Page 50 of Conflicted Fate
Kiel and I froze, our eyes focused on the bed, but Nycitus slept through it, much to our relief. On the other side of the open area, Kiel resumed his search. My eyes, however, never left the bed. Not the figure sleeping in it, butunderit, where, in the brief moment of light, I’d seen a wooden chest.
Creeping forward, I ever so slowly eased the box out from under the bed, doing my best not to move too quickly. A lock hung off one side, and I was certain that if it banged against the wood, the noise would alert Nycitus.
Kiel was at my side once he saw what I had and helped me carry the box away from the bedside. I pointed angrily at the lock. Forcing it open would be too loud. The guards, not to mention Nycitus himself, would be alerted and on us in seconds.
Which meant I needed the key.
Knees shaking, hands clammy, I crept back toward the sleeping Alpha, swallowing a lump in my throat. He wouldn’t let the key get far.
My heart sank as I approached the bedside, staring down at him. His long hair was mussed around his head, the sheets pulled up just past his stomach, revealing the thick muscular upper body of an Alpha who took his fitness seriously, even in immortality. But that wasn’t where my sense of failure came from.
It was from the necklace he wore. The one with a key instead of a pendant. There was nowaywe could get that off him without waking him.
I crept back to Kiel and the box, using hand gestures to indicate the key was around Nycitus’ neck. Motioning for me to stay put, Kiel went over to the Alpha. Then, before I could say anything, he drew the dagger from where it hung off the bedpost and drove it through the Alpha’s eye.
A second later, the key was arcing through the air toward me. The Alpha was as “dead” as I’d been when the Nehringi ran me through with a sword. It wouldn’t take long for him to heal and wake up.
Catching the key, I put it in the lock, remembering to still move silently, so the guards wouldn’t hear a thing. The rain had drowned out the sound of the knife piercing its way into the brain, but metal on metal carried much farther.
The box popped open, and I smiled in triumph as a green glow lit the darkness. Grabbing one of the rugs, I wrapped the stone in the center, folding the corners around it. Kiel, meanwhile, was busy sawing away as quietly as possible, slicing open Nycitus’ throat. That way, even if the Alpha did wake up, he wouldn’t be able to shout for help.
Stone contained, I grabbed Nycitus’ sword, then slowly pushed it into the ground, until only the very bottom of the handle protruded, perhaps six or seven inches of steel.
This had better work, I mouthed at Kiel, swinging the stone-filled sack around my back.
Nycitus awoke, the movement startling Kiel long enough for the Alpha to bat the weapon away. His eye and throat poured blood and other fluids, but that didn’t matter. Normally, he would heal. Unfortunately for him, that day wasn’t normal.
Whipping the sack around, I slammed it down on top of the handle of the sword.
As the stone shattered, green light and energy erupted outward. I smiled in triumph. The energy shot upward, taking the entire command tent with it.
“Run!” Kiel hissed, fur already sprouting across his face.
Cursing silently, I followed suit and, seconds later, was following him as we raced for the edge of the camp and the perceived safety of the forest beyond. Behind us, guards shouted in alarm as the entire camp awoke in an uproar as they tried to figure out what had happened.
Hot on the heels of the rest of our strike team, Kiel and I ducked into the forest and ran as fast as we could. We wouldn’t stop until the following night had fallen, putting as much distance as possible between us and the chaos that was likely to follow the death of the Alpha.
Despite the still present danger, I let a big wolfy smile twist my features as we ran. We had done it. A second Alpha was dead, his stone shattered, and another piece of Fate was freed.
Now, we just had to stop Lycaonus before it was too late.
Chapter Twenty-Five
We stepped slowly from the edge of the forest as it came to an end, transforming from lush undergrowth and verdant greenery to a few scraggly things that anyone would be hard-pressed to call trees. We’d run for at least half a day and now looked upon the rocky plains leading to the base of the northern mountains.
The sun shone overhead, beating heavily on us as we left the leafy shade. My white fur shed most of the heat, but I imagined Kiel would quickly overheat. I tested the air, searching it for signs of water—a river or lake he could use to dunk himself in and keep cool. The day would only get warmer, so it was better to be pragmatic about it.
Nuzzling up against the larger midnight-furred beast until we were flank to flank, I motioned my head in the direction of the water. A break would be good for us, and in the ever-increasing elevations near the base of the mountains where we were, the water was likely to be fresh and cool.
Nycitum was not far. As close as we were to the City of Hammers—as it was nicknamed for its mighty forges—a half an hour or so extra wouldn’t change anything. Besides, it would do well for us to go over our plan.
Or come up with one at all.
In our chaotic flight from the army encampment outside of Arcadia, we hadn’t slowed long enough to discuss what our next steps would be. Everyoneelsehad their instructions and were expected to carry them out. However, for the two of us, all we’d had was “go north to Nycitum and stop Lycaonus.” That was it. Nothing more concrete or laid out.
Kiel resisted. He pawed at the ground, making soft noises. He wanted to push on, to put more ground under us.
I made it clear that weweregoing to stop before we reached the city, and he didn’t fight me on that, so I loped after him as we crossed a rocky field, moving up a hill and then down into a ravine. Our heads swung left and right, keeping watch for any others who might be in the vicinity. It wasn’t unusual within the empire to see pairs or even groups of wolves moving through the countryside, but that was during normal times.
