Blackness took shape, and glowing red eyes broke through. The wraiths marched over to the shadows, and they parted, molding into terrifying new beasts. Nostrils flared, hooves stomped on the ground, and an eerie ear-piercing shriek split the air. It was not until the wraiths mounted the beasts that their true form was revealed.
Skeletal steeds with ebony skin stretched taut over bones, giving the appearance of a mummified horse. Only the creatures were enormous, almost twice a man’s height. The head was exposed bone, with deep sockets where eyes should be. Now, only vivid red light pulsed in the holes. There was no nose, only bone fragments and teeth like fangs. Ghostly black shadows danced from the neck, creating a mane, and strung out behind the creature as a tail. They were gruesome, vile, not of this realm.
“What are they?” Astraia croaked, fear inching its way into her subconscious.
“Nyrekh. Demon stallions. I came across them in old texts about the wraiths. They were once horses, massive stallions of the Celestial Wastes, but Dominion corrupted them for his stewards. They are neither living nor dead.” Caelan narrowed his eyes, staring down at the creatures. “This is how they’ve been moving so quickly.”
Once mounted, the wraiths beckoned their demon stallions onward, heading west toward the village that was now hopefully evacuated thanks to Taurus. As the wraith’s hooves struck the ground, red sparks danced from the impact, mimicking the fiery steps of their masters. Shrieking in unison, the Nyrekh galloped along the dirt road, leaving ruination in their wake.
Astraia and Caelan watched as they left, making sure they were out of sight before shimmying backward from the cliff edge and reclaiming their horses.
“We should be on the move. We cannot lose them. If we have any chance of besting them, we need more knowledge of where they’re going and from where they came.” Caelan grabbed a canteen from his saddlebag, taking a long drink before pouring some over his face. His dark hair glistened as the sun’s rays beamed down on his wet locks. Shaking the water off, he sighed, rubbing his face.
“You do not carry this burden alone, Caelan. Remember that.” Astraia placed a hand on his arm, squeezing and giving him a half smile.
He nodded but remained silent. His jaw was clenched, shoulders tense, as though he carried the weight of the realm. Virellia was the crowning jewel of Astradeon. But if they did not act, it would soon be nothing but a pile of soot and ash.
Resolve washed over Astraia as she mounted Orion. Her back straightened, head held high as she and Caelan descended toward the demolished village. She would not allow the people of Virellia to suffer. Despite the bounty on her head, she would act.
Leaves crunched as the horses wove in and out of the trees, trying to avoid the main road the wraiths now traveled. There was no other sound in the forest except their horses marching onward. The eerie quietness unsettled her. The birds had ceased to sing. The wind no longer blew. Yet the smell of smoke intensified.
Astraia tensed, absently reaching for her bow and nocking an arrow. A warm flash spread from her spine to her hands, her bonds awakening—a warning. Orion’s ears flattened, and his gait slowed to a stop.
Caelan looked back at her, puzzled, then his face paled, eyes wide with panic. Slowly, she turned her head to look over her left shoulder.
Black shadow cloaked the woods, embers flecking the forest floor. Red eyes, hungry for flesh, peered back at them from the black smoke.
A pair of wraiths riding demon stallions appeared from the blackness, not forty paces away. One of the wraiths opened its mouth, spewing smoke and demonic language.
With a high-pitched shriek, the wraiths galloped toward them.
“Astraia,run!”
Chapter 28
Therefore, do not forsake the Thirteen. But pray that they would guide you. For only with the acceptance of all the Constellations can you truly be whole.
The Empyrean Scrolls (Remnants of the holy text)
THE FOREST BLURRED AS ORION sped through the trees, branches catching on Astraia’s hair and twigs snapping under thundering hooves. Her heartbeat drummed in sync with his hooves, quickening with every passing moment they fled from the wraiths.
Caelan raced beside her, winding through the trees as a hawk would glide through the air. She dared a glance back, praying to the Stars they could outrun the demons and their wicked steeds.
But red eyes bore into hers, black shadow and unnatural flames licking the forest as they moved in tandem. The wraiths glided over the earth, like water over rocks in a stream, leaving only fire and ash in their wake.
Whipping her head back around, Astraia lowered her body closer to Orion’s, shouting in earnest. “Faster, Orion!”
Orion’s nostrils flared, and he neighed back at her, then his pace quickened. Faster and faster, her black stallion soared. Her cloak gave way, and her hair billowed in the wind, eyes wateringas they flew. Orion overtook Caelan’s horse, leading their retreat southwest, out of the woods and closer to Volpes.
But even Orion could not outrun the undead Nyrekh forever. They had to find a way to lose them.
Astraia’s bonds heated, thrumming under her skin, as if in response to her question, but fear clouded her thoughts. She nearly succumbed to burnout before—nearly died. Now, there were two wraiths. Two stewards of Dominion bent on destruction.
A low, rough voice cut through her fear, slamming it out of her mind.
You are stronger than your bonds.
Her pulse slowed, the loud heartbeat in her ears softened, and her bonds heated at the sound of his voice. For years she had been running, fleeing from heartache, accepting condemnation. But the time of running was over. Scars had been forged in the darkness, but now it was time to fight shadows with light.
