“All right.” Ellilah lifted her chin. “Then we’ll go. Come on.”
She swung herself up on Demon’s back as naturally and easily as though performing a practiced dance move. Then she nodded at Roke.
“Up behind me—hurry!”
Roke didn’t like the idea of riding on the menacing Demon—especially not bareback—but there was little choice. He had to admit they would be faster on the great beast than on foot.
“Fine.” Taking a deep breath, he hoisted himself up behind her and threw a leg over the broad back.
Demon shied a bit, but Ellilah stroked his neck and said something that calmed him down. Then she gripped his long, feathery mane and turned her head to look at Roke.
“Hold on to me,” she told him. “Demon will get us out of here but you have to hold on.”
Roke wrapped his arms around her waist as she urged the huge zorel forward.
“Go Demon—take us away from here!” Roke heard her say. And then he felt the enormous animal gather himself and Demon leapt away, galloping out of the stable, past the screaming, melting prince, and out into the wild lands beyond the palace grounds.
Forty-Seven
“Head West!” Roke shouted as the wind whistled past their ears.
“West,” Elli repeated, pointing for Demon’s benefit. The zorel snorted and turned at once, heading where she was indicating. This was the first time he had ever showed her his true paces and the big zorel was so fast it nearly took her breath away. He had taken them easily out of range of even the guards’ long range weapons and now they were galloping free across the rolling plains.
“Will we make it?” she asked Roke, turning her head to look at him.
“We should,” he said grimly. “I parked my ship away from the main part of town just in case of trouble.”
“We’re in trouble all right,” Elli admitted. “I should have told you not to throw the Prince in the water trough—regular water melts the Tenebrians’ skin.”
“I was just trying to put him out. Though if I’d known what he was trying to do to you, I would have let him burn,” Roke said, his eyes turning red. “Did he manage to—?”
“No,” Elli said quickly. “Demon stopped him. He…he only tried.” She turned back around, looking between Demon’s long, silky ears to distract herself.
“I should have been there to stop him myself,” Roke growled in her ear. “Gods, I’m so sorry, little priestess.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Elli lifted her chin and pointed at a sleek silver craft in the distance. “Is that your ship?”
“That’s it,” Roke told her. “Come on—we’re almost there!”
Leaning forward, Elli urged Demon on. Almost there—they were almost there. And soon she would be gone, leaving Pok and its angry prince and all the memories she’d made here behind forever…
Forty-Eight
“Where do you want to take him?” Roke asked, once they were safely in the air with no sign of pursuit behind them. The skies were empty right now but he was sure the Tenebrians would send someone after his ship if they hung around long enough.
Which was why he had no intention of hanging around.
“Him? Oh, Demon.” Ellilah sank into the passenger’s chair beside him wearily. She’d been holding Demon’s head and reassuring him during take-off so that the massive beast wouldn’t kick his way out of the cargo hold. Apparently he was settled now, or she wouldn’t have left him to come up to the front of the ship.
“Yes. I’m assuming there isn’t room for a beast his size aboard the Mother Ship?” Roke raised an eyebrow at her.
“You’re right.” For a moment she looked like she might cry. “They’d never let me keep him there. Or any other zorel for that matter. The humans would consider them too dangerous.”
“Do you have a place in mind where he’ll be safe, then?” Roke asked. “I’m sorry, but he can’t stay with me either, little priestess,” he added gently. “I don’t know how long he’d be willing to tolerate my cargo hold without you. You’re his person—not me.”
Ellilah looked deep in thought for a moment, her forehead creasing in concentration.
“There’s a patch of wild land out behind my family’s ranch on Torl Prime,” she said at last. “He can be free there and no one will bother him.”
“Are you sure?” Roke asked, frowning. “You don’t want to give him to your family?”
Ellilah shook her head firmly.
“Demon was never meant to belong to anyone,” she said softly. “Some creatures just can’t be owned—not unless they own a piece of you, too.” She looked up at Roke briefly. “Do you know what I mean?”
Roke felt his heart throb with pain and regret.
“Yes, little priestess,” he said, his voice low and harsh. “I do.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry—we’ll get him safely to Torl Prime.”
“Thank you.” She looked down at her hands. “And…thank you for coming to save me at the stables.”