A few days had passed since Celeste and Cruxia left the cave and moved to the west. They had walked through forests, crossed rivers, climbed hills, and went through thin gorges. They had taken unknown and rarely used paths to avoid getting detected by their pursuers.
They had not spotted any of them, but Cruxia was sure the eastern clans were still looking for her. They would be stupid if they were not searching for them. It was not unlikely that she was the last survivor of her clan besides her traitorous sister. The truth made her sad, but she had to push her feelings aside and focus on the present. She had to get away from her pursuers first, and then she could mourn the dead and think about what to do next.
They had eaten berries, hunted smaller animals and drank water from rivers and lakes whenever they had crossed them. The water wasn't the best, but it kept them hydrated. At least the meat had tasted good enough.
They had not always found a cave to hide during the night; they had to sleep outside more often than they had preferred. At least Celeste had slept; she was not sure if Cruxia had. She always had her eyes open at night but hadn't moved. Either she hadn't slept at all or slept with open eyes. Unfortunately, Celeste could not test if she had been sleeping because she couldn't move much at night. Cruxia had always tied her to a tree, a rock or something else. She was extra careful, but Celeste couldn't hold that against her. She would do the same if she were in her position.
She didn't trust Cruxia, and she didn't trust any Yxal, but she didn't have another choice but to follow her. She wouldn't reach the borders of Tenaria alive. The Yxals would find her if she would travel by foot. She felt too weak to summon her wings, so flying to Tenaria was no option. She could only hope she would feel better in the next few days. Being able to summon her wings could give her great advantage in dangerous situations. She assumed that the Yxal must have given her something to prevent her from summoning her wings when she had been held captive, but she had no doubt that she could do that again after some time. She had a way to escape; she just had to be patient.
At this very moment, they were walking through a small forest. They hadn't spotted any animals so far, which was pretty odd. In the previous forests, they had always heard birds chirping and seen many insects and smaller animals. But this forest seemed lifeless so far. Something must be wrong. Celeste had a bad feeling about this forest, but she didn't say anything. She just silently followed Cruxia, who guided her through it.
The Yxal stopped suddenly; her ears, which lay flat against the sides of her head, twitched for a moment. Celeste, who had her eyes elsewhere, didn't realise she had stopped and run straight into her. A surprised expression could be seen on Celeste's face as she realised that the Yxal hadn't moved. "What's wrong?" she asked after a few moments.
"I heard something," Cruxia whispered.
Celeste stepped beside her and checked their surroundings, but she didn't spot anything. "I heard nothing. What is it?"
"Footsteps. Hide in that bush quickly."
Celeste did as she was told and hurried to the bush, hiding inside. Cruxia did the same; their bodies almost touched as they huddled there. Celeste then heard the footsteps Cruxia was talking about. They didn't sound like steps made by standard feet. She was sure she was hearing sounds made by hooves. She wondered who was out there, so she pushed some branches aside and peeked outside.
She spotted three creatures that had more in common with monsters than with Yxals or Tenarians. They were much smaller than any Keristian, even the females. They were pretty skinny, even skinnier than the Yxals, but their arms were pretty muscular compared to their torsos. Their legs were pretty short compared to the length of the torsos, giving them a funny look, but their faces were anything but funny. They were pretty ugly and didn't resemble the faces of Tenarians or Yxals.
Their eyes were pitch-black, and they had no lips, so their yellow, neglected teeth could be seen. Their heads were elongated; thick horns came out of their foreheads. But these horns didn't look similar to the horns of the Yxals. They had more in common with a deer's antlers than Yxal horns.
"What are these things?" Celeste whispered.
"Mordeurs. Legends say that they were once Yxal, but something changed them for the worse. They are far less intelligent but much more dangerous. Honestly, I do not believe those legends. There is no way those creatures were once part of my people," Cruxia whispered.
Celeste was about to say something when Cruxia pressed her hand on her mouth, preventing her from speaking. Celeste frowned but then realised why Cruxia had done that. One of the Mordeurs had come close to the bush they were hiding in. It turned its head and looked in their direction, causing Celeste's heart to beat much faster and her skin to tingle nervously.
Fortunately, the creature looked away a few seconds later; noises escaped its mouth. Celeste had never heard such horrible noises before. She could only guess that this was the language these creatures were speaking. It was already a surprise that they could speak at all, according to what Cruxia had said about them.
The creatures exchanged a few words, if these sounds could be considered such, and then walked away. Celeste and Cruxia waited until the Mordeurs were out of their sight and then left the bush. "That was close," Cruxia said.
"I have never seen such ugly creatures before," replied Celeste.
"I assume you have never seen yourself in a mirror then."
Celeste tilted her head; a frown could be seen on her forehead as she looked at the Yxal. The look in Cruxia's eyes told her that she didn't mean things seriously. "Quite funny. I do not doubt that your race does not consider my race as attractive, but you have to admit at least that we are not as ugly as these things."
"You are right, I suppose."
Celeste held back from rolling her eyes at Cruxia. "Anyway, do you think more of these creatures are around?"
"I have never been there, so I don't know if a Mordeur burrow might be nearby. I hope not; otherwise, we might have a problem. A big problem."
"Burrow? So, they live beneath the ground?"
"They do. Usually, dozens of them live in one large burrow. They cannot swim or breathe underwater, so flooding their burrows is the most effective method to get rid of them. Sadly, we cannot do that. Not without a sorcerer."
Celeste didn't stop walking behind Cruxia. "It seems you have a lot of experience fighting them."
"I do. The first great mission I got when I became an adult was to exterminate all Mordeurs in our territory. My father gave me twenty men, and we didn't lose a single warrior."
"And I thought your people and these creatures were allies."
Cruxia snorted. "We are not that desperate that we have to rely on these pathetic excuses of living beings."
"You could have used their help when the clans attacked you," argued Celeste.
"I know these creatures better than you do. Trust me, there is no way to work with them together. Not only are they cruel, unintelligent creatures that only follow their lower instincts, in this case, killing and eating. Not to mention, there is no way to communicate with them. Whoever told you that we ever allied with them was completely wrong. Since we first became aware of their existence, the Yxals have been fighting against them."
Celeste said nothing else in return. She remained silent for a few hours as Cruxia guided her out of the forest, over a stony path to another forest. Fortunately, they didn't meet more Mordeurs or other enemies. They eventually came to a small lake, and after scouting the entire area around it, they stopped before it.
Cruxia took a closer look at her prisoner. "You probably want to take a bath."
"You sure we have the time for that?"
"No one has been following us for the past hours. Your stench is killing me, so you better wash."
"What if I don't want to?"
"Then I will wash you myself, and trust me, you don't want me to do that." Cruxia removed one of her gauntlets and showed Celeste her clawed hand. "I don't want to hurt you unless you ask for it."
Celeste exhaled. "Fine, I will do it because you insist. But don't you dare to watch me."
Cruxia raised an eyebrow. "We are both women, so what's the matter? It's not like I have any interest in you or your body. I do not know what your people think about my people, but we are not sexual predators. We do not abuse women, especially not women of other races."
"I heard other things."
Cruxia snorted. "Whoever said such things is a liar. We don't do that, at least I don't, and I have never heard of any members of my clan taking advantage of their prisoners. You have a lot of prejudices."
"Don't tell me you believe you have no prejudices against anyone."
Cruxia stared into Celeste's eyes. "I think everyone has prejudices. So far, you do very little to prove the opposite."
"What is that supposed to mean?" the Anxoyal asked, her brows raised.
"You are a spoiled brat; that's what I think about you."
Celeste snorted. "And you are a sadist who does everything that Daddy says."
Cruxia puffed. "My father was the leader of my clan; of course, I do as he says."
"Was?"
"He is dead. The eastern clans killed him," Cruxia replied; slight hints of sadness could be heard in her voice.
Celeste didn't say anything in return. She didn't express her sympathy for the other woman's loss. In her eyes, Cruxia's father deserved his fate. Not only did he annihilate another clan, but he also ordered the torture of Celeste's group, which led to Marjo's death. Broxa was responsible for the death of her best friend.
"You are much more cold-hearted than I thought," mentioned the Yxal.
"What do you want me to say? Saying that I'm sorry for your loss would be a lie. Your father was not a good person."
"You might be right, but he didn't deserve this."
"That might be your opinion; I see things differently."
Cruxia snorted and shook her head. "Enough talk. Take off your clothes and take a bath. I can no longer stand that stench."
"New clothes would be helpful in that matter."
"I will see what I can do once we find refuge. For now, you have to live with these rags."
"Then the stench won't go away," concluded Celeste.
"Maybe, but it will not be as bad as it is now."
"Only if you turn around."
Cruxia rolled her eyes as she did what Celeste had asked for. "Happy now?"
"I'm still your prisoner, so not at all."
"I'm your only chance of survival. You should see things that way."
Celeste didn't respond to Cruxia as she removed the rags that stuck to her body. She dropped them to the ground and set foot in the warm water. She ensured the other woman was not looking before entering the lake. She was in the middle of the lake, but the water only reached her navel, meaning her upper body was still exposed to the air.
Celeste didn't have a washcloth or anything else she could use to wash her body, so she had no choice but to use her bare hands. Her nails had grown during captivity, so she had to be careful not to hurt herself on accident. Nevertheless, the Anxoyal was relieved that she was able to clean herself. She washed her hair as well. The air in Yxal territory was much warmer than in Tenaria, so she did not doubt it would dry soon. When she was about to leave the lake, she realised that she had nothing to dry her body.
"You do not happen to have a towel in that back of yours, do you?" Celeste asked; a small amount of embarrassment could be heard in her voice.
The light-purple-haired woman shook her head. "No, I have not."
"So, how am I supposed to dry myself?"
Cruxia turned her head and looked over her shoulder, noticing that Celeste turned around quickly. "Ey, you promised not to look."
"I didn't promise anything. And I don't see why you have such a problem with that. I'm a woman just like you; I don't see your problem."
"Turn around," Celeste hissed.
Despite Celeste not being in the position to give her orders, Cruxia did as she was told and stared in the opposite direction. "It's pretty warm outside, so you don't have to wait too long until your body is dry."
It turned out that Cruxia was right. Celeste's body was semi-dry within half an hour, and she was able to put on her dirty rags again. The clothes stuck to her semi-wet body, but she had no doubt everything would be dry soon.
"You can turn around now," she said when she was done dressing.
Cruxia did as she was told and stepped closer to Celeste, noticing that the stench wasn't as bad now. "Let's go; we still have a long way before us."
"How long do we have to travel?"
"A few more days at least, I don't know. It's been a long time since I last visited the clans in the west," Cruxia replied.
"What about the north and south? Are they also inhabited by clans?"
"Yes, there are, but there are too many, and they are too small. Alone, none of these clans will be strong enough to protect us," Cruxia explained.
"How can you be so sure that one of the western clans will protect us?"
"Have you already forgotten I told you I have relatives there?" The Yxal asked, one of her eyebrows was raised.
"No, I haven't. I haven't forgotten that you said you are unsure if those relatives are still alive."
"I have a feeling they still are."
"A feeling means nothing."
"Do you trust me?"
Celeste didn't hesitate to answer. "No."
"Fair enough."
"So?"
"Even if my relatives are not alive anymore, I still know someone from the Deathchanter Clan. Someone with a lot of influence."
"And they can guarantee our safety?" Celeste probed.
"I hope so."
"You hope so?" Celeste asked, not sounding convinced at all.
"We have no other option and are too far in the west to return. The eastern clans are still looking for us; there is no going back," the Yxal replied.
Celeste didn't look convinced at all. Nevertheless, she gave in. "Fine, let's hope the members of that clan are not as bad as the members of yours."
"Trust me, the western clans are much friendlier and less aggressive than all the other clans that live in the land once known as the great kingdom of Dragdom."
"As I said before, I do not trust you and don't believe anything you say."
Cruxia chuckled. "You have no other choice."
"Unfortunately, I don't," muttered Celeste.
"Enough talk; we must keep moving if we don't want our pursuers to catch up to us."
"Lead the way."
---
Why did I do it again? With him, of all people? Why do I keep visiting him? Why do I keep giving myself to him? Why?
Helen opened her eyes and banished these thoughts from her mind. She was still hurting from the amount of wine she had consumed the previous day. She turned her head and looked over her shoulder at the handsome man lying on the opposite side of the bed. His commonly perfectly fitting hair was as messy as hers.
Her eyes roamed over his muscular torso to his handsome face; his perfect lips showed a slight, mocking grin. "Like what you see?"
"Maybe," Helen replied with a teasing tone in her voice.
The man snorted, running a hand through his platinum hair. "Maybe," he repeated, amused. "I can tell you that I like what I see."
"Good for you," Helen replied as she got up from the bed and walked over to the settee where she had dropped her clothes and armour, knowing that the man was shamelessly ogling her naked body. But she didn't care that he did that or that this man was not her husband.
"You are not leaving right now, are you?"
Helen looked over her shoulder again. "I have duties to fulfil, so do you, Superion."
"These duties can wait," he said as he got up and walked over to her, wearing only his birthday suit.
"They cannot. Or did you already forget that you agreed to search for my daughter?" A slightly annoyed tone could be heard in Helen's voice.
"I have not forgotten. You gave me a reason to look for her myself, a compelling reason," Superion replied with a wide grin.
"You should get dressed too," Helen said as she put her underwear back on. "You will leave Umbral in a few hours, remember."
"In a few hours," repeated Superion. He stepped closer to her and put a kiss on her left shoulder. "That means we have more time for ourselves."
Helen stepped away quickly. "You had your fun, for now. If you bring my daughter home safely, I might reward you."
The man grinned. "That sounds promising."
Helen put on a pair of linen trousers and a white blouse; then, she put on her golden armour alone. She didn't need help, especially not his. "You might want to say goodbye to your wife," she said without looking at him. "You won't see her for a few weeks."
"You are right; I should do that."
After fixing her hair, Helen went to the door and left the room without saying goodbye to Superion. She didn't feel bad for what she did. She had felt bad the first time it had happened, but after so many times, she no longer did. It was not the first time she had seen another man or woman, and it wouldn't be the last. Something in her was driving her to see other people. It was a powerful urge.
Helen walked through the corridor without thinking about Superion or that she had slept with him again. Her thoughts were meant for Celeste, whose whereabouts were still unknown. She had no idea if she was still alive or not. Her intuition told her that she was still alive, but she didn't have any meaningful proof. She could only hope that Celeste was neither dead nor a prisoner of these creatures.
She eventually left the Sanctuary of the Nine; the bright sun greeted her just like every other morning. She didn't pay attention to those around her. She summoned her wings and rose in the air, flying south. She arrived at her and her husband's property, landing right in front of the double doors of the enormous house. The guards didn't hesitate to open the double doors, allowing her to enter. They greeted her, and she greeted them in return.
She went to one of the vast living rooms, finding her husband in it. He was sitting in a beige armchair, wearing only his sleeping mantel. He was reading the newspaper while drinking coffee.
"Good morning, honey," he said to her. He lowered his newspaper so he could look at her. His face reflected sympathy; he was obviously happy to see her.
"Good morning, Cebast. How are you?"
"I'm fine. What about you?"
"I can't complain."
"Where you have been?" he asked curiously. It was not new to him that his wife was not at home occasionally.
"I had some work to do. Important work. It was getting late, so I stayed in the Sanctuary." She didn't feel bad about lying. She was a pretty good liar, and Cebast had no idea she was lying to him.
"Any news about Celeste?"
Helen shook her head. "Not yet. Superion will lead a search party, and he will find her. I'm certain he will."
"He is only doing this so that we are in his debt. He will ask us for a favour if he wants to impose measures. He doesn't do that because he cares about our daughter." The look on Cebast's face was unambiguous. He was mistrustful.
"You are wrong about this. Superion is looking for the Sceptre of the Ancients. Like everyone else in the council, he knows how dangerous it is in the wrong hands. It has nothing to do with him wanting a favour from us one day," Helen replied, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and one of her brows was raised.
"I don't trust him."
"You never did. You disliked him the day you met him."
"He is your ex, and he wanted to have you back when we met. He tried to manipulate you and tried to turn you against me. Of course, I don't like him."
"You have nothing to worry about these days," Helen reassured. "He is married, remember."
"He is not the type of a man who is faithful to anyone."
"Still, you have nothing to worry about," Helen said soothingly. She ignored the nagging guilt that overcame her.
Cebast nodded. "You are right. You would never do anything bad to me."
"You are right." The feelings of guilt grew stronger and stronger, but she decided to ignore them again.
"When will Superion's troop set off?" Cebast asked after a few minutes of silence.
"In a few hours."
"When will they return?"
"In a few weeks, hopefully."
Her husband nodded. "We have no choice but to hope for the best."
"I'm certain Celeste is alright."
"I hope she is. She is a strong, grown-up woman, but the world outside Tenaria is cruel."
Helen sighed. "I know, but we can do nothing but hope and pray."
Cebast nodded. "You are right. I better visit the Cathedral and pray for our daughter's sake."
"Do that. I have more work to do. I will be away for a few hours."
The dark-skinned man got up and walked over to his wife, kissing her cheek softly. "I will see you later then."
Helen nodded. "See you later."
---
"My feet are hurting; I can already feel blisters forming on the soles of my feet," Celeste complained as she dropped on the tree trunk across the ground.
"What do you want me to do? Message your feet?" Cruxia asked, one of her brows was raised.
"That would be great," replied Celeste.
"Forget about it," the Yxal hissed.
"Too bad," moaned the Anxoyal.
"We need to keep moving," Cruxia reminded her. She stayed not far from Celeste and stared down at her with narrowed eyes.
"I cannot; my feet hurt too much."
"I'll drag you to the settlement if I must."
"You won't save any time that way. If you don't want to carry me the rest of the way, you must at least give me a short break."
Cruxia rolled her eyes. "Gosh, you Anxoyals are so weak. You cannot even walk for a few weeks without complaining."
"Unlike you, I don't have shoes, so don't blame it on me. Blame it on the uneven, nasty ground. I wouldn't have problems walking for hours if I had shoes."
"If I give you mine, will you shut up then?" Cruxia asked, annoyed.
"I believe they are too big for me."
Her gaze rested on Cruxia's shoes. They didn't look like they were made of animal skins. At least not animals Celeste knew. "What are these made of?"
"They are made of Mordeur skins."
"What?" Celeste expressed. She was shocked by this information. She had heard a lot of bad things about the Yxals, but she had never heard about them using the bodies of their enemies for anything. Maybe they were the monsters her people thought they were. The stories about them may not have been exaggerated. Not all, at least.
"You heard me correctly."
"You make shoes out of the skins of your enemies?"
Cruxia shook her head. "We don't make clothes out of intelligent creatures like your people if that's what you are afraid of. We do not consider Mordeurs as equal creatures; they are beasts in our eyes. They are like wolves, wild beasts that can be very dangerous. Your people kill wolves because they are dangerous and use their pelts to warm themselves. We use the skins of these disgusting monsters. There is no difference."
Celeste regarded the shoes silently, not knowing what to say in return.
"We will set off in a few minutes. If everything goes well, we will reach the settlement in two days."
"These are some good news."
"As long as my aunt lets us inside."
"Does she have any reason not to?"
"Besides the fact that three clans are looking for us, not. My aunt is the only member of my family with whom I get on well. She loves me, so I doubt she will abandon me," the pink-skinned woman explained.
"Let's hope that this has not changed."