Carts of children and other adult demons drove through narrow jungle paths, steering clear of the rocks and trees that riddled the territory. Terk and Grelon stayed on guard, ready for any threats that might attack.
A cold sweat ran down Grelon's face as he darted his eyes around, cautious.
""
"
"
Grelon grew silent for a moment, keeping pace with the caravan. "
A bright light quickly invaded Grelon's sight, forcing him to cover his eyes. They pushed through the tree and to their shock, a village of Orcs came to view.
Dozens of Orc men trained and wrestled each other out in the open. All the while their orc children ran amok, causing chaos and mishaps for some of the residents.
As bizarre as the sight it was of seeing hornless green-skinned men and women was, the sight of a familiar demon, immediately drew their attention.
Just outside the village, Jala stood with his arms crossed, waiting. "
" ""
********
Lucius looked over the dead body of Kajd, displayed on an uneven wooden table in the center of a shoddy home. The walls were made of sticks and twigs with the occasional tree part. and the floor itself was all natural stone.
Within the one roomed home Lillian slept in a bed with all the eight children sleeping around her on the floor atop blankets and other textiles.
Looking over the children and Lillian, Lucius cracked a smile. "At least they were able to get some sleep…"
Not long after, Lillian woke from her slumber. Mumbling. "Ugh. What happened?" She felt her head trying to orient herself.
"Ah, you're awake… You fainted last night." Lucius said. "Right after I questioned that karnal demon, you fell to the ground, from exhaustion. Scared me half to death"
Lucius turned to Lillian and approached. "Jala told me you were captured. And I can see why."
Lillian turned her gaze, avoiding eye contact.
"You almost killed yourself, trying to use all your energy. Do you remember what I told you when you first took our form?"
"I… I know," Lillian answered. "I was… More reckless with my magic than I thought. I thought that keeping my barriers up wouldn't be much of an issue. Like with your undead army."
"Well, at least, now you know. But you shouldn't compare my powers with yours. I've had years of experience, so maintaining my undead minions is much easier for me, than you maintaining your barriers."
Lucius sighed. "Give it time, and I'm sure it'll become easier to maintain, but for now, you should conserve your energy."
Lillian perked a somber smile. "I understand."
"Your majesty."
Jala opened the curtained doorway with Terk and Grelon right beside him. Their gaze immediately fixed to Kajd's corpse with a deep bitterness.
" " " "Terk?" Jala called. " Terk halted and stood silent as if contemplating to himself. " " " Jala grabbed Terk, and Grelon, in turn, grabbed Jala's shoulder.
" " Terk pulled his arms from Jala's grasp and walked off. " Jala could only watch on as Terk rejoined the demon's caravan, with Mishti talking to him directly. Her gaze glanced in their direction, but just as quickly pulled Terk along for a conversation of her own.
" " " Grelon furrowed his brows, unsure.
Seeing this, Lucius posed a different question. " " " "Those children are of different blood->"
" " With a boiling frustration, Lillian clenched her fist, " Grelon, avoiding eye contact, grew silent.
" " Lillian exhaled, frustratedly. " " Lucius waved his hands. " Grelon brushed past Jala, leaving the home along with an unsteady reality Lucius and Lillian were given.
"To think, they'd actually abandon these kids…" Lillian looked at the children, pitying them,
"They made their choice. I'll talk to Kisik later. See what we can do for these kids. Its the only thing we can do. "Lucius said.
" Looking back to the curtained doorway, Lucius saw the Orc chief peaking through the curtained door. The short karnal demon entered soon after, brushing past the chief.
The demon kneeled and bowed his head. ' "What?" Lillian picked herself up, surprised. "Lucius, isn't the journey supposed to take another week?"
Lucius stood, presenting the demon to Lillian, "Thanks to our new friend Cive's, we learned a new shortcut through these 'orc monster's' tunnels. Apparently, there's been some trading going on just under our noses."
Lucius narrowed his eyes at the demon. " The demon Cive shook.
" "Nmmm…." Fayelynn along with some of the other boys began to wake.
Fayelynn sat up rubbing her eyes, but catching sight of Kajd's corpse, she instantly stood and ran to the body.
" Despite knowing the reality, Fayelynn pushed and prodded the body, trying to invoke some reaction. All the while, everyone could only watch on as Lucius slowly pulled her from the body, reinforcing the truth.
" "Lucius. She's-"
"I know… Jala already informed me of this one. To think that a child is responsible for all those deaths."
Jala Sighed, "I'll go inform everyone now" He turned and urged Cive to follow him out. Leaving everyone else behind.
"What should we do with her?" Lillian asked.
"We look after her for now… Here." Lucius pinched his finger and released a single drop of blood by Kajd's side.
Everyone watched as Kajd opened his hazed eyes and stood up, ready for orders.
" " Fayelynn looked at Lucius, worried.
" " Lillian, watching Fayelynn's reaction, couldn't help but see a reflection of Kalika in the girl. A girl, orphaned, lost in a world she still couldn't comprehend.
"Fayelynn," Jasaf called. The other boys, who had watched her reaction, slowly stood and approached her along with Jasaf, surrounding both Fayelynn and Lucius.
"Fayelynn?" Lucius questioned, curious.
"I gave the older few names," Lillian explained. "The one with the bigger horns is Bregon. Siraj has a heart-shaped tail. And the other two, Kirf and Hark, both have longer hair, but Kirf has red skin, unlike Hark. And Jasaf, then there's Jasaf, the boy who fought with his brother a lot."
Lucius scanned the group of boys. "I see… And the other two you didn't name."
"I didn't want to overreach. I know there's a… Bit of a tradition that your people hold."
Suddenly, Fayelynn jumped, her tail grabbed and pulled by Jasaf " Although anxious, Lillian passed a smile to her, shooing her along.
Fayelynn slowly released her grasp from Kajd's hand and, to the boy's delight, joined them outside.
Lillian, accompanying Lucius outside, watched as the kids reconvened with the other children, separated, playing games of tag and hide-and-seek. All the while, the Bremwall demons were settling down and relaxing. Her gaze then drifted to the plethora of Orc males, wrestling and fighting each other in intense fights.
A cold sweat ran down Lillian's face. "These monsters really are brutes, aren't they… the sooner we leave, the better…"
********
The reins whipped, signaling the Garu's to move and setting the caravan in motion. The carts pulled and maneuvered past the homes of the orcs, following the path into the orc village tunnels.
Lillian. Wearing her mask, noticed the watchful gazes of the orc residents and their chief who stood with an unreadable expression. She sighed. Relieved of finally leaving the village. She then turned to Lucius, who walked right beside her cart with his mask.
"Lucius, I can walk too." Lillian stated
Lucius glanced. "No. Take the time to rest. You'll need the energy."
Despite the annoyance she felt, she listened, sitting and watching as they entered through the vast, long, lit tunnel.
Bored, she looked to Cive, who was accompanying them. " Cive jumped. He quickly cleared his throat, answering. " " " " " " " " A sly chuckle escaped Lillian's mouth. " Mishti giggled at the remark, nodding silently in agreement.