Chapter 10

Chapter

Ten

SILAS

I toss my coat down when an uneasy feeling comes over me. I'd just untacked Banks and walked into the house when it hit me.

What the hell is that?

Slowly, I step outside and look around, uncertain of what's wrong but something is… different. I hesitate before realizing that the magic in this town is unsteady… no… not unsteady… just wrong .

Maybe it's time I moved on… really, what do I have tying myself here? I can pick back up in any town… but my attention is drawn to the palace where I'd just left Callisto.

Not that he matters. He was simply something fun to play with. Something that spiked my curiosity and made me question what I thought I knew.

I hear Banks braying, something he rarely does unless he feels that something is wrong, telling me that I'm not the only one feeling this way. Without hesitation, I rush back into the house and grab the bag I had stowed away, having known that I would need to use it at some point to make my escape. I rush back to the pasture with the bag over my back and the saddle and saddle pad in my hands. I fling the pad down, toss the saddle on and cinch it tight. Quickly, I fasten the bag onto the back of the saddle before stuffing my left foot in the stirrup and swinging up onto Banks's back.

He's steady, never anxious even in the face of hell as I turn him toward the gate, but my eyes are drawn to the palace. A warning… I'll simply warn Callisto. A single warning… and then I'm gone.

I squeeze my legs and Banks breaks into a gallop as I hurry down the cobblestone street a moment before a team of horses comes barreling toward me. The riderless coach hits something that flips the wagon up before it crashes onto its side. The horses break free of the coach, dragging the pole after them.

What the fuck was that?

Instead of the sound of the ball, screams fill the air as I move Banks toward the place I'd just left. I watch as a soldier cuts down a man, dark mist bubbling up around his feet. The mist rushes for a woman as I see her turn to stone.

"What the fuck is this?" I mutter as I slide off Banks and send him away from the fighting.

A soldier rushes me and with a simple step, I dodge his attack and slam my hand into his throat, tearing him back as I rip his sword free.

The mist seems to be turning everyone to stone that it touches, but it's avoiding me.

Why?

Does it not want me?

Or is there something that makes it afraid of me?

I enter through the main doors as the mist parts for me while I walk. Seated at the throne is the king, lounging as he watches me with black eyes, quite at ease. I can't even sense any emotion from him, let alone fear that I could manipulate. There are countless stone statues of people forever frozen in their panicked states, many crawling and fleeing, including his wives.

"Where is the prince?" I ask.

"Dead. The prince is dead. So very dead," he says. "But didn't you already know that?" He waves toward the blood before my feet.

I glance down at it as the mist also avoids the blood staining the ground. The king rises to his feet, black eyes seeking me out as the ground begins to shake. I watch as an undead army begins to rise from the cracked earth, telling me that a necromancer is involved, likely hiding in the shadows so I can't stop them.

I step back, smart enough to know when I shouldn't get myself into shit that I don't quite understand. Even if the blood on the ground is Callisto's, he isn't here. While there's no body to show for it, it doesn't mean he got away, but it at least means he escaped the inside of this hell.

I back out and rush out onto the grass as I whistle to Banks.

He comes to me at a run and I grab the horn of the saddle as I swing myself up onto his moving back. Instead of moving toward the gate, I pull him toward the stable where I see that damned crate lying open.

Callisto… what the fuck have you done?

Getting out of the town proves to be difficult, but the king has plenty to worry about besides a lone tavern keeper. I aim Banks toward the woods where Zepher lives, planning to get myself as far from this place as I can.

But what if Callisto is still alive?

No… it shouldn't matter. I need to get out of here. I need to go.

"Fuck."

The moment I hit the trees, Zepher drops from the sky, skimming the air above me. "Fae. Have you seen a fae?"

Zepher doesn't fly off, and I know it's ridiculous to waste time on this.

"Find the fae. He's riding a beast," I say before remembering that Callisto had worn my overcoat to the sale. Yanking it off, I push it toward Zepher's face. She veers hard to the right and Banks follows without me asking. She drops down, slipping between the trees, and starts sniffing around. That's when I notice something…

The leaves on the tree are shriveled, death having quickly come to what looks like a young tree. I aim Banks past it as I see that the next tree is completely dead; all the leaves have browned, and when I touch one, it falls. It's like all the trees I now pass have met a poisonous death, and the grass beneath my feet is brown and brittle. As we slip out of the trees and into an opening, I realize that all plant life around me is dead.

And right in the middle of all the destruction lies the beast and Callisto. Holding the sword I'd stolen from the soldier, I slide from Banks's back and rush over to them, unsure if either are even alive.

When I see the rise and fall of Callisto's bloody chest, I grab the muzzle wrapped around the beast's face before realizing that it's not quite dead. It tore open his chest and tried to kill him and yet Callisto didn't commit the final blow? Or did he pass out before he could? It doesn't matter because I'll kill the beast now.

I lift my sword, prepared to end its life, when Callisto wraps his arms around the head of the beast, blocking the spot I'd been prepared to drive my sword.

"Don't kill him," he whispers.

How unreasonable can this man be? "It tried to kill you."

"He's scared and untrusting. Don't kill him. Please," he begs as he desperately holds on to the head of the monster. "Please. Please."

I cannot understand this man at all. There's kindness and then there's this. "When it's well enough, it'll just try to kill you again."

"He might not. He's smart. I know he is… and if he does… I promise I'll kill him," he says.

I lower my sword while questioning what the hell is wrong with this man. I grab the muzzle again and pull, dragging the beast off Callisto's body so I can see the damage done to him.

The monster had raked its claws across Callisto's chest but nooooo, we must save it. His extra layers seem to have helped a little, but as I check him over, I realize that most of the blood is coming from what looks like a stab wound. This must have been what the king was referring to when he pointed out the blood.

"Banks," I call, and he trots over to me. I quickly get up and pull the bag off his back. I know we don't have a lot of time, but I need to do something, so I reach into the bag to find my medical supplies. I pull out some clean padding, which I press hard against the wound. His eyes shoot open the moment I do.

"What the fuck? Are you killing me?" he whines.

"I can't stitch it up now. We have to keep moving. They're coming," I say as I press the bandage against the padding and wrap it as tightly as I can. He squirms beneath me while trying to smack me away and cussing at me, but it tells me he's still alive enough to do that.

His hand wavers before he passes out. Right now would be a perfect time to just kill the damn beast, or hell, leave it. But I know Callisto would be extremely upset. The issue is… why should I care? What's it matter if he's upset?

"Zepher, here," I say as I pull a rope off Banks and hurry over to the damn monster. I loop the rope around each of its hind legs before tying it to the saddle. Then I run the rope under the pommel and through the straps before holding it up to Zepher.

"West barn," I tell her. "If this thing even acts like it's going to attack you, kill it."

She grabs on to the rope with her hind claws and takes to the sky, disappearing into the darkness.

I hear noise coming from behind us as I quickly scoop Callisto's limp body up. Swinging up onto Banks, I aim him in the direction Zepher had gone as I sling the saddle bag over my shoulder so there's room for me to sit. While mules usually aren't as fast as horses, he's not a true mule. Instead, his father was crossbred to a horse that had magic, which allows him to carry the weight of both of us with ease and outrun any other mule out there. Even so, those following us likely aren't on standard horses. They'll have caught up long before we can disappear into the darkness.

With one arm wrapped around Callisto and the other holding the sword, I rely on Banks to carry me through the best route out of here. I can sense them trailing after us and know that they'll catch up before long.

And when they do, I'll make sure they can never follow us again.