The Crescent Hour ✓

Chapter 20. Flight

Clara awoke a few hours later, the lack of warmth beside her an indication she was in bed alone. She sat up, letting out a noisy yawn. Mecha hopped on a pillow and chirped a greeting. She picked it up.

“I’m sorry for being mean to you.” Clara tickled its body, smiling when Mecha’s chirps turned into happy squeals.

She plopped Mecha on the mattress and stood up. Her backpack was on a chair. Tamer must have brought it. Grabbing a pair of clean trousers and a shirt, she snorted as the mechanical bug wrestled with the curtains.

“Have you seen Tamer, Eryx or Rai?”

Mecha banged its body on the window.

“Are they outside?”

It squealed, little wings flapping wildly.

“So they are.”

After a quick shower, she exited the room. There were two men speaking with the tavern owner. When they saw her, they kept quiet and eyed her. Feeling uncomfortable, Clara strolled out of the bar.

“Let’s find them,” she said to Mecha.

The sun was perched on the center of the sky, a glowing yellow orb that burned with a fierce intensity. Puffs of clouds floated in the air, doing little to shed the earth beneath them. Thatched cottages lined the road, their walls painted with varying colors. The village was a semblance of peace, a remarkable transformation from the night before. There were no bodies of grotesque creatures strewn on the ground, no splotches of dried blood decorating the streets.

She noted the crystal walls circling the village. They were solid and intact. She hoped the magic would not wane over time. So long as the walls stood firm, the villagers would be protected from another invasion.

She set out to the wooden structure next to the tavern, snatches of conversation reaching her ears. The scent of hay, dust and sweat stung her nostrils. At the end of the stables, she saw Eryx and Rai, their backs hiding a proper view of Tamer. When she neared the men, she drew in a sharp breath.

“Stop wasting my time,” Tamer said, pulling up a kneeling Enki by his hair. He smashed his face against the wall before releasing him. “Now, speak.”

Enki coughed out blood. His eyelids were swollen, his cheeks bruised and his mouth torn. Despite his wounds, he held up his chin in defiance. Tamer balled his fist and punched him in the gut. The man wheezed as air was pushed out of his lungs.

“Who is your master?” Tamer demanded. “How do we break the barrier?”

When she had fought alongside Rai and Eryx the previous night, they had told her about the barrier. Amarant was sealed, cut off from the rest of the world. It had been a shock to her.

Enki heaved, eyes glaring at them, mouth dripping with blood. He slid down to the floor but Tamer forced him up.

“Speak.” He pointed an index finger at Eryx. “His wife is stuck in the fortress. There are children in there! I will not let them starve to death!”

The man sniggered, battered face twisting into an ugly grin. Tamer shoved him on the wall, hitting his temple again and again. Mecha shrilled then flew out of the stables.

Clara forced her mouth shut, nails biting deep into her palms. This Tamer wasn’t the same man who had held her in his arms with such tender compassion. This was a part of him she had never seen before, a darker side of him that made her heartbeats catapult in warning. When he paused, the man swayed on his feet.

“Get her out of here,” Tamer said, still facing Enki.

Rai held her shoulders but she shrugged him off. “I’m not going anywhere.”