The van rolled into a forest at about 8 p.m., when the forest had beco quiet, dark, and covered in mist by the ti they stopped for the night.
The moon hung high above the trees, casting a soft glow through the thick canopy of leaves and branches. Crickets chirped, and leaves rustled gently as the wind passed.
Nova sat by a tree, her knees pulled to her chest, and her bow resting beside her. Her breathing had evened out, and her wounds were gone, but her mind was still far from calm.
She stared into the fire Tay had built, her usually sharp eyes gray and sowhat distant.
Asher kept glancing over at her, concern building inside him.
She hadn't said a word since Zain had hit her. And while she was physically fine, he could feel sothing was off,sothing deeper than pain.
Zain sat cross-legged near the fire, poking at a sausage roasting on a stick. He looked relaxed, almost too relaxed, like the earlier fight ant nothing to him.
Every once in a while, his eyes would shift toward Nova, then back to the flas, unreadable.
Asher finally broke the silence. "Zain."
The lich looked up, his blue eyes glowing faintly. "Yes, Master?"
"Don't call that right now."
Zain blinked, then gave a small nod. "As you wish."
Asher stood up and walked closer, arms crossed. "Why did you do that to her?"
Zain looked toward Nova, then back to Asher. "She attacked . I reacted. I didn't use anything that would permanently damage her."
"She's terrified of you. You should say sothing, because Nova fears no one,not even Sinnett," Asher snapped, keeping his voice low. "She's shaken, Zain. You didn't have to go that far."
Zain bowed his head slightly. "I apologize. I misjudged the level of force required. It won't happen again."
Asher studied him, trying to find a trace of mockery or insincerity, but Zain looked genuinely apologetic.
"Fine," Asher said at last, turning away. "Just… be more careful next ti."
Zain nodded again. "Of course, Master."
Across the small camp, Sinnett dragged Cinder into a tent he had ford using leftover summoning magic.
The two disappeared behind the fabric, and the sounds that followed left no doubt what they were up to.
Tay groaned. "Seriously? That again?"
Zain chuckled softly, his mood already lightening. "They're persistent, I'll give them that."
Asher sat down beside the fire again, grabbing a stick and skewering a marshmallow on it. "Let's just focus on our own group."
"Nova?"
Nova finally stirred, sitting up straighter. Her voice was quiet but clear. "I'm fine."
Tay leaned over to hand her a ward marshmallow. "Yeah, you say that, but you haven't spoken for the past hour."
Nova took the marshmallow but didn't respond.
Asher looked at her. "He won't do it again."
She t his gaze for a mont, and though her expression was neutral, he saw a flicker of emotion in her eyes, maybe doubt.
Because she knew Zain more than anyone. He was her brother... half-brother anyway, and was the definition of soone who only obeys his master.
Nevertheless, if he wanted to, he could have easily killed her right here, although her phylactery would still be intact.
"I know," she said lowly, then took a bite.
Zain turned to Asher after a mont of silence. "Master, your body isn't as flexible as it should be."
Asher raised an eyebrow. "Excuse ?"
Zain motioned toward him. "You've gained strength quickly, but your movents are still rigid. You rely too much on power. If you fought soone faster, soone with finesse, they could exploit that."
Tay laughed. "Are you saying Asher needs yoga?"
"Stretching," Zain replied without humor. "Agility. Flow."
He stood and gestured toward a nearby clearing between trees. "Co. Let's test your range of movent."
Asher sighed but got up, brushing his pants off. "Fine. Might as well do so exercise. Yay."
Nova watched them silently, still hugging her knees, but her interest seed to return as Zain walked Asher to a shaded patch of grass and had him go through slow motions, lunges, arm rotations, even low stances like a martial artist preparing for a fight.
"You're holding tension in your shoulders," Zain comnted. "Relax your arms when you strike. You're not wielding a hamr."
Asher frowned, adjusting his form.
Tay strolled over with another sausage. "This is getting weirdly educational."
Zain ignored the comnt and turned to one of the trees. "Try using that one. Jump to that branch there, then push off and land over here."
Asher looked at the height. "You serious?"
"You have the strength. Show the control."
Asher grumbled but took a few steps back, then ran forward and jumped. He grabbed the branch, swung up, then pushed off to land back on the ground, stumbling a little.
"Too much force," Zain said. "Try again. This ti, focus your energy in short bursts. You're not smashing... you're gliding like a dragon."
They repeated the drill several tis, Asher improving slowly with each pass. Nova finally stood up, brushing herself off. She approached the edge of the clearing and crossed her arms.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she asked Zain.
Zain glanced at her. "Teaching? Yes. I've trained many before. But only a few were worth the effort."
Nova didn't reply, but she stepped closer to the tree and leapt up, reaching the branch with ease, and landing with barely a sound.
Asher gave a small smile. "Show-off."
Nova arched a brow. "You're just slow."
Zain chuckled again, but his tone changed after a mont. "Master, I've been aning to ask… have you tapped into the elental side of your abilities?"
Asher paused. "Elental? You an fire or ice?"
"Yes," Zain replied.
"Necromancy isn't just bones and death. It ties into elental power as well—mostly shadow and dark fla. You've already shown so when you fought Cinder. But you've barely scratched the surface."
Tay looked interested now. "Wait, we have elents too?"
Zain nodded. "Everyone has potential for it. Most just never access it. But for soone like Asher... it's essential."
Nova stepped forward. "He did use black fire. When he was poisoned, it reacted."
Zain's eyes glead. "Exactly. That was your soul's reaction to danger. But you can learn to control it. Shape it. Even enhance it."
He stepped over to Asher again. "Focus. Close your eyes."
Asher did as told.
"Think about the fire you summoned before. Not the chaos of it, think of its shape. The way it danced. The heat. Draw from that mory."
Asher breathed slowly, steadying himself. He rembered the feeling, the way the fire had erupted from within when Cinder's poison had nearly ended him. He rembered the fear, but also the power.
A faint glow appeared in his hand. Flickering black flas licked around his fingers, but they didn't burn. They felt… warm.
Tay gasped. "Whoa, that's cool."
Zain smiled. "There it is."
The flas pulsed, then faded as Asher opened his eyes.
"That's just the start," Zain said. "You'll need to train it. Learn to mold it like a blade."
Nova nodded. "He'll need it. Whatever's coming… it won't just be monsters."
Asher exhaled, sweat dotting his brow. "Every ti you both talk about this... sothing that is coming... you think I don't know?"
Zain placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're growing fast. But pace yourself, Master. Even I took years to reach where I am."
Asher turned to him. "And how long have you been a lich?"
Zain's expression darkened slightly, but he didn't hesitate. "Too long. Long enough to forget what being alive feels like."
Nova stared at him. "Why did you beco one?"
Zain glanced at her. "Sa reason you did. To survive. To keep going even when the world wanted gone."
"Or maybe I just signed the contract with the guy who handed you your phylactery when you almost died." He shrugged.
Reviews
All reviews (0)