Page 97 of Kept to Kill
It looked like him. It sounded like him. Lily slid down from her horse, took off the collar, and approached him despite the others calling her back.
‘Is it really you?’ she asked, standing in front of him.
‘It’s me,’ he said. ‘You panicked in that tiny boat after the ship went down because the world is so big. You hate having the power that you do. You love it when Mal and I fuck in front of you.’
Lily’s cheeks heated. That was definitely something Bastian would say. ‘If you’re not Bastian, you’ll die if I touch you,’ she said.
He shrugged and held out his hand. Lily stepped forward and touched it quickly, dancing out of his reach again. He didn’t seem affected.
‘You were dead,’ she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. ‘We burned you on a pyre.’
Bastian winced, looking sheepish. ‘I— there’s something you should know … about me. That all of you should know,’ he said, his apologetic eyes falling on Mal, who was now next to her. ‘I should have told you before, but … I didn’t know how.’ He looked away. ‘I’m a god,’ he whispered.
* * *
Quin was still reelingthat afternoon. He could scarcely believe what Bastian had told them. But it had to be true. He’d seen Bastian’s corpse, burned it himself, yet here he was, healthy as he ever had been, sitting on his horse and cuddling with Lily.
‘Strait isn’t far,’ he said, keeping an eye on the horizon.
Bastian was keeping an eye out on one side of the forest and Mal, the other, Lily doing her part as well. How long before they were attacked again? As far as he could tell, Dark Realm beasts had overrun the lands further north than Kitore. How none of them had known this, he didn’t know. It should be common knowledge.
They approached the coast, where, if they had good fortune, there would be a ship in the bay that they could signal to. It was raining and the clouds had rolled in quickly this morning. He huddled down on his horse for warmth.
‘There it is.’ Mal pointed and they saw the long sturdy jetty. It looked abandoned, its wardens either dead or fled. ‘There’s a ship.’
‘Thank the gods,’ Quin said under his breath.
Quin dismounted and went into the small shack located by the side of the jetty. The wind whipped, snatching the door from him and slamming it into the wooden wall with a crash. He found a torch and lit it, putting it on the end of the pier and hoping it would last long enough for the ship to see it and send a boat for them.
Luck, it seemed, was in their favor, because soon he saw a fire lit on the port side. The mist was rolling in now too, so he could hardly see it. They stood hunched on the jetty, hearing the howling of the wind … and other noises approaching too.
Quin and the others drew their weapons, watching the beach.
‘Let us know if you see anything,’ he called to Lily, as she seemed to be the only one who could.
She nodded.
They heard the lapping of a boat’s oars and a small skiff appeared out of the gloomy haze just as Lily called out, pointing to the wood planks they were standing on.
‘There’s something over there.’ She turned to Quin, horror pervading her countenance. ‘It’s under the quay!’
‘Fuck! Get to the edge,’ he said, turning his gaze to the seas, so oddly calm considering what was happening on the land. ‘Hurry! We’ll pay double if you get us all on your ship safely,’ he yelled.
‘I see it as well,’ Bastian yelled. ‘It’s coming!’
As soon as the boat was close, they climbed aboard, Lily first, followed by Mal and Bastian and, finally, Quin.
‘It’s almost upon you,’ Lily screamed as he jumped, crashing into Mal, who caught him before his face struck the hull of the small boat.
‘Where is it now?’ Mal asked.
‘It paces the end of the dock. It looks angry. It can’t come in the water,’ Bastian said, sounding relieved.
‘How is it that you can see them too, Brother?’ Quin asked, putting his hand on Bastian’s shoulder.
Bastian had the audacity to smirk, pointing at his own chest with his thumb. ‘God,’ he muttered.
They sat in the boat, cowering together while catching their breath. Quin continually scanned the waters around them. He glanced at Lily, her face pale and drawn, and, for the first time, he was truly afraid. He couldn’t protect his unit; he couldn’t protect her against enemies he couldn’t even see. How could he keep her with the Army knowing that she wasn’t safe with them? Better she go as far south as possible, perhaps even to the Islands. He had to unbind her from them. He had to free her from the Brothers.
