Page 19 of The Bones of the Cursed

I hear Siveral snicker and turn to the golden-eyed man. A scar runs down the left side of his neck. With his blond hair and pale skin, he and Kailu could almost pass as brothers, were it not for their eyes.

I watch as Siveral glances at Hannah and my friend blushes.

Blushes!

I look back at Kailu, who does not waver under my stare.

Stubborn brute.

“Why must you always nag on the same subject? It’s too late, as we’re already here. So let us help! Stop acting childish. Aren’t you like three-hundred years old?”

Siveral and some of the other men choke back a laugh, and Kailu mumbles something under his breath. Siveral claps him on the back. “Aw, be nice to Kailu, he isn’t that old yet. Give it another decade.”

Kailu rolls his eyes and pushes his friend off. “Fine.”

- KAILU -

If I survive this with my sanity intact, it will be a miracle. I take a deep breath and look at Siveral. He gives me a small nod and I chuckle under my breath, because once again Alanis is gettingwhat she wants.

“I’ll make you a deal,” I say as calmly as I can. “We will tell you more about the Isle of Rimoldi in the morning. For now, everyone return to your tents and get a couple more hours of sleep. Sound good to you, princess?” I give Alanis a mocking smile that she returns in kind.

“You have yourself a deal, you arrogant prick.” She gives me a pathetic half-curtsy and waltzes into her tent with Hannah, laughing the entire way.

“Siveral and I will take watch for the rest of the night.”

The men take off to their respective tents while Siveral and I turn back to the table, though his gaze is drawn back to the forest. “What do you make of all this?” I ask. “I don’t understand how this could be going on without the king or queen being aware.”

Siveral grimaces. “I think the king and queen have been a little preoccupied with other issues in recent years.”

I wince, knowing that what he says is fact. The royal family has been so busy dealing with the fallout from opening our borders to refugees that I’m not sure the recent disappearances and ghoul attacks have even been brought to their attention.

“We need to send word to them, just in case they aren’t aware.”

Siveral clears his throat. “The ghoul looked directly at her.”

I swallow hard. It was the first thing I noticed. It was why I hid her behind me and insisted she go back to the tent.

“You know I don’t believe in coincidences. Her brother and his friend were taken after finding a scroll that just so happens to go missing with them. A scroll they were looking at to find answers about some weird pull Alanis has to this realm. And now this ghoul seemed fixated on her.”

Glancing into the surrounding trees, I ponder his words. “We need more answers. If this all ties to her, I need to know why.”

Siveral nods in agreement and then saunters off to guard the opening to the valley. I head over to the border of the forest, staring out into the murky darkness. I make my rounds around the camp and back.

I continue surveying the land and its hidden occupants until the sun rises, all the while plagued with worry for Miss Alanis Bowman.

- ELION -

My body vibrates with pain. Every move I make sends another jolt through me. I remember sleeping soundly in the tent. Levi was doing his patrols, so I had the whole thing to myself. Then came a scream, and all hell broke loose.

Levi called to the soldier in charge that one of our men was missing. Before we even had a chance to defend ourselves, the ghouls attacked. My mind raced, fear trying to take control. I unsheathed my sword and fought off the first ghoul, but was distracted when Levi fell and cried out. I ran to him, but it only drew the ghouls’ attention.

Some of the other soldiers raced towards us to help, but it only made it worse, the ghouls targeting each soldier that split from the larger group. I made it to Levi just as a ghoul lurched towards him while his back was turned fighting another. I stabbed my sword into the ghoul’s gut. The thing spewed its blood, but the wound was quickly closing as it healed itself. Pulling Levi up, I tried to push us back to the group, but he tripped, and when he fell, he pulled me down with him.

The last thing I remember is a ghoul standing over us, its soulless eyes staring down at me and lips pulled back, showing its overly large mouth and dagger-like teeth.

Looking around now, we are deep in the woods. I just have noidea where. A dampness clings to me. A stale stench of rotting leaves hangs in the humid air as the bark of the tree behind me digs into my back. I count the men surrounding me. Five men sit here, which isn’t even half our numbers. Levi’s eyes are downcast, not looking at anyone.

A cracking noise, like the sound of footfalls over crunchy leaves, comes from my right, just behind the tree I’m leaning against. The ghouls take off running, and it isn’t until they come back carrying shackles that I realize one of our soldiers escaped.

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