Chapter 5 The Return

Nysa

As the first light of dawn breaks over the horizon, hues of pink, orange, and gold paint the wispy clouds and the waves. A speck appears at the skyline and I know it's our boat.

"I think it's them. Is that them?" Sarai asks. Her hand covers mine, squeezing it almost painfully, while her eyes remain on the blob on the horizon.

"Yes." They have been doing this for almost twenty years, and not once has anyone been harmed or even been the target of suspicion. And yet, the thirty-six hours after the night of the Muc are the toughest to pass. I can only relax when I see that they have returned in perfect condition.

The entire town has gathered by the dock to welcome our heroes and the babies with flower garlands, candles, food, and sweet treats. I sense the anxiety in the air, but there is hope too. As time passes, the day gets brighter and the silhouette draws closer, taking the shape of a familiar boat. There is an immediate shift in the energy. Everyone breaks into cheers and hurrahs. They jump and hug each other, and some kids even begin dancing.

"Oh, Nysa! It's really them. I'm so happy they're back!" Sarai grins and then hugs me. I smile and nod, but a churning feeling in my stomach has me unsettled.

The feeling intensifies as the boat draws closer to the dock. While everyone runs into the water, helping them anchor to the dock, I stand at the side-lines.

I bite my nail as they slide a plank from the boat to the dock. Maa is the first to disembark. She has a bundled-up baby in her arms and a proud smile on her face. She's safe. She is followed by the Matrika Katya and the High Warriors, each of them with a baby in their arms. They look happy and display no signs of injury or distress.

Maybe I'm stressing for no reason.

They stop at the edge of the dock. Eight elders step forward with flower garlands and put them around the Matrikas' and the High Warriors' necks. Then the elders hold a candle in both hands and murmur an age-old chant that lights them up. The Matrikas and the High Warriors bow their heads as the elders give them their blessings.

"I'm so excited to meet the babies," Sarai whispers. "I just want to play with them and pinch their cheeks."

I disagree. For some reason, new-borns are so wrinkled, they look old and ugly. Only after a couple of weeks do they turn cute and chubby.

"You know you won't get to meet them for at least a few days."

All the babies first go through a thorough medical check-up and then are paired up with a couple. The new family stays in their cocoon for at least three days until a bond has been imprinted between both mothers and child.

"I know, I know."

The elders feed the Matrikas and the High Warriors sweets, and then welcome them into Nari. They take the babies to the healer's centre and the entire town follows.

"Aren't you coming?" Sarai asks.

The same thing happens every time. The entire town waits outside the centre until they hand all the babies to the healers and come back out. Everyone always asks them questions about what happened in Valoria and how it was, but they never give any real answers.

I shrug. "They don't need us. What's the point of going?"

"We always go with them. It's fun."

"I- I just-"

"What's going on with you?" She frowns. "You've been so aloof. I haven't seen you in two days. Is everything alright?"

Sarai is my best friend and we spend almost every day together. But ever since my encounter with the man in my backyard, my thoughts and my time have been occupied.

I don't want to lie, but I have no choice. "I'm sorry. I wasn't feeling very well."

Concern immediately takes over her face. "You must have been very sick then. Nothing gets you down bad enough to keep you in bed for long. I hope you're feeling better now."

My guilt multiplies. I never lie to Sarai and we don't have secrets between us. But if I tell her about the man, she will want me to do the right thing and tell the Matrikas. For once, I want to shut out the voice of reason and do what I want.

"Yeah, I just slept it off. Doing much better now."

"Okay, that's good." She twirls a lock of her light brown hair around her finger, playing with it. "Do you want to go for a run? And then maybe get in a nice workout?"

I glance down at her. Instead of her usual simple, light pink dress, she's wearing a blue dress with pink embroidery on it. Her pale blue eyes are lined with kohl, and her cheeks and lips are a soft cherry red. Braids intertwined with flowers and vines frame her face, and she is adorned in jewellery she reserves for special occasions. Like most, she's dressed up to welcome our heroes home.

"I don't think you're dressed for it right now."

"Oh, I can change quickly."

"No way am I letting you ruin that beautiful hair and makeup. How about I go for a quick workout and then come see you?"

"Sounds great." She smiles. "See you soon."

I bite the inside of my cheek as I jog away from Sarai. I'll make it up to her later.

Now that I have made sure Maa and everyone else have returned safely, I need to know if the man is doing alright. He has been asleep for the past thirty hours, and if my calculations are correct, he should have regained consciousness by now.

The walk from the dock to Sur caves is long so I keep my pace fast as I make my way there.

I spent all of yesterday hunting for food, filling up water pots, gathering basic home supplies, storing them in the cave, and collecting supplies to treat his wounds. Most importantly, I returned Maa's medical bag to its place. I also tried formulating a strategy to deal with the man. But this situation is so different from anything I've experienced, I had no clue where to start. So, I decided that being cautious and adaptive to his behaviour was the way to move forward for now.

When I enter the caves, I become hyper-aware of my surroundings. I have restrained him well, but I can't help it; he is a man, being distrustful of him is an instinct.

Once I reach the entrance of the chamber, I stop. He's still asleep.

"Good morning," I say loudly.

I'll give him another hour of rest before sprinkling some water on his face to wake him up.

I walk in, stand by the bed, and take a look at him. His wavy golden hair falls loosely over his forehead, creating a halo around his head. His eyes are closed, his thick, long lashes cast a soft shadow on his cheeks. His nose is straight and narrow, his lips are pale and cracked. He's going to wake up thirsty.

I fill a cup with water and place it on the floor beside the bed.

Glancing at him again, I bite down on my lip. Despite the odd hair obscuring half his face, the man is beautiful. Don't forget yourself, Nysa. Wolfsbane and dart frogs are beautiful too. Pretty exteriors often hide deadly poison. Only time will reveal if men are more human or venom at their core.

I place the basket of medical supplies on the floor beside the bed and carefully take a seat, making sure not to touch the man. With gentle fingers, I open the bandage and clean up the salve from the day before.

The sight surprises me.

The wound is already on its way to a fast recovery. The skin around it looks less angry, the bleeding has decreased, and the pus is clearing up. If it continues to mend at this rate, the wound will be healed in a matter of weeks.

Using the antiseptic herb-infused solution, I clean my hands and then the area surrounding the wound. Then, I reapply a generous coat of salve over it and some coconut oil on the skin around it. I grab a fresh cloth, wrap it around his forearm, and tie its ends.

I glance up and find deep, bluish-grey eyes staring intently at my face.

My heart jumps.

His lips part and the bulge in his throat moves, but no voice comes out.

I quickly grab the cup of water, bring it to his lips, and use my other hand to cup the back of his head and lift it. "Drink some water," I say softly.

He takes a few gulps and then his hand raises to hold the cup. His gaze falls on the shackles around his wrists and then he looks at me, his muscles tensing up.

My heartbeat speeds up as realisation dawns. I'm in the presence of a man- a conscious man who is in his senses. My body feels wired. Suddenly, I can feel the danger lurking beneath his skin. He possesses a unique energy, a strength that I haven't felt before. I don't know what to make of it.

I quickly stand up and back away.

He jerks to a sitting position and clutches his head for a moment. "Fuck," he mutters, his voice gravelly.

Slowly, his hand lowers and he looks around. His eyes land on the fox where the chain is anchored. He grabs the restraints and yanks at them. Thankfully, they do not give.

"How much time do I have?" he grits.

"I'm treating your wound. You're not going to die an-"

"When are they coming?"

"What? Who are you talking about? No one's coming."

He looks at me first in shock and then suspicion before his shoulders relax. His gaze slides down the length of my body in an analysing manner before he looks at me again. "Why am I bound?" he asks, his voice even.

My gut tells me he is sharp. "A foreign person mysteriously appears on my island and I'm questioned why he is restrained. Why don't you tell me the reason you are here?" I ask in the same tone.

He remains silent for a while, assessing.

I'm not going to break before him. To show I have all the time in the world, I grab the pot of oil from the home supplies basket and move leisurely from lantern to lantern, refilling each one.

Finally, he answers, "I was lost at sea. I spotted this island and just made my way here."

That is concerning. The elders and Matrikas have used powerful spells to safeguard Nari. It ensures that outsiders don't see it or come close to it.

"How did you get here?"

"On a boat." The man is good at masking his emotions so I study him closely. I don't think he is hiding anything, but then again, he is a man. How much can I trust him?

"And you just came here directly?"

"As I said, I was lost. There was a storm."

"How long have you been here?"

"Three days."

There was indeed a storm three days ago. But that does not mean he has been here for only three days. He could be lying. In any case, this is terrible news. A man has been here, on the island of Nari, for at least three days, and no one knew.

How did no one spot him? Where was he hiding all this time? What was he doing? What if there are more men like him out there on Nari? Hiding, watching, waiting to attack us. Maybe the spells protecting Nari aren't working anymore. I need to talk to Maa.

"Why? Where were you hiding? What were you doing?"

"I'm thirsty."

"You just had water."

"I need more water."

Ugh. "Answer my questions first."

He coughs. "My throat's drying up. Water."

"Did you know that there's some chatter in town about an unidentified male being spotted?" I lie as I fill up another cup from the water pot. "We don't take kindly to strangers, especially ones who have no business being here. If you even attempt to capture me or harm me, know that you will have signed your death note."

The man holds my gaze before he gives me a nod.

I walk over to him and hand him the cup. He grabs it, the tips of his fingers grazing mine. Phantom spiders crawl up my fingers. I snatch my hand back. What was that weird feeling?

He stares at the cup in his hand and then looks at me, a strange emotion flickering through his eyes. Shaking his head, he brings the cup to his lips. His head tilts back, accentuating the rhythmic movement of the bulge in his throat as he gulps the water.

"Uhm..." I clear my throat. "Back to my question... Why were you hiding and where exactly?"

He presses his lips together. "I didn't know if I could trust anybody here, so I was hiding in the woods."

"And what were you doing?"

"I need to go to the toilet."

"Not until you answer all my questions."

"It's urgent."

I know what he is trying to do and it is not going to work. Soon, he will run out of all excuses and he will have to answer me. Until then, I will remain patient.

"Fine." There's a reason I chose to give him this particular chamber out of the all the others in the cave. I walk over to the sculpture of the half-man half-woman and the fox. I grab the protruding nose of the animal with both hands and rotate it one-eighty degrees.

Clouds of dust and pebbles fall from the crevices in ceiling by the east wall of the chamber. A small, door-shaped part of the wall slides open with a loud groan, revealing the forest outside. I suspect that it was used for a swift exit during emergencies.

"What is this place?" the man whispers, looking around the chamber.

"A demonstration of how intelligent and skilled previous civilizations were," I reply.

"You should be able to go outside with the cuffs on now."

He walks outside and I follow him.

Once again, I am surprised by his big stature. However, this time, he does not look sickly. Under bright sunlight, I can see that his skin has regained some of its colour, his eyes look more lively, and he has more strength in him than I thought. I look at his chest. It's so different it looks odd. And yet, I like it. I also like the abs. I have them too but his are much more defined.

He scans our surroundings. I had already gotten rid of anything that could be used as a weapon to hurt me or to damage his restraints. The only thing that surrounds us is the land and trees.

"Are you going to stand here?" he asks.

"Obviously."

"I need some privacy," he says. "I'll come back in as soon as I'm done."

That's weird. Why would he need privacy to go to the toilet? People go in groups. Unless... he has ulterior motives. "I'm going to stay," I tell him.

He mutters something incoherent under his breath and then turns his back to me. He is still wearing the animal skin around his waist. He doesn't slide it down or lift it properly over his waist. He doesn't even sit down. What is he doing? A moment later, I see a stream between his legs that directly hits the ground, a little further away from his feet. How is that possible? Is this how all men pee?

"Aren't you going to sit?" I ask.

"Fucking hell," he mutters. "Men don't need to sit to piss," he says.

I take a peek. The sight is... educational. He has lifted the animal skin from the front, just enough to reveal his penis. That is where he pees from, and can aim it too.

I wish I had a penis. Getting all the clothes out of the way and sitting down to pee is a nightmare.

I look away just in time for him to be done and turn around. I gesture for him to walk inside first. He does and I follow him in.

"The sunlight feels nice. Can you please keep the door open for a bit?" he asks.

His request softens my heart. "Yes."

"Thank you," he replies gently. Then, he walks towards the sculpture of the woman and fox and starts examining it.

"Back to my question... what were you doing in Nari all this time?"

The hand brushing the hyena's head stops. "I was... observing."

The hair at the back of my neck stands up. I pride myself on being sharp and observant, but a man has been in our midst, watching us, and I didn't even know. No one knew.

"Where did you come from?"

"The Helldom of Valoria," he says, his voice taking a bitter note.

Crap. They know about Muc. They sent him here to spy on us. But if that is the case, he wouldn't have told me he is from there. Wait, Helldom? Does he not like Valoria? I was under the impression that only the lives of women there are terrible.

"Why were you at sea?"

"I'm hungry."

Not this again. "Answer my question!"

"After I have some food."

I groan but grab the lunchbox I prepared yesterday and hand it to him.

He opens the lid and the aroma of spicy grilled chicken fills the air. He devours the whole container in minutes and then licks his fingers clean. My heart softens. Maybe he isn't just buying time or trying to distract me.

"That was delicious, thank you," he says, his voice soft.

"You're welcome."

"I left Valoria because I hated it there and it was time to move on." There is a look of earnestness on his face that was absent before. "I've answered all of your questions honestly. I don't want to cause trouble. I know that this is some sort of a women-only settlement. So if you just let me out of these chains, I will leave quietly and promise to never come back."

The look on his face makes me want to believe him. But if he turns out to be a Valorian spy who will ultimately end up creating trouble for us, I will never be able to forgive myself. I can also never put the safety and lives of the people of Nari at risk like that.

But he has been rather cooperative and I do not want that to change. "Your wound is still infected, it needs to be treated properly or it will start regressing again. It would be unwise for you to leave right now. We can discuss your leaving arrangements when you are doing better."

He looks down at his bandaged forearm. "How long will it take to heal?"

"A few weeks, I think," I reply. "The more cooperative you are, the easier and faster they will pass."

His shoulders sag. "I'll be good."

I smile.

Men might not be entirely evil after all.