Chapter 12 #2
The horses protested vocally as they were led down the slope into the old sewer system. Dark stone surrounded us on all sides, cracked and crumbling in places. Pulling his lantern from his saddle, Eleos lit a fire to guide our way.
Whisper ran ahead of us, scouting the path. With every step, I grew more concerned. Why did no one guard this passage? Whisper never returned to warn his master of danger, never barked to alert us to another’s presence.
When faint moonlight spilled in from outside, Seth narrowed his eyes. “Seems it’s unguarded.” He said, whistling for his dog.
Whisper rose from his seat by the tunnel exit and returned to Seth. Kneeling, the assassin reached into his bag and pulled out a crumpled ball of colorful fabric. He offered it to the hound and let him thoroughly sniff the cloth before stuffing it into his pack.
Eleos raised an eyebrow. “Is that Percy’s?”
“Who else’s?” Seth answered.
Nose pressed to the ground, Whisper ran outside, seeking the bard’s trail.
“Where is the Guild?” Eleos muttered.
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t like this.”
Seth remounted. “Take the blessings while they last.” He said, riding after Whisper.
We emerged from a hole in the ground, neatly obscured by fallen leaves and piles of tree branches. Thin woods and sloping hills surrounded us, dotted by chunks of white rock.
Closing my eyes, I flinched as our horse stepped over the rocky terrain and slowed to weave through the trees. My chest ached every time I was bounced around on the saddle. The glow from Eleos’s lantern painted an orange halo against the black of my closed lids.
My mind wandered. Why had Seraphim been late? She’d mentioned needing to meet someone before we parted. Had the red-haired man found her?
The horse stopped abruptly, and my eyes flew open. Whisper had paused, nose buried in a bush.
“He’s lost the scent.” Seth dropped off his horse, guiding the mare as he walked alongside the dog.
Eleos slipped off the saddle, sweeping his lantern over the dirt. “They’re bound to have left tracks.” He paused, glancing back at me. “Can you handle her alone?”
Balancing in the saddle, I took the reins and pressed my thighs to the mare’s side. “How hard could it be?”
Eleos flashed me a smile before continuing his search. “So, Seth,” He said quietly. “What made you decide killing people would be your life’s decree?”
“Is this really the time?” Seth called back, unamused.
“On a mission such as this, there will never be a good time.”
“I thought I already explained myself,” Seth said. “You can only stand by and watch cruelty unfold so many times before you can’t stand it anymore.”
“Who were you before that?”
“You first.” Seth prodded. “All four of you were in the dungeons before being promised a pardon. So what’s your crime?”
“Don’t bother,” I said. “I already tried asking them.”
Seth snorted. “I can tell you Percy’s at least.” He glanced back at us. “He’s got a good heart. It was probably something ridiculous like tax evasion.”
Eleos quietly corrected him. “Disturbing the peace. He fist-fought an innkeeper.”
A wicked grin tugged at Seth’s mouth. “I didn’t think he had it in him.”
Snap. Sitting up, I whirled around, searching for the source of the noise. Shadowed woods surrounded us, and infinite black beyond. Taking a breath, I tried to relax. It had probably just been a rabbit.
Seth’s voice drew my attention back ahead. “So, you’re all keeping secrets from one another? A perfect start to a functional team.”
“I don’t owe you my past,” Eleos said guardedly.
“What about her?” Seth grabbed my horse’s reins. “Is she owed your past?”
Hesitating, Eleos’ eye twitched.
Seth looked up at me. “How much blood have you left in your wake?”
“None,” I answered. “I have nothing to hide.”
“Few can say that with certainty,” Seth said in a low tone. “We’ll never make it far without trust. Luckily, I know a good bonding exercise.”
“I shudder to think what an assassin considers bonding,” Eleos said.
“Training. Every loss is a secret owed.” Seth smiled cheekily. “Are you in, scholar? I doubt you know your way around a blade.”
“So, we’ll beat the answers out of one another?” Eleos sighed. “Mistress Seraphim will be thrilled.”
“Ah. . .” I swallowed nervously. “I’ve never been trained to fight before. Does it hurt?”
Seth eyed me like I was a lost puppy. “That might be the cutest thing I’ve heard a hardened criminal say.”
I exhaled with frustration. “I’m a con woman. We don’t knife people in back alleys. We’re thieves with class.”
He dropped the reins and held up his hands. “I didn’t mean any offense. Training leaves us all with bruises. But you’ll be grateful for them when you survive your first fight.” Grabbing his horse, he returned to Whisper’s side.
Nudging the mare forward, I caught up to Eleos. He glared at Seth before looking up at me. “Are you doing alright, Lady Aethra?”
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “Do you sense something. . . off in Seth’s emotions?”
“The opposite.” Eleos stared at the man’s dark shape through the trees. “He’s put up walls that keep me out, save for surface-level thoughts. Only intense training can repel psyches.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not in itself. But nobody trains for that unless they have something to hide, and a very good reason to keep it hidden.”
“Found it!” Seth called. “This way.”
Eleos swung himself into the saddle and took the reins. Whisper must have picked the trail back up; the hound flew through the underbrush, tail pointed skyward.
A familiar sensation bloomed in my chest: unease and nostalgia. A strange cocktail of emotions that made me feel both like a small child and a woman moments from facing her death. Writhing beneath the growing pain, I gritted my teeth.
“Stop!” I hissed.
Seth whistled to Whisper, calling the dog back. He turned to me, but froze. In the silence, we all heard the same thing: men speaking and twigs cracking.
Leaping off his horse, Seth tied it to a nearby tree and crept forward, taking shelter behind a trunk and peering into the darkness.
“Stay here,” Eleos whispered. He moved to dismount, but turned back to me. “Do you trust me?”
“For the moment, why?”
“Because I’m worried about you.” He gently brushed my cheek, and for a moment, I thought he intended to kiss me. Leaning forward, he cupped my face in his hands and pressed his forehead to mine.
A strange sensation sparked between us, a slight pain beneath the surface. Releasing me, he leaned back.
“Can you hear me?”
I started, realizing his mouth had not moved. He’d spoken into my mind.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Dismounting, he hurried after Seth.
Eleos’ voice rang against my skull, jarring but not unpleasant. I touched my head. Psyches were more dangerous than anyone had led me to believe. Closing my eyes, I tried to think at him.
“Could we do this all the time?”
“No. It’s taxing for both of us.” He responded, though his shadow had disappeared into the trees.
“Can you hear all my thoughts right now?”
“Only if you shout them at me.”
Trying to put a clamp on my whirling mind, I caught my breath, deciding how I felt about this revelation. A useful skill, to be sure, but I didn’t trust anyone enough to let them fully into my mind.
Wincing, I leaned forward, hoping to make out anything in the dark. A horrible realization struck me: Seraphim still had the Bloodstone. We had no defense against the Empty.
Pulling my leg over the saddle, I managed to drop off the horse, though the landing sent painful reverberations through my wounds. Catching myself on the tree, I tied the mare’s reins to Seth’s and limped after the men, crouching beside Eleos. He didn’t look surprised to see me.
“Stubborn one.” He spoke into my mind. “Just stay behind us, alright?”
Shadows danced in the distance. I could make out four or five men in the glade ahead, one kneeling or perhaps forced to his knees and bound. The distortion in my chest grew, suffocating me.
Seth pressed his back to the tree and motioned for Whisper to lie down. “Now we wait.” He whispered.
The guards quickly finished the unpleasant work. Two seemed nervous, eagerly backing away from the glade, hands on the hilt of their blades. One turned around and perhaps gave an order. Two men practically turned tail and fled, the third marching behind them.
The fourth remained, standing before the bound captive. If he felt guilt, said a prayer, or spat in Percy’s face, I couldn’t hear. Eventually, he turned away and hurried to join his brethren.
Seth waited until the sounds of their footsteps disappeared. Bolting from our hiding spot, he drew his dagger and rushed to Percy’s side. Eleos motioned for me to remain behind, but my fears over the damnable rock we didn’t have sent me chasing after them.
Eleos’ lantern illuminated the chains bolting Percy to a stump, the splotches of blood on his face, and a gash across his brow. Relief flooded his face when he saw us. “Seth!” He whispered. “I can explain.”
Grabbing the chains, Seth scanned them for a lock. “You idiot. I don’t need an-”
“We’re in danger,” Percy panted. “Someone targeted me. He knew who I was. Knew who you were.”
Shit. Another snap sounded behind us, and I whipped around, scanning the trees.
Slitting his palm, Seth drew blood and shaped it into a thin pick. Biting his lip, he fitted the makeshift lockpick into the shackles.
Overcome with a mix of emotions, I backed into Eleos. “What’s wrong?” He whispered.
The Empty loomed behind us, a terrifying few paces away. Blinking my eyes, I realized the oppressive dark behind Percy wasn’t the night: every living thing ceased at the edge of a cliff and disappeared into the void.
“Got it,” Seth muttered, pulling the shackles loose and helping Percy to his feet.
Bloody vines shot through the underbrush, wrapping around us like a constricting viper. Eleos pulled me back as they surged through the air, blocking our way forward and back.
The nobleman in red stepped from the darkness, blood dripping from his palm. His sage green eyes gazed at me with disappointment through his concealing mask.
“You just had to run, didn’t you?”