Page 94 of Woven Souls

Well damn, we brought knives to a gunfight.

“How come—”

Viktor slaps his hand over my mouth and glares daggers at me. Shaking his head, he lets go and turns his attention back to the guards at their post.

Okay, questions later. Got it.

We don’t move for what feels like an eternity. I know Willow and Kwil are supposed to create a diversion, but really, it’s just a waiting game to see when those demons will rise from whatever pit they spawn out of to find her. It could be another hour, or it could be four or five.

I really hope it’s not the latter.

I don’t know if I have it in me to sit still that long. At least, not without falling asleep, fidgeting, or humming. After the look Viktor just gave me, I’m sure he’d kill me before letting me get even half a note out.

Both Theo and Viktor raise their hoods. A nice disguise to have, I guess, since this would be their territory. I wish Kwil had thought to keep his Ghost cloak so I could have worn it. But since he didn’t, I make sure the hood of my hoodie is up, and my tail is tucked carefully into my pants.

Theo’s hand slips into his cloak. I have a feeling it’s landed on his sword. My hand goes to the collar around my neck. I don’t want to revert back into the monster if I don’t have to, but I will if we’re in trouble. I just hope I don’t lose the collar in the process. Being stuck like that for days until we can get another would really suck.

Time ticks by.

The excitement and nerves begin to fade, and boredom sets in. Somehow, Viktor and Theo manage to hold utterly still, but I finally collapse onto my ass and pick at the bright green grass beneath us. Constantly, I catch myself starting to hum and stop just in time.

Just as I begin to doze off, a familiar, chilling roar rushes through the woods. Instantly, I’m on my feet, my heart racing. The sound of the demon is far off in the distance, but who knows how they get to this world and how they find Willow. One may accidentally stumble upon us as we wait here. I edge a little closer to the ex-Ghosts.

The two guards at the gate snap to attention in a heartbeat. Their heads swing in the direction the sound came from. Theo gestures with his hand, and the three of us carefully move as one in the opposite direction. Another roar, followed by several more, breaks the silence, and the ground rumbles.

Uh-oh. Demons aren’t big or heavy enough to cause that type of stir. Looks like Kwil and Willow are getting a visit from the Utikyie.

The guards draw their guns. With their attention completely absorbed by the commotion, Theo gives the signal I’ve been waiting for.

We rush the wall.

According to Theo, there are guards at the gate, but there are also guards here in the woods, spaced out evenly every forty or so feet. We must be in a good place to break from the woods to run across the short clearing, because Theo doesn’t hesitate. He runs at the wall, leaps, manages to grab a handful of vines, and pulls himself up.

“Go, Jonah. I’ll be behind you,” Viktor urges as we run.

“If you want to check out my ass, Vicky, you can just ask.”

I chuckle as I run and leap.

My hands reach out and grab the vines. I’m actually impressed with how high I manage to jump, and I’m even more impressed I’m able to pull myself up with mostly just arm strength. There’s no way I would have managed this feat without being part monster.

“I’ve seen it, and I wasn’t impressed,” Viktor grunts a moment later as we scale the wall.

I snort loudly, unable to keep it down. “Sorry, mine can’t look like the sweet, voluptuous cake yours is without some work.”

“Did you just call my ass a cake?”

I struggle hard not to throw back my head and laugh.

“Enough, you two.” Theo hisses from above us. Apparently, he’s not amused.

“Your ass is nice, too, Theo. Don’t worry.”

“Jonah…” The exasperation behind Theo’s words makes me laugh even harder.

Finally, we make it to the top. Theo doesn’t stop to admire the view. He begins his descent at once. But as I crest over the top of the wall, I have to stop. How could he ignorethis? Sprawling for miles and miles is the most spectacular view I have ever seen. Everlast is set atop a massive hill with small rolling hills around it. The grass surrounding the territory is so thick and in so many various shades of green I’ve never seen before that I can’t imagine it could be real. There are massive buildings carved of marble in the distance, some towering over others. From this angle, following the slope of the main street, I can see that between buildings there are strategically placed small gardens that house flowers of vibrant colors. The marble main street winds through Everlast, and the further it goes, the more houses and shops begin to pop up around it until it disappears into a city of buildings with gold roofs.

In the middle of that city is a castle.

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