“I’ll take Gaia’s reins and lead you,” Raxx replied.
“King Zelrus’s compound isn’t too far from here. It’ll be a short ten-minute walk. Don’t speak or talk to anyone – the horses themselves will garner enough attention as it is. Keep your hoods and scarves up until I tell you otherwise. When we get invited inside the king’s building itself you’ll be safe to remove them, but until then it’s vital we remain as inconspicuous as possible and stay together. Are you all clear on that?” Lephas asked.
Faye nodded, hearing Lori and Indi mutter in agreement. The princess’s heart pounded in her chest as Raxx eased Gaia’s reins from her grasp and lifted them over the mare’s head. He led the horse forward and Gaia followed obediently behind.
With nothing to distract her, Faye felt the fear inside her growing with every footfall. She kept her head down and her vision obscured, despite her better judgement clawing at her to stay vigilant, looking for threats. She realised, with sudden clarity, thateverythingwithin the walls of the demon city would be a threat to her.
The horses strode up a steep embankment onto a road. The sound of their hooves changed from a soft, gentle thudding to a harsh clip-clop as they found themselves on hard, solid ground once more.
As the group grew closer, sounds and smells of civilisation greeted Faye – smoke, pungent, unwashed bodies, the distant clang of a hammer on an anvil. The relief to have finally escaped the wilds was absent, replaced instead by silent dread. Suddenly, camping in the pitch dark didn’t seem so bad after all.
Her thick cape hung over her face like a hangman’s hood. Faye could not see ahead, but instead watched the ground underfoot changing. The pristine, glistening white snow turned steadily greyer, until it was mud, cobblestones and sludgy, half-melted ice.
“Commander?” a voice called out. There was the sound of armour chinking as someone ran to greet them.
“Say nothing yet, we’re on our way to the king.” Lephas’s voice was low and hushed.
“T-the princess?”
“Say nothing,” Lephas repeated. The group began to move forward once more and a shiver tore its way through Faye’s body. With her head low, she saw three sets of armoured feet – guards no doubt.
Banesteppe didn’t have high stone walls and a portcullis like Awrelwood, it seemed. They walked with ease past the demons, into the city.
“Lephas,” Raxx called.
Faye saw the shadow demon gesture to the left and, after a low hum of agreement from the commander, the group turned off down a side street. They hurried ahead, walking with purpose.
“Sorry, excuse me,” Lephas muttered as they passed by a group of demons. Faye noticed, with astonishment that, even in this harsh weather, their feet were filthy and bare and the hems of their skirts, tattered and stained. The demons had not been exaggerating the levels of poverty experienced within Banesteppe. She and her sister would stand out like a sore thumb.
Despite her fear of what awaited her within the king’s compound, Faye felt a knot of tension tighten in her stomach and she wished to hurry ahead. The less time they spent out in the open, the better.
Though they passed by one or two demons along the way, the journey through the streets of Banesteppe was one of relative ease. As Lephas had promised, they arrived quickly outside a gated portion of the city.
The commander swung his leg over the mare and landed heavily on his feet. He strode forward to meet some more guards. After a hushed conversation, the demons unlocked the gate and stepped aside. Lephas led Bluebell ahead and Raxx followed behind with Gaia.
Faye’s heart was beating so quickly, she wondered how she was remaining conscious. Indi patted her thigh.
“Goodness, I can feel you shaking. You have nothing to fear, princess,” she murmured. “Zelrus is a good man. He won’t hurt you or your sister.”
Faye didn’t reply, afraid of how her voice would shake, but instead nodded and took a deep breath.
“You. Take the horses into the stables. They’ve been on a long journey, so make sure they’re cared for adequately,” Lephas instructed.
“Yes sir,” a man responded.
Faye saw a strange demon approach her horse and barely resisted the urge to slap his hands away as he took the reins from Raxx.
The shadow demon helped Indi down from Gaia’s back first before turning back for Faye.
“Do you need a hand getting down?” he asked.
Faye shook her head and swung herself from the saddle. As her feet hit the ground, her legs buckled beneath her and she fell backwards, knocking against Raxx’s chest. With lightning quick reflexes, the shadow demon grasped her elbow and steadied her.
“Okay?” he asked her, balancing her back onto her feet.
Faye swallowed; her throat dry. She cautiously put weight back onto her feet, one at a time, relieved when they held. She nodded and Raxx released her.
Sharp panic and sadness speared Faye’s chest as Gaia was led away across the courtyard. The mare snorted and shook her head, but was too exhausted to resist.
