Kaara blinked, “Wait, what?”

“It don’t be too bad, I’ll just choke you and you’ll go to sleep for a little bit. That should dispel it.” Gornax said with an abnormally casual tone.

“Choke me?”

“If that doesn’t work, then we’ll kill you, does that sound good?”

“Well- I…”

“You obviously don’t wanna die.” Rixam laughed, “look, we get it. These monsters are to blame, not you. As people who get blamed for Malaki all the time, why would the two of us turn around and side with the chrometails? Even if knocking you out isn’t the answer, we’ll find a way. Trust.”

“I just… I feel like I’m getting off too easy all the time.”

She felt a hand clutch her head.

“If that’s the case, then when you wake up, make things right,” Gornax said, “Fight until you’ve paid for the lives you took. Are you ready?”

Kaara took a deep breath and let it go, “I’m ready. Do it.”

There was a rustle in the darkness as the giant Gornax shuffled behind her. She felt his arms slip under her neck. The blood rushed to her head as he squeezed. She coughed. Her body reacted on its own, kicking and squirming as she felt her consciousness slip away. It was so terrifying to feel herself fade, but when she did it was peaceful.

Perhaps she would see the pig king one more time. If only she could have been so lucky. Images flashes in her mind. The lifeless eyes of the other children, the blood in the snow, the flickering forms of the Oskuutor. Contrasting those images, however, were the smiles of her friends, the warm spring days, the view from the great ingen tree’s branches.

The images accelerated. Too fast for her to fully comprehend them. She was younger. Even younger than she was now. A child clutching her mother’s tail and following like a duckling. A newborn strapped to her mother’s back while she hunted monsters. Then nothing. The images went faster. She was running, the face of a wolf in the water, a feeling like she was drowning, following someone unknown into the darkness. A deep red light at the bottom of a cave. The red light spoke.

“No, not yet. Not quite yet.”

A low baritone rang in her ears, the thumping of a heart beating her brain. More images. The light of day, grassy glades, violet flowers as she tended to someone. A kiss, a break, another trip around. She could see herself reflected in a pond, older than she was now.

Black.

A four pointed star opened up in the void above her. At first burning a pure white, but soon stained red like blood in the snow. She was being looked at. Studied.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“Destiny is no more than repeated mistakes, leading to repeated outcomes.”

She woke up. It was still dark, and for a moment, she didn’t remember where she was. “Did it work?” She asked.

“It sounds like it might have.” Gornax answered, shifting her off his lap, “I’m gonna pop my head out and check. Stay here.”

“Don’t really have any other choice.” Kaara said.

“Fair point.” Gornax said, jumping up into the ceiling and disappearing. Kaara rubbed her throat where Gornax had choked her.

“You’re pretty brave, y’know.” Rixam said.

For some reason, Kaara hated that compliment. It left such a bitter feeling in her gut. It was so empty, “Why do you say that?”

“I dunno if I could let someone choke me unconscious. Especially since we’re Noxa and all that.”

“What do you mean? I trust you. Besides, I dunno if I would haven indeed being killed if it saved other people’s lives.”

“That’s brave in its own way. I can’t stand the idea of dying myself.”

“I dunno many people that can.”

“Well I know you. And you seem to be pretty comfortable with it. I know Argo too. He don’t know how to quit.” Rixam laughed, “Reminds me of my little sister, honestly. I guess you could say Argo’s my little brother if that makes any sense.”

Kaara nodded, “I know how you feel. There’s a lot of people in my clan who I could say the same for even if I don’t share blood with them.” She thought of Rorik and Arik. Where were they right now? She was confident they had the strength to survive, but even so, it worried her.

She heard the rocks moving above her, “Coast is clear,” Gornax said, “Grab on.”

Kaara reached out, feeling something wet.

“Ow! That was my mouth.”

“Sorry,” Kaara said, palming his face and finding his hand. She felt herself pulled through the earth into the frigid cold above. Her eyes adjusted to the light of the waning moon above.

“Sense any of those malaki nearby, Rixam?” Gornax asked.

“Not on the winds, no. What about you?”

He shook his head, “They’re not here anymore.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Kaara said.

“What do you mean?” Gornax said.

“My curse. If the Malaki are attracted to me, then why are they not here?”

“Maybe your curse is only active when you’re conscious?” Rixam said.

“If that was the case, then there would not have been increased Malaki here whenever I was asleep.”

“Then where do you think they’ve gone?”

“Maybe they were driven away by the serpent?” Gornax said.

“Maybe…” Kaara said. It didn’t feel right. The Malaki should have been drawn to her, but thus far they had been drawn to the other children. The fact was, she never fully questioned how her curse worked. Was there some sort of range on it? When was it active?

Obviously, it could not be broken, but couldn’t the Malaki tell where she was based on it? Wouldn’t they all be drawn to the same location centered on her?

And what were those boney malaki earlier? Were they a variant she had not heard of, or were they something completely different?

She had been attacked by them, and had drawn them away from others, but not just by existing. She had only truly gotten their attention by distracting them or goading them to follow her. They had attacked Corvio before they had attacked her. They were fighting the small groups of children before they fought her.

If her curse was supposed to lure the Malaki to her, then what was luring them away?