Chapter 27 Ashwiyaa
Chapter twenty-seven
Ashwiyaa
“Sky above, earth below, fire within.”
Leaving the rocky coastline behind, we set our course toward the jagged mountains that loom ominously to the east. The further we venture from the shore, the more the landscape seems to shift, as if the very air grows heavier with each passing mile.
Nero gave me a detailed overview of the Outlands before our journey, outlining the layout and the distinct regions that make up this forsaken place.
The Outlands are divided into three sections, each more desolate than the last. The first is the Forest, the very place where I first crossed into this cursed land.
This is where the magic veil is located, an invisible barrier that keeps the imprisoned souls from escaping.
The Forest, if it can even be called that, is a bleak and lifeless expanse.
It’s as if the land has been drained of all color, all vitality, leaving behind only a barren wasteland.
The trees are twisted and gnarled, their bark a sickly shade of brown that matches the damp, muddy earth below.
The leaves, clinging desperately to their branches, are a dull, lifeless hue, blending in with the landscape.
Then there is the dry, desolate expanse of the Deadlands, a place where life seems to have withered away under an unrelenting sun.
The land stretches out in a bleak, empty plain, its surface cracked and parched.
Nothing grows there, the soil is devoid of nutrients, and the air hangs heavy with the stench of decay.
Silence pervades the area, broken only by the occasional whisper of a hot, dry wind that stirs the dust into small, swirling whirlwinds.
Surrounding the Deadlands are mountains that cast long, dooming shadows over the plains, adding to the sense of foreboding that hangs over the Deadlands. These shadows move with the sun, creeping slowly across the landscape as if trying to engulf it in darkness.
The mountains themselves are a stark contrast to the flat plains. Their slopes are steep and treacherous, covered in sharp rocks and loose debris that makes any attempt to traverse them perilous.
The Valley of the Dead, our destination, is a place of stark beauty and harsh realities. It’s a land that tests the limits of endurance and will, a proving ground for those who dare to venture into its heart.
This whole place is home to those who were banished for their heinous crimes against the realms and condemned to a life of exile and isolation.
The thought of encountering more creatures like Abchanchu sends a shiver down my spine, but part of me welcomes the challenge.
“Is it just me, or has it gotten colder?” Kai says, looking around.
Frowning, I firmly grasp his arm and forcefully bring him to a stop. “You never get cold.”
“Everything feels different here,” he replies.
I tilt my head, smelling something off about him. “Kai, are you injured?”
“I don’t think so.”
Inhaling deeply, I’m assaulted by the sharp smell of dark magic and blood. With a quick motion, I tug on his shirt, lifting it off and over his head.
“Hey—”
“Shut up,” I snap, my fingertips trailing along the contours of his abs, caressing his velvety skin as I circle around him. My blood runs cold as I catch sight of four puncture wounds on his lower back.
“Ash?”
“Fuck!” I curse, sinking my hands into my hair.
Unlike me, Kai won’t be able to withstand the poisonous effects that Abchanchu inflicts on his targets.
A rush of adrenaline floods me, and my heart quickens its pace.
The erratic beats resound through my entire body, a physical manifestation of the fear and desperation that begins to consume me.
I need to find a way to stop the poison.
“Damn it,” I mutter, my mind overwhelmed by a tornado of racing thoughts.
Every hint of an idea seems to collide with another, creating a chaotic storm in my mind, and I want nothing more than to scream at the sky.
“Think, Ash. Think,” I grit out, hitting my forehead with the palm of my hand.
I can’t fathom a future without him by my side. Beads of perspiration form on my brow, and a knot tightens in the pit of my stomach.
“Hey, hey,” Kai says, gripping my wrists and pulling me into his chest. “Baby, what’s going on?”
“Abchanchu. He scratched you during the fight. Pretty deep, it looks infected.”
Kai’s handsome face scrunches up. “I’m not healing?”
I bite down on my bottom lip and shake my head.
“I’ll be okay,” he says gently, his voice like a balm, but it doesn’t soothe the fear gnawing at me.
“You don’t know that,” I whisper, my voice breaking.
My hands tremble as they grip the back of his neck, pulling him closer until our foreheads touch. The warmth of his skin against mine should be comforting, but all I can feel is cold dread seeping into my bones. “I can’t lose you, Kai. I won’t survive it.”
“Shh . . . I told you, I’ll be fine. It’ll take more than a few scratches to bring me down,” he murmurs, his voice steady, trying to reassure me.
But he doesn’t understand. I want to scream at him, to make him realize the depth of my fear, the anguish of the thought of losing him. But I hold back, biting down on the urge to lash out, knowing it won’t help. Nothing can change the reality we’re facing.
“You don’t understand,” I say, my voice barely a whisper, as the weight of the moment crashes down on me. The idea of losing him is too much to bear, and the thought of a world without him leaves me hollow and desperate.
Kai pulls back slightly, just enough to look into my eyes. “Hey,” he says softly, his voice laced with a calm I don’t feel. “I’m not going anywhere, okay? We’ll get through this. Together.”
His words are meant to be reassuring, but they only deepen the ache in my chest. I close my eyes, pressing my forehead against his.
“I won’t lose you,” I whisper again, more to myself than to him, as if saying it enough times will make it true.
“Look, let’s just find this package and head back. We can worry about all the other stuff when we are home.”
I want to argue with him. The importance he holds far surpasses that of this package. But maybe I can draw the poison out. Anything is worth a try.
“Okay, but I want to try something first. There should be a stream nearby—I want to try washing the wound and drawing out the poison with my magic.”
Kai gathers me up, his strong arms surrounding me as he drops his mouth to mine. I melt into his arms, surrendering to the moment, letting all the fear and tension dissolve in his kiss.
Gods, I’ve missed this.
Missed him.
When he finally releases me, it’s slow and reluctant. I look up at him, my hands instinctively rising to cup his face, enjoying the roughness of his stubble beneath my fingertips.
“I’ll fix this,” I whisper, the words barely audible.
A flicker of a smile touches his lips, softening the lines of worry etched into his features. “I have no doubt, beautiful,” he replies, his voice steady and sure.
I manage a weak smile in return, drawing strength from his unwavering faith in me.
Kai scoops up his shirt and tugs it back on, and I grab his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
We need to find the stream, but my sense of direction feels off, the world around me spinning slightly as I try to orient myself.
Lifting my head, I attempt to judge the time of day by the position of the sun, but to my frustration, my vision wavers, the scenery jumping in and out of focus.
“Child, calm down.” I tense at the voice and its soft, feminine tone.
“I am calm,” I reply.
“No, you’re not,” another voice says, this one a little quieter, timid almost.
“You fear for your mate,” a deeper voice adds.
“It will cloud your judgment.”
“Wait, how many of you are there?” I say, cutting them off.
“Three,” they all reply in unison.
I take a deep, fortifying breath and center myself. The voices go quiet, and I close my eyes as we walk, focusing on the sounds around me. I hear the soft bubbling sound of water flowing over rocks in the distance, and smile.
“It’s not far,” I say, looking over my shoulder at Kai.
He nods in return.
“Maybe you should shift. It might help you to heal.”
I notice Kai’s hands flexing at his sides, a telltale sign of unease that he tries to hide. He shakes his head, his voice low and measured. “I’d rather not.”
“Why not?” I ask, narrowing my eyes in suspicion.
Usually, I can read people’s emotions and thoughts with ease, but Kai has always been an enigma.
It’s not like he’s actively blocking me from his mind, unlike the Kotovs, who were taught from a young age to build mental defenses against people like me.
But with Kai, there’s always been a barrier—a natural resistance that keeps his thoughts hidden from me, leaving me grasping at shadows.
“Because the longer I’m in my wolf form, the harder it is for me to return to this one,” he finally admits.
His words bring me to an abrupt stop, and I instinctively reach out to grab his arm, needing to ground myself in the reality of what he’s saying. “What do you mean?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Kai meets my gaze, and I can see the struggle in his eyes, a conflict that runs deeper than I realized.
“It means the magic here wants me to stay in my wolf form,” he says, his voice tinged with a hint of resignation.
“This place . . . it’s different. The magic here is stronger, more ancient, and it’s pulling at me, trying to trap me in that state. ”
“Are you serious?” I demand, my voice rising as I begin to pace back and forth.
Kai remains calm, though I can see the strain beneath the surface. “I’ll be fine. I’m just not going to shift unless it’s absolutely necessary,” he assures me, his tone steady but firm.
Frustration bubbles up inside me, and I mutter curses in my native tongue, the shadows at my feet responding to my agitation by pulsing with dark energy.
“Hey!” Kai growls, his voice sharp as he grabs my arm, pulling me to a stop in front of him. His grip is firm but not harsh, just enough to break through my spiraling thoughts. “One thing at a time, yeah? Let’s not borrow tomorrow’s problems.”
I stare at him for a moment, his words slowly sinking in. He’s right, we can’t afford to get lost in the what-ifs, not when we’re facing so much already. I take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm inside me, and nod. “Okay, one thing at a time.”
Kai’s lips twitch into a smirk. “Good girl.”
A growl rises in my throat, a playful challenge. “If you weren’t injured, I’d show you just how not good I can be.”
“Promises, promises,” he teases, his eyes glinting with mischief, a brief respite from the tension that’s been weighing us down.
I shake my head, fighting back a grin. “Let’s go find the river, get cleaned up, and see if we can extract this poison,” I say, refocusing on the task at hand.
There’s no time to dwell on what might happen. Right now, we need to take care of the immediate threats, starting with the poison coursing through Kai’s veins.