"Easy now," Elemae said, her voice firm but measured. She lowered her weapon in a single, deliberate motion, and the oppressive pressure of her aura thinned, dissolving into faint orange motes that drifted harmlessly into the air. She shot a sharp glare at Lief. He flinched instinctively, shoulders drawing inward, but when her gaze shifted to Idalia, it softened.

  "We are not your enemies," Elemae continued. "We came in peace. I swear it." Her eyes flicked back to Lief with a warning edge. "He is merely an arrogant child. Spare him. He would taste awful anyway."

  "Hey!" Lief protested.

  Idalia barely acknowledged him.

  She was not angry. Not truly. But something about the way they spoke of Cheyin sat wrong in her chest, like a burr caught beneath a scale. Her lip curled, and a low, instinctive snarl rolled from her throat before she bothered to stop it. Several elves stumbled backward at once, hands tightening on weapons that never quite rose.

  Good. They understood.

  Elemae noticed immediately. She eased her stance further, shoulders loosening, weight shifting away from confrontation. Satisfied enough, Idalia lifted herself off Lief's chest. The young elf wheezed as her weight left him, sucking in air like he had briefly forgotten how lungs worked.

  Idalia loomed over him, eyes keen on the others.

  "How do you know about Cheyin?" she demanded. "Why does he speak of her like she is a friend to taunt?" She pointed a claw directly at Lief's face. He clenched his teeth, lips tightening hard enough to make him look ridiculous.

  The elves hesitated. None spoke.

  Except Elemae.

  She moved first to help Lief upright, steadying him with a hand at his elbow before answering. "Personally? We are only acquainted with the Wanderan Princess by circumstance. She has been residing in Verdantine, under the agreement of Lord Braunches, who permitted her sanctuary within the city."

  Lord Braunches.

  Idalia frowned. Why would they follow a branch? She glanced at the others. Their posture shifted at the name, spines straighter, expressions cautious and reverent. Whoever this Braunches was, he mattered.

  Lief clearly could not resist adding his own opinion. He exhaled loudly and folded his arms into his sleeves, chin lifting as if reclaiming dignity. "In my professional estimation, Master Braunches erred in allowing her entry. It is not customary for us to align ourselves with Wanderans." He sniffed. "However, Cheyin appears to be an... unfortunate exception."

  Idalia's ears flattened slightly as she looked between them. "She lives in your settlement?" Her voice lowered. "I do not want to fight anyone either. Not now. But she is important. She connects to my father." Her gaze sharpened. "You will take me to Verdantine."

  The elves exchanged uneasy looks.

  Elemae answered without dodging the truth. "If you behave, we will guide you. Lord Braunches may even wish to meet you."

  "Elemae," Lief growled.

  "Hush." She silenced him with a raised hand. Then she continued, "The venom sacs of elder Gigaboas form beneath these nesting grounds. Even after death, the caverns retain residue. We intended to collect what remained." Her eyes flicked to Idalia. "We would be grateful for your presence as a guardian. To ensure safe passage."

  Idalia's pupils widened slightly.

  "Oh," she said. "There are still spicy snakes underground."

  "...Yes."

  Her stomach made a pleased, rumbling sound. She leaned closer, crowding their space deliberately. "Good," she said brightly. "You will show me. Then we share."

  None of the elves were certain whether that meant cooperation or survival. No one argued. Idalia, however, felt delighted to follow.

  ??? ??? ???

  The cavern was quiet again.

  Only the faint drip of venomous residue echoed from the ceiling as the elves carefully finished their work. Crystal vials glowed softly in their hands, each one now filled with slow-moving streams of emerald and amber essence. The residue clung to the glass like living light. Roots gently rewove themselves where Gigaboa bodies had once crushed through stone. The cavern exhaled a deep, weary breath, as if relieved its ancient occupants were finally gone.

  Idalia crouched near the entrance with her chin resting in her paws. She had finished another savory Gigaboa meal. Her tail lazily swept dust and fallen scales into small arcs behind her. She watched the elves work with open fascination.

  "So tiny," she said. "You collect spicy juice like ants collect crumbs."

  Lief flinched but did not correct her.

  When the last vial was sealed, Elemae gave a short, efficient nod. The group gathered their packs and tools. Their task was complete. The mission that had once been dangerous beyond reason now felt unreal in hindsight.

  They turned to leave. Idalia stood immediately. Dust puffed under her feet as she followed.

  The elves stiffened as one when they felt the weight of her steps behind them. They moved through the jungle in wary silence for several minutes. Vines parted for the elves. Roots shifted aside. The forest accepted them readily. But the forest did not know what to do with Idalia. Leaves tore under her claws. Branches snapped against her shoulders. Birds scattered in wild flurries. She did not mind.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  The elves whispered among themselves.

  "She is still following us."

  "I can feel her breath on my neck."

  "Do not provoke it."

  "Do not call it 'it' so loudly either."

  "She just uprooted a titan nest. I am allowed to be nervous."

  "She is stepping closer."

  "She is stepping closer because she walks faster than we do."

  "She is sniffing our packs."

  "She already sniffed my hair three times."

  "Do not turn around. She looks directly into your soul when you turn around."

  "She is too quiet. Why is she this quiet?"

  "I do not know. Maybe she is stalking us."

  "I thought predators only stalk prey."

  "So what does that make us in her eyes?"

  Idalia's head suddenly poked in between two of the whispering elves, her snout nearly bumping their hands. Both elves yelped and jumped sideways. Lief swallowed and attempted to keep his pace steady.

  She blinked cheerfully between their startled faces.

  "Where are you going? Are we heading there?" she asked.

  The two figures walking beside her nearly collided with a tree in their panic. The woman recovered first, breathing in sharply through her nose. "We are returning to our sanctuary."

  Idalia trotted alongside them now, far too close for comfort.

  "Oh. Is that what you call your nest? You agreed to take me there."

  Several of the elves exchanged looks. Lief cleared his throat. "It is… a city. Of sorts. Just don't tear it down."

  Idalia tilted her head. "Is it soft?"

  "…Soft?"

  "For sleeping," she clarified.

  The elven woman hesitated. Her gaze shifted to Lief. Then to the others. A quiet, urgent exchange passed between them in their own tongue.

  "The Chief will not approve," one muttered.

  "She will blame me," Lief sighed.

  "She will blame all of us," Elemae corrected.

  Lief leaned closer to the elven woman and whispered, "We cannot simply tell her to leave."

  The woman closed her eyes for a moment, then spoke softly. "If we bring her to the settlement," she muttered to him, "the Chief will faint. Or scream. Or both. She barely tolerates the presence of spirit beasts. A Liorex is an entirely different realm of trouble."

  Idalia's ears drooped just a little.

  "But," the woman continued carefully, "there is one among us who may welcome you."

  Lief inhaled and added, "Master Braunches and Cheyin." The moment the name left his mouth, Idalia froze mid-step. Her ears snapped upright.

  "Cheyin. What is she like?" she asked.

  The jungle seemed to hold its breath.

  "That is her name," the woman confirmed. "She was once of Orun. A former princess before she fractured from her father's dominion. She has walked among us since. Lord Braunches has been negotiating with her."

  Idalia's heart thumped once. Hard. "That is the one Vestaella said stole my Papa," she blurted.

  The elves stumbled in unison. Lief nearly dropped his staff. "…Your Papa was the Liorex that arrived with her?" he said faintly.

  "Probably." Idalia's tail stiffened. Her voice sharpened, though confusion still threaded through it. "Vest said Cheyin took him. She said he went away with her and never came back. Is your Cheyin the same Cheyin?"

  The elven woman grew very still. Her eyes shifted from Idalia's face. It seemed like a searching look; one a person would use to search for deception.

  "I believe," she said slowly, "there are not many who bear that name at her level of significance."

  Idalia stopped walking. The elves took two more steps before realizing she was no longer behind them.

  They turned.

  Idalia stood among crushed ferns and broken bark, her frame tense with tightly wound energy. Her breath came slower now. Her eyes burned not with hunger, but with something far more focused.

  "Then take me to her," she said.

  The forest went quiet again. The elves looked at one another, fear and inevitability tangled together as though it were an unforseeable truth.

  The elven woman exhaled. "If we bring you to her… nothing will be the same afterward."

  Idalia grinned, feral and pleased. "Good."

  ??? ??? ???

  The journey to Verdantine was uneventful.

  The rest of the trek to the elven city passed smoothly, with the elves guiding Idalia along winding paths carved through dense jungle growth. Any self-respecting Liorex who delighted in battle would have found the trek disappointingly tame and sorely lacking in danger. Still, Idalia learned things as they walked, and that alone kept her interest.

  Creatures like elves made paths called roads. These roads were layered with gravel, packed dirt, and smooth, shiny stones. The stones themselves were enchanted, threaded with wards and subtle defensive magics meant to keep the elves from becoming prey. Idalia had been told that both the Elven High Lord and Archmage Braunches designed and shaped the system together.

  It was Braunches's mana that kept the enchantments alive and humming beneath the surface. The more she heard of him, the more Idalia decided he sounded a little like her grandfather Pawail, except smaller and less inclined to bite things.

  When they finally reached what the elves considered their domicile nest, the road narrowed and tapered off into a triangular tunnel. There were several such openings, each resembling a fallen log. They were curved and ornately carved, their surfaces smoothed and reinforced, and Idalia suspected they served as bridges that led upward into mountainous terrain.

  Above them, towering cliffs were wrapped in cascading, shimmering waterfalls. The bark-like exterior of the tunnels was polished to a greenish sheen, and the interior floors glowed faintly, as if paved with embedded pebbles of light.

  The elves began gesturing to one another. Their hand signals were strange to Idalia, just like most of their behavior, but she could tell the movements carried meaning.

  They guided her toward a tall, cylinder-shaped glass structure large enough to fit a fully grown Liorex. Idalia snarled at once, suspicion prickling down her spine. It looked like a trap.

  Before she could back away, Elemae stepped close and brushed her hand gently through the fur along Idalia's neck. The motion was slow and steady, calming despite herself, and Idalia felt an involuntary purr rumble in her chest. Another elven woman joined in, murmuring soothing words and offering careful pets as they coaxed her forward.

  Reluctantly, Idalia allowed herself to be led inside.

  They stepped onto a platform etched with floral patterns. It pulsed several times with soft, verdant light beneath their feet.

  "We will be rising," Elemae said, pointing upward. "This is called an elevator."

  Idalia did not understand the word, but she decided it meant flying.

  She was close. Very close. And very wrong.

  The waterfall that had been pouring downward around the glass cylinder suddenly reversed direction, surging upward instead. Idalia squeaked in alarm as symbols flared beneath her feet. Startled, she dropped to all fours, claws scraping lightly against the platform as she stared upward.

  They were rising.

  The elves laughed softly, but Idalia ignored them. Her attention was fixed entirely on the strange, beautiful phenomenon surrounding her. Above them, the tunnel's opening rippled like water struck by a stone. Green light pulsed outward in widening rings before spiraling inward, forming a slow-turning vortex. It reminded her uncomfortably of a portal.

  "This is new for you, huh?" Lief said, smirking.

  "It feels like being trapped inside a ship," Idalia replied, glancing at him, "but the ship is a room. What is happening?"

  He chuckled. "The finest nest, of course." He straightened and smoothed his robes. "But truly, we are riding atop water to reach our destination. Master Braunches, my extremely brilliant mentor, designed these contraptions by combining magic and hydraulics—"

  "I don't know what that is," Idalia interrupted, lashing her tail once. "But it sounds like he knows how to put things together. I prefer to bite and claw them apart."

  She eyed the glowing walls thoughtfully. "...Still useful."