Chapter Nineteen:
Alastor remained silent and avoidant for nearly the entire trip. They spoke very little and only stopped when they needed to sleep. He would sleep far away from her, secretly hoping it would shatter the bond between them. Elysium had finally had enough. The night was cold, and small embers from the fire danced up in the sky. Elysium sat in front of the fire, warming her hands. Alastor sat with his back against a tree, facing the opposite way.
"Are you just going to ignore me the entire way back?" She finally asked.
Alastor kept his head in the other direction.
"I was hoping to." He replied sharply.
"Well, you didn't seem to mind talking before," Elysium tossed sticks into the fire.
"That was before we made the worst mistake of our lives."
Elysium clamped her mouth shut, sitting back on her heels. She looked over to him, her eyes narrowing. He still wouldn't meet her face; he just gazed off towards the trees.
"The scythe?" She croaked.
"No," Alastor finally looked at her, his eyes cold. "The bond."
Elysium stung with hurt while she rose to her feet.
"You didn't have to grab it." Her voice was low.
Alastor shot up to his feet as well and turned his head to her.
"And leave you to die?" He knit his brows.
"I didn't ask you to save me." She said sharply.
"No." Alastor ran his hands through his charcoal hair. "That seems to be a theme with you."
Elysium peeled back, her eyes widening.
"You're acting as though I'm the problem." She argued.
"You are." Alastor walked closer toward the fire.
The flames illuminated his face, which made Elysium even more nervous. She rarely saw the serious expression on his face he wore. His eyes were stone cold, and his jaw was clenched tightly.
"Why?" Elysium's eyes began to well.
"Because I don't want this." He dipped his head towards the ground.
"You don't want to save the kingdoms?" She asked.
Alastor angrily looked up at her.
"No, dammit!" He exclaimed. "I don't want to be bonded to you, Elysium!"
Alastor's eyes widened the moment the words left his mouth. He would have given anything to take them back, but it was too late. He realized his words had hurt her as she slowly backed away, wiping the tears from under her eyes.
"Let's just keep going," She sniffled and mounted the horse.
Alastor didn't reply, but he followed her lead. He lightly tapped his horse's flank, and it trotted down the pathway, nearing the borders of Sheol. The ground was starting to crack, and the thick smell of smoke filled the air while they neared the borders. Elysium could feel how tense Alastor was while they rode deeper into the kingdom. Elysium's heart sank when she saw the state it was in.
Black banners of Lupus hung from the towers, and royal sigils had been scratched out. The guard towers had doubled, and the gates were reinforced with iron spikes. Roaring fires burned inside some of the buildings. With the markets half empty, the people whispered quietly amongst each other, conscious of their constant surveillance by the guards.
"Something's wrong," Elysium said as her eyes scanned the burning city.
"Those banners-"
"Lupus." Alastor cut her off, clenching his jaw.
"You didn't tell me he'd take this much," Juliet breathed, her eyes widening.
"I didn't realize he had," Alastor replied quietly.
Alastor came to a halt when they reached the tunnel entrance to his palace. Nobody else knew about the route besides him and Elysium, who deemed it to be a safe entrance. This time, he took a different turn when they waded through the mouth of the tunnel. Droplets of water fell from the ceiling, pooling onto the ground. She quietly trailed behind Alastor, her eyes darting around. Torches lined the walls, lighting the way towards a trap door on the ceiling. Alastor stopped below it and pressed his fingertips to the iron door. He pushed it open and hoisted himself up the hole, crawling to the surface. After he checked to see if the coast was clear, he reached his hand down towards Elysium, who grabbed it. He pulled her up to him, and she rose to her feet, wiping the sides of her dress off. They stood in one of the basement chambers, dimly lit with candles. Alastor headed towards a shelf and unhooked two hooded cloaks, passing one to Elysium. They both pulled the hoods over their heads, disguising themselves from any unwelcome guests.
As they walked towards the cement spiral staircase, Elysium froze when she heard a low growl coming from the dark beside them. Elysium turned her head, reaching for her bow. Alastor stopped her with his hand and knelt, patting the hay-covered floor. Then, a whimper sounded through the darkness, and Elysium saw three pairs of eyes emerge from the darkness. Alastor's hell-hounds had somehow made it past the chaos. They excitedly padded to Alastor, knocking him down to his back and licking him all over. Their tails wagged while they playfully jumped on the pair. Alastor embraced his hounds before he rose to his feet again. He signaled for them to stay before he started towards the staircase. Alastor and Elysium climbed up the staircase towards the iron door. Alastor waited a moment, then pressed it open, leading them to one of the darkened hallways in his palace. They crept around corners and hid in the shadows, concealing themselves from Lupus's guards. Elysium turned around when she saw Alastor had come to a halt, peering down one of the windows. From below, a villager argued with a guard.
"Tax." The guard said and held his hand out.
The woman pleaded with him, pulling her children close to her.
"This is the third today," She said, her eyes welling.
The guard raised his club and struck the woman, sending her to the ground. Her children circled her, weeping. The woman shrank back, holding her palms out to the guard. The guard didn't hesitate; he sent the club down again on her.
"Where are the coins?!" He yelled.
The children began to wail, clinging to their mother for help.
"I," she stammered shakily. "I don't have any. We have nothing."
The guard didn't take that as the right answer. Instead, he grabbed her by the collar of her dress, dragging her up to her feet. The woman tried to fight back and reached for her children. The commotion drew in three other guards, who both grabbed the children, pulling them away from their mother. The mother desperately reached her hands out to them, sobbing uncontrollably. The guard dragged the mother away by her wrists into the darkness, leaving her children in hysterics.
Alastor's eyes were stone. Elysium's breath caught at the sight, and she dropped her head between her shoulders. She looked over at Alastor again, who gritted his teeth together and clenched his fists at his sides.
"We need to find Lupus, now," Elysium said, tugging at Alastor's sleeve.
He wouldn't budge; he kept his eyes planted on the children.
"Alastor!" she shouted, finally grabbing his attention.
Alastor spun around and slowly walked with her. They maintained their incognito sweep of the palace, but it was vacant of Lupus. Frustrated, Elysium leaned against the stone wall in the hallway, rubbing her forehead. They'd tied a cover over the scythe to conceal its glowing magic and tied it around Elysium's back, which crossed with her bow, forming an X.
"So, what?" Elysium paced back and forth. "We're going to have to search every kingdom? Then, it will be too late."
Alastor sat against the wall, looking up at Elysium. He buried his head in his hands, running his fingers through his tussled hair. Suddenly, they heard two voices echo from the staircase. The pair frantically ran into one of the rooms, leaving the door cracked open.
"Is it Lupus?" Elysium asked.
Alastor shushed her and kept looking; Elysium gave him a sour face. Two guards emerged into the candlelight, walking side by side.
"When does the king return?" One asked.
"He's not coming back soon." The other replied.
"Still in Alaria?"
The guard hesitated before he responded.
"Something about a relic."
Elysium and Alastor immediately exchanged glances, then watched the guards disappear down the hallway. They quickly waited for the right moment before running down the hallway. They raced past corners and through staircases before they reached the forests that lined the palace. Torches lined the outer walls of the castle. They stopped to catch their breath in a small corner, where they could remain hidden for the time being. Elysium noticed Alastor's vacant expression and grazed his arm to grab his attention.
"This is what Lupus did." She said reassuringly.
Alastor shook his head. "No." He replied flatly.
"What?" Elysium blinked.
"This is what happens when princes lose."
Elysium touched his arm harder, fighting to meet his eyes; he refused to look into hers.
"This isn't your fault." She whispered.
"You don't know anything about it," Alastor said coldly and stepped away from her.
Suddenly, a voice spoke that made the pair both jump.
"Your highness," a man kneeled to him. "We thought you were dead."
That drew the guards in, and Elysium could hear the clinking of metal growing closer. Alastor grabbed Elysium's wrist and ran towards the stables. Nearly out of breath, Elysium doubled over behind the stable doors. Meanwhile, Alastor untied the reins of two of the horses. One was a jet black mare. The other was a white Clydesdale, who tapped his hoof against the grass. Elysium felt a tinge of sadness when she saw the Clydesdale; she thought back to Vail.
"You need a horse," Alastor passed her the reins. "No?"
Elysium pulled the reins of the white horse and led him out to the hay.
"What's his name?" Elysium asked, petting the horse's muzzle.
"Zion," Alastor replied, pulling his horse out towards the door.
The horse placed its snout onto Elysium's palms happily.
Mounting their horses, they waited until the guards passed the stables before they rode towards the forest.
"Guess we're going to Alaria," Alastor said.