20. Camille

TWENTY

"Maybe I don't have as many pearls as you do yet, but I've got a nice collection," I say, holding out my hand and showing off my treasures. It's been a week since I attempted to run away and Mazituz rescued me. He no longer mentions it or chastises me for my reckless behavior, and I no longer even consider trying to escape.

We've spent the last week enjoying each other's company and exploring the cavernous network of underground passages together. I'd be scared to run into more monsters if he wasn't with me, but luckily, I don't have to worry about that.

"What are you going to do with them?" he asks as I drop the milky white stones into my pocket.

"I was thinking I could make my own decoration. You've got your treasures everywhere, but what if I took a spot on the wall? I'd like to maybe look for some other ores and gems and make a small mural."

"A mural?" he echoes, wrinkling his brow in confusion.

"It's like art," I explain. "When you put all the stones together, they make the image of something else. A bunch of white pearls in the shape of a bird, maybe, or blue gems that look like an ocean. Something like that."

"Ah," he says, nodding as he leads me through the labyrinth that is the underground. "You must think my collections are sloppy, lined along the walls as simply as they are. I suppose I always thought they were artistic in their own right."

"No, they are," I soothe him. "They're beautiful. I just think I'd enjoy making something with them. Maybe a sun overhead if we can find some nice, glittery yellow stones?"

Even as the words slip out of my mouth, I tense, wondering if I've misspoke. He doesn't get angry at me once again mentioning the sun that I miss. Instead, he just glances back at me. "If it pleases you, it would please me as well."

His elongated silhouette leads the way through glittering corridors and winding passages. I steal glances at him as he leads us back to his domain. A part of me can't help but contemplate the sunlit world I've left behind, but I think I've finally made my peace with that.

The bond with Mazituz has grown beyond simple companionship. Perhaps I was blind to it for so long because I couldn't picture a creature so different from myself as a true partner. But he is in every sense of the word. He's done nothing but provide and care for me, something no one else has ever even attempted to do.

I never would have guessed that being trapped underground would actually mean freedom, but the reality is that this is the closest thing to freedom I've ever known. I'm safe with Mazituz and loved, and finally, I know that it's enough. This is where I belong.

"Let's make a routine of visiting the spring," I call up ahead to Mazituz. "Maybe twice a week? It's the best kind of self-care for both of us."

He turns around, smirking. "I'll take you every day if you want, but that sounded like a lot of words to say you enjoy a hot swim."

I giggle. "Okay, fair."

As we approach Mazituz"s lair after our eventful day, a sense of foreboding grips me. The familiar entrance to his abode, usually a tranquil threshold, appears disturbed. The soft glow of the bioluminescent lichen casts an eerie light on the scattered rocks and debris strewn about.

My heart quickens as we step inside, and a gasp escapes my lips at the chaotic scene. Mazituz"s carefully curated rock collection, each piece a memory of his solitary ventures, now lies haphazardly across the cavern floor. It"s as if a tempest has swept through, leaving behind a disarray of colors and textures.

Mazituz, his normally composed demeanor shaken, surveys the wreckage with a growl of displeasure. His tentacles bristle in frustration, and I can sense the tension in the air. This place, once a sanctuary, now bears the scars of intrusion.

The cavern"s silence echoes the hollow feeling in my chest as Mazituz surveys the damage. The unsettling realization that someone has violated this sacred space adds a layer of unease to the already tense atmosphere.

"Who did this?" he growls. Then he stops, the tentacles around his face shaking as he tries to discern the scene. "The Narovu," he says in a hiss. "The ones who tried to take you. I can smell them all over here. I can't believe they entered my territory like this."

Mazituz moves among the strewn rocks, carefully inspecting each displaced piece as if searching for something specific. The resonance of his discontent fills the cavern, and I can"t help but share in his dismay.

Questions swirl in my mind. Why would they desecrate Mazituz"s haven? What motive could drive someone to vandalize this sanctuary? Is this really all because he defended me against them?

"Did they take anything?" I ask. "Do you think they came here to steal or…" I trail off, unsure how to end my thought. He looks up at me, tentacles quivering angrily.

"The Narovu are very territorial. We give each other a wide berth and do not intrude in another's space. If one so much as smells another Narovu nearby, it is customary to try to leave the space rather than encroach on their domain. To come directly into my home uninvited…"

He shakes his head, trailing off in the same manner that I just did. I bite my lip as I watch him, scowling as he picks through the debris left behind. The weight of the unknown hangs heavy in the air as we confront the aftermath of this intrusion into the quiet refuge beneath the surface.