Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Briar
The planet Karastar rose to fill the sky; it was so close it felt like I could stretch my hand out to caress its red and yellow rings. Its vast seas were a brilliant blue against the black night; their vibrant hue reminded me of the former color of Seth’s eyes.
We hadn’t spoken again since leaving the caster kingdoms behind. Other than stopping at a river so the horses could drink, we’d had no breaks either.
While we were stopped, Seth removed a bar of soap from his saddle bag and vanished around a bend. The other three shifters remained with me.
Their taciturn nature was unnerving, but I tried not to let that show as I drank some water and pet the horses. The punctures in my hands had healed, but they were still sore when I flexed them.
When Seth returned, his hair was wet, and the scorched mark on his shoulder had faded completely.
However, all his exposed skin was a vivid shade of red from scrubbing it raw.
Sadness filled me as I suspected he was trying to rid himself of any lingering memory of the harem; my arms ached to hold and comfort him, but he’d probably shove me on my ass if I tried.
Instead, I stood helplessly by as he returned the soap, lifted me off the bank of the river, and set me on his horse again. The fresh scent of allspice from his soap wafted from him when he settled behind me again.
As night fell, the horse continued its steady trek against the desert of No Man’s Land. It had been ten years since I stepped foot in this wasteland, and while I had many good memories of it, my last memory of this place was the worst one I had, and I’d never wanted to return here.
Unfortunately, we had to cross it to enter Wildwood. I stifled a yawn as I tried to ignore the soreness in my ass and thighs. I’d never spent this much time on a horse before, and I felt it everywhere.
I didn’t say that; I hadn’t spoken this entire time and wouldn’t start now, even though I had to use the bathroom so badly my bladder cramped. I’d have to say something soon, as it would be more humiliating to pee all over the horse.
Throughout the ride, I’d learned the other shifters were named Dromon, Pierce, and Lyra, not because they talked to me, but because they’d talked to each other and taken turns to ride ahead and scout the area.
Seth didn’t ride ahead; I suspected it was because I was the one they were trying to keep hidden.
Seth wanted as much time with me as possible before my mother arrived. I wondered how he’d feel when he realized I was telling the truth about the curse, but he’d probably think I was lying.
To distract myself from my growing need to pee, I tried to figure out how my mother learned about our plans, but I still didn’t know. I’d never talked about them with anyone other than Seth; I’d never so much as whispered them to myself or written them down anywhere.
I’d been gathering supplies, maybe she’d notice that, but she still wouldn’t have known our plan to run away to the sea together or the route we’d take. In all the years since I last saw Seth, she never mentioned her knowledge to me, nor did anyone else.
I’d always assumed that day had been a stroke of extremely bad luck for us. I’d been so excited to see Seth and finally be free that I’d messed up, and someone had seen me slipping away and decided to follow.
But if what Seth said was true, and he had no reason to make it up, then our discovery was more than a horrific slip up by me. It had been something far worse. I just didn’t know what it could be, and if I didn’t figure it out, then it could happen again.
Sighing, I studied the sky as Karastar’s yellow moon moved out from behind the planet to become fully visible.
Our own moons weren’t visible yet, but soon the red, blood moon and the silver, wolf moon would rise.
I searched the billions of stars for familiar constellations, seeking something comforting.
Seth and the others stayed away from the ruins of the fallen kingdom to avoid anyone seeing us, but the towering remnants of the once beautiful palace stuck up in jagged formations from the sand. The distant monoliths were familiar and strange all at once.
There was a time when I knew every inch of the demigods’ lost kingdom of Aethelgard, but it was now as unfamiliar to me as the stiff man against my back.
Karastar’s yellow moon illuminated the skeletal remnants of the kingdom that was once the central hub of all the others.
That was before the seven remaining kingdoms turned against the demigods and destroyed them.
They formed the tribunal afterward to keep the other kingdoms in line and to present a united front, though it was mostly a show.
It had been thousands of years since Aethelgard fell, and the demigods were eradicated—or not, if the rumors held any truth—but the kingdoms still didn’t trust each other.
I didn’t see any reason why they should. Every one of them would stab another in the back if it meant more power for them.
We soon left the remnants of the palace behind for a flat desert that spread out for miles in all directions. Eventually, those flat areas turned into rolling dunes of sand.
Beneath the horses’ hooves and layers of sand were the remnants of a once thriving village.
I’d read some of Aethelgard’s history; it was once a beautiful land full of lush grass, towering trees, and plants full of vibrant blooms cascading onto the walkways, homes, and lands.
It was a bustling place filled with demigods and eternals from all the kingdoms.
The books described the homes as quaint cottages with flowers, shrubs, bountiful fruit trees, and farm animals. It was said to be a tranquil kingdom… until it wasn’t.
The last ruler of Aethelgard, a demigod named Uteus, had gotten greedy and decided that since demigods were the most powerful eternals in all the kingdoms, they should control everything and everyone.
The eternals from other kingdoms, who were living in Aethelgard at the time, fled from his frightening powers and tyrannical views. And while the demigods were the most powerful of all eternals, they weren’t powerful enough to fight off the combined might and abilities of the other seven kingdoms.
The war waged for less than a year, but when it ended, Aethelgard was in ruins and the demigods were eradicated. Rumors abounded that some of them had survived the war and lived in hiding, but I’d never encountered one or met anyone who had.
However, I’d only ever been to Nightshade and No Man’s Land; maybe they did still exist somewhere else. It was an intriguing and unsettling possibility.
After another hour of riding, my burning eyes kept drifting closed before opening again. My chin fell to my chest as the rocking motion of the horse lulled me further; if I fell asleep, I was afraid my too-full bladder would let go.
Not only that, I couldn’t sleep while they remained awake. I’d never feared Seth before, but I was very aware that enemies surrounded me.
This change of events was a form of torture. For years, I’d yearned for the warmth of Seth’s arms again, and now that I had them around me once more, they were so cold and impersonal it was like a stranger held me.
That’s because he is a stranger, I reminded myself. He doesn’t even go by Seth anymore.
That cold reality was a form of hell I never could have seen coming over all the many years I’d dreamed of finding him again. I’d anticipated resentment, distance, and a change, but never hatred and an entirely different man.
I shifted to ease some of the soreness in my legs. I froze when the movement pressed more on my bladder and bit back a whimper.
Ask to stop! They’re not going to let you piss yourself.
But what if they do?
I couldn’t endure the humiliation of asking and then not being allowed to go. Besides, everything was wide open around us; there was nowhere for me to hide from their watchful eyes.
When the mount crested the top of a dune and descended, trees came into view. The towering structures were inky shadows against the night, and their thick canopies entangled with each other to create a blanket that blocked the moon.
I’d never seen trees so large before, and my head tipped back so I could ogle them as we passed from the desert into the woods.
Unseen creatures scurried through the branches, their claws scraping the bark and their chitters accompanying us.
Insects sang in the underbrush, but while they created their own music, the forest was oddly hushed.
Thick vines dangled from many of the trees, so the horses had to navigate around them.
Some of the trees had roots extending from their branches; they dug into the earth to create a stronger structure for the trees that had to be ridden around or steered through.
The air was redolent with pine, decaying leaves, and the musk of the creatures who lived here.
I’d never been to the kingdom before, but I knew we’d entered Wildwood. Only the land of the shifters could be this riotous and massive.
Which meant I’d entered a kingdom full of more shifters who probably hated me as much as these four. My exhaustion vanished as the horses plodded onward.