Villains Read Online Free

villagers,” he said. He furrowed his brow, hating her innocent yet hurt expression. “The villagers cannot know what you are. I’m afraid—”
    “They won’t understand,” Aria repeated.
    Tor shook his head. “There is none other like you.”
    Aria folded her fragile hands together, and nodded. “I will await your return.”
    “Farewell,” Tor said as he ducked out of the cairn and made his way back through the forest to the village.

    Desaunius was outside their tent when he arrived, brushing away the morning dew with her broom of leaves. He created that for her awhile ago, as their experience with the dew was an unpleasant one. She looked up when he reached the foot of their walkway and worry crossed her emerald green eyes.
    He hadn’t realized he was empty handed.
    “Did you?” she asked, the all-knowing side of her digging into his mind.
    Tor nodded as he neared her, pulling her in for a side hug. He kissed the top of her head. “It worked.” He glanced at the village; others were at their walkways while some trailed up and down the path carrying things to and from other parts of the village. Tor narrowed his eyes at the villagers, not wanting them to hear the rest of the conversation and shuffled Desaunius into their tent. Once he was standing on the bear hide he let his shoulders sag, the stress he felt coming undone. Desaunius caught his arm as he stumbled to the bed and put his face in his hands, exhausted.
    “It was too much,” she said, bringing him a bowl of water. He took it in his hands and drank, the liquid revitalizing him despite everything. It wasn’t the Flames that caused him worry, they were a triumph. It was the star cloud and all the unknown things held in it that made his insides ache. He felt their scouring eyes, their piercing gazes. Even though he did everything to hide from them, what he did last night would lead them right to him. He had no choice though, he could wait for them to destroy the rest of the Lands Across the Stars or he could be prepared for their attack.
    “I need rest.”
    Desaunius took a deep breath and sat beside him, taking his hand in hers. “You will not lose, I have seen it.”
    Tor shifted his weight. “I won’t win either.”
    “You cannot be sure of that. You have the weapons?”
    “I have them.”
    Desaunius pressed her head into his shoulder. “Then you have everything you need to stand against them.”
    “You don’t know who they are.”
    “I don’t need to know who they are. I know who you are.”
    They sat together in silence for a long time, hands intertwined, and heads together. Tor felt so different when he was with Desaunius. Respected, trusted, cherished. It wasn’t like that for him on Avrigost. Challenged, despised, insulted. If he could erase the past he would, in favor of Desaunius, Aria, and everything on Tempia.
    Desaunius patted his knee and stood. “I need to light morning smudge,” she said as she crossed the floor. She stopped at the doorway and looked at him. “Sleep.”
    ***

Chapter 2
    Weeks passed and the star cloud grew. It grew until it covered most of the sky at night and made it difficult for villagers to sleep. It grew until it became the talk of the town, story upon story being told around the hearth fire. Tor listened idly to their blasphemous tales, knowing the truth but unwilling to speak it. He watched the cloud each night as streaks of yellow and green shifted, forming into new things. One time it painted a symbol he recognized. The people interpreted it as the harvest. Tor knew better, Tor knew the symbol meant scavenge, it meant to strip the land of what it had. Harvest seemed so happy in comparison to the desolation the Valtanyana brought.
    Tor let himself up from the logs and away from the bonfire. He trailed towards the beach, an ever-gradual descent making his shoulders shake. Once he cleared the mainland he stood on the sand and picked up a stray rock. The sea was tumultuous tonight, a midnight