Page 8 of Marked
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Nala tilted her head at me and blinked, a question clear in her gaze. Yeah, I questioned my life choices all the time, too. I’d ended up drinking even more wine with Sley last night and though I’d managed to walk off most of the sluggishness and clear my mind, my stomach still occasionally twisted and rolled.
“Come on, Nala, just a little farther.” I slipped past my familiar and continued down the path. Little more than a deer trail, the wet moss squished, and small twigs snapped under my boots. Dew drops fractured the light as the sun snuck over the tree canopy above. The heat of the day staved off the chill in the air. As winter approached, the sunlight would grow weaker, and I’d have to wear furs along with my dark leather hunting gear and cloak to stay warm.
Nala whined and I reached down to run my hand through her thick fur. Even in Autumn before her winter coat came in, she managed to get mats. I’d spend a good chunk of this evening brushing them out.
“Not much longer,” I promised her.
The queen had sent me on a fool’s errand. At least it felt that way. The man who’d attacked me was already dead, but after I’d reported my attack, Queen Titania assumed that meant illegal hunters had infiltrated the forbidden forest. As in plural. Apparently, there had been other reports of an unknown hunter in the Danu Forest, but the queen had no proof this meant more than one man was involved and with the body of my assailant rotting alongside the path to Wast my trip out to the forest was futile.
Chilly wind brushed through the leaves and birds chirped merrily as they flittered from branch to branch overhead. Birds of all kinds had a habit of following me through the forest and I’d grown accustomed to their company over the years.
Nala had come from these woods, as had most of the familiars bound to galeons. This was their home, and to protect the future familiars, we needed to protect this forest.
Times were rough, the citizens of Wast grew more desperate as winter approached, but they would never venture into the Dannu Forest when there were other less dangerous locations to search for food. Stepping into the Danu Forest without permission meant certain death.
I was the judge, jury and executioner. The guardian of the forest.
The trees glistened under the sun but revealed nothing. The secrets of the woods remained hidden in the shadows.
I sighed and kicked a rock along the path. I hadn’t seen any signs of another hunter, let alone a whole party of them. Either the other witnesses were flat out wrong, or they’d intentionally lied on their report to the queen.
And why?
To waste my phaaning time.
This was almost as bad as being pulled into another meeting to hear the monthly reports.
The path led to the Danu River and followed along the bank until it converged with another river, marking the end of the Danu Forest. I always enjoyed this section of the path as the river was a beautiful sight at anytime of year.
Today, it felt different, though.
Magic danced over the surface of the water, making it shimmer. Soft laughter floated in the air along with the pull of magic.
A naiad.
Water nymphs were long-lived, but not immortal. They had remained neutral during the phaanon-galeon war, choosing not to get involved and it paid off. They survived, while others like the brownies and fairies did not.
Where any of the magical creatures had come from before the war still remained a mystery. At one time, this had been a world of technology and science, and the next, the phaanon-galeon war had spilled into the streets from an unknown land, killed all technology and left a scar on society that still festered, along with magical remnants like naiads, familiars, and immortal descendants.
"Stay here, Nala.”
My familiar whined and flopped down on the ground. Even though I told her to stay, I knew without a doubt that she’d rush to my side if I needed her.
Naiads weren’t typically violent and were solitary in nature. I had no reason to fear seeking one out. Maybe this naiad had seen something that would help my investigation. Plus, I just wanted to meet her. I rarely saw water nymphs. Though the Danu River was infested with them farther to the east toward Vitor, they rarely travelled this far west. The last one who’d ventured into this territory had been kindly asked to leave after she kept luring lusty men into the icy depths of the water during winter.
So, some naiads could be violent, but...the men in such cases deserved it.
It’s not like the naiad had taken over their freewill like a siren. Those men had chosen to enter the water because they wanted to take something that wasn’t freely offered. Did the naiad encourage them? Of course. But not with any magical compulsion. If the men had any respect for magical creatures, solid morals, or common sense, they would’ve and could’ve stayed out of the river.
I walked closer to the water’s edge and crouched down.
The singing stopped.
“I’m not here to harm you,” I said, dipping my fingers into the river. The icy water flowed over my skin, leaving me chilled as I released my power slowly. Letting my magical signature act as an introduction, I held my breath and waited to see if it worked.
The naiad rose from the water a few feet away. Sunlight reflected off her pale, mother-of-pearl skin. She’d woven river flowers and grass through her long hair which was tinted the same blue and green of the water.