“She’s my Lor Pussy Fairy, it’ll always be ready for me,” War responded.
“You wish you had someone who would go through realms to get to you. You’re such a hater,” I told Grim.
“I’m going to have your baldheaded friend hooked soon,” Grim said, rubbing his hands together. I waved Grim away, but my attention never left War.
“I’m going to do you in once this is over. I’m heated that you’re even here, distracting me!”War’s voice said inside my head.
“I’m going to make your life hell, so that you can take me through it,”I replied.
“What’s the next move, bro? You ain’t got much time left,” Grim said to War.
“Hoax’s home,” War replied.
“I’ll guide you to his house. It’s not in the main village and it’s heavily guarded,” I said.
“Lead the way,” Grim said, nodding.
“You—get inside my cloak,” War told me.
I shifted, shrinking down to my fairy form. My wings fluttered as I darted into the warm, shadowy space at the neckline of War’s brown cloak. He pulled the hood low over his head, hiding me from sight.
Grim stepped forward, lifting the latch on the door. War swung himself onto the back of his unicorn, the creature pawing at the ground, eager to move. A hoverboard appeared beneath Grim’s feet. “I’ll be right behind you,” Grim said, his form dissolving into a wisp of shadow that slipped through the doorway.
The unicorn galloped out of the temple and plunged into the black forest. Its hooves barely touched the ground before it leapt,wings unfurling wide. With a rush of wind, we soared above the treetops.
“War, did you know Sin and I are twins?” I asked, clinging to his cloak.
“I only saw it in your eyes a moment ago,” War said, voice low. “His fate is in your hands, he’s not a threat to me. I was going to use him for target practice, but it’s your call.”
“Sin wouldn’t have lasted a second. He’s not that kind of warrior.”
“He would’ve been good for training the rookies,” War replied.
The unicorn banked sharply. I tightened my grip on War’s cloak as the trees stretched higher, their tops lost in the mist. War’s skin grew hot beneath my hands, and a burning slash of fire flickered across his neck.
“Still punishing yourself? It’s almost a new day,” I said.
“It’s anger,” War growled. “My temple looks like an ogre’s bathhouse—ruined and forgotten. This forest was mine. My waterfall dried up after I was punished, and the trees started dying.”
We flew on in silence, the dead forest stretching endlessly below, shadows swallowing the last traces of War’s old kingdom.
There were three warriors posted up in front of Hoax’s treehouse—the grandest oak in all of Charmden. The trunk was thick as a brick building, gnarled roots curling like petrified serpents into the black earth. The house balconies and arched windows glowed faintly with a green light. Moss and old bones hung from the railings, creaking in the wind. The whole place looked less like a haunted castle.
The unicorn landed, its hooves thudding on the mossy ground. War, still disguised as Crane, slid off the animal’s back.
“What brings you out here, Lieutenant Crane? Is there something wrong?” one guard asked.
“I want you all to gather the others and head back to Hollow Forest. I just received word that Sin is alive,” War replied.
“You want all of us to leave Charmden?” another asked, glancing at the treehouse as if it might answer for him.
“Every soldier is to leave for Hollow Forest. Gather everyone in the center of the village, and when the portal opens, it’s the signal to leave. We don’t know how many Hex13 are hiding out in that forest, using Sin as bait. Hoax wants his son brought back alive, and we will bring him back to Charmden,” War said.
“I have a funny feeling about this, Lieutenant Crane. I heard Sin was a traitor,” the first guard responded, his eyes narrowing.
War strode over, in a flash, War’s knife gleamed before it cracked into the guard’s skull, splitting flesh and bone with a sickening crunch. The guard dropped to his knees, blood gushing down his face. War seized his head, and with a twist, drove two fingers deep into the guard’s eye sockets. The man’s screamed as War ripped his eyes free, tearing nerves and sinew.Blood and fluid splattered the moss, as the guard took his last breath.
The other two guards froze, fear etched on their faces.
