His chuckles died away, and Zev sighed again. Cassiel was listening so he may as well air his doubts.
“The question is can we trust him? He purposely came armed against me. Why join us if he felt unsafe? He is not here to accompany you across Urn, Dyna. He came for your map. I’ve seen the way he stares at it all hours of the night. If it were not sired to your Essence, he might have taken it for himself. Mount Ida is a place that instills ambition and greed in all who hear its story. We can’t assume he’ll be any different.”
Cassiel held quiet. It had to mean there was some truth to what Zev said.
Dyna drew the rune for humankind in the mud. One straight line and a half-circle crossing upward at the top. It looked like a lone man holding up the world or pleading to it. “People are similar to plants. Neglect will cause them to wither, but with proper care, they will flourish. Prince Cassiel is only in need of a bit of sun and water.”
Zev smiled at the analogy. “I take it this means you will allow him to continue with us?”
She stood and picked up the knife, tapping a finger against its pointed end. “Life is a risk, and he risked his life several times for my sake. I’m indebted to him, but I won’t put that ahead of your wellbeing, Zev. Whether he is to accompany us, I’ll leave that decision to you.”
She pitched the knife. It sailed far through the air, further than he had thought she was capable of, before plunging into the deep end of the stream.
Zev rose to his feet and stretched his arms backward, feeling some of his strength returning. It had been a few days since he stood on two feet. His mind was clearer now than when he was a wolf.
“He has reason to think ill of me but I cannot blame him for it,” he said. The Prince had seen what he’d done to the Lykos Pack. That would frighten anyone.
Dyna glanced at him, catching the nuance he failed to hide behind his words. Zev couldn’t bring himself to confess what he had done. Wolves were predators. She must have known he had to kill to make it out of the glade alive, but she didn’t know how far he had gone. As aggravating as Cassiel was, he hadn’t told Dyna. And for that, Zev was grateful.
“We are going on a journey that will take us further than either of us have gone before. I suppose it will take all of us to make it to Mount Ida alive. If he can learn to trust us.”
Dyna’s responding smile lit up her face, and the sunlight danced on her freckles. “Trust is hard to come by. Perhaps we must put effort into earning his.”
“Aye.” Zev smiled, sensing she was glad. She wanted to give the Prince a chance, as she had given him one when no other would. “Shall we go back?”
She picked up the journal and shouldered her satchel while he gathered their packs. The shrubs were clear by the time they passed through them.
Dyna ducked past a stray branch. “What is the difference between a Seraph and a Celestial?”
“A Seraph has six wings, and a Celestial has two,” he said as they cleared the forest and entered the small clearing where they had camped.
“It’s more than that,” the stoic Prince said. He was leaning up against a tree with his arms and legs crossed. The afternoon sunlight gleamed on his ink-black feathers as he gazed at the sky. “Our ancestors were Seraphim, but Elyōn removed four of their wings before they fell here, taking most of their power and their immortality. In Heaven’s Gate, there is no marriage, nor the need for procreation. Whence the Forsaken were cast here, they were given the means to form Blood Bonds and have families. However, the children born unto them were not born of the grace of Elyōn. They only developed two wings. Therefore, they weren’t Seraphim. They were given the name of Celestials, for they were still descendants of the Heavens even if they were not worthy of it.”
Cassiel sighed and brushed his black hair out of his eyes to meet Dyna’s. “The difference is simple. I am not from Heaven’s Gate. I was born in the Mortal Realm, as were you.”
She fixed him with a soft look. “Nonetheless, I would not say you were unworthy of it.”
He flushed and looked away with an odd expression Zev couldn’t read.
“I understand your need to protect yourself, but you need not do so from us,” she said. “Do you mean to harm me?”
He frowned. “No.”
“Then believe me when I say that Zev is not a threat to you. I ask that you both get along, and for there not to be another repeat of today.”
The Prince rubbed his neck. “As you say.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“You need not be so formal. My name will do fine.”
“Cassiel,” she said, drawing his eyes to her again. “If we should hurry, we may arrive at Landcaster by tomorrow morning.” She turned to Zev excitedly. “And if the inns aren’t full, we could stop for lodging.”
Zev smiled, infected by her enthusiasm before he noticed the Prince’s obvious displeasure at the idea. At the sight of his large wings, he remembered why. “We can’t. No one is to see him, Dyna.”
“I will manage,” Cassiel said.
Zev furrowed his brow. “How?”
“I have my ways.”
“I will leave it among you both to discuss then,” she said. “After you have apologized to each other.”
Dyna spoke the passphrase to the journal before handing it to him and ambling north to the forest. Zev and Cassiel stared at each other, then at her in astonishment. When she fell out of sight, they quickly followed.
Zev couldn’t think of a reason to apologize when he was the one who had been wounded. Neither he nor the Prince offered one as they hiked through the forest behind Dyna. The moment passed, leaving the opportunity to do so behind.
They camped again for the evening near a small pond, lively with the croak of frogs and the fluttering of dragonflies. Once they ate and put out their bedrolls, Dyna fell asleep as soon as she lied down. Zev pulled a blanket over her shoulders and tucked it around her. The long days of travel had worn her out.
The Prince lounged in a tree branch again, spinning his flute between his fingers. Without Dyna to hold the conversation, an uncomfortable silence dragged between them. Zev sighed. They would always be at odds if they didn’t understand one another.
“I did what I had to do to protect Dyna,” he said, keeping his voice low. Cassiel glanced at him from his peripherals then to where she slept. “They planned to come after her. I couldn’t let that happen, so I finished them all.”
He had almost succumbed to the Madness after seeing what became of the Pack. The reminder to return to Dyna was all that had kept him sane. He had to shapeshift so he wouldn’t have to think about it. His thought process and instincts were different as a wolf. But the scent of blood coating his fur stung his nose, no matter how many times he washed.
“You are right to call me a beast,” Zev murmured. “For that is what I became to keep her safe.”
The Other may have inadvertently protected her, but it was an entity that killed anything in its path. If she had been in the glade, it would have torn through her as well.
You’re no wolf, you’re a demon.
Something cold dropped in his stomach, twisting through him.
Cassiel’s silhouette faded into the dark as night fell, his voice quiet in the cool breeze. “Will any more of the Lykos Pack come for you?”
Zev had patrolled the forest day and night since, but there were no tracks in the mud, no tell-tale musk of prowling wolves. Would they come after seeing the carnage he left behind?
“Perhaps not.”
Chapter 20
Zev
The afternoon hike through the woods went without further incident. Zev glanced up at Dyna’s humming. She walked ahead, picking leaves here and there. The sparse trees in this part of the forest allowed the Prince to fly above them. Buttery sunlight formed patterns over the carpet of fallen leaves, clear blue-sky peeking through the treetops.
Again, they had squandered most of their morning sleeping. This time because of him, Zev thought. As
he had yet to recover from yesterday’s incident.
His wolf still slumbered somewhere deep within him. It was a strange feeling. Most of his senses had dulled from their usual amplified state. He was weaker, but for once there were no more whisperings. His mind was clearer and lighter. Vacant without that extra presence he didn’t miss. It would be a miracle if the Madness never returned, but he knew it would.
All he could do was enjoy the time he had left without it.
Curious of how much farther they were from Landcaster, Zev opened the journal to the section of the map and studied their current location. The town lay less than ten miles away.
Cassiel threw subtle glances down at the journal. Zev stopped and held it out in offering. After wary hesitation, the Prince landed beside him and accepted the journal. His face glowed purple from the embedded magic as he examined the map.
Zev said, “I had always wondered if Mount Ida existed.”
“Of course it exists,” Cassiel replied evenly. There was a tentative pause before he added, “We should arrive in Landcaster soon. I know a tavern we can lodge in for the night.”
“You have walked among humans before?”
“Only when necessary.”
Zev stopped short. “But what of your wings? You could be discovered.”
The Prince smirked. “I haven’t been so far.”
“And this is permitted for your kind? I can’t imagine your father approving of that.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t.”
Zev stared at him incredulously. “Does the High King know that you left Hilos to join us?”
He didn’t reply.
“This journey may take many moons, Cassiel. We won’t return until next year.”
“I’m well aware. I have traveled between Hermon Ridge and Hilos several times. I know what I’m doing.”
Zev let the matter go at the Prince’s defensive tone. From what he had seen, Cassiel shared no relationship with his family other than his royal lineage. He must spend his time traveling Urn alone, pretending he didn’t care that he wasn’t wanted. What was his reason to leave the protection of the castle this time?
“There is something on Mount Ida that you seek,” Zev stated.
His eyes, as hard as granite, narrowed. “It has nothing to do with you.”
Zev supposed he was right. “What’s in Hermon Ridge? I haven’t traveled past Landcaster.”
The Prince dithered on the answer, giving him a sidelong glance. “Another Celestial Realm is hidden there within the mountains. It is under my uncle’s rule.”
“Oh, I didn’t know.” The location of the Four Realms was not readily shared.
Cassiel passed him the journal. “No one is to know.”
Zev found the Hermon Mountains on the map. They rose on the north end of Azure, about nine-hundred-miles from Hilos. Now that he looked at it, the Azure Kingdom was only a fragment of the country. The rest was unfamiliar to either of them.
“After we leave Urn’s Chip, we will be traveling blind,” Zev said. Following a map was not the same as accurately knowing your surroundings based on experience. There was no telling which road was safest or quickest.
“We should employ the services of a Guidelander,” came Dyna’s distant declaration. She was nowhere in sight.
“Dyna?” Zev called, wildly searching their surroundings.
“I’m up here!” They followed the sound of her voice to the tree beside them that she had climbed when neither of them had been paying attention. She stood on the tallest branch, looking out past the leaves. “Zev, you must see this! The view is incredible!”
“God of Urn.”
“What are you doing?” Cassiel asked dully. “Are you attempting to break your neck? Because this is how you break your neck.”
“Get down from there.” Zev rushed to the tree, holding out his hands to catch her. Dyna laughed and started climbing down. “Be careful.”
“We aren’t far from Landcaster,” she said as she reached for another branch. “We are less than a mile away.”
“You didn’t need to climb a tree to know that,” Cassiel replied. “Now watch your footing.”
“I climbed to the top, didn’t I? I can manage to climb dow—” Her foot broke through a brittle branch and she screamed as she plunged to the ground. Cassiel launched into the air in a bustle of wings and caught her with a grunt. “Oh …” She blinked at him. “Thank you.”
“Are you all right?” he asked tersely.
Dyna gave him a small nod.
Cassiel landed and thrust her into Zev’s arms. He strode away, muttering under his breath, “She is a living calamity, that one. It is no wonder humans don’t live long.”
Dyna’s blush reddened under Zev’s frown as he set her down. He sighed, rubbing the center of his chest. “I’m sure I lost a few years.”
“I’ll give you some of mine,” she said sheepishly as they continued. “As I was saying, we should employ a Guidelander to guide us. It’s their livelihood to know all there is to know of Urn and the surrounding continents. We can find one in Landcaster.”
Cassiel shot her a glower over his shoulder. He opened his mouth, probably to call her “stupid” again, but he gave Zev a pointed look instead.
It was not that Dyna was stupid, but that she was unaware. She had lived in a secluded village that was safe for the most part. Other than the Shadow, she had not been under any other danger. She grew up with people she had known her whole life. The villagers helped one another, but that could not be said of the rest of Urn where most took and scourged to survive. Revealing their map to the treasure island would attract every Relic Hunter, thief, and cutthroat who wouldn’t hesitate to take it.
“Look, there it is,” she announced.
They came to the end of the forest. It opened to a vast meadow with tall grass rippling in the wind. Beyond, were endless rows of crops and fallow fields. Large timber houses and farms spread out among the valley speckled with sheep. A group of foremen on horses led a large herd of cows down the hills. Below the rise appeared Landcaster. It wasn’t a large town but it was full of activity. Travelers came and went on wagons and caravans, taking the dirt roads snaking into the horizon.
Dyna bounced on her toes. “Come, let’s find us a guide!”
“Hold a moment,” Zev said, but she was already rushing down the meadow.
The Prince rolled his eyes to the sky as though to ask for mercy from the Heavens. “Go. I’ll meet you in the market.”
Cassiel pulled out a long dark gray coat from his pack. He slipped it on, and his wings immediately disappeared. The coat settled on him like he had none at all.
Zev gawked a moment, not sure what he was looking at. There would be time to ask about it later. He had to go after Dyna. He jogged down the hill and spotted her where she had stopped by the trodden and mired road as a yellow caravan jostled by.
“Dyna, you need to wait for me,” he said.
“I did. Where is Cassiel?”
“He’ll catch up to us.”
They joined the travelers on the road, their steps squelching in the thick mud. The road progressed into cobblestone as they neared the town. The name Landcaster was engraved on a large wooden sign by the entrance.
Zev led Dyna past it and merged into the swarm of people going about their business. The quaint wattle and daub homes with timber frames and steep red-tiled roofs clustered together, lining the streets. Most had overhang second stories, their stone bases adorned with climbing vines and flower gardens.
They came to a commerce section where several of the streets met, circling a stone monument carved in the effigy of an unknown nobleman. Townsfolk swarmed the surrounding shops of clothing and goods. Wagons rattled as they rolled over the uneven cobblestone, paired with the clomp of horse hooves. Children ran past, laughing and playing in the fountain’s water.
“Come, Zev!” Dyna pulled him eagerly toward the crowded market. She was beaming with awe and excitement, practicall
y running through the streets. Her small frame quickly disappeared in the mass of bodies.
He found her in the market where merchants sold everything from grains to spices. She flitted from stall to stall, seeing all that she could. Zev took a seat on a nearby bench and let her explore. He remembered how excited he had been when his father first brought him to town.
The thought made him sigh. The town had changed since then. More homes had been built, more businesses had established, and the population had grown by the sight of so many people passing through.
Zev wondered if there were more blacksmiths in town as well. He glanced at the smithy street beside the market, contemplating whether to make a stop to see Ragan. He had not seen the old blacksmith in nearly six months and it was time to reinforce his chains again. Dyna was well into a conversation with an herbalist, so Zev decided to make a quick errand about it.
He strolled through the street lined in forges, listening to the steady beat of hammers and inhaling the iron-tasting smoke billowing from the hearths. The stifling heat of the fires pressed against him. Many townsfolk were about, making requests or picking up orders.
Zev reached a familiar forge, and the blacksmith there had his back to him. He wore a rag around his head, his face stained with soot. The man used long tongs to pull out a molten piece of metal from the hearth. It hissed when he dipped it in a well of water to cool.
“Ragan,” Zev called out.
The old blacksmith turned and gave him a broad smile. “Ah, I wondered when you would come about, lad.”
“You look well, sir.”
Ragan wiped his weathered face with a rag and looked out at the busy street with a frown. “As well as I can be. Business is scarce now that the town has more smithies than available labor, but I can’t complain.”
“Well, might you have time to tend to my chains today? I am going on a journey and need them to be secure.”
“Aye, I haven’t much work today. I’ll see to them.”
Zev took out the cold mound of chains from his pack. They clanked heavily on the service counter. He pulled out a small sack of money next.
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