Elara was warm, full, and surprisingly content.
The fire had died down to glowing embers. Kael was currently sprawled out on the gold hoard like a massive, overfed house cat. His eyes were closed, and a low, rhythmic rumble vibrated in his chest, a purr that shook the loose stones on the cavern floor.
Elara sat leaning against his flank, picking the last of the boar meat from her teeth. She felt safe.
SCREEEECH.
The peace shattered.
A piercing cry echoed from the cavern entrance, sounding like metal scraping against glass. Elara clamped her hands over her ears, shrinking back against Kael's scales.
A gust of wind swept through the lair, smelling of rot and wet feathers. A creature landed on a high stalagmite, gripping the stone with talons the size of sickles.
It was a Harpy. But like everything in the Void Wood, she was twisted. Her wings were leathery and slick with oil, and her human-like face was beautiful but cruel, framed by hair that moved like living snakes.
She hopped down, landing on the floor with a heavy thud. She folded her wings, strutting toward the nest with an air of arrogance.
Elara froze. Kael was still asleep, his purr unbroken.
The Harpy spotted Elara. Her movements stopped. Her head jerked to the side, bird-like.
"What is this?" the Harpy hissed. Her voice was raspy, layering two tones at once. "Why is the meat playing with the Master's gold?"
Elara swallowed hard. "I'm not meat."
The Harpy cackled. She stepped closer, her talons clicking on the stone. "Everything is meat, little soft-thing. Did he leave you for later? Or did he forget to crush your skull?"
She loomed over Elara, sniffing her. She wrinkled her nose. "You smell of smoke. And fear. Disgusting."
The Harpy reached out a clawed hand, poking Elara hard in the shoulder. It hurt. "Move, vermin. I must clean the nest. The Master does not like trash in his bed."
Elara swatted the hand away. "Don't touch me."
The Harpy's eyes flashed yellow. "You dare?"
She raised her wing, ready to backhand Elara across the room.
GRR-THOOM.
The purring stopped.
The Harpy froze mid-strike.
Kael didn't stand up. He didn't even open his eyes completely. He simply lifted his massive head from his paws, one eyelid peeling back to reveal a slit of electric blue fire.
A low, warning growl filled the cavern. It was quiet, but it carried the weight of a collapsing mountain.
The Harpy immediately dropped to her knees, pressing her forehead to the cold floor. She trembled violently.
"Master!" she shrieked, her voice pitching up in desperation. "I did not see you wake! I brought news of the border! The Serpent King is encroaching on the....."
Kael ignored her.
He turned his head, ignoring the servant prostrating herself before him, and looked at Elara. He saw her rubbing her shoulder where the Harpy had poked her.
His slit-pupils dilated.
He rose. The sound of shifting gold was deafening. He towered over the Harpy, casting her in deep shadow.
"Noisy," he rumbled.
The Harpy flinched. "M-Master, I was only removing the filth. This human... it soils your hoard."
Kael looked at the Harpy. Then he looked at Elara.
He leaned down, placing his snout gently against Elara's cheek. He took a deep sniff, inhaling the scent of the cooked meat and the woodsmoke. He rumbled approvingly.
"My Chef," Kael corrected.
The Harpy's jaw dropped. "Chef? But... Master, I have served you for a century! I keep the tunnels clear! I...."
Kael lifted a claw. Silence fell instantly.
He reached into the pile of gold beneath him. His claws sifted through crowns, goblets, and ancient coins, ignoring them all. He was looking for something specific.
He found it.
He pulled out a gemstone the size of a fist. It wasn't gold; it was a Void Opal, a swirling galaxy of black and violet captured in crystal. It pulsed with a faint, warm light.
He dropped it into Elara's lap.
"Pretty rock," he stated simply. "For Chef."
Elara stared at the gem. It was worth more than her entire village. She looked up at him. "Thank you, Kael."
Kael looked at the Harpy. "Leave."
The Harpy looked between the priceless gem in the human's lap and the cold dismissal in the Void King's eyes. Her face twisted in jealousy, but she knew better than to argue.
"As you command," she spat. She shot Elara one last, venomous glare, promising that this wasn't over, and launched herself into the air, screeching as she fled the cavern.
Elara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "She was pleasant."
Kael snorted. He rested his chin back on his paws, watching Elara play with the gem. He seemed pleased with himself. He had defended his territory.
Elara turned the gem over in her hands. It was beautiful. But as she moved, she caught a whiff of herself.
She smelled like three days of sweat, dried mud, boar grease, and smoke. Her skin was sticky and covered in grime. She scratched her arm, grimacing.
"Ugh," she muttered. "I really am filthy."
Kael's ear twitched. He opened his eye again.
"Filthy?" he asked.
"Yes," Elara sighed, rubbing at a smear of dirt on her arm. "I need a bath. I need water. Hot water and soap, preferably."
Kael lifted his head. The word Water registered.
He looked at her grime-streaked face. He looked at her matted hair.
His tail started to wag. He had a solution. He knew where water was.
"Clean," he declared.
Before Elara could ask what he meant, Kael moved.
He didn't offer a hand. He didn't ask her to follow.
He lunged forward and scooped her up in one massive claw, gripping her around the waist like a doll.
"Kael! What are you doing?" Elara yelped, dangling five feet in the air.
"Cleaning," he grunted.
He turned and bolted toward the lair's exit. He didn't walk; he ran. He burst out of the cavern and into the freezing air of the Void Wood.
Elara saw the world rush by, blurs of black trees and purple fog. "Put me down! I can walk!"
Kael ignored her. He was on a mission.
He crested a ridge. Below them, nestled in a crater of ice, lay a lake. The water was black, still, and undoubtedly freezing. Mist rose from the surface, but it wasn't steam—it was cold vapor.
Kael didn't slow down. He reached the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake.
"Kael," Elara warned, panic rising in her throat as she saw the drop. "Kael, don't you dare. It's freezing! KAEL!"
The Void King looked at her. He looked at the water.
"Splash," he said.
And he threw her.