The Omega Fire (Book Three of the Omega Game Series)

Chapter 5

Nira

The Town of Nack

Present Day

    The place was packed. 

    Usually I would have loved being in a second hand tavern as it was The Hollow Crook. Mead, trouble and dancing? Count me in. Only that there was a little problem. Well, not little per se. Actually quite giant and heavy. Teran had been quiet for days now and to my utter disdain I was growing mad with every passing moment that he didn’t roar, or growl, nor even groaned at me. I preferred angry Teran because I simply didn’t know what to do with quiet Teran.

    “Maybe he grew tired of all the raging,” offered Didoka by my side, taking a sip from his tea. I eyed the monk with a scowl while I watched him drink the hot beverage that he insisted on having every night since I’ve known him. I’ve asked him once what kind of herbs he put in his tea and he had turned all obscure, mentioning something about medicinal concoctions for his health and the names of some herbs I’ve never heard of. It smelled quite pungent which made me feel bad for the boy. That s**t had to be hard to swallow. 

    “I don’t think so, Teran is one of the most powerful spirits I’ve known,” said Katala on my other side, “He doesn’t get tired and doesn’t concede. How does he look?”

    “Ugly and old,” I murmured and Teran decided to wake up at that moment. He  growled loud inside of my mind, making me flinch in pain. Right! Because he had to roar only when I insulted him. How sweet he was. Katala’s lips quivered in amusement and I frowned at her, “you are not reaching the first place in my list of favorite people any time soon.”

    “Do you have a list?” wondered Didoka curiously and Katala smiled at me before giving me a pat in the shoulder.

    “Come on, tell me what do you see? Does he look angry? Mad? Irritated?”

    “Do you mean at this very moment?” I asked my cousin and she nodded, studying the tavern carefully. I titled the heavy rim of my hood and looked around the place. The Hollow Crook was full for the night. An incongruous multitude of strangers fill up the circular room starting with Katala, Didoka and me. We looked like small ants surrounded by bigger Betas and even bigger Alphas. Everyone was drinking at least, which ensured some sort of merry mood if it wasn’t because of the three princes sending murderous looks to all the other men that moved too close to our table.

    My eyes sought Aros’s in the crowd and sure enough he turned his head, meeting my eyes across the heavy packed room. He was standing between his brothers while they talked at the bar with other Alphas. The entire place smelt like aggression, sour mead and a mix of body odours that I wasn’t sure I wanted to catalogue. The air was stagnant and foul in such a crowded, enclosed space, but the moment our eyes met I forgot all the reasons why I should be worried about our surroundings.

    Three days had passed since Aros declared his courtship and I still didn’t know how to feel about the entire incident. We had little opportunity to talk, a little mercy that I was thankful for. Over the past days we had reached the western limits of Naccanash and from there we would only need to follow the Main Road to reach Naccara. We could reach the capital in six days if we didn’t find any interruptions on our way. And we had been careful, staying out of sight, traveling mostly at night and rarely visiting highly populated areas.

    The only reason we agreed on visiting The Town of Nack was because Kun had some acquaintances that could give us good information for the right price. We were currently in the lookout for any captain interested in taking us to the Yellow Islands. The end of the winter was near and it was normal for groups like ours to seek out a ship to travel in the upcoming spring. 

    His blue eyes seemed to sparkle with red flames of wanting. I’d never seen him look at me like that. Actually, I’d never seen Aros look at anyone like that. Not even those girls that I knew he had fooled with. I experienced a strange sensation in the bottom of my stomach. Something that felt as if I was scared and excited at the same time but in a new way. And my body awakened in the strangest places. I had no idea what was wrong with me. 

    “Why is he doing that?” I asked irritatedly, crossing my arms and frowning at Aros.

    Didoka and Katala shared a puzzled look and then moved their eyes in a direct line between me and Aros.

    “Do you mean, looking at you?” asked Didoka, scratching his head.

    “Exactly!” I exclaimed, throwing my hands up.

    “Um, Nira, what is wrong with him looking at you?” asked Katala, while a line appeared between her delicate brows.

    “It’s not that he is looking at me,” I said, resting my elbows at the table and then narrowing my eyes at Aros, who just smirked and joined the conversation the other Alphas were having, “is the way he is looking at me.”

    “I don’t see any difference in the way he looks at you,” said Didoka, shrugging and making me scowl at him again.

    “There’s a difference, I’m telling you.”

    “If you insist,” murmured Katala, shaking her head and then waving a hand as if she wanted to put an end to the discussion, “now focus, tell me how Teran looks.”

    I sighed and closed my eyes, focusing on finding that dark place of my consciousness where I always met the enormous dragon. This time I walked on him while he rested. It was the first time I saw him doing such a thing. Until then I didn’t even believe he needed rest. Just rage, darkness and more rage. Teran was on his belly, reposing his majestic wings around his body. When I moved closer he gently opened one eye while he kept his massive head resting over his front legs. Slowly he blinked, staring at me curiously. I stared back and in silence we regarded each other. 

    I took one step closer and Teran sneered, growling low and menacing. Right, so we weren’t getting close to each other any time soon but at least he was partial to the idea of having me around. I took a step back and he seemed to scoff, closing his eyes and ignoring me so perfectly that I admired him for his tenacity. With a last sigh I opened my eyes and took a sip from my mead.

    “Well?” asked Katala, crossing her arms.

    “He seems curious about me. We are still not completely comfortable in each other’s presence but at least he is not burning my insides anymore,” I looked up and found Aros already looking at me with that same intensity from before. I cursed and slammed my mug over the table, “seriously, why is Aros looking at me like that?”

    “I really think he looks normal,” offered Didoka and I shook my head at him.

    “Nope, he is looking at me in a different way. I think he is playing tricks with my mind,” Katala laughed at that, making me gasp in outrage, “I’m serious Tally!”

    “And I’m serious too,” she fought back, drying the laughing tears at the corner of her eyes, “You might think that he is looking at you differently now, but that’s not the case. Aros has always looked at you like you are the only thing he can see. I’m surprised it had taken you so long to realize that.”

    “You are blabbering,” I stood and pushed my chair back. My heart was beating too fast. I could feel it’s sound all the way in my ears, making me feel confused and hot and overall nervous for the first time in my life. I shook my head and waved a hand at the others, “I need some air. I will be back in a moment.”

    I could feel Aros’s eyes on me while I made my way to the door. I wasn’t sure if it was the weight of his stare or the scent of his aggression rising in a smothering smell all the way to the roof of the tavern  but everyone made space to let me pass. I was out of the building and breathing the cold air of the night with a desperation that bordered in pettiness. Why was I letting the Mongrel affect me like this? He was the Mongrel! The Mongrel! And I was Valnira Silvain, princess of Naccanash! I ought to be more controlled than this. 

    I loosened the green scarf that I had put around my neck and taking a deep breath I rested my back on the side wall of The Hollow Crook and looked up to the starry night. It felt good to look at the open sky. After so many months traveling I had gotten used to the freedom of open roads and camping under the night sky. I couldn’t even remember a time before this. My life as Nira, the princess, was in the past and I couldn’t be happier. But if my father found me… 

    Gone would be my freedom. There would be hell to pay and I seriously had no idea how I would be able to live in captivity again. I felt a pang of pain in my chest and slowly caressed the spot where Teran had landed his killing blow. I tensed and looked down, to the soft pounding of my heart underneath my hand.

    “Is that how you feel Teran?” I murmured to the night and to my surprise it wasn’t Teran’s roar, the one that answered my question, but another voice I wasn’t expecting to hear.

    “You shouldn’t be wandering alone, Squirrel,” said Aros and his deep voice seemed to caress my ears with a welcoming kiss. My toes curled inside of my boots and alarmed at my reaction I frowned and started shaking my head at him.

    “And why is that? Why can’t I wander aimlessly like any other can?”

    Aros stopped by my side and in silence rested his back on the wall like I did. He seemed to engulf the air with his presence. There was something...otherworldly about the space Aros claimed whenever he appeared. Right away the warmth emanating from his body countered the coldness of the night. In silence I watched him cross his massive arms and scowl at the men that were walking to the tavern. Everyone moved a step back and carefully circled us before rushing away in fear of Aros.

    “I’m not saying you can’t wander,” said Aros once we were alone. His blue eyes looked down, searching for my face and then connecting to my own eyes with a hungry look that had me curling my toes again, “ I’m just saying you shouldn’t do it alone.”

    “Why not?” I asked him, turning slowly to Aros while resting my weight on my left shoulder. Aros mirrored my move and took a step closer. We were standing face to face now, although I was about three heads smaller than him and Aros had to push his head down to see me. 

    “I don’t think you will like my answer to that question.”

    “That hasn’t stopped you before, hasn’t it?”

    Aros gave me a lazy shrug, his eyes turning darker and hungrier with every passing heartbeat of mine, “I’m trying to pick my fights with you now. Only two per day and if it’s entirely necessary to do so. I have something I want from you and as you imagine I have to be on my best behavior.”

    “Ambitious, aren’t you?” I started playing with my hair and Aros followed my nervous telltale with his eyes. He smirked, making me remember all the reasons why I didn’t like him, “I want to know anyway. Why shouldn't I walk alone?”

    “You know why,” he growled, his eyebrows lowering threateningly, “Don’t make me spell it out for you female.”

    “Amuse me anyway. We both know that…” my throat closed and I became mute right away. Fear like no other rendered me mute and frozen. I saw by the peripherals of my eyes the long, black spider walking slowly to me and I forgot how to breathe. 

    “Nira? Nira was wrong?” I opened my mouth and closed it, but no words came out. Aros encircled my shoulders with his huge hands and shook me, “Nira!

    “Sss….spiders,” I gulped in shame and fear and utter humiliation. Then I pointed to the black spider on the wall, “I’m terrified of them. I’m terrified of Mr. Legs.”