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Chapter 2

  Hadassah opened her eyes to darkness, unsure for a moment if she was dreaming. But the sudden pain from her fall forced her to face the brutal reality of her situation. She laid on the cold, wet floor, her gaze fixed absently on the ceiling of what appeared to be a dingy cave.

  ‘How am I still alive?’

  She had been certain she would drown, she made sure she would drown, she hadn’t fought against the currents. Yet here she was; given a second chance—a chance she didn’t want.

  The sound of soft splashing drew her attention.

  ‘Water…’

  With great effort, she pushed her heavy body off the ground, wincing with each movement. Every part of her ached, and she couldn’t tell where the physical pain ended and the heartache began. Slowly, she propped herself up against the rough cave wall, and dragged her limp body inch by inch towards a large pool further down the cavern. The water glowed softly, casting white light in the darkness. Her feet stumbled as she struggled to walk, but eventually she reached the pearly blue waters and fell to her knees.

  She looked down at her reflection in the shimmering pool. What she saw made her chest tighten with despair. Her once-beautiful hair, which her father had loved so much, now hung limp and matted against her face, tangled with mud and twigs. Her pretty brown eyes, once full of life, now seemed dull and lifeless, and her skin had lost its warmth, appearing ashen and drained. As she gazed at her reflection, tears welled up in her eyes.

  ‘He would hate to see me like this,’ she thought bitterly. She hated seeing herself this way too. She hated that she was still breathing, that she was still able to think. Now, all she could think about was her father. She longed to hear the sweet sound of his jade flute, to see the warm glow of his office light burning late into the night. She desperately wanted to return home and sift through the ashes, but she knew deep down that there would be nothing left to find.

  ‘Die.’

  A sob choked in her throat as her tears fell into the pool, rippling the water. Her head erupted in pain as if it would split open. She had no home to return to, no family left, and yet the heavens had cruelly chosen to keep her alive. She reached for the baldric strapped across her chest, unsheathing the dagger hidden within. Holding it to her neck, she stared at the crying mess reflected in the water, her heart like a heavy stone sinking her soul into the murky depths of the abyss.

  She closed her eyes and prepared herself for the end.

  But before she could follow through, a sudden splash of water startled her, forcing her eyes open. She found herself staring into a pair of enchanting pale blue eyes, his gaze cut through the fog in her mind as if conjuring light in overwhelming darkness.

  In the blink of an eye, her dagger was dislodged from her hand and sent flying into the pool. Her eyes widened in rage as she glared at him not caring for his beauty anymore.

  “How dare you—!” she began, but before she could finish, he interrupted her.

  “Be still,” his voice commanded.

  Hadassah froze, her breath hitching in her throat as she faced the enigmatic being before her. A chill of fear ran through her as he towered over her; pale skin, a perfectly sculpted face, blue-tinged lips, and webbed ears sticking out from his mass of long, wavy, beautiful pale hair. She couldn’t move or speak, bound by his words, but her tears continued to stream down her cheeks, unhindered.

  His wet hair dripped with strands of white pearls and gems that glistened like teardrops, and gems circled his bare torso just above where his light blue tail began. He approached her slowly, his hand reaching out towards her face. Horror gripped her as she urged herself to move, to break free from his spell.

  ‘Move!’ she screamed inwardly, trying desperately to will her body into action. As his fingers drew closer, she squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating with all her might, hoping she would break free in time.

  ‘Please! move!’

  Unfortunately, her efforts were in vain. He grabbed her face with delicate hands, pressing her cheeks until her mouth opened against her will. With a quick motion, he pushed a small, pill-shaped object past her lips and released her. She felt the smooth, spherical object slide down her throat, her horror growing with each passing second.

  In that instant, the spell broke.

  She shoved his hand away.

  Falling back, coughing violently. Gagging as she tried to expel whatever he had forced into her. But before she could make any progress, he moved swiftly—too fast for her eyes to see—covering her mouth with one hand and pushing her down onto the damp soil with the other.

  “Let go!” she tried to scream; her voice muffled behind his hand, but he did not relent.

  “Stop trying to get it out,” he commanded firmly. “It’s only a deep sea pearl—it will cause you no harm.”

  His words only deepened her despair.

  ‘Why can’t you just let me die!?’

  Why was he so insistent on saving her? She struggled against him, but his strength far outmatched hers. As the pearl dissolved within her, she felt the healing warmth spread through her body. Her cuts and bruises began to heal, her cracked ribs mended, and her sprained ankle was restored.

  The physical pain that had consumed her vanished in an instant, but the terrible ache in her heart remained, screaming at the loss of her only family.

  Her struggles weakened.

  Her sobs grew louder and messier, mounting until she was physically incapable of anything other than curling into herself, hugging her body as she wept uncontrollably.

  The cries of a now orphaned girl echo through the dark cave.

  ˋ?-?-?ˊ

  Hadassah was unaware of how long she cried or when she had fallen asleep. She opened her eyes once again to the same dark cave by the pool. Her body felt light, but her eyes were red and puffy.

  She looked around to see no merman.

  Placing her hand in the pool, she splashed around as if to call out to him, but he did not appear. She considered the possibility that he had gone back to wherever he came from.

  ‘Maybe he ran away because he knows if he shows his face, I might kill him.’

  She looked at her reflection once more and started cleaning the mud out of her hair. As she freshened up, she thought about what she wanted to do now. She finally had freedom, but now she had no family and no home. She wanted so much to destroy whoever or whatever it was that took that from her. But right now, she was too incompetent. She could barely survive the strength of a meagre fae; she needed to grow stronger.

  The problem with humans—their fatal flaw—was their physical prowess, or lack thereof. Take Celestials for example; their royal family’s ability to lure and command was so strong, she could not even resist it when the merman made her stop. Compared to any of the five great tribes, humans were weak creatures who couldn’t fly or swim particularly well, they couldn’t even regenerate at the same rate as beastmen. She clenched her teeth and focused on herself. If she thought too much about her current predicament, she would just cry again.

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  By the time the mermaid came back, she was calmer, almost strangely so. He did not say anything; her cold eyes made it clear she was still mad at him. He placed two small fish a distance away from her. “Eat, I will take you back to the Rabbit Tribe.”

  She pursed her lips but took the fish and tried to find dry sticks she could use for a fire. He said nothing to her, and she did not care to speak to him either. Now that her mind was clear, she could appreciate his face a little more. She felt embarrassed; she had cried so heavily in front of such a beautiful man and was trying to reassemble her tattered pride. He merely watched her as she lit up the cave with a small fire and prepared the fish to be roasted.

  “Do you always use fire like this?” he asked her.

  She looked up at his clueless face, “what do you think?”

  “It looks quite beautiful.”

  She rolled her eyes, feeling that only an idiot would think fire was beautiful to look at. She got back to work, cooking the two fish for her to eat. He watched her with a strange eagerness; she did not care to understand nor question. Ignoring him soon became impossible, as his intense stares made her uncomfortable.

  “Do you want it?” She asked, raising a stick of fish. He jolted at once as if shocked she even asked, but then he nodded his head. He pushed himself up so he was sitting on the pool ledge, his tail hanging over into the water. She handed him a fish, which he took carefully. He sniffed it first before biting into it.

  “This is quite delicious.” His eyes were big, as if he were tasting something divine for the first time. She felt it was funny, if he tasted her cooking with salt, wouldn’t he faint?

  She snickered at his childlike behaviour. It was just roasted fish; there was nothing to be excited about. She looked down at her own fish, and then she looked back at the man who saved her. She took a big breath, mustering her courage.

  “Thank you… for saving me.” At first, she did not like it, but when she calmed down, she reasoned that she was somewhat lucky to be alive; at least she could eat this bland, disgusting fish.

  He shook his head, barely paying attention to her; his face was stuffed with fish. His words came out muffled, but she could make out what he was trying to say. “Rabbits are emotional creatures; it is understandable.”

  When he said it like that, she felt even more ridiculous. She was not a rabbit, but she couldn’t claim she was a human—not when she knew the reality of her situation.

  She focused on her food; she would need the strength for where she was going next. In the event of a tragedy, her father’s instructions were clear. She needed to go north and find the colossus there; once she got there, she only needed to wait. The first person she would meet there would be the person she should stay with.

  She introduced herself when they were done eating. “My name is Hadassah.” She figured she might as well get his name if he would be swimming her back to the forest. She needed to get her shit together and follow her father’s instructions.

  “My name… Ahqi.” He hesitated to say his name; she doubted it was his real name, but what reason would a Celestial have to hide their name? He looked quite well taken care of, so he should be an aristocrat at least, and he could compel her; he had some royal blood.

  “Nice to meet you, Ahqi, um… I just need to go as close to north of the forest as possible.”

  He thought for a moment, “I know a cave close by, but you’ll need to find your way there alone; will you be alright?”

  Nodding, she stood up from her spot and put out the flames. “I will be fine; just take me as far as you can go.”

  He got back into the pool and awaited her.

  Hadassah hesitated before dipping into the cool water, shivering as she wrapped her arms around him. She held on to his torso tightly, as she didn’t want to get lost in the endless connection of caves. Ahqi dove into the pool, and the full immersion shocked her muscles into stiffening in tongue-biting cold; his strong tail propelled them effortlessly, but as they swam deeper and longer without surfacing, her anxiety began to grow.

  She could feel her lungs burning, and panic set in.

  She started to thrash and hit him in desperation, trying to signal her need for air. Ahqi glanced back at her, puzzled by her sudden distress. “What’s wrong?” he tried to ask, and despite being underwater, his voice was clear enough for her to understand.

  Realising her struggle, Ahqi swiftly changed direction and guided them upward to a small air pocket in the cavern’s ceiling. As soon as they broke the surface, Hadassah gasped for air, her chest heaving. She clung to Ahqi, their bodies pressing close together in the confined space.

  He looked at her with concern, noticing the small details of her face for the first time—the delicate lines around her eyes, the way her hair clung to her skin, and the anger of her gaze. “Are you alright?”

  She nodded, still catching her breath. “I can’t hold my breath for too long underwater. Just-” she sighed, unsure of how to word it, “be mindful.” He probably did not expect her lungs to be this feeble; she could not blame him.

  He frowned, tilting his head in confusion. “You’re a weird beastman. You’re really bad at swimming.”

  She felt frustrated, “I just can’t hold my breath that long!”

  As she caught her breath, she noticed his gaze lingering on her face. “What?” She asked, but he merely shrugged and plunged the both of them back into the water, much to her immense dissatisfaction.

  ˋ?-?-?ˊ

  Hadassah gasped as she emerged from the swim, dragging her body out of the pool. She looked up, relieved to see sunlight. The cavern had opened up into a large, natural chamber, and through a hole above, she could see the sky, streaked with the colours of the rising sun.

  She collapsed onto the rocky ground, her body exhausted from the swim and the adrenaline released to keep her warm.

  Ahqi surfaced beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling himself out of the water with ease, his iridescent tail shimmering in the light.

  Hadassah nodded weakly, allowing herself a small smile. “Shit, I’m actually happy to be alive right now.”

  He looked at her like she had gone crazy, “no one ever wants to die. They just feel like they have no choice.”

  He was right.

  No one ever truly wanted to die.

  But yet, her first reaction to extreme emotion was to embrace death.

  Turning her head to look at him, she decided she needed to repay her debt to him. She grabbed her wrist and took off the bracelet she had rushed out with; it was an artefact that could never be lost, and it was quite versatile.

  “Here, this is to thank you for—you know—helping.” She handed him the bracelet; he reached out to touch it but hesitated to take it.

  “I didn’t save you for jewels.”

  “I know, but this is a sign of my appreciation, so you can have it. It is quite precious.”

  He took the pink, finely crafted accessory in his hands, he stared at it for a second and his ears turned a very faint shade of pink.

  “Then, I will be leaving now,” she said curtly. At least they would never meet again, she could bury this embarrassing encounter for eternity.

  ˋ?-?-?ˊ

  The moment she found her way out of the pit, wisps rushed to her; her ears nearly exploded due to the volume of buzzing. She instinctively pressed on her tragus to muffle the noise around her. Strands of her brown hair were grabbed, and she felt them pinch her cheeks forcefully. “Alright! Alright! Calm down! See? I’m perfectly fine. I’m alive.” She said, trying to pacify them, they must have been looking for her all over the forest. They could only go as far as the fae king’s influence, so not being able to find her must have wracked them with worry.

  The buzzing eventually settled; she followed them as they led her through the greenery; they were taking her to the Colossus as promised. She wasn’t fully aware of her father’s deal with the fae king, but she knew once they led her to safety, the deal would be over and she might never see them again. Fae were not meant to interfere with the mortal world in the first place, so her tenure with them now that her father was gone would come to an end, and her place in the forest of Valdemar would be forfeited.

  She did not let it overwhelm her; until she reached the Colossus, she would be safe, so right now she should preserve her strength. She considered that giving that merman her favourite artefact may have been a horrible idea. Yet she was not one to regret her actions, and she always repaid her depths. No artefact was as valuable as her life.

  “Did any of you steal anything from the estate?” she stopped suddenly to ask, remembering something important. If they had stolen an artefact, then at least she could take it from them before leaving. There was silence for a moment, then rapid buzzing. “What did you take?” She asked. The wisps around her quickly went quiet, their pink glow dimming as if afraid she would demand it from them. Hadassah felt her eye twitch—‘little thieves.’

  “If you don’t return it, I will tell the Fae king!” Her next words finally caused a reaction. She could tell they were mad; one pulled her hair sharply but she merely hissed and threatened them again. “If you keep pulling my hair, I will kill myself and you will be in big trouble!” The buzzing calmed down again and after a few moments, she noticed glinting gold in the corner of her eye. It was hung on a low, hanging branch, the handpiece her father had taken from her, covered in soot. Reaching out for it, she couldn’t help but reconsider taking it with her; her father didn’t seem to like it very much.

  What if it was faulty?

  If she tried to use it, wouldn’t her hand blow up?

  ‘Am I actually afraid of being blown up?’

  She mused at her own thoughts; there was a first time for everything. She decided to keep it for now; it wouldn’t be too late to get rid of it in the future.

  The fae were more quiet the rest of the journey, clearly unhappy with her but she didn’t care. She wasn’t foolish to think they cared about her; they were only following orders, which they completed by any means necessary. They weren’t beasts with empathy; they did not understand pain or sadness, so to her, they were like toys that could interact with the human world but never interfere.

  They soon approached the edge of the Fae King’s territory.

  She took a deep breath as she looked at the daunting expanse of land sprawling before her. Hills, valleys, old ruins, and even in the far distance, strange shadows belonging to the remnants of the beast continent’s history. She took one step forward and all of a sudden, the feeling of constantly being watched and guided vanished, as well as the wisps in her periphery. This was it; there was no going back.

  She turned to the forest, and she took a deep bow.

  She was grateful for its protection, but now she had to leave; one day she would return.

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