At The Heart of Tale Kingdoms (COMPLETED)

22. NERTI - To War

Xhiav came alone at noon as Nerti was playing with her black companions in the river. She was trying hard to enforce their bond after the animals ate man flesh. Her mistress of arms had warned that once the Jaguar's eat human flesh, they might become more aggressive and sometimes less obedient. The animals had proved normal so far.

At the banks, Kaduri was teaching the young emperor some defense skills as a precaution after the Exoroch attack.

Nerti was wearing her underclothes with only a black band on her chest and another below her waist. She stood still as she saw the hound-man approach her. He had come back alone for the answer.

The jaguars cowered away as Xhiav decided to join her in the water. The water was shallow, only knee deep for her and much less for the Predanx. He sauntered to her, his eyes piercing her. Nerti looked down uncomfortably waiting for him to reach her.

As she drew her sight to the water flow, Nerti noticed the skin on his legs was changing, losing its hair and turning smooth as he slowly walked through the rocky river bed. By the time the hound-man stood before her, the fur was gone replaced by bare skin that covered him from his feet to his head.

His new skin was light brown as Kaduri's but a little brighter as if he bathed in the very rays of the sun. The half hound face and sharp straight ears had disappeared, replaced by features of an alluring man with crystal blue eyes and white floating silver hair that defied the downward force of the world. A smirk played on his face. The man before the dark child was exotic and beguiling. And he stood before her with nothing covering his well sculpted bare body.

Nerti tried to pull her eyes away from him but failed for Xhiav looked like an angel. She raised her hand over her eyes.

"Do not hide your eyes from the true form." The dark child looked at him again, she felt like a little giddy girl. Behind him Kaduri and Qix Ix seemed clueless to what was happening.

"Is this some sort of a charm?" she asked. He shook his head smiling and moved closer making Nerti stagger back

"You have a human form?" she tried to look at the trees, water, Kaduri, anything but not the creature before him.

"Not a form, this is who we really are but we have had to adapt to survive." Xhiav answered.

"Then, why do you reveal yourself?"

"I don't. The water washes away what is not us so, I have no choice but to stand bare before the one I wish to stir." He raised his hand and reached out to caress Nerti's cheek. She held her breath as his warm hand touched her face. Nerti felt like she had been drugged or given an enchantment potion.

"You hide the way to your soul, is there another there or is there none?" he murmured softly. Nerti was dazed and couldn't utter a response.

Xhiav removed his hand and Nerti remembered to breath. She didn't waste any time and quickly moved around him, heading for the river banks before she turned into a naïve girl flying and floating with butterflies.

When she reached her friends, Xhiav was behind her as a hound-man, his skin black and furred as the jaguars.

"Have you decided?" he asked like nothing had just happened. Kaduri and Qix Ix had now noticed them and were visibly straining to listen.

"I have. I will release them from Storan with one warning and one request." Xhiav snarled.

"Name them."

"First, my warning. I learned the releasing spells through cracks in the door while the twins practiced. This means I don't know the rules and consequences that accompany their release. But I know history, the Era of Cruelty was nothing rosy. This brings me to my request." Xhia growled.

"Hurry, dark child."

"I need to see the forces you have. So, I can attempt to judge if you truly have the strength to annihilate them." The hound-man arched his head studying her.

"Come with me and you can see it." Hesaid and walked away.