I had only taken a few bites of the food. It tasted like dirt in my mouth and it took most of my willpower and a long gulp of the sparkling wine to force down each bite. I set down my glass and looked to the group. Finally, I cleared my throat and set my eyes on Vuma’s son.
“Ripthe. Is there something you wish to discuss with me?” His eyes opened wide and his bitter scent grew by magnitudes.
“No, Singleborn,” he said slowly. It was obvious that he was beyond uncomfortable. Alwor’s reddish skin lightened to a pale shade of pink and he breathed slow careful breaths in and out.
“What is going on?” Bur’tilon asked after I stared down Ripthe.
“Do you wish to talk to my suitors about something?” I asked Vuma’s son.
“No, Singleborn.” A small bead of sweat left his brow and dribbled down his temple.
“But you have already told Alwor, as well as your father and the chieftain. Are you sure you do not wish to discuss this particular topic now? It concerns everyone here.” My nails dug into the maple of the table and left talon scratches on it. I wanted to rip the skin off of his face. My brother sat up in his chair after a glance from me
“I would like to hear this.” Bur’tilon and Vuma grew up together and the large man was probably upset that his friend had not bothered to inform him of this news.
“I would like to apologize to the Singleborn,” Ripthe began.
“Stop,” I interrupted him with a raised finger. “All of you, get your swords and meet me down at the front of the house.”
I had a selection of blades displayed in my foyer. I grabbed my least preferred one, an overly ornate weapon made heavy by an abundance of garish gems in the hilt that a previous suitor had given me, and left my suite. I would always associate this sword with Kaiyer’s death and I did not want to taint any of my favorite weapons with the memory. I felt physically ill and it took all my concentration to keep moving forward with the plan. I wanted to kill all of these idiots rather than Kaiyer. The men followed behind me into the hallway and they each dashed in different directions down the halls to retrieve their own swords.
I walked slowly through the mansion, and by the time the servants attending to the main lobby opened the front door for me my suitors had joined my procession.
“Where are we going?” Alwor’s scent carried a trace of rotten fruit to my nose.
“Where do you think?”
“Iolarathe. This is my fault. I made a mistake. I was drunk last night. I am sorry.” Ripthe walked beside me and tried to get my attention as we descended the grassy slope of the hill toward the stables.
My chest hurt.
It was just a human. I’d killed plenty before and never given it a second thought. Kaiyer was different, but it did not matter. This had to be done.
“Behind us.” Alatald was the most observant. I turned my head and saw my father, Vuma, Zaarmo, and Dluuzit walking a few hundred yards behind us. He probably wanted to ensure that I handled this matter correctly.
I stopped halfway up the hill from the stables; from here I could smell the horses, hay, and the smoke from the smithy. It mixed with my memories and almost tasted like Kaiyer. I would never speak with him again. Never touch him again. His smile would be lost to me and I would only have his scent to remember him. The memory of it too would fade and I would have nothing.
“Ripthe.” I turned to the male. He smelled of confusion and fear. “Why don’t you and Alwor get this human you have been speaking about?” I waved toward the stable to clear up any misconception Vuma’s son might have.
“Yes, Singleborn,” they said in unison. Their voices shook and their scent stank of rotten fruit. It was bad enough so that the rest of the males must have noticed. They dashed down the rest of the hill and moved into the darkness of the stable.
I’m sorry Kaiyer. I should have figured out another plan. I should have left last night and taken him away with me. My hands trembled and I fought to calm the pounding of my heart and the scent of fear and regret that my suitors must have noticed. There still had to be a way. I could kill them all. I could still escape. I would have to leave everything behind, but we could be together.
“I am still confused.” Fusik bit his lip and glanced back between me and his companions. Before I replied, Alwor and Ripthe emerged from the door of the stable dragging a human between their strong arms.
It was not my lover.
This human looked similar to Kaiyer, dark hair, green eyes, and the strong, broad human bone structure of his face. He struggled as they dragged him before me, and once the human was brought a few feet away the differences became more apparent. He was more muscular than Kaiyer, and while they shared many of the same facial features, there were slight differences in the structure of his face. The smell was completely different as well. This human’s scent was nothing like Kaiyer’s. It was familiar though, I recalled it from three years ago when I first came to my father’s home and stabled my horse.
This was Kaiyer’s brother.
It still struck me as odd how similar in appearance human siblings were to each other. Our kind were born with opposing traits to make families strong and diverse. It seemed like a more logical way to breed since all the varying spectrums of both the mother and father were passed on to their young. Humans were a mesh of everything their parents carried with almost no difference between each set of offspring.
This was Kaiyer’s brother. I repeated in my mind.
How fortunate. The Dead Gods must have decided to bless me with this opportunity to save my lover. I could not help but smile when the man was laid at my feet. My suitors would not be able to tell the difference between the two humans. I could kill this one and Kaiyer would live.
I glanced back toward the stables and noticed movement at the door of the smithy.
Don’t show yourself Kaiyer.
“Even when their death is inevitable, they still struggle, it is the trait that makes them so useful to us,” I said to my brother and the remaining suitors. They laughed nervously but said nothing else.
Kaiyer’s brother was muscular for a human, with a thick neck, veiny arms, and hands that were almost twice the size of mine. But all the extra flesh on their bodies did not grant them much strength. Even the weakest of my kind would be stronger than this man.
“My friends here seem to think that we are fucking. The idea disgusts me, but they are too proud to fathom any other reason why I have not yet mated with them.”
“I would rather fuck a horse in his dirty asshole than bed you, monster!” His sudden words of hate shocked me and I felt sick and angry all at once. The words combined with the green in his eyes almost made me feel like it was Kaiyer cursing me. I wondered if he felt the same way. Did he enjoy our time together as much as I did, or was he acting out of fear? Perhaps he hated me and was revolted by making love to me. I gathered my emotions and hoped the human had not seen the hurt in my eyes and taken satisfaction in thinking he had insulted me.
“I did not say you could speak!” My fist struck him across the face and I heard something in his jaw break. I didn’t want to kill this man, but it was the only way to save Kaiyer. He would be angry at me for slaying his brother, but I would make it up to him later. I would explain what happened. He would understand.
“Ahh. So fragile.” I stroked the side of his broken face and then my hand found his thick neck. I would have never been able to kill Kaiyer myself, which was why I wanted my suitors to bring their swords. I would have made them finish the job. But it would send a firm message to all of those gathered if I did it myself. At least his brother’s death would not be meaningless.
He gasped when my grip tightened around his throat. His arms and chest flexed forward and back in an effort to free himself. I hoped Kaiyer wasn’t watching me strangle his brother.
Just stay inside Kaiyer. I’m so sorry. It had to be this way.
A scream flew across the hillside. It almost sounded like the cry of a carrion beast, but loud
er. I directed my attention away from the blue face of Kaiyer’s brother to the man running from the doorway of the smithy toward us. He had a hammer raised in his hand and the thick leather vest of a smith across his wide chest. He too had dark hair and eyes that matched Kaiyer’s.
“Kill him.” The words escaped my mouth before I could think of an alternative. Bur’tilon, Fusik, and Grednil unsheathed their swords in a single movement and stepped between me and the charging human. I opened my mouth to scream for them to stop, but no words came out. They could stop Kaiyer’s father without killing him. They could disarm him and let him live. I just needed to instruct them.
But the words did not leave my throat. It would cast a shadow on the proceedings here if I showed an attacking human mercy. It was a crime for any human to attack one of us, even if we were killing their loved ones. I could only watch as the three men easily carved Kaiyer’s father into pieces with their swords.
The smell of blood, shit, and bile filled the air. I turned my attention back to the man in my grip. His face was bluish white and the scent of his feces confirmed that I had strangled the life from him. The last action his body had performed was releasing his bowels. I let go of the corpse and it fell to the grassy hillside.
Sobs drew my attention away from the corpse of the human. I turned to look and saw Kaiyer crouched over the body of his slain father. Blood covered his hands and chest. He tried to cradle his father’s head, but the blood made it slip from his grasp.
Damn it Kaiyer. I needed you to stay away!
I wanted to pull him to me. I wanted to explain. Our eyes made contact and I felt myself float in the green depths. His scent overpowered the taste of blood and death in my mouth. He was in pain now and I wanted more than anything to comfort him. Eventually I would make him understand that this was the only choice that I had so we could be together. I tried to communicate all of this while he looked at me, but all I saw in his eyes was hate.
I had to act to protect him now. If my suitors realized Kaiyer was there I might need to kill him. But if I could distract them and pull my group away without speaking about him he could live.
“Next time you think I am copulating with a human slave, I’ll do the same to you. Do you understand?” Ripthe’s eyes grew wide and the stink of his fear combined with urine that spread across his pants. What a fucking coward. I wanted to gut the useless fuck right now.
"A human stable boy? I have every male within two hundred miles courting me. Are you a fucking idiot?" My fist clenched my own sword hilt and the sharp gems dug into the palm of my hand.
"I'm sorry, I thought I saw you with the human." Ripthe’s voice cracked and the other men glanced at the ground nervously. I snorted at his response and debated killing him again. Of course, that would anger my father and his elders.
"Hurmpf. I am already bored with this. Let's go do something else." I looked away from Kaiyer and his dead family and walked up the slope back toward the manor. The men followed me.
"What about this human, Iolarathe?" Bur’tilon asked.
Damn.
I turned around to see the large male resting the flat side of his sword on Kaiyer’s shoulder. With just a quick motion he could remove my lover’s head from his shoulders. The other suitors had already begun walking up the hill. They no doubt wanted to be away from the stench of the bodies and the memory of the murders.
Kaiyer’s green eyes were wet with tears. He had spoken often of his brother and father. Humans were frail physically and emotionally. I doubted I would have shed a tear if someone killed my father and brother. Definitely not my mother, I would love to kill that bitch myself. Nyarathe was perhaps the only family member I cared for, but I would worry more about revenge if she was murdered.
Though I could not understand his feelings, I did want to comfort my lover. My heart beat oddly in my chest and the ridiculousness of this situation caused my teeth to grind together. Would I get away with allowing him to live? No. Not in the stables. I’d be around him too much and I would end up putting his life in jeopardy again. This was my fault. All of it. I should have resisted his scent; I should have stayed away from him. Now his family was dead and he would have to follow.
I did want my father’s plan to work. It was the only way I could have my freedom in this world. The only way I could choose my own destiny. Once we were powerful enough, I would not need to be a possession of the tribes that demanded my womb. The thought of the human army sprang into my mind and an alternative fate for Kaiyer collided with my other goal.
"He looks strong for a human. Take him to the barracks. They can use him in that ridiculous hobby army of my father's." My voice was a whisper and I believed that only Bur’tilon and Kaiyer could hear me.
I did not know how much Bur’tilon knew of the human army, but as Zaarmo’s son, he must have already had some inkling of what was going on there.
The big Elven nodded at my order and I turned away from Kaiyer before I could see my lover’s reaction. I had purposely kept my distance from the proceedings of the human army, so I knew little of what would be in store for Kaiyer. I did know that he would be safer there than in my company. Perhaps the training or a battle would kill him, but it was a probability rather than an absolute.
I’m sorry Kaiyer.
I walked up the hill and tried to control the scent of my emotions, the wind picked up slightly and I felt it whip my long hair around over my shoulder. It scattered my grief across the grasslands. The memory of the human would fade in time. I was foolish to make love to him. I would accept this failure, learn from it, and not make the same mistake again.
“That was ghastly.” My father shook his head and glared at me once I reached the top of the hill. The other males were already walking toward the mansion. Perhaps they would be too afraid to spend any more time with me today and I could just sit in a bath.
“You wanted it to be convincing.” I tried not to spat the words at him.
“I appreciate your commitment to this tribe.” His words came across as an apology and caught me off guard.
“I don’t forget my promises. I trust you won’t either.”
“Of course not.” I nodded to him and tasted the scent of avocados on his words.
“Where is Bur’tilon taking that human?” He turned his eyes down the hill.
“To your barracks. Every extra human will help us achieve our goals.”
“Excellent. Dluuzit always needs more humans. Apparently, they keep dying during the process of infusing our magic into their bodies.”
“Is the process complicated? How many survive?” I tried to keep my voice and scent calm to maintain the façade of my indifference.
“Only one in every six or so survive the change. Of those, only one in three keeps his sanity. They have a difficult time tolerating the pain.”
“I see.” My vision swam and my stomach knotted. I struggled to keep my scent in check. Thankfully, I was standing downwind of my father.
“Vertarus has been working tirelessly to improve the process. You said previously that you did not wish to know any of the details, but perhaps you should spend some time with him. He has not been able to court you appropriately because of this work. I would consider it a favor to me.” He smiled and gestured back toward the manor.
“I will arrange a dinner with him. I will need a new smith and stable crew. Elven this time, I seem to have poor luck with humans.”
“Anything for my daughter the Singleborn.” He smiled widely while he opened the front door for me.
Chapter 16-The O’Baarni
Darkness and light.
Darkness and light.
Darkness and light.
A sliver of the latter came through the tent and cut through the former. I moved my hand through it and watched the waves part at my command. I marveled at the detail of the skin on my knuckles, the flakes of dust in the air, and the scent of grass that accompanied the illumination from outside my prison. The light was wonderful and soothing.
Like her skin.
The screams of the other humans were made in the darkness. They cried against the pain, yelled for help, and beat futilely on the bars that held their bodies down, crouched and trapped. At first I wanted to help them, to free them from their confinements and comfort them somehow. I knew their pain. I felt it in my own body. I had endured this pain and their screams for weeks now.
They were so loud. Each cry sounded as if it originated right next to my ear, piercing my ear drum and shattering my brain with reverberating waves of pain. My own heart thundered in my chest. The movements of the other prisoners created a collage of sound that resembled the wind ripping through thousands of blades of grass, magnified thousands of times.
My hands were bruised from clawing at the bars. As blue as Leotol’s face after she strangled him. My fingers were bloody from scratching against the wood floor of my cage. Red like her hair. Red like my father’s blood. I had done my best to please her. I loved her so much.
When the night descended outside my cell, when the darkness was absolute, I spent the long hours examining the bars of my cage. Each piece of metal felt different, pitted and dented in its own individual pattern. I taught myself to identify each bar by its unique feel against the tips of my blood-crusted fingers. This little game kept my mind off of the overwhelming scents and sounds that surrounded me. It distracted me from the burning fire-itch that spread through my body. It kept me from going insane.
The manacles were gone now. They had chained me, forced me face down onto a table, and then it was all just pain and agony. It burned through my spine and brain like molten iron straight from the forge was being jammed into each vertebra.
Now everything was raw, terrible, and loud. Color and light seared my eyes, too vivid to comprehend. The taste in my mouth and the smells in my nose were overpowering, my senses too acute and overwhelmed with new sensations.
I didn’t know how much time had passed. The scorching pain had moved throughout my entire body, over every inch of my skin as if it had been burned. I could do little more than crouch in my cage or lie in a fetal position. The Elvens did not let me out to shit or piss. My legs were covered in filth and the scent of it filled my nose with each breath. This was the least offensive smell. I was surrounded by the excrement and fear of all the other humans trapped with me. Their bodies reeked, their skin thick with their own waste, their blood, vomit, and rage. Those who died were not promptly removed and the reek of decay overpowered all the others.
The Destroyer Book 4 Page 18
