Cass strode purposefully out of the gate. It was unusual for her, a highborn Glaevor noble, to leave the castle without anyone to attend her. But there wasn't time to summon anyone.
Rowan, the new girl, was ahead of her, farther down the hill. Walking beside her, hand firm around her arm, was Cass' stupid kid brother Plat.
"I'll kill him," Cass muttered, trying to walk faster without tripping and rolling down the rest of the way. She adjusted her grip on her skirts, hiking them up a little higher. She could make it.
She might not have made it, but Rowan looked back and noticed her. Instantly, she stopped moving forward.
Plat took a second to catch on. That was typical.
"To catch up," Rowan was saying, words just audible.
"She doesn't have to come!" Plat replied, much louder. "Cass can take her own walk."
"Not at all!" Cass shouted down at him, "I only came to join you!"
Plat looked up at her, distraught. "You don't have to!"
Cass finally caught up. Immediately, she inserted herself between the two of them, locking her arm around Rowan's. "Now—where were we heading?"
Plat took them to the edge of town, then out into the forest. Cass knew he was up to something—there was something in the way he stood, the way his face sat. She'd knew how to read it. She'd known him for too long.
"There's a nice clearing," Plat said, distinctly not looking them in the eyes, "Just come a little farther."
Cass had lived in King Phillip's keep her entire life, longer even than Phillip's reign. She had no idea what Plat was talking about.
The grip on Cass' arm shifted, tightening. Rowan had barely spoken, and her face was getting paler every second. Cass would have turned around and taken her back this second if she wasn't so determined to call Plat's bluff.
After about fifteen minutes, Plat started veering off the trail.
"Are you stupid?" Cass asked, "You'll get us lost!"
"You don't have to come," Plat said, like he would really rather she didn't.
"Alright then," Cass said, pivoting around Rowan, "We'll head back then."
"Wait!" Plat exclaimed, and the undergrowth rustled as he pushed back toward them. "But—I mean—the clearing is really pretty!"
"Not worth it!" Cass said, and it was true. Busting Plat wasn't worth ruining her dress.
Plat caught up, ran around and stood in front of them. "I just really think you guys—well, that Rowan—"
Crashing rippled through the forest, the sound of a horseman charging. Plat stopped mid-sentence, mouth still open, and slowly turned his head.
Cass grabbed Rowan and stepped to the side, clearing the way for the rider to continue down the path after he reached it. But the thing that emerged from the forest had no rider, and it was unlike any horse Cass had ever seen. It was taller, bulkier, pitch black, and feathered. Its tail dragged along the ground, and its hooves were talons. On its face were large, slitted eyes and a smooth beak.
The monster stopped in the middle of the path. Then it turned its body to face Cass and Rowan. From its back, wings unfolded to block the way.
Cass didn't scream, but not because she was brave. Once an eagle had landed in the tree outside her window. Her cat had gone perfectly still, too terrified to move. Cass couldn't make a sound, couldn't move her legs to run. She understood her place too perfectly.
Somehow, in the middle of her fear, Cass had room to get truly angry at Plat. Had he been trying to sacrifice Rowan to this thing?
The monster tilted its head. "I'm confused," it stated, in perfect Elkarin, "Why are there two?"
Cass' arm moved, shoving Rowan back, behind her. "Take me instead."
"Ignore her," Plat said, rubbing his forehead, "That is my stupid big sister."
"Oh, is she the stupid one?" the monster said, sarcastic, "You brought an extra human into this."
Cass felt a sudden surge of endearment for this creature, which was impressive, since there was a good chance he was going to eat her face in the next five seconds or so.
Behind her, Rowan grabbed her arm. She didn't say anything, didn't do anything else, but Cass could feel her terror through the strength of her grip.
"Tell my sister to go back," Plat said, "She will get in the way."
"I'm right here!" Cass said.
"No," the monster said, voice low, "Now she's seen us together."
"Okay, time out."
Cass looked toward the voice to see who had spoken, and there, standing just off the trail, was the only person she knew that was a bigger idiot than Plat.
Prince Sander made his way delicately through the underbrush, coming out onto the path right in the middle of everything. He faced Cass, turning his back to the monster's deadly beak. "Cass, I'm about to call a meeting of my royal advisors. For our national security, I need you to leave now and tell no one what you've seen."
That was the point where Cass decided she might be in some bizarre kind of nightmare. Monstrous bird creatures were a possibility—several years ago, King Philip and his friends had tried and failed to capture a similar beast. But Cass had known Sander for nearly a decade. She'd never once heard him speak without a stammer.
Suddenly, Rowan pushed Cass' arm back down to her side. "Um, thank you so much," she said, "You've been very kind to me, even though we just met. But I think you should probably obey our prince."
"Okay," Cass said, starting to feel a little hysterical. If she left, then at least she could call for help. Clearly, this whole situation was beyond her. So she started back the way she had come, giving the monster as wide a berth as possible without stepping on the scraggly edges of the underbrush at the path's edge. In fact, she was eyeing the monster so diligently that she failed to notice the sword until she walked into it, neck brushing against cold metal.
Sander was holding the hilt, arm extended just enough to tap her with the tip. "Promise secrecy before you go."
Cass blinked. She didn't think she was above lying, but Sander was technically her prince. If she tattled on him—and he did seem to be part of whatever this was—then Plat could tattle on her for oath-breaking. It would be mutually assured destruction, at best.
So instead, Cass just reached up and pushed the sword away. "Or what?"
Sander shrugged. "Or I'll kill you."
It was like some other entity had taken over Sander's body and was puppeting him around. It was unnerving enough to nearly overshadow the fact that Cass was pretty sure any fight between her and Sander would end with her sitting on him. The kid was built like a finely spun piece of thread, and he had a knack for tripping over nothing.
No, the real problem was the weird bird thing.
Cass continued walking, movements slow, the way she would to keep from startling a cow. "Alright," she said, voice calm, "You do that then."
Sander swung the sword—up over his head and around. There was a flash of light, a crack like a tree breaking in high wind. "Let's try that again," he said, holding out the sword to block her again. This time it was glowing, cold sparks arcing off.
"My liege—" Rowan started.
Plat dropped to his knees. "Please don't kill my big sister."
It was genuinely a little touching, though it would have affected Cass a lot more if Plat wasn't a major reason that she was in this situation to begin this, if she wasn't currently trying to process something even more unexpected.
Sander turned to face Plat, expression something between confusion and alarm. "Plat—"
"I know she's annoying and gets in the way," Plat said, clasping his hands together, "And I didn't manage to shake her off, and now she knows too much—but she's the only sister I've got! And I know I haven't been a very good—"
"Plat!" Sander exclaimed, exasperated, "Of course I'm not going to kill her!"
There was a short silence. Above them, a songbird trilled, oblivious to the drama below.
Plat's face stretched out, mouth dropping open. "You—wouldn't have?'
Sander bowed his head, began rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Oh, it was a ruse!" Plat exclaimed, face brightening, "It—oh."
"You really won't hurt her," Rowan asked, quieter.
"Obviously," Sander said, looking up again, "But now we may need to kidnap her a little. Ceph?"
Obediently, the bird monster stepped forward, but Cass held up her hands.
"I'll come," Cass said, "I'll—hear you out, at least."
"Oh?" Sander said. He tilted his head, considering her.
Beside him, the bird monster—Ceph, did the same.
Sander shrugged. "Well, that's convenient. Come on." Then he turned away, motioning for her to follow him off the path.
Still half dazed, Cass followed after him.