Chapter 4: The Truth Has Teeth
1681 Words
The night felt colder outside the city.
Not because of the wind.
Because of what Asha had left behind.
She kept looking back, even though she knew it was pointless. Elaris was just a glow in the distance now, lanterns fading under the smoke that still rose like a warning.
Her chest hurt.
Every step away felt like betrayal.
Kael didn’t slow down.
Of course he didn’t.
He moved like someone who had already mourned everything he ever lost.
Asha hated him for that.
Or maybe she hated that she couldn’t do the same.
“You said they’ll burn everything,” she whispered.
Kael’s voice was calm.
“They will.”
Asha’s throat tightened.
“My mother is not a thing. My home is not a message.”
Kael glanced at her.
“They do not care.”
The bluntness made her eyes sting again.
She swallowed hard.
“You talk about them like they’re monsters.”
Kael’s gaze stayed forward.
“They are men.”
That was somehow worse.
They walked in silence for a while, the grass damp beneath their boots, the sky wide and uncaring above them.
Asha’s arms wrapped around herself.
Her wrist pulsed faintly under her sleeve, warm like a secret she couldn’t rip out.
She finally spoke again.
“So what now? You just drag me into the mountains and tell me I’m some… bloodline?”
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
Then he said,
“I am not dragging you.”
Asha let out a sharp laugh.
“Oh really? Because it feels like I don’t have a choice.”
Kael stopped.
Asha stopped too, almost stumbling.
He turned to face her fully.
His eyes were darker out here, away from lantern light.
“You always have a choice.”
Asha’s voice cracked.
“Do I? Because if I go back, I die. If I stay, I lose everything.”
Kael’s expression tightened.
“Yes.”
Asha stared at him.
“That’s not a choice. That’s punishment.”
For a moment, something flickered in Kael’s face.
Regret.
Or anger.
Or both.
Then he said quietly,
“This world is not gentle with people like you.”
Asha’s laugh was bitter.
“People like me? A girl who buys bread?”
Kael stepped closer.
“No.”
His voice lowered.
“A girl who carries power in her blood and doesn’t even know how to hold it.”
Asha froze.
His words made her skin prickle.
Power.
She didn’t want power.
She wanted normal.
She wanted her mother’s voice.
She wanted her life back.
But she could still smell smoke.
Kael looked away first, like holding her gaze too long was dangerous.
“We keep moving.”
They walked again.
The land began to rise, hills turning into rough paths, trees thickening around them. The moonlight filtered through branches, silver and cold.
Asha’s legs ached.
Her mind ached more.
After an hour, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“What is the Church?”
Kael’s voice was immediate.
“Do not speak their name too loudly.”
Asha scoffed.
“We’re alone.”
Kael glanced around.
“We are never alone.”
That made her stomach twist.
Kael finally answered.
“The Church of Radiance rules the kingdoms. They decide what is holy. What is cursed. What is allowed to exist.”
Asha’s voice went quiet.
“And I’m not allowed.”
Kael didn’t deny it.
“No.”
Asha swallowed.
“What did my bloodline do?”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“They were feared.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Kael’s eyes sharpened.
“They were powerful. They could bend life itself. Blood, bone, spirit. They were not meant to kneel.”
Asha stared.
“That sounds like a story.”
Kael’s voice was flat.
“It is history.”
Asha’s skin crawled.
“And they’re all dead?”
Kael’s gaze turned distant.
“They were hunted until none remained.”
Asha’s breath caught.
“Then how am I here?”
Kael looked at her wrist.
“Because someone hid you.”
Asha’s stomach twisted.
Her mother.
Her father.
Were they even her parents?
The thought made her feel sick.
Kael kept walking.
“You need rest soon.”
Asha’s voice snapped.
“I don’t want rest. I want answers.”
Kael’s tone hardened.
“And I want you alive. Those are not the same thing.”
Asha glared at him.
“You act like you care.”
Kael stopped again.
His voice was low.
“I do care.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Asha blinked.
Kael’s expression shifted, like he regretted saying it.
He turned away.
“We camp here.”
They reached a small clearing hidden by trees. Kael moved with quick efficiency, gathering wood, striking a small flame.
Asha watched him.
The firelight softened his face, made him look younger somehow.
Less like a weapon.
More like a man.
She hated that her chest felt tight again.
She sat on a fallen log, pulling her knees up.
Kael handed her a waterskin.
She took it reluctantly.
Their fingers brushed.
Heat sparked again, sharp and sudden.
Asha sucked in a breath.
Kael’s hand stilled.
For a second, neither of them moved.
The air felt heavy.
Asha whispered,
“That keeps happening.”
Kael’s voice was rough.
“Do not touch me.”
Asha blinked, offended.
“Excuse me?”
Kael’s jaw clenched.
“It is not safe.”
“For who?” she demanded.
Kael’s eyes flashed.
“For you.”
Asha stared at him, breathing hard.
“You keep saying things like that. Like I’m fragile.”
Kael’s voice dropped.
“You are not fragile.”
His gaze flicked over her face, too intense.
“You are dangerous.”
Asha’s throat went dry.
“I don’t want to be.”
Kael’s voice softened, barely.
“Neither did I.”
Silence fell between them.
The fire crackled.
Asha looked down at her wrist.
The mark glowed faintly, responding to her emotions like it was listening.
She whispered,
“What is it?”
Kael sat across from her, keeping distance.
“A seal.”
“A seal on what?”
Kael’s eyes lifted.
“On what you are.”
Asha’s breath caught.
“And if it breaks?”
Kael’s voice was quiet.
“Then the world will notice you.”
Asha laughed shakily.
“It already has.”
Kael didn’t smile.
“This is only the beginning.”
Asha hugged herself tighter.
“Kael… why are you really doing this?”
Kael’s gaze held hers.
For a long moment, he didn’t answer.
Then he said,
“Because I knew someone like you once.”
Asha’s chest tightened.
“What happened to her?”
Kael’s eyes darkened.
“She didn’t survive.”
The words landed like a stone.
Asha swallowed hard.
“I’m sorry.”
Kael’s voice was cold.
“Sorry does not change graves.”
Asha flinched.
Then, softer, she said,
“I don’t want to die.”
Kael’s gaze returned to her, sharp.
“Then listen to me.”
Asha nodded slowly.
Kael leaned forward slightly.
“The Church will send more than hunters. They will send Bound Priests.”
Asha frowned.
“What’s that?”
Kael’s voice lowered.
“Men who wear magic like armour. They do not bleed easily.”
Asha’s stomach twisted.
“And you can fight them?”
Kael’s smile was humourless.
“I can try.”
Asha stared.
“Try?”
Kael’s eyes met hers.
“That is why you must learn. Because I cannot be your shield forever.”
The words made something twist inside her.
Asha whispered,
“I didn’t ask you to be.”
Kael’s voice was quieter.
“I know.”
Silence again.
Then…
A distant sound.
Asha stiffened.
Kael’s head snapped up instantly.
Footsteps.
Not close.
But real.
Kael rose smoothly.
“Stay behind me.”
Asha’s heart slammed.
“What is it?”
Kael’s voice was deadly calm.
“They found the trail.”
Asha’s wrist flared hot.
The mark brightened like a warning.
Kael’s eyes flicked to it.
His jaw clenched.
“Do not panic.”
Asha whispered,
“How am I not supposed to panic?”
Kael turned slightly, his voice low.
“Because if the seal breaks tonight…”
His gaze locked onto hers.
“…I will not be able to stop what wakes up inside you.”
Asha’s breath caught.
The footsteps grew louder.
The forest held its breath.
And in the dark beyond the trees, something whispered her name.
“Asha…”
- Writer
