Page 54 of Poison Nights & Twilight Alchemy

“Those aren’t rodents,” Dulce murmured, concentrating on her task. “I take it those are the warped creatures the performer mentioned.”

Of course they were… Reed’s brow furrowed in the gathering darkness, wondering if they may have once been common stoat, hare, or marmot. Could there be warped humans within these vast canyons? He tightened his fists at the thought.

A dark cloud moved over the narrow horizon, swooping toward them at astonishing speed.

Dulce gasped and ignited the end of her rope, where a weighted pouch burst into unnaturally wide flames, sparks dancing along its base in purple and blue.

“Warped locusts,” she hissed, reaching across the space between their horses to set off Reed’s flame as the cloud descended on them, the insects crashing into the narrow cliffs at their sides. Dulce kicked her horse into a canter, a halo of fire above her distracting them while she swung the rope.

Reed followed suit, his pulse racing as the warped locusts screeched around them, the sound of their fury filling his ears until he thought he would go mad with it.

They continued like that, awakening the slumbering, warped creatures while they went, the glowing stones guiding their way, the flames above them keeping the monsters at bay.

And then Dulce’s horse tripped, stalling to a trembling standstill. Reed watched in horror as she flew from her saddle, mud-covered skirts sailing around her as if in slow motion, to land in the rusty sand, her flame guttering out to darkness.

Snapping his reins, Reed skidded to a halt, one legover his saddle and to the ground, he gathered the two horses’ in one hand, flames circling above him in the other, and rushed to Dulce. Creatures swarmed her from all sides, biting and tearing at her clothing as she frantically swatted them away. Seeing them this closely, Reed recoiled. Warped was exactly the word to describe them. Where once they had been fur-covered harmless creatures of the desert and mountain planes, now they were twisted abominations. Magic, rotted and dying, had transformed them into hideous, carnivorous shells of their former selves—rows of teeth, jagged claws, and biting tentacles along their spines, eyes crazed with hunger as they screamed beneath Reed’s flame, falling back into the shadows.

Dulce scrambled to retrieve her rope, reigniting the flame at its end with shaking hands. Meeting her gaze, Reed’s heart leapt to his throat at the fear he saw painted there. He wanted nothing but to wash the expression from her face.

“Think of the stories of great adventure we’ll be able to tell,” he professed.

“Oh yes.” Dulce smiled, and Reed’s pulse raced at the sight. “We’ll leave out the heroine falling gracelessly on her face though, please.” She clasped his hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

“That will beourlittle secret.”

When the sky far above them matched the shadows of the canyon, they stopped to feed the horses and give them water, taking turns keeping a steady wall of spinning fire above them. Reed’s arm ached, though he switched from left to right when the pain became too vexing.

How much longer could they keep this up? Surely,they must be almost through this torture by now.

“You should eat,” Dulce uttered, handing Reed something he hardly bothered to look at before he stuffed them into his mouth. The sweet nuts and dried fruit instantly drove his strength up.

There was nowhere to tie the horses, surrounded only by sand and smooth rock, and so they had no way of stopping to sleep, even if Dulce’s talents allowed them to surround themselves with a protective circle of fire. The thought of holding Dulce in his arms again, kissing her lips, touching her skin, was enough to push him to keep going.

“It can’t be much farther.” She met his eyes as if she’d read his thoughts.

An especially large boar lunged at them, startling the horses. Reed swung flames at it until the creature retreated into the shadows, its ribs exposed beneath rows of fangs.

“How could anyone do this?” Dulce asked, studying the moving shadows beyond their circle of firelight. “What purpose does this cruelty serve? I don’t understand…”

Reed brought his horse close to hers, and he lifted her chin with his forefinger, wishing he could throw down the torch to embrace her instead. “We’ll find the light in the darkness. I promise I won’t leave your side.”

“A perfect line to add to our adventurous story, Mr. Hawthorne.” The grief in her expression slowly gave way to determination.

Their flames replenished by the significantly lighter pitchers, they continued their way, keeping the horses at a slower pace, letting them walk for spells. Reed ignoredhis exhaustion as the night wore on, his arms long since going numb by the time the sky above was painted in struggling light. They had gathered an enormous crowd of creatures by then, keeping pace with them along the canyon floor, maintaining their distance from the flames, waiting for the moment they would flicker and go out.

Waiting for their meal.

By midday, when a moment of sunlight shone down onto them, illuminating the sand beneath their horses’ hooves in bright red, Dulce came to a halt before him, her head down.

“Reed,” she whispered, shaking the pitcher by its delicate neck. “We’re down to the last of it.”

He peered ahead, seeing no end to their passage.

“We need to divide it between us…”

“You mean…” Reed swallowed. “Do you mean what I think you mean?”

“We need to ignite the mixture on ourselves when our ropes begin to die out and gallop the rest of the way.”

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