Page 40 of Magic & Secrets
“I don’t trust my safety to a stranger,” she said, walking faster now. “Besides, these weapons will save me from using my arrows.”
Annoyed with her tone, I nearly shifted into an animal form and ran ahead. Instead, I remained close and followed Calla along the path.
We reached the crest of a small hill and came upon a deserted settlement below. Calla tugged one of the rifles forward and aimed it. Despite her steely expression, she flinched when my hand dropped onto her shoulder.
“Calm down. I can hear your heart racing.”
“That’s simply my mate attraction to you,” Calla grumbled while brushing away my hand. “Stop distracting me.”
“Your ego won’t heal if you insist on throwing salt on it.”
“Be silent,” she hissed.
Chuckling was the absolute wrong move. As soon as I laughed at her behavior, her angry expression shifted into a hurt one. I shook my head at her theatrics and gestured forward.
“No humans remain here. We should find lodging for the night. Food would be ideal, too.”
Calla muttered something none too flattering under her breath and started walking.
“Who raised your sisters and you?”
“We were orphans.”
“You look alike. Do you share a mother and father?”
“No, the Elven warrior who came to our mothers’ town was quite amorous.”
“So, you share a father only? You look too similar.”
Calla flashed a dark glare over her shoulder at me. “You don’t understand how human genetics work.”
“I know better than you.”
“Doubtful. I was a student until recently. You lived on a mountain for a hundred years.”
“That doesn’t change how your story stinks of lies.”
Calla spun around and glared at me. “The wayward Elf seduced many women. Three of them were my mother and her sisters. They became pregnant. My mother and her sisters died. We were raised in an orphanage with human children left parentless from the Belkum Battles. As we got older, someone noticed our quickness and strength. We were designated as protectors of the town. Eventually, we were properly trained. Then, one day, we received a mission that led me to my mate, who turned out to be a stubborn mule.”
Tapping her nose, I pointed out, “Mules are built to be stubborn. You can’t expect us to be any other way.”
Calla narrowed her gaze, yet I sensed she was amused by my mule comment. A smile refused to light her face. She exhaledmelancholy with her every breath. I suspected she required her sisters nearby to keep her focused.
“The Ghouls will attack in the next hour or two.”
“They aren’t alone,” Calla said, patrolling the settlement with her rifle pointed forward. “The claw marks on the machinery and the helicopter were too large to belong to Ghouls. They have a beast within their pack.”
“Settlers like these aren’t simple folk like the ones at Opal Outpost. The ones sent out by the Murade are generally battle-ready. They should have been able to handle Ghouls and a beast.”
Calla stood at the center of the single road in this unfinished settlement. “This place took time to build. The humans weren’t attacked for months. Or they successfully fended off the threat until something changed.”
“You seek to solve a pointless mystery. Whatever killed these humans can’t kill us.”
Glancing at me, Calla nodded yet remained concerned. “Assuming we survive the night in this blood-soaked place, what will happen in the morning?”
“We will travel to Elatalora and speak to the Elven authorities. They will give us transportation back home.”
“What authorities?” Calla asked and moved away from me. “Why would they speak with us?”
