Chapter Seven

Aerilyn

The darkness consumed them the moment they passed through the forcefield that had kept Orissia protected.

She felt a vibration run from her head to her toes, spreading throughout her body as she stepped through the forcefield that was paired with the wall.

They had been told that only humans could step through the magical barrier. It was the one thing that kept hounds from flying in.

It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. She saw nothing ahead of her. For as far as her eyes could reach there wasn’t anything besides dead grass and rocks.

There weren’t any hounds in sight which was a relief to the woman, but the eerie emptiness before her was even more unsettling.

“The blade is supposed to be located in the north of the continent. We don’t know what these lands look like anymore, the old maps could no longer be accurate. So let's keep our pace towards the north and tread carefully,”

the voice belonged to Everett, already spewing out orders. Brinley let out a snort, pulling all of the group’s attention to her.

“I’m sorry, it’s just so funny that you think you get to dictate us. We haven’t been outside of the walls for more than five minutes and you’re already acting like a jackass,”

she placed her hands on her hips with an eye roll. Aerilyn was unsure of how to feel about the girl, but that comment made her quickly take a liking to the fiery redhead.

“I’m simply stating the facts, hun. I’ve studied these missions since I was able to read. I’m just leading the group in the right direction. If you want to go in a different direction, go ahead. It’s your life you forfeit, not mine,”

he gave her a charming smile.

The prince held a small golden object in his hand, examining it for a moment before his gaze lingered to the north. A compass. Of course, the guards gave it to him and not any of the others.

He already held an advantage over the rest of the group. If they strayed away from Everett, they’d have no way to tell where they were going.

He didn’t wait for anyone before he began his walk through the deserted land. Aerilyn glanced at Bastian with weary eyes before he gave her a small nod.

She let go of his hand that she hadn’t realized she’d still been holding and followed behind the prince.

Aerilyn couldn’t help but second guess if the sword was real. If nobody from Orissia had traveled beyond the walls and returned alive, how do they know any of the maps were even correct?

She could only hope that the old documents still held true. Otherwise, they were going on a fool's errand that would result in the death of five innocents.

The dirt below her feet was dry, creating a dusty coating on her boots as they walked through the open field.

The grass that remained was shriveled up and discolored, nothing like she’d ever seen in Orissia. She felt a presence beside her, gazing over to Blaise who walked at her side.

“How long do you think the princeling will survive when a hound attacks us?”

He spoke softly, amusement in his tone. She couldn’t help but smile at the comment. The thought of facing one was horrific, but the way the man spoke made it feel less intimidating. “Not long. I say we use him as a sacrifice and make a run for it,”

she kept her voice low so the prince couldn’t hear her. He was ahead of them, keeping a much faster pace than everyone else in the group. “I like your thinking, blondie,”

Blaise gave her his smile, nudging her side with his elbow.

“How did your family react to your name being chosen?”

he questioned, causing a sharp pain in her heart. “I don’t have any family, nobody back there will miss me,”

she shrugged, motioning over her shoulder to the walls that became smaller the further they walked. “I’m sorry I didn’t know-”

he began before she cut him off. “What about you?”

She forced out, wanting to know more information about the people she’d be stuck with. “Well, I’m one of six children so I’m sure my absence will go unnoticed,”

he admitted.

Aerilyn felt a bit of sympathy for the man who felt alone even though he still had a family.

They both stayed quiet for a moment, keeping each other’s pace to stay side by side.

Blaise seemed like a decent person from his first impression on her, but Aerilyn wasn’t sure if any of these people could be trustworthy when it came to facing death.

They had spent too much time walking.

Aerilyn wasn’t exactly out of shape, but the nonstop walking on the uneven surfaces began to take a toll on her body.

The only one who didn’t seem affected was Everett, who kept his fast pace ahead of everyone.

She glanced over her shoulder at Bastian and Brinely who also seemed to be slowing down.

“Hey princeling, let's stop for the night. We need to eat and conserve our energy!”

Aerilyn called out to Everett, watching as he stopped in his tracks. “I’m glad to know you think you’re the dictator now,”

he laughed, shaking his head. The rest of the group caught up to him, most of their shoulders sagging in relief. “It’s not a dictatorship, I’m simply looking out for everyone. Feel free to keep walking on your own, it’s not my life you’re risking,”

she threw his words back into his face before swinging the pack off of her back. She dug through the different items until she found a canister filled with water. She took a few small sips, wanting to savor what supplies they had.

Aerilyn pulled out a sleeping bag from her pack, rolling it out before her. She noticed the others doing the same, plopping down on the material separating their bodies from the dirt.

She was used to not eating, so she didn’t follow their actions when they began to snack on different items from their packs. Everett stared at the sleeping bag as if he’d never seen one in his life.

He laid it out before slowly sitting, his face cringing. “What’s wrong? Too used to the royalty treatment of silk sheets and comfortable beds,”

Aerilyn raised a brow, her attention locked on him. “I’m not as stuck up as you seem to believe me to be, little thief. I’m more worried about how exposed we are if any hounds decide they’re hungry,”

he laid back, no longer looking at her. “I’ll take the first watch then to make sure you don’t get eaten,”

she said as the others began to lie down. She pulled her dagger out of her belt loop, glancing at the design of the hilt.

She spun the dagger in her fingertips, trying to keep her mind distracted. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Everett was right. There wasn’t anywhere for them to take shelter, leaving them completely exposed to any sort of attack.

That worried her, but she tried not to think too much about the danger of their position.

Aerilyn continued to let her mind wander, her eyes flickering around their surroundings for any sign of hounds.

She couldn’t tell what time it was, the light still suffocated by the darkness. She could feel the exhaustion pulling at her body, urging her to sleep.

Her eyes were heavy with sleep as time continued to pass. When she could no longer handle it, she moved over to Brinley delicately shaking her sleeping form.

The girl’s eyes fluttered open, her hand already reaching for the weapon at her side. When her eyes locked with Aerilyn's, her fear quickly faded. “Can you take over? I’m exhausted,”

she let out a small yawn, moving away so the girl could sit up. “I’m glad you chose me, I don’t trust these shitheads to watch our backs,”

she teased, nodding her head. “Get some rest, I’ll be fine,”

Brinley gave her a smile before Aerilyn finally crawled into her sleeping bag. The warmth engulfed her, her entire body finally relaxing. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but the moment she laid down her eyes fluttered shut, falling into a much-needed slumber.

Aerilyn was startled awake by a hand clamping down on her shoulder, violently shaking her body. Her eyes opened to see Bastian’s wide gaze, placing a finger over his lips in a sign to stay quiet.

He then pointed to a figure prowling towards them. A hound. The hound was something out of a nightmare.

The descriptions of the creature could never match what stood before her. The purple eyes glowed in the darkness, slowly becoming larger with each step towards them. “Wake up the others,”

she whispered into his ear before grabbing onto her dagger. She reached across the space between them, shaking Everett’s shoulder as she placed a hand over his mouth. He awoke quickly, panic in his dark eyes.

She shook her head and pointed to the hound as Bastian had. The prince didn’t take much time before his hand slipped over his sword.

She stood, keeping all of her actions painfully slow to avoid drawing too much attention.

The hound was on all fours, its body larger than she was.

It reminded her of the sketches she’d seen of wolves in old books.

A wolf that had been decomposing for years to be exact.

It had black rotting skin, helping it blend into the surroundings.

The closer it got, the more she could smell the horrid stench clogging her nose.

The creature was vile in every sense.

It let out a growl, its mouth curling open to expose long sharp teeth that would easily rip her head right off of her body.

The group gathered close, all holding a weapon before them.

She could feel the fear each of them had.

None of them knew what to expect when facing the hounds.

She was told the easiest way to kill one is to go for the heart or the head.

Growing up her father had taught her sword skills to prepare her for anything that could happen. He trained her to be able to fight for herself and that’s what she planned to do.

The hound began to prowl around them, examining their prey before attacking.

Its head cocked to the side, the glowing eyes locking in directly on Everett.

Aerilyn acted fast, taking a step towards the man as the creature lunged at the prince.

She swung her blade towards its face, managing to slice some of the skin.

Black blood dripped from the end of her blade as it backed up slightly, debating its next attack point.

She could hear Everett’s heart beating out of his chest beside her.

She took another small step, using her body as a shield.

As much as the man was a dick, she refused to let him die so quickly.

She didn’t know why she had that thought, especially after his arrogant attitude had brought down the mood for most of the journey.

The creature paused for a moment, its eyes now on Aerilyn. “I’m going to need some help here,”

she mumbled under her breath, waiting for one of the others to step in.

They were all frozen in fear.

She couldn’t blame them.

Brinley took a step in, swiping her sword towards the creature.

She missed but it was enough to make it back away further.

It was obvious that the girl was probably better with her bow than a sword.

Aerilyn took the opportunity of the distraction and swung her dagger for its neck once more.

The disadvantage of the short blades required her to get closer than she wanted to.

Her dagger was her most prized possession and had never once failed her.

The blade struck true, blood spraying her face as the creature’s neck ripped open.

She stabbed at it again, letting the dagger sink into its side.

The hound let out a horrific sound, piercing her ears.

Its talons swung towards her making contact with her chest.

She let out a scream feeling her skin tear from the contact.

She stumbled back in time for Brinley to strike the hound a final time. The monstrous creature slowly stumbled and fell to the ground.

All of it happened so fast, that Aerilyn could barely process the blood coating the front of her white shirt.

Her eyes glanced down at the place where pain radiates from her, pressing her hands over the wound.

She felt arms wrap around her helping her sit on the ground carefully, their chest pressing into her back.

She leaned her weight onto them, trying to keep her breathing steady.

“It’s okay, Aerilyn. I’ve got you. Keep breathing for me, darling,”

Everett spoke against her ear, placing his hands over hers to cover the wound. “Someone grab their med kit,”

he snapped, turning to the others who looked between the dead hound and Aerilyn in disbelief.

Bastian was the first to act, quickly rushing to her side. He sat on his knees, examining her body for where the injury was located. “I’m a healer. I’ve got her,”

he nodded his head to Everett. “Cut her top off, I need better access to the site,”

his voice was calm and steady, not once showing any nerves. Aerilyn felt like the world around her was spinning, the blood draining from her at a fast pace.

She felt her shirt being cut from her body, watching as Everett used her dagger.

Her eyes lifted to his face, trying to focus on anything other than her bloody torso. He forced a smile on his face, cupping a hand over her cheek. “Keep your eyes right here, Aerilyn,”

he ran his thumb over her cheek delicately. She felt a pair of warm hands press hard on the wound and a sob escaped her, her entire body trying to pull away from the pain. “You need to keep her still!”

Bastian snapped, his tone growing more frustrated. Aerilyn felt another hand grab hers, her eyes moving to see the redhead beside them. She had a look of fear in her eyes that Aerilyn tried to ignore.

I’m not ready to die. Not yet. It’s too soon. Her mind was a whirlwind of panic.

Bastian didn’t remove his hands from her bare skin, her wounds slowly mending back together. Aerilyn couldn’t control the sobs from escaping her.

She wasn’t used to this type of pain. It was far worse than any whipping she’d ever received. Everett kept her face in his hands, coating her cheeks in the blood that had soaked his own hands. “It hurts,”

she managed to get out, her voice feeling dry from the cries. “Almost done,”

Bastian muttered, his brows knit in concentration. She felt the warmth spreading through her before all of the pain disappeared. It was as if nothing had happened. Her entire body relaxed into Everett’s arms, taking in deep breaths. “Thank you, Bastian,”

she forced out, feeling an ache in her throat.

“I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news… But there’s five hounds currently heading our way,”

Blaise cut everyone off. They all glanced in the direction he watched, the pack of hounds heading towards them at an overwhelmingly fast pace.