many beasts choose to come in. I can’t keep them all back.”
“I’ll try my best.” Taking a deep breath, I tried to channel the light to my fingertips. My powers were starting to manifest; I could hardly believe it. The power ripped through my veins and I closed my eyes, trying to contact the core of it. My skin prickled as heat raced through me.
“Alora! ALORA! Stop!” A cold barrier froze my powers in their tracks, surrounding it.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that Darce had cocooned us with his shadows.
“Control it. You’ll burn out if you don’t.
Try to calm it.” The energy within me blazed, fighting against the cold constraints of his darkness.
“I’m trying to help you. Stop fucking fighting me!
” More of his power pushed against mine, nearly impossible to withstand.
How strong was he? Was he an immortal like me?
With that amount of power, he must be. “Relax. I’ve got you.
” Slowly, I pulled my powers back, willing them to return to my body before finally taking a breath.
“That’s it. Deep breaths. You are the master of your power.
Take control.” By the time I opened my eyes, Darce’s shadows had almost evaporated.
“Find the power in the pit of your stomach and put it out.” Doing as he asked, the last of my power faded.
“That is quite some power for a fledgling.” Darce let out a breath of air.
“I...i...it’s never been that strong before.”
“Your fake moon goddess must know that you are close. We are only a few days walk from your sacred mountain. Perhaps she blessed you already.” He was still watching me intently.
“Or you could give yourself more credit, and realise you’re gifted.
For someone so tiny, that was a lot of power you harnessed. You must be immortal.”
“I’m fairly new to my power. It must be trying to settle.”
“Do you ever give yourself credit?” I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face.
Darce wasn’t someone I could confide in about my power, but he was right: this force within me was mine to control.
Was I on my way to harness the greatest power my kind had ever seen?
Uri, our seer, had seen that in my future.
That kind of power wouldn’t form quickly, it could take centuries to fully manifest. That didn’t matter, though.
Finally, I was on my way to protecting my race.
Looking at the handsome, carefree, male beside me, it made me wonder who exactly I needed to protect them from.
If Darce truly was Noxlin, everything I had been told about my enemy appeared to have been a lie.
Dylin were a pure, truthful, and loving race. Betrayal wasn’t meant to course through our veins.
It made no sense.