“I thought you said wedidn’thave to talk,” he says in an annoyingly grumbly voice that makes my stomach do all sorts of weird rolls and flips.
“If we’re traveling together, it’s only right that I knowsomethingabout you, Thane. Or is it Valkor? I should at least know which one is your real name.”
He grinds his teeth. “You’re insufferable.”
“And you act like a withered dick.”
That earns me a mouth twitch, like he wants to laugh but won’t dare give me the satisfaction. “If I tell you my name, will you stop asking questions and go to sleep?”
“I’ll leave that up to Orvena. Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t.”
Sighing, he stretches his legs out and loosely folds his arms over his chest. “My name is Thane Valkor, but if you’ve been put on my shitlist, you’ll only refer to me as Valkor. You aren’t on that listyet, but keep talking and you will be.”
“Okay, okay. Sheesh.” I stifle a laugh. “So grouchy.” My shoulders relax when I finally stop shivering. My eyelids droop as the warmth of the fire wraps around me like a second blanket.
“Tomorrow’s journey will be much harder than today’s,” Thane says after a silent minute or two.
“Because we’re going into Ruvain territory now?” I take my spectacles off and place them next to my head.
“Exactly.”
Yes. The land is littered with thieves, cons,moremurderers, and of course, the flesh-eating beastials living in their forests. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Though some of the beastials live in the wild, there are feral beasts and monsters throughout Thelanor who are born only as that, and most of them lurk along Ruvain’s borders.
They’re not like the beastials that live among the mortals, sorcerers, and charmers. They are simply animals who understand we are the prey, and they are the predators.
Xaimur, the god of corruption, made some of the beasts and monsters to try and outnumber Orvena’s creations. Orvena was the goddess who created all living things in Thelanor. She wanted her creations to be peaceful and to roam freely and happily. She even provided some of us with magical abilities, hence the sorcerers.
To protect us all from Xaimur’s wrath, she trapped him in one of his darkest, lowest hells and sacrificed her physical form to grace all of Thelanor with her essence. Yes, monsters and beasts still linger, but her creations prosper and outnumber his immensely.
You’d have to visit some of the wickedest places and the darkest pits of the forests to encounter such monsters, but the distance never stops some of them from coming closer to inhabited lands if they’re hungry enough.
Many people go missing or are attacked and eaten on the odd night, which makes being in this old building with no locks a bit distressing. Who knows what’s lurking out there right now, sniffing us out.
“The fire won’t burn all night.” Thane’s voice sucks me out of my thoughts. He’s been quiet for so long, I almost forgot he was there. “I don’t want anyone noticing the light.”
“Yeah. I understand. Thanks for warming us up a bit.” I close my eyes, reminding myself that if anything does try and attack us, Thane will handle it. He’s here to protect me…
Or rob me, kill me, and leave me in this building to rot.
I guess I’ll find out.
Chapter 12
“Make a peep and I’ll kill you.”
My heartbeat thunders rapidly in my ears as a man crouches above me. One of his hands is clapped over my mouth while the edge of a blade is pressed into my throat with his other hand. He pushes it deeper to shush me when I whimper.
Without my spectacles on and the room being half bathed in morning light, his features are a blur—that is until he leans in closer and reveals warm ochre skin behind a slightly turned-up nose, dark-brown eyes, bushy eyebrows, and hair styled in individual plaits.
“Do you understand?” he asks.
I nod behind his hand as my eyes burn with tears. So many thoughts run through my head:Who is this man? Where is Thane? Oh gods. Is this a setup? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted him!
“I’m just gonna rummage through that cute little rucksack and lady bag you have over there,” he says, gesturing with the hand holding the knife to my bags in the corner. “Well, actually, I’m not gonna do it. Zephra is.”
My brows dip with confusion.Who?
As the thought erupts, a creature appears on the man’s shoulder with the body and wings of a miniature dragon. Its pink fur looks as soft as a bunny’s with the pattern of dragon scales. Its nose resembles a bunny’s as well, while pointed ears sprout from either side of its head. Its amber eyes are too big for its face…but in an adorable way.
