Farren
Iinstantly shake my head.
“No, it was incinerating my clothes. It doesn’t do that regularly,” I explain. “It’s a one-time thing, just to make sure that my clothes were properly incinerated and that the blood of the Abyss creature was properly destroyed.”
“It didn’t warn you yesterday after you killed the Abyss creature, did it?” Hades asks curiously.
I shake my head. “No. It didn’t, but this creature was different from the one that I killed yesterday.”
“That would suggest that there was something different about this one, that meant that you had to get rid of the clothes in the way that you did,” Mayhem suggests thoughtfully.
“This is absolutely fascinating,” Rival says. “The light from the fire is going to attract curious creatures, souls, and who knows what else. We need to move quickly.”
We immediately pick up the pace.
Storm is in the lead as we run through the forest and back to the road that we’re following to get to the castle. When we get to the road, we don’t stop. We keep moving quickly, needing to get away from the hot spring and the light show that it just put on. We’ve already had too many holdups, and we can’t really afford to have any more. I am extremely grateful that I’m clean again though.
That was going to drive me insane.
“Wait,” Reaper says quietly, and we all stop, alert with eyes on the surrounding area. “Do you smell that?”
Loki nods, inhaling deeply. “I picked it up around the same time that you did. Blood, and lots of it.”
“Where?” Storm asks.
“Straight ahead,” Reaper replies. Looking in that direction, he squints, “There’s something in the road ahead.”
I narrow my eyes, and sure enough, there’s a lump in the otherwise lumpless road, that’s a word, right?
Regardless, I’m willing to bet that’s what is bleeding.
“Proceed with caution,” Rast warns quietly. “There are some native creatures of this realm that use the scent of blood to lure you in so they can attack you better.”
“Smart,” I mutter, earning myself a look. I shrug, “Maximum reward for the least amount of effort.”
They all pull similar expressions as if to say good point.
Storm nods, “Got it. Spread out and move slowly.”
We all do as he has ordered and slowly approach. As we get close, I realise it’s not a creature as I first thought, but a person.
They’re dead. That much is obvious. They’re missing limbs, and there is a huge hole in their chest. Oh, that is not a nice way to die.
“Ricollio?” Rast says with shock.
“I didn’t know,” the mangled body says, and I curse.
Still alive, he’s still alive.
Fuck.
“That they sent us in the wrong direction?” Rast asks, kneeling next to him and speaking gently.
“Please, I had no idea that the direction that they told us to send you was wrong. They killed them all,” he says weakly.
“Who did?” Rast asks, although I get the sense that he already knows the answer and just needs confirmation.
“I . . .” Ricollio pauses. “I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it was Bram and Thaddeus. We didn’t stand a chance. The others are scattered around in pieces.”
