Warrior Beautiful (20 page)
Authors: Wendy Knight
Scout’s eyes stung but she refused to let the tears fall. “And you’re here to take me home?”
He tossed his head. “
Or kill you. Whichever is necessary.
”
Scout rose to her feet. “How do I know you aren’t going to kill me instead of taking me home?” She glanced over at Trey’s hut, but he hadn’t come out again. Would he try to stop her if he knew she was leaving?
“
You have my word.
”
The unicorn lowered his head, his horn glowing.
For all Scout knew, he could be completely lying and lighting that brilliant horn up for fun. But it didn’t matter. “Take me home.”
“Where is Scout?” Iros strode through Trey’s doorway without even a knock. Trey had spent the last eternity staring at the thatched roof, lying on his cot, forbidding himself from going to talk to her.
He sat up so fast the room spun and he had to grab the edge of the bed to keep from toppling off. “I’m guessing she’s in her hut.” Kylin followed Iros into the room, glaring fiercely at Trey, one hand clinging to Iros’ arm. Trey glanced at it and back up at her face — she looked smug. Trey tried not to roll his eyes. Kylin was the queen at playing games, and he just couldn’t bring himself to care.
“She’s not in her hut, and the Ekse can’t find her anywhere.” Iros’ voice held more panic than Trey was used to hearing from their strong leader.
“But I just saw her outside her hut. With Havik.” Trey jumped to his feet, shoving Iros and Kylin both out of the way as he stalked through the door. “You said this space is infinite. She could be anywhere.”
“It is infinite.” Iros followed him out. “But the Ekse can find anyone here. They’re trackers. That’s what they do. Havik left her here to find me. By the time I got here, she was gone.”
Trey glanced in Scout’s hut, but Iros hadn’t been lying. She wasn’t there. A hard knot formed in the pit of his stomach. “She was upset.”
“I know. I wanted to talk to her, to explain my reasoning.”
Trey frowned. “Reasoning for what?” He turned on Iros, feeling his heart threatening to pound right out of his chest.
“Ashra told Scout that I have to close the gate. Lock the soul stealers in Aptavaras.” Iros looked away from him, staring hard at the ground.
“How can you — what about everyone trapped down there? What about my family? Scout’s family?”
Iros made a visible effort to make his voice sound kind. “It’s too late for them, Trey. The soul stealers have already formed the new souls, which means the ones they’ve taken are already gone.”
Trey stumbled backward onto his cot, disbelief nearly knocking him over. “What do you mean? How can they be gone? It’s only been a few days, Iros.”
“I know.” Iros barely seemed to notice Kylin as she sidled up next to him and laid her head against his shoulder.
“He’s only trying to save the rest of the world, Trey. My family is still out there.”
Trey sank to the cot, his head in his hands. He ignored Kylin and asked Iros, “How do you know this?”
“Our Ekse have sighted soul stealers with souls.” If the grimness in Iros’ voice wasn’t terrifying enough, the haunted look in his eyes was.
“How do you know they have souls?” Trey returned his gaze to the dirt floor, absently wondering why, with all the magic in this land, he had a dirt floor and Scout had an actual wood floor.
“You can see it in their eyes. They glow red. They aren’t an empty skeleton anymore.” Iros sat next to him, leaving Kylin standing awkwardly by herself in the doorway. “Trey, we have to find Scout. We need her to fight this new threat, or we may all fail.” He laid a hesitant hand on Trey’s shoulder, searching for understanding.
Trey shook his head. “Why can’t you just let her mourn in peace? Wherever she is, she doesn’t want to be found.”
Iros pushed to his feet, wandering around the hut, holding his head like he was afraid it would escape. Trey watched him for several minutes. He couldn’t believe he’d lost them — his brothers, his parents. They were gone?
“Scout and Ashra are powerful together, Trey. Even without bonding, they are more powerful than anything I’ve ever seen. Their driving force, their pain, makes them unstoppable. We
need
that right now. Or we can’t win.”
Absently, Trey murmured, “Well she’s gotta be here somewhere, right? It’s not like she can walk out of Paradesos.” He looked up from where he still hunched on his bed, feeling like he had to protect the pain in his chest somehow.
Iros shook his head. “No, she’s got to be here somewhere. If she were to leave...” His face whitened.
“What? If she were to leave, what?” Kylin asked when Iros didn’t finish.
He faced her, but looked at Trey. “If she did somehow leave, went out into the real world, the soul stealers would attack — swiftly and brutally. They’ve been watching for her, especially after our last battle.”
“Well then it’s a good thing she can’t leave, isn’t it?” Kylin said when Trey couldn’t speak for the horror in his throat.
Iros spun on his heel and marched out of the hut. Trey leaped to his feet and followed him out, brushing past Kylin without a word.
Iros was silent, staring into the forest surrounding their valley. Within seconds, the trees started to shake as mighty hooves thundered closer.
Havik is coming
.
The magnificent commander roared to a stop in front of them, tossing his head.
“
We haven
’
t found Ashra. Or Scout.
”
“Call the Ekse. I would like to speak to them.” Iros said aloud. Trey raised an eyebrow, but Havik flipped his wings out and exploded into the air, disappearing through the trees.
“Now what?” Trey asked.
“We wait.”
They didn’t have to wait long. Kylin sat on the ground, pinching off split ends from her short blonde hair. Trey paced, because not moving seemed to leave him open to more pain. Iros stood absolutely still, his hands behind his back, staring at the trees. When the leaves started to shake, Trey stopped and stood next to him as the bright green unicorns followed Havik into the valley.
The Ekse stopped in front of Iros, stamping and snorting. There weren’t many, maybe fifty, and they were much smaller than the mighty Irwarros, but still it was a sight to behold with their flashing horns and metallic emerald hair.
“Where is she?” Iros asked. His voice was flat and hard. Trey looked at him in surprise, but Iros ignored him as he marched back and forth in front of trackers. Their heads lowered as one, horns nearly touching the mossy green ground, but as far as Trey could tell, no one said a word.
Until Havik turned on them. Fire shot from his horns as his giant wings spread out, lit with flames. His nostrils flared and his eyes rolled wildly. Kylin screeched and escaped for her hut, but Trey didn’t move. “
Where.
Is. She?
”
The Ekse nearly impaled each other in their rush to get in front of him, kneeling at his feet. “
We took her home. Hours ago. We
’
re still waiting for Kizt to return.
”
Havik speared him, his horn going right through the wispy wings. The Ekse screamed, and behind them, Kylin screamed as well. “
How long ago did they leave?
”
Havik growled deep in his throat, the threat reverberating through the valley.
“
This morning. Kizt should have returned long ago.
”
The Ekse squealed in pain.
Havik released him. “
Kizt is dead.
”
He turned toward Iros. “
And Scout is in grave danger.
”
Iros paced, holding his head again. “I have to close the gate before midnight or it will be too late. The soul stealers will be free.”
“
We can
’
t find Scout and go to the gate too, Iros.
”
Trey had never heard Havik sound frightened, until now.
“
You don
’
t have to.
”
Ashra dropped from the sky, landing hard next to Havik. The ground exploded under her feet. “
I
’
m going after her. I
’
ll bring her home.
”
Torz burst from the trees at the far end of the valley, galloping toward them, his thunderous hooves echoing across the valley floor. “
I
’
m going with you.
”
Ashra tossed her head. “
I don
’
t need your help. I chased her away. I
’
ll bring her back.
”
“
I didn
’
t ask, Ashra.
”
Torz, usually so mild, was anything but when he spoke.
Trey stepped forward, laying a hand on Torz’s neck. “I’m going with you.”
“Oh no you aren’t.” Kylin burst from her hut and hurried over, walking on her toes to avoid the moss. “You are going to leave her alone, Trey. Or we’re done.” Tears soaked her cheeks and she trembled so hard her teeth clacked together.
“Kylin—” Trey started, but she cut him off.
“No. I’ve had enough, Trey. You’ve hurt me enough. If you go after her, we’re done. I’m going back to Kasen.”
Trey frowned, lost. “Kasen? Back to? What?” And then he shook his head. “Kylin, if I don’t help, she could die. And not just her,” he flung his arm toward Ashra and Torz. “They could die trying to bring her back. With me, they have a chance.” He grabbed her arm and led her away, although he knew they could all still hear him. “Kylin, we’re already done.” When she opened her mouth to object, he shook his head, “You know we are. We’ve been done for a long time. But I don’t want you to hate me for trying to save Scout.”
Her eyes welled with fresh tears, but he didn’t see her slap coming until his skin stung from the contact. “I hope you die together,” she hissed before she whirled away.
Trey stared after her, shock making him slow to respond. “I can’t believe you just said that,” he whispered, but she didn’t hear him — he hadn’t meant her to.
Shaking his head, he turned abruptly, and leaped on Torz’s back. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Iros stepped up, laying a hand on Ashra’s neck.
“
We
’
ve never fought without you,
”
she said quietly.
“I’ll be here.” He patted her chest, where her heart was. “And when you bring Scout back safe, I will meet you here. We will celebrate the end of the war. We will mourn our lost loved ones together, and we will heal together.”
Ashra nudged him gently, leaning her head against his cheek. Torz leaned his head down as well, and Havik joined them. For several moments, they stood silently. And then as one, Ashra and Torz shot into the air.
****
Scout stood in the middle of the street, looking around her. The place was deserted. There were no cars, no dogs, nothing, and the Ekse had dropped her in the middle of the town; so she got a very good view as she wandered down the road toward her neighborhood.
There was a small gas station on the corner, not far from where she stumbled aimlessly in the center of the street. Maybe there would be a phone or someone she could call… she jogged over, glancing uncertainly around her as she tugged open the door. The silence was beyond eerie. The little bell rang over the door and seemed to echo through the entire town. “Hello?” Scout went to the counter, leaning over the scratched laminate to peer into the back room. She could barely see a hand, unmoving in the doorway, disappearing into the darkness beyond. “Oh no. No, no, no, no.” She rushed around the counter, slipping through the gate. She slid to her knees next to the man, shaking his shoulder. His head rolled toward her, eyes wide and staring. Scout screamed and fell backward, scrambling away on her hands and feet like a crab before she finally got her legs under her. She leaped over the boxes and skidded sideways over the counter top, banging her head on the cash register. She felt blood, but didn’t stop as she raced out the door, even as the blood trickled down the side of her face. She ran across the road to the dollar store, bursting inside. At first glance, it was empty, but as she jogged into the back, she saw more bodies. She felt for a pulse, trying to keep the panic threatening to overwhelm her under control. There was nothing. She stood up, searching frantically for a phone. Her terrified, frozen brain took several seconds to actually see one only a few steps away. She tripped over her own feet trying to get to it quickly, punching in 911. It rang and rang, but no one picked up.
Through the big front windows, she saw the storm clouds rolling in, dark and angry. Giving up on calling for help, she dropped the phone and wound her way back through the store. It wasn’t until she got to the front door that she realized there was only one storm cloud. And it wasn’t until she stood in the middle of the street that she realized it wasn’t a storm cloud at all.
“Soul stealers.” Her heart stopped as she watched them scream through the sky, coming for the only thing still alive in this town.
Her.
She spun and ran as hard as she could go, her feet pounding against the asphalt, but she wasn’t stupid enough to think she could outrun them. She’d seen them move, she knew how fast they were. And she couldn’t hide, either. She knew that too.
She stopped, breathing hard, not sure if those were sobs or hard breaths coming from her lungs. Her hand went to the scepter still hanging in the belt at her side. It was useless without unicorn power. But she had no choice. They swooped around her, diving and screeching. The sound, without Ashra to cover her ears, was skull shattering. The claws reached, grabbing at her skin, searching for her soul. She knocked them away with her scepter, swinging it hard like a baseball bat. They were skeletons — they looked so fragile, but they didn’t break. Instead, she made them angry. The claws caught in her hair, ripping her head back as another set of claws dragged across her neck. The scream gurgled in her throat and she gagged and choked. More claws, just outside her peripheral vision, reached for her arms, her heart. They were going to take her soul.
Lil Bit. I
’
m so sorry
. She closed her eyes tight, trying to hold on.
The heat nearly seared her skin. The soul stealers erupted in fresh screams. Scout’s eyes flew open as Ashra’s bright horn stabbed viciously through the soul stealer holding her hair. It exploded in a shower of blood and ash. “Ashra!” Scout gasped.
“
Use that thing, Princess!
”
Scout wrenched her arm free from the soul stealer’s claws and reached for the scepter she’d dropped at her feet. Swinging it wide, she knocked the others away from her, into Ashra’s flames. They shrieked in agony until there was nothing left.
“
Come on!
”
Ashra started to form the stairs, but the soul stealer dropped from above, its claws digging into her back. She screamed, that weird horse-like scream that seemed so odd coming from a unicorn. Scout sprinted, leaping, stretching as she swung the scepter. It sunk deep into the demon’s chest, shoving it backward as Scout landed on Ashra’s back. Ashra kicked her sharp back hooves, pummeling the soul stealer as Scout wrenched her scepter, now glowing with fiery unicorn magic, from the soul stealer’s chest. It lit bright from within, slowly burning from the inside out.
Ashra’s tail wrapped tight around Scout’s waist as her mane plugged Scout’s ears, cutting out the horrendous screaming. Her mighty wings flipped out, igniting, and she shoved off the ground, launching them at the next soul stealer in line. Scout mentally flipped through the attacks, but the one Ashra wanted exploded from her scepter. The soul stealer shot into the sky, but couldn’t escape. The fire wrapped tight and Scout jerked the scepter back, cutting the demon in half. She looked away from the gore, looking for her next target.
“Scout, look out—” Trey’s voice was barely audible over the soul stealers’ howls, but Scout felt the claws ripping into her back, digging for her soul. She screamed and Ashra plunged forward. The demon’s claws fell free, but it reached again, and it was too close. They couldn’t get away.
Trey landed hard behind her, between the soul stealer and Scout. Its claws, reaching for Scout, dug into Trey’s chest instead and he screamed in agony. Torz attacked it from behind but he wasn’t powerful enough on his own. Scout twisted on Ashra’s back, cradling Trey with one arm as she swung her scepter at the soul stealer, trying to knock it back. Trey’s soul, beautifully incandescent, slid free through the wounds. “No!” Scout screamed, reaching for it, but her hands flew through it.
I love you, Scout. Forgive me.
Trey’s voice echoed through her head, the eyes of his soul watching her sadly as he was drug away.
Torz, above them, fell sideways, weakening as the soul stealer escaped with Trey’s soul. The mighty unicorn crashed to the ground and the remaining two soul stealers fell on him like carnivores, tearing at his flesh.
“Ashra!” Scout screamed. The light that suddenly lit from within was so bright Scout would have thrown herself from Ashra’s back if she wasn’t tied on.
The bond.
“
Attack, Scout!
”
Ashra screamed, her whinny more frightening than any soul stealer’s scream. Scout swung her scepter, aiming toward the creatures on Torz. A wall of fire exploded from her scepter, encompassing both soul stealers at once. They screamed as they burned, but Ashra didn’t hesitate. She swung around and shot into the air, after the demon that still held Trey’s soul. His body fell from behind Scout, sliding toward the ground, but Torz rocketed into the air and caught him before they both crashed back down to earth.
The soul stealer was fast, racing through the air, so fast Scout’s eyes could barely hold on to its image. But Ashra was faster. She flew after it, her fiery wings leaving trails of light behind them.
“
Now, Scout!
”
Scout aimed it for the soul stealer’s chest — where its heart would be if evil could have a heart. The fire that shot from her scepter nearly knocked her backward with its power. Ashra’s horn lit up, magic of its own winding around Scout’s flames, chasing the demon down. There was no escape.
The attack plunged into its chest. It shrieked and screamed, and its grip on Trey’s soul slipped. He broke free and escaped to earth where his body waited. The soul stealer burst into an inferno of hot magic before it, too, exploded into blood and ash.
Ashra tucked her wings and they plummeted back to earth. At the last second her wings shot out, catching them, and they landed softly next to Trey and Torz.
“Trey!” Scout slid from Ashra’s back as Trey stumbled forward. She caught him as he fell to his knees, weak and shaking. “You’re okay. You’re okay,” she sobbed, unsure who she was trying to comfort — him, or herself.
“You saved me. You didn’t let them take me,” Trey mumbled, his head against her chest.
Scout met Ashra’s eyes over Trey’s head. She flicked an ear at her. “
We did it, Scout.
”
“I like it better when you call me Princess.” Scout smiled. “Things are a little too real when you start calling me Scout.”
Ashra snorted. The street stood silent, after all the screaming and the pain. There was nothing left but spatters of black blood and ash.
“
We need to get you back to Paradesos,
”
Ashra said. “
Where we can heal you both.
”
“Why did you come for me? I thought—” Scout started. Ashra tossed her head and stomped her foot, cracking the asphalt under her hooves.
“
You thought wrong. I was stupid.
”
Scout would have thrown her arms around Ashra’s soft, furry neck if she weren’t still holding on to Trey. But he was quickly regaining his strength — his arms tightened around her as he got his feet under him. Torz, too, was back on his feet and looking less like he’d just been through a war.
“Ashra, I can’t go back. I have to find a way into Aptavaras. I can’t give up on my sister. I’m sorry.” Scout shook her head sadly. “I just can’t. I promised.”
Ashra and Torz exchanged a long look, no doubt talking or tele-whatever-ing it was that unicorns did. Scout laid her head against Trey’s broad chest. She’d almost lost him. He’d thrown himself into the soul stealer’s claws for her. And she didn’t ever want to let him go again.
She would have to, she knew. She had to save Lil Bit. And she couldn’t ask anyone to sacrifice themselves to go with her. But for now, she held on to him as tightly as she could.
“The entire town… are they all—” Scout couldn’t finish the sentence. Kamille, her drill coach. Mr. Zornes. Andi. And Trey’s best friend Cole. Kylin’s friend Kasen. Were they all dead? Was being dead better than being taken by the soul stealers?
“
I don
’
t feel anyone here,
Torz said.
The soul stealers have either killed or taken everyone in this town.
”
He flicked an ear at Ashra, who dipped her head in some kind of silent agreement. Torz continued, “
They undoubtedly did it to punish you for joining us.
”
The whistle of wings nearly scared Scout out of whatever was left of her soul. She spun out of Trey’s arms, swinging her scepter and willing it to attack before she realized that one, she wasn’t on Ashra’s back and the magic wouldn’t work and two, the creature that landed lightly on the ground before her was a unicorn. Magic wouldn’t have worked on him anyway. He flicked an ear toward Scout and away again, lowering his horn toward Ashra. “
Havik is in trouble. We need you.
”
Another ear flick toward Scout, and he continued, “
all of you, if you are willing.
”
Scout glanced at Trey. “There’s no way he’s ready to fight. He just had his soul snatched back from the hands of a demon!”
Trey shook his head, motioning toward Scout. “And Scout still has claw marks in her back. She needs a Leerha.”
Scout hadn’t even noticed the gashes until Trey mentioned them, and suddenly the constant throbbing and stinging made a lot of sense. The Ekse slowly turned his long graceful neck toward them, eyeing them both with something akin to discomfort and grudging respect. “That’s why I brought her.”
On cue, a shadow passed overhead, and the Leerha swooped down gracefully, landing with barely the whisper of hooves on the asphalt. “Come here.” Her horn already sparkled, awake with magic and ready to heal. Scout looked at Ashra. “You first.”
“
I
’
m not hurt, and we
’
re in a hurry.
”
Ashra tossed her head.
Scout rolled her eyes. “Yes, we’re in a hurry, and you’re covered in blood, horse. Stop arguing with me.” Ashra snorted indignantly, blowing hot air through her nostrils, but the Leerha ignored them both and leaned her horn to Ashra’s wounds, fluttering her wings to lift her high enough to reach Ashra’s back. She turned her sapphire magic on Torz next, and then Scout shoved Trey forward. He healed as easily as the unicorns, but Scout knew the Leerha would have trouble healing her. They always did.
Leerha magic was less fire and more sparkles, bright blue and white barely wrapped in the shimmer of light flames. Scout craned her neck to watch over her shoulder as the Leerha touched her horn to Scout’s bloody back, but instead of fighting when it hit the wounds, it seeped in easily, twisting and wrapping until the skin was healed and only a light pink scar remained. The Leerha raised her head. “Well done, Scout.”
Scout’s eyes widened as she looked at Trey. Her back didn’t hurt. Her wounds had healed. And her heart hurt least of all, like a huge weight had been released. This was what forgiveness felt like? She wished she had done it a year ago — if not for Trey, then for herself.
His gaze went from the Leerha’s bright horn to Scout and back again. “Thank you,” he whispered.
She smiled. “Iros needs our help. Ashra, help a girl out?”
Ashra’s horn lit up, and bright fire swirled around Scout, leaving her in protective armor and a new helmet. The belt holding her scepter was covered in sparkles. Fiery steps waited for her, and she leaped up them and onto Ashra’s back — she’d made it once on her own but really wasn’t up for embarrassing herself by not making it now.
Trey jumped onto Torz’s back. Ashra snapped her wings out, the fire enveloping the soft feathers and she shot into the air, Torz at her side. “
Where is Havik?
”
Ashra asked the Ekse, who flew with them. The Leerha disappeared into the clouds above them — probably back to Paradesos.