Chapter 22 #2
Sometimes I wondered if Percy wasn’t the most dangerous of our group.
“This way.” Seraphim spun around the corner, and Seth followed.
Grabbing onto his cloak to steady myself, I twisted my head. “Put me down!”
“No.” He responded curtly.
“I’m fine! You’re making this more difficult than it needs to be.”
From what little of his face I could see, a smirk tugged at his lips.
Seth was enjoying this.
Resigning myself, I went limp, dangling despondently as they fled through the halls, footsteps echoing on the stone.
Seraphim stopped at a set of heavy wood doors. “I need to get the stone. Meet up with Eleos.”
“What?” I asked, twisting to look at her from my unflattering position.
“I need to be seen, if I’m to bear the weight of the crime,” she said. “I’ll be fine. Go.”
“Good luck,” Seth said, pushing through the doors. Seraphim darted away, and I lost sight of her.
The music ceased. Though it had seemed faint, distant, I could instantly tell Percy’s spell had faded—the tug on my heart vanished, and the ensuing silence felt deafening.
Seth set me down, and the world spun for a moment. We stood in the gardens Eleos and I had passed through earlier, their lanterns barely beating back the depths of night.
“Why’d you put me down?” I asked, following him across the grass.
“To take you on a romantic stroll before I roughly shove you into a carriage,” he said.
“I didn’t take you for a gentleman.”
“All the best thieves are,” he said with a smile, moments before stalking toward me like a hungry wolf.
“Seth?” I managed to get out.
He pushed me against the temple wall, slamming a hand beside my head. “What were you thinking?” He growled, cupping my chin and lifting my face.
Eyes widening, I met his gaze. His dark brows wrinkled in anger, and his black waves hung like curtains around his face.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I told you not to reveal your magic, and you went and told the bloody Grand Cleric.”
“What was I supposed to do? We were about to be thrown in the dungeons!”
“We could have escaped, with the world none the wiser to your predicament.”
“Or we wouldn’t have.” I set my jaw, reading between his words. “What do you mean ‘predicament?’”
Seth’s red eyes darted around my face. “Your magic is not a blessing. It’s a curse.
” Shifting closer, he lowered his voice.
“I knew someone with your magic. Do you know why you’ve never heard of her?
” His fingers dug into the stone wall. “Because she’s gone.
Torn apart by the very thing she was supposed to wield. ”
He spoke of someone he loved. A family member, or a lover. Grief had fractured his voice when he’d asked me to keep my magic secret—he’d buried someone who hadn’t. No wonder he’d been horrified, the day I’d discovered my abilities.
Seth feared the same fate would befall me.
Touching his cheek, I forced him to meet my eyes. “I’m sorry. But I can’t shy away from my magic just because of what might happen.”
Relaxing, Seth’s hand slipped from the wall. “We’ll be in Duath Nun soon, and it won’t matter that they know. Godsdammit,” he cursed. “Why did it have to be you?”
“Why not? Better a nobody like me than someone of worth.”
“Someone of worth? Aethra, you’re—” He bit his lip, cutting himself off.
Pressing a hand into his chest, I pushed him away. “We’re fleeing a temple full of knights, remember? We can argue about this later.”
Snapping to attention, Seth looked around. “Percy’s song . . .”
“You only just noticed?” I picked up my skirt and darted around him.
“Oh, no, you don’t.” Seth stalked after me. “This is a kidnapping, not a romantic stroll.”
“You just said it was a romantic—” I turned and gasped, managing only to take a single step back before he grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder again.
“Seth!” I hissed, curling my fingers into his cloak.
Ignoring me, he ducked between two trees, and I flinched as branches swung past my face.
A black shape darted through the grass, scaring me half to death before I realized it was Whisper. The hound happily greeted his master, who shooed him off.
“Take us to Eleos, boy.”
Turning around, Whisper led us back to the temple road where our horses were tied up under the shade of an enormous tree. Athena raised her head and shook her white mane when she saw me, tail swishing.
Eleos was untying the horses, oblivious to our presence until we were upon him. “Lady Aethra!” He said, voice strained with worry. “Are you alright? When you weren’t in your room. . .”
A flood of emotions rushed through me at the sight of him. Curiosity, concern, relief. Fear. But mostly, I heard two words echo in the back of my mind.
‘I’m not.’
“Cover your face,” Seth ordered. “You can’t be seen.”
“Why not?”
“You’re not one of the kidnappers.” Seth pulled me off his shoulder and boosted me onto Athena’s back.
Eleos looked between us, nodding. Maybe he’d read my mind. Grabbing a spare cloak from his saddlebag, he covered his clergy colors and lowered the cowl around his face.
The trees near the garden rustled as Percy burst through. He sprinted to Seth’s side and doubled over to catch his breath. “My spell worked a little too well.”
“Good.” Seth turned toward the Temple doors. With a heavy scrape, they opened, and knights in blue surcoats flooded out. “Sorry, princess,” he said.
Mounting behind me, Seth twisted my arms behind my back and pushed me down, making it look—and feel—more like he’d slung me roughly over the saddle, rather than daintily helped me up.
Gritting my teeth, I stared behind us, watching the flood of knights scramble to grab their own mounts and give chase. A few drew their bows and aimed for our heads.
Athena reared as an arrow landed in the dirt at her feet.
“Where’s Seraphim?” Eleos asked.
“Stealing the stone,” Seth said, turning Athena toward the gates.
“Wait!” I gasped. “We can’t leave without her!”
Fire sparked in the distance, traveling up a tree rising behind the temple. Another roared to life beside it, glowing orange against the night. Sparks flew through the air, scattering like rain over the temple.
A few knights twisted to look at the fire. Their armor glowed red beneath the living flame that ascended the heavens before sharply descending upon them.
Great wings of blood and fire cleaved through the black of night and slammed into the temple road in a great conflagration. Seraphim rose from the embers, the wings retracting into her back before crumbling into ash. Spinning on her heel, she darted toward her horse.
I lost sight of her as Seth urged Athena into a gallop. We flew through the gates, the sound of pursuit hot on our heels. Bells rang urgently through the Temple yard, fading into the distance as we rushed through dark streets.
Seth released me and helped me sit up. Wrapping my arms around Athena’s neck, I turned to see Percy racing alongside us, mounted on the little red mare.
“What’s going on?” He shouted. “This was supposed to be a simple escape.”
“Our luck’s never simple,” I said. “Seraphim’s kidnapping me and the stone. The temple is chasing us down.”
“What?” Percy gaped. “Why?”
“I cut a deal with the Grand Cleric.” I hesitantly glanced back at Eleos. “The world would collapse into chaos if they believed I was real, and the end was nigh. I offered a solution to help us both—heretical thieves, stealing the stone.”
“Oh.” Percy blinked. “You know who they’re going to send to kill us, right? They’re going to send my father.”
“Who they send doesn’t matter. If we outpace them to Cynthus, we’ll cross the river to Duath Nun, and the chase will end.”
“It’s a good plan,” Eleos agreed. “Assuming we don’t get caught in Cynthus.”
“We’ll need to hide our presence,” I said. “Nobody can see us enter. Seraphim.” I called, searching for her behind us. A fresh wound bloodied her cheek. “Can your brother help smuggle us in?’
“Why ask him?” She called back. “We’ll petition the Guild.”
I sat back, wondering if that was a bad idea. The masked nobleman had worked alongside them and ordered them to attack us. Had they been paid mercenaries or loyal servants?
Percy leaned forward, scowling. “Oh, this’ll be interesting.”
Offering Percy a reassuring smile, I turned my head and caught Eleos’ eye. Before I had a chance to read his expression, I quickly looked away, staring at Athena’s thick mane instead, studying every strand of blonde hair.
I didn’t want to see what Eleos was thinking, what expression he wore. I wanted to shrink into the saddle and disappear.
My emotions were ridiculous. The temple knights sought our heads, and the world itself might be ending, but the heartache throbbing in my chest was all that seemed to matter.