CHAPTER#91

The centaur snorted, anger blossoming in her cheeks.

"Mike..." Zel hissed.

He ignored her. "Honestly, he may as well challenge me to a cartwheel competition. Stupid horse."

The guard drew her blade and stepped toward him, but he held his ground. Fear, anger and loathing emanated from the centaur in waves. That was the reaction he had been hoping for, and he gave her the biggest cocky grin he could muster. If she was this mad, he could only imagine how pissed Orion would be, and he was going to need the whole Herd good and mad at him for what he had planned.

After several tense moments of silence, Zel rose and left, escorted by her guard. Ratu came out of hiding and transformed into a little girl again.

"I question the wisdom in antagonizing angry centaurs," she told him, curiosity in her eyes.

"I'll tell you exactly why." He pulled one of the vials from his pocket. "But first, let's discuss how we're all going to get out of here together."

…

Beth said very little to the minotaur as they climbed the trail to the top of the cliffs. She could tell he wanted to comfort her, but there weren't words or deeds to make the situation right. Her plan was to speak with Naia and Sofia right away, to see if either of them could offer her any help. There were only a few days to make her decision, and she wouldn't be able to live with any of her options.

She remembered when she was little, her parents started arguing nightly about their dog Chunky. These heated discussions often ended in tears, and Beth had been sent to her room more than once with the assurance that everyone was okay, but they were very upset. When she was older, they explained that Chunky had become very sick and the vet had recommended that he be euthanized. The argument her parents kept having was not if they should do it, but when. Every extra day meant the world to Chunky, but he was getting progressively worse. How could they choose when the pain of a single day overrode the possibility of table scraps, or running around in the backyard and smelling squirrel poop?

Chunky's fate was inevitable, but the choice itself was what had caused so much pain. No matter what she chose, she would still end up in the demon's grasp, but one decision was far and above the best option for her new family.

Unless she could find another solution. There had to be a way out, some new trick she could pull. She had beaten him once, and only by sheer, dumb bad luck had he decided to latch a piece of darkness onto her soul, intending to grant her damnation in exchange for eternal youth, beauty, or whatever he had planned.

She had time. Mike was going on a quick trip into his wardrobe, and she knew he'd be back soon. With all the heads of the house pushed together, she felt hopeful that a plan could be made without her. After all, she had no idea how to know that he was watching.

She pushed open the door to the greenhouse and nearly slipped on the snow and ice that had formed at the entrance. Walking carefully forward, she waited until Asterion had followed her out before closing the door and staring dumbstruck at the backyard.

"What the hell?" She stuck a hand out and caught a fat flake in the palm of her hand. It was snowing hard enough that the grass had vanished beneath a blanket of white, and icicles had already formed along the roof.

"Hmm." Asterion gazed upward. "It still smells of early fall."

"Are you sure? Now I'm worried that we were somehow stuck in there for months or years or something." The last thing she needed was to find out the greenhouse had malfunctioned and Oliver had sold out Mike and the others. Then again, that would take away the fun in making her choose to join him.

"I do not like the cold." He hefted his axe. "It makes my weapon slippery."

"Well, you shouldn't be needing it anytime soon." A drift of snow fell free of the roof. "Maybe." Had the Society started something new? There should still be plenty of time on the sundial. Beth wrapped her arms around her torso and looked up into the sky. The clouds had become a low lying fog, but she could see where they bunched up against the edge of the home's magical shell. Whatever was happening had been caused from within.

A loud boom came from the front of the house.

"Shit." Beth broke into a jog, careful to watch her step. The ground was more ice than snow, and she felt herself slipping every few steps. Asterion's long strides allowed him to keep up easily, his hooves clomping in the snow.

Another boom echoed over the house, the wind picking up dramatically. Another sound like a shriek made her duck down, and the minotaur caught up, hovering over her like a shield. The flurries assaulted them from every direction now and visibility dropped to a couple of feet. They moved close to the house, using the slats as a guide.

"Naia?" Beth called out for the nymph, hoping she would answer. They ended up huddling by the house as the storm escalated. Asterion leaned against the wall, leaning his axe against the house. They stayed there for several minutes, and the chill of the storm infiltrated her clothing, causing her teeth to chatter.

The loud noises ceased, and the storm died down. The low clouds above quickly turned to more flurries and fell to the earth, and they could see once more. Beth slid out from beneath the minotaur and hurried toward the back yard. She was cold and wanted to get inside as quick as possible.

Stepping around the corner of the house, she found herself staring at the fountain. It was frozen now with icicles hanging off of its outer rim. A gray figure stood at the edge, unmoving and covered in snow.