Page 40 of Down from the Tower

“You died because you pushed her too far.” His gaze flickers up to me, and I bite my lip before I can argue. I don’t know how or why I killed Modred, but thinking about it makes my chest tighten and panic set in. We can’t afford that now. I don’t feel as guilty as I should, but perhaps that’s because he was a wretched man in life. “You’ll remain in limbo until you pass on and your spirit is at peace. I cannot do that in my current state, and the princess and I need to be somewhere further from Tressa before I attempt that. The dead never rise in this kingdom, yet your spirit had no trouble finding me.”

“Because I saw the two of you fleeing from the castle,” Modred grumbles.

Zarev simply shrugs, pressing a hand to his chest again. “You don’t have a choice. Your soul will follow me because Death is calling it home. If I wasn’t injured I could send you on now, but I don’t have the energy to waste.”

He stands then, heaving as he stumbles to his feet and presses his hand back to his chest once more. His skin is ashen, and his eyes are not as vibrant as before when he lunged at me. He clumsily grabs for the scythe, and I don’t remember seeing him replace the sickled, smaller blade before he stood back up. “We need to move. The longer we stay here, the more likely it is that someone will spot us. The walls of Tressa might be impenetrable, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t draw attention.”

I bite my lip, the first waves of uncertainty crashing through me. I know that once Midas cannot locate us in the castle he’ll extend his search. Even if he’s mad at me about Modred, I’m an important asset to his reign. He needs me to keep alliances going and his own youth intact.

There would be bodies and bones burnt to ash. But Midas will not be satisfied until he knows exactly where we are, and how we escaped from the kingdom.

Zarev grasps my wrist in one hand, his scythe in the other. The pixie dust is balanced in his grip and he shoves it towards me. “We need to find cover and then figure out what we can use to heal in the meantime. It’s not something I’m skilled with.” His eyes skate towards me, a question resting in them. “Your magic doesn’t heal, it only returns youth?”

I shrug. “I’ve never tried anything else.”

“Right,” he says quietly, shaking his head. “This isn’t the place to test things out. Do you have the energy to run with me, Princess?”

I wince. “You can’t do that shadow trick again? The one that flew us over the wall?”

“No. I used too much magic back in the castle. And with my injury I won’t risk it now. We may need the shadows soon and using them to quicken a run will do us no good right now.” He hesitates before continuing. “Shadow hopping is an option, but not until my energy is restored. Flying is incredibly difficult; the only wings I have are created from shadows, so there’s no way to fly with my magic so low. We’ll have to travel by foot.”

He tugs me forward to get us moving, and I shift the vial so I can hold it in front of us and light the path. “Doesn’t this make us easy to spot?”

Zarev points up, dragging me further into the trees. I snatch my shoes off the ground as we pass them, my feet already aching from the cuts and the uneven earth. Despite the protection they might offer, I can’t force myself to put them on, but leaving them feels wrong. It would be obvious I was here if someone happened by and spotted them. Mostly likely, the report would make its way back to Midas. He doesn’t need any more hints about where we’ve gone. “Guards can’t see through the thick of the trees from up on the wall. But the wall is impenetrable so it’s not supposed to be an issue if someone reaches it on foot. There’s only one gate in, plus the docks. No one can easily reach us at this point in the forest, and if you’re as important to Midas as everyone claims no one would risk shooting arrows down blindly..”

I chew my lip, debating saying anything as Zarev tugs me along. He’s surprisingly resilient, and I’m starting to feel fairly inadequate as we move. I’ve got some spines in my arms that hurt, and magic that is useless for combat other than leaving small marks on his chin. He’s doing the brunt of the work, and it’s making me feel guilty.

He didn’t have to bring me down from the tower. To the same extent, he didn’t have to pin me down like a snack either.

This isn’t the castle. No one’s going to show up and claim something is too hard for me and take the burden away. This is a life or death situation, and I need to hold up my end before he decides I’m too much trouble and leaves me someplace.

If he abandons me, I have no idea what I will do. I know nothing about this land, and even on the streets of Tressa I would be completely lost.

Licking my lips, I let us walk in silence for a few short minutes before my curiosity and my nerves win out. “So, this is the forest?”

“Sherwood Forest,” Zarev corrects, glancing at me. With the low lighting, his face is nothing but shadows, just like the magic he wields. “I know this forest well. A two day hike will put us at The Missing Shoe.”

“Is that a place?”

Zarev snorts. “It’s the place. It’s a tavern. One of my brother's mothers owns the place.”

“You have siblings?”

He shoots me a look. “Not that kind of brother, Rapunzel. He’s a Hell Brother, not one born of blood.”

I frown, following him along the path. It’s a little overgrown, but it’s easier to follow than the forgotten mess on the castle grounds. “What’s a Hell Brother?”

Zarev is quiet for many minutes, quiet enough I wonder if I’ve angered him. “When we find a place to rest, I’ll scry for Raymundo. He should answer on his stone.”

Now he’s just not making any sense. “What are you talking about?”

“Never seen a seeing stone I take it?” he asks, a wry smile gracing his lips before he grimaces and goes back to scowling. “It’s a magic-infused stone that lets people reach out to others in different spots around Mystica. There’s a few that can reach Neverland and Ander Son’s Way, but my stone isn’t that strong.”

“I don’t know where those places are.” Even if he mentioned Neverland once in passing, I still don’t really know how it exists,

“It doesn’t really matter, we don’t need to speak to anyone there. Raymundo might be able to meet us part way to the tavern if my injuries don’t heal soon.”

I wince, glancing down at his torso. For being embedded with gold, he’s moving remarkably well. “I’m surprised you can walk.”

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