Chapter 26: Calliope

Village of Khor Qurid, Ysuelt Valley

A troll was loose in a nearby village. It was one of the Ysuelt's more common complaints. Trolls wandered down from the mountains on several occasions a year. They weren't particularly dangerous when they were alone. But they absolutely wreaked havoc on farms and markets and were an overall nuisance to the hardworking townsfolk just trying to go about their lives unencumbered. Calliope knew it would be a relatively easy task for a pair of monster hunters of her and Sebastian's skill level. That was why she had asked Quinn and Neva to come along as well.

Sebastian hadn't said anything about disapproving of the idea but he hadn't spoken to her since they'd left the keep either. The laughter from their previous conversation had all but died on his tongue when her new companions had joined them on their way into the village. Calliope could see that her oldest friend was in a surly mood. But she never could keep up with Sebastian's moods and there was a troll that needed tending to. Calliope hadn't realized how much she had missed hunting monsters in the short time she had been gone and she was itching for the chance to feel like a Ysuelt again.

They reached the village in no time at all but were met with reports that the troll had already lumbered off back into the mountains. Calliope took a few long strides out of the village, headed for the base of the mountains where the townsfolk had gestured.

"Cali, don't," Sebastian called out.

Quinn and Neva, who had both taken a few steps to follow after Calliope, faltered, hesitating and looking between the two experienced Ysuelt.

"They said it went this way, Sebastian," Calliope replied, beginning to stroll up the mountainside.

"Calliope," Sebastian barked.

She stopped then, turning to face her oldest friend. Sebastian almost never called her by her full name. When he did, he wasn't messing around.

"We let them go if they return on their own," he reminded her, his voice growing softer now that he had her attention.

"It's just going to come back, Sebastian," she argued. "They always do and then we'll be coming out here again next week. Might as well find it now before–"

Suddenly, the earth beneath their feet shuddered and a mighty roar echoed throughout the valley. Neva whipped her blade from her hip in a second. Quinn reached for a sword that wasn't there. Calliope and Sebastian both crouched down instinctively and waited. They all looked toward the village.

An instant later, screams tore through the day. A chorus of bloodcurdling, terrified shouts met Calliope's ears as she and Sebastian turned and sprinted back to the town without a second thought. Quinn was hot on their heels and Neva with him, though she was shouting at him to stop with every footfall.

Sebastian reached the village first. He came to a skidding stop right at the entrance, chest heaving and eyes bulging.

"It's–" he stuttered. "It's a– a–"

"Chimera!" Calliope gasped when she rounded the corner to meet him.

Calliope had only ever seen a chimera in the Ysuelt texts before. But the elaborate and colorful illustrations, centuries of years old, had not done the beast justice. The body of the lion was prevalent enough. The cat's head was framed with a plume of fiery orange mane. From its back sprouted the goat's head and neck that she had always found to be such a strange addition. And then the tail. Long and thick, black-scaled and glistening, the snake's forked tongue slithered out between its fangs at the tip.

"Cali," Sebastian said, turning toward her. She met his gaze and knew what he was going to say. They should return to the dwelling. They should tell Gabriel and Bruin and the others and let them handle it. Calliope and Sebastian had never taken on a monster the likes of a Chimera before. And they had especially never done it alone.

"There's no time," Calliope answered the question he had not asked and Sebastian turned around just in time to see the Chimera had cornered two teenage girls. It was backing them up against the local tavern.

Sebastian frowned but gave her a firm nod and then slunk away to do his part. In the meantime, Quinn and Neva had finally arrived and stood gaping at the Chimera and it's prey in the village square before them.

"Is that–" Quinn started but Calliope didn't let him finish.

"Take this," she tossed him an extra sword she had slung at her belt. It wasn't large by any means and was so thin that it was likely better for fencing than any serious monster hunting but it was a weapon and even a needle was better than nothing. To Neva, she handed a rope. "Head to the market stall on the other side there. Make a loop and wait for my instruction."

Neva took the rope but stared at Calliope wide-eyed before glancing over to Quinn.

"I'll keep him safe," Calliope promised. "Go."

Neva hesitated only a second before rushing off to do as she was told. Calliope turned back to the chimera who was closing in on the girls now. A shadow passed over the chimera's back and Calliope took off running. It took Quinn only a moment to catch up to her.

"Hey!" Calliope shouted as loud as she could as they approached the beast's back. "Over here!"

The chimera cocked its enormous lion's head as the goat head on its back swiveled and eyed them shrewdly. The snake tale hissed, lowering so that its sharp yellow eyes were only inches from Calliope. Venom dripped from its fangs. A growl emanated from the lion's throat and the girls huddled together, sobbing loudly.

Calliope glanced sideways to Quinn who was standing next to her, poised to strike with his pitiful weapon.

"Go high," she said simply and did not have to say anymore.

Quinn leapt straight into the air and slashed out at the snake tail. At the same time, Calliope slid deftly through the beast's legs, slicing upward and into its belly and Sebastian dropped, from the tavern roof above, into its back and began wrestling with the goat head.

The Chimera, caught off guard by the simultaneous triple attack, stumbled away from the girls who took off running, the moment they had an opening, into a nearby home. Calliope leapt to her feet to find she faced the lion's head. The great cat snapped its jaws at her and she thrust out her sword. It bit it, tearing it out of her grip and holding it dangerously in its jaw. It whipped its head back and forth, slashing at her with her own steel. She leapt up and out of the way of the blows. It was strong but clumsy and, when Quinn landed a blow to the hissing tail, the lion howled in pain. Calliope took the opening to sprint past it, jabbing out with her dagger as she did. She made multiple puncture holes in the beast's side on her way to rejoin Quinn at its tail.

The goat head gave a sudden screech as Calliope joined Quinn just in time to dodge a wild blow from the tail alongside him.

"The stall," Calliope reminded him. "Head for Neva."

Quinn gave a nod and lashed out at the beast once more before he and Calliope both took off running.

"Hold on Sebastian!" Calliope cried. "Neva! Get ready!"

Calliope and Quinn ran as fast as they could toward the market stall, their feet pounding against the hard clay roads as villagers watched, wide eyed, from their various closed up homes and shops.

"Toss the loop to Sebastian, Neva!" Calliope shouted as they were running past.

The Chimera's claws shook the ground beneath them so badly that they nearly fell on multiple occasions but clutched each other whenever one would stumble to drag them along.

"Now!" Sebastian screamed a moment later and the rope came flying from the stall. Neva held fast to one end while Sebastian caught the loop and dropped it onto the goat's neck, pulling the knot tight around it.

The beast howled and reared back, skidding to a stop so as not to choke itself. Calliope grabbed Neva's end and sprinted back for the beast. As Sebastian tied the middle part of the rope around the snake tail's neck and dove under the beast, Calliope avoided the snapping jaws of the lion to loop the rope around its mane as well. She then dove under the beast to meet Sebastian underneath its bleeding belly. Taking both bits of excess rope, they slid out from under the beast, letting the excess rope trip it onto its side.

The chimera fell to the dirt with a loud thunk, dust rising around it as it writhed in the street. Calliope pulled her end of the rope tight and it stilled, three sets of eyes casting wildly about. Sebastian got to work using the rest of the rope to tie the beast up well enough that it couldn't move. Calliope took the time to catch her breath, hands on her hips and chest heaving.

"That was incredible," Quinn said, bent over and breathing hard but still smiling that dazzling smile. Calliope couldn't help but smile back and then they both burst into relieved, adrenaline-fueled laughter. Neva simply frowned and shook her head.

"We should get this back to the keep," Sebastian interrupted. "Do you know how rare it is for a chimera to attack a village like this? The institution will want to know. Gabriel and Bruin–"

"Maverick?" someone else spoke.

All four of them looked to the entrance of the town where three newcomers were riding through the dust that the chimera had created into the village. Calliope knew at once they weren't from around the valley. They all three sat atop enormous horses of the highest quality. The first girl, the one who had spoken, wore a shining ruby red dress that matched her fiery hair. She had her head cocked to the side in question as she stared right at Quinn. Beside her sat a man in a green doublet that seemed to be an imitation of the Delosian military uniforms but meant to be clearly different. And beside him was a woman with hair as black as night and skin as pale as cream. She wore a deep blue gown and her eyes were set on Calliope the moment she entered the town.

"Aditya," Quinn said then, stepping forward to greet the strange red lady and her companions.

Calliope looked between them and suddenly understood far more than she had before, far more than she ever should have missed. Their cloaks, their armor. It had always been finer than anything Calliope had seen in the city. They'd known secret routes and had been fleeing in the opposite direction as all the other civilians. And they had given her a fake name. Because this woman had called him...

"Maverick?" Calliope asked, backing away from him as she spoke.

Maverick turned to her. He held his hands out to keep her from fleeing, opened his mouth to speak, maybe even to explain. But before he could, the woman in blue spoke first.

"It's her," she said, her voice a reverent whisper. "Maverick, you found her."