Chapter Sixty

"I have not seen a slayer like you...in thousands of years."

She didn't respond, but he felt her put her hands against his hips as her back arched and her head turned towards him. He continued, "There was only one other like you...at least, only one that I knew of. That was during the time that the mortals had first begun to attack my kin. It was around that time the first slayer was born."

He stepped around the remains of a tree, a rough stump protruding from the ground was all that was left of it. The horses put their heads down and began to graze on the lush grass when he came to a stop. He shifted Libelle's weight and set her down in front of him. There was still pain in her eyes, red from her tears, and her lower lip was swollen from her biting it.

Eskil sighed and ran a hand through his hair, untangling a knot that had formed around one of his horns. He stared past Libelle and into the distance, gazing out at the landscape. The stone paved road was behind him, grass and weeds beneath his feet, and the river led to a large lake with high mountains beyond. He felt small when he looked at the land from this height; he felt small. He wasn't able to return to the skies like he typically would be able to. He stood toe to toe with a slayer, and even then he had to look down at her short self, but it was still so different.

His hand ran through his hair again, then down over his closed eyes to his chin. He opened them slowly, and Libelle was still standing in front of him but now with her back turned to him. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her hands were rubbing her upper arms, her shoulders lifted high as she stared out at the river and lake.

He had never realized she was this sort of slayer, one they never were able to find a name for. He had only met one like her before, and he remembered her clearly. "Libelle, have you ever met another slayer?"

She shook her head and he sighed. "What is a slayer to you?" he asked.

Her voice shook. "I am a cursed creature. I was a dragon in a previous life, and in that past life I killed another dragon. Because of that, if I kill another dragon in this life, I feel everything they felt at their time of death."

He chuckled. "So you do feel their pain."

She looked at him puzzled as he continued. "Libelle, it is extremely rare for a slayer to be born like you. Like I said, I only knew of one other. It is not normal for a slayer to feel a dragon's death, and that is what makes you unique."

"A slayer is not supposed to feel their pain?" she asked, feeling confused.

"Why do you think we call them dragon slayers? Slayers are cursed beings who thrive on the murder of my kin, but you don't thrive on it. It hurts you."

She wanted to cry, but instead, she forced herself to listen to him as he spoke.

"The one that was like you, she..." He paused. "She was more faithful to the dragons. She was a cursed being, nicknamed a slayer, but she was not a killer of dragons, she was...How do I describe her?"

He closed his eyes again for a moment. "She was strong and defiant. She had a mind of her own, a willpower that couldn't be matched, and more stubborn than I could ever be. She was skilled in combat, swordplay, and magic. She was powerful but delicate."

Libelle turned her head towards him but not her whole body. He could see the remains of tears on her cheeks, and a droplet of blood had welled up on her lip. Her icy eyes looked to the ground when she spoke. "You speak as if you loved her."

After a moment, he responded with a weak smile on his face. "She was beautiful."