Mermaids are Menacing (Book 2) Complete

45.) Ardu

They were scared and I couldn't blame them. If i come down here again i'll have to remember to cover a few of the pointer bits i thought rubbing the thumb length horns on my head. Maybe if I braided my hair a certain way it would be less frightening to the locals. To late now.

"Hello? I brought your kid back! Shes un injured." I yelled loudly ehile the child walked behind me very timidly. "Im not Ardu and I dont need any children sent as offerings in the future..."  there was only quiet. I looked back at the little twig of a girl behind me.

"I dont think I'll be able to explain it well to them when they're like this. When they're done hiding tell them what I said, yeah?" I asked her.

She nodded her head in agreement.

"Since they've seen me it should be proof enough. If you still need me to clear anything up you know where to find me." I said patting her head. Nothing could be gained while they were hiding. Best for them to let them cool down and realize i didn't mean them any harm.

I made a note of what the town had to offer. There houses were logs  cut and stacked one on top of the other. Each in neat square and rectangular shapes. Some were bigger than others but each one was surrounded by and individual fence. A waste of fence i thought. If they were worried about wild animals it would make more since to put up one communal fence around the entire village. It seemed to be harvesting time here by all of the wagons littering the feilds. Now would be the an ideal time to trade. After a quick look around I hiked up out of the valley and back into the upper southern hillside.

••••••

In the town bellow, the citizens gathered again. A the feeling of nervousness persisted in the air. They were all standing out in the road talking among themselves at the newest development.

"She said she wasn't Ardu." One young man said.

"Of course she is Ardu, you were lucky she didn't spear you down for hunting in her forest!"

"I dont remember any stories saying that Ardu had a tail." Another said.

"She has horns and lives in the southern forest who els would she be?" Another woman disagreed.

"Maybe we should have offered something els, this girl may have offended her." A old man said gesturing to the child sitting on the ground.

Hearing this the girl tucked her head into her knees. Trying to make herself smaller.

"Everyone calm down, well get to the bottom of this!" An older woman said. Her hair was grey and her skin wrinkled and leathery.

"Pail!" She said shrilly.

The child looked up hearing her name called.

"You tell us everything and then well decide what to do next." The old woman ordered.

Little Pail nodded. "I walked up the forest like you told me to." She said getting choked up. "But I got lost and everything looked the same, then she was there."

"Thats what happened to us. She just appeared." A young man said from the back. There were many nods from the crowd. Ardu was a spirit of the forest, the mighty huntress. Appearing out of thin air was something only a spirit could do.

"I offered myself to her service but she told me to go home and left. So i followed her." Pail coughed loudly.

The heads of the towns people got closer as she spoke.

"I followed her to her home and I didn't make any noise but she still knew I was there."

The old man scoffed. "You were probably just being loud."

Pail shook her head no. "She spoke to the forest and it spoke back. Before we left she ordered a tree spirit to guard her house. I bet the trees told her where i was hiding." She rubbed her arms as if she was cold and trying to warm herself up.

The old woman nodded. "She is definitly Ardu."

"But why would she pretend to not be Ardu when she is." Another asked.

"This must be a test." The old woman said. "

"Why? What do you think she wants?" the butcher asked.

"Only the Gods know their own will, we can only interpret." The old woman said.

"Maybe another child?" The old man said looking at Pail witha disgusted face.

"She doesn’t want any children." Pail disagreed.

"I heard her say that to!" A young girl agreed. "She said no child offerings in the future."

"Then maybe a different kid of offering." The old woman mused. "All right well prepare another offering in the future."

"But who will take it? Were not supposed to enter the forest."

"She said I could come back, if i needed to." Pail said quietly.

"What?" The old woman asked.

"Ifff i needed to talk to her, that i knew where to find her." Pail stuttered.

"Maybe she took a shine to the offering after all." The butcher mused.

"Maybe we could offer her baby things." Pail said quietly.

"Offer her what?" The old woman said.

"Under her hides, her belly is very round. She walks with her hands under it sometimes." Pail reported.

"Does Ardu have any children?" A woman asked.

"Not that I've heard." Another voice said. "I've heard about lovers but never a child."

After some time the towns people seperated to their houses to figure out what they might offer their resident God to please her.