Incubus [malexmale]

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve (Killian)

Alexius was quiet once we returned to the camp.

I could tell he was freezing from his dip in the lake. I couldn't quite understand why or how he'd gotten into the cave for the emeralds. Kith was supposed to have been entirely cleaned out by Kithro when he'd left. However, it seemed he left behind one gem that the realm had beared. And Alexius had been the one to find it.

It didn't surprise me, actually. Alexius truly did seem to be in touch with nature and all its elements. It was something that he clung to for safety, as the trees clung to one another for warmth as the sun vanished from sight. The air was frigid and most of the men had either ducked into their tents for warmth or sat around the fires outside as they kept watch over the camp.

Alexius, Arachnae, and I all shared a large tent with a fire lit at the center. Alexius had changed out of his wet clothes and into a long sleeved v-neck sweater and black leather pants. He seemed to prefer them over anything else. He sat on a silk pillow that a servant had played down for him and gently sipped the broth of his soup, pausing to bite into a piece of bread.

"Careful," Arachnae told me, making me blink and look up to see him coming in with a bowl of broth and a basket of rolls, "You're gonna burn a hole through him." I rolled my eyes, smirking as I took a roll from the basket. I took a bite out of it as I came to sit on the other side of the fire from Alexius, who seemed to be staring intently into the flames.

The wood and grass we'd gathered crackled and popped on occasion, the flames stretching up in a fountain of colors, red, orange, yellow, blue. The smell was warmth and comfort along with the scent of broth and rolls from outside the tent where the food was being made.

"Aye, a fine night to be out," Arachnae snorted sarcastically as he plopped down on his pillow, taking a large bite of a roll, "It's bloody cold out there. Freezin' me balls off. What about you lads? How's the weather treatin' you?"

"I'm used to it," I admitted with a chuckle, "My realm has the four seasons and our winters can get quite bitter. This is usually how our autumn season fairs." Alexius frowned, cocking his head as he looked down into his broth, stirring his spoon around in it.

"We only have summer in our realm. What is winter like?" He asked. Arachnae chuckled deeply as he rested his arms on his knees, leaning forward to peer at Alexius through the flames.

"Winters are usually very cold. Typically, lots of snow falls across the land. Fields upon fields of heavy snow, white as purity. Where I come from, the snow can pile up to two feet! Bloody cold that stuff is." He explained. Alexius seemed to think about it, probably trying to imagine what snow even looked like. I smiled lightly at that, then sighed as I got to my feet, stretching and taking yet another roll from Arachnae's basket, making him growl low in his throat, but he allowed me to get away with it anyway.

"I'm off to bed. I want to have plenty of rest." I told them. They nodded and seemed to agree as they finished their meals. I went to my cot on the floor, pulling the thick quilt up and settling beneath it comfortably. Alexius came to his, getting down and crawling into it. He sighed in relief, pulling the blankets up high to his ears as he snuggled down. I smiled at that, then rolled onto my back, staring up at the ceiling as I listened to Arachnae getting into his cot.

I could hear some of the men outside also laying down for the night. The sounds of sand being used to put out the fires, so there were only a few left to glow. Arachnae had put ours out, plunging the inside of our tent into a thick, heavy darkness. The only light came from a fire outside our tent, peering through and cutting a line right across the space between Alexius and I.