***
WE FLEW UNTIL the sky changed. The sun melted into the horizon and the moon rose high. I couldn’t tear my eyes off it, half formed and large before me. I felt as though I could run my hands across it from so high up. My stomach flipped when Hadrian guided us back to the ground. But as my toes landed, I almost fell, my legs unsure and weak from the hours of flight. I looked around us, but didn’t recognize where we landed. We’d flown far from our elks.
“I am exhausted!” Hadrian said, catching his breath, his wings held tight against his back. “Yet I wish I could carry on. It has been a long while since I have felt so… free.”
His skin was pale. Two dark circles laced below his eyes.
“You’ll have to promise me we can do that again sometime,” I said, a rush of euphoria filled my whole body.
“When you win the duel, I will take you as much as you want,” he replied.
The mention of the duel dampened my mood. “If I win.”
Hadrian’s stomach rumbled so loud I thought it came from his throat. He looked up at me, biting back a laugh. “We have plenty of time. Let’s focus on finding the elks and getting back. I am worried if I don’t eat soon… I’ll have to eat you.”
He snapped his fangs at me, his eyes wide.
“Let’s hurry then.” I replied, jumping back from him as a joke.
“I do not fancy lugging these the entire walk back.” His wings shook behind him. “They are heavier then they look.”
The ripple started on his horns and by the time it reached his feet he was back to his usual self. His clothes hung off him in tatters, exposing his hard stomach and smooth chest.
Hadrian followed my gaze and looked down over himself. “Well, I cannot go back to Olderim like this. Just imagine the stories. Prince comes back from day with mystery guard with no clothes, or modesty left. I have left a spare set of clothes in my sack, when we find it I will have to change.”
“Good idea.” I pulled my gaze from his exposed, hard stomach and began to walk off.
It took us a while to find our sacks. Once we did Hadrian changed like he said he would and I packed our belongings to keep myself busy.
We both looked at each other when an animalistic scream lit the sky.
I ran towards its origin, not saying a word, Hadrian close behind.
We passed through the night, our boots slamming against the ground. We both knew what made the noise without having to say it aloud. We ran through the field until the tree that our elks were tethered to came into view.
I looked straight at them.
I saw nothing but blood.
BLOOD FLOODED THE grass and covered the bark of the tree in splatters. Even the pink blossoms were stained red.
I ran fast for them and tripped, landing on the ground. The fall knocked the wind from my lungs. It gave Hadrian time to pass me and he reached the destruction before I even caught my breath.
I could hear his angered slur from where I was. It urged me to pick myself up and catch up to him. Between the details that greeted me and the pain in my chest, tears blurred my vision and spilled down my face.
The horror of what I saw next sent my stomach turning. Hadrian was sobbing, walking back and forth before Elmirr’s body, his hand covering his mouth and the other tugging at his hair. I hung back, shocked by the true state of her.
Goddess, no.
Elmirr had been gutted. From the base of her throat, to the bottom of her stomach.
Her innards had been flung across the ground, some still falling from the open gash. Deep slashes covered her sticky hide, her entire body mutilated beyond belief. Whatever had done had been rushed. I scanned the horizon, reaching for my power, to look for what did this. I saw nothing but the night, I couldn’t even see where the grassland ended and the cliff started. The only light was from the moon and the ball of fire that erupted in Hadrian’s hand.
My knees slammed into the ground, a jolt of pain crawled up my spine from the impact. I leaned my palms on the ground and vomited. Once my stomach had stopped cramping I could see why my hands felt wet. The ground beneath them was covered in Elmirr’s blood. I wiped my hands across my slacks and top, wanting to rid of the blood but it just smudged the stain even more.
There was a whimpering noise and I looked up to see my own elk, hidden behind the tree, its eyes glazed and confused. I pushed myself towards him, stepping over a red bulge that had been scattered on the ground.
I pulled the dagger from my belt, wishing my claws hadn’t been left at the palace, and brought it down on the leather strap that connected my elk to the tree.
The strap snapped, and I held firm to the tether and guided my elk away.
My arm screamed whilst he yanked on me, trying to free from my grasp. I could feel the waves of his panic roll off him.
“Who would do this?” My voice shook.
Hadrian still paced, the whites of his eyes red. Blood red. “Not who, but what.” He smudged his hand to wipe his tears, only to spread dirt across his face. “Look at the marks… this was an animal attack.” I couldn’t look at Elmirr, or what was left. “No knife could make such deep, large wounds. Look at her neck…”
I bit my lip and looked, the mark on her neck could only be caused by a creature with large jaws.
“There is no beast around these parts that could do this.” His voice shook. “But in Olderim, there are many…”
I didn’t have to elaborate. I know what he was suggesting. The shifters.
“It doesn’t make sense.” My elk was still pulling hard on my arm. I raised a hand to its muzzle and rubbed it in hopes it would help.
“No, Zacriah, it makes perfect sense,” he shouted, walking over to me and taking the reins from my hand.
“What are we going to do with her?” I asked, watching him mount my elk.
“We leave her,” he replied, reaching a hand for me to climb up behind him.
I wrapped my arms around him, there was not much space on my small elk for two. Hadrian punched the air and a ball of fire spat towards Elmirr. In moments, the entire area was on fire.
I cried into Hadrian’s back the entire ride to Olderim, trying not to make a sound. Tear stains pooled on his shirt, but I didn’t stop.
Most of the ride I kept my eyes closed, and only opened them when Hadrian cleared his throat. Olderim’s main gates were ahead.
We stopped beside the gates and Hadrian whispered to the guard who greeted us. He must have felt me move because he ceased the conversation and carried on through the opening gates.
It was Fadine, I would recognize the helmet anywhere. When I looked back at her ,she was not looking. Her face was staring in the direction of where we’d come from. I looked, following her gaze to see a red glow in the distance.
“I am going to need you to do me a favour,” Hadrian whispered. “You must promise me not to mention what has happened to Elmirr.”
“I promise.”
“Not until I find out who was behind this. And I will find out.” Hadrian only stared ahead into the dark streets of Masarion when he spoke.