“I’m out of time. You’ll sneak out the window, go to the stables, and take Buttercup.” He went to the window and opened it, throwing the bag.
I looked down at my nightgown and my bare feet. “Come with me.” I grabbed his shirt, desperate. If I were leaving, he had to come too. We could escape together, find somewhere safe to regroup and plan. “We can both?—”
“Then we’ll both die.” He pulled me toward the window.
I tried to protest, but I wouldn’t have put it past him to shove me out of it if I refused to go. I threw my arms around him, squeezing tightly. He hugged me back and then turned me toward the window.
The drop wasn’t far for a demon with powers. They could slow their fall, manipulate the surrounding air, and land gracefully. For me, it would mean broken bones at best.
“I can’t make that jump.”
“You can.” His voice was fierce, commanding in a way it had never been with me before. “Use the vine on the wall. It’ll hold.”
I looked down and spotted the thick vine snaking up the castle wall. It was sturdy enough, anchored into the mortar between stones.
Another scream came from somewhere down the hall, and my eyes went wide as Reve rushed to the door, removing the chair. Father’s voice rose above the chaos, bellowing in rage. The sound was so wrong that my blood turned to ice. Father didn’t sound like that. He was unshakeable, powerful, and had ruled Inferna for longer than I’d been alive.
“Ride fast and don’t look back. I’m sorry and know that I love you.” Before I could return the sentiment, he was at the door and rushed into the hall.
I bit my lip and considered my options. I could defy my brother, or I could climb out the window and do as he asked.I heard my father shouting and my mother screaming, and my decision was made.
I threw my leg over the windowsill and grabbed the vine. My hands shook so badly that I nearly lost my grip twice. The rough texture bit into my palms, drawing blood, but I couldn’t stop. Not with those screams echoing from above, not with my brother’s frantic eyes burned into my brain.
My feet hit the ground, and I grabbed the bag Reve had thrown, slung it over my shoulder, and sprinted toward the stables. Rocks and sticks dug into my bare feet, but I didn’t stop until I was inside.
No one was there. What the fuck was going on?
I approached Buttercup’s stall and pulled open the door. He let out a puff of smoke and moved his giant hoof on the dirt floor.
“Hey there, Buttercup. Reve told me to take you.” My voice shook as I spoke, but if I didn’t tell him Reve had given me permission, he’d shoot flames at me faster than I could high-tail it out of there.
I went to grab his saddle, but then I heard the stable doors creak open. As if knowing what was going on, Buttercup got down on his front legs to allow me to get on. I climbed on quickly, and he took off out of the stall.
Two guards waited with their swords drawn. They were familiar, but they didn’t seem to be on our side as they stepped into our path.
Buttercup put his head down and barreled straight for them. As we got closer, flames shot out of his nostrils and sent the men scrambling. We burst out of the stable and took off toward the eastern gate and the forest beyond.
I had no weapons, no powers, nothing but a horse and desperation. If they caught me, if they dragged me back to whoever had attacked the castle, I’d be dead.
I held onto the horse’s mane as tightly as possible. I hadridden bareback before, but not on a hell horse and not at such speeds. He at least seemed to limit the heat he emitted because the warmth was tolerable.
We needed to go to my brother’s boarding school, but I didn’t have reins. Reve might have been able to control Buttercup, but he wasn’t my horse.
My chest ached as my hair whipped across my face. My brother didn’t have his full capabilities at his age, and I wasn’t reassured that he could protect our parents.
The gate that vendors and servants used was open, swinging on its hinges as if someone had left in a hurry. We charged through it and onto the road that led away from the castle—away from the only home I’d ever known.
Behind us, two guards on horses burst through the gate. “Halt! By order of?—”
I didn’t hear the rest. Buttercup was already galloping at full speed, his powerful legs eating up the distance between us and safety. The guards were gaining on us, their horses larger and faster.
Buttercup veered to the right, taking us toward the storm.
“Not this way. Left!” I dug in with my heels and pulled his mane in the direction I wanted him to go. My brother’s stupid horse was going to get us killed.
I risked a glance over my shoulder and saw the guards turning around, heading back toward the castle as if they’d never given chase at all.
Guards didn’t just give up. They were smart enough to know not to go into a storm. The damn horse wasn’t.
