Chapter Text
“Nessa!” Erik scrambled behind me, struggling along the path I’d walked scarcely in my youth. “You don’t have to do this!”
I picked up my dress and pressed on, walking up a path that once sent shivers down my spine, nearing a sight that, even ten years on, still made my heart stop with fear.
“Nessa!” Erik grabbed my arm and made me stop and look him in the eyes. When I was a girl, they made me swoon. They were as blue as the winter sky and reminded me of a simpler time.
But those simple times were over.
“I know what happened was terrible,” he clasped my hand, “I can’t know the pain you’re going through… especially when…”
His eyes flicked down to my stomach, where our child was growing. I had a belly now, and every step reminded me of it. But I had to push through whatever pain I felt now. Not just for me, but for my child, and every generation after.
I returned Erik’s soft gaze, “thank you, Erik,” I squeezed his hand.
“But I need to do this,” I started moving again. If I had to drag Erik there with me, I would. I needed his help now more than ever. Even though Erik didn’t like him, he had saved my life before. Hell, he saved me and Bryony’s lives before.
He was my last hope.
We finally reached the clearing, with Erik still clutching my hand. I stared up at the sight that once gave me nightmares when I was just a little girl.
The Ghandbala tree stood tall over the clearing, with it’s giant, willowed branches, and decaying leaves. It was November, so the mage must have been getting ready to settle in for the winter.
Well, there’d be no sleep for him this winter. Not if the Kobalos got their way. They’d made that much clear already.
There was a time when I was terrified of him, Slither, as he called himself. The people of the village called him many things, Beast, savage, monster, but I knew him. I had travelled with him. He had saved my life, my sisters’ lives, more times than any man. I did not believe he was a beast. He was something… different.
I approached the tree trunk, and did exactly what I’d done ten years prior, when father had died.
I knocked on the trunk three times and waited.
I clutched Erik’s hand tightly. It had been years since I’d seen him last. I didn’t know if he’d even recognize me. The last time we spoke was when he allowed ‘his’ land, our village and the surrounding rivers, to house those who were affected by the war. He seemed quite irritated by it last time, so I’d hoped his mood had eased.
I waited a full minute before knocking three times again. Maybe he was asleep, it was early in the morning. Me and Erik had left the moment we discovered the body.
I was starting to get tired. I’d been on my feet for an hour now, and I wasn’t going to stand around while that damned beast twiddled his thumbs.
I knocked three times again, “Slither!” I screamed. “Open this damn door! I know you’re in there!”
Erik went white with fear, “Nessa!” He grabbed my hand, “you’ll just make him mad!”
Like a lot of the other villagers, he’d learned from a young age to fear Slither. But none of them knew him like I did.
He responded best to confrontation.
“Slither, you filthy beast!” I knocked again, this time not bothering to stop at three. “Open! This! Bloody! Door-“
A clawed hand reached out from behind me and yanked me around so fast I nearly pulled Erik’s arm from his socket.
Slither hadn’t aged a day. His eyes were still a deep yellow, his fangs were as sharp as ever, hell, even his fur was the same shade it had been all those years ago. He even dressed the same! With that black coat, white shirt, boots, and even a small scabbard for various knives and hunting tools. They even bore the familiar stains of dried blood and other gore.
His eyes scanned me up and down, before the let go of my hand.
“You should not be here, Nessa,” his voice was deep and commanding.
Erik instinctively pulled me into him, shielding me with his body, before turning to face Slither.
“What do you want?” Slither snarled and glared at Erik.
“Slither…” I tried to find words he would understand. “Something bad has happened… something very bad…”
He looked me up and down, probably trying to sense what I was saying before I said it.
“There’s Kobalos,” Erik spoke for me, “a pack of them grabbed a pair of girls from the outskirts of town. We found one…”
I couldn’t hold it back anymore. I don’t know if it was shock that had held back my tears, or if I just needed to say it out loud…
I broke down before I knew what was happening, I could feel tears streaming down my face, their salty taste stinging my eyes. I cried out and buried my face in Erik’s chest.
“They killed her… my sweet baby sister…” I sobbed into Erik’s shirt.
As I said it, it suddenly became real. The sight of Bryony’s body, or what was left of it, strung up on that post, flayed of all it’s skin! Missing bones! Eyes! Teeth! And her heart! Why did they take so much from one innocent girl! She’d never hurt a soul!
I sobbed loudly into Erik’s shirt, and he embraced me, gently kissing the top of my head.
Slither’s eyes darted around us. Looking at me, Erik, the child I carried, the tears running down my cheeks. He stood still as if he was working out what he should do.
“Hmph,” he huffed, “come inside. It is unwise for a woman-with-child to be out in the cold.”
Slither tapped the trunk of the Ghandbala tree, and a faint outline appeared in the wood. He pushed in, and it swung in like a door, revealing the interior of his home.
When I was a little girl, I’d always imagined his home as some kind of cave, with various corpse parts and viscera strung around. But in reality, Slither’s home was just like any other man’s.
He had two rooms, one to sleep in and one to live in. The bedroom was separated from the rest of the house with a curtain, and the living room was decorated with bits and bobs he’d acquired over his long life. I recognized a few from market stalls in the village. Many traders would sell their unwanted wares to him for a cheap price. At least now I knew what became of them.
Slither pulled out a large chair and pointed to it, Erik helped me sit down and sat on the arm of the chair next to me.
“Would you like something to drink?” Slither offered, “I procured some tea leaves from the next village over.”
I nodded in between my cries, and Erik clasped my hand once more.
Slither moved around his small kitchen area, moving with grace and precision. He got out three cups, each from a different set, and began to boil a pot.
“We will discuss more of…” he hesitated to say it. “We will discuss what we are to do when the tea is ready.”
Slither left the pot to boil and sat down on the chair opposite to me.
“How far are you… along?” He asked, his eyes glancing to my belly.
I sobbed harder, unable to answer him.
“Midwife says any day now,” Erik answered for me.
Slither shook his head, “then you should be home, resting yourself, foolish girl.”
“I’ll rest when those filthy beasts are dead!” I shouted through my gritted teeth and tears.
Erik winced the moment the words left my hand and squeezed my hand harder. He looked to Slither waiting for his reaction.
Slither held a stern gaze to me.
“You are angry, that is understandable,” he turned and saw the kettle was beginning to boil. “But Nessa, you are just a girl. Spare your anger for when you can use it. Now, it’s just pathetic.”
I growled at him, gods, if Grimalkin was here…
“Hey,” Erik glared daggers at Slither, “we didn’t come here for you to mock us. We came here to seek your help.”
“Yes,” Slither moved to the boiling kettle and crushed three tea leaves in a small mortar and pestle. “You want me to avenge your sister’s death. That is easier said than done.”
“How?!” I demanded, “you’re supposed to be the ‘owner’ of this land, your ‘Haizda’? Are you not supposed to defend it with your life?!”
Slither added the hot water to the teacups and glared back at me.
“I know what I’m supposed to do girl, and rest assured, I will do it,” he marched over to me and Erik, and handed us each a cup of tea.
He took a cup for himself and looked at us, “these raiders have committed a grave sin in invading my land, on that we agree. However, I do not know the scale or size of their forces, where they make camp, or who their leader is.”
“And that stops you because?” I was close to boiling myself by now.
“If it was an ordinary raiding party, then I fear we may already be too late,” he sat down once more. “Kobalos raiders move fast nowadays. As soon as they pick their targets, and take them, it’s back to the walls of Valkarky, before the Witch can take them.”
“The witch?” Erik asked.
Slither looked up to a small wooden board hanging over his mantlepiece. “Her,” is all he said.
The board was torn from a post ten years ago, after a Kobalos Purrai camp was raided. A witch named Grimalkin had slaughtered the entire camp and freed all the captive women. I had met her, when she was alive. She was certainly a woman to be scared of.
I had no idea why Slither had bothered to keep it. Last I heard, Grimalkin was his sworn enemy. Though, they were on the same side during the war.
“Why can’t she help us?” Erik asked.
“She’s dead,” I answered him.
“What?” He looked at me as if I’d grown a second head.
“Witches persist on after death,” Slither explained. “Grimalkin travels between the two planes of reality and enacts her wrath upon the world of the living when the moon is full.”
“Grimalkin can only come out at night,” I turned to Slither, “if there’s any chance of catching those who killed Bryony, you need to go now.”
Slither held my gaze for a few seconds, before letting out a long sigh.
“Very well,” he rose from his chair and checked the weapons he had sheathed.
Erik looked at me excitedly, but then he saw the dour look on his face.
“What’s the catch?” I asked him. The Haizda mage didn’t give without taking something in return.
“Nothing,” Slither shook his head. “Do you remember the deal I made with your father all those years ago?”
Indeed, I did. I remember damning him, even as he lay on his death bed.
Slither was hired by my father to take my sister’s, Susan, and Bryony to my uncle. As payment, he was allowed to sell me as a Purra to the Kobalos.
See, Kobalos didn’t have women. A long time ago, one of their high kings ruled that women were a blight that held their society back. So, he had them all rounded up and slaughtered.
But then, without women, how was their society supposed to grow? That is where human women came in.
Purrai, as they called us, was the Kobalos word for ‘Breeding slave.’ So yes, needless to say I was truly angry at my father.
“What does that have to do with anything?” I snapped.
Slither remained calm. “I have failed my half of the bargain,” he explained. “I sold you, but I have now failed to save your sisters. First, Susan in Valkarky, and now Bryony.”
“He sold you?!” Erik rose from his chair and looked ready to throw a punch at the Haizda mage. But I pulled him down.
“It’s ok,” I calmed him, “Grimalkin saved me.”
“Indeed,” Slither looked down.
Erik sat down next to me and grasped my hand once more.
Slither knelt down so that he was on our eye level.
“I am sorry about your sister, Nessa,” he bowed his head, “you and your…”
He stared at Erik trying to discern our relationship.
“Husband,” I said plainly, making Erik tense. The truth is, we have yet to marry, but we already share a house, bed, and soon a child. We may as well skip the ceremony at this point.
“You may stay here, for the time being,” Slither nodded to Erik. “You will find food in the kitchen. Though it is considered the Kobalos way to eat meat raw, I prefer it cooked. So you will find a stove and cooking supplies also.”
Before Slither could leave I reached out and grabbed his arm.
“Thank you!” I smiled.
“Do not thank me,” Slither shook his head. “I have done nothing for you.”
Slither got up and left the home he’d made for himself. Without so much as looking back at me and Erik.
What he said as he left though… something about it didn’t ring right with me…
“Well,” Erik looked into my eyes. “We got what we came for.”
“Yeah…” I hung my head, the image of Bryony’s body still plaguing my mind.
“He’s quite an interesting fellow,” Erik clicked his tongue, “for a beast anyway…”
“Don’t call him that,” I softened my gaze, “Slither may have the ugly outside of a monster. But deep down, buried under the fur and the fangs, I think there beats the heart of someone good.”
I felt a kick in my stomach, which made me jolt. But it also made me smile. I placed my hand on my belly, and Erik placed his over mine.
“I think Slither just needs some help…”