Breaker of Rings

Chapter 23

Battles, no matter the length, tended to spread their debris far and wide, and Bex's fire duel with Seth was no exception. After some debate, it was decided that cuffs and shackles and a mask weren't enough to keep the Skull King subdued, so Roman and Bayley made an impromptu mud bath, with the help of Sasha, and submerged Hunter fully. Then Bex wound the mud-wrapped body with gentle flames—Seth was too weakened to help—and Charlotte ensured that Hunter was indeed still alive.

"It would solve a lot of problems if he were dead," Drew remarked, holding the Skull King's chain-mail cuff in his hand.

"And it would also create a lot of new ones," Charlotte retorted. "This fight is far from over. Right now we're just trying to turn its tides in our favour." She motioned for Bayley and Roman to step away from Hunter's encased body and she scratched a few runes into his muddy shroud. "Roman, I need a drop of blood." To the former Shield soldier's credit, he didn't balk or complain; he simply picked up a sharp rock, made a small cut on his forearm, and held out the bleeding wound. "Trace the runes," she instructed, moving back to give him room to work. "That will allow you to control the . . . body. I'm not sure what to call him right now. The enchantment should last until the southern lands so you don't have to carry it, but try not to put it down too often." Once the runes were filled with Roman's blood, the air-archer murmured a quick spell and the encased body rose to Roman's hip before levelling out. "Try it out while we're still here," she added with a hint of a smile, "because it's a long way to the southern lands and he'd be heavy to carry."

Roman gestured at the levitating body. "Do I have to say something out loud or just . . . think it?"

"Just thinking it should be fine." Charlotte held her hands behind her back so she wouldn't be tempted to interfere, but after frowning for a moment, Roman held out a hand and Hunter's encased body turned upside down. "Is that what you meant to do?" she asked cautiously. No two elements joined together well, but air and earth often had a particularly difficult time working in harmony.

Thankfully, Roman didn't take offence. He simply laughed, making the body stand on its head before sobering up. "Yeah. I should be okay. At the worst, I'll have my horse and his to help with the burden." Then he looked over to where Seth was sitting with Dean. "I'm guessing you're not coming back?"

Seth shook his head. "Nothing for me there but you, and if you're coming back up here with your family," he said, shrugging as he stood, "I might as well start getting used to how things are here."

Roman nodded slowly, and the Four Horsewomen watched the exchange with a mixture of empathy and awkwardness. They all knew how difficult it was to leave someone behind, not knowing if you'd ever see them again. "Dean? What about you?"

Dean's shrug was jerky, and Bex wondered if he felt out of place with his former Shield brothers now. "Probably wearing out my welcome in England, so I might stick around. They get along with Renee," he added, gesturing to the Four Horsewomen, "so maybe they'll find a spot for another air-archer. I hear the winds can be wicked up here in the winter."

Charlotte's smile was a marvel to see. It wasn't her polite princess smile or battle-hungry grin, but a combination of excitement and hope. "They are. I think you'll love it."

"Stay." Roman motioned vaguely at the encased body and it hovered in the air behind him as he walked over to Dean and Seth. Drew and Bayley quietly went over to the horses the Skull King and The Shield had been riding and coaxed them over to the clearing. "I hope you're both up north when I get there," Roman began, "but if you're not, know that you will always be my brothers. That bond didn't come from the cuffs." He held his hand out to show his now-beadless cuff, hand clenched in a fist. "It wasn't something Hunter or his sorcerers made. That was us. It is us, and we can make it better. That's what I'd like to do when I come back."