Chapter Ninety-nine

CONTENT ADVISORY / TRIGGER WARNING

THIS NOVEL CONTAINS DEPICTIONS/STRONG IMPLICATIONS OF THE FOLLOWING THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND OFFENSIVE OR DISTURBING:

~ VIOLENCE

~ DEATH AND/OR MURDER

Eskil rumbled a low growl, staring at the remains of the slaughtered drow before taking a step back. He extended his wing out over Libelle, still shielding her from the rain while she slowly pushed herself up to rest on her knees. His long neck arched as he pressed his large snout against her arms with a long and slow exhale. His body twisted so he could shelter her protectively beneath his breast.

He softly breathed against her back while she struggled to remain conscious. "Libelle?" His deep voice echoed, sending a low vibration through the saturated soil.

Her head fell back against his snout, her icy eyes locking with his as she slowly smiled at him. "You got your wings back," she chuckled.

He smirked, baring his blood-stained fangs. "I did. It seems my desire to protect you broke the curse."

He gently licked her cheek, his snake-like tongue lapping away the blood on her skin. She turned around and held onto his scaly muzzle while he helped her to her feet. She whimpered, the pain in her legs excruciating as she tried to bear her full weight on them. Eskil wondered if her injuries might be more than just a severe sprain; perhaps the bones were broken? He lowered his head and quickly scooped her over his snout as he lifted her off the ground.

She held onto his scaled horns as he stretched his neck out, carried her towards the dry stables and lowered her onto a pile of fresh straw. She flinched when she heard a loud explosion in the distance. It seemed the flame from Eskil's breath had ignited a barrel of oil beside the manor, and it had just engulfed the side of her home in a raging fire.

Eskil sighed, "I am sorry, Libelle."

She had almost forgotten how deep and rough his voice sounded in this form, and it sent a shiver down her spine. "It's okay, you saved me." She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "We're together, and that's all that matters."

The physical and emotional torture that Gaalin had put her through was racing through her mind, and she was crushed by the realization that he had been capable of taking such action towards her. Gaalin had been by her side for years, and he had always been faithful and kind to her. How could he have hurt her like this?

Eskil brushed his snout against her again. "Calm down, beloved, it's over. He cannot hurt you ever again."

She wiped away her tears. "I know. I...I'm just scared. I thought I had lost you."

The deep rumble of his throaty laugh radiated into her, and he momentarily glanced away at the manor that was now completely engulfed in flames. The rain was now a light trickle, and the sun was beginning to peak over the eastern mountains. His hot breath warmed her skin.

"Libelle, someone is bound to see the flames and come looking. We should leave."

She nodded at him, looking around. "I can't," she whispered after a moment's hesitation.

"Why? Beloved, we will be in danger if we stay here."

Libelle stared into his large, burning eyes. "Eskil, I have to stay here. Like you said, someone is going to see the smoke from the fire. Then the guards will undoubtedly come looking to see the cause of it. I have to stay to tell them what happened. I need to explain what happened between Gaalin and Ingrid...I don't want them to think you did it any longer."

His mouth parted with a sigh. "I cannot leave you here, not alone."

"Eskil, if the guards arrive and see you as you are, they will immediately blame you and they'll try to kill you." Her palm rested between his flaring nostrils. "When they arrive, I'll just tell them what happened. Gaalin lost his mind, he killed Ingrid, and then he tried to kill us."

"What if they don't believe you?"

She smiled weakly. "They have to. I'm the slayer in this land."

He shifted his weight on his wings. "I don't feel right leaving you here. You can't even walk."

"I'll stay here, I'll focus my power and heal myself. After the guards have left, I'll come to find you."

He growled, wanting to refuse, but she made sense. If they both fled now, the mortals would stop at nothing to hunt them down. He would be accused of another murder, and she would be accused of allowing the murderer to go free. However, could he really just leave her here? It took every ounce of strength he had within his enormous body to agree to her idea.

His tongue flicked out against her cheek. "I won't be far, so call out to me if you need me."

She shook her head. "Go to the temple with the priests and wait for me there."

"Libelle, if I fly that far away and you need me, I'll be too far away to reach you in time if something were to happen."

"Nothing will happen, I promise. Go...before anyone can see you in the sky."

Eskil's thick lips curled over his long teeth, his eyes clenching shut in frustration before he spread his wings and pushed himself up into the air. As he slowly raised himself up into the sky, he looked back down at Libelle who was smiling back at him.

Be careful, beloved, he called out to her.

Libelle watched him fly off towards the east, his massive body disappearing into the brightening sky. She sighed as she stared at the burning manor she had once called home. She no longer had any desire to enter the building as it now harbored too many ill memories. The thick fog that raised into the sky was a clear signal to her location, and it was only a matter of time before the guards from Edinburgh would come riding to her location.

She looked down at her legs, dark bruises engulfed her ankles and throbbing pain radiated into her calves. She had to focus on her magic within her body so she could begin to heal her injuries, thanking the divines that her abilities were even possible. While she focused her racial magic, she breathed slowly, deciding she needed to try to rest before the guards arrived.