Calliope [Book 2]
CHAPTER SIX

Mido traveled night and day through the forest, only stopping for a couple hours to sleep, but sleep did not come easy to him. He tossed and turned most of the time, his mind on Calliope. When he couldn’t stand it any more, he saddled Lily once more and they pushed onward. Lily carried her master as far as she could as fast as she could, sensing his determination. The mare knew something was amiss without her secondary rider and she snorted anxiously as they pushed on.

The days dragged on and Mido felt exhausted, despite the fact that he would not stand to rest, but he did so for his loyal steed. Rest came easily to the mare unlike her rider, and she treasured every moment that was granted to her. The pair traveled in this manner for the majority of each day, stopping only briefly during the night, hoping to cut their travel time down as much as possible.

Mido’s hope returned to him as the forest began to thin around them and they found themselves in Librona once more. In the chaos and confusion, they left the forest near the western mountains. Mido cursed under his breath, knowing that they would have to travel across the kingdom to get to Alryn. If they had come out of the forest closer to the port, their distance to the capital would have dramatically shorter. But, regardless, being back in Librona put him in a relatively positive mood. He wasn’t sure how King Sloan would react to his return, but he was determined to do whatever he could to help replace Calliope.

They traveled through the rest of the day and came to a familiar village as evening approached. Mido and his mare stood outside of Esmon; it had been a long time since he had returned to his home village. Perhaps he would replace comfort for the night there. He nudged Lily onward and her ears pricked forward as they approached. Her nostrils twitched at the familiar smells of her home and her pace quickened.

They entered the village just as it’s citizens returned to their homes from the fields after a long day of work, just as Mido had once done as a boy. Many turned to Mido, smiling and waving as he passed. He dismounted Lily as the village children ran to greet the mare. They jumped up and down around them, anxious to pat her nose and feed her carrots. Lily snorted happily as she soaked in the attention from the little people.

“Well, well, well,” a voice said. Mido looked up and watched as a blonde woman approached him. “Look who decided to acknowledge our existence?”

“Sera,” Mido greeted her.

Sera placed her hands on her hips. “Life as the king’s favorite knight treating you well?” She paused. “Oh, that’s right, you were banished.”

“News travels fast,” Mido said.

“What are you doing here, Mido?” Sera asked angrily.

Mido looked around. “Was hoping to get a bite to eat,” he said. Villagers continued to mill about, stopping to watch as Mido spoke with Sera. A tension seemed to fill the air, and many of the people he had known seemed to be angry with him. “Not much of a hero’s welcome,” he muttered.

“Oh, were you expecting something extravagant? I’m sorry, why don’t we bow and kiss your feet for all you have done for us?”

“Well, you don’t have to go that far,” he mumbled, feeling attacked.

“You don’t even deserve the time of day from us,” Sera hissed.

Mido’s brows knit together and he narrowed his eyes at the woman. “I’m sorry, remind me exactly what I’ve done to piss you off?”

“Nothing comes to mind? Like bringing a witch into our home?”

“Calliope isn’t like the other witches,” Mido said.

“No, of course not,” Sera said. “She hasn’t attacked our people or anything.”

“She’s not what you think she is.”

“You’re awfully defensive of a creature you once despised.”

Mido was quiet.

“You love the witch,” she said, confirming her suspicions.

“What do you want?” Mido asked, skeptical.

Her face hardened as she sneered at him. “She doesn’t love you, Mido. She’s a witch. She’s just using you.”

Mido turned away from her. “You don’t know her. You don’t have a clue.”

“I know what she is. I know she’s the same thing that killed your father.”

Mido felt his blood boil. He whipped around to face her. “Calli isn’t that,” he hissed.

She cocked her head back, amused. “Calli, huh? She has you right where she wants you. Weak, helpless, right under her control, and you’re too stupid and thick headed to see it.”

“Just remember that without her, there would be no kingdom for you to whore around in.”

“Without her,” she hissed. “Asmar wouldn’t have attacked us.” She raised her voice. “William would still be alive, along with every other life that was sacrificed on your hunch. Their deaths are on you.”

Mido swallowed hard, her words piercing him. “You don’t know,” he whispered, narrowing his eyes at her. “You have no fucking idea.” He hesitated, turning away again, avoiding her stare. “I live with that every single day.”

The air seemed to tense around them. Hushed voices mumbled amongst each other as they watched the man and woman, once lovers, bicker with each other.

“What happened to you, Mido?” Her voice softened. “You leave on some ridiculous quest to kill her and now you’re the hero who rescued a witch. Have you forgotten what you’ve been through? Have you forgotten us, your friends? Your home? Who was here for you when you had nothing? When your father was murdered? When your mother and sister got sick and died?”

“Stop it,” he hissed, still not daring to face her.

“Who was there?” She shouted this time, her eyes wet. “And this is how you repay us?”

Mido was quiet. He wished he never returned to Esmon. There was nothing here for him any more. There never was.

“You are not the man I thought you were,” she stated quietly.

“I like to think I’m better than the person I was,” he mumbled. He turned again and met her gaze.

“And I s’pose you have the witch to thank for that?”

Mido said nothing, but Sera didn’t need confirmation; they both knew the answer to that.

Sera laughed half-heartedly. “I don’t know why I thought I would be different,” she muttered. Mido ignored her comment and pushed passed her. Sera watched as he turned Lily around, his back to the people he once called family. Her heart sank and pulled to the man she loved, but she stood her ground.

Mido ignored the staring eyes of the villagers as he made his way down the streets he once called home. He mounted his horse and without wasting a second, pushed her forward, galloping out of the village and towards Alryn.