Chapter 13 #2
“I just came from there. But I have to say, this route you are taking is risky. Many watchers in the towers. Follow me. I know a quicker way.”
“No, we’re good,” Thane retorts.
“Sure,” I respond at the same time.
Thane glares at me. “Come again?”
“Well, he clearly knows what he’s talking about,” I murmur, gesturing to Dulan.
“Yes, but at what cost? People around here don’t help others unless they want something out of it.” Thane bumps Algar out of the way and closes the gap between him and Dulan. “So either this is a setup, or he wants something from us. What is it that you want, Dulan?”
“Absolutely nothing at all,” he pleads, looking at me and Algar for backup.
“I—I just know what it is like to need help. And this is not a safe place for such beautiful creatures. Believe it or not, a lot of us Ruvainers are not as bad as other kingdoms think.” He eyes Zephra and Pearl.
“The sooner you get them out of here, the better.”
Oh my goodness. He’s so sweet.
Thane doesn’t ease up on him, though, despite how genuine he sounds. I want to punch him for being such an asshole…but I can understand his defensiveness. Dulan is a stranger…and Thane clearly has trust issues.
“I know a liar and a con when I see one.” Algar gives Dulan a thorough scan. “I don’t think he’s lying. If he wanted to rat us out, all he’d have to do is scream and the guards would come running. He’s willing to help. Some people do that, you know? Help others because they’re nice.”
“Yeah.” Thane shoots me a pointed look. “I’ve witnessed it with her firsthand.”
I scowl at him. “I don’t regret being a nice person, Bane of My Existence.”
“Ha! That’s a good one.” Algar chortles. “Bane of My Existence. I’ll have to use that one.”
I smirk.
“Well, come along,” Dulan urges, marching past us. “If we go toward the forest, it’s much quicker. There is another entrance to the tunnels. It’s sort of a secret passage only the lower-bred Ruvainers know about. We do lots of trading and meetings there.”
Thane exhales deeply behind his mask while Algar trails Dulan.
We near the forest again and cross a creek, approaching a different set of pillars.
They stand before us, giants in black, split and chipped from all directions.
I’m positive they won’t stand for much longer, but they are majestic, nonetheless.
Too marvelous to be in a territory this shitty.
“Just over there.” Dulan points ahead. My eyes follow his finger, and I notice a gap in the trees. At first glance, I wouldn’t have been able to make it out, but as I stare harder, I notice curved branches crafted into a makeshift passageway.
The opening is shrouded with bushes and vines, and the passage is much too dark to see very far in. This area doesn’t seem like the sort of place where people congregate. It’s desolate and swarming with wasp nests.
“This better not be a trap,” Thane grouses as Dulan ducks under a few nests clinging to the trees. Irritated, Thane jerks on Pearl’s reins, but she clearly doesn’t like that because she snorts and then whinnies, stomping her front hooves.
“Easy,” Thane whispers, holding a hand up to her. “Easy, girl. I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Thane!” Algar whispers. “Keep her quiet!”
I notice him peering past Thane. A few yards behind is a gap revealing the center of the city. And in the middle is a group of Ruvain guards.
Pearl whinnies again and jerks forward, dragging Thane with her.
My stomach hollows, then drops. Oh no. She’s running toward the city.
Thane grips hard, digging his heels into the ground to try and stop her, but he’s no match for a horse that solid. She gallops loudly, drawing attention to herself. I gasp as the guards whip their heads to find us.
“Hey!” one of them barks.
“Intruders!” another one roars as they storm in our direction. “Sound the alarm!”
When bright lights flash and bells ring, my heart thunders in my chest. The ringing bells are so loud, my ears ache.
When Thane has finally gotten a hold of Pearl, he hops on her back. Algar’s whole face drops with shock. And it’s his words that spark the fire in me. “Run, Zaira.”
I look for Thane again.
He nods. “Go!”
“Quick! Follow me!” Dulan shouts, waving a hand as he stands behind the trunk of a tree.
He speeds away in a flurry. I chase after him, zipping past Algar and running through thorny bushes.
Algar is right behind me, limping quickly and teleporting in between to catch up.
Zephra flies near the treetops, safe from attack.
Thane gains on us as the Ruvain guards storm behind him with swords, spears, and bows at the ready.
Dulan looks back after jumping over a root. “When we make it into the tunnels, I can show you a hiding place where they’ll never find—”
An arrow penetrates the center of Dulan’s back.
I suck in a sharp breath and come to a screeching halt as he staggers a step or two, then turns around to face me. Blood drenches his tunic, and he points at the arrow protruding from his chest, as if he’s trying to make sure it’s real.
“No!” I cry as he falls to his knees. His glossy eyes pin on mine, desperate and afraid, before he tips over and hits the ground.
I start to run to him, but Algar yanks on my arm, dragging me away and shouting, “We have to keep moving, Zaira!”
Clearly, the adrenaline is fueling me because I grow steady on my feet and reality becomes clear again as I run with him.
I have no chance to check on Dulan or come to his aid, even.
He’s dead because he tried to help us, and we’ll be next if those Ruvainers catch up.
That fear is enough to push me. I can be devastated later, once I reach safety.
Algar remains hot on my trail, pretty damn fast for someone who has what I assume is a permanent limp. Thane is right behind us, mask up and eyes sparking gold as he rides Pearl.
As he nears me, he scoops me up with one muscled arm and cranes it with just enough force to swing me up so I’m seated sideways in front of him on the horse.
Damn. That was smooth.
“What about Algar?” I call, looking behind his shoulder to see if the guards are gaining on us.
Algar shows up a millisecond later, now several feet ahead.
I lean over to peek around Thane again, and a lick of heat sears my arm, followed by flurries of fire zipping past us. I yelp as an arrow wrapped in flames flies by, stabbing into a tree trunk.
“Thane!” I yell as more dart in our direction.
“Take over the reins!” he commands.
I swing my leg over to straddle Pearl and keep her as steady as I can.
Thane twists in the saddle, lifts a hand, and sends a fiery gold cannonball toward the men who are launching the arrows.
Several of them are beastials in uniform running on all fours, dodging logs or skittering up tree trunks to leap to the next.
Thane’s fire blazes bright enough to light up the gloomy forest, singeing tree leaves, branches, and everything in its wake.
More arrows whiz by, and Thane blocks them with a glimmering shield.
So many fires are growing, spreading through the forest like blazing rivers.
Glancing over my shoulder, I witness Thane throw his hands up and grunt as he rips a large tree from its roots.
He slams it to the ground to block the guards, then thrusts a hand forward, setting the tree ablaze, too.
Shadows.
The spread of flames is exactly what he wants.
The fire engulfs the forest behind us, swallowing it whole. The arrows stop, and the beastials come to a halt as some of them shout to retreat. I give my thighs a squeeze, urging Pearl to go faster as Thane twists around and faces forward.
We gallop through a clearing, past a roaring waterfall, and don’t stop until we can see a two-story building, lit with gold lanterns in the distance—probably an inn. Thane climbs off Pearl’s back first, reaching a hand up to help me down, but when I drop to my feet, I stumble.
“Sorry,” I wheeze. I cling to his arm, trying to stand up straight, but dizziness takes hold of me.
“Quinlocke,” Thane says. “Can you stand?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I let go of his arm, but that’s a mistake because I crumple. Well, would you look at that? Turns out I’m not fine.
“Hey, hey! What’s going on? Where are you hurt?” Thane yanks his mask down and drops to his knees next to me.
Another person appears above me, panting wildly.
“What happened to her?” Algar asks.
My arm. It burns. It burns so much. I groan in pain as Thane touches the arm of my shirt where the fiery arrow cut through. He rips the fabric open wider.
“Shit.” He presses his fingers to the wound. I cry out as the pain heightens. The dizziness becomes stronger, bile climbing up my throat. I’m going to vomit. I can feel it.
“It’s poisoned. We have to get it out of her system now,” Algar urges. “Pick her up. I know the owner of that inn up ahead. She can help.”
“Okay,” Thane replies quickly. “Get the horse while I carry her.”
He sounds almost…concerned.
“Thane.” My voice comes out a whisper as he lifts me up and carries me in his arms. I try speaking again, but my tongue feels heavy and thick in my mouth. I look up at Thane’s face and notice that darkness has started seeping in at the edges of my vision.
“Hold on, Zaira,” Thane encourages.
I hear a door creak open, and Algar’s voice booms as he calls for someone.
“Rynthea! Has anyone seen Rynthea?”
The dizziness transitions to blurriness. My eyelids droop, and my heartbeat reduces to a terribly slow rhythm.
“Zaira, look at me. I need you to keep your eyes open.” Thane’s deep voice echoes in my head. He repeats himself with a firmer tone, but I can’t fulfill his request.
I close my eyes and let the darkness consume me.