Heirs of the Gods

Ch 13: Mad, bad and dangerous to know

TW: BLOOD, VIOLENCE, GRAPHIC SCENES AND DEATH

The ride was nerve-wracking and seemingly unending.

Ella had gone through all the possible scenarios and she'd finally decided what she'd do. It was the most reckless and ill-conceived plan she'd had to date –which was quite a feat, given her trajectory of preposterous ideas– but it was all she had. She point blank refused to turn around now and leave her brother in that state, to the cruel mercy of those monsters. The memory of his body threatened to make her sick.

What else could she do? Gidden would insist on following protocols, having meetings, sending out letters and wasting precious, precious time. Time she didn't have, her brother was practically dead on his feet. More so, following those rigorous protocols had ended spectacularly the last time.

The ride was eternal. Ella hadn't had a sense of just how enormous Faerie was. She'd certainly never travelled by horse so much distance, alone and with only a map at that. All she knew were deserted roads and dense forests, the rustle of trees and animals and too much fear to stop while it was dark. She travelled all through the night, scared to hesitate long enough for something to grab her, and stopped only when the sun rose, to let the horse rest and eat. Still, she did not sleep. She only paced and planned and bided her time by obsessively reviewing her plan, polishing it like a blacksmith would a fine steel sword.

The second night was the worst. Every single crack in the woods made her jolt and every single pair of yellow eyes staring from atop obscure tree treetops made her blood run cold and her stomach cramp in fear. Lack of sleep and paranoia were powerful drugs, joining hands to wreak havoc on her mind. Still, she pushed forward, simply steeling her spine and gripping the reins harder, willing her sickening fear to subside. Her only comfort was the weight of the blade attached to her hip.

By the time the sun peeked through the dense canopies, Ella's eyes were bloodshot and her knuckles ached from clutching the leather bridle. She let herself utter a shuddery sigh of relief before allowing herself to stop for the horse to rest. She even allowed herself to eat berries from a bush, once she made sure they didn't shimmer menacingly; going raving mad in the woods was not on the top of Ella's to-do list.

The midday sun was high in the sky, but it didn't make a difference in that part of the forest, where the trees were so towering and dense that they obstructed most of the daylight, rendering the path dusky and silent. The only sound was the caws of an enormous, sleek black gyrfalcon that circled the area, almost keeping Ella company. It had been roaming around for the past hour and she found its low chattering comforting.

What did not make her feel reassured was the horse. The animal had been growing increasingly fidgety and restless for the better part of an hour.

As if on cue, the horse began balking, bucking its head and rapidly flicking its tail in agitation.

"Come on boy," Ella said, clucking her tongue and gently squeezing her calves around the animal to urge it forward.

The horse huffed, unwilling to move forward. Its nostrils flared and its ears twitched spasmodically as it refused to budge. Ella halted, wondering if it had been spooked by a snake. A rustle in the clearing disrupted the silence and the horse pawed at the ground and bucked, wide-eyed and distressed.

A sharp sound broke the silence in the worst way possible.

A spear ripped through the air, impaling itself in the ground between the horse's front legs, nearly plunging into the animal. Terrified, the horse trumpeted and bucked wildly, taking off at a wild, breakneck speed.

Another spear narrowly missed them and Ella yelped, gripping onto the horse for dear life as it grunted and neighed in terror. She had to stop the horse before they both got hurt, impaled on a spear or Ella fell and broke her neck.