Chapter 32

As the mid-afternoon sun shone down on Nathair's back, he approached the western village of this northern mountain range. He did so slowly, making sure the people could see the female in his arms without interference.

There were no forests here, just meadows and hills rolling forever across the horizon. The river his pond was connected to rushed nearby. Grass swayed in the flower-filled wind, causing flurries of pollen, dust, and floating seeds to swirl around him.

He'd seen this village from a distance many times in the last few months, but he'd never approached the tall, wooden-stake wall that encompassed it.

At its base, surrounding the semi-circle village, were metal and wooden spikes sticking out from the ground, hoping to deter hungry predators. Small metal prongs had been hammered into the bottom sections of the stakes, acting as further deterrents for those who wished to climb.

The village itself pressed deeply up against a mountain wall. The stone had been carved smooth purposefully, likely to prevent Demons from climbing their way in from above. Smelted chains criss-crossed the village in an ingenious metal canopy, stopping anything that attempted to fly in from above from landing.

Being this deep in a mountain range, the humans had figured out a way to truly keep monsters at bay. It wasn't foolproof, as he doubted anything would stop a rather large Demon, but everything they'd done would ensure there were fewer casualties.

He figured they had found a large iron or steel deposit to mine. That, or they traded with the other village to the east of here for it. Either way, one village had the metal, and the other the coal to produce the materials for both villages to survive in such harsh, Demon-infested conditions.

A horn blared as he slithered up an incline. It wasn't the first time he'd heard it, and he doubted it'd be the last.

When the ground levelled out, the village's wooden doors came into view. Archers, wearing fluffy brown animal-hide armour, nocked their arrows and pointed them at him.

Nathair halted and folded his tail underneath himself to ‘sit' while he waited for them to decide on what to do. He did nothing as he let the sun warm him and the weak female in his arms. Linh's heart was steady, but her limpness continued to infuriate as well as dismay him.

She grows paler with every hour.

He doubted she'd eaten or drank anything before their intimacy. The last time she'd ingested anything would have been before she went to sleep. That was two nights ago. Her stomach grumbled, and her lips had produced a thick layer of sticky saliva.

Nathair cupped the side of her face as he held her in his cradle.

For a long while, no human dared to move. He could hear their chatter, their curious questions. Then a man, who was dressed in plain clothing, approached the top of the wall. Nathair met his gaze, and its familiarity to the weak female in his arms was unmistakable.

Even with the distance between them, he noticed the similar colour of their eyes. His skin was a light, fawny brown, his short hair black as night, and he had the same softness to his eyes. The biggest similarity was their nose and ears.

"Linh!" the man shouted, shoving the soldier out of the way as he scrambled to climb down some kind of ladder. "Tahlia. It's Linh!"

A ring of gasps sounded before chatter increased, and Nathair's vision clouded when their voices mixed with the ones in his mind.

"Open the gate," her father shouted. When nothing happened, his bellow was louder, grainier, and far more infuriated. "Open the fucking gate!"

A few grunts followed. Within minutes, a crank began to turn, chains clinked and clanked, and there was a schluck of sliding wood before it thudded against the ground. The large doors creaked as they parted, and her father instantly ran out.

Behind him, two men followed, wielding a sword and a battle axe, and both wore hide armour. Their garments were dark, as if they wished to give the appearance of shadows – which was wise when hunting Demons. It was best not to glimmer, as that could be an attractant even at night.

Nathair choked and was forced to halt his breath when her father approached. He reeked of fear, but none of it appeared to be for himself. Instead, her father braved coming closer to Nathair, as if the human could tell that he had no ill intention.

"Please," her father begged, holding out his arms. "My name is Kai. I'm her father, and the mayor of this town. Please. Please give me my daughter."

Nathair didn't.

Instead, he tilted his head towards the two men behind him, pointing their weapons up at his skull. Nathair gave a low, hissing growl for them to back the fuck up. Kai looked behind him, and the human male almost produced a growl himself.

"Get back, you idiots!" The lean man shoved one of their shoulders while pointing towards the village. He even gave Nathair his back – which was rather moronic. "It's brought her here. Obviously, it doesn't intend any harm."

"You'd be a fool to trust a monster," one of them stated with a chortle, while doing as he was told. They didn't go far, but they put space between him and them.

Kai turned to Nathair once more with his arms out. Nathair didn't give her to her father.

He didn't want to give her up. This was the female he'd chosen, and the idea of giving her back to humans filled him with pain. Each of his scales lifted in aversion. What if she does not come back out to me? He was putting his trust in them, in her, alongside a hope that she felt something deeply for him.

He had no promises from her.

She would, should, be safe here. If they were able to save her, she would not need him so long as the bandits didn't come for her. First, they would need to know she was here, and he figured her father and the villagers wouldn't allow her to be taken a second time.

Nathair's sight landed on the two soldiers. Were they some of the people or bandits? Were they safe or dangerous to her? With his lack of speech, he could not ask these questions. The choice was taken from him with each breath from her that seemed weaker than the last.

"Please," her father pleaded once more.

Nathair took in the way the male's eyes welled with unshed tears. He finally released the breath he'd been holding to find the smell of his fear had dissipated. However, the male's heart raced with anxiety, and it coursed within Nathair's mind.

"What's wrong with her?" Kai asked, taking in her limp state.

Nathair leaned forward and bared his fangs at the male. His features grew ashen, and the soldiers raised their weapons. But, with no hiss, and no attack from Nathair, Kai threw his hand out to ward them.

"Wait," he demanded.

He eyed Nathair suspiciously, his gaze slipping over his bony face and exposed fangs. It lingered there, on the liquid that dripped from them.

His features fell as realisation seemed to dawn. He turned to one of the soldiers.

"Get me Tahlia and one of the Priestesses," he demanded, stepping back from Nathair.

He closed his maw with a nod, wanting to confirm the male's suspicions. A soldier quickly did as he was asked, while Kai remained with a guard. He and Nathair stared at each other for the entire duration.

"You're a Duskwalker," Kai stated matter-of-factly, and Nathair answered him with a nod. His dark brow rose at Nathair's confirmation. "You understand me, don't you?"

Once more, Nathair nodded. Nathair cupped the side of her face and rubbed back over her ear, trying to show that he cared for the female in his arms. Kai's lips flattened, and his slight beard growth poked his inward-curling lips.

Nathair held the female in one arm by squishing her to his chest to free up an arm. She said her father knows sign language. He gestured with one hand, "I did not mean to hurt her."

Kai's brown eyes widened. "You can talk!"

"Yes," he answered. "You will keep her safe? You are her father–"

Kai shook his head while his dark brows drew together tightly. "I'm sorry, but I don't know the language you're using." Then he brought his own hands up, and Nathair noticed two missing fingers on his left hand, and that his other was rather stiff. "Do you know Austlan?"

Nathair winced at that. Shit. I taught her my signs, rather than learning hers. Had he not been so stubborn, he may have been able to communicate with this male. He knew a few words, but nothing that would aid this situation.

Nathair shook his head in answer, and the male appeared to curse. The human closed his hands, pushed his index knuckles forward, and pointed them at the ground.

Nathair didn't know the gesture.

"Hey! What are you saying to him?" the soldier asked.

Nathair waved his right hand to the side, asking, "What?"

Realising Nathair couldn't understand it, Kai pursed his lips before eyeing him in an odd way. It didn't look distrustful, and more like he was trying to ponder a solution.

They were interrupted when two females approached. One wore dark robes that had purple symbols etched into every seam available, including the hood over her head. A mask situated over her face was painted half white from the nose down, with silver from the nose up. Black mesh covered her eyes and mouth holes.

The female next to her was a dark brunette, her skin a lighter brown. Her lips were pouty, full, and her eyes a molten hazel. She had a similar chin, cheek, and brow structure to Linh, but her gaze wasn't as soft as Linh's or Kai's. He could see she got her curves from her mother.

A tangy, sweet scent exploded into the clearing, all of it coming from the Anzúli. Nathair leaned towards her and bared his fangs.

"Watch it, Duskwalker," the Anzúli snapped out distrustfully, backing up a step.

Kai put his arms out to grab her forearm. "He's showing you what's wrong with Linh," he stated, pointing at Nathair's face. "I think he's trying to say he's envenomed her."

Nathair pointed at him and nodded.

She cupped the pointed chin of her mask. "I see. If it's anything like Demon venom..." She turned to Kai sharply. "You were right to call me here. The only ones that may be able to help her are us."

Kai's brown eyes fell on the other female. "Tahlia, you can't? What about our medicine?"

"No," Tahlia answered, and her sharp gaze softened as worry etched across her features. "Our medicine can't even help against snake or spider bites if they're fatal. We can only aid the symptoms and wait to see if the person can fight it."

Nathair finally relinquished the wounded female in his arms – straight to the Anzúli. Only she can help.

"My sweet baby," Tahlia cooed as she brushed the side of Linh's face. She turned to Nathair slightly, and her eyes crinkled and bowed with wary gratitude. "Thank you for bringing her here."

The Anzúli tilted her mask up to Nathair. "Would you be willing to stay here until I return? I will need to extract some of your venom to help her."

Nathair shuddered at what they could possibly mean. Whatever will aid Linh. He gave a stern nod, willing to do anything to help his little nightingale so she would sing again.

They turned to take her away, and Nathair grabbed her father's arm.

"I want her back," Nathair signed, gripping the male hard.

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Kai responded, looking down at Nathair's grip but not trying to break away from it. "We'll look after her."

That wasn't good enough. Nathair let out a growl.

He pointed to Linh, then to himself. He pointed to his chest, to his very heart, to show what that female meant to him.

Kai turned to shake his head with a lack of understanding. Yet, he curled his index fingers again, and pointed his knuckles downwards at the ground. Once more, Nathair didn't know what it meant, and the language barrier between them was just too vast.

Nathair whimpered. He doesn't understand what that female means to me. And Nathair was watching her being rushed away, both females sprinting as if time was of the essence. His grasp on the male tightened, alongside his heart constricting.

"Let him go, Duskwalker," one of the soldiers demanded.

He stepped closer with his large axe, forcing Nathair to let go. If he stubbornly fought now, he would become enraged and terrorise the town and its occupants – one of them being his little female. I must not act like a monster.

Her father stepped back, but Nathair did have a question.

He grabbed the male's forearm once more to tug him closer. He let go only to wave his hands to the side and made his orbs turn dark yellow, hoping one would show he had a big fucking question mark.

The male furrowed his brows at him, his lips pursing in confusion.

Nathair then stuck up his pinkie finger, curled the next two downwards, and straightened his index and thumb so they made an L shape. He shook his hand towards the male.

What does this mean?Why had that little female currently being carted away giggled as she did the gesture towards him? He wanted to know its meaning, if it was important, if it would... help the situation.

Kai's features dropped as he looked down at Nathair's hand – even his lips parted, and his eyes widened.

"Come on. Let's go," the sword-wielding soldier commanded, grabbing Kai by the arm to drag him towards the town. "We need to keep you safe."

With a horrified expression, her father stumbled as he said, "Did she sign that at you?"

Nathair pointed at him and nodded, just as he needed to back up when the axe wielder stepped forward. His weapon glinted in the sun, while his yellow teeth flashed behind a bush of facial hair.

"No more talking, Duskwalker," he demanded, not showing an ounce of fear. "We'll keep the little lass safe. Now fuck off back to the forest where you belong."

The growling hiss that rattled from Nathair was deadly as he lowered himself to the male's height. His tanned features paled when Nathair parted his maw, bared his fangs, and gave him a menacing, venom-flicking hiss as his back fins flared. His orbs shone bright crimson.

Fucking make me.

"Callum, get inside," the sword wielder yelled, his lean yet tall frame walking next to Kai. "You'd be a dumbass to take on a Duskwalker by yourself."

Kai kept looking back at Nathair with his eyes stark. There was no fear in his scent, but he cupped his stubbled jaw as he took Nathair in from a distance.

The axe wielder, Callum, wrinkled one side of his nose before backing up a few steps. It appeared he didn't wish to give Nathair his overtly muscular back. The distrust in his gaze was unmistakable, as was his disgust.

"You're lucky you brought her back alive," Callum sneered, before grossly spitting on the ground. The action was lost on Nathair, as he didn't know what spitting meant in this context.

Nathair watched them enter the gates before they temporarily closed them. By the general lack of clacking and cluttering, he knew they hadn't locked them.

He lifted his sight to the large mountain backing the village. Just beyond the curve of the cliff wall, Nathair knew this mountain contained water. He'd followed it deep beneath the ocean's surface to discover much coral and reef wildlife attempted to live around it.

He then turned his head to the right, examining the grass and very few trees. It looked like the world suddenly fell away, when really the cliff wall became the beach. Just a little more east, and he could easily locate where the entrance to his home was.

He shifted his sight to the left, where the hills and mountain collided. The village was in a dangerous location, as the sun would only truly shine down upon it until a little after noon.

Behind him, up a large incline, sparse trees dotted here and there before the forest further south shielded everything.

Even now, Nathair could scent Demons on the wind, as if the mountain that partially protected them was filled to the brim with void monsters. Yet, the village still stood, strong and protected due to its chain canopy and other fortifications.

When humans choose to be, they are rather inventive.

Give them plenty of resources, and they'd make sure they'd survive, no matter how. But, as he once said to Linh, humans were selfish, greedy cretins.

Her home was safe from Demons but not from those who wore the same face. I've seen how vile humankind can be. He'd tried to rip his own skull off in the face of it. They call me a monster, yet bite and snarl at each other.

‘You'd be a fool to trust a monster.'Was he the fool or the monster in this scenario?

With a groan, he covered his bony brow as his orbs turned a darker orange than normal, only for them to shift to deep blue. I don't trust them. He didn't trust anyone. He'd just given what he cherished the most in the world... to the very creatures that had let her be harmed in the first place.

Watching Linh come out of her shell, going from a reserved and frightened pixie to one that rode him like a wanton little bunny, had taken weeks. I don't want her inside the village.

Nathair wanted her in the coils of his tail, where she was safest. Where the only thing that could harm her was him. Guilt clutched at his gut more than ever when he realised, despite this being the worst, it had not been the first time he'd hurt her.

Her arm. Her delicate neck. But should she remain unafraid, he truly didn't think he would ever hurt her again. She was wiser around him now; she knew how to manage him, tame him even.

If everything else left them the hell alone, he wanted to believe Linh was safe with him.

Or am I just telling myself that because I don't wish to let her go?Even after envenoming her, Nathair was... selfish enough to not care. So long as she returned to him, eyes bright and lips smiling, he would risk his venom with her again. If she just gives me her soul...

He could save her himself.

I want it. I want it more than I can bear.

The gates opening once more broke his spiral of thoughts. The robed Anzúli from before walked forward with a graceful saunter to greet him, with two new guards in tow. Once more, they wore hide armour, but one did have an additional steel or iron breastplate and helmet.

Under her arm, the Anzúli held a ceramic jar with a cloth lid and twine to keep it secure.

"Thank you for waiting," the Anzúli woman stated.

Nathair hated that he couldn't see her expression, and the only thing he had to gauge her on was her mild yet feminine voice.

"All you need to do is lance this with your fangs." She pushed the jar forward. "Try not to press too hard, as I'm assuming you are rather strong. Just enough to express your venom."

When the two males with weapons tried to crowd him as she approached, Nathair reared back with a growl bubbling in his throat. He didn't trust them, or her – or anyone, for that matter.

"For the love of the holy maiden, please stand back, sirs." The Anzúli female tsked as she shook her head, looking over her shoulder at them through her mask. Her black robes fluttered with the wind, revealing a blue dress beneath them.

From those I saw in Tenebris, they usually only wore white.Or was that only the lower level of their hierarchy?

"If it wished any harm, it would not have brought Linh here, nor would it be offering assistance." It. She calls me an it. When they stepped away to give him space, he could hear the roll in her eyes as she whispered, "Fools, the lot of them. They all share one singular idiotic brain."

She reached forward with the ceramic jar, and Nathair let her place it in the centre of his palm. He positioned the side of his finger next to its base, slipped it up and down, then waved his hand to the side.

"Are you wanting to know how high to fill it?" she asked, leaning her head to the side. He nodded in answer. Her tone was coy as she stated, "To the top."

To the top? He snorted a singular huff. Doubtful they need that much. They likely wanted to experiment with it since he was so willingly offering it.

Regardless, Nathair removed the cloth despite her earlier instructions. Then he retracted his claws and parted his maw.

"I don't know whether or not I should thank you for bringing Linh back," she whispered with her head lowered. "It was wise, and I'm assuming it was due to you knowing you couldn't save her."

Indeed,he thought, as he extended his fangs.

He slid the point of one into the jar and pushed his fingers into the roof of his mouth just behind it. A squirt echoed within, and the stream didn't end until he fully emptied his venom sac. He shuddered in repulsion, before doing the same to the other, expressing his fang himself.

That was wildly unpleasant.There had been no warmth to give it a euphoric feeling, and it somehow felt dry.

"A Duskwalker asking for aid on behalf of a human, and humans ask it to stay," she muttered, before looking off to the side. "What has the world come to?"

He licked the inside of his maw to settle the feeling of his empty sacs, only to flick his tongue forward at the female in annoyance. No one has asked me to stay. If he recalled, the male from earlier told him to get lost. They would soon learn he had absolutely no intention of leaving until his nightingale was placed back into his arms.

He offered the female the ceramic jar, its venomous contents swishing within. She took it and bowed her head.

"Demons and Duskwalkers are no different. Whatever you crave from that woman, forget it." She backed up a step with the top of her hood showing. "But remain nonetheless."

Remain? She is asking me to stay?He wished she'd be more direct, as she was just being needlessly confusing.

She turned, giving him her back as she walked between the guards. Once more, the males tried to get him to leave.

Nathair merely coiled his tail around himself, showing he would be stubbornly immobile to their demands. He also used it to block out the sounds and scents of the humans within the village walls. His orbs shifted to blue at the loss of her, his heart burning with guilt, but his longing and worries were too deep to change his sight.

Minutes bled into hours, day shifting into cold night. Even when Demons crawled over him, but left him be as he was not disturbing them, he refused to unfurl himself.

Despite the fragments he fought to keep at bay, a constant thought remained.

My heart feels colder without her.