Chapter 13: The Ashen Lands

The moment we crossed the border into the Ashen Lands, the world died.

There was no wind. No sound of birds or insects. The trees were skeletal, their bark gray and peeling, and the ground was covered in a thick, suffocating ash that muffled our footsteps.

The sky was a permanent, bruised twilight.

"Stay close," Kael ordered. His voice was tight, his hand gripping mine so hard it almost hurt.

Behind us, our elite team of ten warriors moved in a tight formation. Vera was at the rear, her bow drawn. We were all on high alert, but the silence was worse than any howl.

We had been walking for an hour when the whispers started.

At first, I thought it was the wind. But there was no wind.

Traitor, the whispers hissed. You abandoned your pack. You killed your own kind.

I stumbled, shaking my head. "Kael, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he asked, his eyes scanning the gray trees.

"The voices."

Kael stopped dead. He turned to me, his golden eyes dark with concern. He pressed his hand to my cheek. "Look at me, Elara. It's the curse. The Ash is trying to get into your head. Focus on the bond. Focus on my heartbeat."

I closed my eyes and reached for the golden thread connecting us. The moment I touched it, Kael's warmth flooded my senses. The whispers didn't disappear, but they became muffled, like someone shouting from another room.

"I'm okay," I breathed. "It's an illusion."

But not everyone was as strong.

A sudden, vicious snarl shattered the silence. I spun around just in time to see one of our warriors—a young wolf named Jax—swing his sword at the warrior next to him. His eyes were completely black, frothing at the mouth like a rabid animal.

"Jax, stop!" Vera screamed, but he didn't hear her.

"Knock him out!" Kael roared.

Two warriors tackled Jax to the ash. He fought them with terrifying strength, screaming about shadows in the trees. They managed to pin him, but the damage was done. The panic was spreading. The other warriors were starting to look at each other with suspicion, their hands twitching toward their weapons.

"We need to keep moving," I said, my voice shaking. "The longer we stay in this ash, the more likely we all go mad."

Kael nodded, his jaw clenched. "Vera, bind Jax and carry him. We run."

We jogged through the dead forest for another hour. The whispers grew louder, trying to pry their way into my mind. But I kept my focus locked on the blood oath.

Finally, the gray trees broke, revealing a massive clearing.

In the center of the clearing stood the ruins of an ancient temple. It was made of black stone, its pillars cracked and crumbling. But deep inside the temple, a fire was burning.

Blood-red light flickered against the ruined walls.

"There," Kael growled, drawing his sword.

We crept toward the temple entrance. The air grew thick with the smell of sulfur and copper. As we stepped inside, my eyes adjusted to the crimson light.

Lord Marcus was chained to a massive stone altar in the center of the room. He looked frail, his face bruised and bloodied.

But standing over him was Jason.

He looked completely deranged. His clothes were torn, his hair wild, and his eyes were dark, shifting between human and wolf. In his hand, he held a jagged black dagger glowing with dark magic.

"Jason!" Kael roared, stepping forward. "Let him go!"

Jason laughed, a high, hysterical sound. "So predictable, Blackwood. You always fall for the bait."

He slammed the dagger into the altar.

A massive shockwave of dark energy exploded through the room. I screamed as an invisible force slammed into my chest. I felt the magic inside me—the golden light of the Moon Goddess—surge forward, only to be violently dragged toward the altar.

Jason was pulling my power out of me.

"Stop!" I gasped, falling to my knees.

"You think I came here to kill him?" Jason snarled, pointing at Marcus. "I brought you here for your blood, Elara. To take the power of the Moon Goddess for myself!"

Kael lunged at Jason, but another wave of dark magic threw him against the stone wall, pinning him there.

I was alone, on my knees, as my power poured into the black dagger.