Chapter 18 #3
The Silver Guard patrol passed overhead, their horses' hooves striking sparks from the rocky path.
Nero counted twenty-three riders, all heavily armed, all bearing the distinctive silver armor that marked them as Doran's elite forces.
They moved with the confidence of hunters who believed their prey was cornered.
"Captain," one of the riders called, his voice carrying clearly in the thin mountain air. "Fresh tracks leading toward the ravines. Two sets—one adult male according to our wolf scouts, and something smaller."
Nero's blood ran cold. They'd found the trail from the farmstead, the path he and River had taken through the valley. In minutes, the Silver Guard would follow that trail directly to their hiding spot.
"Move out," the captain commanded. "And remember—the wolf is to be taken alive. If there's a child...disposal is at your discretion."
The casual dismissal of River's life sent white-hot rage through Nero's veins.
The wolf within him snarled for release, demanding blood in payment for the threat to the child who had somehow become his responsibility.
But twenty-three armed soldiers were too many, even for the silver wolf's enhanced abilities. He needed another option.
The Silver Guard had split into smaller groups, each taking a different path down into the valley. Nero watched them spread out like a net, systematically closing off escape routes. In minutes, they would be trapped.
"Hold tight to my back," he whispered to River, adjusting his grip on the boy. "Whatever happens, don't let go."
River nodded, his small arms wrapping around Nero's neck with desperate strength. The child's trust was absolute, heartbreaking in its innocence. He believed Nero could protect him, could save him from the violence that had already claimed his family.
Nero waited until the nearest patrol walked down the ridge, then made his choice. Instead of running deeper into the valley where the other teams waited, he went up—scaling the cliff face with inhuman strength and agility, carrying River with him.
The wolf's enhanced senses guided him to handholds invisible to ordinary sight.
His fingers found purchase in tiny cracks, his feet balancing on ledges barely wide enough to support his weight.
River clung to him silently, his face pressed against Nero's shoulder, somehow understanding that even a whimper might betray them.
They reached a narrow shelf twenty feet above the valley floor just as the Silver Guard patrol passed directly beneath them. From this vantage point, Nero could see the entire operation—teams methodically searching every possible hiding place, closing in on where they had been moments before.
"Nothing here, Captain," called one of the soldiers, examining the boulder where they'd hidden. "But the tracks lead this way."
The patrol leader dismounted, studying the ground with the careful attention of an experienced tracker. "Something's wrong," he muttered. "The tracks stop here."
Nero held his breath as the man's gaze swept upward, scanning the cliff face. For a heart-stopping moment, their eyes seemed to meet across the distance—but the fading light and natural camouflage of the rock kept them hidden.
"They must have doubled back," the captain decided, remounting his horse. "Signal the eastern team to circle around."
As the patrol moved away, Nero felt River trembling against him. "You're very brave," he whispered. "Just a little longer."
The boy nodded against his shoulder, still maintaining his silence.
Through their bond, Casteel's presence suddenly pulsed with startling clarity—not just emotion now, but an image, fleeting but unmistakable.
Horses unlike any Nero had ever seen, their coats shimmering like a starry night.
And among them, Casteel, his face alight with wonder.
The Skellarae. The legendary horses Casteel had spoken of.
Somehow, impossibly, his mate had found them—or they had found him.
"We need to move," Nero whispered to River. "My mate is east of here, in a hidden valley."
They climbed higher, using the deepening shadows for cover as they traversed the ridge above the searching patrols.
Nero's enhanced strength made the journey possible, carrying River and encouraging him to eat the bread.
Night fell fully as they reached the eastern side of the ridge, revealing a vast expanse of mountains stretching toward the horizon.
Through their bond, Casteel's presence was stronger now, guiding Nero like a lodestone. His mate wasn't alone—the impression of the shimmering horses remained, as if Casteel were in their company.
"I see lights." River pointed toward a distant valley, having just woken up again.
Nero followed the child's gesture and spotted what he'd missed—more Silver Guard, converging from the east.
"They're trying to surround the valley," Nero realized aloud.
The guards were moving with military precision toward the very gap where Nero sensed Casteel's presence. Whatever sanctuary his mate had found among the legendary horses, it was about to be discovered.
"We have to warn them," Nero muttered, adjusting his grip on River as he began picking his way down the treacherous slope.
Through their bond, Nero felt Casteel's emotions shift from wonder to alarm. His mate had seen the approaching soldiers too.
The gap between the peaks loomed ahead, torchlight now visible, streaming through from both sides. Nero crested the final ridge just as the first Silver Guard riders emerged into a hidden valley that took his breath away—crystal streams and starlit meadows where dozens of the black horses grazed.
And there, at the valley's heart, Casteel stood beside a magnificent mare whose coat seemed to capture and reflect the very stars themselves.
His mate's face was set with grim determination as he watched the soldiers pour through the valley's entrance, their torches turning the peaceful sanctuary into a scene from a nightmare.
"Surrender the horses to the High Priest's service," the lead captain called across the meadow, his voice echoing off the surrounding peaks. "And your death will be swift."
Casteel's response was to place his hand on the Skellarae mare's neck, and whisper something urgently to her he didn't have a hope of hearing. But his distress was clear. He wanted the horses safe.
The Silver Guard raised their weapons, and River stirred in Nero's arms just as the first arrow flew toward Casteel's heart.