Crown of Ash and Light, page 27
Azura exhaled sharply, the sound like the rustle of paper caught in a gust of wind. Her knuckles went white around her kunai as she tightened her grip, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. “Feelings aren’t exactly a reliable plan.”
“I don’t expect you to understand,” Elias snapped, the frustration that had been building finally breaking through. His words were sharper now, and I could see the flicker of something darker behind his eyes. “But the relic is tied to the Dark Forest. If we don’t go, everything we’ve done so far will be meaningless.”
I exchanged a glance with Therynna. Her calm demeanor never cracked, but I knew what she was thinking—something wasn't quite right. The air was thick with the weight of his words, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were walking into a trap we didn’t understand.
“The Dark Forest isn’t the kind of place you walk into without a plan,” I said slowly, my voice low and steady, trying to ground the rising sense of unease that had begun to unfurl within me. “If we’re going there, we need to know exactly what we’re walking into.”
Elias shook his head, his brows furrowed in confusion, his expression one of disbelief, as though he couldn't fathom why we didn’t understand. “Why are you acting like this? The Dark Forest isn’t a threat. It’s just a place where the relic’s magic will be revealed. We’ll be safe as long as we stick together.”
My stomach turned at his naivety. He didn’t understand, couldn’t see what we knew too well: the Dark Forest was alive with dangers—both known and unknown. The creatures that roamed it, the twisted magic that corrupted everything it touched. He couldn’t possibly comprehend the depths of what lay in those woods.
“It’s not that simple,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady despite the unease tightening around my chest. “The Dark Forest is full of dangers, and it’s not as welcoming as you think.”
Elias frowned, his gaze intense as he tried to read me. “What do you mean?”
I held his gaze, my words carefully measured. “I mean the creatures, the magic...nothing in there is predictable. We need to be prepared.”
Elias shook his head again, disbelief etched across his features, but this time, there was something more—a trace of defiance, of blind conviction. “You’re overthinking this. We’ll be fine as long as we don’t do anything reckless.”
Stravos scoffed, muttering under his breath, but Azura shot him a sharp look that silenced him immediately. Therynna stepped forward, her voice calm but carrying the weight of authority. “We’ll do what needs to be done, but we need to be careful. The Dark Forest isn’t a forgiving place.”
Elias opened his mouth to argue, but I cut him off before he could speak. “If we’re going into the Dark Forest, we’re doing it on our terms,” I said, my voice low but unwavering. “We stick together, and we stay hypervigilant. No risks.”
“Fine,” Elias said, his voice tinged with frustration but a hint of relief creeping in. “But we need to leave now. It’s a month’s ride there, and we need to be back in time for the next event in two months. That gives us a tight deadline.”
I narrowed my eyes, studying him closely. “I don’t think we will be able to make it to Solhaven in time.”
He hesitated, glancing down at the book as though seeking comfort from it, then looked up again, his expression a mix of uncertainty and resolve. “Then let’s just focus on getting to the Dark Forest and then we will plan from there.”
“How do you know that there is going to be an event in Solhaven in two months?” Azura said, her tone dripping with suspicion, her eyes narrowing as she studied him.
“It’s the annual harvest festival and the king and queen throw a ball in celebration,” Elias insisted, his voice rising slightly, desperation creeping into his words. “You have to trust me.”
I stared at him for a long moment, weighing his words carefully. There was something else he was very carefully omiting, but pressing him now wouldn’t get us anywhere. He was too wrapped up in whatever his connection to the relic was to see the danger that loomed ahead.
“Fine,” I said finally, my tone leaving no room for argument. “We’ll leave. But if you’re leading us into trouble, Elias, you’ll regret it.”
Elias nodded, a flash of relief crossing his face as if he had won a small victory. “Thank you.”
As we packed our things, I caught Azura’s eye, her expression hard and unforgiving. She didn’t trust him, and neither did I. I know deep down we all thought the same thing, if we don’t go with him then he might stumble upon our home and we can’t let that happen. The easiest way to make sure he stays far away from our home is to go with him. As we prepare to leave, I notice my siblings looking around in the dragon's lair one last time, like they are hoping to see him again to bid farewell.
“Come on if we stay here any longer, we are going to have to move twice as fast while we travel,” as I move to my siblings and rest my hands on Azura’s and Stravos’s shoulders. “Plus we might be able to see our home after all this time.” My voice barely above a whisper.
I see my siblings smile slightly at the reminder that we are headed home but the smile quickly fades with the reminder that our mother will not be home to greet us. We will be greeted by a fire that is not burning, the smells of food that is not being cooked, and the laughter that is no longer present. The thought of home lingered like a bittersweet taste in my mouth. As we gathered our things, the weight of what awaited us pressed down heavier than the damp air of the cavern. The silence between us spoke volumes; words weren’t needed to acknowledge the void our mother’s absence left behind.
“How are we going to get out of here, is there a secret way out or are we going to have to go back the way we came?” Elias spoke that broke us all out of our thought processes.
Elias shuffled closer, his eyes darting toward the relic and then to the jagged shadows of the cave, as if both were his lifeline. "Then let’s not waste time," he said, his voice edged with impatience.
I glanced at Azura and Stravos, their shoulders stiffening at his tone. It wasn’t fear that made them pause—it was calculation. The same thoughts running through my head flickered in their eyes: trust was a fragile thing, and Elias wasn’t earning it easily.
“We need to get back to the horses,” I said, slinging my pack over one shoulder.
“The horses near the cave entrance? It would make our journey easier.” Azura started to say before she turned around and looked each one of us in the eyes. “Who is ready for a swim?”
Stravos’s groan echoed off the stone walls. “Oh, that’s just perfect,” he muttered, his scythe scraping against the ground as he shifted his weight. “Freezing water, no visibility, and now we’re playing fish. What could go wrong?”
Azura ignored him, already moving toward the dark expanse of water that stretched before us. The path through the cavern was as treacherous as I remembered. Jagged stone jutted out at odd angles, forcing us to pick our steps carefully. The faint echo of dripping water was the only sound, the darkness pressing in around us like a living thing. Azura led the way, her blade in hand while her steps were light.
When we reached the chamber where we had fought the spider, the stench of decay hit us like a wall. The massive carcass still lay in the center, its legs curled inward like skeletal fingers. A sickly green fluid had oozed from its wounds and dried into a crusty, foul-smelling residue on the stone floor. We hurriedly made our way through the cavern frequently retching along the way.
Reaching the pond that brought us here, the surface was like a pane of black glass, but I knew the currents beneath were anything but gentle. “We have to dive,” Azura said, kneeling at the edge. “The current will pull us through to the other side, but it’s strong. Once you’re under, you won’t see where you’re going, so don’t fight it. Just hold your breath and let it take you.”
Stravos let out an exaggerated sigh. “Of course. Because swimming blind through a freezing death trap sounds like the perfect way to spend the morning.”
Azura ignored him, already securing her belongings. “I’ll go first,” she said, her tone calm and decisive. Without waiting for a response, she dove in. The surface rippled briefly, then stilled, leaving no trace of her. Therynna went next, slipping into the water with quiet determination. She disappeared beneath the surface. Stravos muttered something under his breath before stepping to the edge, with a dramatic sigh, he dove in. As Elias holds on to his book like it's his life line he dove in, I didn’t wait long before diving in after him. The icy shock stole my breath, but the current caught me immediately, dragging me downward. The world became a swirling mass of dark, churning water. I held my breath, counting the seconds as the current pulled me through the unseen passage.
The sensation was disorienting—twists and turns, brief moments where the water seemed to compress around me before finally easing. My lungs burned by the time I surfaced, gasping for air as I reached the otherside.
Elias was already there, shivering violently as he clutched the relic to his chest. Stravos helped pull me onto the rocks, his usual smirk replaced by a rare expression of relief. “Made it,” he said, clapping me on the shoulder.
“Barely,” I muttered, wringing out my clothes.
Azura was already scanning the perimeter with her kunai. “Let’s not linger,” she said. “The group that jumped us earlier might still be around, we need to get out of this mountain.”
We didn’t need to be told twice. I look to see Therynna and Azura digging up the books they had buried. An ache in my heart when I saw them pull the leather bound journals out. We are headed home but not the way I would have loved to go home.
The cave system stretched out before us, a winding maze of jagged stone walls and shadowy recesses that seemed to breathe with their own life. The faint luminescence of moss offered just enough light to see, but it only served to deepen the shadows, casting eerie shapes along the rough stone. The air was cold, damp, and heavy with the memory of what had transpired here—a memory that clung to the walls like a stain.
“We’re close to where they ambushed us,” I said, my voice low but firm. Speaking too loudly here felt wrong, as though the cavern itself might echo the sound to unfriendly ears. “Be ready for anything. If they left traps or doubled back, we need to see them before they see us.”
Stravos’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the haft of his scythe as he scanned the shadows, his sharp eyes darting to every crevice and darkened corner. “They’d have to be really bold—or really stupid—to hang around after the beating we gave them,” he muttered, though his grip tightened all the same. “Still, I’m not in the mood to take chances.”
“They were bold enough to ambush us here in the first place,” Azura said coldly, her blade glinting faintly in the low light as she led the way. “That says plenty about how far they’re willing to go.”
Elias trailed near the back of the group, his footsteps hesitant, his eyes wide as they darted between the darkened walls. The relic in his hands seemed to weigh more than it should, his knuckles white as he clutched it close. “What if they’re still here?” he whispered, his voice trembling.
“They might be,” I replied, keeping my own gaze fixed on the shadows. “But if they are, they’ll regret it.”
Therynna moved just ahead of Elias, her steps deliberate and her calm presence steadying him in his nervous state. “Watch your footing,” she said quietly, her voice smooth as silk. “The rocks are slick here.”
The path narrowed as we drew closer to the site of the ambush. Water dripped steadily from unseen cracks above, the sound amplified in the stillness, echoing like an ominous rhythm. With every step we took, the tighter my grip became on the hilt of my sword. Every instinct screamed that we were being watched, though logic told me the attackers were likely long gone.
When we rounded the next bend, the sight of the ambush site stopped us in our tracks. The chamber opened up into a wide, uneven floor, the remnants of the skirmish etched into every corner. Broken arrows lay scattered like forgotten needles, their shafts snapped and splintered. Dark stains marked the stone where blood had pooled, now dried into grim reminders of the fight. Deep gouges carved into the walls spoke of desperate strikes, the clash of steel on stone.
Stravos let out a low whistle, his scythe resting against his shoulder as he surveyed the wreckage. “Guess they didn’t have time to clean up after themselves,” he said, his voice quieter than usual.
Azura crouched near a pile of discarded gear—a dented shield, a cracked sword—her sharp eyes scanning the ground. She ran her fingers over faint tracks leading toward the far tunnel. “They left in a hurry,” she murmured. “Footprints are uneven. Someone was dragging their leg. They were injured, but they didn’t stop. They headed for the lower tunnels.”
Therynna knelt beside a dark trail of blood leading toward the shadows. “They didn’t even take their wounded,” she said, her tone neutral but edged with quiet disapproval. “They were either too scared or too desperate.”
Elias lingered near the edge of the chamber, his face pale as he stared at the signs of violence. His eyes fixated on a bloodied arrow embedded in the wall, and I saw him swallow hard. “Why didn’t they finish us off?” he asked softly, as though the question might conjure an answer from the stone itself.
“Because we’re not easy prey,” I said flatly, scanning the dark corners of the chamber for any sign of movement. “But don’t assume they won’t try again. This isn’t over.”
Azura stood, brushing the dirt from her hands. “It will be if we catch them first,” she said, her blade glinting faintly as she turned toward the tunnel ahead. “Let’s keep moving. The longer we stay, the more time they have to regroup.”
The path beyond the ambush site was narrower, forcing us to move a single file. The sound of our footsteps seemed louder here, as each scuff of boots against stone was an unwelcome reminder of how easily sound carried in these walls. The air grew heavier as we climbed, the oppressive weight of the mountain pressing down on us with each step.
When the faint sound of wind reached us, it was like a breath of fresh air. The tunnel ahead widened, the pale glow of daylight spilling into the darkness. Relief washed over me as the sunlight touched my skin, the open air beyond promising an end to the suffocating confinement of the cavern.
The horses’ faint whinnies reached us before we saw them. As we rounded the final bend, the small clearing came into view, and the sight of the horses waiting patiently was like a balm to my frayed nerves. They stood where we’d left them, their reins tied securely to sturdy trees near the edge of the clearing. Their saddlebags were untouchedbut , the supplies were still intact.
“They’re all here,” Therynna said, running her hands along the nearest horse’s neck. Her voice carried a note of relief as she checked the saddlebags and gear. “No one’s been near them.”
I approached my own horse, murmuring softly as I ran a hand along its flank. The animal nickered in response, its warm breath visible in the crisp air. “We’ll need them,” I said, adjusting the saddle. “It’s a month’s ride to the Dark Forest, and we’re already behind.”
Azura mounted her horse with practiced ease, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon as she gripped the reins. “No stopping. If they’re still out there, we don’t want to give them a chance to catch up.”
Stravos groaned as he swung onto his horse, his scythe strapped securely to his back. “A month of this,” he muttered. “Can’t wait.”Elias hesitated before climbing onto his horse, his movements stiff with uncertainty. He kept one hand on the relic, his gaze darting toward the forest that loomed on the horizon.
“Stick together,” I said, urging my horse forward as we set off down the mountain trail. “The Dark Forest isn’t going anywhere, but neither are the dangers waiting for us.”
The mountain behind us stretched long and jagged, its shadows growing as the morning sun rose higher. Every step brought us closer to the unknown, and the journey had only just begun.
AZURA
The month of riding had been grueling, but it was nothing compared to the weight of the memories pounding at my chest. Each mile brought us closer to the Dark Forest, and with it, the ghosts that lived in its shadows. My body was tired, but my heart was worse. It wasn’t just exhaustion—it was grief, raw and festering, refusing to heal.
When we crested the last ridge, the sight below knocked the breath from my lungs. The village sat like an unwelcome guest at the forest’s edge, its clustered rooftops thatched in uneven patterns, smoke curling lazily from chimneys. The faint murmur of life carried on the breeze—voices, laughter, the occasional bark of a dog. To anyone else, it might have seemed inviting, but to me, it was suffocating. It wasn’t just a village. It was a reminder.
Beyond the village loomed the Dark Forest, its towering trees blotting out the horizon like jagged scars against the sky. The air was thick here, heavy with the scent of pine and damp earth, tinged with something sharper, more primal. The forest wasn’t just a place to us—it was her. It was where she had saved us, where she had raised us, where she had made us a family. And now, without her, it was nothing but pain.
Elias broke the silence, his voice jarring against the stillness. “A village,” he said, sitting up straighter in his saddle. Relief colored his tone, as though the sight of it had lifted the weight of the journey from his shoulders. “Finally. We should stop. Rest. Get supplies. Maybe even sleep in real beds.”
The suggestion hit me like a blade, sharp and unwelcome. My grip tightened on the reins, and I forced my voice to stay steady. “We don’t need to stop.”
Elias turned to me, frowning. “Azura, come on. Look at us. Look at the horses. They’re exhausted. We’re exhausted. We need this.”
