Page 29 of The Death King

Once it was past midnight and everyone in the castle was asleep, I put on a pair of trousers and a long-sleeved tunic along with the boots I’d come here in. Then I took a breath as I looked out the window, seeing vague details of the city in the torchlight, and wondered how far of a fall it was.

I’d die on impact, so at least I wouldn’t suffer.

I could sit there all night and ponder my gruesome death, but I knew I couldn’t continue to debate with myself over it. I had to take this opportunity while it was available. Otherwise, I might miss the chance. There were only two outcomes I would accept—death or freedom. I was about to have one or the other, and that gave me the strength to crack open the window and let the winter air strike me in the face.

I was instantly cold, my knuckles turning red and my fingers numb. But I climbed onto the windowsill anyway and braced myself for the brunt of it.

“Don’t look down…don’t look down.” I stood on the windowsill, my fingers gripping the grooves in the wall, my hair whipping around in the wind that blew at this height. My forehead rested against the cold wall, I took a couple breaths, and then I started to move. “You got this…you got this.”

I took my time, shifting right a couple inches at a time, never switching grips until I was absolutely certain that it was the smart move. Farther and farther, I went, moving at a snail’s pace but remaining alive.

It took me at least an hour to traverse the edge of the castle until I was in a different section of it, a place where there should be fewer guards because the king slept elsewhere. When I found a window big enough for me to fit through, I tried to crouch down to take a peek and see if anyone was around, but it was hard to squat down on such a small ledge. When I tried, my boot nearly slipped, and I almost screamed. My frozen hands clutched the stone of the castle as I panted with adrenaline, my eyes squeezed tightly shut as I winced in pure terror. “Oh fuck.”

It took several moments for me to calm, for my heart to slow once again so I could progress. Instead of trying to squat down again and look through the window, I decided to go for it.

I slammed my boot into the glass and shattered it with a single kick. The sound of breaking glass was audible, but most of the window remained intact along the edges, so I had to kick several times to make the glass come free. If I didn’t, I would be cut from head to toe when I tried to crawl inside.

I kicked again—and that was when I slipped.

It happened in less than a second, so fast I couldn’t even process that I was in free fall, the distance between me and the window growing at an exponential rate. My arms flailed about in an attempt to grab something, but I was too far away from the castle. The screams came next, echoing against the stone as I toppled and spun toward the earth, the last few seconds of my life utterly horrifying.

While I spun, I saw the cobblestone foundation below, saw the torches as they became brighter as I drew closer. In my next spin, I saw something black jet through the darkness. Then my fall was broken far sooner than I expected.

Great talons reached out and snatched me, enveloping me into a cocoon of safety. The ground had been rising up to meet me just a moment before, but now it faded away as I rose higher in the sky.

I craned my neck to look up…and saw Khazmuda’s mighty wings block out the moonlight.

6

CALISTA

Khazmuda landed on the same rampart where he’d deposited me when he’d first brought me here. He gently placed me on the stone floor of the castle before his strong grip relaxed. He was an enormous beast with a size too large for delicacy, but he managed to handle me as if I were made of glass.

I felt the coldness of the stone floor as I lay there, breathing hard because I couldn’t shake off the horrifying sensation that had just taken place. My life had flashed before my eyes, my mother, my father, my childhood…the few years that were actually good rather than torturous.

Are you alright? A powerful voice like a drum entered my mind.

I sat up, rubbing my hand across my chest, still winded by my meeting with death. “Yes.” I stared at the stone beneath me before I raised my head and looked into his dark eyes, eyes just like Talon’s. “Thank you…for saving me.”

I was hunting when I saw you climbing.

“You can see in the dark?”

Yes.

When I’d finally calmed, I sat upright. “Does…King Talon know?”

I’ve tried to stir him several times. He must be having an intense dream.

So he didn’t know that I’d just tried to escape. “Khazmuda, can we keep this between us?”

His dark eyes were enormous and terrifying…but still beautiful. No.

“Please—”

I would die before I’d betray him.

My heart raced in my chest the longer I heard his booming voice in my head. It was so deep and powerful, unlike any other voice I’d ever heard. He spoke simply, without an inflection of emotion in his tone, but I could still sense passion. “You’re close.”