Page 16

The sun begins to rise as we leave, and I am reluctant to blink as the oranges, reds, and purples fill the sky.

My mouth hangs open in awe. “Did the King have you so locked up in that castle you never saw a sunrise?” Ledger asks, glancing at me.

“I had a lot of late nights, and I’m not much of an early riser, though I have seen a sunrise before. Never one quite as beautiful as this one.”

“Where I am from, they are like this fairly often.”

“Do you always wake early?” I ask genuinely curious.

“Since I was a boy,” he answers before pausing.

When I peer up at him, he looks like he is debating if he should continue.

“I used to get up early to watch the sunrise with my mother. She believed there was no problem that could defeat a sunrise. She’d always tell me that they represented a new beginning, a new opportunity to live life, breathe freely, to love.

She would then bask in the sun for hours claiming there was no other way she would appreciate the break that night brought.

” A genuine smile breaks out on his face as he speaks, revealing the dimple on his cheek that halts my breath.

His face glows with the reflection of the sky. The only thing I can think is no sunrise could ever rival him with that rare smile. A flutter erupts in the pit of my stomach at the sight of him, and I struggle to look away.

Fearing he will catch me, I take a mental picture of him and force my stare back at the now brilliant, crimson hues.

“When I arrive in the kingdom, I may have to wake early to lay my eyes upon them. I can’t think of anything more important in a day that would justify the loss of something so breathtaking.

” I had no idea if I was still talking about the sunrise.

“I can guarantee you will not be disappointed,” he remarks, staring ahead.

The day passes mercifully uneventfully; we stop a few brief times to tend to the horses and eat some small rations of food. My thighs ache from the long hours and hard saddle.

It’s an effort to convince myself back on Apollo each time we stop. I bite back moans of pain as my joints and muscles bark angrily at me.

“Just a few more hours, blondie.” Ledger’s voice comes from behind me, and I nearly whimper at the word ‘hours. ’

“Oh, that’s all? I can’t imagine why we’d stop at all; this is so enjoyable.” The sarcasm in my voice is thick.

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Ledger responds, and I have to stop myself from turning around to see the pop of his dimple.

We ride for another hour when a sense of unease comes over me. The woods turn eerily quiet as we pass through them.

“Is there another way we can go?” I scan the trees wearily. “I have a bad feeling.”

Ledger’s body goes stiff behind me as he surveys for danger. The horses slow; they bristle as we stop, and everyone’s hands start to move to their weapons as they scan the trees.

A tree branch snaps, and my eyes flicker to the sound. The blood drains all the way to my legs, leaving a trail of ice in its wake as I take them in.

Creatures stand on massive, sharp, clawed paws.

Their short black hair shines red in the sunlight.

The arms are long and sinewy, their body packed with slabs of muscle.

They crouch, flexing and tensing their muscled thighs.

Huge horns protrude from each side of their heads and drool drips menacingly from the overbite of bottom fangs jutting from their lower jaw.

“Kerolu,” Archie exclaims, drawing his sword as others start to appear around us. “We need to try to distract them from the horses. If they manage to kill them, we are going to be fucked. ”

The clang of weapons being drawn has me reaching for the dagger I no longer possess. Mia dismounts her horse and notches an arrow into her bow in one fluid movement.

Ledger cautiously lowers himself off the horse and reaches for me as the creatures’ red, piercing eyes study us. They creep closer, sniffing the air.

I sit frozen, staring, terror working its way through my limbs. I hardly notice when Ledger gently brings me down and puts a dagger into my hand.

“Get to Cam, he will get you out of here, and if the Kerolu get anywhere near you, ram this straight into their skull.” His lips brush my ear as his hand closes my palm over the glittering dagger.

“Ledger,” I squeak as I count at least eight of the sinister creatures. These things make swimming with Maladra look appealing.

“Layla, there is no time to panic.” He draws his sword and shields me with his body. “Get. To. Cam.”

A siren-like noise pierces the air before the clearing in the woods becomes chaos. The already-spooked horses make a run for it. One Kerolu tracks their movement, bounding after them.

Mia begins to loose arrows at an impressive speed as the Kerolu bound towards us. Arrow after arrow hits the Kerolu she has her sights on, but it doesn’t slow until an arrow flies right into its eye .

Seconds after the arrow buries deep into its skull, the Kerolu drops, its lifeless body twitching.

Archie sends another careening into the air so fast it snaps the first tree it meets and slams into the one behind it. The Kerolu is stunned for a second before it recovers, charging in his direction.

Archie raises his hands, sending the sharp end of the broken tree into a Kerolu’s stomach. The tree branch cuts clean through its torso, the pointy end sticking out of its thick, furry back, dripping blue blood.

My palms sweat as I grip the dagger so hard my knuckles turn white. The scene in front of me ensues in slow motion, and I watch in horror. I only remember Ledger’s words when a Kerolu comes bounding towards me, its red eyes angry and locked in.

I swivel around, frantically searching for Cam. He is dodging a Kerolu, disappearing and reappearing behind it, swiping his sword into its side.

There is a clash behind me as Ledger intercepts the Kerolu coming for me.

Rocks careen around, knocking the Kerolu off balance. This distraction is enough for Ledger to brandish his sword right at the creature’s neck skillfully. His movements are sure and strong and hit their mark, decapitating it. Dark, navy blood spurts into the air.

My stomach sours, my mouth watering, a gag working its way up my throat at the sight. I force myself to turn away and take a deep breath, trying to quell the nausea. I do not have time to be sick; I must get to Cam.

Archie is now at Cam’s side; his movements are incredibly fast. He slashes at a huge Kerolu, making contact a few times, splattering his face in navy droplets.

Cam takes one strong swipe at the Kerolu, but its head swipes up, the sharp horn tip plunging right through his arm.

He grimaces in pain, yanking his arm from where it is impaled by the Kerolu’s horn. Archie yells something to Cam, and his head snaps up, meeting my panicked gaze.

We run for each other almost instantly. He reaches his hand out to me when we are close enough and mine meets his. The second our skin touches, the world goes black, and a moment later, comes rushing back.

My head is spinning as I orient myself. We are only about fifteen feet away from the mayhem. “Sorry.” Cam’s breathless voice comes from next to me. “I can’t teleport far when I have someone with me and am under pressure.”

Before I can answer, Cam grabs my hand again, blackness taking over before we reappear. He does this two more times before he is satisfied with how far away we are from the Kerolu.

We are both trying to catch our breath as he turns to me. “Stay here, Layla; I must go back to help. We need you and your powers so please stay quiet and hidden. I’ll come get you as soon as it’s safe. ”

I nod, not able to form words yet and he disappears.

Almost as soon as Cam vanishes, a rustling comes from a few feet away. I freeze, straining to hear, and shakily lift my dagger, desperately trying to coerce myself into turning towards the noise.

Heart racing, I ever so slightly turn my head, my body poised to strike. I nearly sob with relief when I see Apollo.

“You scared the shit out of me.” I take a few steps towards him, realizing his reins are stuck on a tree branch. His eyes are wild, and he is trying to pull himself free.

I follow his stare to see the Kerolu from earlier that had run after the horses.

“Just great,” I mumble to myself. “I suppose you don’t want to be friends?” I call to the creature. “I could heal you, and you could give me a cute little seashell and send me on my way?”

That gods-awful siren screech is all I get in response, the drool from its mouth peppering the air. It moves first, its strong thighs sending it hurtling through the air towards Apollo. I yank his reins free, and he blots.

I careen around, racing as fast as I can through the trees. I feel the rush of air on my neck as the creature lands behind me. The pounding of my heart thrums through my ears. The greens and browns of the woods blur my vision as I run.

A scream rips from my throat as the Kerolu barrels into me. I hit the ground with such force the breath is knocked from my lungs. My head pings off the ground, making my ears sing.

I don’t even get a second of reprieve before the creature locks its horrible jaws around my thigh.

It’s gnarled serrated teeth dig deep into the muscle of my leg drawing fresh rivulets of crimson.

Its eyes are wild, unseeing, lost in bloodlust. My body jostles as it shakes its neck in an animalistic predatory way.

White spots fill my vision as the pain laces through me. The dagger in my hand gleams in the sunlight as red, beady eyes lock with mine. My thoughts are empty as I slam the dagger as hard as I can into its fleshy neck.

Its head snaps to the side, its bloodied teeth scraping across my thigh. It wails in pain, and I can barely feel my own as I scramble to my feet.