After Dante’s threat, I pulled Avian and Kiri to the side. “Even if he tells us anything, we can’t trust a word he says.”

  Kiri said, “Why do we care what happened with his spell? Let’s just leave.”

  “From what he’s said, Layla is invested in him figuring it out. She’d want to know why he failed.” She spun one of her daggers between her fingers, then pointed it toward Dante while raising her eyebrows. “I can motivate him to talk.”

  Kiri crossed her arms. “We aren’t the type to torture, are we?”

  “That’s not something I don’t want to participate in.” I shook my head.

  “Unlike the fairy tales your parents read when they tucked you in, real heroes have to cross certain lines now and again if they plan on winning.” Avian Grinned.

  Of all the things I truly wanted, pleasing Layla wasn’t one of them. My concern wasn’t what Layla would want. To me, knowing what happened to Dante was more of a curiosity. The only thing we really needed was to know how to unbind the grimoire, but I don’t think I’d trust any more of his training. “Perhaps one night I’ll have no choice, but I will not consider it for information we don’t need. Layla is quite capable of getting to the bottom of his failure.”

  Avian clenched her jaw, but didn’t speak right away. After a moment, she huffed. “Fine, grab what we can use. We’ll leave him tied up and take off.”

  “And if he chases us?” I asked.

  “Mallma is after him and us. He’d need to be insane to stay near us,” Kiri said.

  I glanced back at him, then focused back on Kiri. “I wouldn’t rule out insane. He might have turned the first apprentice into a monster by accident, but he knew what he was doing to the other four.”

  “Kiri has a point. Insane or not, he’ll find an easier way to get a human. Besides, he’ll have his hands full soon. By abducting us, he broke a contract with Layla. Once the Rasmun discover his betrayal, they will make him pay.” She thought for a moment. “The Forgotten might not stay on his side for long, either. They won’t accept his excuses if he doesn’t soon provide some results.”

  I nodded. “You’re both right. He has enough problems to worry about.” After pausing, I added, “Perhaps we should provide the means for him to untie himself, something that would take long enough for us to escape.”

  Kiri nodded. “Giving him less reason to give us chase.”

  A scream behind us stole our attention. I spun in time to see that one apprentice had wiggled free of his leather mask. He pulled hard on his line, continuing to scream.

  Avian threw the dagger she was holding, and like her strike against Dante, she timed it so the hilt would smash against the apprentice’s head. The blade deflected high, hitting the wall where the lines were attached.

  From here, I couldn’t see if any were frayed.

  The maskless apprentice continued to shuffle in place. The one beside him jerked forward as his line snapped, sending him face-first to the floor.

  The now-free apprentice pushed himself up off the floor. The other four pulled forward, likely trying to replicate whatever their friend did to get loose.

  The untethered apprentice raced forward, grabbing Dante and pushing his face against him.

  “Pull him off me before he figures out a way to make me his meal,” Dante said.

  As I stepped forward, another rope snapped, sending the maskless apprentice to the floor.

  Drawing my sword, I shouted, “I could put all five out of their misery.”

  “I need them!” Spittle flew from Dante’s mouth.

  The second apprentice headed for Sani.

  Leaving Dante to fend for himself, I sprinted toward Sani. The apprentice was about to bite my friend when I kicked him in the chest, sending him back to the floor. I lifted my sword to strike.

  “Don’t!” Kiri shouted. “His only crime is trusting the wrong mentor. Perhaps he can be healed.”

  The final three apprentices broke their tethers. Avian intercepted them as they rushed forward, keeping them busy with a barrage of punches and kicks.

  Kiri had a point. The apprentices were apparently acting without thought, as one tried to eat Dante while leather blocked its mouth. While they were dangerous as a group, the one without the leather headgear was easy enough to control. After he regained his feet, I grabbed the apprentice and pulled him further away from Sani. He lunged toward me, trying to reach my neck with his rotting teeth.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Kiri yanked on the ring attached to the back of the one attacking Dante. She dropped it and gasped. “The ring isn’t attached to his clothing. It’s embedded in his skin.”

  The apprentice spun, grabbed her arms, and pushed her to the floor.

  Mine continued trying to bite me. Grabbing his shoulder and arm, I spun him while thrusting him back a few paces. He landed on the floor on his hands and knees, instantly standing back up. I kicked him in the bottom, sending him toward the corner with Dante’s bed. He lost his balance, continuing to stagger until landing face-first in the fireplace.

  Flames kicked up, along with a thick, black rolling cloud of smoke.

  I covered my mouth as the sooty air stung my eyes. Through the dark puff, I saw flames moving. The maskless apprentice burst through, its head and torso on fire. After running at full speed, it careened headfirst into the maze, making it a few paces before knocking over part of the garbage wall.

  The trash went up in flames like it was built to burn. The inferno spread across the space as a stink of burning rot filled the room.

  “Cut me loose!” Dante shouted.

  I headed for him, crouching to stay below the smoke. A pile fell over, sending a gust of air that fed the fire. Debris flung at us

  The flames grew between Dante and me.

  “Forget him,” Avian said.

  “We can’t leave him to die like this.” I shielded my face with my arm and trudged forward.

  “Sani is going to burn!” Kiri yelled.

  Dante wiggled and kicked as the flames licked his feet and legs. His tough fa?ade melted away as he began screaming like a little girl who had found a mouse in her bed.

  My stomach turned as guilt gripped it with a closed fist. No yaksha deserved to die in such a way. I coughed as I turned and headed for Sani. His heavy body was too much to simply lift. Looking up, I saw one of the apprentices stagger by. He was dragging what was left of the rope that had earlier tethered him to the wall. I snatched the line and tugged, pulling it closer to Sani. As the apprentice ambled toward me, I tied the rope around Sani’s waist. Then I dove out of the way of the apprentice. Holding my arm in front of him, the mindless yaksha staggered toward me. As I expected, he continued to follow, dragging Sani behind.

  Kiri weaved through the flames, coming up behind Sani. She started to push him, but he wasn’t budging much. “Switch me spots,” she said as she hustled beside me and lifted her bare arm. The apprentice followed her, giving me the opportunity to swing back and push Sani, directing him away from the worst parts of the fire.

  Dante continued to scream behind us. His voice grew louder, his tone more desperate.

  By the time we made it outside, the structure was engulfed in flames. The maskless apprentice sprinted out of the lodge, his body still on fire. He passed us and continued into the forest, running until we could no longer see the light from his fire.

  Dante either stopped screaming, or we couldn’t hear him out here.

  Avian burst through the door, still kicking an apprentice as she moved. Pulling her dagger, she hit it on the head with the hilt. It staggered for a moment, then fell to the ground. She ran next to me, shuddering as she stopped to catch her breath. “I thought I would die in there. So hard to find my way out.”

  “The forgotten will see the fire,” I said. “We will want to be far from here when they come to investigate.” I grabbed Sani’s arm and signaled for Avian to do the same. We lifted him into the air, each pulling his arm around our shoulders, like we were helping a drunk friend get home. Kiri continued to bait the apprentice, getting him to slowly pull Sani forward as we kept him upright and matched the pace.

  Kiri said, “Will the Forgotten continue to leave us alone, since we are still under contract with Layla?”

  “I don’t think so,” Avian said. “Until her deal with Dante, both she and I would avoid the forest just like everyone else. They won’t be as welcoming once they realize we caused his death.”

  My stomach turned. Our actions led to the old yaksha being burned alive. He wasn’t innocent in all of this. Hell, he wanted to remove Sani’s heart for a spell, and said he would likely eat us. But he wasn’t slain in battle. Instead, he was our prisoner.

  Kiri’s forehead scrunched. “Didn’t you say the Forgotten would be upset with Dante for not providing the spell he promised?”

  “A theory.” Avian shrugged. “But if they were only giving us safe passage because of him, then they would end such a luxury if we crossed him, or if he lost favor with them. Either way, we are better off going through Mallma than taking our chances with them.

  “What should we do with him?” I gestured toward the apprentice.

  “We could release him,” Avian said.

  “The Forgotten will surely kill him as soon as they see him,” Kiri said. “He helped us get Sani out of the fire.”

  “He didn’t intend to save anyone.” I shook my head. “He wanted to make you his walking snack. While I won’t cut down a defenseless man, I can’t feel responsible for what may happen to him when released.”

  “Killing him will be kinder than releasing him to the Forgotten,” Kiri said.

  I drew my sword.

  “No!” Kiri put her hands out to stop me.

  “He’s another mouth to feed. One that never gets full.”

  Avian interjected. “I doubt Dante has been feeding them. Perhaps his potion makes it take longer for them to waste away.”

  “See.” Kiri put her hands on her hips. “We don’t know how long he will live before starving.”

  “We won’t be able to travel through Mallma to the capital with him.” I threw my hands up. “We’ll be lucky if they don’t find us. Why bring someone who will draw additional attention?”

  “He’s someone’s son,” Kiri said. “We can’t just leave him to die. What if we can find a cure?”

  Avian put her hand up to silence us. “Do you hear that?” She whispered.

  I cupped my hand around my ear, but heard nothing.

  Avian untied the rope around Sani’s waist, then pointed with her head, signaling for us to set him down. We lowered him to his rump, propping his back against a tree. She walked toward the apprentice, reeling in the rope as she moved, keeping the line taunt. Once close enough, she tied the apprentice’s hands, then his feet, securing the end of the line to a large branch. “Stay here,” she whispered to Kiri.

  Creeping beside her, we continued toward the noise she had heard. After moving a shot, I started to hear them as well. At least three men, chatting with one another. We followed the noise, finding them by a fire between the Mallma’s wall and the Forgotten Forest.

  The three uniformed men cooked meat as they warmed themselves. Tied behind them were two others, with hoods over their heads. I’ve seen this before. They were transporting outlaws for judgment.

  “I think I figured out how we will get inside.” I grinned. “And we can bring the apprentice with us.”