Page 26 of The Bones of the Cursed

I look at the other soldiers who have now woken up, unsure of how to even answer his question. “I’m not sure. When I woke up in the forest, I noticed one of the ghouls carrying the Primal Scroll I found, which can’t be a good sign.”

“You think this is about the research you were doing?” he asks quietly. “The prophecy?”

I take a deep breath, attempting to figure out how much I should say, or if I should even say anything at all. I don’t know who’s listening, but I am very aware that a ghoul stands just beyond that iron door guarding it. His dagger-like claws scrape down the wall every so often as he paces back and forth. Normal ghouls don’t act like the ones who took us. They seem to be under someone else’s control, and that’s what frightens me.

“What if she’s not all right?” I whisper, and his face pales.

Before either of us can say another word, the lock slides back and the door groans open. Standing in the doorway is a King’s Guard soldier. Everyone else exhales in relief, but I hold my breath. Something is off. His eyes are far too empty.

The guard smiles and it chills me to my very core. The room goes silent as the guard steps into the cell. The bottomless black eyes of a ghoul stare back at us, causing some men to jerk back towards the wall to get away from him.

That means he devoured a soldier and took on his form, but it isn’t Hammon or Matix. I don’t recognize this soldier; he must be from a different patrol group than ours.

The soldier strides toward me before kneeling to get on eye level. His rancid breath curls against my face, and it takes everything in me not to retch. It smells of rotting flesh, of death left to putrefy in the sun.

He smiles but it is more of a sneer, his eyes lifeless and dull. “Alanis says hello.”

Levi curses. I jerk against my chains. “Stay the fuck away from my sister!”

The ghoul lets out a horrific laugh, the shrill sound filled with glee as it reverberates through the room. “Don’t worry, she will join you soon.” With that, he saunters right back out of the cellar, shutting the door firmly behind him.

12

- ALANIS -

A WALKING NIGHTMARE

Peeling my eyes open, I’m shocked to realize I had fallen asleep. My head is resting on Kailu’s back and he’s holding both my hands over his belly, so that I don’t fall. Flushing, I raise my head from his back and he loosens his grip.

“Good morning, sunshine.”

I grumble. “Let me guess. You shift into a worm. An annoying, slimy little thing.”

I may have found that nickname annoying at first, but it’s growing on me. His words no longer teasing, but taking on a softer quality.

Not that I’ll admit that to him.

His chuckle makes my chest feel warm.

“Where are we exactly?” I know we are deep in the Sinwood Mountains, but I’m not sure how long I was out and how far we traveled. I peer up, the side of the mountain a mixture of gray and browns, the peak of the mountain disappearing into the dense clouds hanging above.

“We are about an hour from the northern patrol location, where your brother was last seen.”

Swallowing hard, I nod. “Is there still a patrol group there?”

“No, we pulled all our men from that location until we could figure out what the hell was going on. The king and queen have yet to order them back as far as I’m aware.”

The pine trees we ride through are brown and brittle. Almost as if they are dying. A cold breeze makes a shiver rack through me. I look behind me and see Novus and Sarya quietly talking to each other, as the soldiers they ride with navigate the terrain on their horses. Up ahead, Hannah and Hendrix ride with Siveral and the others from his camp.

“Have you always lived in the Primal Realm?” I ask Kailu.

He grunts. “Yes, grew up in the Onyx Territory in Lemming Grove.”

I nod, though I’ve never been there and have no idea what to imagine. “I have never been there. Well, I haven’t really been anywhere. I would like to see more of this world, though maybe not in this way.” I give a self-deprecating chuckle and sit in the awkward silence.

“When we find your brother, I can take you.”

My eyes widen and his body tenses, as if he hadn’t meant to let that slip. Part of me is in shock, but the other part feels as if a million butterflies have taken flight in my stomach.

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