“No, but they have to leave eventually, and I’m not about to let Pride and War have all the fun of killing them.”
I wasn’t either. Smiling, I slid the sword into the scabbard on my back. I imagined how Bale would react when she saw it. She would want it back; I did not doubt it.
“Then let’s go join the fun,” I said.
* * *
Bale
“What is this?”Amalia asked as she gazed at the large building sitting in the middle of a grove of calamut trees.
Other buildings spread throughout the woods too, but most of the structures sagged and had pieces missing from them due to years of neglect. However, the brick building remained in good shape, considering the calamuts had many of their limbs resting against the roof.
“It was a school,” Hawk said. “I’m guessing an elementary school by the size of it.”
The single-story brick building had two wings jutting out from the center of it. In the right wing, candles danced in some of the windows. Laughter and music floated from that side of the building as someone danced past one of the windows. In the left wing, an occasional candle would ignite before going out, and one remained burning.
A tree nymph darted around the side of the building. Laughter trailed her as a large, lumbering demon chased her inside.
“The nymphs have turned it into their base of operations,” Lix said.
“What are they doing in an old school?” Aisling asked. “I thought they preferred the trees.”
“Even in the shelter of calamuts, it’s cold. The tree nymphs must have decided to move inside,” Magnus said as he ran a hand through his pale blond hair.
Amalia wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest. Her multicolored, reddish hair shimmered in the fire from the torch Hawk held. Other than the candles in the building, it was the only source of illumination as no moon or starlight pierced the thick canopy of calamut trees.
The towering trees were two to three times the size of the largest Earth trees. The flickering torchlight emphasized the evident ridges of their black bark. Their gnarled limbs twisted and bent as they vanished into the darkness overhead. The ripe prury fruit hanging from their limbs would fall soon.
Unlike the trees of Earth, the calamuts didn’t shed their leaves in the fall. They lost leaves throughout the year, but never went utterly barren. When a strong gust of wind blew through the forest, the massive leaves created gentle, flowing music as they swayed.
These trees didn’t tolerate any shit from anyone, they protected the nymphs, and they could slaughter us in less than a second. I’d seen the damage they could inflict, and I never wanted that kind of wrath unleashed on me.
“Inside does sound like a good place to be,” Corson said, and the bird earring dangling from his ear flashed when he tipped his head to the side. “I’d like somewhere warm to relax for a while. I’m sick of the cold.”
Wren playfully bumped his hip. “You’ve got to toughen up, demon, if you’re going to survive Earth.”
His orange eyes glittered with amusement when he grinned at her. “I’m tough. I just don’t understand how you humans tolerate the cold.”
Wren laughed. “Because, unlike you demons, we weren’t pampered in the bowels of Hell.”
A smile tugged at my lips, but I turned away from the happy couple when Corson kissed Wren’s forehead. I was extremely happy for my friend; he’d found love and a home on Earth, and if we defeated the horsemen, he would also find peace here.
For centuries, Corson and I fought together by Kobal’s side, and I considered him a good friend. He deserved the happiness he found here. They all did, even Magnus, who still irritated the shit out of me.
“Then let’s go,” Lix said. “I’m ready to have some fun with some tree nymphs.”
There was a renewed spring in Lix’s step as he all but skipped toward the doorway. The leaves of the calamuts rustled again, and though they wouldn’t attack unless they were provoked, I recognize the rustling for what it was… a warning.
If we did anything here, they would destroy us.
But then, that worked the other way too, which was why we traveled deeper into the calamut forest when we discovered it. We couldn’t fight here, but neither could anyone else. If someone tried something here, the calamuts would destroy them.
The safety of the trees was too tempting to resist, but sometimes the most tempting things were the worst.
Chapter Six
Bale
