Domain of Power-The Dreamer (Book 3)

Chapter 33: Breakout

Burning embers floated in the wind like dandelion seeds before drifting into the scattered rubble below. I had to close my mouth to keep from tasting the ash and smoke that filled the air. With the terrain too steep and uneven to ride, I slid down the hillside on foot until my foot struck something hard.

Crack.

I looked underneath my foot to find a cracked skull sticking out of the charred ground. I stumbled backwards only to trip and fall into a pile of bones.

I sprang to my feet, gasping. "Romeus! Where are you?"

I was ready to abandon Romeus and run to the hill where I left my horse tied to a boulder when the crunch of footsteps broke the silence.

I whipped my head around to find him with a sword. He whipped it around, letting its metallic blade hiss through the smoke-filled air.

"Where did you get that?" I demanded.

He pointed to a lopsided tower of disfigured metal interwoven with layers of rotting wood piled high over a base of discarded carriages. "I had to get it when I saw it."

I rolled my eyes before following the direction he pointed. Behind him was a tower of rubble that was taller than both of us. He suggested we take a closer look for any 'useful items' when the sound of creaking wheels interrupted him. It sounded like a rickety chariot or a wagon. But I knew better than to think a person would be traveling here unless they meant to be here.

We crouched behind the makeshift tower as we took turns spying the barren wasteland from every direction. When I saw the whites of Romeus' pupils widen like saucers, I knew he saw whoever it was that drove the moving cart. I got up to run when a detached wheel stubbed my open-toe shoes. Romeus clamped my mouth shut as I retreated to the tower, wincing.

If you move anymore, we are dead! I held my breath as the creaking stopped.

There was jostling coming from the cart, then a loud thud that reverberated through the tower. Then another. More objects piled on, causing the objects that once acted as a refuge to tremble.

My heart was pounding uncontrollably again as I eyed the clearing ahead of us. Perhaps he was a laborer forced to throw refuse from the city. Still, the thought that he could report us to the authorities crossed my mind. We could make a run for it while this man emptied the cart from behind the tower. I pushed off on my knees, ready to leap into a sprint when I saw Romeus pick up the broken shards flung to his side.

My jaw clenched. What are you doing? We have to go. Now!

I gestured for him to get up, even though I felt like shouting. Romeus staggered to his feet just when a gust of heat billowed from behind.

The tower groaned above us. A long, splintering moan made the hair on my nape rise. The first carriage wheel slammed down, scattering sparks across the ash-covered ground.

"Go!" I hissed.

Romeus grabbed my arm as another heap of twisted metal slid free. The entire structure lurched forward, threatening to bury us. The man came around the tumbling tower, shouting while flinging his pitchfork.

I dove left, the heat licking my cheek as a wagon axle crashed where I once stood. Romeus took off to the right as we both raced to the top of the hill, leaving the man shouting and cursing.

When I reached the summit, the rope I tied to the horse was left lying in the dirt.

I raked my fingers through my curls. "No. No!"

The horse was gone—whether it fled or was stolen. I couldn't tell.

Could this day get any worse?

More sounds of sliding gravel sent my heart jumping again. I peered over the edge to see if the man was still following when a hand gripped the top ledge near my toes. I stumbled back when a head surfaced above the ledge.