008

The heart of the cave was warmer than all other parts, and where the Naga's nest was located. It was wide enough for all the children to fit in, and have some space to stretch their legs.

Malkin's fever hadn't gone down and kept Quiv up all night, applying hot towels to his forehead, in hopes to calm his fever down.

Eira had offered to stay awake and help take care of Malkin, but the Naga would not have it. He chided all the children to sleep, insisting that they had travelled a great distance.

At least, that was what he told them, Quiv could see through him and knew what his agenda was.

'Nagas are very hospitable creatures, but know when to make rational decisions at critical times' he chanted in his head, eyeing the adult who tucked the children to sleep.

"Where's dad?" Malkin stirred in his sleep moaning few words every now and then.

Quiv's attention was divided between the sleeping children and his sick brother. He had searched his sachel for any fever medication, but realised they had all been burnt to ashes in his house.

"You should get some sleep too, I'll take watch over him." His host told him, gesturing him to rest in a small nest he just constructed for Quiv.

"I'm fine." Was his reply, simple and short, the nervousness on his face wasn't to be missed. By one glance, one could see he was contemplating something in his head.

"I'm Tavee."

"Quivier."

"Just what are you planning to do now?" Tavee asked, recklessly chewing on a lava scone, careful enough not to wake the children.

"I'll look for my parents." He answered, squeezing the water out of the damp cloth.

The Naga had seen Quiv's parents get trampled on with his own eyes, but couldn't do much to help. Nagas and fire were two natural enemies, and no matter who it was, Tavee didn't see himself risking his life like that.

"And bury them." Quiv read the expression on his host's face, and deduced his parents must have either died in the fire or were trampled on by the other villagers.

The mood declined drastically, as Quiv's Shaky fingers could barely hold unto the rag, nor could he stop the quivering of his lower lip.

"There's an orphanage in the next town, I have a friend there who owes me a favor. I'll be taking these kids there tomorrow to live there. Most of their parents are dead or badly injured somewhere." Tavee told him, being Frank with him.

"I think you and your brother should live there too, they're very hospitable." He added, hitting the nail on the head.

Quiv parted his lips to say something in return, but his brother unconsciously gripped his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. This act made Quiv gaze warmly at his brother, and make a decision.

"Thank you for the generous offer, but I couldn't be separated from Malkin. I promised my parent's I'd protect him, we might get separated at an orphanage."

"If that's how you want it, then I have another friend in the capital. A weaponsman looking for an apprentice, the job comes with two meals and a roof over your head. And..." Tavee took a pause to clear his throat.

"And if you do well, you'll receive a recommendation letter to the royal academy to become a weaponsman yourself."

The look of disappoinment on Quiv's face was evident, attending the royal academy to become a mage had been his long life dream. He had no interest on weaponry, for one basic reason.

'Weapons? With my weak hands?' he mused to himself, unhappy with the sudden turn out of events.

"The capital? Isn't that pretty far from here?" Quiv stated in low spirits, he had never crossed the ocean separating their territory and the royal capital. He got cold feet just thinking about fending for himself and his brother in such a large place.

The royal academy entrance exams were held in various centres due to the large amount of students who apply each year.

"It is, but do you have any other choice?" The Naga asked, staring directly at him, not expecting an answer. "And besides, it's the best option you have, you'll get to learn a thing or two about being independent. And add some muscles to those arms of yours." Tavee harshly told him, failing to sugarcoat anything.

"If that's the case, then I happily accept the offer, thank you for being so kind to a plain old human like me." Quiv could tell he was being genuinely good to them, though his reasons were uncertain.

"I'll have a letter sent tomorrow, my friend would be happy to receive the help."

And with that being said, their conversation ended, Tavee went outside of the cave to sleep, and keep watch. Though no sane thinking bandit would dare attack a Naga's cave at night, that didn't stop other Nagas with a thirst for blood from intruding.

"Just a plain old human? I beg to differ." Tavee mumbled to himself, resting against the entrance of his cave, an all knowing look in his glistening green eyes.

**********

The weather had become much more tolerable, and somewhat cleaner. Malkin's fever had reduced a bit, but not enough if he was going to travel with Quiv by boat.

"Could you please hold your leave for a while? I know a market close by with the herbs I can use to make a headache antidote." Quiv asked his host, who was having a hard time getting all ten children ready to leave.

Two girls were fixated on braiding his long hair, while the boys kept on measuring their little biceps with his. Eira stayed glued to Malkin's side right from the time she woke up, refusing to part with him.

"Take as much time as you need, but be back before noon, I have errands of my own to run." The Naga reminded him, raising a chubby kid by his collar, a line of snot fell from his little nostrils.

Quiv nodded, then turned to leave, navigating his way through the cave just fine, barely relying on the light from the crystal in his hand. He increased his pace, running faster than he ever did, scared for his brother's condition.

His eyes were barely prepared for how bright the outside of the warm cave actually was, and were left stunned by the ray of sunlight that hit his eyes.

Quiv raised his elbow to his eyes, shielding his gaze from the sharp rays of the sun as he walked away from the cave. He stopped in front of the river close by and washed his face in it, waking himself fully from his daze.

A part of him was still of the opinion that everything happening was a horrible nightmare. He still believed that if he crossed the mountain, his village would be intact. And both his parents would be desperately awaiting him to come home from work.

"Let's go." He told himself, slinging his sachel over his shoulders, as she picked up the pace towards the market.

*********

Quiv was quite famous in the market, or at least, amongst the black market dealers. He was a regular face, welcomed by shady traders and stall owners.

Knowing this, he layed low and went to unfamiliar shops, purchasing all he needed to make the tonic. Thanks to the money his parents left him, he and Malcom could rest easy for a while.

Plus, he could buy quality items, from legal stalls.

"Come again soon." An old hag behind the counter cried out to Quiv, whom she had horribly duped, into purchasing a medicinal plant for five copper coins more.

"Who knew things were so cheap in the black market?" He wondered on his way out, as he returned back to the cave.

*Rumble*

His stomach growled at him, asking for some food. Quiv who looked at the sky, decided to purchase some food from a vendor who sold snacks at an affordable price.

He kept the plant in his brown sachel and navigated his way through the busy marketplace, searching for said food vendor.

Quiv made some turns, till he arrived at a small shop, secluded from the market place. Normally, he would have jumped into the place and order the cheapest thing in the menu. But he stopped, when he noticed a carriage parked behind the shop.

"Whose flamboyant ride is that?" He asked himself, interested in the rich person, who patronized such infamous food vendors.

'A little eavesdropping wouldn't hurt anyone, after all, I might just land myself a new customer.' he figured, discreetly marching to the carriage, careful not to make a sound.

"This is only half of the amount." He heard a male voice protest, jiggling about a pouch of coins. Heavy coins.

"The rest will be given, once you track down all the survivors and slaughter them all. Especially the children and young adults."

Quiv knew that this sort of conversation wasn't one meant to be eavesdropped on, but he was too frozen in fear to move a muscle.

"My men have stationed themselves at all the orphanages and Inns around. Any survivor brought there today will surely be killed. But I doubt that's going to happen, the fire was so gruesome, some of my men were sacrificed to do the job."

"And you were sure not to leave any traces behind?" The man seated in the carriage asked.

"The village over the mountain is nothing more than a pile of ash. We even made sure to burn all the corpses we found, some were even still alive."

The more Quiv listened in on the conversation, the less stable he became. Hearing these men talk about his village so lightly made him curl his fingers into a tight fist.

"That's good to hear, the nobles can rest easy now."

Whilst these two conversed, they failed to notice the young boy, whose aura had changed completely. The warmth surrounding him was caught up in flames, the same flames these bastards had set up.

But most of all, little did they notice the swift shift of Quiv's eyes, from a sea blue colour, to a bloody crimson red.