“There is a cave after a mile’s walk.” We instantly began walking. I trusted Symon with this completely. He knows the mountains and the ins and outs of all the caves too.
Symon stopped in front of a tree. It was a tree I didn’t recognise but it had a lot of wines wrapped around the trunk and on the rocks besides it. Symon opened a couple of intertwined wines, revealing a small cave. He entered and I followed after him. Jan was behind me, then the warrior with Javier and then the other warrior.
The cave was small and dark, made for only one person to walk at a time. After twenty minutes, we reached an intersection of six caves.
“We can either get directly to the Alvar town or to the outskirts. Where do you want to go?” He asked.
Alvar is under attack. I can’t fight with Ava. “Outskirts.”
He gave me a sharp nod and we continued on our walk. The cave we entered this time was bigger but there was a little stream running by our legs. It seemed a lot like the cave we came in through for the first time but I knew it isn’t. Most caves seemed familiar and Goddess knew how Symon kept a track of them all.
Another thirty minutes later, we caught sunlight and breathed fresh air. We were on the other side of the mountain and I could see Alvar clearly from here. I saw smoke in the air before the houses on fire. And the screams pierced my ears first and then my heart.
My people. Those are my people that are getting hurt.
I closed my eyes and concentrated on extinguishing all the fires. It was a considerable distance way so it was hard but I did it.
“They’re dying.” Symon’s voice was low and sad. All of is could feel the pain of links snapping in our minds. Each link snapped was one life lost. And each life lost rested heavy on my heart. “There are children there.”
And then suddenly, dust appeared in the sky above the town and dozens of zombie witches popped up before falling on the ground. I saw them walking around and causing more destruction. The distant screams intensified. The pain in my chest intensified. It was bizzare to watch, especially when I couldn’t do anything. Not yet, at least. My heart was breaking in pieces watching my pack being attacked in front of my eyes.
I need to save my people. But I need to protect Ava first.
I heard a whimper and I looked down at Ava. Her face was twisted in agony but her eyes were still closed shut. She must be feeling the pain of the ones who are dying too.
Her heart rate was decreasing further and further and she her temperature was dropping by the second. This is not good. Not at all. Maybe I shouldn’t let her rest, I should make her stay awake and conscious. Resting hasn’t done her any good so far.
And it’s taking us too much time on foot anyways. I’ll be faster in my wolf form.
I crouched down and placed Ava down, holding her upper body up. I patted her cheek, “wake up, Love.” I hope the green ring and collar helps. “Ava, open your eyes.”
Her eyes fluttered open. Her blue eyes were paler than ever. They were almost silver. “I’m going to shift in my wolf, I need you to climb on me and hold on tight.”
Her breaths were shallow and her eyes were fluttering close.
Fuck. This is bad. No. No. No.
She felt like… don’t cry, don’t fucking cry Nikolai… she felt like she was dying.
Were the powers too much for her? Is her body rejecting them?
“Avalyn please wake up,” I choked, patting her cheek again.
“Is she okay?” Symon was next to me in an instant.
“No.” I whispered.
And then I got an idea. There was a big chance that this won’t work. But there is a little hope. In the beginning, when Ava used to get nightmares, she wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I pleaded and cajoled her or whispered sweet words. The only thing that worked was me snapping at her firmly. In the authoritative Master tone. “Avalyn wake up,” I snapped.
“Yes?” A shuddering breath of relief escaped my body when her eyes snapped open.
“Goddess, you scared me,” I hugged her.
“Everything hurts, Nikolai.” She whispered in my ear weakly.
“I’m taking you home, Love. I’ll make sure you’re okay,” I pecked her lips and then turned my voice firm again. “I’m going to shift and you will climb on my back and hold on tight. Do you understand?”
“I understand, Nikolai.” She whispered. Good. She looked a little more conscious now.
I released her and she swayed but Symon placed a hand on her back and supported her to sit up.
I quickly and silently shifted into my wolf.
Symon helped Ava climb on my back before he too shifted into his dark brown wolf.
I tried to mind-link Ava to hold on tight but I couldn’t fucking get to her. I couldn’t feel her anymore. At all.
Fucking hell.
Ava laid on me and wrapped her arms around my neck and her legs tightened around my stomach. This should do. And like that, we took off, Jan and his men just after us.
For life-threatening moments like these, I had built secret tunnels throughout the palace. I had imagined one tunnel that started at the foot of the mountain and led directly into the palace when that woman had asked us to build the palace. I had never checked it but I hoped it was there. Because technically, this tunnel wasn’t a part of the palace.
We silently made our way through the foothills surrounding Alvar, making sure to stay out of sight.
Every rock, every root I jumped over, I slowed down so Ava wouldn’t fall down. But her hold on me was tight, her fingers clutching on to my fur tight enough to hurt. But it was the kind of hurt that I welcomed with open arms if it meant that she was safe.
Every second, I kept count of her breaths and I kept my senses attuned to hers. I could feel her pain through her laboured breaths. And her heart rate hadn’t gotten any better but the speed at which it was diminishing had decreased ever since I had told her to stay awake.
The smell of blood, fire burning, the sounds of screams and cries and grunts increased as we got closer to the Soare-Luna mountain. The situation here was worse than Alvar. And there was no way I could afford to go through the city. We would never make it to the palace in time or in one piece.
“Nikolai,” Ava whimpered, heart breaking pain in her voice. “It-It hurts.”
I let out a soft whine, hoping that she knows that I’m here for her and that I’d make everything okay.
‘We will have to go through the city, Alpha.’ Symon said through the mind-link.