(Starla)
I woke feeling rested and my body in less pain. I didn’t know how long I had slept, but it seemed like at least a whole day and night.
A sensation built up, so I lay still for a long moment, cataloguing every part of my body. The ache in my bones had dulled to a distant throb. My lungs didn’t burn with each breath, and the pain in my hand had lessened too. Healers seemed to have done their job well.
Years of burning myself out. Years of giving and giving until there was nothing left. And now, one night of real sleep, and I felt almost human again.
But I knew it was an illusion. The energy I had spent reaching Aksel hadn’t been replenished. It had simply stopped draining for a while, like a candle that had been allowed to rest before being lit again.
I was still dying. I just had a moment to pretend otherwise, and I was going to take it.
Doodles was curled against my side, his warm little body rising and falling with each breath. I stroked his fur absently, watching the firelight dance across the stone ceiling.
"You are in the Beastworld. In a mountain. With two dragon brothers who don’t know you are a fraud." The thought erupted in my brain. "What have you gotten yourself into?"
A knock at the door almost made me jump.
"Starla." Azkan’s voice came, low and deep "Are you awake?"
"Yes." I pushed myself up, ignoring the protest from my muscles. "Come in."
The door opened, and he stepped inside, filling my small room. He was a looming giant of scales and muscles. His sheer presence should have overwhelmed me, and yet all I felt was a flutter in my stomach under his magnetic gaze.
He was dressed differently today. A black leather fitted to his lean frame, a dark cloak draped over his heavy shoulders. He looked every inch the warrior fitting for his titles, cold and untouchable.
His eyes didn’t soften when they landed on me; they remained sceptical. A distrust he carried.
"You look better," he stated. "The rest helped."
"I feel better too." I swung my legs over the side of the bed, wincing as my bare feet touched the cold stone. "Thank you for the room and the bed..."
"It’s nothing. This is your room from now on." He cut me off, his voice abrupt. "You helped my brother. It’s the least I could do. But don’t expect maids. Everyone pulls their own weight here, and that includes you."
He was uncomfortable, like a man unaware of how to handle gratitude or kindness, or anything that isn’t suspicious.
I filed that information away for later. I wanted to learn everything there was about him.
"I can do that. I don’t carry too many expectations." Who did he think I was? Some spoiled princess.
He merely grunted.
"I would like to see Aksel again," I asked, standing slowly, ensuring I wouldn’t collapse. "If that’s possible."
"It’s not." The answer was curt, as expected of him and his authority.
The satin nightgown I had on almost made me feel exposed in front of him.
Who even dressed me in this? I had been so focused on my pain that I hadn’t noticed that my clothes had been changed. My arms folded over my chest, hiding away my assets. Not that they were the size of watermelons, but I was still endowed.
He seemed to have understood my apprehension because his sharp gaze followed my actions.
"Lumina helped with your clothes. She is Yamil’s beastwoman." Slowly, he gulped but didn’t avert his gaze. His nostrils remained enlarged as if taking in my scent.
I blinked and sighed in relief.
"Oh! Thanks. What now?"
He was quiet for a moment. "I am going to the Wall. The eastern stretch needs inspecting."
"The Wall." Everyone knew of the Wall. Five hundred years of separation, carved into the very bones of the world. "Can I come?"
He looked at me sharply, almost with disbelief. "Why would you want to? It’s not a place for humans."
Because I want to see it close by. Because I want to understand this world. Because I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now. My monologue remained in my brain, though.
"Because I am curious. I have never seen it closely," I answered instead. "Also, I don’t wish to sit in this room all day."
He studied me sharply; I could see the war in his eyes, the urge to refuse, to keep me contained where he could watch me, battling against something else. Curiosity, maybe. Or the strange pull that had been growing between us since I had touched him and his brother.
"Fine. Lumina will bring you a change of clothes." He turned toward the door. "But stay close. And don’t touch anything."
He agreed, just like that? I hadn’t expected him to. There seemed to be a hidden agenda behind his agreement. I guess I would find out.
***
Lumina was from the Tiger beast clan. She brought me food and introduced herself. "I am Lumina. That’s the only time I am bringing you food because you helped our Commander."
The stripes on her cheeks made her look fierce, but her tiger ears gave her a softness that made me smile at her. She moved like a hunter, her golden eyes held animosity. I guess centuries of hatred between the beastmen and humans couldn’t be wiped away with one single act. I had to earn my place here and show them I wasn’t greedy.
"I am Starla and from today onwards I will manage." I picked up the vegetable soup bowl. It smelled heavenly, and I began to relish it.
She laid out the outfit I had to wear. A thick white woollen gown with fur on the shoulders and white gloves. It seemed like Azkan had arranged it for me.
"Yes, everyone has been talking about you. The human guide who calmed Commander Azkel," she revealed.
"The word has already spread." Getting up, I dressed myself.
"Yes. Everyone is eager to see the human guide. Although we aren’t very thrilled at the idea of having you."
"I understand your concerns. Every clan?" I asked, putting on my gloves.
"Yes, every clan sends their S-ranked Sentinels to the wall. The strongest among them are also the representatives of their clans. Commander Aksel and Commander Azkan are representatives of the dragon clan, and they are also Wardens of the Wall, holding the highest authority."
I nodded, understanding but also wondered how deep would their animosities run?
"Commander is waiting for you." Thanking Lumina, I walked through the corridors, Doodles padding silently beside me, and tried to memorise every detail. The walls depicted dragons in flight. The weapons mounted on the walls, swords, axes, spears, all worn from battle. The tall sentinels who watched me pass with cold, suspicious eyes.
They didn’t trust me. Why would they? I was human. I was the enemy.
But they didn’t stop me. They didn’t challenge me. Whatever Azkan had told them, it was enough to let me pass.
The main hall was vast. A massive fireplace occupied one wall, flames crackling and casting long shadows across the stone floor. Azkan stood before it, his back to me, his silhouette sharp against the firelight. His black cape elegantly rested against his broad shoulders.
"You are early," he said without turning, staring into fire. "I am impressed."
"Should I be offended that you expected me to be late?"
He turned, and something flickered in his amethyst eyes. Amusement, maybe. Or surprise that I had dared to tease him, a mere human.
"I expected you to be human," he answered flatly. "In my experience, humans are rarely punctual."
He was baiting me again. I could see he enjoyed it. His hatred for my kind was apparent.
"Then I will have to prove your experience wrong," I answered, keeping my voice light. "Shall we?"
He deeply stared for a moment trying to unsettled me with his animalistic beauty and then nodded.
I turned to Doodles and instructed. "Stay." He stared at me with his bright eyes, letting out a small meow.
"I will be back soon," I calmly told her.
Doodles obeyed.
"This way." He led me outside into the open courtyard.
I glanced up, taking the place in. It was a carved fortress in the mountains.
"The Last Stronghold," Azkan offered the name, observing how I was absorbed in it.
A towering structure of black stone, its spires clawed toward the sky. This place had been built to withstand siege, to protect the Wardens who guarded the barrier between their world and ours.
"It’s magnificent."
"I know," he smugly replied.
"Normally I fly, but with you we will be going on foot." He eyed me, maybe ensuring I was up to the task and my energy had been restored.
"Lead the way," I fearlessly answered, not giving him any reason to think I was weak. I couldn’t afford that. I had a reputation to maintain here.