I squint down at her and she flinches, her pallor lightening further.
“Yessss.”
“I… can’t swim but I think that will work. I… I don’t know. I’ve never been outside before…”
I change direction to head west again, and take them in the direction of the lake instead. I told her the truth, it is not far. It will not lengthen our journey too much. “We have been near thelake for a short while now, and will later reach the point where it forks into a river.”
“Oh. I thought the trees might… never end.” She coughs and winces, shifting slightly in my arms.
She goes quiet again as she partially relaxes in my arms and turns her face outward. My attention shifts to finding a clear path to the shore around the increasingly rocky ledges that are beginning to appear. Nearly abutting the northern part of Zaku’s mountain, the area leading to the junction where the lake turns into a river is rough and steep, and for those with legs, an unsafe place altogether. It is even unsafe for a naga who can not climb. Unfortunately, without losing a lot of time, it is our fastest route to getting to the river and crossing it. Once we get to the junction, where we turn to follow the river east and around the northern face of Zaku’s mountain, there will be no easy access to the water without having to scale those cliffs along the shore, at least not until we are clear past it and north of his mountain. Unfortunately, I do not think scaling a cliff will help Olivia or any of the humans in their state. Olivia will not be able to jump let alone use her body to any real effect with her wound as it is. She is lucky to be alive and her wound was not lower on her chest.
Olivia is slighter than Julia, frailer in appearance. There is a quiet but disturbed innocence in her eyes, and I do not want to add to that disturbance. Peering down at her, her shoulder-length dirty-blonde hair is pulled from her face, and her features that I can see around her mask are marred with ash and dirt. Though she seems like a mostly formed human, I can still tell she is young, on the edge of adulthood.
I do not know if my pheromones will affect her. Though, I do not think I am giving any of my mating scent off. I have checked myself and I have smelled no different than I usually do.
Still, Julia tied a multi-layered strip of cloth around the girl’s nose, and even with a slight breeze keeping my scent diluted—and me having no inclination—I do my best to keep my hold on her loose. If there was a better option, I would not be the one carrying her. The other two males are too hurt and weak themselves to offer much help. At least not for now. And allowing Olivia to walk and use one of us as a crutch would add a significant amount of time and slow us down. It would also drain her of what little energy she has.
I do not want to be within the forest around the lake for long, it is a common haunt for pigs, especially.
“You do not need to be afraid of me, young one,” I say as I lead us down a narrow path through some bushes. She looks up at me as I gently raise her over them so her legs do not get caught in the branches. “While you are under my protection, no one, least of all me, will harm you.” Pulling my gaze from hers, I return my attention to the path ahead.
After a short time of traveling west and slightly north, we emerge from the trees to look out over the northernmost point of the lake on the east shoreline. To get any further north, we have to cross the river.
As Benjamin and Quinton come to a stop at my right, they are silent as they peer out over the shimmering water.
Julia pauses at my left, and shifting my focus to her amongst the wild landscape and shoreline, I have never seen a more beautiful sight. Without the coverage of the trees, the sunlight lightens her features into a deep, warm glow. Standing tall and with an expression of intent in her eyes, I itch to set Olivia down and draw Julia into my arms instead.
“What’s that?” Quinton asks and points. There are fire spots on the forested slopes of the mountains directly across the lake, and tendrils of smoke rise into the air, clear against the blue sky.
“Campfires,” Julia answers for me. Watching the smoke trails drift into the sky, they remind me that the forest is far more populated than it has been in many, many seasons.Thereare landed spaceships and humans over there…At one time, that would have been enough to attract every curious naga within miles.
Looking back at Julia as she begins to move, she is already turning back for the forest. At the edge of the trees where the end at the rocky ledge, she sets down her pack.
“We will rest here before we finish our trek along the river east.” I turn back to announce to the others. “I want to be across the river by nightfall.”
“We won’t make it to the encampment today?” Benjamin asks, his brow furrowing.
“No.” I gently set Olivia on her feet. She holds onto me with her good arm as she rights herself. “We will be there early tomorrow if there are no diversions.”
Benjamin nods slowly and turns back toward the water, staring at it with a morose, reserved awe. Sadness befalls his features and he inhales deeply. “My brother would have loved to see this,” he whispers under his breath.
Olivia wiggles against me, briefly tightening her hold on my arm as Julia walks to her other side to take her from me. “She needssss the bathroom,” I say, gently handing Olivia off to her as she takes hold of Julia.
Julia slides her arm under the girl’s shoulder and the girl shifts her weight over. “Good to know. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you,” Olivia murmurs softly, reaching up and pushing some of her light-colored hair out of her face.
She leans into Julia’s side and the two women walk away towards the trees and down the shore, along a curved path to my right. Meanwhile the males drop their own packs beside Julia’s and settle down for a break among them. Abruptly alone with them, I give them my back and scan the far shore, searching for other humans or nagas who might also be at the water, and making certain we are, for the time being, alone.
“Are all of the nagas like you?”
I glance behind me and at the male, Quinton, who has been largely silent so far. “No.”
He appears to wait for me to say more.
I hiss and face him when he tilts his head questioningly. “I am from the Copperhead clan, and my scales and patterning reflect that. There are many clanssss. Some are more vicious than others.”
“Vicious? Did you say vicious?”
