Page 6 of Lured By the Dus
The Piper caught my hand and tucked it under his elbow, ensuring he had a firm hold on me. Not that I planned to run away. The woods were black and spooky under the ghost-like glow of the fading moon, which threatened to sink behind another clump of clouds. My mind raced, trying, failing, to make a plan in case things went wrong with this demented man. Not a man. Piper. Spirit?
Putting two fingers to his mouth, he gave a low whistle. A brief silence hung in the air, followed by the distinct pounding of hooves galloping over ground. I squeezed the Piper’s arm as the beast came into view. Not the horse I expected, if it was a horse at all. The beast trotted up to us, with a black mane, red eyes glowing and skeletal wings tucked on its back. It snorted, white teeth flashing, and my limbs went weak. Could this night get any worse? Clearly, the Piper expected me to ride on a demon horse. I’d rather walk the miles back to the palace.
It was too late to run, and the Piper dragged me with him, wasting no time in greeting the horse as he swung up, hauling me behind him. The bone-white wings spread out, but instead of taking flight, the horse reared up on its back legs. Giving a deep-throated cry, that sounded more like a growl and nothing like what a horse should sound like, it galloped into the night.
Usually, I enjoyed riding on horseback, especially with the wind blowing past me. Tonight, I held tight to the Piper. Even though I sat astride, the lack of saddle left me feeling as if I could slip off the horse’s back, crash to the forest floor and shatter every bone. Left to die, I’d be consumed by the wildings in the wood, and that was not the fate I had in mind for myself.
Wind tore at my eyes and yanked at the loose threads of my hair. My cloak billowed out behind me and icy air seeped in from each angle. Except from the Piper. He was warm, alive, and I held tighter to anchor myself to reality.
When we reached the city, the horse slowed its deathly gallop to a more reasonable pace, hooves clopping over the paved street. I stifled a cry of fear, my mind going to the curfew that insisted everyone be indoors two hours before midnight. Now, everyone would hear the horse trotting down the street.
My anger returned, and I straightened up. “You’ll wake everyone with this racket.”
“What are you afraid of?” The Piper tossed the words over his shoulder.
A gust of wind stole my retort and hurled it into the street.
The Piper chuckled at my lack of response, as though he controlled the wind, just like the fable claimed. My anxiety rose as the palace loomed ahead, carved out of a great mountain to frown down upon the people of the city and remind them who was in control. High iron gates surrounded the palace, and attached to it was the temple, where the priests conducted their blood rituals.
Earlier, I’d taken the side gate, meant for guards to sneak in and out unseen if the city were ever under siege. But now, the Piper thundered toward the main gates, and my chest squeezed. How was I supposed to sneak inside with him awakening the city? If Lord Faren found out what I’d done, I’d be laid up in my bed, recovering for at least three days, if not more.
When the main gates appeared before us, I yanked on the Piper’s shirt. “The gates are locked!”
Instead of heeding my warning, he proceeded. The horse reared up, hooves striking against the iron with a loud, ringing sound. I cried out, squeezing the Piper’s waist as the gates opened with a bang. A ripping and tearing followed as we galloped into the courtyard, leaping over bushes and statues all laid out in a particular design by the gardeners.
My heart rushed, thudding harder. When I glanced behind us, the carnage was worse than I expected, the gates hanging on by a hinge. “By the gods!” I sputtered, a sinking sensation stirring in my gut.
The Piper had no regard for anyone or anything, and I’d been so concerned about getting home, I hadn’t considered what might happen once I arrived.
We galloped to the stairs leading inside, and the horse barely stopped before the Piper swung down, dragging me with him.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed as he took my elbow and escorted me to the palace entrance.
The doors opened at his touch, as if they hadn’t been locked, and we entered the grand hall, but we weren’t alone.
Lord Faren strode toward us, appearing as if he’d tumbled out of bed and tossed his royal robes on, but even with his ruffled black hair, he cut an imposing figure. Fury lined his face, and his deep-set eyes were red rimmed as he glared, first at me, and then at the Piper. Something in his dark gaze flickered, and regardless of the guards surrounded him, I thought I caught a hint of fear.
“What is the meaning of this?” he bellowed.
The silence that followed was deafening, and I knew I’d made an awful, terrible mistake.
Just as I expected, the noise from the horse had awakened everyone. Lords and ladies in their nightdresses gathered, as well as sleepy-eyed servants, and guards without their livery and armor, swords held in hand. The hall filled as they came, curious and expectant, and the Piper stared at each of them and grinned, showing off his row of wicked teeth.
Flinging out his free arm, he announced. “Has everyone gathered? If so, we can begin.”
I scanned the crowd for a friendly face, my heart sinking. Since I’d come to Dowler, I’d been the oddity, the one who was too curious, who wouldn’t dress like a lady, or sit at dinners, charming the lords and entertaining the ladies. Now, I’d appeared in the middle of the night, breaking curfew and bringing the devil to their doorstep.
When I locked eyes with my aunt, she whispered to Uropa. Aunt Matzie had never been unkind to me, nor had she been very warm. She and my uncle had three children—ages five, seven, and nine—and she spent most of her time with them, leaving her little energy for anyone else. Sometimes I wondered if my uncle had driven all the fight out of her with his quick temper. If I’d had to endure punches and slaps, what had she endured as his wife?
Uropa wove her way through the crowd, quickly disappearing while I took a step away from the Piper. But he held my arm and yanked me right back, so hard I almost lost my footing. Determined not to embarrass myself further, I lifted my chin. Let them look, let them see me covered in grit and dust, escorted by a dangerously attractive man who wasn’t human. Giving him a side-eyed glare—which he ignored—I wondered if he had a name.
Lord Faren bristled, and when he spoke next, the anger in his tone was laced with authority. “Why are you here with my niece?”
I noticed he did not address me at all, and his words insinuated something more, as though I’d been sneaking out to rendezvous with the Piper to conduct illicit deeds. I was no innocent maiden, but I flushed hot at the very idea, and suddenly, I was reminded of his teeth on my neck.
“It’s a bit of a story,” the Piper began lightly, as if a furious lord and guards with swords did not surround him. “I was sleeping, rather peacefully, in that grave your ancestors tossed me in. You’re Lord Faren I assume, which makes you which generation? The third or fourth since the people were conned into believing a benevolent saint was buried in the crypt?”
“Speak plainly,” Lord Faren snapped.
