Page 7 of Heart of the Cursed
Arun, for one, was tired of all the killing. He’d lived through too many wars to count, and now he spent his days hunting down and killing innocent beings. All because of what? Because they were Human? It didn’t seem fair to him.
Yes, they had brought it on themselves in the beginning. They had nearly destroyed the realm and many of the creatures living in it, all because of their selfish greed and lack of empathy for anything other than themselves. So, it was either put a stop to them, or risk losing the realm and the other creatures that called it home forever.
But times had changed, and so had the Humans. They weren’t as destructive anymore. The realm has had more than enough time to recover from what they had done. It was time to give them another chance to look after it like they were always meant to.
There weren’t many Humans left alive. If things didn’t change for them soon, there would be no turning back for them.
Well, there’s now five less,he thought morbidly as he looked at the dead bodies scattered around the fire.
Something needed to change, and it needed to change soon. Or it might be too late for the Humans. And until something did happen, more of them were going to die. Mostly by his, Dain, or Taredd’s hand. After all, it was better the Humans die by their hands than the alternative.
“So, where are we off to next?” Dain asked. “Or can we finally have a couple of days off?”
As Dain spoke, his voice became quieter and quieter. Even the crackling of the fire seemed to fade away.
Arun could see Taredd’s mouth moving as he replied to Dain, but by then, he couldn’t hear any sounds coming from around him. As he stood there, surrounded by dead bodies and his friends, all he could hear was the sound of a female’s voice.
Her soft, melodic voice sent an electrical current racing through his body. His heart picked up speed and his breathing turned ragged as all of his blood rushed south to his cock.
Arun was stunned at his body’s reaction to her voice. Nothing had ever made his body react so suddenly, and with such force. It took him by complete surprise.
After a moment, he realised she was chanting something. He couldn’t quite make out the words, but the intention behind them was clear as day. She was looking for something.
He didn’t think she was looking for him, or anyone in particular, but she was definitely looking for something. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one that could hear her soft, melodic voice.
Whatever she was doing, she was gaining the attention of some very bad people. He could feel it through his magic. So many eyes watching her. He was surprised she couldn’t feel it.
Arun shivered at the benevolence he felt that was aimed at her. Either she was blind to it, or she was ignoring it, because she continued chanting.
Even if she stopped now, it was too late. The damage had already been done. She had painted a target on her back. What was worse, she probably didn’t even know it.
Dain waved a hand in front of Arun’s face, trying to gain his attention, but Arun still couldn’t hear anything other than the female. The longer she continued, the louder her voice got in his head, and the clearer the words became until he could hear every word she spoke.
Her voice drifted through his head. It was so clear, it was as if she stood right in front of him, chanting at the top of her voice.
“Mother Earth, hear my plea, show me what I cannot see. Mother Moon, hear my plea, light my way so I can see. Earth, Air, Water, Fire. Reveal to me my heart’s desire. Elements, I call to thee. Clear the Earth, Part the Sea. Show me what I cannot see. As the Wind blows, and the Fires glow, show me where I have to go.”
As soon as she spoke the last words, the spell was severed, and he was able to hear Taredd and Dain talking again.
“…like he can’t hear us,” Dain said.
“I can hear you just fine,” Arun said, making them both turn his way. “I can also ignore you both just fine, as well.”
“Okay, so what were we just talking about?” Dain asked, not believing him.
“You were discussing why it’s such a good idea to have a couple of days off,” he said smugly.
“Good guess,” Dain sulked.
“So, are we having some time off?” he asked Taredd. “Or are we moving on to the next group?”
“Do either of you know where the next group is?” Taredd asked, looking between them.
Arun shook his head. “No.”
“Nope,” Dain said. “So, it’s the perfect time to have a couple of days off.”
“Fine,” Taredd conceded. “But only for a couple of days. No longer than that.”
A couple of days wouldn’t do it for Arun. Not if he was going to find the female and warn her about the danger, she was in. He wasn’t sure when he decided to warn her, but now that his mind was made up, he was going to follow through.
“Yes!” Dain said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together excitedly. “Now, let’s go to the nearest tavern and have a few drinks, shall we?”
“Sounds good to me,” Taredd said.
“Me too,” Arun agreed.
He didn’t plan on staying at the tavern for long, but it was as good a place as any to come up with a plan of action. Now that his mind was made up about finding the female, he needed to come up with a plan, and a good excuse for why he needed some time alone.
