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We looked around at each other. Much to my embarrassment, Callan was now back into his human form, entirely naked. I kept my eyes firmly trained on his face, not noticing one bit the way his toned muscles shifted as he moved, the dirt and grime of the forest battle only serving to make him look even more formidable.
“Let’s get out of here,” Oliver commanded as Nia tended to Aura’s injury. “Where are Varus and Lithia?”
‘I do not know, and frankly, I don’t care.’The fire in her words still burned, a pained look in her eyes as Nia’s water shone over her wound, working her magic. The pain quickly faded into relief, and I could see the drooping wing start to knit back together.‘They are a bonded pair. I don’t know why you thought it wise to bring two mated pagu on a mission, child. Especially that one.’
Varus, it had to be.
“I expected more from them,” Nia said sharply. Even though her words were firm, her healing hands never wavered. “Everyone deserves a second chance. I guess I was wrong.” She spit the words out like she was being forced, and I knew it took a lot for her to say it.
“I don’t understand,” I looked at Oliver and Callan, who both wore equal expressions of confusion that helped me feel a little less alone.
‘They used to have riders, at one point. Before they were mated. Their bonded ended up in a relationship together, and as they spent more time together, so did Varus and Lithia. They decided to mate, but on a raid gone wrong, both of their Marked were lost.’ Aura said forlornly, lost in her memories.
“That’s really sad.” The bond Nia had with her Aura seemed filled with love, even when they sometimes went at each other’s throats. At the end of the day, the others were still their first priority. That was obvious to me after watching them fight together. “I thought you said pagu have a soul bond with their bonded?”
‘Normally they do. But Varus and Lithia formed a stronger bond, even stronger than the ones they had with their bonded. It’s never happened before. Given the choice, they chose each other over their Marked, and both of their riders perished while they saved each other.’
“We cannot stay here any longer,” Callan interrupted into the silence, snapping us out of our heads.
“We’ll have to go on foot from here,” Nia observed as she looked around at the remnants of our camp. Most of our supplies had remained intact, given the shadow beasts weren’t looking for loot and more looking to rip out our throats with their teeth. Nia kicked the dirt angrily, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Aura can’t carry all four of us, and her wing will need at least a day before she can support flying long distances again while the muscles continue healing.”
Oliver nodded, already picking up and storing gear in preparation to leave. “Then we walk. We are not that far from Mossemere. We can be there by nightfall if we hurry, and I must insist that we do.”
ChapterEleven
Mossemere was a certifiable shithole.
That was mean, but the state of the town was abysmal, and I was shocked to see such harsh conditions in a world that had so far only shown me its beauty and splendor. If you didn’t count the vaporous assholes that had tried to kill us.
“You can’t come with us, Aura,” Nia told her with a forlorn look. Pagu were a rare breed, and we didn’t need any extra attention drawn on ourselves than necessary. “Find a place to stay the night, just stay in range. We will find a place to sleep in town and reconnect tomorrow. And you, put this on.” She threw a large cloak my way, and after a second of confusion I realized why.My hair.I begrudgingly put it on, sliding the hood over my head. The sky was overcast in the dimming light, the weather not too different from how it was in the mortal realm.
After a brief silent goodbye, Auratook off into the sky, but I had no doubt she’d stay within range to still connect with us if needed.
After a calculating look over our ragtag group, Oliver took the lead as we walked into the decrepit town. Downtrodden buildings lined the streets in various states of disrepair—broken stones and drafty ceilings everywhere. Dozens of people milled about even though the sun was setting and life should’ve been winding down.
Apprehensive eyes darted out at us as we passed, a mixture of curious yet fearful, most of their hair in shades of various blacks or grays. Scanning the crowd, I realized no one had one of the royal hair colors, and many of the eyes glanced over Nia’s blue hair with reverence. The hood around my golden mane tightened as I gripped it as close to my body as possible to stay hidden. I stepped closer to the group, nervous, accidentally bumping into Callan as I did. I clumsily skipped forward to regain my space, but strong hands gripped me from behind, managing to both steady me and rock my nerves simultaneously as the heat of Callan’s hands permeated my clothes.
“Sorry,” I mumbled, not quite ready to push out of his grasp but doing it anyway.
“Don’t be,” his husky voice replied. He stepped around me, crowding into me and I backed up, irritation sparking at me as I came level with Nia.What was he doing?I looked up, coming face to face with the back of the ill-fitting armor he wore, which he’d been forced into by Oliver, who’d threatened to send him back if he didn’t cooperate. Then it clicked.
He was protecting me.
From any potential harm, but also from prying eyes. With the guys in front, I had a lot more of a shield as we walked through the town. Normally I would have kicked and screamed about being treated like I was helpless, but in this moment, I was grateful for it. And maybe even a little bit touched that he had noticed. But I would take that to my grave.
“Do all the towns look like this?” I whispered to Nia, not wanting to be overheard by anyone that might be within earshot.
“A lot of them do, yes,” she replied, staying on alert as we walked, even as she talked with me. “Casimir doesn’t take our magic, but he certainly likes to take everything else. He visits towns and forcibly enlists for his army, and then enacts ridiculous quotas for the towns to fill until there's nothing left for them besides food. He particularly likes to take the teenagers. But if the town fights back, he kills the ones he took. A lot of these towns had to learn the hard way.”
My chest tightened as I tried to imagine myself in their shoes. What a horrible way to live, under a horrible person like that, constantly in fear. No wonder they looked the way they did. The more I learned about my so-called family, the more the black pit of hatred in my stomach grew, an empty hole of negativity and resentment. I hated everything they stood for. And I was going to put a stop to it.
We approached what looked to be a rundown tavern, its front door barely hanging on its hinges and yet packed with people. Despite their circumstances, raucous laughter poured from the dimly lit interior.
“In here?” This didn’t look like the place to be having a clandestine meeting to discuss how to sneak us into the Queen’s inner kingdom to get my memories back. Maybe to plan how to rob a grocery store, but not this.
“Have patience,” Oliver said irritably, pushing his way into the bar as we followed suit. It was just as dingy on the inside as it was on the outside, but the throng of people did well to disguise our entrance, no one even glancing our way. “Looks just like it did last time I was here. I’m impressed.”
