Hunted (Book 2) (15 page)

Bastian watched Tressa stroke Jarrett's face. When Jarrett
picked her up and twirled her, Bastian's stomach dropped. Then they kissed. He
knew Tressa. He knew that enamored look in her eyes. And she was nearly naked!
That gown let everyone in attendance see the things Bastian had thought belonged
to him alone. Not anymore.

"I've seen enough." He grabbed Elinor's wrist and
tugged, but she stood firm.

"No. You haven't talked to her yet. Until then, you
only know what you've seen. Often what we see isn't reality." Elinor
jerked her arm free from his grasp. "Stay still and observe. Hold your
emotions in check."

"No, I don't want to wait." He spun around and
stalked through the crowd. He didn't care if Elinor was following him. He
ignored the grunts and protests of the people around him. Soon enough he'd be
out of their way and every person would be that bit closer to seeing the
wedding they were all so happy to celebrate.

He stepped out of the crowd and took a deep breath. The air
was harsh, like little needles piercing his throat. He hated it here, missing
the wetter climate of his homeland.

"You're not leaving without me," Elinor said, running
up from behind, a little smile on her face. It was the first time he'd seen it
since leaving Hutton's Bridge. "If you're really ready to move on from
Tressa, then I won't hold you back."

"I am." He held out his hand, and she slipped
hers into it. They walked hand in hand back to the gates.

A guard stopped them. "You can't leave yet. Your
presence has been requested at the wedding."

Bastian raised an eyebrow and ran a hand through his red
hair. "By whom?"

"Our queen, Jacinda. Once she heard of your arrival on
the blue dragon, she firmly requested you attend the ceremony. She wishes the
bride to have a representative from her homeland."

"And if I say no?" Bastian asked.

The guard readied his sword. "The request will be
rescinded, and you will be escorted to our dungeon."

Bastian looked at Elinor. "They're pleasant
here."

"Let's do as he asks." A resigned look settled on
her face, the smile gone again.

Bastian and Elinor followed the guard back through the
crowd. The same people were again jostled. They shot angry looks at the trio.
"Is this good enough?" Bastian asked, stopping around the same place
they'd stood earlier.

The guard looked confused. "No, you are to be in the
front, with Queen Jacinda and the bride and groom." He continued pushing
through the crowd, nudging bystanders with the handle of his sword.

"Oh no," Bastian said under his breath.

"We can't stop now," Elinor said. "It's this
or the dungeon. I've heard rumors about the torture in the Sands. I know this
is hard for you, but we have to keep moving."

Bastian gritted his teeth and followed the guard. He
squeezed Elinor's hand. He'd have to rely on this tiny woman to keep him steady
and levelheaded.

As they made their way to the front of the crowd, Bastian
spied Tressa again. Her arm snaked through Jarrett's, their hands clasped,
fingers intertwined. Her back to him, she hadn't seen her newest wedding guest.

"Ah, so glad you are here." Jacinda held out an
arm to Bastian and Elinor, looking down her nose at them. "A pity we
didn't have time to get clean clothes for you."

Bastian stood taller, holding Elinor's hand tighter as
Tressa and Jarrett turned around. Tressa’s eyes grew wide. She glanced at
Jarrett, then back at Jacinda, her eyes finally settling on Bastian.
"Thank you for coming," she said simply.

Bastian didn't respond.

Elinor held out her free hand to Jacinda. "Thank you
for honoring us with a front row seat to the nuptials. I am Healer Elinor."

Jacinda shook Elinor's hand, then dropped it. She nodded to
an attendant who brought her a towel. Jacinda wiped imaginary dirt from her
hands. "It is my pleasure," she said, though her tone made it clear
it wasn't.

"Now that everyone is here and both of the people being
joined have representatives to witness their union, let us begin," Jacinda
said.

A holy man stood, his long robes billowing about his
ankles. Bastian tuned out everything he said about love. He held in a snort
when the priest spoke of faithfulness. But when he invoked the gods to bless the
couple with many children, Bastian couldn't help but glance at Tressa. She'd
wanted a child so desperately, but was never able to conceive. Her expression
didn't change. There was no indication the priest's words had hurt. Maybe she'd
moved past that. Bastian didn't feel he would know anymore.

They hadn't had a real conversation in months – not
since she’d left him in the secret glade with their parents. Then Tressa's
father had sent him back to Hutton's Bridge, effectively lying to him about
where Tressa had gone. If he ever saw that man again, he'd beat him senseless.
He was a liar and who knew what else.

A woman's high-pitched scream ripped through the crowd.

Bastian gripped Elinor's hand tighter and unsheathed his sword
with his other hand. Then he let go and pushed her behind him. Unlike Tressa, Elinor
wouldn't try to fight. They'd need her skills as a healer if things got
dangerous.

"What's going on?" Jacinda demanded of her
guards. They also had drawn their swords, surrounding her in a semi-circle.
"You fools, I can defend myself. Go. Find out what's happening so we can
get back to the ceremony." She turned to the priest. "Continue."

"Shouldn't we wait until they find out what's
wrong?" Jarrett asked, his hand itching at his side.

Bastian was anxious to fight, too. He could understand
Jarrett's need to investigate. He was about to suggest they go together, but
then a screech ripped through the air.

He'd heard it before in the forest outside Hutton's Bridge,
just before he and his people had fought the beasts.

"Kilrothgi," Jacinda whispered, her eyes
narrowing. "How did they get here?" She stepped back from the group
of them gathered, her eyes blazing. "How dare they set foot in the
Sands?"

Jarrett dropped Tressa's hand and reached out for Jacinda.
"Not now. You don't know how many there are. You may not be able to fight
them alone."

Bastian admired Jarrett's care for his queen, but one
glance at Tressa told him there was more he didn't know. She looked
uncomfortable with Jarrett's attention to Jacinda.

Jacinda shrugged off Jarrett's hand. "I will meet you
back in the throne room after we destroy this enemy. In the chaos, no one will
see what I am about to do. This is my home. My throne. They will not infringe
on my rule. I will show them who rules the Sands!"

Jacinda threw her arms to her sides. Lightning crackled,
striking her hands. In the blink of an eye, Jacinda was gone, and a magnificent
golden dragon with black wings stood before them. Bastian couldn't stop the shudder,
the fear passing through him. These people, these dragons, whatever their
natural form was, were perverse. He glanced around. No one was paying attention
to where the dragon had come from. They were all too busy running for their
lives.

Jacinda’s massive clawed feet dug into the sand, as she
pushed off into the sky, her wings flapping so hard the air pushed Bastian and
Elinor to the ground.

"What is a kilrothgi?" Bastian yelled to Elinor.
His eyes frantically searched the panicked crowd. He'd lost Tressa in the
confusion. His sword still drawn, they ran through the masses of people,
following in the golden dragon's shadow.

"It's a giant beast from the Hills of Flame. They are
bred as killing machines, but there haven't been any loose since before the fog
fell on Hutton's Bridge and stopped the war between the dragonlords. It's very,
very bad they're making a reappearance." Elinor breathed hard, her boots
clomping behind Bastian, her hand holding fast to his. "They have a unique
talent. They can mock anyone's voice."

Bastian stopped in his tracks. Elinor bumped into him with
a grunt.

"Why did you stop?" she asked.

"Tell me again. What you just said about the
kilrothgi."

"They can mock voices, but usually only one word at a
time. Usually a name. They use it to draw the victim into their trap."

Anger churned in Bastian's stomach. "I know these
beasts. They were hiding in the fog outside Hutton's Bridge. I defeated an
entire group of them."

Elinor's eyes grew large. "Kilrothgi in the fog? I
never heard of this."

"They must have been trapped there with us, unable to
escape. On the way out, I killed them with the help of my people. That was just
before the Black Guard took me captive and dragged me to Ashoom."

"Then you know how dangerous they are," Elinor
said. "We should run. Jacinda has her own army. There is nothing you can
do to help them."

The crowd had scattered into the desert, looking for
shelter from the beasts. Bastian and Elinor stood alone. Between them and the
castle stood a phalanx of soldiers. Beyond the soldiers Bastian could see more
kilrothgi than he could count. Taller than three men on each other’s shoulders
and covered in coarse brown hair from head to toe. Above them all flew Jacinda,
fire streaming from her mouth and setting kilrothgi on fire. A second golden
dragon joined her, but it did not slow the kilrothgi. As one beast fell,
another would take its place, swinging and scraping with bloody claws,
advancing in small increments, pushing the soldiers back.

Elinor tugged on Bastian's arm. "We need to run, now!
If we don't, they'll cut through the soldiers. They'll kill us, too. Kilrothgi
will not stop until they've sated their thirst for blood." Panic laced her
words. "Please, Bastian."

He looked around once more. Still no sign of Tressa. She
must have escaped with Jarrett. "Okay, we'll go find Connor."

"And then we'll leave?"

He knew the question wasn't as simple as it sounded. She
wanted to know if Bastian would take time to hunt down Tressa. Whether they
were going to save themselves or step in the path of danger to find the woman
who’d rejected him over and over again.

"We will leave."

Elinor smiled. “Then let's go." She squeezed Bastian's
hand.

"Unless Connor shows up in the sky above us, we'll
need to skirt the battle to get back into the castle," Bastian said,
sizing up their paths to escape. "We don't know enough about the desert to
flee that direction. We could be running to our deaths."

Elinor looked up, bestowing that familiar gaze on him.
"I trust you to get us back into the castle."

"Are you ready?" Bastian asked.

Elinor nodded.

"Then stay behind me. I'll protect you. And if I don't
make it through, keep running." He laid a hand on her cheek. "Can you
promise me you won't try to help me if something bad happens?"

Elinor pursed her lips. "I won't make any promises.
Let's just hope it doesn't come to that."

He knew it was the best he'd get from her. "Then let's
go." Bastian dropped Elinor's hand, trusting she'd remain behind him as
she promised, and grabbed the hilt of his broadsword with both hands.

Sweat trickled down his forehead. It wasn't just the
unabated heat. Nerves tingled in every part of his body. He kept reminding
himself he'd survived kilrothgi once before and he could do it again. This time
he didn't even need to kill them all. He only needed to get Elinor to safety in
the castle.

With a howl, Bastian set off for the kilrothgi marauding
through the garden, stomping the plants into the ground. He slashed and hacked
his way through, not even stopping to look and see if Elinor was following.

The metallic scent of blood overtook the flowery perfume in
the air. Claws bent on death slashed through the warm sandy breeze. Bastian
pulled his shirt up over his mouth and nose, preferring to breathe in his own
musk than the putrid animal scent of the kilrothgi.

He fought until his eyes blurred and his arms ached. His
arms sailed through the air, landing blow after blow, gaining him only a few
steps with each whack. Still Bastian fought on, refusing to give up, believing
they would make it out alive — until a scream echoed behind him.

One of the kilrothgi nabbed Elinor. She struggled in its
grasp, her booted feet kicking and her arms flailing. "Let me go!"

Drool slipped from the side of the beast’s mouth as it
gnashed its teeth with a noise so grating it sent shivers down Bastian’s spine.
Blinded by the uncountable number of murderous kilrothgi, he pushed through
them, stepping on their feet and swiping any who dared touch him with his
sword.

Elinor's screams pierced the evening sky and Bastian
followed them. Every time he looked up, all he saw were hairy arms and chests
and legs, but not even a glimpse of Elinor. The only thing that kept him moving
was her screams.

"Bastian!"

"Bastian!"

"Bastian!"

The kilrothgi’s mocking outcries chorused around him,
making him even more confused. If he couldn't follow Elinor based on her voice,
then he'd lose her to the kilrothgi. He’d already lost his wife to one in the
forest outside Hutton’s Bridge. He wouldn’t let it happen to Elinor.

Bastian sheathed his sword, grabbing the long brown hair of
the kilrothgi next to him. He climbed hand over hand until he was on the beast's
back. The beast swatted at him, but his other kilrothgi took no notice and
continued to target the soldiers in Jacinda's army. He searched the sky for
Jacinda, seeing she'd circled back and was readying for another pass. Whatever
he did, he'd have to find Elinor fast or Jacinda would roast them both.

Bastian searched the mass chaos for Elinor's blond hair,
hoping it would stand out among the dark brown beasts. A lock of her hair
flopped over the shoulder of a nearby kilrothgi. Bastian grabbed hold of
another beast's arm, swinging across their frenetically fighting bodies until
he reached the kilrothgi who held Elinor.

"What are you doing?" she screamed. "If you
went down, I was supposed to get to the castle and safety. Why didn't you do the
same?"

Bastian grinned. "I don't believe for one second you
would have left me here to die and I refuse to do that to you."

"This damn beast won't loosen his hold on me. You
should go now." Her eyes flashed with anger, but her body, strong and
fighting, told him she was glad he hadn't left her behind.

"On the count of three, be prepared to fall."
Bastian climbed down the beast and leapt across to the one holding Elinor.
"One," he yelled, hoping his voice had carried up to her. Bastian
grabbed a handful of the kilrothgi's hair where its legs met. "Two!"
With every ounce of energy he had, Bastian twisted his hand, ripping the hair
from the most tender part of its body. "Three!"

Elinor screamed as the beast let go of her. Bastian grabbed
her arm before she could fall, and he leapt the rest of the way to the ground,
shielding her from the impact with his body.

Elinor lay on top of Bastian, breathing heavily, while the
kilrothgi bent over, clutching its hairy balls in its hands. "I think we'd
better run," Elinor said.

Bastian didn't say a word. They leapt to their feet and ran
to the castle, narrowly missing a kilrothgi paw.

Elinor laid a hand on his chest. “We’re alive.”

“Let’s find Connor,” Bastian said, his chest heaving with
each word.

“No. This first.” Elinor jumped into his arms and kissed
him.