Chapter Forty

Aerilyn

The Ash Mountains were a three-day hike away from Korth. Azazel had supplied them with backpacks full of essentials for the journey. Several other guards were joining them for the journey so that they had backup. Blaise opted to stay behind when Everett had asked him if he wanted to come with them. He had been quiet and stayed in his room since the ball. The loss of Brinley seemed to be weighing on him more than he had originally let on. Aerilyn had felt guilt for taking his lover away from him. She couldn’t imagine if the roles had been reversed and she’d lost Everett instead. The thought alone made her ache for Blaise and everything he had been through. None of them deserve the pain that they’d experienced. Their names had been drawn at random and they’d been selected for a death mission. They weren’t supposed to survive. There were three of them left which was more than they had originally expected, but it didn’t make the loss hurt any less.

Azazel had explained that the journey to the mountain would take a few days. It wasn’t as bad of a journey as they had previously experienced. With the large group of soldiers, it wasn’t as daunting. The exploration of more of the world was more exciting compared to the first time. The kingdom of Korth was surrounded by older structures. It was nothing like the emptiness that had been surrounding Orissia. The lack of life near her home, including plants, was confusing. The terrain they traveled was full of trees and seemed to be bursting with life. There seemed to be less darkness on this side of the continent. Though, she had no idea how far they truly were from Orissia. Sometimes she stared off into the horizon wondering if she’d catch a glimpse of the only place she’d ever known.

The group only paused at night, setting up tents to sleep in. The exhaustion of walking all day allowed her to sleep heavily each night. The constant watch of Azazel's guards was reassuring enough for her to rest peacefully. She didn't know why she trusted them, but it had something to do with the fact that the king of Korth was also with them. She knew that is guards wouldn't allow their king to be attacked.

On the second night, Aerilyn found herself rolling about the cot restlessly. She awoke, staring up at the roof of the burlap tent, unsure of how to get herself to sleep again. After several minutes passed, she slipped out of Everett's arms and joined the guards that sat around the fire they had started.

"Look who decided to join us." She knew the voice before she spotted him in the mix of men. She scoffed, rolling her eyes as she plopped down beside the warmth of the fire. "Why're you up?" He questioned, tilting his head as he studied her. "I couldn't sleep," she shrugged, giving him the shortest answer she could. He only nodded in understanding, but his gaze continued to burn her skin. He didn't look away from her as she stared into the fire, trying to avoid the eye contact.

"So, what's it like in Orissia?" One of the guards questioned, breaking the awkward silence. "It's not the best, but I learned to live with it. Many people are on the streets starving and public punishment has become a popular way to keep control over the citizens. The fields there are beautiful though. As a Floral I spent every day growing crops and watching the sunrise," she smiled at the memory of it. She missed the comfort of the place she called home. Even if she had to return to being staving and barely surviving, she wanted to go back.

"That sounds shitty. I'm sure you're glad to be in Korth," the guard returned, giving her a small smile. It was supposed to be reassuring, but to her it felt like anything but that.

"Is there any other kingdoms out there? They convinced us in Orissia that we were all that remained. I didn't expect to find anything beside ruin beyond our walls," Aerilyn questioned to change the topic. "There are a few that I know of. Many of the other kingdoms keep to themselves and try to avoid contact with Orissia. I haven't visited any of them in a long time though," Azazel was the one to answer her question. She pondered his words, considering what that might mean. There was more in the world than she could even comprehend.

"I want to explore all of it one day," she blurted out, not realizing what she was saying. She blamed it on her sleep-filled brain. "We can make that happen," Azazel's voice was barely above a whisper. She gave him a look of confusion and he glanced down into the fire to avoid the eye contact. The king of Korth continued to confuse her every time he opened his mouth.

The silence consumed the group of them once more. She was unsure what to say after hearing Azazel's words. She began to imagine what it would be like to travel across the continent. She still felt so clueless to the world around her. She wanted to understand it all. She wanted to see what was out there beyond Orissia, beyond the lies that she had been told. At that moment, she decided that she would do whatever she could to allow the citizens of Orissia to know the truth of what was beyond the walls. Even if it cost her life to do so.

When they finally arrived at the mountains, Aerilyn was at a loss for words. She’d never seen anything like it. Several mountains stretched before her, their peaks disappearing above the clouds. The books she’d read about the structures would never do justice to what she saw before her. It was gorgeous in every sense. She was at a loss for words.

“This way,” Azazel called out as he headed closer to one of the mountains. She felt small the closer they became. The mountains were taller than she had pictured, it made her feel like she was nothing in existence to the world around her. She stayed silent, walking near Everett as the group followed Azazel who led them. She could see an opening at the bottom of the mountain that led into complete darkness before them.

The cave stood like an open mouth ready to swallow them all whole. There were no signs of hounds or any other life form for that matter. Even then, the cave still called out danger in a way she couldn’t quite explain. It felt as if her very being was screaming at her to turn the other way and never look back. The guards began to head in first the moment the request rolled off of Azazel’s tongue. She was timid. Usually, Aerilyn felt brave and was able to put on a mask that showed no fear. But something about the place was too terrible for her to explain. She glanced at Everett who had been silently studying her, his eyes locking with hers. “Do you feel that too?” He murmured, keeping his voice low so that the others didn’t listen in on their conversation. “It feels like the universe is telling us to get the fuck out of here,” she kept her voice quiet, agreeing with Everett.

“You coming?” Azazel called out to them not too much further ahead. She debated telling him no, she debated walking in the complete opposite direction, but she knew that wasn’t an option here. She still refused to show any weakness around Azazel. If he knew she was weak, he’d take advantage of that like every other royal prick of a man would. “Right behind you, bastard,” she flashed him a smile that even included teeth. It was terribly forced, but she knew he would understand from the sarcasm laced in her tone. She grabbed onto Everett’s hand, squeezing it tightly before she walked at his side into the cave.

The moment they entered the dark space, the temperature dropped drastically. Her body had been warm from the beating sun but was now covered in goosebumps as a shiver ran down her spine. The guards ahead of them were busy lighting torches to bring some light into the darkness so that they knew their way. Her bones still hummed against the energy in the air, whispering for her to go back. She tried to ignore her body’s attempts to convince her that she was afraid and continued deeper into the darkness.

The air became heavier the deeper they ventured into the unknown space. Her eyes didn’t stop moving, trying to examine her surroundings. She didn’t like the feeling that ran down her spine, the chilling voices calling out to her. She hadn’t even felt that form of fear when facing a hound. Something wasn’t right and she knew it. Even some of the guards walked timidly, most of them having their hand on their hip right beside their swords. The silence of their surroundings was enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable. The only sound was their soft steps mixed with the heavy breaths that escaped them as fear traveled through the group.

Azazel moved to the front of the group, nudging a guard who held a torch to move quicker beside him. The rush in his pace was enough to tell Aerilyn that he also didn’t feel very comfortable in the space. His demeanor never showed much emotion, but something about his body language was different than usual. The sight of it made her debate turning back, but they’d already traveled deep into the cave. If she turned back, she would be walking out on her own. The others would easily laugh at her for being so weak.

Instead, she squeezed Everett’s hand before walking past him towards Azazel. Her pace quickened until she stood by his side. She clenched her fists at her sides, drawing whatever confidence she had left within her. “What the hell are we doing? There’s nothing here,” she looked sideways at the man who didn’t even look at her.

“It’s here. I can feel it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just know. Don’t question me,” he snapped, his tone becoming harsh with frustration. She wanted to trust him, but something in his voice seemed to lack the confidence from before. She let out a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes. This finally got his attention. He glanced at her, raising a brow in challenge. “You can always turn back and wait outside while the rest of us do something useful. Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be finding this sword?” The challenge in his tone made her debate shoving her dagger into his ribs.

“You’re such an ass,” she mumbled under her breath which only made him let out a soft laugh. The silence between all of them fell once more and she slowed her pace to get back to Everett. He didn’t say a word, only moving closer to her side. The entire situation was too eerie for her to process. She wanted to protest the entire thing but continued her walk deeper into the cave.

It wasn’t long before people began to slow their pace. It was obvious that exhaustion was beginning to weigh on all of them. That was her initial assumption before she saw Azazel’s hand lift, making them all stop. Her eyes tried to adjust to what was ahead, unsure of what she was looking at. There was a dark pit before them. A few more steps and they would’ve all fallen into it.

The entire group was frozen in place as they saw what lay ahead. There were hundreds of hounds below them. The massive pit was full of vile creatures. Many of them were sleeping, but several awoke at the sound of them. The heads of the creatures began to lift, their attention locked directly on them. Before any of them could breathe, the cave came to life along with each slumbering hound. All of the creatures heading straight for them.