A Night Owl's Call by KT Hughes

Author:KT Hughes [Hughes, KT]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-03T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Embers danced in the night sky like stars. Flames still tore through a silenced Alryne. No one but Erebus and the others were left. The screams of the dying faded, leaving only the sounds of the crackling fires. A few of the villagers escaped, fleeing for safety. The King and his family were nowhere to be found. Kolby searched all of the buildings for his brother only to come up short. For hours, Erebus kneeled beside his mother. He never spoke a word, never moved an inch. Then finally, at the break of dawn, he opened his eyes. The fiery blue in his eyes was dimmed. He no longer felt the weight of Itha’s spell nor the burden of his demon. Now that his powers were stripped from him, there was nothing but his anger to suppress.

Dried blood stained his hands. He could no longer tell what was his own and what belonged to his mother. When he tried to stand, he refused any help. His body was weak and his head felt clouded. Placing both pinky fingers in his mouth he whistled for Peeta. Nothing. So, he tried again. This time he heard a faint whinny and noticed Peeta’s copper coat glisten amongst the dying flames.

“Where are you going?” Jetta ran over to Peeta, watching as Erebus struggled to pull himself up over his back. Erebus was hunched over; his ribs had been cracked. Every breath, every movement was agonizing.

“To find my father.”

“You can’t go alone. Your mother even said for us to all go to Nantuk.”

“Those are my powers, he’s my father. It’s my burden.”

Jetta stepped in front of Peeta once again. “She was my friend; these were my people. This is our land. We’re coming with you.”

“I wouldn’t argue with her. You’ll lose for sure,” Warrick added.

“You’re in no condition to fight, he’ll kill you.” Kolby walked towards the group. He failed to find his brother.

Kiga came running over from the edge of the town with horses trailing behind him. He was surveying the land for any indication as to where Xovemis had gone. “Quickly, we must go.” Each word was interrupted by a heavy breath. “Deaton has returned and has informed me that he and his men were ordered to take Erebus down. An army is headed this way.”

“Erebus, my brother?” Kolby added.

“He made his decision,” Erebus replied.

“We’ll find your father; you can be sure of that. For now, we must leave. It isn’t safe here.” Kiga handed each of them a horse. Otis, his mule, spun in a circle while he tried to put his foot in the stirrup. “You stubborn mule. Stand still.”

The sound of hounds and hoofs grew closer. Erebus helped pull Kiga on top of Otis and each of them took off down the road. They ran their horses for a few miles before cutting off into nearby woods. There they slowed their pace and regained their whereabouts. Erebus’s breathing became more and more shallow as the ride went on. He found it incredibly difficult to stay awake.

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