Broken But Unburnt

Chapter 19 - Maverick

Chapter 19: Maverick

Somewhere in the Belleming Wood, Deep within the Delosian Forests

It had taken Neva exactly one mile to realize that they were heading in the direction of Karil and to question their guide, once again, about where she was taking them. Calliope had promised it would be safe a thousand times and she didn't look Karilish. But Maverick couldn't ignore the fact that they were heading closer and closer to enemy territory on the promise of a total stranger with every step. Nor could he ignore the glinting dagger on Calliope's belt that swung with every step she took. When he had pointed it out to Neva, his protector had slowly begun to unsheath her own blade but Maverick had ordered her to put it away, to trust this strange girl until she gave them a reason not to. Besides, Maverick could think of far worse places to hide from his assassins than in some far away home of a pretty girl.

As night began to fall, they busied themselves with making camp. Calliope started a fire, a task which she claimed to have a vast amount of experience with. Neva gathered firewood, refusing to allow Maverick to venture off too far into the dark on his own. Maverick fetched water from a nearby stream, picking a few berries from a bush he noticed on his way back.

As they all settled in around the fire, Maverick peered off in the direction from which they'd come, stunned at how far they'd already managed to travel in a day. He stretched out his muscles as he sat beside Neva on a fallen log near the fire, kicking out his long legs and leaning back so that his hood fell back to reveal his face. He didn't make any move to fix it. He wasn't concerned about running into any court aristocrats out here in the woods and he highly doubted the strange girl he had never met before would recognize him by his face alone. Still, Neva frowned at his newfound comfort.

"Are you going to tell us where you're taking us?" Neva growled after a moment, turning her glare onto their guide who was currently poking the fire with a long stick to keep up the flames. Most people shrunk away from Neva's glare. She had a way of being very intimidating when she wanted to. But Calliope just smiled, keeping her eyes on the fire.

"If I did, you wouldn't believe me," she said.

"Try me," Neva replied, though it came across as more of a threat than a method of conversation.

"Have you heard of the Ysuelt?"

"The monster hunters?" Maverick asked, sitting forward with interest. Calliope looked up at him then and smiled. He couldn't help the way the corners of his lips quirked up in response.

"I'm one of them."

Maverick's lips parted in surprise. Neva's brows furrowed as she shook her head in disbelief.

"That's not possible," Neva said. "They're an ancient order. Only men are ever admitted. Orphans and boys cast aside with strong genetics they can groom to hunt their monsters."

"And me," Calliope replied with a shrug. She acted as though Neva's description of the Ysuelt didn't bother her but Maverick could tell it did. He was no stranger to the feeling of notbelonging.

"Wow," Neva breathed, actually stunned for the first time in her life.

"So why were you in the capital?" Maverick asked then. "No monsters ever venture within miles of the city and I'm not aware of any reports–"

Neva's gaze snapped to him, warning him to shut his mouth. A common peasant wouldn't have been given reports on monsters or on anything else for that matter.

"No monsters," Calliope answered. If she had noticed his slip up, she made no indication. "I was looking for something."

"Did you find it?"