Page 20 of Blood and War
Kellan had been sent to kill something for the council more times than he could count, but never like this. The Horsemen weren’t the ones who failed. They were the ones who always did the job right.
The anger bubbled higher and higher the more he thought about it. Like a dam ready to burst.
“Shall I give you a moment, Horseman?” She pursed her lips, and he could hear the lilt in her voice. Could picture the gleam in her eyes as she stared in his direction. Every word that left her mouth, the angrier he got. Every breath she took. Killing her would have ended so many of his problems. Too many questions, not enough answers.
He dismounted. The charred tree feet away crumbled into nothing as his sword collided with its bark. Like the smoke from a fire, pieces of it drifted up into the air. He mindlessly hacked away at whatever was in front of him. Another tree, a bush, he didn’t care. But the anger at the unknown slowly left his body as he continued.
Kellan didn’t know how much time had passed when he returned to his mount. The human sat waiting astride the beastbeneath her, watching the outburst he’d unleashed on the world around him.
“All that over a demon?” A smirk found its way to her lips and he very nearly lashed out at her. Could picture her head as it lolled to the side, blood dripping from a gaping wound that he’d inflicted. “I should have killed you.” He growled, “Could still kill you.”
She laughed then, calling his bluff as if she knew he was using her for nothing more than answers now.
“Move out.” He barked, pointing ahead. The smug grin never left her face.
By midafternoon, they had been riding for hours, the sun high in the sky as it scorched into their backs. The landscape around them hardly changed the further out they went. Nothing but that same barren terrain for miles. They’d passed through the remains of what he’d assume had been a town before the Ascension, but hardly anything remained. Buildings stripped and foraged for all possible resources while rock and stone lay in rubble heaps. He’d noticed the widening of the girl’s eyes as she’d tried not to look surprised, but the sudden change hadn’t gone unnoticed.
The days on earth had been hot, nights cold. Different, again, than he’d remembered. The last time he’d stepped foot on this planet the days had been less temperamental. The human remained quiet, but her mood had lightened slightly. At his expense no less, he was sure. His outburst hours earlier had surely caused a lapse in her fear toward him. Despite it, her face was sullen as her eyes grew dark. They had been traveling for nearly two days with little sleep in his quest to reunite with the others. She looked…exhausted.
“You look as if you’re about to keel over.” He noted aloud.Let her die. Make my life easier. Do the job he’d been sent to do. Would killing her make restoring the balance easier? Make itharder? Could one human really turn the tides that much? And why did a petty demon claim to know her?
She barely turned in his direction. Barely even acknowledged he’d spoken before answering.
“I haven’t had anything to eat or drink in two days.” She snapped, brows furrowed as her jaw tensed, her lips forming in a thin line. As if in answer, his own stomach grumbled at the mention of food and he silently cursed its utter betrayal. No matter how badly Kellan wanted to deny it, the human had a point.
“Why do you have no food?” He found himself saying, knowing he’d already sounded like an idiot the moment the words left his mouth.
“Because I had so much time to pack a bag of supplies before I was so kindly threatened then taken against my will.” She glowered, eyes meeting his in challenge as that same fiery gaze returned. One she knew she’d never win, but a challenge nonetheless. He shouldn’t have respected her for it, but he did.
She had a point… again.
“We’ll stop in a few hours. Find food and somewhere to sleep.” The human only nodded before pushing her mount forward once more.
They passed through a large canyon sometime later, the smooth edges of the red rock towering tall above them, higher than even his own eyes could see. Before the planet’s ruin, he’d wager some form of water system had once ran through it as evidence of a riverbed wound its way throughout. But in the distance, Kellan could faintly make out the trickle of water tucked somewhere in a shallow cavern. Aside from themselves, it was imperative their mounts got water if they wished to continue. He led them toward the sound, coming to a stop at the wide arched entrance in the canyon.
Dismounting, he held up a hand, listening. Waiting. Searching for anything that was inside. He heard nothing. Couldn’t sense anything more than small creatures scurrying about, and he knew it was safe. For now, at least. Inside, the sun bounced off the walls, illuminating the interior of the cavern. Stalactites of varying sizes hung from the roof. The drip of the water off the largest echoed throughout. They let their mounts drink first. Demitria was quick to cup her hands under the steady drip before slowly and carefully bringing it to the dark horse. Kellan watched as he slowly gulped the water in her palms, eyes never leaving those of its master’s. She repeated the process three more times before he finished, bringing a soft muzzle to her neck as he nuzzled into the girl. He wondered how she’d acquired such a mount, let alone formed a bond as strong as they had. He had an inclination on what the horse was, due to the heavy silver scarring marring both of the beast’s sides, and if his suspicions were correct, they only bonded once, and a human sure as hell wouldn’t have had one from a foal.
More questions.
Who the hell was this human? He couldn’t stop asking himself the question over and over, echoing through his mind. Balance, he had to keep reminding himself. The council said she’d thrown off the entire balance of his world, not to mention her own. But why? He couldn’t answer any of it. Might as well focus on the imminent task.
“We need food.” Kellan said, unsaddling his mount after he’d had his own fill of water.
“Shall I materialize it out of thin air?” The ever-knowing smirk returned to her face, lighting up her dainty features. He nearly backhanded it off of her, only stopping himself as he knew it wouldn’t change a thing. Kellan had always been known by his siblings to have a temper, but he’d done well at keeping it in check over the last several years. He couldn’t tell if it washer defiance, or that fire dancing through her eyes, but she’d managed to continuously have him teetering on that edge...
“Useless human.” Her kind were already loathsome. She’d proved to be absolutely infuriating, nearly making him reach his limit. It bothered him that she didn’t cower in his presence like so many humans had done before her. He was the predator and she was his prey, yet she acted as if she were his equal. Something he could not let continue. “You need to catch food.”
“Me? That’s funny, I think you meant to saywe.” She put emphasis on the last word, arms crossing over the curves of her chest as she stared up at him. Her eyes narrowed. Kellan had lost track of how many times today alone she’d repeated that same gesture. “I sure as hell am not risking myself out there to get food. If you want it, you help.”
With a huff, he exited the cavern. “Fine. If you don’t catch it you don’t eat. Simple as that.”
She followed behind him.
It took an hour for him to track down the damned beast. An hour of painstakingly stalking through brush with thorns so large they managed to snag his clothing in the gaps between his armor. He’d curse if he hadn’t needed to be quiet. Up ahead, the human had advanced faster than him, her movements louder than a thundering horse. He could hear the crunch of her boots with each step she took. Each curse as her own clothing caught and tore.
Gods help him.
If they went hungry it would be because of this stupid human.
