Gods of Malcea ✔️

T H I R T Y - O N E

"The beauty of love is that you can fall into it with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time."

-Xamdú

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Klu held some unexpected charm. The air was thick with the stench of fish and salty ocean breeze. Compared to Ganash, it was much warmer. The villagers here were more refined than most others. They minded their own and let him be. 

As he walked along the dirt streets he saw as the village women carried baskets in one hand and a child in the other. Many children played on the streets and dragged sticks behind them. They raced around him and continued on. It annoyed him, but they were children. He searched around for the blacksmith looking through some huts and clay homes as he passed by. 

The sun lowered to the horizon. People settled into their homes, but Fariel still strolled through the village. He reached the beach soon. The village children had built castles made of sand. Some had seashells, seaweed, and pebbles decorating them, others were plain and fell apart with the coming tide. The soft noises he heard made him close his eyes taking in all of its smells. It was a beautiful place. He would have wished to stay here forever if there was no impending war coming. The effects of war had not reached the little niche they call Klu.

He sighed and opened his eyes once more. There were only a few huts left in front of him now. The blacksmith had to be in one of those. Because he was a dragon, he knew the man would not admit to it. However, there were other ways of finding out. 

Fariel made his way back to where the huts were and began to look inside them looking for the smell of steel and metal. The fire would be large and still going through the night. A large hammer would be nearby as well. As he passed one hut, he caught a whiff of copper. He turned his head and peered into the small window of the hut removing the cloth blocking his curious eyes. 

 To his surprise, only women laid in there resting. There was no man to be found. It made his eyebrows furrow. He needed that blacksmith and he was somewhere. He had to be. Just as Fariel was about to leave one of the older girls and rolled over. Her face was splotched with dirt and grim but what her fingers that caused his eyes to narrow. They were calloused, too calloused for any woman's hands. She had scars and scratches going up her arm. There were some burns there as well.

"Ahah," he whispered. She was the blacksmith. 

He looked to the doorway only covered with a tattered cloth and went inside. The girls stirred, but they did not wake. He took another wary step closer causing the oldest girl's eyes widen and draw both of the other younger ones close to her. 

"He-"

"Quiet or I will truly give you something to scream for, girl." 

The other two girls roused and soon broke out into silent sobs.

"What— what do you want from us?"

She had light brown eyes. Her long black hair fell around her covering her once noticeable scars.

"You are all just women here. It is unsafe for you to live like this, this way," Fariel noted as he walked closer. She pressed the girls close to her as he did.  

"I mean you no harm. You are the blacksmith, yes?" 

"And if I am?" 

He smiled and shook his head. She reminded him of a certain woman. A woman who he had wanted to kill on many occasions for her insolence. 

"Do not avoid the question if you want to avoid me harming one of them." He looked at the younger girls huddling up to her sides. 

They wore tattered clothing and wore no shoes. They all had dirty faces and had same black hair as well as brown eyes. If they were not so unkempt looking, they may have been beautiful things. A slaver, such as Nanamus, would take a great interest in them, he thought.