Embers In The North
28

Lying in the cold embrace of the snow, Reyna’s breath came in ragged gasps as the ordeal took its toll on her. The wind, now unhindered, continued its relentless assault, whipping snowflakes around her.

Roth’s worried voice continued to echo in her mind, keeping her from slipping into unconsciousness. It was both soothing and annoying, a lifeline tethering her to reality.

Ator circled back, nudging Reyna with her snout. Summoning every ounce of strength, Reyna pulled herself onto Ator’s back. As Ator set off towards the other side of the mountain passage, Reyna glanced back, witnessing the tumultuous storm closing the breach behind them.

Odd, indeed. What purpose did it serve to seal the path after they had successfully made it through?

Seth, riding ahead with the Howler, turned to check on Reyna, brows furrowed with concern. He urged the Howler to a slower pace, allowing Ator to catch up.

“Are you alright?” Seth asked as soon as she reached his side.

Reyna managed a weak nod, hunched over on Ator. “Yes.”

But her response was far from the truth. Her core burned like a blazing furnace, every ounce of strength dedicated to suppressing it. The power she had channelled to clear their path had exacted a toll on her. But she never imagined she was capable of that; now she was curious about the limits of her abilities. It was clear to her now that passion, rage, and fear fuelled her power.

As Reyna busied herself with trying to quell her Embers, she sensed Seth’s gaze lingering on her. Though she’d deliberately turned her back on him to conceal the fiery gleam in her eyes, she could feel him watching her.

“I don’t believe that for a second. We need to stop to make sure you are okay,” Seth insisted.

“We should switch Howlers now. Ator will get us to the bottom of the mountain faster,” she groaned

Ator slowed to a stop, and Reyna took a deep breath, sensing the wind gaining strength once again. The gods were planning something else, and she could feel her energy draining quickly. Turning to face Seth, she noticed the shock in his eyes as their gazes met.

“Your eyes are engulfed in flames, how’s that alright?” he demanded, his worry deepening.

“Hook the runner to Ator and join them inside. Something’s coming,” she said quietly. “No time to argue.”

With a growl, Seth dismounted his Howler, and it vanished into the shadows as he approached her.

“Fine, but once we’re off the mountain, I’m coming to get you, whether you like it or not,” he said.

Reyna could only manage a grunt, acknowledging his words. She closed her eyes again, focusing on the sounds around her. Seth’s hands worked quickly, moving Ator into position and hooking the runner to her. Once the runner was hitched, Seth returned to Reyna’s side, and the worry on his face did not escape her notice. His fingers, gentle as they ran through her hair, briefly relieved her, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Be careful not to overdo it, or I’ll come get you. I don’t care if I have to walk through your Embers.” Seth threatened before heading to the runner to join the others.

As the door closed behind him, sealing them inside, Ator growled and Reyna’s grip on the reins tightened instinctively. Ator bolted forward, swift and thunderous. The descent from the mountain was faster than she thought it would be. Reyna squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the violent wind whip past. The sound of the strain on the runner’s chains reached her ears and Ator, attuned to the danger, brought them to a sudden halt.

“We’re here,” Reyna said, her voice carrying both relief and exhaustion.

She dismounted Ator, wiping sweat from her forehead. Her legs buckled, and she sank into the snow.

They had reached the base of Giehl Mountain, and the Frostcall border was now in plain view. Reyna tugged at the collar of her suit, battling the stifling heat within. Sweat trickled down her face, and her chest heaved with exertion as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Reyna!” Roth’s voice cut through the wind as he rushed toward her. Kneeling beside her, he asked, “Are you hurt?” He cupped her face, eyes searching hers.

“We need to move!” Decker’s urgent shout added to the chaos, reaching her ears as she fought to keep her eyes open. “There’s another one rolling down the mountain. We must get out of its path!”

She didn’t need to look to know that another avalanche was rolling down towards them. As the wind carried it towards them, it shook the ground beneath them, and the sound of crashing rocks and tumbling snow grew louder.

“We must go now,” she slurred with effort. Roth, without hesitation, lifted her with him, his strength a welcomed reprieve.

“Place her back on Ator,” Seth barked, approaching them, and she felt Ator nuzzling against her as Roth lifted her up on the saddle. As soon as they set her on, Seth, taking charge, instructed Ator, “Get her out of here.”

“Mount up, everyone! Head for the border! We must outrun the storm!” Roth’s rallying command pierced through the fury of the approaching storm.

Ator moved with a deliberate pace, a choice made to stay with the group rather than outpace them. Just like her, Ator had grown fond of the lot, and she understood the risk of leaving them behind; their Shadowbeasts wouldn’t be fast enough to escape the approaching storm. Gathering her strength, Reyna forced herself to sit upright.

“Lead me into the storm, Ator,” she whispered.

While the rest hurried toward the border, Ator veered toward the approaching avalanche. Reyna jumped from Ator’s back and landed in front of it. Her eyes blazed with Ember, engulfing her entire body in flames.

“You pathetic gods! Have you no shame?” Reyna bellowed, and the Ember surged from her mouth like a vortex, hurtling toward the avalanche.

The fiery vortex clashed with the advancing storm. Her Ember lashed out, consuming the cold and ice in its path. Sparks of fire danced in the air as the two opposing forces collided.

Her vortex, fuelled by fury, pushed against the onslaught of snow and wind with fierce defiance.

Ator sat patiently behind her, not offering Reyna any help, almost as if she was certain she could handle this challenge alone. With the last of her willpower, Reyna unleashed a final roar that reverberated across Giehl, laying waste to everything in its path. The Ember burned so hot that it melted away the snow and ice, creating a large patch of scorched earth in its wake.

Spitting up blood, Reyna wiped her mouth with a hiss. “You shame yourselves, you pitiful gods!” she spat, her voice trembling with rage, before leaning back against Ator.

Gripping the reins, Reyna mounted and relaxed completely against Ator, and they began their descent down the mountain. The fire in her core was now quiet, and despite the soreness and fatigue consuming her body, she felt significantly better. Inhaling deeply, she relaxed, both mind and body, as Ator carried her downhill.

The landscape transformed as they descended further—a contrast of the untouched snow and the scorched path left in the wake of Reyna’s Ember. Ator’s steps were slow, and the wind was gentler now. As they reached the base of Giehl, the tension that had gripped Reyna’s muscles started to loosen and the scalding heat within her core gradually cooled, leaving behind a lingering warmth.

The Frostcall border came into view, and she felt the slight drop in the temperature the closer they went towards the others. They watched, waiting on their Shadowbeasts as she returned to them.

Seth approached her, his eyes gleaming with admiration. “That was… incredible.”

A small smile tugged at Reyna’s lips. “We do what we must.”

“Are you all right?” Decker asked.

Reyna nodded, a weary smile playing on her lips as she wiped her mouth again to make sure they didn’t see the blood. “I’m still standing.”

Decker regarded her silently. When he finally nodded, Reyna braced herself for the impending disapproval she sensed in his gaze.

“To call the gods out like that would cast you out as a rogue,” he cautioned. “You called them pitiful.”

Reyna’s scowl deepened, her eyes flashing with irritation. How dare he insinuate that challenging the gods was a transgression? It grated her, and she hated how he always made her out to be reckless.

“That is because they are,” she said through clenched teeth, her voice conveying her irritation.

“They attempted to kill us,” Roth answered, going over to her side to face Decker. “If it wasn’t for her, we’d probably be dead. I would like to see who would dare to cast her out, even the gods themselves.”

“Relax, would you? I merely said what the norm dictated. I have no interest in upholding the edicts of the gods and their puny ways,” Decker said, steering his Scourger around. “We should continue before they send any more surprises our way.”

“I believe Reyna just raised a battle cry against the gods with us in her corner. Banner’s up, claws are sharp, and if we make it to the conclave in one piece, then the gods are truly useless,” he mused. “I suppose I now, too, am a rogue?”

“Hasn’t it always been so?” Roth asked. “You are the Alpha of the unbelievers, the Berserkers.”

“I prefer to call them the aware,” he said casually, with a nonchalant shrug. “Besides, it was the gods who failed me generations ago. I am no rogue, just a displeased wolf with a vengeance. I gather they fear the wrath I intend to wreak, hence this insistence to deter us from reaching where they prophesied we would aeons ago. It is mind-bogglingly hilarious if you think about it.”

A twinge of pain shot through Reyna’s head, a silent reminder of the strain she’d put her body through. She stifled a wince, not wanting to display weakness. Ator, sensing her unease, cast a concerned glance back at her. Leaning forward, she stroked Ator’s mane to reassure her.

Listening to the Alphas express their disdain for the gods compelled Reyna to confront her own beliefs. She had hesitated to embrace their rebellion, but the undeniable truth was that she had become their ally in this.

Roth looked over at her. “Are you alright?”

Swallowing against the throbbing headache, she forced a response. “Yes,” she whispered, a word that felt heavier than the pain itself.

Seth, who was two steps ahead of her on her left, shot a sharp glare her way. “She’s not, but she’s too stubborn to admit it. Once we reach the conclave, we will make sure you are, in fact, okay.”

Reyna’s response was a snarl. His wink only served to irritate her, and she rolled her eyes, shifting her attention elsewhere.

Turning her gaze to Roth, who rode on her right side, she noticed a curious smile playing on his lips. His eyes shifted between her and Seth, and the intensity of his expression made her wonder about what he was thinking.

Their Shadowbeasts carried them toward the border crossing in silence. Their approach to the border was measured. The landscape descended sharply, and this particular Frostcall crossing lacked Fleet protection. It was the second most dangerous route, with the first being through the mountain of ice.

“No Man’s Land,” Gareth announced as they all came to a standstill.

Reyna’s gaze stretched as far as her eyes could see. The conclave seemed almost within reach, yet an eerie, mysterious fog surrounded it.

What intrigued her the most, however, was the desert sand surrounding No Man’s Land. Compared to the familiar snow of her homeland and the vibrant Greenpeak, this was quite a contrast. It looked so dry, and the arid conditions made it appear barren, nothing worth noticing.

It reminded her of the Suncrest Territory, and how she had avoided it because of its relentless sunlight and scorching heat. For Reyna, the dry, expansive sand before her was a foreign sight, and she desperately wanted to feel the red gritty sand between her toes.

The woozy headache throbbed again, and Reyna couldn’t suppress the loud wince that slipped her lips. As she expected, the concerned glances of her companions turned in her direction. Before the inevitable stream of ’are you alrights’ could begin, she spurred Ator forward, crossing the borderline. A gust of wind buffeted her with a strange chill that crept up her spine, and even Ator sensed the eerie foreboding settling over the land as she came to a stop.

“You’re hurt, aren’t you?” Decker approached her with furrowed brows.

Reyna shook off the unsettling feeling, trying to refocus on the present. But, she barely regained her composure before Seth effortlessly lifted her off Ator.

“What are you doing?” she protested, slapping his hands away as he held her against Ator, cupping her face to examine her.

“What’s wrong? Don’t say nothing,” Seth growled.

“We may have bigger problems on our hands,” Roth interjected as he trotted up to them. “The Elders just stepped out of the conclave.”

Reyna’s headache temporarily took a backseat as the collective focus shifted to the four figures cloaked in black looming in the distance.

“That is odd. Why would you leave the conclave when we’re barely minutes away?” Decker’s voice carried a quiet concern, and his brows creased in a frown as he dismounted his Scourger.

“Something’s wrong,” she heard Roth murmur.

Questions churned in Reyna’s mind. Why did they leave the conclave prematurely? And why four? The thought filled her with dread. Why four Elders in a kingdom with only three territories? Did that mean two of them were from the same territory? She didn’t know if they were wolves, to begin with. Stepping forward, she squinted at the figures, trying to peer beneath the heavy hoods that obscured their faces.

“It looks to me like they don’t want us here,” Seth exhaled, folding his arms over his chest.

“Not true, they asked us to escort the Luna here,” Gareth said.

Reyna locked eyes with Gareth, a flicker of realization washing over her. Right, the request was for her, not the Alphas. The Elders, bound by the knowledge of the prophecy, had unknowingly caused this. They may not have anticipated that she would arrive here, flanked by all three Alphas, manifesting the omen they were desperately trying to prevent.

It was no longer just about getting her here; it was about protecting the kingdom from the doom they were collectively destined to bring. As she faced the Elders, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they had chosen their side in this fray, and she understood its implications.

“This is bad,” Reyna said, hanging her hands on her hips. “I think this is the fray that will either destroy or save Aupheadia.”

“Are you saying we’re in a face-off with the Elders?” Quinn walked to her with wide eyes. “But they’re neutral, hence the conclave of neutrality.”

“It’s why they left the conclave to meet us here,” Roth explained as he jumped off his Reaper, and Gareth mirrored the action, as they now lined up beside each other. “They will do everything in their power to stop us.”

“I don’t like this,” Decker grumbled.

“We need to buy time for Reyna to get into the conclave. She knows what to do,” Roth said, slanting her a look.

Reyna nodded to Roth and swallowed. Mimir’s well. The reminder flashed in her mind, a crucial piece of Roth’s plan. But to reach it, she had to get past the Elders. She almost laughed at the irony of the situation. The conclave of neutrality, designed to maintain the balance, was now an arena with the Elders opposing their entry, casting them as rogues in their own kingdom.

“We need to close the gap without our Shadowbeasts,” Seth said.

Reyna cast a sidelong glance at him, catching that sinister glint flashing in his eyes. It was clear – Seth intended to hunt the Elders, perhaps even kill them. As the group began their shift, Reyna took a step back, observing the formidable creatures around her – Grey, Brown, and her eyes lingered on Decker’s pure black fur. These were powerful, imposing wolves, and the urge to join them in shifting almost felt unnecessary.

Then, a sound, like the breaking of the world, shattered the silence, and her attention snapped upward. Searching for the source, her eyes locked onto a streak of light across the sky, resembling a shooting star. It split into two, forming a double circle that slowly faded away, and Reyna’s breath caught in her throat as realization dawned on her.

It was just like her nightmare.

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