“Neither,” Helios said through his teeth as he parried Gringe’s attack.
That was all Teryn could witness before Sam sprang at him. Teryn didn’t have time to reach for his sword or his spare spear, so his dagger would have to do. Sam was a grizzled man, older than Teryn by at least twenty years, and his stout stature put his reach at a disadvantage to Teryn. But his confident composure was that of a man who had no doubts about who would come out the victor. Teryn dodged a lunge aimed at his stomach, then another angled toward his side. He sidestepped, turned, brought his blade beneath Sam’s ribs. The other man blocked him, slicing Teryn’s inner elbow. Teryn staggered back, his fingers flying open from around the hilt. Sam lunged for his throat, but Teryn dove to the ground, fighting through the pain in his arm as his hand closed around the hilt of his dagger again. Blood slicked his palm, but he blocked Sam’s thrust. With a kick to the gut, Teryn sent him back a few steps. Sam staggered for only a moment before he closed in again. Teryn blinked sweat from his eyes, felt a wave of dizziness rush over him. Was it blood loss, or…
He knew the truth then. It had been the rum. Every man had shared the meal, but not everyone had drunk the rum. Not Helios. Not Lex. He hadn’t realized it then, but he’d never witnessed Sam or Gringe accept the bottles either. But Teryn…
He’d let the liquor touch his lips when he’d feigned drinking. Lips that he’d surely moistened at some point during the fight. It wasn’t enough to knock him off his feet, but dread filled his bones. He tried to clear the terror from his mind and parry Sam’s attack?—
The attack didn’t come. Sam halted a foot away. Teryn shuttered his eyes, trying to figure out what had happened. In a matter of seconds, a spurt of red caught his attention, trickling down Sam’s neck to stain his tunic. That was when Teryn saw the steel tip protruding from his throat. Lex withdrew his sword and they both watched Sam fall to the earth, clutching his throat until he died in a pool of his blood.
“Seven gods,” Lex said, voice panicked. His sword fell to his feet. “I…I killed a man. I’ve…I’ve never killed a man.”
Teryn met Lex’s haunted gaze, realizing he could say the same for himself. He glanced beyond Lex at the carnage littering the camp. At Hammond, dead with Teryn’s spear protruding from his gut. At the men lying lifeless around the fire. Finally, his eyes settled on Helios, who simply stood with his arms crossed, a smug smirk on his face. Gringe lay motionless against a tree, his tunic punctured with several wounds.
“Turns out Lex is the better man with the blade after all,” Helios said, tone mocking. “He just saved your pathetic life.”
Teryn stormed over to him. “While you just watched.”
Helios shrugged. “I was curious.”
Fire raged through Teryn’s blood. “You did this. You poisoned them, didn’t you?”
“No,” Helios said, “but it certainly benefited us, didn’t it?” Without another word, he stalked over to the caged unicorn. A dead man was slumped before it, and Helios kicked him to the side. The unicorn trembled within the cage, lips peeling back from his teeth as Helios brought his dagger—the one carved from horn—to the ropes binding the frame.
His conversation with James swarmed his mind, and he recalled the suspicions he’d had right before James fell. Teryn wiped his bloodied hand on his pants and strode over to Hammond. After prying the spear from the man’s gut, he raised it. “Stop.”
Helios glanced over his shoulder, but only let out a dark chuckle. “You wouldn’t dare, princeling. Trust me, you need me for this next part.”
“Tell me everything about thisnext partor I will throw this spear. If not to kill, then to maim your leg. You’re not keeping any information from me for a second longer.”
Finally, Helios stopped cutting the ropes and turned to face Teryn. He spun the unicorn horn blade in his palm, unfazed by Teryn’s threats. “I respect your initiative,” he said, though his expression revealed anything but respect. “What would you like to know?”
“Tell me what you’re planning on doing to that unicorn.”
His answer came out smooth. “I’m going to remove its horn.”
“Howare you going to remove its horn?”
“The only way that allows it to remain intact and not turn to dust.”
Teryn narrowed his eyes, which earned him a dark chuckle from Helios.
“Very well,” Helios said. “Try not to piss yourself. In order to remove a unicorn’s horn, one must carve it from the creature’s skull while it’s still alive.”
Bile rose in Teryn’s throat, the image James had begun to paint now made fully clear. “And the pelt?”
“As much as possible should be removed while the unicorn breathes, although not all can survive the skinning. Unlike the horn, the pelt won’t dissolve if the creature dies. Instead, it loses its texture and sheen. Any part removed while it’s alive is worth a pretty fortune.”
Another wave of dizziness struck him, but this time he wasn’t sure if it was Helios’ words or the poisoned rum. He planted his feet, forced himself to keep his spear arm steady. “What of the monster?”
Helios scoffed. “What monster?”
Teryn studied his face, seeking signs that he was lying. “You don’t know about the monster?”
Shaking his head, he returned to face the cage.
Teryn took another step forward before Helios could resume cutting the bindings. “Stop, Helios.”
“No.”
