Chapter 31
Sebastian: Saved by the Beast
“Are you sure this is the quickest way through the Rhodonite Forest?” Robin asked, panting a little as he urged his horse to keep up with Sebastian’s.
“This is the way I’ve always taken,” Sebastian assured him. “Granted, I have spent very little time in Umber—”
“More time than I have,” Robin grumbled.
“But this is the path I know leads to Tala’s house,” Sebastian continued as if the prince hadn’t interrupted him. “We need to hurry.”
“I know. But this is Lady Lucy we’re talking about here. She’s able to take care of herself, isn’t she?”
Sebastian thought for a second. “Normally I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes, but she’s earned more bruises in the past few days than she ever did at Farraday.
And at Farraday, she was getting in fist-fights with people who were picking on Oliver at least once a week.
Plus, I still have her knife, so she’s defenseless. ”
Robin gave a bark of humorless laughter. “'Defenseless' is not a word I would have ever used to describe Lucy Savage.”
Sebastian winced. “Yeah…that might come back to bite me if we find her.”
Robin smirked. “When we find her, I’ll do you the courtesy of not mentioning what you just told me. I’d hate to see her kill you before you even get her down the aisle.”
“I already told you, we’re not—” Sebastian stopped when he saw the twinkle in the prince’s eyes. “No matter. We should pick up the pace. If we don’t—”
“Whoa, there!” Robin yanked hard on the reins as a huge, gray and black blur sped across the path, startling his horse. The horse reared back, and the prince could barely remain on the animal’s back.
“What are you doing here, two legs?” the hulking gray and black blur demanded, whirling on the two men. Now that he had stopped moving, Sebastian could see it was another werewolf. Not Wilde, he was relieved to note, but one that looked just as vicious.
Robin scowled at the beast. “Two legs?” he said. “If I’m not mistaken, you usually walk on two legs when you’re not in that form.”
The werewolf growled at him. “Watch your tone, whelp. I’ve had a very trying day, and I have no interest in quarreling with you.” His tone lowered slightly. “Unless you make me quarrel with you.”
Sebastian and Robin shared a glance. “We’re sorry to hear that,” the fairy said in an overly solicitous tone. “Tell me why your day has been so trying.”
The werewolf scowled. “Don’t condescend to me, soldier boy. It doesn’t suit you.”
Robin sent Sebastian a glance. “Soldier boy?”
Sebastian ignored the prince. “I only know one person who calls me that. So, if you don’t want to tell me why your day’s been so bad, why don’t you tell me how long you’ve known Thaddeus Wilde?”
The werewolf let out a low rumble. “I told the boss we should’ve dealt with you from the start,” he muttered before leaping toward Sebastian’s horse.
Sebastian kicked his horse and unsheathed his sword. As the horse galloped off into the woods, he took to the air, hovering high above the werewolf. “Well, that got a rise out of him.”
Robin groaned as he dismounted and drew his bow. “Yeah, you think?”
“Give it up, fey,” the werewolf growled as he wheeled around. “You’re not getting past me. Not today. Can’t have you mucking up the boss’s plans.”
Sebastian cocked his head. “And who might this boss be?”
The werewolf didn’t answer, but let out another low growl as he charged at Robin.
“No!” Sebastian said, diving toward the werewolf. He latched himself around the beast’s neck, but the werewolf shook him off. Sebastian went sprawling onto the forest floor.
Robin ignored the charging monster, nocking an arrow as quick as a wink and releasing it. The werewolf let out a bellow of pain but didn’t stop his charge. The prince dove out of the way at the last minute.
“Well, if nothing else, we’ve got his attention,” Sebastian groaned.
The werewolf snarled and turned his focus toward him. “I’d keep your words to yourself, fairy brat.” He lifted his muzzle and let out an earsplitting howl. Then, he launched himself into the air, raking his claws down Sebastian’s right leg.
Sebastian gritted his teeth in pain, kicking to remove the offending creature. The werewolf merely grinned and dug his claws deeper into Sebastian’s leg. The pain was making Sebastian see little black spots at the edge of his vision. Any moment now, he was going to—
Thunk.
Thunk.
The wolf howled in pain. He released Sebastian as it reached over his shoulder to remove the two arrows Robin had embedded in his back. Slowly, he turned and glared at Robin. “You’re going to regret that, princeling.”
“No. He won’t.” Sebastian brought the pommel of his sword down on the wolf’s head. The beast collapsed to the ground in a dead faint.
Robin arched an eyebrow. “No lethal force?”
Sebastian shook his head, sheathing his sword. He withdrew a pocket handkerchief from beneath his tunic and pressed it to his wounds, trying to staunch the bleeding. “He may have answers we need.”
Robin rolled his eyes. “How do you suggest—”
Before the prince could finish his statement, half a dozen howls filled the air. The two men shared a worried glance as Sebastian said, “You don’t think—”
More howls answered the first. Robin nodded. “That the big ugly was calling reinforcements? Yes. Yes, I do.” He drew another arrow from his pack. “We should go. Immediately.”
“No horses,” Sebastian reminded him. “We can’t outrun werewolves.”
“We also can’t fight off a half dozen, at least not where we are. We need to get to high ground,” Robin said, shaking his head.
Sebastian nodded. “Come on. There’s a bit of a hill near here. At least we’ll have the high ground.”
“Unless the wolves get there first,” Robin muttered,
Sebastian grimaced, trying to bind his wounds while he flew. “We need to—”
Robin cursed as he caught sight of a pair of yellowed eyes in the forest. “Don’t make any sudden movements,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.
Sebastian nodded. “Guess we’ll have to make our stand here.” He drew his sword again.
“I think your magic might be of more use than your metal,” Robin said.
Sebastian blinked in surprise. “But—” He could hear his father’s voice in his head. Soldiers don’t need magic. You’ll never be a real man if you rely on some spell to keep you alive.
Robin seemed to hear his thoughts. “You may have trained to fight as a mortal, but both times you’ve saved the emperor this week, you used magic. Stop hiding that part of who you are if you want to live to save Lucy.”
Sebastian took a deep breath and re-sheathed his sword. “You might be right.”
“I know I’m right,” Robin said as the first creature emerged from the trees.
These weren’t werewolves, Sebastian realized with a start. These were regular, run-of-the-mill wolves, except they were much larger and, from the way they snapped at him, much more blood-thirsty.
Robin muttered another curse. “Wargs.” He glanced at Sebastian. “Don’t waste time with non-lethal attacks. These monsters have no sense of self-preservation.”
Sebastian nodded. “Good to know.” He summoned the first spell that came to mind, a sleeping enchantment. He murmured the spell under his breath, before directing it to the nearest warg.
The golden bolt of energy hit the monster right between its eyes. It immediately collapsed and made a snuffling snore.
“What did I say about non-lethal spells?” Robin said, unleashing an arrow at a warg that was approaching on his right.
“Non-lethal spells are less tiring,” Sebastian said through gritted teeth. He ducked as a warg leaped at his throat. “I’m only a half-fairy, which limits my stamina. Besides, it’s fine. He’s not getting up anytime soon.”
“Look again, Doyle,” Robin scowled. Sebastian looked over his shoulder to see the warg stumbling to its feet.
Now it was Sebastian’s turn to curse. “Great. Lethal spells it is, then.” A spell leaped into his mind and he cast it without thinking.
Immediately, a swarm of daggers appeared and surrounded the warg in question.
The warg yipped and tried to run away from the blades, but they followed it as he ran into the forest.
Sebastian drew his sword and rammed it into the chest of the warg that was charging him. The warg struggled against the blade for a moment before going limp. Sebastian just barely had time to withdraw his weapon from the dead beast’s chest before another one bounded toward him.
Robin released two arrows at once, driving them into the approaching warg’s heart. The warg didn’t stop, barrelling toward Sebastian. A second warg circled the archer, growling as he did so. Two more wargs approached from the side.
“Our odds of winning this are dwindling,” Robin warned.
Sebastian drove his pommel into the head of the charging warg.
The warg stumbled a bit, looking stunned.
“Yeah, this isn’t good.” He brought his sword down on the warg’s head.
The slash slowed the beast, but didn’t stop it.
It stalked toward him, saliva dripping from its mouth.
Sebastian tried another slash at the warg’s head, but it knocked the sword from his hand with a toss of its head.
Robin murmured a spell of his own. Immediately, the tip of one of his arrows burst into flame. He released the arrow into the side of one of the circling wargs.
The arrow hit the side of the warg, but didn’t penetrate its hide. However, the flame licked up the warg’s matted fur. As soon as the beast felt the flame, it yelped and took off back into the forest. Its companions, however, were undeterred.
Still, Robin’s eyes lit up with an idea. “Do you have any fire spells?”
Sebastian nodded, though he looked at the trees warily. “Yes, but we have to be careful. With how little rain we’ve gotten lately…”
Robin winced. “Good point. What about—”
Before the prince could finish his suggestion, the warg circling him pounced. It landed on his chest, knocking his bow and breath from his body at once. It opened its giant maw, ready to deliver the killing bite when—
Slam! Something huge, bulky, and scaled knocked the warg away from Robin.
The blow slammed the warg into the tree where it lay, deathly still.
The warg stalking Sebastian and the warg circling the little clearing stood, frozen as they stared at the newcomer.
Sebastian couldn’t take his eyes off of it; it seemed to be a cross between a dragon and a human, which shouldn’t have been possible.
The beast paid little attention to the two men, as it turned its attention to the single warg left prowling around and strode toward it with great intention. Over its shoulder, it growled, “Get out of here. Save yourselves. I’ll deal with these whelps.”
Sebastian and Robin shared a glance. Robin cleared his throat. “But—”
“Did I stutter?” the beast rumbled. “Go.”
Robin’s eyes grew wide. “What—”
“GO!” the beast bellowed as the warg that had been hunting Sebastian turned its attention to him. “Quickly. You haven’t any time to waste.”
Robin scrambled to his feet, reaching for his bow, never taking his eyes off the beast. “But—”
Sebastian hurried to his side. “You heard him. We don’t have time to waste. Let’s go.”
Robin nodded, glancing over his shoulder as the fairy hurried him away. He winced as one of the wargs sank its teeth into the beast’s shoulder. “Yes…you’re right, of course.”
Sebastian put his hand on the prince’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine,” he assured him. “We’ll come back for him once we’ve saved Lucy. But from the looks of it, he looks like he can take care of himself.”
Robin nodded absently. Sebastian opened his mouth to encourage him, but decided against it, leaving them to trudge down the path in silence, each man lost in his own thoughts.