Chapter 433: The Blood And Sacrifice Of A Lamia

The aftermath of their voyeuristic encounter settled over the lake like a humid, satisfied sigh. In the boat, Nala was utterly spent, her body a boneless, trembling weight against Cassius’s chest.

Her breath came in shallow, ragged pants, and the magnificent tail that had thrashed so wildly in the throes of her climax now lay heavy and inert in the water, a sodden, scaled blanket she hadn’t the energy to even twitch.

Cassius exhaled deeply, brushing her sweat-dampened bangs from her face. He smiled, but there was a note of finality in it now, like a performer knowing the show was over and it was time to close the curtain.

"Alright." He murmured, patting her tail fondly. "I think that’s enough squirt wars for one day."

"I...I can’t feel my legs. Or my tail. Or anything, really." Nala gave a breathy giggle, completely spent.

"That’s how you know it was a success." Cassius leaned forward and reached for the oars, giving her a gentle shake. "Come on, champion. Let’s get you back to shore before you melt into fish food."

Nala grunted in response, trying to push herself upright but managing only a half-hearted flop before giving up and muttering, "I’ll row with my soul."

"No need." Cassius laughed, lifting the oars himself. "Just sit there and look adorable. I got this."

And with that, the boat glided back toward the shore, the water rippling with each stroke.

As they approached the edge of the lake and Cassius got off, he immediately went over toward the bush Julie had been hiding in. He squinted, half-expecting her to still be there, crouched and breathless.

But when he leaned forward for a closer look, she was gone.

Or so it seemed.

Because what she left behind...was unmistakable.

The patch of soil beneath where she had squatted was absolutely drenched, dark, glistening, sticky-wet in a way that made no sense for morning dew. Cassius raised a brow, reached down, and touched it.

"...Sticky." He murmured with a smirk. "Figures."

He wiped his fingers off on the grass, shaking his head.

"And people say I’m the shameless one."

But of course, there was another issue entirely.

As Cassius stepped off the boat and looked back inside, he realized the thing they had originally come out for, fishing, had been way too successful.

"...Nala."

"Mmngh?" She groaned, still face-down against the side of the boat like a beached seal.

"We caught too many damn fish." He said glancing at the pile of silver fish on the boat.

A beat of silence.

Then Nala peeked up with a sleepy grin. "I know exactly what to do with them."

And that’s how Cassius found himself sitting on a wide wooden stump in the middle of the village courtyard, surrounded by a circle of stone fire pits and makeshift grills, all of which were crowded with skewered fish sizzling over open flames.

The scent was mouth-watering, thick with smoke and char and salt, rising in clouds above the courtyard and making every passing villager pause to sniff the air like hungry animals.

And unlike the noble he was supposed to be, Cassius flipped skewers like a seasoned grill master. His hands worked fast, rotating fish, fanning flames, brushing them with a light herb oil that made them crackle and pop in delight.

"Next batch ready in two minutes!" He called out.

Behind him, a long wooden table had already been set up, stacked high with grilled fillets and sticks, each one wrapped in dried leaves and tied with simple string. It looked like a festival stall, but better.

And just a few paces away—

"Wheeeeee~!! Faster, faster!"

"Big sis, Nala! Go faster!"

"Woohooo! This is so fun!"

Nala was surrounded by children. No, engulfed by them.

She was the center of a miniature storm, her tail extended like a living amusement ride as seven or eight kids clung to it, laughing and squealing while she crawled on all fours in wide circles, letting them ride her like a magical train.

Her voice rang out in bright, cheerful notes as she sang some silly little tune about a fish who lost his pants and had to find them across the sea and the kids were singing along terribly but enthusiastically, their voices clashing like a chorus of musical cats.

A few more children were waiting patiently at the edge, bouncing on their feet for their turn, while others darted between them and Cassius, helping carry bundles of fish to be passed out.

It had been Nala’s idea.

She’d told Cassius that the kids around this part of the village had been missing out on proper meals for a while now. Ever since the Leviathan stopped all fishing operations, fresh catch had become rare, and the little ones, many from single-parent homes or worse, had started to grow pale, skinnier, more tired.

So she said: let’s bring the feast to them.

And Cassius, seeing her eyes glow with that fiery determination, that softness, that joy, he’d instantly agreed.

Now, watching her from his grill throne as he basted another skewer, Cassius couldn’t help but smile.

She wasn’t just playing.

She was glowing.

Laughing. Singing. Letting the smallest of them crawl onto her back. Wrapping them in her tail protectively. Tickling their ears with her hair. Pretending to fall over dramatically so they could cheer in victory.

Nala had become their world for the afternoon.

And the children?

They adored her.

Not just for the fish, or the ride, or the songs, but for how she looked at them like they were important. Like they mattered. Like they deserved to be treated with joy and respect and silly little games.

"She’s...gonna be a hell of a mother someday." Cassius muttered, flipping another fish and shaking his head fondly.

"Mister Cassius, mister Cassius! My turn!" A little girl tugged at his trousers, pointing at the grilled fish. "I want the crispy one! The extra brown one with the flaky skin!"

He handed it over, ruffling her hair. "You got it, chief."

She beamed and ran off to join the others.

Cassius leaned back on the stump for a moment, just watching the scene.

The children laughing.

The fish grilling.

Nala playing like she was one of them, no shame, no reservation, just pure, radiant joy.

All of it, this was what made him happiest. Not the bed-breaking nights, not the decadent moans or steamy interludes in secret forests...though those were definitely perks, but this.

But just as Cassius felt like life was finally peaceful, the moment shattered.

A voice suddenly rang through the courtyard, sharp, high-pitched, desperate.

"NALA! NALA!!"

The sound jolted everyone.

Cassius turned, his eyes narrowing.

Running at full speed, a young woman came sprinting into view, her long brown hair flying behind her, face pale and drenched with sweat. She looked barely in her twenties, wearing a loose dress that flapped in the wind, and sandals nearly flying off her feet with every pounding step.

"Dorothy?" Nala called out, confused of why one of her close friends was running like she was getting chased by a demonic beast. "What’s wrong? Why are you—"

But the girl didn’t stop running until she practically stumbled into them, clutching her knees and gasping for air.

Cassius rose, walking over as Nala helped steady her.

"Dorothy, slow down." Nala said, a nervous smile creeping up her face. "What’s with the shouting? You scared the hell out of me!"

"Don’t tell me some merchant came by with a fifty-percent sale on all his goods again, because if that’s the case, I swear, I’m coming with you this time."

Her tone was teasing, playful, trying to lighten the mood.

But Dorothy wasn’t laughing. Not even close.

Her eyes were wide, her breaths sharp and uneven.

"No, Nala." She gasped out. "It’s—It’s not that. It’s...it’s something much, much worse."

"Worse how?" Cassius’s expression hardened instantly.

Dorothy swallowed, glancing around as if afraid the air itself was listening. "The men from the other villages around the lake, they’ve come here. They’re at the outskirts right now—thirty, maybe more, armed with swords, pitchforks, axes, everything."

"They say they’re here to take you away. To kill you."

"What?!" Nala’s eyes widened.

"They’re saying you’ve brought a curse upon all of them!" Dorothy blurted, words tumbling out in a panic. "They’re saying you and that Leviathan that appeared in the lake—you’re one and the same! That both of you are monsters from the same bloodline! They think if they hand you over, if they sacrifice you, the curse will end!"

The courtyard went eerily quiet. Even the crackle of the fire seemed to fade.

"Why exactly do they think she’s responsible?" Cassius took a step closer, his voice low, calm, and sharp. "What did Nala supposedly do to earn all that hatred?"

"She didn’t do anything!" Dorothy turned toward him, almost pleading for him to believe her. "They’re just using her as a scapegoat!"

Her words came faster, tumbling out in a breathless rush.

"Everyone around the lake knows Nala’s lived here for years, peacefully! She helped this village grow, she brought prosperity, trade, good harvests, fish!...But the other villages, they’ve always been jealous. Envious. Their catches got smaller while ours got bigger, and they said it was because we were harboring a ’creature of fortune.’ They’ve always hated that she’s Lamia, that she’s different."

Dorothy’s eyes glistened.

"And now that the Leviathan has appeared, white-scaled, huge, and terrible, they’re using it as an excuse. They’re saying it’s Nala’s doing. That she summoned it. That it’s the price of her ’unnatural existence.’ And because her tail’s white, like the Leviathan’s—they’re saying it’s proof."

Nala’s face drained of color.

"So they think by...killing me." She murmured, voice trembling. "...they’ll stop it."

Dorothy nodded miserably.

"They’ve convinced themselves that by offering you as a sacrifice to the lake, everything will be ’cleansed.’ They’re demanding the village hand you over, or they’ll burn it all down."

"And not only that." Dorothy spat bitterly. "They say we have to give up ninety percent of the village treasury, compensation for their ’ruined lives.’"

"They’re blaming the poisoned waters, the dead fish, the loss of trade, all on us. On you. They say the Leviathan destroyed their livelihoods, and now they want blood and gold to make it even."

She looked back with urgency as she said,

"Right now, they’re waiting at the entrance. And our villagers...they’re trying to hold them off...But it’s tense."

"Grandma Wanda told me to find you. She said you need to hide. She said she’d handle the rest and stall them as long as she could and says that she should just focus on hiding."

Dorothy looked like she was on the verge of tears and hearing this Nala was in disbelief, before her eyes darted toward the children still playing nearby, their laughter oblivious to the danger. Her tail twitched uneasily.

"The children—"

"I’ll take care of them." Dorothy interrupted quickly. "I’ll bring them back with me. You just...go." She then looked at Cassius. "Please, get her out of here before they reach here. I beg of you. Nala is precious to all of and we don’t know "

And before Nala could even utter a reply, Dorothy turned and moved quickly to the children still nibbling fish and playing in the grass. Her voice turned gentle.

"Hey little ones. Come on. Let’s go back to the village. It’s snack time at Grandma Wanda’s house, okay?"

The kids didn’t protest, not noticing the tension in the adults faces. They followed Dorothy, giggling, skipping along, while quick grabbing their grilled fish and games.

Nala and Cassius watched them go, hearts heavy.

And in the distance, the sound of shouting began to rise. Male voices. Angry voices. Chanting.

Demanding blood...The blood of a Lamia they wanted to throw into the mouth of a Leviathan as a sacrifice.