SECRETS OF EXOCLYUS

13: LADY OF THE LAKE

  Gertakos* must have favoured this place, it seemed separate from the rest of the realm that was suffering an inexplicable winter. Everything was much more alive, and Stella was confused by what dark forces Koma had sensed in here.

  It was a paradise.

  "Beautiful isn't it?" Pheruss giggled. "Hafe caverns, an ancient location known by the dwarves for generations. My grandmother brought me here when I was about six, and I've been visiting it since."

  "It's beautiful." Stella told her. "How isn't it frozen over?"

  "Maybe it was looked over by Neepay*?" Pheruss guessed. "It has always been like this, ever since the old days, dwarves try to visit it often in their lifetimes, it has a link to us all."

  The women climbed down to the ground level and started following the river, as they walked little creatures would stop to stare at them in awe, a butterfly landed on Stella's afro at one point, got a bit comfortable, then flew off to do other things.

  It was nice to admire the scenery, but Stella didn't really enjoy silence, so she kicked up a conversation with Pheruss. "So, how do you know Usgard?"

  "We first met when Father took me to the capital." She answered. "I was eleven, he was fifteen and already working as a guard for the castle, but we got along quite fine, mostly because Dad and Don were chatting about "grown up" topics."

  "Was he always such an-"

  "Egotistical fuck?" Pheruss guessed. "Yes, he was and still is very proud, almost too much for his own good. But he is strong, with that weird magic of his."

  "Oh, he's shown you?"

  "Yes." She nodded. "It was surprising. It's not wind, but he can release this wave of force in any direction. Don said it's a gift, an unexplainable gift, but a gift strong enough to help in battles. He's actually a good soldier."

  In the short time they've known each other Stella could see that,despite his issues he was still very capable in his work. An excellent hunter and combatant, her uncle would admire the knight's build and fighting tactics. She wished she could see him go all out, against anyone but Koma.

  She hadn't seem him fight before, well, she had seem throw around Usgard in his monster form but nothing else. If he was capable of going toe to toe with Usgard then that meant he had skill, he could probably handle a weapon.

She wondered what else his wooden arm could do, the claws were cool, but there were probably a range of things it was capable of. That his ability to move roots about was both cool and a bit scary to her.

  "Koma's kind of handsome." Pheruss suddenly commented. "For the brooding type."

  "Yes." Stella admitted, finally feeling a weight coming off her chest. "Fucking perx, yes. It's hard to ignore."

  "You want him, don't you?" Pheruss teased.

  "No!" She said defensively. "I just think he's handsome, just admiring him, that's all."

  "So you won't mind if I move in?"

  Stella didn't have an answer for that, she acknowledged that Koma was handsome and built like the soldiers she would crush on from the palace windows, but making a move on him was very far fetched. He was helping, they would be travelling together for only the gods know how long, but he was still himself.

  Dark. Dangerous. Distant.

  A monster and a god.

  Would she want that? To be with such a being?