Nyx | Carpe Noctem ✓

Chapter 3: The Mortal Lands

∙ Madis POV ∙

Sweat was dripping from my forehead when I pushed the shovel into the hard ground. My hands burned, ached. Blisters had ripped open due to the harsh wooden handle of the tool. I groaned loudly, pushing again and with my other hand I wiped the sweat from my forehead.

I was exhausted; the sun was burning down on us and after hours and hours of working on the field I felt drained of energy. My breathing was deep and heavy. I grabbed the shovel tighter, steadying myself on it when I felt liquid pool in my lungs.

It was nearly the end of autumn, every piece of harvest we could contribute mattered. Every piece was vital. The drought that had overcome the Mortal Lands the previous year had destroyed too much—too much we now had to make up for.

The blade of the dagger that was strapped against my thigh turned warmer, just like my body temperature. More and more wild animals and beasts came to the villages, looking for something to eat since the draught had taken too much away from them. My dagger was vital.

I let a cough escape my mouth, a cough that burned my throat, before wiping my forehead again. A single tear tumbled over my cheek and reminded me of how weak I was. The pain in my chest was barely manageable, but I could not let it show. Aesa would just get worried, and I did not want her to worry. I did not want her to worry because of me, because of something that was not important. She already had too many things to think about, she should not worry about me.

"Take a break, Madis. You look terrible," Aesa shouted over the field, sweating as much as I did and squinting her eyes at me.
"No, no. Just one more row then we anyways have to go back. I am fine, no worries," I shouted back, turning around and clutching my left breast. Tomorrow I was going to see a medicus again, maybe he could do something. I always hoped although I knew it was actually hopeless, but I could at least try.

"When do we have to go to Kjardan?" Aesa asked, approaching me and handing me a small bottle of water. "The matron told me that he needs us to be there at four for meeting with the fae."

No one wanted to be there when the fae came, so Aesa and I had volunteered as we were in a desperate need of money. I huffed, tossing the shovel away and bracing my hands on my knees.

"Fae." Aesa let a cold chuckle escape her mouth. "Maybe they want to rebuild the wall?" I asked, looking at her and squinting my eyes at the burning sunlight.
"I doubt that. They probably want help from us. Or they want to exploit us. Or they want to have us for dinner? A big feast." She grunted in disgust and I shook my head again. For such a long time the wall had been gone, but still mortals and fae did not get along. We hated them and they hated us. Not even those fae who were apperently made could change anything about that. I had no idea who they were, but I heard that they had always tried to make peace but it was unsuccessful and hence all treaties had always failed.

I did really not hate fae. I saw no reason in hating them, but I was afraid of them. Deadly afraid. I had only helped the fae man since he had been knocked out and hadn't been able to harm me. He would have been left to die and I couldn't let this happen. He was also only a being in need. Aesa had nearly murdered me when she found out what I had done and told me that I had gone mental.

The big issue woth the fae was that we needed them. We needed their help and support. We could not do this alone. The draught had taken so many lives, had killed crops and dried out too many fields. We needed their help, their resources, otherwise us mortals would die.

But no one saw that or at least no one wanted to admit that. Our major, for example, was way to proud and close-minded to accept their help although a certain High Fairy of the Night or whatever his name was offered to help over and over again.