Page 18

CHAPTER 18

T he descent down the mountain was anything but graceful. With Lander’s arm to help support me, we did our best not to tumble in the snow down the precipitous terrain. We chose the way down that seemed the quickest, yet unfortunately, was the steepest. Each groan from the guards echoed in my ears, the smell of blood sticking to the insides of my nostrils as if it’d never leave.

If we fell, there would be no stopping as we careened down the side of the mountain. The guards assisted one another, grabbing onto arms if one nearly slipped or supporting the men with the worst injuries. Out of the twenty-three that accompanied us at the time of the ambush, only four remained, not including Paxon, Lander, and myself. That left us with a total of seven people. All of our belongings had been burned, the horses shot with arrows, leaving us only with our bodies and the clothes on our backs.

Once we finally reached the bottom, I could see the desert terrain close ahead through the haze of fog and sprinkle of snow. As I’d come to find on our journey, the landscape changed abruptly from one biome into the next. The immediate warmth of the desert would be a relief after the frozen tundra we were currently stuck in.

My ankle was throbbing, though the snow helped numb some of the pain. My feet were beyond frozen, having lost feeling in them ages ago. The only thing that propelled me forward was the promise of warmth and the hope of getting off my injury.

“Almost there, Auria,” Lander muttered close to my ear. He was shivering all the same, his jacket ripped on one side and his shirt wet from the flakes of snow. I didn’t have the energy to check behind us to see if all four of the guards remained following. Paxon was ahead of us, and by the look of his gait, he seemed barely affected by the elements. If he was hurt at all during the ambush, he didn’t show it.

What had to be nearly an hour later, we finally reached the desert. As soon as we passed from the snow to the sand, my body began to thaw. The telltale smell of the warm sun baking over the ground did little to overpower the sickening scent of blood. The sand was somehow thicker than the snow, and trailing my useless foot through the terrain was no longer working. With each step, the sand put resistance on my ankle, pulling at the limb. With the injury thawing from the snow, I no longer had the frigid temperatures on my side. The throb became insistent, a pulse of pain ricocheting up my leg with each beat of my heart.

“Wait,” I whispered. I could barely catch my breath or muster the strength to speak any louder.

“We have to keep going,” Lander said, barely sparing me a glance.

At his words, my body gave up. The light pressure I’d been putting on my ankle was too much, and my knee buckled. Lander’s grip slipped from my shoulders, and I landed in the sand with a thud, my hands out in front of me to prevent my face from planting itself in the warm ground. My fingers dug into the coarse sand, the particles covering my nails.

Lander quickly crouched next to me as I worked to take in air. The adrenaline was still coursing through my body with the danger that had presented itself to us, and now we were exposed without the snow cover. There couldn’t only be one group of bandits out here, and it was clearly no secret we were traveling. If their hatred for my father ran that deep, surely I was a bigger target than he’d initially thought I’d be.

Lander set a hand on my shoulder as Paxon turned and barked, “We won’t make it there like this.”

“I just need a minute,” I choked out. A million needles prickled up my leg, and I wasn’t even sure if the pain was centered in my ankle anymore.

Footsteps shuffled through the sand, and then two hands grabbed my arms, hefting me up. I winced, muffling my groan as I used my hurt foot to balance myself.

“We need to cross this desert before nightfall or we’re all dead,” Paxon said, his voice stern, leaving no room for argument.

“We can sleep in the desert, rest until morning, then get to whatever town you’re taking us to tomorrow,” I replied as Lander wrapped an arm around my waist. I leaned into him slightly, using him for support to take some of the weight off my ankle.

Paxon’s mouth was set in a thin line, judgment shining in his gaze. I knew the look well. “We won’t survive the night in the desert.”

“Why not?”

“There are creatures that hunt out here. Beings that should only appear in nightmares. They’ll smell all the blood from miles away and have a lovely midnight snack. Is that what you want?”

Monsters in the desert? Were they dragons or other creatures I had no knowledge of? My mind hazily went back to the night Lander said we were prey out here.

“No,” I admitted. But I wasn’t sure how he expected us to keep going at this pace. With the sun high in the sky, dusk had to be only hours away.

“Then let’s get moving,” he ordered, turning around to continue on his way.

It was so easy for him to keep pressing on with barely a scratch on his body. Even though Lander’s injuries weren’t visible to me, I could tell he was hurt. I glanced over my shoulder at the small group. The guards were much worse than the two of us, some still bleeding as they limped. One’s arm dangled freely at his side, another holding a soaked piece of clothing to his ribs where a wound openly flowed. I had no idea how long it would take us to cross the desert, but we’d certainly lose a few more of them. The ones with bleeding wounds were pale, their armor doing nothing to hide the aftermath of the ambush. With all our belongings destroyed, the vials had been ruined, too, leaving us with not a drop of healing magic.

Lander and I began walking again, following behind Paxon. The guards were farther back, and I honestly believed that if we lost some or all, Paxon wouldn’t hesitate to leave them. Over the course of our travels, I’d come to find that Paxon was not at all soft or able to lighten up like his brother. He was stern, always keeping us on course, where Lander wouldn’t mind taking a few hours to sit in a gambling hall and enjoy a drink or two.

Hours later, the sun began to kiss the horizon. Though we were still in the desert, we could see the approaching town in the distance. If we kept our pace, we’d just barely make it before darkness crawled over the land.

All around us, cacti sprouted from the sand, tumbleweeds rolling by them with each surge of wind. Lander had told me to keep an eye out for rattling, as the sound would alert us to any snakes. We didn’t have such animals in Amosite, so while I didn’t know exactly what sound I was listening for, I kept silent just in case.

The cacti towered over the desert, three to four times the size of an average person. A particularly large one stood proud in the distance. Beside it, a smaller one sat, but with narrowed eyes, I quickly realized it wasn’t a plant. It was a person.

“Lander. Look.” I pointed in the direction, and he followed my finger. “Someone’s out there.”

He took a moment to find it, but once he did, his eyes widened, his body turning as stiff as the ice sculptures the dragon had created. “That’s not a person, Auria.”

“It has to be,” I said, studying it further. But upon closer inspection, I could tell he was right. It was a shadowed figure floating at least a foot off the ground, watching us from afar. Its form blew with the breeze, tendrils of dark strands casting out to the side of it, but it didn’t move.

“Will it attack us?” I asked, suddenly feeling the danger as if it was the very blood in my veins.

“Not until the sun is gone.” He tore his gaze away from the creature, calling up to his brother. “Paxon.”

Paxon looked back at him, then followed where Lander’s finger was aimed toward the creature. The only indication that he saw it was the slight stiffening of his movements. “Pick up the pace,” he ordered.

I glanced back at the guards. They were farther behind than I had hoped, but they would make it. We’d only lost one of them so far, the guard falling due to blood loss. Attempting to carry him the rest of the way would have put the rest of us at risk. We’d made the decision to leave him behind after Paxon confirmed his pulse had stopped.

Keeping a wary eye on the creature, we approached the run-down town. The being didn’t make any moves toward us, staying in place as it hovered over the land rather than standing on the sand. I didn’t want to find out what it could do if it got to one of us after the sun sank behind the distant mountains that surrounded us.

With another glance at the creature, my eyes caught on a cluster of tiny dots in the distance. I tried to focus in on them, and with a narrowed gaze, it seemed to be a herd of livestock. But the animals didn’t look like the cows I’d seen in Sulphur. Instead, the brown mammals had slightly hunched backs and short legs, and I instantly recognized them from a book I’d read as a child.

They had to be bison, based on their shape. But they couldn’t be, could they? Bison had been extinct for years. I shook my head, blinking a few times to help focus. My vision was slightly blurry due to dehydration and the exhaustion that threatened to claim me. I had to be seeing things.

Coming up on the edge of the town, the sand turned to dirt, leaving the desert behind. Ahead, Paxon waited by one of the wooden buildings for us. Going in together was smarter than going in alone.

“I’ll do the talking,” he muttered as Lander and I reached him.

We both gave a nod. I didn’t think I’d be up for much chatting anyway.

We followed behind him as we entered the town, the guards only a few paces behind. The buildings lining the dirt street looked worn down, the wood stained with years of wear from the elements. Porches sat barely elevated above the ground, doors wide open with warm candlelight emanating from the insides. Even the air held a tinge of dirt, the distant smell of whiskey and cigar smoke laced with it. Just that alone made a sense of unease crawl up my spine, but even so, this was immensely better than the way the desert made me feel.

People bustled about, but they were dressed in clothes so unlike that of the kingdoms we’d previously visited. Everyone on the street before us was wearing something different, whether it be the colors or the way they layered their clothing. Some looked like they were a sort of guard, wearing black, dirt-stained outfits with boots that laced up their ankles and thick leather around their chests, which appeared to be some sort of armor. The others were dressed like everyday citizens with more worn, wrinkled fabric, neutral colors layered upon leather wrist pieces, boots, and the odd hat here or there, with a wide brim that went all the way around. Very few seemed concerned with their appearances, wearing cleaner clothing with their hair neatly styled. Though, despite the effort put into their appearances, it was still not as nice as I was used to.

A sun-bleached sea-green building stood tall on the right, catching my eye. A spiral staircase led up to the balcony where two women and a man were perched, leaning over the rails wearing clothes that left little to the imagination. They hollered down at the people walking the streets, some acknowledging them while others continued on their way.

We’d barely made it past one of the businesses when two men stepped out in front of us, stopping us in our tracks.

“State your business,” one of them demanded.

“My men are hurt,” Paxon said, his voice stiff with restraint. He clearly didn’t appreciate being ordered around. If the men blocking our path knew who we were, they didn’t indicate as much.

“That’s none of our concern. Turn around and continue on your way,” the other man ordered.

We wouldn’t make it if we did, not if what Paxon said was true. The shadow-figure was out there, waiting for us to be vulnerable, without light to protect us. I wondered if it would wreak havoc on this town, but the people didn’t seem too worried with the sun going down, so I assumed we’d be safe here. Safety was all we needed right now, at least for the night. I couldn’t let him turn us away.

“Please,” I begged, stepping out of Lander’s grasp. I put some weight on my ankle, ignoring the pain that shot up my leg as I limped forward. “We only need to stay until we’re well enough to travel.”

One of the men turned his attention on me while the other kept his eyes trained on Paxon, watching him closely. “We’re not a rest stop for royal folk like you.”

I came up beside Paxon, standing a few feet to his right. The pain in my ankle was a constant throb, but with being so used to it now, I could bear to put some weight on it. “Where is your king? Surely he will allow us to stay, if only for one night.”

The man snorted, shaking his head. “King or not, you’re not welcome here.”

My brows drew together. “I’m from Amosite, the daughter of King Tenere.” I nearly cringed saying the words aloud. “You aren’t a part of the other four kingdoms, so you must have your own leader here.”

He glanced at his equal, amusement dancing in his eyes as he crossed his arms, a sardonic smile cresting his lips. “This is Deadwood, sweetheart. There is no king.”

My mouth parted, but any words I’d been about to say were lost on my tongue. A town without a leader? Land without a king?

“Leave her alone, Billie,” a smooth, deep voice said from somewhere beside me.

I barely recognized it, my mind pulled in a hundred different directions, but as I turned to face the man who had spoken, realization hit me.

Bowen stood with his arms and ankles crossed, leaning a shoulder against a wooden post supporting an overhang over one of the porches. He was dressed similarly to how he’d been at my father’s castle, yet looked more so like the night of Exitium Lunae: lethally calm. Still, he exuded the same confidence as before, like danger appealed to him and he wasn’t afraid to give in to those urges. His dark hair was messy, as it’d been every time I’d seen him, and the black shirt he wore hugged the inked muscles of his biceps, stretching across his chest. His leather pants were tucked sloppily into his black boots, and as my eyes traveled back up his body, I found his focus homed in on me.

He unfolded his arms, stepping off the porch to approach Billie and the other man.

“Want me to scare them away?” Billie muttered, dropping his smile.

Bowen shook his head, facing me. He didn’t spare Paxon a glance. “What’s the problem here?”

I swallowed and attempted to hold my chin higher. If he was going to look to me for an explanation, I couldn’t cower.

But before I could answer, Paxon spoke up. “Bandits ambushed us.”

Bowen lazily moved his gaze to Paxon. “I asked the lady.”

Paxon’s jaw clenched as he held his tongue. Bowen looked at me again, raising a brow as if to say, Go on .

“We were attacked,” I answered.

His eyes trailed down the sullied dress that clung to my body. His perusing gaze paused when he reached my ankle peeking out from the torn fabric, the one I was currently trying to keep some weight off of.

“My people need rest before we can continue on our journey back to Amosite,” I added hurriedly.

Bowen looked me in the eyes again before regarding the guards behind me for the first time. The silence gnawed at me, and I worried he’d turn us away.

“You can stay until your guards are ready to move, but once they’re able to travel, you’re gone.” His penetrating gaze fell back on me. “Is that clear?”

I nodded. “Yes. Thank you. We won’t overstay our welcome.”

He didn’t acknowledge what I said as he left us standing there. I watched his back move under his shirt as he went, disappearing into a building and leaving us with the two men.

“Follow me,” Billie said, turning to head deeper into the town.

We did, the eyes of every passerby following us as we moved, and I wondered if this truly was the better choice than risking our lives in the desert overnight.

Only time would tell.