AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Why did you call her that?" I asked. "Hemathea. Did she pay you to do this?"
"She is a powerful hemitheos, and leads us," Luther explained. He made his hands into stirrups. "She can't be queen or empress, so she is Hemathea."
I stepped onto his hands. "What if she wasn't a woman?"
"Then a Hematheo would lead." Luther pushed me up onto a tall, pale coloured horse.
"Why do you all wear black?" I settled into my saddle while he flashed me a smile.
"It makes us look mysterious."
I arched an eyebrow at him.
He chuckled. "We don't dress like this normally, just when we have an important mission. It's too hot this far south to wear it too much."
"We're not here for a social visit, Luther," Helene said dryly.
"Sorry, Hemathea." Luther gave me a wink and hurried onto his own mount.
Helene turned her horse south and kicked it forward.
Luther followed her example and my mount plodded after his.
I wondered what would happen if the horse went in a different direction, but the answer was obvious. The power would pull me off into the dirt.
Still, I was tempted to try, but Luther slowed to let my animal walk beside his.
I glanced back, but saw no one following. If there was anyone, it would only be Helene's armed men anyway. Dex and the others were probably on their way back to the city, or continuing on to the dragon caves, without so much as a second thought about me.
The idea made me fume, but I forced the anger aside. It wouldn't help me now.
"We're heading inland, in case you're worried about dragons. They shouldn't bother us there." Luther smiled as if we were old friends and not captor and captive.
"It sounds as though you're capable of managing if they attack us," I remarked. I focused on the space between my horse's ears. I didn't want to like him, but his smile was infectious. If I looked away, it was easy to remind myself he was the enemy.
"We are, but they can be daunting," he replied lightly. "And that was one. If several came after us, we may find ourselves in Hades's hands. Literally."
"You believe in Hades? She doesn't." I jerked my head toward Helene, who seemed to be ignoring us.
"The Hemathea is a heathen," Luther whispered loudly.
"I believe in gods older than Hades," Helene said without turning her head. "With age comes wisdom."
"Helene is very wise." Luther chuckled.
She turned in her seat to give him a look which made him fall silent. Apparently she didn't have a sense of humour.
Luther wasn't silent for long. He launched into a monologue about dragons and our journey south.
I only half listened, although I was curious about our destination.
"Where are we going?" I asked, while Luther stopped to take a breath. When he didn't respond, I guessed. "Slade's place? A hole in the wall that leads out of the Vault?" Helene said they weren't working with Slade, but I was trying to provoke a response, any response which might give me some answers.
"He won't tell you," Helene said.
"Because you won't let him," I presumed.
"Because I don't know," Luther said. He didn't appear to be bothered by that.
