The Hunter's Pursuit

41. A Moment of Rest

    "There's more to Ryujin's wrath than we believed," Viviane began. Caspian tilted his head, curiosity gleaming within his chestnut eyes. Jacob gave her an encouraging smile, which she returned before continuing. "I found her lair."

    "Her?" Caspian echoed.

    "Yes. Ryujin is female. When I entered the lair, I found the corpse of a second creature of her species and determined it to be male. It was dead and has been since the attack on the Silver Oriole. Jacob killed him, but didn't know since we believed there to only be one of Ryujin's kind."

    Viviane didn't miss the sorrow that flickered across Jacob's features. They hadn't discussed how he felt about that revelation yet, and likely wouldn't get a chance to until they'd eaten and rested.

    "How did you determine this?" Caspian pressed.

    "I found four eggs in the lair. I know that the larger a creature is, the longer it takes to develop, both inside and outside of an egg. Ryujin's species are enormous and it can take decades for them to fully develop. The same would apply to their life within an egg. During the years before they hatch, their mother would be the one looking after them, even if she was alone, while a male would abandon the eggs if their mother perished."

    "How do we use this to our advantage? Do we take the eggs and lure Ryujin into a trap where we kill it? Or...her?"

    "Not exactly."

    Viviane combed her fingers through her hair while she thought. She would have to approach her plan carefully. After what Ryujin had done these past several months, Caspian would be more than unwilling to allow the beast to live, especially since the reward for her death was so large.

    But if there was a way to rid the world of Ryujin's vengeance and spare her life in the process, they had to take it. Viviane didn't plan on being the reason for the extinction of an entire species. That was something her goddess would never forgive.

    "You're correct on one account," Viviane said at last. "I think we should use the eggs to bait Ryujin, but we're not going to kill her."

    Caspian straightened, his gaze growing dark. "This beast is dangerous. She can't be allowed to continue killing."

    "And she won't be. We'll move her from these waters and relocate her to the unknown seas beyond Falorea."

    That soothed Caspian, if only slightly. He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms with a sigh. "What's to stop her from returning?"

    "Her eggs. She won't stray far from them, especially now that they're close to hatching. Once they do, I think her maternal instincts will rule over her vengeful ones. They'll be in a new environment, so she won't want to leave her young alone until they're able to take care of themselves."

    "That's still not a guarantee."

    "None of it is," Jacob said. "There was no guarantee of anything when we set out on this hunt."

    "Except that if we killed Ryujin, she wouldn't pose a threat to us anymore."

    "If you need a better guarantee, I'll try to come up with one, but I don't want to kill Ryujin if we have another choice," Viviane pressed. "She and her children will be the last of their kind. I don't want to be the reason another great species passes from existence."

    "Sometimes it's best for humanity," Caspian replied.

    Viviane narrowed her eyes. "This world doesn't belong solely to Humankind."