Page 35 of Beyond the Ruby River
Mahu
Rhakotis, though a small city, was full to bursting with people. How was Mahu to find Daka’s family in this crowd?
Excuse me, have you seen anyone with horns and a tail recently? Could you point me their way?
Perhaps coming here had been foolish, but the alternative would mean never seeing Daka again. He’d had enough loss in his lifetime. Mahu wouldn’t lose Daka too, not if he could help it.
In the end, finding Daka’s family hadn’t been the difficult part after all, working up the courage to speak to them was. He’d simply asked his host if the rumors of demons in Rhakotis bore any truth, and the man had sent him to a pub two streets away to ask the barkeep.
As Mahu had posed the question, the barkeep gave an impartial shrug and pointed to a hunched man at a corner table.
When Mahu asked that man, whose name was Pentu, his eyes widened and gleamed with a hint of obsession. He’d proceeded into an evening-long rant about the ‘demons on the hill,’ and how they’d lived there since before his great-grandfather was born. The same demons. Immortal.
Mahu repressed a shiver.
“Unnatural, I say.” Pentu emphasized the word with a fist thudded against the uneven wooden table.
Mahu’s drink wobbled. He took the mug in hand to steady it. “Unnatural, indeed, to be so long-lived, but how is it you’ve come to know this?”
Pentu had clearly been waiting for someone to take interest in his tale. With Mahu as his captive audience, the drunken haze had cleared from his demeanor and his back had straightened.
Pentu’s brown-eyed gaze turned serious. “My da told me, and Gran-da told him, and his before that. Them that live on the hill, they aren’t like us, but theyneedus.” Pentu gave a solemn nod.
“They need us?” Mahu had many questions, but this one seemed important.
Pentu leaned in, lowering his voice. “They’re sex demons. It’s how they feed.”
Mahu was stunned to silence.
He’d gotten directions to these ‘demons on the hill,’ paid for Pentu’s drinks, and headed back to his room with thoughts swarming like angry bees.
Had Daka been alive since before Mahu was born? Everything he knew of the demon indicated the contrary—Daka appeared every bit the young man in his curiosity, enthusiasm, and mannerisms—but the more Mahu considered the notion, the more he realized the gaps in his knowledge. Daka had made sure Mahu didn’t meet his sister, after all.
Worse still, had Daka…fed from him?
With sudden clarity, Mahu knew he must have. The way Daka had lost himself in bed, the blissful intoxication that had left him near to incoherent, how he’d passed out after, like one is wont to do after a feast.
The betrayal came rushing back. Daka had lied to him, deceived him in the worst way, and taken advantage of his ignorance.
Mahu had come to Rhakotis to ensure Daka was all right. To see him at least one more time and to let him explain as he’d refused to allow that fateful morning. He’d come with hopes of reconciliation.
Doubt clouded his intentions, casting its dark shadow over Mahu’s mood. Perhaps this was a fool’s errand, but he couldn’t let one drunk at a bar change his plans. He had to find Daka and ask these questions for himself.
And now he had directions.
* * *
Mahu couldn’t decide if it was a good or bad omen, but he found the hill Pentu spoke of without any trouble. Past the outskirts of Rhakotis proper, through the fertile farmlands to where green became brown, a massive limestone house stood atop a low mound. The shallow rise could hardly be called a hill, but Mahu was sure this was the place. Something stirred in his gut, whispering to him that Daka was nearby.
With some trepidation, Mahu approached the property. There were no gardens, no courtyards lush with life. Instead the desert landscape featured statuary in the Greek style. Curvaceous men and women carved in stone, their long flowing robes boasting enough fabric for several Egyptian-style skirts or tunics. The sun glinted off the smooth lines, causing Mahu to squint.
As he worked up his nerve to knock upon the door, it swung open to reveal a very tall woman. She glowered at him through storm blue eyes the same color as Daka’s. Her hair was a lighter shade of brown with hints of red, hanging long around her broad shoulders.
“Who are you?” she asked in a melodious tone, her eyebrows raised.
Could this be Niya? Though she’d stand head and shoulders taller than Dakarai, the resemblance showed in her face, especially those dark blue eyes. Would Daka have told her about him? Would she recognize his name? Fear prickled the hairs on the back of his neck.
“Greetings. My name is Mahu.” He inclined his head politely. “I’m looking for my friend, Dakarai. Is he here?”
