Page 39 of Sins of the Stone

With that, Omar dragged her away. Her shoe caught on a raised stone on the ground, and she stumbled. He used the opportunity to push her further until they reached the previously unoccupied jail. The far half was crumbledand burned, but a cell or two was still fully functioning and ready to contain her. The sun was poking through various holes in the roof and walls, many of them there well before the siege. It had been a long time since using it was necessary.

Omar pried open one cell as the door screamed on its hinges. Scraps of rust flaked off into the ground as he shoved her through the opening, making her stumble over the uneven, hay-covered ground. Once she regained her footing, she whipped around with rage creased in her expression.

“Maybe you will change your mind, Ursulette. I still believe you can be saved, even if you refuse,” he said, wandering behind her and pressing a blade through the ties keeping her bound. She pulled her wrists free and rubbed them, realizing how raw they were from the bite of the rope.

“Oh, really?”

“Yes,” he said, stepping in front of her and brushing a stray hair behind her ear. All she wanted to do was beat him to a bloody pulp, but she couldn’t find the strength between the grumbling in her stomach and her reeling emotions. “If you get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness in front of everyone, perhaps I will spare you for your sins.” She raised her arm and flicked his hand away.

“Burn in hell.”

Chapter 25

Ramuz

Ramuz woke up with a groan and stretched his arm out beside him. Much to his disappointment, Ursulette was not there. But that did not concern him much. She was often up before him, making breakfast or pacing in the living room until he awoke and brought her back to equilibrium. It was his delight to do so.

With a sigh, he sat up and wandered into the kitchen, expecting to see Ursulette’s shining face and, even better, her smile. But when he glanced around, she was still not there. He scratched his head between his horns.

She must be outside, he thought.

But the thought did not sit right with him, and he felt a small pang of worry take root in his center. It was far too cold for her to be comfortable out there. But perhaps she needed some fresh air after panicking. That, too, was not out of the realm of possibility, but would be unusual. Then again, he and Ursulette were unusual. But they wore the badge proudly.

He walked over to the front door and pulled it open, peeking his head out. When he turned left, then right, his stomach dropped.

There was no sign of Ursulette.

His throat felt constricted as he checked just one last time, scanning all the way to the horizon. There was no fresh snow for her footprints to settle in, and there was nothing out of the ordinary outside. But it was bitterly frigid, and she would not survive long if she wandered.

But he suspected that something much more sinister was going on. Perhapsshe had been dragged off by a predator, but he had a feeling there would’ve been remnants of a struggle. That meant his answers were inside.

He whipped around, releasing the door to slam, and began searching the home for clues. Ursulette would not just leave without reason—unless she was threatened or coerced. The thought made his stomach acid burn. And it only got worse when he spotted an unusual smudge on the floor.

A drop of blood.

He prayed it was not from his treasure, but his gut told him otherwise. Something terrible had occurred while he so foolishly slept, and the guilt would render him to dust if he did not keep a level head. He had to focus so he could save her. Even if whoever took her brought him to his dying breath.

In the midst of a panic, he continued his search and spotted a piece of paper on the table. Keeping it pinned in place was a blade with a similar red stain on the silver. It was the same one that was branded in his brain from the night he first threatened his Ursulette. He clenched his jaw.

Omar.

He could not read the words, but he knew the weapon. His fists curled thinking about his neck in his hands and all the suffering Ursulette endured because of him.

Without hesitation, he burst through the door, the heat from his rage fueling him. His muscles burned as he leaped into the air, taking to the skies despite the cool breeze. At least it was not snowing, but to think she was out in the cold, alone with that worm, injured and scared, nearly broke him. He knew it was some sort of trap, but it was worth it to come to her aid.

Thoughts of her were the only thing keeping him going as his wings sliced through the sky. The sun was barely peeking through the horizon, but that did not matter. Evil did not sleep, and neither did he when their lives were on the line.

As he journeyed on, a strange movement caught his eye. When he turned, his heart sank. Beside him was a winged demon, just as gnarled and ugly as the ones who took Ursulette’s home. Then, a second shadow. And another. Soon, he was flanked from all sides by the creatures. An instant later, they attacked.

They started with a hiss and a swipe of a claw. Ramuz quickly dodged, but being in the air did not make it easy to defend himself. When he tilted to avoid the blow, another swooped in and pricked a hole in his wing with its nails. He let out a hiss and lost some altitude, and much to his dismay, the demons followed. Now was the worst time for them to try to take him down.

All he could think about was Ursulette as one chomped down on his tail, and he growled, flipping around and kicking it away before trying to glide away from their fleet. But they were much more nimble than he was, and as soon as he slipped from between them, all of them pounced.

Shards of teeth were sinking into his flesh and drawing blood, and dagger-like nails were piercing his skin and shredding the membranes of his wings. Unable to keep himself in the air from the injuries and the added weight, he decided to lower himself to the ground to make things easier and fight them down there.

But the journey to the earth was difficult. When he tossed one away, it plummeted and returned if uninjured. He let out a roar as one took a chunk out of his leg, and he kicked it away, making sure his claws slashed the throat of it. But in that time, another overwhelmed him, cutting through a tendon in his wing and causing him to hiss.

He could no longer extend it, and once he reached the tree line, he thanked the gods that he landed on a plush set of branches that softened his fall before hitting the ground. The breath was still knocked from his lungs as he struck the earth, crushing a demon below with a stomach-churning splat.

---