Chapter Seventeen
***
She could not sleep, her gaze never leaving the shadows. Vedikus had long since fallen into slumber beside her. She waited for the hag to approach; Aldora knew she was there, and it was only a matter of time.
When the girl finally revealed herself, Aldora was ready, taking a moment to slip out from under her minotaur’s weight. She hesitated, waiting to see if she had awoken him, but his arm relaxed to the floor, and his dreams remained undisturbed.
The hag—with the face of a young girl—handed her an old, frayed, white shift which Aldora donned silently, listening to the popping snap of the dying fire.
Aldora followed the young woman from the room and deeper into the stone passageways. The tunnels were similar to those she encountered within the barrier lands, but less overgrown, less wild, and were clearly part of an overall design. Despite outward appearances, it was a lived in structure that was taken care of. She trailed her fingers along the wall when the vines near it suddenly burst out toward her with thorns. She snatched her hand back, remembering their pain.
“They protect themselves.” The girl looked back. “Like everything else here, they’re a product of living in a cruel world.”
Aldora tangled her fingers into the shift the girl had given her. “What’s your name?”
“Hypathia. No? Nithers, then,” the girl said with a sly grin. “Maybe my name is Alepos, Aldora, or Vedikus. What does it matter?”
What?Aldora’s eyes widened. “How do you know?”
“I sensed your presence, and I knew your minotaur’s intention to come here the moment you entered the wetlands. I don’t just let anyone find this place. You can call me Calavia.” The girl turned away and continued down the hall, only to duck into the shadows of another room. Aldora sped up to catch her. “Those who seek to raid or to hurt me or mine will never find this place.”
The vines stopped at the entrance to accumulate into large masses around the doorway where the hag entered. Beyond was an altar. It was cluttered with candles of every length and size, and more than half were lit. The wax fell in thick streams down their stems to drip off the sides where it collected in a puddle on the floor. Calavia sat next to where it ended, like a slow-building wave of molasses.
Aldora wanted to rush to her side and pull her away despite the wax not moving. The sudden urge made Aldora pause, and she remained where she was, taking the girl in. Calavia’s hair was as long as her own, but darker, with strands that seemed to absorb the light instead of reflecting it. It was unwashed and matted with visible mud caked it, making it appear heavy, and it fell in hardened clumps over her rags.
She’s untrustworthy.And yet, Aldora’s hands ticked at her sides to touch her.
“Are you human?” she asked, ducking under the archway, making sure not to touch the vines.
“Not like you. I can’t repel the curse, but I was human, and still am in some small ways. I’ve never felt the sunlight. I believe to be human is to miss it but how can I miss something I’ve never felt?”
“I don’t understand?” Aldora stopped a short distance away. “The sun has nothing to do with humanity.”
“It does if that’s where our people come from.” Calavia idly caressed the stiff wax. “I can never cross the barrier even if I made it to the wall.”
“Have you tried?” Could she help me get back? Aldora glanced at the shadowy exit behind her. Vedikus was asleep somewhere beyond, healing from the hurts he sustained on her behalf, drunk on her blood.Filled with my blood as I’m filled with his seed.She shifted on her feet, feeling the thick cum inside her, still leaking out from her core where he had filled it so entirely. Even though she had cleaned herself, more replaced what was taken away, reminding her she would never be free from him... or the life he had planned for her.
I could be with child...
She placed her hands on her belly.I could be...
“I have not.” The hag looked at her sharply, scattering her excited thoughts. “I would not try even if I could. There is nothing on the other side that appeals to me.”
“Not even safety?” Aldora shook her head. “Never mind. Anyone with magic in Savadon is considered deviant and evil...” she trailed off, considering. “There’s nothing for you there.”
Calavia smiled up at her. “Apparently not.”
