CHAPTER 43: THE ASHANTIS [2]

Varek coughed and winced as he pressed the bleeding cut along his ribs with his hands, but despite the pain, he grinned.

"Hah... look who it is," he said, tilting his head toward the man approaching.

Devic raised an eyebrow. "Careful," he said, stepping closer. "If you try to stand up alone, you’ll tear half those wounds more open."

But Varek was stubborn. He pushed himself to his feet anyway. "Easy? I don’t know the meaning of that word."

Devic smirked. "Still the same, I see. How are you holding up, old friend?"

Varek let out a short laugh which ended in a cough. "Almost dead... if you hadn’t shown up when you did."

"Impossible," Devic said. "They were only warming you up." Then his smile faded slightly. "But tell me, Varek, what are the Ashanti doing here?"

Varek’s own expression changed. "I should be asking you that you appeared just moments after they did... or was that just a coincidence?"

Before either of the men could speak further, Nyella cut in. She had been standing nearby, watching the two men size each other up.

"It was a coincidence," she said firmly. "I told Ser Devic about you, Varek, he’s wanted to meet you for some time. We only came here to find you... and instead, we walk straight into a fight with three strangers in red cloaks."

Her eyes shifted between them. "You called them the Ashanti. Who are they?"

"You don’t know who they are?" Devic said, looking at her with a faint frown. "Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of them."

Nyella shook her head. "Of course not."

Devic exhaled slowly and said. "The Ashanti are not just some swordsmen who wander around. They are a collective, an old one. They hunt the gifted... people with abilities beyond the ordinary. They claim it’s for the good of the world, to train them, guide them, make sure they use their powers for the benefit of mankind."

Nyella crossed her arms. "That doesn’t sound entirely bad."

"That’s the story," Devic said, cutting her off. "But I believe otherwise because the truth is different. Once they take you, you vanish. No one hears from you again. It’s just as if you’re simply... erased. Evil people, I term them."

Everyone became quiet.

Varek finally spoke. "But the Ashanti haven’t been seen in years. They have been long forgotten. People didn’t even think they existed again."

Devic nodded grimly. "Exactly. And now, suddenly... here they are again. Why? Why are they coming now?"

"Maybe," Nyella said slowly, "it’s because they’ve seen a new power rise. Something they can’t ignore." She drifted her gaze toward Aeron.

But Aeron wasn’t looking at her. He was staring at the ground, lost in thought.

"Aeron?" she called gently.

No answer.

"Aeron," she said again, a little louder.

Still nothing.

Finally, she raised her voice. "Aeron!"

He blinked and looked up as if waking from a dream. "What? Oh, yes. I..." He paused, trying to catch his breath. "No. I’m not fine."

Nyella stepped closer. "What’s wrong?"

Aeron laughed once, but there was no humor in it. "What’s wrong? I don’t even know where to start. People I’ve never seen in my life, people I didn’t even know existed, are suddenly hunting me. First, it was strangers knocking on my door and talking to my mother. Then letters from the palace. Then visits. And now... this."

He pointed toward the smoke still settling. "These men, with those cloaks and those powers. Did you see what they could do? This means nobody around me is safe," Aeron said, in a trembling voice.

"Varek could have died today. If you guys hadn’t shown up, he would have. And next time?" His eyes swept over their faces. "Next time, what if you’re not there? What then?"

No one answered.

"They have skill with the sword," Aeron went on. "Not like anything I’ve ever seen. And... they have powers I can’t even understand. So no..." His hands clenched into fists. "No, I am not okay."

Everyone felt the weight of his words, then Nyella stepped forward and spoke softly. "You’ll still have us. All of us. No matter how rough the road gets, Aeron, we’ll be beside you. You’re not alone. You have a family who will always stand with you."

Aeron turned toward her slowly, his expression almost pained. "And you, all of you, will not be safe," he said. "Don’t you understand? The moment they came after me, they came after anyone near me. They won’t stop. Who knows what else will come? What other enemies are out there? What other things I don’t even know about yet?"

He shook his head. "I’ve never even heard of these Ashanti before today. And now? Now I’m supposed to believe they’ve been here all along, and I must fight them or they take me?"

Nyella opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she saw his face. He looked... scared. Truly scared.

"I’m really scared, Nyella," he said quietly. "I really am."

No one spoke for a moment and then Varek made a sound, a hiss through his clenched teeth, and staggered forward a step. Devic caught him just before he fell.

"Easy," Devic muttered, holding him steady. "You’ve lost more blood than I thought."

"We need to get him to the village. Now." Nyella said.

Then They started toward the path down the hill, supporting Varek between them. But halfway down, Varek’s grip tightened on Aeron’s arm. "You don’t need to worry about me," he said. "Don’t you have somewhere you need to be?"

Aeron blinked at him, confused, then it hit him. "Draco."

Without another word, he turned and ran to the cave.

It didn’t take long before he reached, then he lit a torch and went inside. He didn’t see Draco at his usual spot. "Where are you, boy?" Aeron called out.

He heard a low groan from deeper inside and moved further in. In the far corner, he saw Draco curled up, holding himself tight like he was afraid of something.

Aeron knelt beside him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

"Don’t worry, boy. You’re safe now."

Nyella’s voice came from behind. She had followed him. "Aeron? What happened to him?"

Aeron glanced back. "You didn’t see it?"

"See what?"

"He came for me," Aeron said. "He heard the fight, he came down from the sky. He attacked them. Threw fire at them." He swallowed hard. "And they... they repelled it. Sent it right back at him."

Nyella’s eyes widened. "What?"

"Yes," Aeron said. "That’s how bad it is... That is how strong they are."