Page 31 of Where the Shadows Land (Garden of Hope #1)
Leri tilted their cap back and narrowed their red eyes. “You’ve always had an eye for the Cosai and never objected before when we set meetings for you.”
“With how much you have brought us, it is unlikely we will need to visit Bounoss before the next rotation.” Mairuk led Leri to a storehouse to look over what they brought this time.
A plethora of tools, several bolts of linen, and a thick double roll of dark leather made the bulk of what Leri brought.
Nestled at the bottom of the pack was a dissembled, heavy metal contraption Mairuk did not recognize.
Mairuk tilted their cap and investigated the different parts as they lifted it out of the pack.
“Cardilan told us of your progress with the walls when we crossed paths some weeks ago in Oslore. We have brought you a means of protecting your garden should the humans be foolish enough to venture this far south.” Leri took the parts and the now mostly empty pack and gestured for Mairuk to follow them outside.
In an empty space about thirty feet from the gate, they arranged the rods on the ground.
“What is it?” Mairuk asked as they watched Leri put the thing together.
“A weapon. We helped build some in Bounoss to protect the city, and we made one to bring you. There are bars of the needed metals in the bag, and we rolled the plans for their construction within the fabric so they did not get damaged. You have done so much work rebuilding Bostrai. It deserves protection.”
“You are too generous, Leri.” Mairuk knelt down and helped Leri assemble the weapon.
“You have chosen to stay here, to the confusion of many. But, if this is your choice and you will do what you can to revive these lands, we will support you in any way that you will allow.” Leri leaned in close to Mairuk.
“My loktossi has made us quite rich. He is beloved by the Cosai who visit the brothels.”
Mairuk considered Astoria in such a position, as many loktossi were. Hot, boiling rage burned under their flesh at the thought of anyone else touching their human. Mairuk shook, and they hoped Leri would assume it was due to their distaste for humans.
Leri tilted their cap fully to the side, but the weapon took their primary focus.
It took shape as the pair adjusted and locked the different elements of the contraption in place.
Mairuk would need to fill the base with clay and stone to keep it stable long term, but it stood steady on four metal legs.
On top, a heavy crossbow-like weapon locked into place, wider than Mairuk’s shoulders.
It held three bolts and smelled like magic, but not one Mairuk could place.
“What are your thoughts, Mai?” Leri asked once the pair set it in place.
“It will be functional if humans come across Bostrai,” Mairuk said.
“We have set up camp just inside the forest. We will stay the night there, but we must leave in the morning for Bounoss. What else are you working on that you will allow us to help with?”
“We were about to gather materials to finish the southern wall. With luck, we hope to begin rituals by the end of the week.”
“Our hands are yours while we are here,” Leri said.
Mairuk tilted their cap toward Leri in thanks, then gathered the needed supplies from the storage building.
They took the long way through the village, away from the drying sheets and Astoria’s garden beds.
Leri always spoke of their loktossi, but instead of the typical disgust that came from it, sharp tension built along their muscles.
What if Leri wanted another human as theirs?
Mairuk could not allow them to see Astoria.
They would have to sneak her back into her cabin once Leri returned to their camp for the night.
Mairuk went from hoping Astoria would return quickly to praying for her hunt to take until dusk. Mairuk stopped at the still open portion of the south ern wall and set down the clay. They conjured a trickle of water to loosen it up as they stirred it.
Leri leaned up against the wall, curiosity on their face. They tilted their cap to the breeze and froze. “We smell human.”
“We found a body in the woods and buried it in the garden to nourish the land,” Mairuk said.
“No. Dead human smells different. This is a living human. Only one.” Leri sniffed the air and rotated their cap from side to side. “The human was here recently, within the last hour.”
“Impossible,” Mairuk huffed. “We would have seen and heard the human if that was true.”
“You are a horrible liar, Mairuk. We know the smell of humans, we have a loktossi . Where are you keeping yours?”
Mairuk froze and held their breath. Leri followed the smell of human to the raised garden beds and the drying sheets that would still smell like Astoria. They ran forward and stopped in front of Leri, holding their arms out. “You cannot see the human.”
Leri narrowed their eyes. “Why not? You have always been welcome to see ours, but we keep him away because of your disgust. What sort of human did you find that was worthy of your eyes?”
“You cannot see the human because the human is not here,” Mairuk said.
“If he is your loktossi , then he will be back. We want to meet him,” Leri said.
“You will not. The human will not return because we do not have a loktossi .” Mairuk sighed when Leri crossed their arms, their disbelief clear. “We made a pact with the human. The human helped us and we allowed the creature to live. The pact came to an end this morning.”
“You haven’t claimed the human? One came to your doorstep and made a pact with you, of all things?
Then you allowed him to leave?” Leri’s eyes went wide, and they hummed to themselves.
“We have been searching for another human to become a companion to our loktossi for months. Perhaps we will offer a pact of our own since you did not want him.”
“You will not!” Mairuk growled and stepped into Leri’s space. “She is ours .”
“ She? You found a human woman and allowed her to leave without making her your loktossi ? Mairuk!” Leri’s downward lilting tone in their mind was the embodiment of disappointment.
They held their chin, opened their eyes wide, and then leaned back.
“She is not your loktossi , yet you claim her as yours. If you have not bound to her, then how is that so?”
Mairuk refused to look at Leri and would not share the details. Astoria’s blood belonged to them, and that was enough for now. In time, they would ask her to accept a bond with them as their loktossi , but they would not rush the process. Not when whatever bloomed between them was so fragile.
“Did you fuck the human, Mai?”
Mairuk said nothing and focused on the ground.
Leri laughed and clapped Mairuk hard on the shoulder.
“Oh, what a gift of the winds this is! If your agreement has ended or not, she will be back. Our magic makes them feel as if they are in the clouds, as do all our fluids. Spit, slip, and spore. The poor humans can’t get enough once we’ve given them a taste of what it is like to bed a strong Rholctai! ”
“The human is ours,” Mairuk growled.
“If she is not bound to you yet walks these lands, then she is ripe for the claiming. It’s unwise to let her free, more so if she is unmarked. Fucking her doesn’t give you a claim to her old friend.”
“We were not expecting visitors.”
“Yet here we are! At the same time as your unbound human. What an interesting turn of events,” Leri said.
“We have been friends for many decades, Leri. Do not let this be the unfortunate end of our companionship. Keep your hands off of our human. ”
Leri took a step away from Mairuk and bowed. “Of course not. We are friends, after all. Now, since you have a human woman of all things, you must be cautious. The women can carry Ardelok young.”
“Impossible.” Mairuk had not considered that. They did not think to. Could they have already planted young inside Astoria? The thought both terrorized and mystified them. What would their young even look like?
“Afraid not. Human males can seed us, as well. Humans are nothing if not good at reproducing. You will need to get her a sour root tincture to prevent pregnancy. Do you have blood berries in your stores?” Leri asked.
Mairuk thought back to what they had in their apothecary. “We believe so.”
Leri loosened a jar from one of the many patches on the straps across their chest and tossed it to Mairuk.
“Take these in case you don’t. Eat two every morning.
It’ll change the color of your spore, but it will prevent you from planting unexpected young.
You need to claim her as a loktossi . We will not take her, but there are others roaming these lands.
They will honor nothing but a loktossi mark. ”
“We will mark her as our loktossi only once she is ready. We will watch her closely until she is ready to accept it,” Mairuk said.