Page 52 of Crowned A Traitor
“Checking,” Klara said, closing her eyes and she heard the scrape of crawls.
“Hounds, not far off but they’re coming,” Klara said seeing them in her mind’s eye. “The others won’t be far behind. Cutting through the Giants’ Territory slowed us down, but the tunnel bought us some time. They must have found the port patrol at Tapped and used the path to catch up.”
Klara had felt the last of Lilith’s potion wear off sometime during the night. Since it would no longer conceal the use of her powers. The sight she had used to check the path would only help her enemies find them. Klara cursed herself for not thinking. She almost felt Lilith’s whip against her back,your gifts can both save and kill you.
Rifling through the bag, she found the second vial wrapped in red velvet cloth.
“We should move before they catch on,” Wolfgang said impatiently, and Klara hesitated, holding the vial to her lips. Suddenly she realized that all three of them would be tracked with her and the Hounds would find her scent mixed with theirs. Klara cursed herself for not going alone.
“Take some, it will cloak us from the Guards and Hounds,” Klara said, sipping before passing it on to Wolfgang.
“How do you know they are looking for all of us?” He asked.
“I don’t. I don’t even know if it will work on a Lycaon, but do you want to risk it?”
Wolfgang grimaced as he tasted the sickly thick potion. He forced it onto Lottie’s lips as she scrunched her nose at the putrid sweet smell. With a few drops left; Wolfgang went to give Arthur some.
“Don’t need it, can’t hunt the dead,” Arthur winked. His body had no smell to track and no heat to detect. Only the Vampire beetles could find him.
The ground became thick with mud, and the leaves brightened telling Klara they were getting closer to the River. Hopefully, what potion they had consumed would be enough to get them to Kharon.
“Lottie, you need to finish it,” Wolfgang ordered, and she recoiled from the smell. “I don’t want anymore, it smells like Grandma’s cooking,” Lottie whined, walking behind Klara.
“Do you want to go to the good place?” Klara asked. “Yes.”
“Well if you want to come with us, then you have to drink the yucky stuff,” Klara said, and Lottie shook her head. “You won’t leave me, if I don’t,” Lottie said, and Klara admired her stubborn streak.
Klara crouched in the mud until she was face to face with the wide-eyed child, “no we won’t leave you, but the Hounds will catch you and do you know what they do to little Lycaons?” Lottie backed away from Klara.
“That’s enough,” Wolfgang said.
“No! I’ll drink it, I don’t like the Hounds,” Lottie said as Klara sensed the disappointment coming from Arthur. Wolfgang moved between Klara and Lottie and thrust the vial under her nose.
“Now Lottie,” Wolfgang commanded, and Lottie took the vial between her lips and squeezed her eye shut as she swallowed the glowing potion. With the majority of the potion in her small frame, Lottie would have some extra time to get away if they were caught.
“Thank you.” Wolfgang handed Klara the empty vial, and she rewrapped it not wanting to leave any trace of them behind. Klara hesitated as she saw Wolfgang’s bloodshot eyes,his injury is weakening him.
“We need to run,” Klara told him, and he knew what she meant. “Arthur, can you hold Lottie?”
Arthur was the only one who wouldn’t be stalled by her weight. The dead don’t feel the weight of the living. He might look ancient, but the dead never tire. Wolfgang looked nervous, and Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder.
“I got her, just worry about your own strength,” Arthur said, and Wolfgang followed behind while Klara hung at the back. She removed her sweater and threw it into the bushes on the other side of the path. The smell of her sweat would be enough to send the Hounds in the wrong direction.
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Klara’s senses relaxed as they put a reasonable distance between themselves and the Hounds, but she could see Wolfgang growing paler by the minute. The trees began to thin, and the day became clearer without the shade of the giant leaves and branches. Klara heard the River waters rushing, as she noticed Wolfgang’s pace began to slow.
“Don’t make me carry you, if you give up on this last stretch your sister will never forgive you,” Klara said, and Wolfgang picked up the pace.
“It’s not going to be that easy to get rid of me, Witch!” Wolfgang replied.
Mossy rocks slowly replaced the tree stumps as they left the tree line for the riverbank.
Arthur looked over his shoulder at them as he went further ahead, “You know you are being out run by a dead Warlock and a child?” Arthur teased as Klara saw the rushing waters ahead.
“Just giving you a head start, old man,” Klara called when she heard the groan of Wolfgang hitting the ground. Lottie let out a cry and tried to get down from Arthur’s shoulders.
“Stay with Lottie,” Klara ordered, and Arthur remained where he was on the rocks.
