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Night Watch I: Eliza, Ward of Andrew

Shut up, Andrew, just shut up and listen!

*Andrew’s POV*

Dani waited several minutes, then turned around looking so damned exultant, I decided to at least give him a chance to explain himself. I really hoped he knew something I didn’t. Otherwise, three horrific monsters just a tad bit smaller than young dragons were expecting us back after conveniently eliminating what sounded like their primary competition. So hopefully there was more to it than that.

Dani clasped my forearm as he walked by, as if to reassure me that was the case, and I decided to let it go, for the time being. I glanced back to ensure Eliza was following close behind without any problems, and we followed Dani for a good half an hour before he took a seat on a log and gestured for us to join him.

Dani was still beaming. I had been waiting, trying not to explode, for far too long! “Dan-“

“-I know, I know! They’re barghests the size of buffalo, I know! But hear me out! First of all, Cedra-“

“Who’s Cedra?” Did I miss something entirely?

“For fuck’s sake Andrew, will you listen?” Dani rolled his eyes and threw up his hands.

Eliza shoved me briskly off the stump we were sharing, and I looked at her, shocked! Traitorous, sexy wench! “Dammit, Andy, I want to listen!” Eliza gestured, excited, for Dani to continue, as I got back onto the stump, ego bruised. I felt a little better when she rubbed my knee affectionately.

“Apparently, the bitch can read minds, even better than I can. She thought it was bloody hilarious that you kept calling her ‘Big Momma,’ Andrew-” oh gods! “-but she can’t show vulnerability by laughing at Fae jokes in front of her sons. I thought it was funny too, but she indicated it was important that I not laugh inexplicably in front of her sons. Apparently they’re a bit sensitive about not being able to read minds yet, and sharing inside jokes would not have gone over well. They’ve been unruly lately, it’s not really in a barghest’s nature to be communal, and they’re teenagers.

“She has tired of being in their constant company, but they have a very bitter territory feud on their hands, and she is worried that her sons would be wounded if she tried to take on any of the cù sìth with them directly. She cares very deeply for them, and she needs them to go off on their own, but they are surrounded. Time is critical, as they can’t come of age while they’re still around their mother.” I wrinkled my nose at that thought.

“Listen, we were exchanging thoughts a great deal when we weren’t talking out loud. Cedra is her name. Names are very important to barghests, apparently, and she has several. Cedra Farrin Audris Orguelleuse: battle chieftain, wanderer, noble strength, arrogant. She said it was a gift that we three should know her full name. She gave it as a gift of trust that we might return. She said her sons’ first names, Donavan and Dymas, meant ‘dark warrior’ and ‘father of Hecate,’ respectively, but their full names were not her gift to give.” Seriously? Barghests thought about that kind of shi-

Yes, seriously! That’s not all. Cedra knows that war is coming, she knows it’s part of the reason I hope for a companion. She’s not afraid of battle. Her concern was whether any Village would accept her kind in its Walls. I assured her they would, if my companion would abide by our laws.” Wait a second, was Dani actually considering Big Momma as a companion? Was that why we were still talking about this? And had they really 'talked' about all this via thought, while the rest of us were standing there?

Eliza voiced what I was wondering. “This is all going on in your heads? With your minds?” Dani nodded impatiently, as though that were totally obvious. I would have thought it difficult to have had this entire exchange during those pauses in conversation. I guess I was distracted…

“Cedra said she knew Whiplasher and the boys were following them!” Eliza and I looked at each other, speechless. “Cedra knows damned well that the Fae guard the Soul, that without the Soul, there is no Forest, and no Forest means no food. Therefore, she eats no Fae that do not attack her, and she is trying to teach her sons the same!” I wasn’t sure I liked where this seemed to be going.

Eliza looked bubbly with excitement. “So are you buddies? Does she like you?”

I couldn’t take it, I interrupted before Dani could answer. “Whoa! Dani, hold on! That’s not a guarantee that she will behave, just a statement that Fae aren’t her preferred food items! And how do you know Big-uhm, Cedra isn’t lying? Three of the most malevolent beings I know of in existence just asked you to eliminate their chief rivals for territory- how convenient! I mean, come on!” I looked from Dani to Eliza. Was I that far off base?

He shrugged. “Aside from my gut feeling, I can’t know for sure. But I have a few clues. For one, Cedra asked me to save the food offerings I had.” Eh?

“For what?” So?

“In case we needed them instead to kill the cù sìth, to lure them into a trap. She wanted to maximize our chances of success. That shows signs of sympathy or empathy, which is unusual. Furthermore, she said, if I still had them later, to hold on to them for her sons to share, after she had left with us. If I gave them the offerings now, her sons would insist that Cedra share. That’s even more evidence of maternal instinct.” I nodded. Well… that was definitely weird.

“Anything else?” Dani nodded, smiling.

“Yeah. She wanted to make sure, if she decided to give ‘the easy life’ a try, that her sons could visit. Especially when war comes. She said that, if they agree to fight for the Wild Ones, they must be allowed shelter within our walls, or she doesn’t want to see us again. I said I figured that was fine. I let her know I’d just have to enlarge the den.” I could practically feel my balls shrivel. Three barghests inside the Walls. Inside the Walls.

“And there’s more!” I wasn’t sure I could handle more. “This is the thing that really got to me, guys. Cedra doesn’t just have concern for her two sons. She has a sense of history and a greater purpose, and I’ve never heard of anything like that before, not in any hell hound.

“She was very generic, um, thinking in broad strokes that are hard to describe. But she told me that she has had many sons and daughters, and that they have sons and daughters, and so on. But all of them live in the Forest, and she has awareness that without it, all of them will also die. Somehow, she knows that the war is threatening the Forest, and therefore, her entire lineage. She’s willing to fight for the sake of her entire family. It’s unique.” I shook my head. Cedra was a fucking barghest, I couldn’t get past it, had Dani not seen her? Smelled the rotten death coming off of her?

Eliza stared steadily at me, slowly losing her pleasant expression. “Andrew, I know you’ve read a lot about the Dark Mountain Elves. We haven’t really had a lot of time to talk about them though-“ What did that have to do with anything?

“-Eliza, what-“ I had a bad feeling, she'd called me 'Andrew.'

“-My Grampy used to tell me stories about where he came from, so I know about my background. You’ve probably heard that enemies that are not taken prisoner alive are eaten.” Eliza leaned towards me. “That’s mostly true. Fae are tasty and are often eaten raw, right there on the battlefield. Everyone is hungry after a battle, right? But orcs and ogres are not palatable- they are killed and left to rot. As you can imagine, eating other kinds of Elves gives Dark Mountain Elves terrible stomach upset, so they just kill them and leave them to rot as well, or feed them to their pets.” She looked at me pointedly, narrowing her eyes.

“That’s completely disgusting! What in the nine hells does that have to do with barghests?” Dani sighed and shook his head.

Eliza frowned. “All Dark Mountain Elven children have to go through very rigorous combat training, regardless of whether they are to fill a slot in the armed forces. Any that don’t make the cut are also eaten. They are considered a delicacy-”

“-What the fuck Eliza? Why are we talking about this?” Dani surprised the shit out of me by standing and then roughly yanking me to my feet.

“Sorry my dear, this is just too painful, we’ll be right back.” Dani gave Eliza an apologetic smile, then grabbed my arm and dragged me some ways away. I was completely confounded.

What, Dani? We were talking about barghests, and all of a sudden we’re talking about eating enemies, cannibalism, Eliza’s calling me Andrew, she’s pissed at me-“ Dani didn’t look thrilled either.

“Shut up, Andrew, just shut up and listen!” He raised his eyebrows at me, and I held still and listened, impatient to figure out what the fuck I had done this time. I suspected it was bad. Possibly even very bad. I felt guilty in advance and I didn’t even know why! Dani let out what must have been his millionth mournful sigh of the evening, and patted my shoulder.

“Andrew, you are a dumbass. Cedra, as in, Big Momma, is a barghest. A species that is often extremely malicious, agreed?” I nodded. “Despite having reason to give her a chance, you have not been able to see past her species.” I waited, not comprehending. Dani rolled his eyes. “Eliza is a Dark Mountain Elf hybrid-“ The connection was made. “-Oh shit!”

Dani nodded. “Eliza is not impressed that you are only willing to see past bigoted differences when it involves your species, Andrew. If you can give a descendent of the Dark Mountain Elves a chance, even fall in love with one, why not give a barghest a chance? Because there is no Fae in her? Because she’s not pretty? Cedra is willing to die to defend the Soul of the Forest, to protect her family, what kind of Watchman turns up their nose at that?”

I shook my head, feeling like an ass. “Cedra terrifies me. It’s just so hard to believe that it could be true, what you’re saying. I’m sorry.”

Dani looked up at me. “Andrew, don’t apologize to me, man. You have to deal with the wrath of a very, umm, daunting, woman. Look, if we hurry, we might be able to get to both of those cù sìth and back here before Dawn. Cedra said if it was after Dawn, to come back tomorrow night, and I really don’t want to waste another night of your time with Eliza. The first one is fairly near here, based in a bear-cave, by the South-West crags.”

I knew how to get us there the fastest, most certainly. I tugged Dani’s sleeve as I jogged up towards where Eliza sat scowling on her stump. I unceremoniously dropped rather suddenly to both knees with a ‘whuff’ in the dirt right in front of her.

I grabbed both Elizas’ hands in mine. “I love you Eliza, and we don’t have time for a long apology because we have to go to the South-West crags to try and decapitate the first cù sìth for Cedra, ok? We’re going to try and get them both tonight and get back here before Dawn, so we have to-“

Eliza cut me off with a kiss, and I felt my heart start to race with joy, my chest felt like it would burst! I couldn’t wait until later, I would show her how truly devoted I was with every inch of-

Gods! This is almost intolerable to be around! Enough, uck! I am married, you filthy perverts! Eliza, really? I’m leaving, you can come with me or not, just don’t think those sorts of things!” I raised an eyebrow at Eliza, who flushed scarlet in the pale moonlight. I liked it when I made her blush, especially from-

Stop it, let’s go fearless leader!” *Fump!* Dani thwacked my arm with his staff! Hrmm…

Notes

whoa dude. Dark Mountain Elves are hell of gnarly! D:

take-home message: should you ever meet one, no matter how hot they are, make them brush their teeth before any hanky-panky business. every single time. every. single. time.

Comments

*NOTE* The author of this story no longer has access to her account due to site malfunction.
SmuttyPariah SmuttyPariah
4/15/17

I've waited right to the end to comment. I loved this so much. I love all the characters and if this site would let me vote loads, I would. I wish it were more like wattpad in that respect. I've read the first chapter of the next installment and I can't wait. I'm super excited.

xPockyCookiex xPockyCookiex
4/7/17

@Teja

yay! so glad you like it so far!

anathema anathema
3/26/17

@smutty pariah

*snorts at you* ;0)

anathema anathema
3/26/17

Yes, can't wait!

Teja Teja
3/26/17