39.

  Faelwen

  That night, we made camp alongside the other travellers. The group existed of families and wanderers returning to the small villages scattered across the Ancestral Region.

  At first, we were nearly a hundred souls gathered beneath the open sky, but with every crossroad and branching path, the group thinned. People peeling away toward what remained of their homes.

  Campfires dotted the darkness, their yellow glow trembling against the deep blue of night. Their warmth a welcome companion in the cold.

  Gwen had brewed a warm, hearty soup with the help of other women from the camp. People gathered in loose circles. Some around their own fires, others drifting between them.

  The air was full of laughter and quiet conversation. Even with the knowledge that many would return to their homes in ruin and ashes, there was something else there too. Relief. Quiet hope. The simple miracle of survival.

  We sat near our cart, our own fire crackling gently. The horse stood tethered nearby, muzzle buried in the mud searching for grass. Spook was deep in conversation with Thalor and Gwen, their voices low and hushed.

  The night carried the sharp bite of autumn. A cold wind swept in from the east, slipping beneath my cloak. I pulled it closer and poked at the fire, watching sparks leap upward like fleeting stars.

  Beside me, Artemis sat in silence, his gaze fixed on the flames, his face drawn. His shoulder lowered, head bowed slightly, as if something heavy rested there.

  I frowned. Something was wrong.

  When he rose without a word and walked away from the fire, I followed.

  I found him at the edge of the camp, sitting beneath the open sky. He stared upward, golden eyes reflecting the heavens, his expression carved with longing… and something that looked painfully close to grief or worry.

  I followed his gaze. The moon hung full and luminous above us, the stars sharp and brilliant between grey, puffy clouds.

  “Are you alright?” I asked softly.

  He shrugged, then reached for my hand and pulled me down beside him. We sat shoulder to shoulder, and I leaned my head against him, fitting there as naturally as breathing.

  “It’s strange,” he murmured. “Being in my true form like this. It feels… not like me anymore.”

  “I have to admit, I liked you better as a wolf,” I teased, playfully nudging his side. He looked down at me, brows shooting up, a slight smile on his lips.

  “You did not,” he protested with a grin. “You always called me a strange wolf.”

  “Well, you were,” I chuckled. “A wolf who craved warm meals and a proper bed.”

  His laughter slipped out, warm and unguarded.

  “I suppose I didn’t hide my true nature as well as I thought.”

  “Most people suspected you weren’t an ordinary wolf,” I said.

  “Yes,” he admitted quietly. “I told a few on the road. Lord Reyzana for example and the dragons.”

  Silence settled between us as we thought back on all the things we’d been through. All we had lost.

  “You miss her, don’t you?” I asked suddenly, remembering his tears when Veras collapsed after he left.

  “You want to go back,” I said, careful. “Don’t you?”

  He exhaled, gaze dropping to the ground.

  “Yes… and no.” He looked at me. His golden eyes catching the moonlight.

  “I have to return to where I belong at some point. I’ve been hiding too long. And Veras…” His voice faltered. “But I don’t want to leave you.”

  Something tight coiled in my chest, but I smiled anyway. I laced my fingers through his, memories flooding in. All those times I buried my face in his fur when fear clawed at me, all the times he’d made me laugh and forget about the heaviness of the world and all the times he shared his wisdom.

  He had been there for me in good and bad times. He was my friend. My guardian. My guidance.

  “We’ve been together for so long,” I whispered, a faint smile on my face. “I’ll have to get used to you not chastising my life choices.”

  He chuckled. “You never needed much guidance, Wen. You have learned so much more than me at your age.”

  “I learned a lot from you.”

  “And I from you, little one.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my temple.

  “That’s better than your tongue,” I murmured.

  He laughed openly, fine lines crinkling beside his eyes.

  “Oh, come now. You miss my fur and my wet tongue. I know you do”

  I raised a brow, fighting laughter and losing.

  “No, I don’t.”

  He grabbed my face, leaning in mischievously.

  “Come on. One last lick. For old times’ sake.”

  I squealed and laughed as he tried to catch me, struggling uselessly against his strength. He managed to lick the side of my face.

  “Ieeuw! You’re disgusting!” I protested, punching his shoulder lightly and cleaning my face with my sleeve.

  “Remember that bird you dropped on my face?” I chuckled.

  “That was your lap, not your face,” he wheezed through his laughter.

  “Feathers. Everywhere!” I said, waving my hands. “And then you licked me!”

  He doubled over, clutching his sides.

  “Gross,” I mumbled, laughing with him. When our laughter faded, a gentle calm settled in its place.

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  “When will you leave?” I asked quietly.

  “After I bring you home,” he said. “I want to make sure you’ll be okay.”

  “Thanks, buddy.”

  We stayed like that for a little while longer. My head against his shoulder, his head on mine. Our breaths slowly syncing as we watched the stars continue their endless dance.

  ? ? ?

  The next morning, we left at sunrise.

  The sky burned pale gold in the east. And even though I slept well in a long time, my body felt heavy. Nausea lingered, exhaustion pressing behind my eyes.

  Just my body coming back from a survival mode, I told myself.

  As people around us packed up, I noticed a dark-haired man moving through camp. My heart stuttered.

  That hair. Those cheekbones. That walk.

  Ash?

  He vanished into the crowd, and for a moment I thought grief had finally begun to play tricks on me. Then he appeared again between the tents.

  Without thinking, I ran.

  Narrowly dodging people and dying campfires. I followed him until he disappeared behind a tent.

  As I rounded the corner, I stopped dead. He knelt on the ground, packing his backpack.

  Words caught in my throat. I stood frozen to the ground. He looked so much like Ash. Green eyes, wild black hair curling around a pale and sharp face. The same furrowed brow. The same way his mouth pressed thin in concentration.

  Halfway through he froze in his movements. Slowly, he looked up.

  “Can I help you?” He asked.

  “Ehm…” I couldn’t find any words to say. He slowly rose from the ground, his eyebrows shooting up in utter confusion.

  “Ash…” I managed to force out his name.

  The colour drained from his face.

  “What about him?” His voice trembled.

  “I knew him,” I said, tears burning. “He is… was my love. And the father of our unborn child.”

  He opened his mouth, then closed it again, biting his lip.

  “Are you Azurian?” I asked carefully.

  He nodded.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “He didn’t make it.” I choked on the last words, gritting my teeth to avoid the tears from spilling over.

  He broke eye contact, covering his face, shoulders collapsing inward. Something in me broke. He seemed so lost and I felt the urge to hug him. My hand reached out, gently touching his arm.

  “Azurian…”

  “I’m the last of my family,” he whispered. Silence stretched between us.

  “Are you headed home?” I asked after a moment. He shook his head.

  “I don’t feel like going home when I know there is nothing left.”

  Another silence fell. Heavy with sorrow. Until I asked, “You could come with us?”

  He turned to me.

  “We’re going to Townhaven and we promised Ash to look for you.”

  “Us?”

  “Yes. Me, Artemis and Spook. Friends of Ash.” I swallowed. “Your brother saved the Mid Realm.”

  A fragile smile touched his lips.

  “I knew he would find the right path eventually,” he murmured.

  I held out my hand. After a moment of hesitation, he took it. Together, we walked back toward the cart. Back to Thalor, Gwen, Spook and Artemis.

  When we reached the cart, both Artemis and Spook stared at Azurian in surprise.

  Artemis coughed violently, nearly choking on his tea.

  “I found Azurian,” I said, smiling warmly at them. Spook’s eyes widened as he slowly stepped closer, studying every inch of Azurian as if he was looking at a rare creature.

  “You look so much like him.”

  Azurian shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

  “Will you be travelling with us?” Artemis asked. He nodded.

  “I’m Artemis and this is Spook,” Artemis continued. “I’m sure we’ll get to learn more of each other on the road.”

  “Yeah,” Azurian replied, offering a hesitant smile

  After the final preparations, we were ready to head out.

  Together with the large group we continued our way to our homes.

  ? ? ?

  For hours we followed the main route, our footsteps guided by habit rather than faith that was quickly fading. In some places, the devastation of the war lay so bare that silence fell over the group like a heavy blanket.

  The earth itself seemed wounded. How could it ever recover? The ground was scorched black, split open and littered with remains so ruined they no longer resembled the creatures they once were.

  Pools of dark water shimmered dully in the pale sunlight, reflecting nothing but ruin.

  Burned farms passed us by, their fields reduced to ash. Trees stood like blackened skeletons, branches clawing at the sky.

  When we finally moved beyond the worst of it, soft conversations began again. Hushed and uncertain, as though any louder sound might disturb the dead.

  “Did… did you bury my father?” Azurian’s voice trembled when he broke the silence that lay over our group.

  We walked ahead of the cart, while Thalor and Gwen rode behind us.

  “We did,” Spook answered gently. “Next to your mother and sister.”

  Azurian exhaled shakily. “Good. He deserved that.”

  His gaze dropped to the road.

  “I had no time. We were attacked. He got hurt and I…” His voice broke. “I had to leave him behind.”

  “You did the right thing,” I said, stepping closer. “It may not feel like that, but you did. There’s not much left of your town.”

  “So much destruction,” he murmured. “How do you come back from that?”

  “Step by step,” Artemis said.

  “For our first step, I plan on rebuilding that wooden cabin you and Faelwen lived in, Artemis,” Spook responded. “And I want to start a trading business.”

  Azurian glanced at him, a flicker of surprise warming in his eyes.

  “Big plans.”

  Spook smiled. “You could help me. Build a home in Townhaven. Make it a trading centre again with me.”

  Something sparked in Azurian’s eyes. Hope.

  “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

  Spook grinned.

  “Great! And if you stick around, you’ll get to see your nephew or niece grow up.”

  I choked. Azurian stopped walking.

  “What?”

  “Ash thought Faelwen might be pregnant again,” Spook said gently, his hand resting on my stomach.

  My steps slowed. I counted the days since my last bleeding and realized I was late. I hadn’t seen bright blood in a while, but like the first time, my blood was darker. Nearly brown. Fear burned through my chest.

  What if I lose this child too?

  The last living echo of Ash.

  “I’m bleeding,” I whispered. “So… we’ll see if he or she stays.”

  Spook’s brow creased. He pulled me close.

  “We’ll get you to a healer. I promised Ash I’d look after you. And I will.”

  Azurian smiled down at me. Not the same smile Ash used to have. Azurian’s smile was lighter, but the similarity was so close it ached.

  “Don’t worry, Faelwen,” he said. “My mother bled through all her pregnancies. And we all made it into this world.”

  I nodded, clinging to his words even as doubt gnawed at me.

  Day by day, I told myself. Just day by day.

  Artemis gently caressed my lower back and I drew in his comforting soothing.

  On the eight day of travel, Townhaven finally appeared on the horizon. Only a handful of travellers remained now. Those who once called this town home.

  We left Thalor and Gwen at their house and continued toward the town’s heart. Knowing we would be seeing them again soon.

  Walking the streets of the town that used to feel so familiar, now felt unreal. Townhaven was no longer the bright place I remembered.

  Houses stood broken or burned, the docks partially collapsed into the sea. Some boats remained, battered but afloat. Others were nothing more than masts rising from the water like grave markers.

  The market square greeted us in silence.

  Once alive with voices and colour, it now lay empty. A few stall frames still stood bravely and stubborn in their defiance. The mosaic beneath our feet – once vibrant – was smeared with ash and dirt.

  “Step by step, right?” Azurian said, surveying the square. “I can imagine this town vibrating with life again. You’ll see.”

  I smiled at him.

  “Yes, you’re right. Step by step. Come… let’s find you a home.”

  Together, we searched. By evening, we found one near the docks: a stone house still standing, empty now. The townsfolk told us its owners had perished.

  They welcomed Azurian without hesitation, sharing what little they had left. In times of need, I noticed these people supported each other. It warmed my heart to see it.

  The house had once been beautiful. Stone walls etched with floral patterns, a balcony overlooking the sea and a garden hidden behind it.

  Compared to the rest of the town, it was almost whole. The roof intact. Only part of the outer wall damaged.

  “Nothing I can’t fix,” Azurian said, looking up at it.

  “We should move on,” Artemis said. “It’s another day’s travel to our home.”

  “You could stay the night,” Azurian offered. “It’s better than sleeping outside in the cold.”

  I looked west, where the sun bled into the horizon. Exhaustion washed over me. The image of Barnabas’ burned cottage flashed through my mind. No shelter. No warmth.

  “I don’t think I can travel all night,” I admitted. “I could do with some rest, thank you Azurian.”

  Spook agreed quietly and Artemis reluctantly nodded as he followed Azurian inside.

  We settled in what we guessed had been the living room. The house was modest, but warm, the interior largely intact. Except for some broken and burned furniture in the corner. That could be repaired too.

  Azurian made a small fire and fed it a broken chair leg. Flames danced, soft and alive.

  We all huddled in front of the fire.

  “I’m glad to have met you all,” Azurian sad as he sat down.

  “We’re glad too, if I may speak for all of us,” I smiled.

  “I might not have any family left and neither have you, but you all feel like family to me.”

  “I agree. Let’s drink to that,” Spook grinned.

  Azurian raised his waterskin in the air. “To us. May life be kinder for us in the future.”

  “To us!” We all responded raising our waterskins.

  That night was filled with warmth, quiet laughter and the start of a new beginning.