Chapter 145
*Deckard
The road to Red Valley does not welcome travellers. It stretches on, dry and cracked, with untreatable whispers… By the time we pass the last village before Red Valley. I know for certain–we are no longer in a place ruled by mare men
We travel in a truck that is not ours. Leonard took it from a man who should have held his keys tighter. Martha had warned against anything too loud, but the road does not offer quiet choices. The truck groans under us, and the dust it kicks up does not settle.
The four of us proceed and passed through many villages
The journey y takes us through lands that do not call to travelers.
When we got to Ocean Valley, the mad stopped. Our only way forward is to go through Water. We leave the truck behind pay for a speedboat. The boatman does not ask where we are going because that part of the ocean only leads one way.
The sea is kind, or at least indifferent. My skin, always burning, finds a brief peace in the salt air. But the land does not forget. The moment we step hack onto solid ground, the fire returns, digging deeper, as if to punish me for daring to find relief.
Now we have reached Gold County. The road here allows nenher wheels nor mercy. We must go on foot or take a horse, though neither choice will change where we are going Red Valley does not care how we arrive–only that we do.
Leonard went ahead on foot to speak with the townspeople. Gold County does not deal in silver or favors–only in gold, and only in what can be held in hand. When be returned, it was with a chariot and a rider, a man whose name we did not ask. The price had been Leonard’s gold chain, and that was enough. Here, words mean little. Metal speaks louder.
We rode through the night. The whispers came, as they always do, curling in from the edges of the dark. That part does not unsettle me–I have known whispers for as long as I can remember. What I do not know is the thing that presses in now, thick and unseen. It is not the night. It is not the wind It is something else entirely, and the farther we go, the stranger it becomes.
I do not know if I am dreaming I do not know if I am awake. I sit inside the chariot, but my body tells me otherwise. I feel the earth beneath my feet, the brush of leaves against my skin. The trees loom close, though I know there are none on this path
Then I see them–six small Egures standing in the shadows, Dwarfs. Their faces are solemn, their heads shaking as if in mourning.
“Why are they crying?” I ask
Martha turns to me, her brow creased. “Who?”
“The dwarfs.” I say, my voice steady, though my hands are not
She watches me carefully. “We are inside a chariot,” she says. “‘s only us here
So I keep quiet. I close my eyes. I know now that I am hallucinating-
The chariot moves forward, wheels groaning against the road. The night thickens, pressing in from all sides. It is as though the very air has turned to tar, dragging against my skin. The whispers rise, not from one place but from everywhere at once, threading through the darkness like unseen hands reaching
I glance to my left. Then my right. And in that shifting, suffocating night, I see him–a small boy at the edge of the woods, crying for his mother. His voice is thin, lost in the wind, but I hear it as if he is right beside me. And all Lean think of is the child I lov
“Don’t leave him.“1 plead “Please, get him off the side of the road. We can find his mother” I move to climb out of the chariot
“You can’t come out. Alpha–Martha’s voice is sharp, urgent. She grips my arm, and Galus is beside her, holding me back.
“How can you be so heartless!” I struggle against them. “That is a child. A child, alone in the woods at night, calling for his mother, And you want to abandon him?” My voice is breaking. I do not know if it is from sorrow or rage. Perhaps both.
“Don’t leave him! Please, get him off the side of the road–se can find his mother?” I lunge forward, trying to climb out of the chariot
You can’t come out. Alpha Martha grips my arm, her fingers tight with warning. Gaius is quicker, wrapping his arms around me, holding me
“How can you be so heartless?” My voice shakes. “That is a little boy, crying alone in the woods for his mother, and you just want to abandon hum?”
Martha’s face is tight with worry. “There is no one there,” she says, her voice careful. “How can you even see a boy in the woods when the whole chariot is covered” She pulls back the curtain peering outside.
A long silence. Then, softly, she says, “There is nothing out there, Alpha” |
1/3
Chapter 113
Llanis tightens his grip. “His condition is getting worse. We need to hurry? There is fear in his voice now
Up front. Leonard glances back. “What’s going on?”
The Alpha’s o
condition is getting worse!” Martha yells. “We need to hurry!”
Then I hear it again.
Papa!”
The boy’s voice is louder this time, desperate, cutting through the air like a blade.
I freeze. My breath catches.
“That is my son. Lee We need to go gri him!”
“No, you do not have a son, Leonard says sharply Without another word he snaps the reins, urging the chariot faster, pushing us away from whatever lingers in the dark.
The ride is forment, stretching on into what feels like eternity. My mind twists, pulling me through visions that may not be real, or perhaps are more real than anything I have ever known. The whispers crawl beneath my skin. Shadows shift where there should be none
At some point, Galus murmurs a spell under his breath. The words are soft but heavy, sinking
under.
into my bones. Sleep takes me like a tide, pulling me
When I open my eyes, the world is different. I hear voices–real voices, not the whispers of the road. People. We have reached a place where people
still exist.
“Where are well Lask.
a
“Shhh,” Martha hisses, her hand pressing lightly against my chest. “We are at the entrance now. You go by a different identity here. We all do.
I try to stay still but my breath betrays mr. It is uneven, too fast, too aware.
Somehow, we pass through without trouble. No one stops us. No one questions us. After all the warnings, the fear, the secrecy, I wonder what was all the fuss about!
Once inside, Caius and Martha step out of the chariot,
“We’re going into the tavern to find a healer, Martha says “Wait here with him”
Leonard gives a small nod, but his eyes are watchful. He does not trust this place. Neither do I.
“We are looking for a healet A strong
gone!” Martha’s voice is firm as she sees to Leonard. “Please watch after the Alpha. We will return as soon as
Then they are gone, swallowed by the tavern doors, leaving only silence and the weight of my own weakness pressing down on me.
Leonard comes to the back of the chariot, his face unreadable as be checks on me.
“Leonard, please,” I rasp. “Get me out of here. I need to find a healer on my own”
“That’s exactly what Galus and Martha are doing, Deckard,” he says, arms crossed
“They’re old and slow,” I snap. “I don’t have time to wait. I feel like time is running out, like whatever is wrong with me is tightening its grip. I can’t just sit here. I’m an Alpha–1 have to find a solution, even if it kills me.”
Leonard exhales sharply, glancing around as if expecting someone to overhear us. “We don’t know anyone here! This place is dangerous. We could be deceived, or worse!” His voice is tense, his frustration barely contained. “And look at you! You can’t even stand on your own two feet. You’re slower than those old and slow prople you’re talking about. You’d only slow us down”
He shakes his head. “Maybe I should go on my own.”
There is truth in what he says, but I cannot stand the thought of sitting here, waiting, doing nothing. The weight of my own helplessness is worse thin the pain in my body. Even my legs betray me–I try to stand, but they crumble beneath me. “No,” I say, gritting my teeth. “It doesn’t matter. If 1 look weak, then I’ll blend in with the peasants here. No one will suspect anything” I glance at Leonard, who still hesitates. “Assist me, Leonard” He exhales through his nose, reluctant but resigned.
Finally, he steps forward and pulls me up, letting me lean against his shoulder. The moment I put weight on my legs, my body protests, but I refuse to let it win. Head down, body draped in damp sackcloth, I move through the streets like a beggar, clinging to Leonard for support
Now we begin the search for a powerful healer.
2/3
Chapter 71
Just moments age, Howard had forced Serena to stay and entertain Zach against her will
But now that she’d finished reviewing the propul and project details, Howard and Sarah we teady to cast her aside like yesterday’s trash.
Things weren’t going to be that easy
“Business is about capability. Zach and I may have unresolved personal matters, but when it comes to work, everything is in black and white. If he wants to break the contract, he’ll have to pay the penalty Tansen Group and I won’t lose a thing.” Serena sid
Howard was at a loss for words. Sarah, on the other hand, shot to her feet as she slammed her hands on the table.
“Serenal. How can you be so ungrateful? Don’t forget. It was Dad who made an exception and promoted you to where you are now
“Jansen Group is only standing today because my mother fought to keep it. Wherever I am now, Learned it! But you!
“You weren’t even born into the Jansen family. You just carry the family’s name. Do you really think you have the right to slam the table at me?”
Serena’s les gaze was like a blade slicing straight into Sarah’s chest. The sharp sting made Sarah suck in a breath
The door swung open again.
Sarah was seething, but she had no choice but to swallow her rape. Her chest was burning with frentation.
As Zach stepped in, he took in the tense atmosphere. “I need to speak s
“But this project is mine…” Sarah’s eyes were filled with grievance.
k with Setina alone.”
“The decision in mine.” Zach’s cold or left room for argument. His indifference toward Sarah was palpable
Seeing this, Howard quickly grabbed Sarah and ushered her toward the adjacent conference room.
She yanked her hand free and yelled, “Dad! Are you really just going to stand there and watch while she mocks me and let an outsider trample all over me?
The project comes first. Let’s wait until the contract is signed. Then, I’ll find a way to fix things for you.”
Howard’s gaze shifted toward the white wall separating the rooms. It was as if he could see straight through it to Zach and Serena sirting inside.
13 years of history. That was something worth exploiting
In the next room, Zach took a seat across from Sex while his gaze locked onto hers. They don’t want you here. They won’t accept you.”
Serena mot his eyes without flinching, “I know.”
Her nonchalant response made Zach pause, but he quickly recovered.
“If you’re willing to forgive me and let go of the past, I’ll personally put you in charge of this project. That way, you’ll have your footing in Jansen Group and be able to do whatever you want.
| lost interested: “
After leaning back in the chair, she tilted her chin slightly, looking down at him with a mistute of amusement and disdain.
“A Foster Group project? Do you think that’s enough to establish me? Don’t flatter yourself. Even without your project, I have n “Your own ways!”
my own ways to stay on top
Zach’s expression darkened. His snert was ice–cold as he cut her off. Without a word, he slid his glowing phone across the table. “Is this what you mean? By dinging to a married man?“
A photo of Hugh leaning in and talking to another woman was on the screen. He lace wasn’t visie. All that could be seen was a slender, elegant figure holding a wine glass with a relaxed
Hugh, ever composed, woce his alcold expression. But his gaze was steady, locked onto the woman in a way that suggested intimacy.
Serena narrowed her eyes as she felt confused.
If anything, Hugh looked even colder toward that woman than when he spoke to her. Where was the so–called intimacy!
Zach, however, lapt taļng. “That woman is Hugh’s wife. Mr. Larson has quite the reputation, and his newlywed wife must come from an equally prestigious background
“If the finds out that Hugh is keeping you as his mistress, do you think she let you off easily? Serena, out of respect for our past, I’m warning you know when to stop. If Mrs Larson cocles after you, a man like Hugh won’t even besitate to abandon you.
“But I’m different. If you come back to me, I won’t hold anything against you. We can even revisit the idea of marriage.”
