Page 6 of Where the Shadows Land (Garden of Hope #1)

A hum of acceptance ran through the system, and the Twelve who Made Mairuk solidified their decision.

They turned their focus back to the human’s face and observed her.

Without the verdant glow of Orsea in her eyes, the green appeared dull and lifeless.

Empty. Their gaze met hers and something in them called back the fox’s memories of her sobbing.

The hollow expression in both matched. Though she was human and her expressions made no sense to them, grief was one ache that transcended both language and species. This human was drowning in it.

Instead of celebrating that a foul human suffered, an ache bloomed where they carried the love for all those they lost. Mairuk growled low in their chest and they willed the emotion away. No human deserved anything as gracious as sympathy.

“You swear on your life and blood with such little thought. If you bargain with these things so tritely, they cannot be worth much to you,” Mairuk said.

“I have nothing else to offer you,” the human spat.

She straightened against the wall and lifted her chin, her lips pressing together in a tight line.

“Kill me if my blood and life are not enough to convince you of my intentions. My only request, if a monster such as you possesses the ability to grant it, is to make my death fast.”

Mairuk chittered, and the hot buzz of frustration vibrated their gills. “If a beast such as you possesses the ability to speak the truth and you truly mean no harm to us, then we will take your blood and allow you to keep your life.”

“What is the price of your mercy? ”

“You are not to leave the garden without us. You will work as instructed. If you break either of those conditions, your life is forfeit. We will consume you and use your bones to nourish these lands.”

The human looked from side to side and returned to chewing her lower lip.

A strange thing to have lips so large one could chew them.

Chewing as a concept disgusted Mairuk. Mouth bones ?

The humans had the gal to call the Ardeloks monsters.

Only the faint, rapid sound of her heartbeat and shaking breaths filled the frozen night air.

The human said nothing for several long moments. Her eyes fell closed.

The silence dragged on. If not for the human’s twitching fingers, Mairuk would’ve thought she fell unconscious. Mairuk squeezed her wrists in their hand, pushing her firm against the wall as they watched her. They would not allow her to move until they sealed an agreement in blood.

‘ If this choice is this hard, perhaps we should kill her, ’ Fifth said.

‘ If she does not answer in another ten heartbeats, we will,’ First agreed.

On the ninth heartbeat, the human opened her green eyes and nodded once. “I accept your conditions.”

“Very well,” Mairuk said, the disappointment clear in their tone. They dropped her left hand and extended one of their claws. With a flick of their finger, they sliced open their palm, then hers. “Your name, human.”

“Astoria of Leilan,” she said.

“Astoria of Leilan, with your blood, you are bound to this pact. From this breath until your last, you will not leave this garden without us. You will spend your days working as instructed. If you break either of these conditions, your blood and flesh are ours to consume. As long as you abide by these conditions, you will not come to harm by our hands. We, the Twelve who Make Mairuk, swear this in blood and bloom.”

“I, Astoria of Leilan, swear to abide by those conditions from this breath until my last, in blood and bone. ”

Mairuk took her small hand in theirs. Blood, green and red, mingled together.

Magic hummed from their palm to their foot.

The human shuddered as the power ran up her arm.

The green light of the magic faded and left a vivid pink oath mark from the tip of her middle finger all the way to her elbow.

A new mushroom cap bloomed on Mairuk’s wrist, the same fox-red as her hair.

Mairuk dropped her wrist and Astoria fell to the ground, flat on her round ass. They ignored her sounds of protest and moved toward the main stone path that cut through the garden. She followed behind shortly, her bare feet clapped against the stone as she ran alongside her fox.

“Where is everyone?” Astoria asked.

Mairuk looked toward the bay and lifted their lip in a silent snarl. They should have made a clause about questions. “There are no others. Only us.”

The dagger of grief twisted deep inside their chest. The human fell silent, blessedly not pushing the matter.

They led her through the winding paths to the homes closest to the center of the garden.

With a flick of their fingers, they called forward the Orsea and lit the candle in the glass lantern.

They pushed the heavy wooden door open and stepped inside, lighting each candle one by one.

None of Mairuk’s companions ever stayed in the garden with them, despite the fact that Mairuk built a home for each of them. They never bothered to come inside any of the buildings, either. Though she was human, having another living creature admire their work ruffled Mairuk’s gills.

The thick stone walls continued inside, the space between each rock filled with a bleached clay.

Rough wooden floors carried throughout the three rooms that made up the space.

The central room held a low wooden couch filled with dried brush and covered in a bear pelt took up the most space.

Beside it, two goat pelt chairs added more seating.

A shelf held several little treasures and a handful of books that Mairuk gathered on their travels.

Across from the sitting area stood a table large enough to work at and faced the round window .

The second room held a bed large enough for three Rholctai with woven green bedding.

Mairuk purchased the set on their last trip to Bounoss.

A small dresser and two small side tables filled the rest of the space.

The last of the three rooms held an empty water barrel and several empty storage chests.

With the last candle lit, Mairuk returned to the main room where the human balked at the space as if it were a palace.

In a home built for Ardelok sizes, the human seemed far too small.

She circled the room with the fox on her heels and touched everything.

She remained silent, yet her eyes seemed to grow larger by the moment.

“Did you build all of this?” Astoria asked.

Mairuk tilted their cap down. “Yes.”

She hummed and rested her arms along the back of a chair. “I do not know how to build anything like this. In my village, I worked with leather. Mostly making armor, bags, and saddles. This…I can’t make anything like this.”

“We would not trust a human with this kind of work. It is too complex for one mind alone.” Mairuk gestured around the space.

“This is where you will stay with your companion when you are not working. If you run, we will know. You have bound yourself to us by a blood oath, and it does not matter where you go. You will not find a place to hide that is outside of our sight.”

“I have nowhere else to go,” she whispered.

“So you say. Remember your oath and find your rest, human. I will gather you at dawn to begin our work.”

Astoria crossed her arms over her chest and nodded once. “I will be awake and ready.”