Ashbound, page 57
Ashbound
Book 1 in the Ashbound Series
Copyright © 2025
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the rights holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Patrick Stewart
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
Prologue
In the early 1970s, the sky split open.
No one knew why.
Some blamed a nuclear test gone wrong, others whispered of black holes or alien gods. But whatever the cause, Earth changed forever. Screaming and twisting it became something else as another reality bled into our own. Not all at once, but in a pulsing wave of unreality that tore through forests, mountains, cities.
From that rift came the Aserathi.
The Aserathi looked human.
They had skins of all our colours. They had eyes, legs, arms, torsos, hair on their heads. But they were not human. They were something more. Something terrible.
The Aserathi were ruled by the Seven Sisters.
They looked like human women, beautiful and ageless, each one bore the power of a pantheon. One sister could crush tanks with a flick of her wrist, another could bring an entire tower block crumbling down with a simple nod of her head. They could move vast distances in short periods of time and their strength seemed to have no limits. Cities crumbled beneath their wrath.
Beneath the Seven were the Archons, lieutenants who spoke with their authority and enforced it with blood. They too appeared to be gods, though not as strong or powerful as the Seven Sisters. The Archon commanded thousands of Scions - Aserathi that seemed to have been bred for war. Scions had the strength of a hundred, it was said. They were ruthless as they were calculating.
Even the lowest of their kind, ordinary Aserathi, were stronger than the average human.
Worse still, the Aserathi did not die easily.
Bullets, fire, radiation—nothing seemed to stop them.
It was much later did humanity learn that to kill an Aserathi, you had to separate their heads from their bodies. But it was too late to use that knowledge. Most of humanities weapons manufacturing sites had been reduced to rubble, their scientists and engineers killed.
The Aserathi’s cities came next. Great black towers and obsidian temples tore up through farmland and neighbourhoods alike, rising like splinters from the bones of the Earth. Skyscrapers buckled beneath them. Monuments were swallowed whole. The world turned green as turquoise ash rained down from the sky for three days.
The ash was the only gift the merge ever gave to mankind. Some who breathed it became… different. Stronger. Faster. Something new.
These humans became known as the Ashbound, and for a time, they gave humanity hope.
But they were not enough.
The war ended not with a final battle, but with a slow, suffocating silence. Towards the end, humanity managed to create a new weapon - blade cannons. Devices that fired incredibly sharp blades and could decapitate an Aserathi from twenty miles away. But these weapons came too late in the war to make a difference and only a few were created.
The Seven Sisters divided the Earth like an empire of gods, each taking a portion of land for themselves that crossed countries and continents. Each ruled with their own vision, some Sisters crueller than others.
Humanity, once rulers of the planet, were reduced to second-class citizens—workers, subjects, toys.
The Ashbound’s descendants carried the ember of that green ash that gave their ancestors power. But it was a flicker compared to the powers of Scions, and was no match for an Archon, let alone enough to challenge one of the Seven Sisters.
Most of humanity had surrendered and accepted their new role under the Aserathi. But there were still a few humans that rebelled and every so often, they launched an attack against the Aserathi.
The Aserathi showed no mercy when they crushed rebellions. They destroyed entire towns that rebels emerged from, killing every single human - man, woman and child.
The world no longer belonged to humans. It belonged to the Aserathi and the Seven Sisters who ruled as malevolent gods.
Chapter 1
Cael parked his motorbike by the side of the path that led to the cottage. Asha, who was sitting behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist even though he had been driving at twenty miles an hour, hopped off and stretched her legs.
“How much are we getting for this job?” she asked.
“£300,” Cael replied. “Not bad for three guys.”
“How much do I get?” Asha asked.
“How much do you want?”
“£50?” Asha asked, hope in her tone.
“That’s a lot!”
“You’ll still get £250!”
Because I’ll be doing all the work, Cael thought. Entering the premises, fighting the goons and risking his life.
Asha, on the other hand, would stand guard as a lookout.
Except, there wasn’t much to look out for in most jobs.
Asha had latched onto him a couple of years ago, when she was only sixteen. She needed a job and didn’t want to work in any of the terrible jobs available for humans. And pretty much all the jobs available for humans were terrible. More so for girls that were pretty.
Bounty hunting was dangerous work and Cael had no need for a sixteen year old girl with no skills. But Asha was persistent. She met him in the local pub and followed him home.
When he did not let her into his flat, she spent the nights outside and every time he emerged, she would follow after him, running behind his motorbike as fast as she could, for as long as she could.
In the end, Cael relented. He took her on a few bounty hunts and made her stand outside as a lookout. He could have sent her in first as bait to lure the men out. It was usually always men and a pretty young girl like Asha would have had them chomping at the bit to begin their sadistic fantasies.
But Cael wasn’t an asshole. He wouldn’t put a young girl in danger like that.
As the weeks and months passed, and Asha continued to live with him, he decided to train her on how to use a sword. Pretty much every job of his turned into a fight, even though most of the jobs weren’t actually bounty hunts. More often, the mayor would send him to throw out some vagabonds who had decided to squat in the few nice cottages that remained undamaged.
The squatters could run away, but they tended to stay and fight him instead. Which meant he either subdued them and handed them over to the local police, who in turn sent them off to the City of London to work as slaves for the Aserathi, or he killed them.
“Fine. I’ll give you £50 this one time. What are you going to do with the money?” Cael asked.
“Buy some clothes,” Asha said.
Cael stared at her. She was dressed wearing a loose pair of jeans and a leather jacket. “Your clothes look fine.”
“It’s torn here, here, and here,” Asha said, laughing as she pointed at the three spots her jeans had ripped.
“That’s how clothes are. Torn,” Cael said, frowning as he looked down at his own jeans that had at least six tears, and his leather jacket that was missing buttons and had a long cut on the left shoulder.
“There are some places that sell new clothes,” Asha said, her eyes sparkling.
“Sure. In the city,” Cael said, before he stared at her, eyes narrowed. “You’re not planning on going to the city, are you?”
“I would never,” Asha said, her face serious.
Cael continued to stare at Asha, trying to read her.
It was then did he notice she had done something to her long, black and shiny hair that she brushed too often. Half of it was tied up in a ponytail, the other half was free and… fluffy? Coud hair be fluffy?
Her lips were red.
Clearly she’d put something on them.
Her jeans, the ones that were not good enough for her, she’d done something to them too. They clung to her legs and bottom where before, they were much looser.
Asha stared back at him. Her face looked serious enough. He believed her. She wasn’t a stupid girl. There was no way she would take a trip to the city just for some new clothes. He had drilled into her how dangerous the city could be for newcomers.
Not that Cael had ever been… But he had heard the stories…
Cael turned to look at the path that led towards the cottage. That was why they were here. To get rid of the three men that had taken residence there and were refusing to leave.
“What do you think?” Ca
Asha looked ahead at the path. “Three men? I say you knock on the door and tell them to surrender. And when they don’t, you beat them up.”
Beat them up.
She made it sound like a school yard fight.
Sometimes, Cael forgot Asha was an eighteen year old with very little real world experience. She had spent her whole life in this little town by the south coast of England. She’d managed to stumble upon him almost straight out of the orphanage. Sure, she’d spent a few nights on the streets, but that was nothing compared to what other pretty girls would have endured out in the bigger towns and cities.
“How about you knock this time? It would be good for you to get some firsthand experience,” Cael said.
“Do you think I’m ready?” Asha asked, eyes lighting up.
“To knock on a door? Yeah I think you’ve got it.”
Asha jumped on the spot, letting out a squeal. She reached for the sword by her waist, pulled it out and held it before her.
Cael wondered if his faith was misplaced. “Put the sword away, Asha.”
“Oh, right,” she said, her eyes faltering. “We try diplomacy first!”
“Atta girl…” Cael sighed.
They walked down the path towards the cottage. Cael’s hand rested on his sword, though it remained sheathed. Asha glanced at him, then imitated, placing her hand on her now sheathed sword. The path curved around the birch trees and the cottage came into view.
It had a low roof, its thatch golden-brown and uneven. Moss clung to its edges, and in one corner a clump of grass had taken root. The walls were pale stone, chalky and mottled with age. Some stones had darkened with rain and time; others bore faint orange lichens that spread like old maps across their surface. The windows were small and deep-set. One shutter hung slightly askew, the paint peeling to reveal the wood beneath.
“It’s gorgeous,” Asha gushed. “Can we live in a place like this?”
“Not on our pay, no.”
“How much do you think it would cost to buy this place?” Asha asked, undeterred.
Cael shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t find it worth thinking about. His flat was fine. It had two rooms, a bathroom and a kitchen that could fit in a table. This cottage belonged to someone who earned a lot more than he did. And that’s why he was here. To kick out the trespassers who had taken residence.
They stopped at the front porch. Cael glanced in through the windows. No movement inside. In fact, the whole place was completely silent.
Asha stepped forward, knocked on the door, then stepped back again.
Cael heard movement inside the house. He gripped the handle of his sword, ready in case things turned ugly really quick.
The door opened a crack and a man looked out. “What do you want?”
Asha took a step forward and stood straight and tall. As tall as her five foot four frame would allow her. “This house belongs to another. You’re trespassing. You need to come with us.”
The man stared at Asha. Then, his eyes flicked to Cael and the sword by his waist. He was an old man. In his late fifties, he had a scruffy beard and wore a vest that was once white, but now a dirty yellow.
“Who does this house belong to?” the man asked.
“Sorry?” Asha asked, frowning.
“Who does this house belong to?” the man repeated gruffly.
Asha turned to look at Cael, uncertain how to respond.
“We’ve been tasked by the mayor to vacate this property and take you all in. It doesn’t matter who owns the house. You need to come with us,” Cael said.
“You’re the muscle and what is she? A pretty face that’s supposed to be disarming?” the man asked.
Cael gave a smile. “Sure. If that works for you. Now will you and the two other men come with me?”
“Oh what works for me is having her naked in my bed, legs spread out,” the man laughed.
Cael’s jaw tightened as he took another step forward, now standing inches away from the door, inches away from the man. “You need to come out now, along with your two buddies.”
“Fuck you,” the man said.
It all happened so rapidly. The man tried to close the door, but Cael was quick to get his foot in the gap. He followed it up by pulling the door wide open and headbutting the man, causing him to stagger back.
Cael stepped into the cottage.
He spotted the gun immediately.
He’d never seen one before.
Guns had been outlawed by the Aserathi.
But Cael had heard of them.
He knew what they looked like.
This one was long and slender. It had two barrels.
The man holding the gun was much younger. In his early twenties. His eyes were red. Cael recognised that look. Drug use. It might have been what saved his life.
The man pulled the trigger.
There was a loud bang.
It was deafening.
Cael had heard stories of the Last War, as humans called it. When they battled the invading Aserathi. Humanity had great weapons of mass destruction. Weapons that when fired, made loud deafening sounds. Weapons like this gun, he imagined.
The bullet fired from the gun moved incredibly fast. Though there were two barrels, the projectile only came out from one. And it came towards him. Cael could see it hurtling his way. Every instinct in his body told him to move out of the way. But he couldn’t. He seemed frozen to the spot.
The projectile flew past his head, so close, it ruffled his hair.
And then time seemed to suddenly move quickly.
The projectile slammed into the door behind him, splintering wood.
Asha let out a scream.
The old man who had been by the door also screamed, but for different reasons. When Cael barged in and headbutted the man, it turned out he had knocked some of the man’s teeth. Teeth the man now held in his hands as he continued to scream.
Cael briefly stared at the old man in surprise. Which grown arse man screamed at having had some teeth knocked out?
His attention quickly turned to the guy who had fired the gun.
He too was screaming now.
The gun had slammed back when fired and struck the man in the face. His nose was broken, and he spat out teeth as he dropped the gun and staggered back.
He had either never fired a gun before and didn’t know how to hold it properly, or guns were poorly designed and that was why humans had lost the war against the Aserathi.
It was a lot of screaming for Cael.
And for a second, it was distracting.
Only for a second.
Shaking his head in annoyance, Cael moved quickly.
Drawing his sword, he sliced at the old man, striking him across his neck. He then moved to the other man and drove his sword into his stomach. As the man dropped to his knees, Cael pulled his sword out and went in search of the third man.
He heard a crashing sound come from one of the rooms. As he entered it, he spotted the third man running away from the cottage, having smashed his way out through a window. Cael considered going after him. But the man was a quick runner. He soon vanished behind a row of trees.
Cael stepped back into the corridor. The old man lay flat on his front, his body still, he was dead. The younger man had moved to sit on his bottom, his back against the wall, his hands pressed against his stomach.
“You killed me, man,” he said, sounding exhausted. “Why’d you kill me?”
“You tried to kill me,” Cael replied.
“I didn’t even know how that thing worked,” the man protested.
Cael shrugged his shoulders. He glanced at the damage caused to the door by the bullet fired from the gun. Had that struck his head, it would have blown it off. He felt no sympathy for the dying man. Cael had learnt early on in his career as a bounty hunter to never hesitate when he was attacked. When under threat, he went straight for the kill.
Asha stepped into the house with her sword drawn. She spotted the now two dead men and lowered her sword. “What was that noise?”
“He had a gun.”
Asha’s eyes widened. “A gun? But… guns aren’t allowed.”
“No… they’re not,” Cael sighed as he stared at the gun that lay on the floor.
The Aserathi had strictly banned them and any human found in possession of a gun was dealt with in the harshest ways. They were tortured and killed, of course. But the Aserathi didn’t stop there. They killed the person’s entire family. Sometimes they extended it to destroying the entire block if it were in a city.
