The cave was small and dry, tucked into the side of a rocky hill and hidden behind a curtain of hanging vines. The fire had burned low, and its embers painted the stone walls in shades of amber and red.
Inside, the air was thick and warm, filled with heavy breaths and soft, broken sighs.
"Firion…" Kaida moaned, her cheeks flushed crimson.
She sat astride him, her red hair spilling over her shoulders like a curtain of flame, her skin glistening with sweat in the firelight. Her husband's large hands held her hips, steady and possessive, as she sank against him and lost herself in the closeness of their joined bodies.
In the dead of night, her breasts had begun to swell with milk again. Before anything else, Firion had made certain the area around the cave was safe. Only then did he draw her close and drink from her, slowly at first, then with a hunger that made her shiver.
He had suffered nightmares the night before. Kaida had felt every one of them through her horns: the fear, the betrayal, the cold water beneath the bridge. Tonight, she wanted to chase those shadows from his mind. And if she was honest with herself, she wanted to answer the ache in her own body too.
As the night wore on, something changed in Firion. The gentle elf gave way to something wilder, more feral, as he began to understand more about Kaida's deva body.
Her lactation always seems to come right before her cycle. Could it mean she is in heat? That she is ovulating right now? If I am right…
What he did not yet know was that he was right. A deva woman's hormone lactation is never meant for infants. It was meant for her mate. Rich with nourishment, it strengthened the male and greatly increased the chances of conception during their union.
It was also the very reason deva women had become so sought after among Aldenburg's nobility. Their beauty, their bodies, their passion, and their ability to bear pureblooded elven children made them the most coveted partners in the kingdom.
Firion rose and gently turned her onto her back, never once letting their bodies part. He settled above her, his broad frame casting a shadow over her in the ember light.
Kaida knew this posture well. He only held her like this when he meant to give her everything.
His mouth found her breast once more, and she cradled his head against her, fingers threading through his long black hair, readying herself for him.
"Kaida…" His voice was low and rough against her skin. "I am going to give you all of myself. Be ready. I will not be satisfied until I know you are carrying my child."
She answered with a deep, wet kiss, her tongue seeking his.
When she finally drew back, her expression was calm, almost serene. "Do not hold back, my husband. I want a family too. So please… give me everything you have."
Her words struck him like an aphrodisiac. Kaida felt him tense and swell within her, and a flicker of surprise crossed her face before understanding settled in. She knew what it meant now.
Firion held her tighter, drinking from her as though he were starving, and then the wave crashed over them both.
"AAAAHHH!" she cried out as heat flooded through her, as if molten warmth were spreading from her belly to every corner of her body.
Sweat beaded along her brow. The warmth loosened every muscle, and at last the exhaustion caught up with her. They had been lost in each other for over eight hours.
Firion pulled her close and cradled her in his arms. His large hand rubbed slow circles over her tummy as they traded soft, lazy kisses.
"Sorry I was so loud, Firion," she whispered, a few tears trickling down her red cheeks.
He kissed her forehead. "It is fine, Kaida. I checked the area earlier, and my ears are always listening for movement outside. Thankfully, we are getting farther from Aldenburg. We should be right along its border with Junai now."
A little while later, they were washing off in a stream that tumbled over smooth, moss-covered stones. To their surprise, the water was pleasantly tepid, even though it was the middle of winter.
That was Junai's doing. The country was warm for most of the year, home to everything from steaming tropical jungles to sun-scorched deserts.
Kaida scooped water over Firion's shoulders and giggled as he shook the droplets from his ears like a wet hound. For the first time in days, they let themselves relax.
Then the ground began to tremble beneath their feet.
The water rippled in rings. Pebbles danced along the bank. A deep, rhythmic thud… thud… thud rolled through the earth.
"KAIDA, COME TO ME!" Firion shouted.
She threw her arms around him, and he pulled them both behind a thick wall of ferns. The vibrations grew louder and louder. Whatever was coming was far too heavy to be any elf or deva.
Then they saw it.
A colossal reptile pushed through the trees, its body as thick as a hill, its hide a patchwork of olive and dusky brown. Its neck stretched impossibly long, rising higher than the canopy itself, before it lowered its small head toward the stream to drink.
"Firion… what is that? It's enormous!" Kaida whispered, her eyes wide with wonder.
He had to think for a moment. Then an answer surfaced from a zoology book he had read decades ago.
He let out a slow breath. "I cannot believe we are actually seeing one. I believe it is a saurian, Kaida. An ancient species of reptile found only in Junai. This is my first time seeing one so close. I only hope it is not a threat to us."
They stood frozen in awe as the giant drank, its long neck stretched calmly over the water, showing no sign of aggression toward the two small figures hiding nearby.
Kaida noticed something peculiar about its mouth.
"Firion, I'm certain this saurian only eats plants," she whispered. "Look at its teeth! Even with that huge jaw, they're shaped like a rabbit's front teeth. It just has a whole mouthful of them!"
She was right. But the elf remained on edge. Plant-eater or not, a creature that size could crush them both without even noticing.
Just then, the saurian stopped drinking.
Slowly, it lifted its head and swung its long neck toward the ferns where they hid, until it loomed directly over them. Two great, dark eyes, each the size of a dinner plate, stared down at the pair.
Firion swallowed hard. Kaida clung to him tightly. But the creature showed no malice, only a calm, innocent curiosity. Kaida's horns would have sensed any hostility, and she felt nothing but a quiet, gentle indifference.
It lowered its head to sniff them. Each breath from its nostrils was like a gust of wind, rustling the ferns and stirring Kaida's hair. Then it blinked at them, slow and gentle, and turned away toward a tree heavy with tender leaves. With one mighty bite, it stripped an entire branch bare.
The couple let out a long sigh of relief. Kaida had been right about its diet.
Before leaving, they lingered a moment longer to watch it. However frightening its size, the saurian was, without a doubt, a living testament to nature's beauty.
For an elf and a deva who had both lived such sheltered lives, this was their first true glimpse of a foreign land, full of wonders, and full of dangers.
They dressed in fresh clothes and sat on a sun-warmed boulder to plan the day's journey. The safest way down the plateau into Junai was still uncertain.
Firion shared what he knew of the region, and Kaida weighed it against her own years of slipping unseen through the forests near Aldenburg.
"There are several routes we could take," he said, tracing lines in the dirt with a stick. "If we follow the river upstream, we might stumble into army camps. Or more of those saurians, since water grows scarce the closer we get to the desert." He drew a second line, longer and emptier. "The wasteland, on the other hand, can be lethal without water. But it may be the surest way to avoid trouble."
Kaida chewed her lip. Both paths were dangerous. One risked running into something, or someone. The other risked being stranded beneath a merciless sun with nothing to drink.
The desert seemed safer in one way. But she had noticed how thick and tangled the brush grew along the river: towering ferns, broad-leafed trees, vines heavy enough to hide a person whole.
Maybe… if we stayed out of sight among the leaves?
Then it came to her. Why choose one route when they could use both?
"Let's stay near the river during the day," she said, her eyes brightening. "We can hide in the thick brush, rest as much as we can, and fill up on plenty of water. Then we travel along the desert at night, when it's cool, so we don't overheat!"
Firion turned the idea over and smiled. It was clever. By day, they would shelter in the dense green near the river, which also kept them closer to the Eurelca border. By night, they would follow the edge of the desert under the stars until they reached the beaches of Junai's coastline.
Once at the coast, they could find a ship bound for Eurelca and avoid every road the Aldenburg army patrolled. In Eurelca, Firion could tell someone what had been done to him and, with luck, ask for asylum. He had heard that Eurelca had already taken in other forest elves who fled Aldenburg after being mistreated.
No sooner had they settled on a plan than the ground began to rumble again.
This time it felt lighter than before, but no less loud, and far faster. A rapid, pounding rhythm, like a war drum beating closer and closer.
Branches snapped. Birds burst from the treetops. Then another saurian came crashing through the brush.
This one was built nothing like the gentle giant at the stream. Its body was squat and powerful, its skin armored in thick, ridged plates. A great bony frill fanned out behind its head, three sharp horns jutted from its face, and its mouth ended in a hooked beak like a parrot's.
And on its back sat two riders.
They were dressed in vibrant tribal garments woven with bold patterns of ochre, red, and black, their faces hidden behind carved wooden masks. One of them held a set of reins fixed to the creature's frill, steering the beast with practiced ease.
"JAMBO to you two!" one of the masked riders bellowed. "But you're in a lot of trouble if you're poachers!"
Firion moved on instinct, stepping in front of Kaida and drawing the short blade left over from his military gear.
"Just let us pass," the elf snarled. "We have no riches. We only seek to reach Junai's coast."
But instead of reaching for their weapons, the two riders turned to each other and burst out laughing. Kaida and Firion exchanged a baffled look.
"HAHAHA! Put that away, my brother!" the taller rider said, swinging down from the saurian's back and landing with a heavy thud. "My partner and I patrol this land. It is a saurian reserve, protected so their numbers can grow. We only came to tell you that you are trespassing. But if you need help reaching Taraji, we can show you the way! We just need to check our other posts first."
He strode up to Firion and held out his hand. "Put it there, my brother. We mean no harm to you or your wife. By law you cannot stay out here in the wild, but we are glad you are not hunters."
Firion slowly lowered his blade and extended his hand. The man clasped it and shook it hard. But Firion felt the sincerity in that grip, and he answered it with the same firm strength.
Kaida watched closely and held out her own hand, understanding the greeting. The smaller rider stepped forward, and as she drew near, it became clear she was a woman.
"Jambo to you, my sister!" she said, her voice surprisingly soft beneath the fearsome mask. "Sorry if we frightened you two. You must be careful out here."
Kaida took her hand and carefully moved it up and down, then gave it a little squeeze, just as she had seen Firion do.
The woman chuckled warmly. "You will get the hang of it! Not everyone knows what a handshake is, but it is good to learn!"
"Your lady there looks like a blue horn deva!" the man said, eyeing Kaida with open curiosity. "Though I have never seen one with red hair like hers. And you, my brother, are a yumbo, just like me and my wife!"
He reached up and pulled off his mask.
Beneath it was a dark-skinned elf with long ears, hair as white as fresh snow, and eyes that gleamed like molten gold.
Firion's jaw dropped.
"Wait… you two are elves?!"