Bone and Blood Volume I

39 - Manitou Springs, Colorado, 1927

Strange that doing something so wrong, so against everything had he ever wanted, could bring such relief. Torani placed a hand against the entrance tunnel's bare rock. Cold. Sharp. Unyielding. And yet it filled him with the sense of home. Ahead, the sconce's glow called to him. One look back at moonlight pooling at the exit. At everything he was leaving behind.

Errek would okay without him.

The city suited Errek. He was not addicted to this dark place and its strict, unquestioned hierarchy. He would be furious when he realized Torani had left him. But he would get over it. Out there, he had a chance at the life Torani thought he wanted. One with choice. Freedom. Autonomy. Errek could handle those responsibilities alone. Torani belonged here.

As he entered the main chamber, the back wall drew his gaze. The slat cage's charred remains had been driven into that rock, forming a spiral. Queen Azehralia was pegged into the center. Arms outstretched. Legs tied together straight. Her chest ripped open, revealing a dark void where her heart should have been. Her intestines dangled limply below her belly. A bloody alter, sanctifying the old regime. Or maybe a warning.

Flickering fire reflected off the dead queen's eyes and hair. That dancing light seemed to burn from within her. Like she was still breathing. Torani looked away.

And locked into stare with Rotero. The knight stood straight and apathetic at the pit edge. He wore the same shirt from the night Torani left. Stained dark brown. Shredded. Scar tissue hinted through gaping holes. A gurgling rattle called Torani's attention to Rotero's feet.

"No..." Torani stepped away.

Demeko lay on his belly, facing into the pit, but glaring up out of the corner of his eye. His spinal wound had scabbed into a clotted, black mound. Slowly, stiffly, his arms pushed up. Rotated his mass to face Torani head on. Maybe he was incapable of turning his head. And could those glossy, clouded eyes really see anything? Or had Demeko recognized Torani by scent? His nostrils flared with each ragged breath.

Garbled hissing. Demeko lunged forward. His arms flung out. Scraping the rock. Swinging his body side to side wildly. A lizard fighting to dash across sand.

Torani stumbled. Losing his footing. Crashing to the ground. Squeezing his eyes shut. A furious, gurgling shriek. And then nothing.

Torani peeked at Demeko. Rotero had leaned down just enough to grab Demeko's shirt. To hold him back. Demeko futilely thrashed about. But the head knight had him. There was no chance of escape. Eventually, he gave up and went still.

Cautiously, Torani returned to his feet. "T-thanks, Roter—"

"She been waiting for you, Prince."

Torani grimaced. What a gut punch. "Yeah..."

"I assume you remember where to go."

"I do..." He looked into the pit. The idea of climbing down made him dizzy. Instead, he walked a wide arc around Rotero and Demeko. Not wide enough. Demeko jolted into flailing and hissing. Torani bolted past them.

Halfway to the pit's far side, Torani saw a hunter party swarm the wall. Ascending it to begin their nightly hunt. As they passed, the pack pushed into Torani. Shoved him aside. Hissed at him amid hyena cackles. A command about showing respect to higher ranks died in his throat. He had no rank here. Not anymore. He was a stranger. An intruder. The best he could do was sneer at their backs.

"You."

Torani refocused forward. Kordi. Except not Kordi. At her new height, she looked him straight in the eye. Her hair was strawberry blonde at the roots, fading into knight blonde at the tips. Torani held his ground. "Yeah. Me."