Page 5 of Wolfsbane

MOREL

It had taken mostof the day to reach Hellbore, the well-traveled road along the way barren and desolate. It was an unusual and eerie thing that left me unsettled, cautious, my grip on the reigns of my horse tight with anticipation. Boletus may have control of Hellbore, but he had no clue what, or who, was approaching the gates of Hellbore.

The gates to the usually open and welcoming kingdom were shut, guarded by a small party of soldiers dressed in Scorpius uniforms, every soul well-armed. We slowed our pace as we neared, hoping to be mistaken for merely lost or wandering travelers.

“Halt!” One of the guards raised his arm as he stepped towards us, blocking the path to the gate as he held a burning torch. “Who goes there?”

My eyes shot to Orion, my face partially concealed beneath the hood of my cloak. He nodded, kicking his horse forward.

“Good evening! We seemed to have over exhausted ourselves and our resources. It seems this is the only kingdom for a day's ride. We humbly seek shelter from the cold while we replenish our stomachs and allow our horses a small reprise.” Orion waited as the guard eyed us.

“Bit odd to see such a lively gang of riders out this far. What kingdom do you hail from? I see no sigils or flags amongst your persons.”

“Would you believe me if I told you we were a merry troupe of entertainers?” Orion leaned forward, smiling as he winked at the guard, who scoffed.

“Never seen such a well filled group of entertainers before, especially not without instruments.” The guard moved his torch, stepping towards my horse. My hands gripped the reigns tight. “You seem rather large to be a singer.”

“Why, what a compliment!” Orion chimed, directing the guard’s attention back to him. “You know what they say: a well sung song keeps the belly fed and a warm bed.” I rolled my eyes at his ridiculously made up sentiment.

The guard eyed all of us closely, pondering before he tsked.

“Let them in!” he shouted. The remaining guards rushed to the gate, opening it for us. “Fill your bellies, water your horses, then begone with yourselves.”

“I assure you, we plan to do just that.” Orion nodded his thanks as we slowly led the horses through the gates, remaining silent for a moment, waiting to be out of range of the guard.

“Entertainers?” I grumbled.

“Well, I couldn’t have said we were poets now, could I?” A few men in our party tried to hide their laughter as I smiled beneath my hood. “Besides, if required, I would happily prove our lie to be true with a song of my choice, as I’m the only one here with a voice worth listening to.”

“Are you saying I can’t sing?” I asked with a raised brow and smirk.

Orion straightened his posture. “You have many strengths, my king. But,” he cleared his throat, “I believe the heavens knew with a voice like mine, you’d be an unstoppable force the world was not ready for.”

The party scoffed and laughed amongst themselves. I turned, glancing over my shoulder at them as they hushed and stared forward. I shook my head, clicking my tongue. “Tell you what, Orion—next time you are in need of mymany strengths, why don’t you use that lovely voice you claim to have? Would hate to waste my strength when a man of your talents can sing our way to victory.” I grinned at him as he stared at me with a blank face.

“I should have said we were jesters, as you seem to possess such humor.” The men laughed at his sarcastic sentence. “Very well. As it seems I must be the hero in the end, allow me to warm my vocal cords and prepare for battle.”

“No, Orion, don’t?—”

“Ohhhh,” he began to sing, “they say her hair was red like burning fire?—”

“Orion,” I groaned.

“Her eyes were filled with envy and desire.”

“Heavens save me,” I growled as the other men began to join in.

“To men who fell under her spell, beware?—”

“Beware! Beware!” the party shouted.

“She’ll lure a man down to her lair and dine there.”

“I’m surrounded by imbeciles,” I grumbled under their loud singing.

“Oh, if only you had a voice to accompany us, my king.” Orion ruptured into laughter as we neared the small town surrounding the kingdom, the tone shifting from playful to more serious as we noticed numerous Scorpius flags and tapestries hanging around the city walls in place of Hellbore’s.

“It seems Boletus has made himself quite comfortable here.”

---