ASRAN SERIES- ACROSS THE BORDER

Chapter - 41

“Sussan, wake up! Let us go search for Ashes Lord. Who knows, if he is really very close to us then we can resolve the issue with this stupid war and even go back home. No one can act against us if the Ashes Lord decides to take our side,” Brenda pulled Sussan’s hand and tried to wake her up.

“Let her be! Why are you very enthusiastic so early in the morning? Just let her rest for some more time. She must be tired from all the things happening around her,” Cathy said with a huff. 

Brenda decided to ignore her mother, Cathy’s words, who she could never satisfy with anything she did or talked about. So, she continued to shake Sussan while leaning near her ears.

“Sussan! Sussan! Sussan! Wake up,” Brenda screamed in Sussan’s ears and finally made her roll in the bed.

“Brenda!” Sussan rubbed her aching head and sat on the bed.

“What time is it? Did I sleep for long?” She asked Brenda while trying to open her eyes.

“More than an hour left before the rise of the Asran star. Now, get up… We need to leave before this place lit up with the light from Asran,” Brenda said and pulled Sussan’s hands.

“Alright! Alright! I am getting up…” Sussan mumbled and then looked next to her.

As she could not find David sleeping next to her, she looked at Brenda and asked her, “Where is David?”

“Oh! He and Sommer went hunting a few hours back. One of the kids noticed a ferocious desert animal lurking near the campgrounds. So, they went to scan the area to make sure that it was not as ferocious as the kid mentioned,” Cathy informed her.

“Ok,” Sussan then crawled out of the tent and stretched her muscles. 

The desert was very cold at night but right now, she felt a little warm and it made her wonder if it was because of the Ashes Lord’s presence near them.

‘Are we correct to guess that Ashes Lord is very close to us? Or else why would a chilly desert turn into such a warm place?’ She wondered.

At that moment, Brenda came behind her and said, “Let us search for the Ashes Lord, every one. But please do not go so far from her and make sure to stay in at least a group of three. If you find anything unusual, do not forget to hide away immediately or escape from there. We will meet in an hour over that spot and then will think about what to do next as per the result of our search.”

Brenda gave instructions to the people in front of her and shocked Sussan.

“Didn’t we discuss keeping it a secret for now from others until we meet the Ashes lord?” Sussan whispered near Brenda’s ears.

“I know but right now if we want to see fast results then we need to take some steps to make sure that it happens. Also, do not worry, all these people are trustworthy and would never break their promises.” Brenda patted her shoulders and informed her.

Sussan glanced at her once and then decided that it’s better to not go alone in case any incident happens which they could not prevent. ‘Better be prepared than be sorry,’ She thought and nodded her head to approve for those people to follow them.

“You can come but you have to promise me that once you find the Ashes Lord, no one will approach him,” Sussan told them.

Once everyone gave their assent, they all started to walk out of the campsite in groups. They decided to cover all the sides, just in case they made a wrong calculation.

……..

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, they made preparations to leave the evil witch's place. As Peter had fainted, Robert rushed near him to hold him. 

But Nina lifted her hand in the air and with her, few of the last remaining power pushed Robert away with magic without touching him. Robert almost flew outside the broken wall and hit the ground. 

The air was heavy outside and he noticed several uniformed men trying to keep the protection shield open near that building. At that time, he understood what his father was trying to tell him earlier.

‘If we do not act fast, we all will die here and my father would lose all his trusted men in this damn place,’ He thought and jumped up.

Then he rushed inside the broken wall and once again went near Peter to bring him outside.

“No! You cannot touch us… You will also get poisoned just like us,” She mumbled in a weak voice.

“But we have to leave now… and soon, if we don’t want to get caught by the evil witch,” Robert told her.

Nina then searched her pockets and took out a yellow potion from inside it. She then with great difficulty opened the bottle by biting it with her teeth. She slowly brought it near Peter’s mouth and made him sip the content. 

She then looked at James and informed him, “I gave him a potion which would freeze his body for a few hours. It also will slowly stop the spread of the poison in his body. But right now, you do not have enough time to save him as the old witch has already realized that there are intruders in her territory. So you all need to hurry if you want to save your lives.”

After saying that she closed her eyes to gather some more strength. She then said in an almost inaudible voice, “You have a traitor in your pack. If you don’t find out about that person soon, then you all will be doomed...”

Before she could even finish her sentence properly, Nina spitted out blood and coughed vigorously. The blood fell on the ground and turned black immediately when it was exposed to the air.

She made Peter lay on the ground next to her and then she took out Asran’s water. She then sprayed on it to make the black marks disappear from the ground.

“Hurry, if you all do not leave now, then everyone will get infected. Quick! Go away”, Nina shouted while pushing Peter near Robert.

James immediately signaled two of his men to enter the cage as Linda did not show up yet as they had discussed. He walked near Nina and kneeled in front of her. He kept his folded hand on top of his chest and said, 

“We would always be grateful to the Asran star. Thank you for your kindness, Princess Nina. If there is anything I could do in return, please tell me. I will fulfill your order even if it cost me, my life,” He bowed his head and waited for her to order her wishes.

Nina lifted her head slowly and glanced at Peter. She then pointed at him and said to James, “I do have one wish. Please take care of Peter and help him achieve his goals. The only way to stop this way is in his hands.”

James looked at Peter with a complicated expression as he could not understand Nina’s words at that time. But he did not ask any more questions and only said, 

“Your wish is my command. I will make sure that Peter gets enough help and …”

With a little hesitation, he asked her, “Is there anything else you want from me? Princess Nina, I can arrange for your travel to the Asran star…”

“No! My life on this planet is over. I will travel again to Asran by myself. Please get away from here when you can,” Nina said in a low voice and slid on the ground as her body grew weak.

Once his subordinates entered the broken wall, James ordered them to place Peter on the leaves left in one corner which was used for Robert and Nameless unification. They followed his order and left with Peter while Robert went along with them.

Meanwhile, Elly kept on crying while squatting on the floor. She then said to Nina, “I won’t leave you behind. You too have to come with us, we will find a cure for the poison. Please, princess Nina! I beg you!”

Elly almost ran towards Nina but James held her back and stopped her. She struggled to get out of his grasp while wailing even louder.