Page 20 of One Last Promise
“Ouch!Is this how you treat someone that hassavedyour life?”
“Raidensaved my life!You merely killed the beast!”
“Were the two of you joined?Did you run away together?”
“I am not answering that!”How dare he ask such a personal question.
“We both have made it perfectly clear that we find each other repulsive.That should put your mind at rest that I mean you no harm.I have no desire to thrust myself upon you.Eat!”At his command, I took a small bite of the meat and groaned at how good it tasted.It was far better than the corn bread rations Raiden and I had been eating.“When was the last time you ate?”
“Last night, b...before...”I couldn’t finish my words, thinking about Raiden and his sacrifice.
“Before the noc beast attacked?”Darce’s voice was soft as he finished my sentence for me.He seemed almost concerned as he watched me.
“A pack of night howlers invaded our camp first in the early hours of the morning.There had to be over thirty of them.Raiden fended them off while I hid in the tree.He ordered me to.I took out as many I could out with my bow, b...but, it wasn’t quite enough.”
“The noc beast would have smelt all the blood.I was tracking it and couldn’t understand why it suddenly changed its course.Now it makes sense.”
“I should have fought harder.Raiden and I could have taken down the night howlerstogether.”This was why I had begged my father to allow me to train in battle.With both of us fighting, I might have been able to save Raiden.
“Could you really have made a difference?”Darce’s voice was softer, putting me at ease.My arm was so tired from carrying the sword so far, that I placed it down on the floor beside me.Exhaustion hit me, and I finally sat opposite Darce, watching him for any sudden movements.
Undoing my cloak a little while later, I slipped it off my body.The embers from the fire had made the inside of the cave really warm.
Darce sat there motionless, watching me as I pulled my light brown, knee-high leather boots off.My feet throbbed when released from their confines.My dark grey, gold threaded, trousers were covered in blood and dirt.My fitted, white tunic had fared better because of the small amount of gold armour I had around my waist and elbows.
“There is no point wondering what you could have done.Your friend is gone.Survival is all you should be focusing on now.”Darce finally spoke, reaching out to offer me some of his water.“That’s not poisoned either,” he chuckled as I cautiously looked into the jug.“I’m not sure how you could tell by looking at it, though.Unless that is some special power you Dylin females have.”Glaring, I took a small sip before realising how thirsty I was.After taking six large gulps, I came back up for air and handed the jug back to him.“If the two of you weren’t running away, what were you doing out there?”
“We were on a pilgrimage to the sacred mountains,” I muttered, looking away from him as I rubbed my tired feet.
“Sacred mountains?”Frowning at me, he ate the remaining meat near the fire, before downing some water.“What could you possibly find that issacredin those mountains?Doesn’t your kind realise howdangerousit is up there?”Of course, a Noxlin would see nothing wrong with the hardship our moon goddess, Nantu, had to endure fromhisrace.
“We go and pay our respects to ourmoon goddess.”
Darce let out a loud laugh, clapping his hands together.“Oh, please don’t tell me you Dylin’s pay their respects toNantu?You know she was aNoxlin, right?”
“Lies!”I spat, standing up so quickly it startled him.“Take that back, or I’ll run you through with my blade!”
“Can we stop with all your heroics?We both know you can hardly lift that sword.Your stance suggests you know nothing about wielding such a weapon.At least have your feet wider apart!”At his words, I shuffled my feet further apart.“That’s alittlebetter,” he snorted.Darce hadn’t even stood up, which showed how menacing I must have looked to him.
“Take.It.Back!”Over pronouncing each word, I glowered towards him.
“You havetwochoices, Dylin.Sit thefuckdown and listen to my version of yourmoonlight goddess, or leave this cave and find your own way home.”Darce threw another log onto the fire.“I don’t care either way, but if you choose to stay, your sulky, adolescent attitude ends now!How did your friend put up with you?”
“You are infuriating!”I threw my hands up in the air for a moment before I sat back down and crossed my arms.
“You’restillsulking,” he pointed out with a smirk on his face.
“Tell your damn story!”
Darce tended to the fire, stoking the embers a little so the log would catch fire faster.“Nantu was born of darkness, but became corrupted by moonlight.Like a moth to a flame, she bonded with a powerful Dylin for love, and cursed herself.”I didn’t believe a word of it.Nantu was never a Noxlin!“When she realised that it was not love but her power of the darkness that the Dylin wanted, Nantu killed herself by jumping off the sacred mountains near Specter Isle.Her selfish actions caused many Noxlin deaths.King Solace sent his best warriors to collect her when he learnt of her Dylin lover’s deceit, but he was too late.She was a dear friend to him.”
“Of course your kind would paint yourselves out to be the heroes.”
“I haven’t finished the story yet,” he scolded, warning me with his deadly black eyes.A whole star system appeared to reflect back in his dark orbs.It was something I hadn’t noticed until now.I motioned for him to continue.“Nantu’s soul beasts will hunt any lonely NoxlinorDylin found wandering the Barren Lands, draining them of their power and life force.It’s said that you can still hear her screams near the mountain.You enter the land at your own peril.”The ending may have been very similar to our own myth, but that was where it ended.
“That may be your legend, but our stories areverydifferent.”
“Let’s hear yours.I wouldloveto compare.”
