CHAPTER 29 #3
I grabbed Ares’ mane and gripped as hard as my singed hands would let me.
Ares picked up speed, flaring his enormous wings before pounding the air in unison.
My heart dropped into my stomach as he launched us into the air, the sound of his hooves disappearing below us.
I squeezed my eyes shut at the flip-flopping sensation my stomach was currently experiencing as a weightless feeling took over my entire body.
I opened my eyes and peered down at Zendryk, who was still on the ground, but was running, while another Pegasus, a completely black one, ran up beside him.
He grabbed onto its mane and propelled his feet off the ground, pulling himself upwards onto its back right before it took flight behind us.
Ares slowed his speed, allowing them to catch up.
“We need to get a better view of the manor, see where they are coming from, or if anyone needs help. Stay close.” Protective asshole, but I liked this version of him.
I always had to fend for myself or take care of my mother back home; having someone looking out for me was not a bad thing.
Ares let Zendryk's Pegasus take the lead and then fell back behind it. He flew high enough that we were hidden, but low enough that we could still see. Billows of black smoke rose into the sky from the fire, and people were fleeing in every direction. The willow tree remained unharmed, and from here, you couldn’t see anyone under its branches.
I breathed in a sigh of relief knowing that Maya was safe.
A scream erupted from below us on the front steps of the manor, and Zendryk held tight as his Pegasus banked to the right; I gripped Ares’ mane tighter in anticipation of him following.
One of the Soulless had a young woman by the neck, and her hands dropped to her sides.
The creature released her lifeless body; the thud of it slamming into the ground could be heard from here.
It had drained her of her life. Ares kept us away, as Zendryks swooped down from behind and, in one clean swoop, removed the creature's head from its body. It didn’t even have time to react.
The body fell to the ground, and the head rolled behind it, as Zendryk flew back towards me.
We flew around the manor a couple more times to ensure the threat was gone before landing by the willow tree. Zendryk helped me off Ares, my legs shaky from the long ride, and I was grateful to be on solid ground again. I moved to stand in front of the Pegasus.
“Thank you,” I whispered as I ran my hand down his nose and pressed my forehead to his. “I’ll make sure to bring extra mints the next time I see you.”
He nickered and grabbed at the loose strands of my hair before turning and running off, taking flight into the moonlit sky.
Smoke still painted the sky, but guests from the party had all pitched in to help put out the fire.
Although the stables would not be salvageable, they still had to smother the flames before the manor caught fire.
I ran under the tree, looking for Maya; she sat with her back against its trunk, comforting a young girl.
I gave her a small, tentative smile of relief, which she gratefully returned.
Standing over the girls sitting around the base of the tree was Ulric.
Zendryk made his way over to him and embraced him, wrapping their arms around one another.
Their bond was strong, and seeing their embrace after the attack was heartwarming.
Zendryk and Ulric had an intense discussion about the Soulless until the guards arrived to take us away.
The walk back was quiet, and the ground was littered with Soulless bodies, still releasing black mist into the air.
Among their mangled bodies were the bodies of servants, guests, and animals.
They took from whatever life source they could.
I stopped by the garden when the tiniest of casualties caught my eye; a fairy lay lifeless on the petal of a flower.
Its wings splayed along the ridges of the blossom, bent from the impact of falling.
I didn’t know if it was the stress from the evening or the sight of the helpless fairy, but I was overcome with emotions, and silent tears drifted down my cheeks.
We made our way into the manor, and it was not much better.
A guard came to Zendryk, and they weren’t even trying to keep their conversation hushed, but they didn’t have to; every mortal who witnessed tonight's massacre would forget it even took place.
I looked at Maya, wondering when her memory would be erased.
This was not fair; everyone had the right to know what threats they faced.
Without knowing, they were sitting ducks, helpless and waiting to become a source of life for another creature.
“The King and Queen are safe, sir. We managed to get them to the strongroom right away.” The guard shifted on his heels; his uniform was stained with black blood.
“Do we know how they got in?” Zendryk asked.
“Not yet, but we believe someone let them in. We had every available guard on duty.”
Zendryk's brows furrowed as he processed the information. “I want the guards on patrol doubled, if not tripled. See that it happens quickly. Pull from the other manors furthest from the northern border. We are the first line of defense to the rest of the kingdom, and I will not let it fall.”
He gave orders like he had been doing this his whole life. Well, he probably had been. His mother and father ran away into hiding and left him to fight their battles.
“There's one more thing, sir.” The guard said.
“What is it?”
The guard shifted and cleared his throat. “We managed to capture one…. Alive.”