270- Ashes of Accusation
POV Aldren Valmorin:
“You must stay until everyone is fully healed so that we can hold a migration ceremony.”
Not in your wildest dreams, Alpha Paneko.
Disbelieving that demand—even after the long journey I had endured—anger struck me like lightning.
The promise I had made to Orion was sacred, a debt of honor between alpha and omega. Yet part of me resented every moment that kept me away from Elowen. I knew that leading meant sacrificing the personal for the greater good, but the more time passed, the more I questioned the price of that sacrifice.
I had already sacrificed too much time.
“Paneko, I will not remain in your village.”
“But…” His pupils dilated. “You must at least ensure that everyone fully recovers.”
I shook my head.
“I repeat—I will depart before nightfall. If you attempt to force me or break the agreement, I will finish what was left of your village and your people. Do not underestimate me,” I growled the threat, hoping I would not have to fulfill it.
Paneko swallowed hard and looked away for a brief moment.
“Aldren, we still have some females, if you—”
I raised my hand, cutting him off.
“I am not looking for females. Accept the agreement, or I will take what I promised my friend by force.”
His thin, wrinkled lips parted, and his gray brows lifted.
“Forgive me, Alpha Aldren, I did not mean to offend you.” He sighed, pausing. “Agreement made.”
I did not even say goodbye. I simply turned on my heel and left the filthy cabin in search of fresh air.
An unsettling oppression clung to my chest.
Each beat of my heart reverberated with an urgency I could not quell. Infernal.
I drew a deep breath, thinking it might ease the feeling, but it only intensified.
The image of a blazing fire filled my irises, and I blinked several times, trying to shake off the omen. The flames hated me—they used to haunt my sleep, and now they were playing tricks on me.
It could only be exhaustion. Or because I was far from her. Far from Elowen.
Every second away from her seemed to stretch time, making the minutes as long as a damned hour. Elowen had become my beacon, my anchor amid the storms.
I just needed to return to her, and then I knew all the agony would fade.
(...)
POV Elowen Grimwald:
The darkness began to recede as consciousness slowly returned. My head throbbed, a painful reminder of everything that had happened to me.
The last thing I remembered was the deafening sound of accusatory screams, the blaze of fire, and stones striking my skin—each blow heavy with the hatred that surrounded me.
Nala’s vengeful and cruel stare, the fury of the crowd closing in around me, the cry of “witch” echoing, the barricade of guards… until my consciousness slipped away completely.
I tried to move my arms, but a deep exhaustion overwhelmed me, as though every muscle in my body had been drained of strength.
The cold, hard ground beneath me told me I was not in my bed. Of course I wasn’t. The smell of dampness spoke of a place long forgotten by time. A shadowed place.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the dim, warm light, revealing the iron bars that defined my prison.
I was in a cell. No…
Standing around the bars, I recognized six of Valmorin’s guards. Two of them held enormous weapons and looked ready to attack at any moment.
One positioned himself protectively in front of my cell just as two figures dressed in dark hooded robes appeared. They were tall, their presence almost as cold as that terrifying place.
“We will not let you touch her,” Bratvo intervened.
“The elders want to see her,” one of the figures replied.
“Not without us.”
“Then bring her.”
Bratvo turned, his expression tight, and opened the entrance with a metallic creak. But as if there were an invisible wall separating us, he forced himself forward and could not cross.
“It won’t work!”
“How…?” My chest warmed, and I felt the urge to invite him in. “Come in, Bratvo.”
The moment I invited him, he stumbled forward, as though the invisible barrier had shattered. How?
Fear gripped me, and I wrapped my arms around myself.
“Come, Elowen.” Even though he seemed as shaken as I was, he offered his hand to help me up. What choice did I have but to trust him?
I accepted.
Every movement hurt, which made me think it hadn’t been only the stones that had injured me. The wounds could not possibly be counted.
At his side, supported by his body, I climbed a long spiral staircase that seemed never to end.
With every step, the echo of our movements reverberated against the stone walls—a ghostly sound that sent shivers of fear across my skin.
All the other guards followed us.
At the top of the steps, we reached a wide corridor illuminated by torches that cast dancing shadows against the walls. It looked like an ancient castle, with tower ceilings so high they seemed to point toward a sky forgotten by the gods.
And then even stranger figures appeared before me.
They were unlike any human I had ever seen; their faces were marked by the absence of essential parts: one without eyes, another without ears, and the third without a mouth. They could only be the much-spoken-of elders.
If they were good, why was I there? Imprisoned? Perhaps there was still hope.
“You are the elders…? Does Aldren know I am here?” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper, too weak for the gravity that seemed to press in around me.
The eyeless one moved slightly, a nod of agreement that seemed to weigh centuries.
“Elowen, it is a pity that we meet under these circumstances. You were kept unconscious until you healed. Your act of witchcraft cost you all your strength—you became gravely ill.”
“Act of witchcraft? I am not a witch!” I protested, my voice laced with desperation. “How many… how many days have I been imprisoned?”
I looked at the guards around me, and all of them remained silent, their expressions firm.
“You are a witch, Elowen,” the earless one said, startling me by hearing me despite lacking ears.
The eyeless elder continued, his voice and expression cold:
“Among the Tharnak, witchcraft is punished by death.”
No!
I could not die without Aldren—without convincing him that none of this had been my plan. My legs failed, and I fell to my knees, ready to beg for my life. Desperation consumed me as tears began to stream down my face.
Bratvo lifted me from the ground, cradling me protectively in his arms.
“Please, I beg you, call Aldren… he will explain… he will understand…”