Page 34 of Restored

“What did I do?” I accept his hand as he yanks me up into the saddle.

“You exist.”

The sun beginsto rise as we leave, and I am reluctant to blink as the oranges, reds, and purples fill the sky.

My mouth hangs open in awe. “Did the King have you so locked up in that castle you never saw a sunrise?” Ledger asks, glancing at me.

“I had a lot of late nights, and I’m not much of an early riser, though I have seen a sunrise before. Never one quite as beautiful as this one.”

“Where I am from, they are like this fairly often.”

“Do you always wake early?” I ask genuinely curious.

“Since I was a boy,” he answers before pausing. When I peer up at him, he looks like he is debating if he should continue. “I used to get up early to watch the sunrise with my mother. She believed there was no problem that could defeat a sunrise. She’d always tell me that they represented anew beginning, a new opportunity to live life, breathe freely, to love. She would then bask in the sun for hours claiming there was no other way she would appreciate the break that night brought.” A genuine smile breaks out on his face as he speaks, revealing the dimple on his cheek that halts my breath.

His face glows with the reflection of the sky. The only thing I can think is no sunrise could ever rival him with that rare smile. A flutter erupts in the pit of my stomach at the sight of him, and I struggle to look away.

Fearing he will catch me, I take a mental picture of him and force my stare back at the now brilliant, crimson hues. “When I arrive in the kingdom, I may have to wake early to lay my eyes upon them. I can’t think of anything more important in a day that would justify the loss of something so breathtaking.” I had no idea if I was still talking about the sunrise.

“I can guarantee you will not be disappointed,” he remarks, staring ahead.

The day passes mercifully uneventfully; we stop a few brief times to tend to the horses and eat some small rations of food. My thighs ache from the long hours and hard saddle.

It’s an effort to convince myself back on Apollo each time we stop. I bite back moans of pain as my joints and muscles bark angrily at me.

“Just a few more hours, blondie.” Ledger’s voice comes from behind me, and I nearly whimper at the word ‘hours.’

“Oh, that’s all? I can’t imagine why we’d stop at all; this is so enjoyable.” The sarcasm in my voice is thick.

“Glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Ledger responds, and I have to stop myself from turning around to see the pop of his dimple.

We ride for another hour when a sense of unease comes over me. The woods turn eerily quiet as we pass through them.

“Is there another way we can go?” I scan the trees wearily. “I have a bad feeling.”

Ledger’s body goes stiff behind me as he surveys for danger. The horses slow; they bristle as we stop, and everyone’s hands start to move to their weapons as they scan the trees.

A tree branch snaps, and my eyes flicker to the sound. The blood drains all the way to my legs, leaving a trail of ice in its wake as I take them in.

Creatures stand on massive, sharp, clawed paws. Their short black hair shines red in the sunlight. The arms are long and sinewy, their body packed with slabs of muscle. They crouch, flexing and tensing their muscled thighs. Huge horns protrude from each side of their heads and drool drips menacingly from the overbite of bottom fangs jutting from their lower jaw.

“Kerolu,” Archie exclaims, drawing his sword as others start to appear around us. “We need to try to distract them from the horses. If they manage to kill them, we are going to be fucked.”

The clang of weapons being drawn has me reaching for the dagger I no longer possess. Mia dismounts her horse and notches an arrow into her bow in one fluid movement.

Ledger cautiously lowers himself off the horse and reaches for me as the creatures’ red, piercing eyes study us. They creep closer, sniffing the air.

I sit frozen, staring, terror working its way through my limbs. I hardly notice when Ledger gently brings me down and puts a dagger into my hand.

“Get to Cam, he will get you out of here, and if the Kerolu get anywhere near you, ram this straight into their skull.” His lips brush my ear as his hand closes my palm over the glittering dagger.

“Ledger,” I squeak as I count at least eight of the sinister creatures. These things make swimming with Maladra look appealing.

“Layla, there is no time to panic.” He draws his sword and shields me with his body. “Get. To. Cam.”

A siren-like noise pierces the air before the clearing in the woods becomes chaos. The already-spooked horses make a run for it. One Kerolu tracks their movement, bounding after them.

Mia begins to loose arrows at an impressive speed as the Kerolu bound towards us. Arrow after arrow hits the Kerolu she has her sights on, but it doesn’t slow until an arrow flies right into its eye.

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