The Deathsinger: Book 1

Ch. 14: Worth the Risk

Clearing my throat, I folded my arms over my chest. "If Yoko has found us, then others may not be far behind."

The Sea Court elf pulled the strap of her crossbow over her shoulder before replying. "No. They are chasing some phantom to the east. I tried to tell my commanding officer that it was a ruse. The door to the passageway in the prisons was so old it crumbled in places when it closed, and I could feel the draft through the cracks. He told me the only draft was between my ears, and I needed to be thankful I wasn't in a prison cell myself. If it wasn't for Queen Thera, I likely would be."

Astreia shifted uncomfortably beside me, but I refused to feel guilty about Yoko's misfortune. She wanted to bemoan her poor treatment but failed to acknowledge the fact she had helped imprison an innocent woman. If we hadn't intervened, the girl would be rotting in a prison, her voice stolen from her, and death not far in the future. I very much doubted the High Elf cared if the girl was guilty or not. She had been a job, nothing more.

The thing that truly held Yoko back was not her femininity, but her lack of backbone. She was a follower, not a leader, and that made her a risky ally. However, a risky ally was better than none at all, and we would need all the help we could get if we wanted to reach the portals.

"So, you are with us?" Tievel demanded.

Yoko ground her toe into the earth, then leveled a hard glare at me. "Why is she not collared?"

Frost ignited on my fingertips, and I spoke before another's words could steal my voice. "If I was what you believe me to be, I could have killed any of you a hundred times over."

"But–"

"But nothing," Astreia said.

I allowed her to defend me. Yoko would not listen to me. I was the monster in childhood stories come to life, and her very nature urged her to extinguish the threat I represented.

"Morana is today as she was yesterday. My friend." The princess stared at Tievel. "Our friend."

He looked away, chipping at my heart and hardening my resolve to help him. If going to Araphel was the only way I could prove to him that I was still the girl he grew up with, then I would go on my hands and knees. To prove that I deserved to live as myself and perhaps find more of my kind.

"You still haven't explained why we're going to Araphel."

Astreia looped her arm through Yoko's. Whatever misgivings Yoko still possessed melted beneath the princess' touch. She leaned in, listening to a rushed explanation, and when it was over, she pulled away, her face pale as she nodded.

"I'll come."

"We need to put a few more leagues behind us before we stop," Tievel said, sheathing his sword. "I think traveling at night for now is our best option. Once we cross the Vesper, we'll be safe. We can find a ship to cross the Crystal Sea to Jorridor. From there, we'll go to Estrellum."

"As safe as we can be walking into enemy territory," Yoko said, striking out ahead of the prince, her crossbow pointed into the darkness.

We walked until the horizon blushed with morning light. The forest was unnaturally silent, and the foliage grew so dense in places, Tievel had to hack a path for us with his sword. But no matter how loud we were as we walked, nothing stirred to the noise. As if everything within the woods was dead, and somehow that terrified me more than the stories of monsters.

Yoko never slowed, even when fatigue dragged her elegant features into a dark scowl. I might have kept up with her if not for the mistreatment suffered in the prisons. Though I'd been the princess' companion, I was not unused to hard labor. Tievel's recent sobriety and participation in the Hunt did little to prepare him for the grueling reality of maneuvering over rugged terrain and going without sleep, but whenever he caught me watching, he gritted his teeth together and pushed onward.