The Xhelozi were awake and coming down from the mountains to hunt. If he wasn’t careful, he would be their prey.
His horse’s pace slowed to a trot as he turned toward the southwest. Andreus looked behind him for a glimpse of his sister. The dark and the snow made it impossible to tell if she was back there. He would deal with her later. For now he would focus on completing this trial so his subjects would have something to cheer.
“Come on, Cole,” he said, blowing warm air onto his hands before clutching the reins. “We have to move.”
Cole’s hooves pounded the ground. Andreus ignored the tightening in his chest as he pulled the cloak snug around his body. Every few minutes, Andreus looked back to Eden’s orb shining like a beacon above the castle to make sure he was going the right way.
A gray fox darted out of a distant grove of trees. Normally the darkness would shield it from view, but against the white of the snow the fox was easy to spot. Just as Andreus would be if anything on the mountains was watching.
Cole was tiring. Andreus slowed him to a walk. If he didn’t the horse would be too spent to race back to the castle after Andreus succeeded in the trial.
The snow continued to fall. His breath turned to smoke in front of his face. The mountains grew larger as the ground under Cole’s feet shifted from grass to dirt and stone.
Almost there and still no Carys behind him.
The pulse of the tomb’s windmill filled the silence as he reached the entrance and dismounted.
His legs buckled and he grabbed the saddle for support. The trek down the wall and the hours in the cold had taken their toll. But he’d be fine. He would endure as he was supposed to. And he would win.
He took a deep breath and stiffly led Cole into the entrance that, unlike the tomb beyond, had no wind-powered lights. Good thing the small stones he needed to connect the windmill power to the door were smooth and easy to find by feel next to the other rough rocks.
Massive steel doors rumbled. Light flooded the darkness, blinding him as he stumbled forward into the tomb.
Death filled his nose. Rotting decay that he gagged and choked on. He forced himself to look around the first of the series of chambers that made up the tomb. In the center of the largest of the stone rooms was a small but perfect replica of Eden’s orb, surrounded by seven stone statues depicting the seven virtues. At the foot of each statue was the vice one must overcome to achieve the light. Benches carved into the walls were covered with dusty shrouds. These crypts housed the very first of Eden’s royal families.
Andreus threw off the shrouds. Beheld the bones they hid.
None of those long-dead rulers had the crown he sought. He would have to go through the passages that wound underneath the mountain range.
The smell of death grew stronger the farther he traveled in the dim light. Shadows pursued him as he peered into each burial shelf carved into the walls. But as much as he hated the enclosed spaces filled with death, he was grateful for the lack of wind and snow.
The jagged stone floor slanted downward as he retraced the steps the guards would have taken to lay his brother and father to rest. There. The gold-and-sapphire crown caught the light. It was sitting on top of his brother’s shroud as though to remind him that it was Micah who was supposed to be King.
Andreus laughed. The Elders were toying with him. Only it wouldn’t work. Micah was stuck rotting in here and Andreus was going to rule.
He grabbed the crown, turned, and went back through the passages. First at a walk. Then at a run. He wanted to get back to the castle with the crown that was rightfully his.
He crossed into the cold darkness of the entryway, activated the doors, and watched them slowly close, blotting out any light. When the grinding of the gears ceased, Andreus attached the crown to his belt and then walked toward Cole. The horse was shifting restlessly. He nickered and blew out air and Andreus patted his flank to settle him.
He heard something shift. Andreus went still. A rock skittered across stone. Something was moving behind him in the darkness.
Carys?
Andreus reached for the sword on his belt and drew it slowly, trying not to make a sound. The metal whispered its release from the scabbard. Cole’s hooves clattered on the ground as he started forward. Ready to be off.
Slowly, Andreus turned and squinted into the shadows in the cave, but he could see nothing. Feeling foolish, he grabbed the pommel of the saddle and was pulling himself up when the sound came again.
He glanced behind him and that’s when he saw it. Claws. Teeth. Thick gray scales across the chest. White fur. Long arms on the narrow but terrifyingly tall and powerful body.
Xhelozi.
Cole jerked forward. Andreus almost lost his grip and slid sideways. His heart pitched with his body and fear spiked hard as he pulled himself up, dug his heels into Cole’s side, and yelled, “Go.”
A loud screech came from his left as the horse raced out of the cave and onto the slick, snowy path. Cole reared as another rusty cry echoed in front of them.
Oh, Gods.
Andreus raised his sword and urged Cole forward. The horse balked, but Andreus dug his boots deep into the horse’s flanks as another screech cut through the night. Behind him. To the side. In front. Cries came from everywhere as they raced forward through the darkness. Away from the mountains. He had to get back to the castle and the lights.
A shadow darted out of the trees. Fire raked across his leg as something slammed into the horse from the side. Cole whinnied and reared. Andreus clutched the pommel with one hand and swung with his sword. The blade struck flesh. A shriek of agony cut through the air, making the horse rear again. Andreus lost his grip and slammed to the ground. Hoofbeats raced away from him.
Another screech came from somewhere to his right as the thing in front of him snarled.
Dark liquid stained the white fur on its arm. It snarled again and leaped forward. Andreus scrambled backward and rolled to his side as the creature landed on the spot he’d just vacated.
He lashed out with his blade and connected. Then he clambered to his feet and hobbled to his right. The monster turned back toward him with teeth bared and hooked claws extended.
Blood trickled down Andreus’s left leg. He could barely put weight on it. The creature reared back on its powerful legs and sprang.
Andreus dropped to the ground and rolled under the attack, swinging the sword as hard as he could. The blade bit into the Xhelozi and sliced across the midsection. The air shook as the thing screeched.
Through his panic, triumph flared. Andreus scrambled to his feet, balancing all his weight on his right foot, and lunged at the wounded creature. It snarled and started to rise just as his sword punched into its chest, sending the Xhelozi back to the ground. He pulled out the sword and stabbed through the mass of white fur and scales again. The Xhelozi gurgled once. Then, for a moment, everything went silent.