The Wisteria Accond

Chapter Twenty-one

The air was cold and still as we moved through the dense woods, every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves setting my nerves on edge. The deeper we ventured, the more the wilderness seemed to close in around us, as if the forest itself wanted to keep us from our destination. Ashen led the way, his movements slowed by exhaustion and the lingering pain from his wounds. His strength wasn't what it once was—ever since our escape from the Nightborne, who had attacked us, I could see the toll it had taken on him.

I tightened the cloak around my shoulders, trying to shake off the tension that clung to us like the mist that clung to the trees. The terrain was getting harder to navigate, and I noticed Ashen's footsteps growing heavier, more sluggish. His breath came in labored puffs, and I could see the strain in the tight line of his jaw. He was pushing himself too hard.

"Ashen," I called softly, placing a hand on his arm to slow him down. He paused, glancing back at me, his eyes the deep, intense blue that often appeared when he was masking his pain. "You need to rest. We can't keep going like this."

He shook his head, though it was more out of stubbornness than certainty. "We're close, Kiera. We need to reach the sanctuary before nightfall. The scouts..." He trailed off, looking toward the darkening sky as if expecting danger to drop down at any moment.

I glanced around, scanning the woods for any sign of movement. We both knew Nightborne patrols were out there. They had been hunting us ever since the escape, but we had been lucky so far—no direct confrontations, only shadows that lingered at the edge of our vision, watching, waiting.

I caught Ashen swaying slightly on his feet, and my heart twisted. I couldn't stand to see him like this, pushing himself beyond his limits. "You're not going to be of any help if you collapse before we even get there," I said firmly, moving in front of him to block his path. "Just for a few minutes. Let me check your wounds again."

He frowned, the stubborn set of his mouth softening just a fraction, but he didn't argue. With a tired sigh, he nodded and found a nearby rock to sit on, his shoulders sagging in defeat.

I knelt beside him, carefully undoing the makeshift bandage on his side where one of the Nightborne's blades had sliced him during the escape. The wound looked worse than before, the edges angry and inflamed. He was in more pain than he let on.

"Ashen..." I started, but the words caught in my throat. I wasn't sure what to say. Part of me wanted to yell at him for being so reckless, for trying to carry the weight of everything alone. But the other part of me, the part that understood his burdens, could only feel sympathy.

He winced as I gently pressed a clean cloth to the wound, his hand twitching slightly before settling over mine. "I'm fine, Kiera," he murmured, his voice rough but steady. "I've survived worse."

"But you don't have to do this alone," I whispered back, my voice softer than I intended. "You don't have to keep pushing yourself like this."

Ashen's eyes met mine, and for a moment, the weight of the world seemed to lift from his shoulders. There was something unspoken in the way he looked at me, a vulnerability he rarely let show. "You've done more for me than I deserve," he said quietly, almost to himself. His gaze flickered away, as if afraid to hold my gaze for too long.

"You deserve more than you think," I replied, not letting him pull away emotionally this time.

Just as I finished tying off the new bandage, a sudden noise in the distance sent a cold shiver down my spine—a snap of branches, heavy footsteps. Instinctively, Ashen's posture straightened, alert, his eyes flashing to that sharp, dangerous silver that marked the predator within him.

"Nightborne," he hissed under his breath.

Without another word, we moved, ducking low and slipping into the cover of the underbrush. My heart raced as we crouched in silence, listening to the heavy footsteps grow closer. Ashen clenched his jaw, his body tense beside me, ready to act at a moment's notice. I could feel the shift in the air around him, the faint pull of his powers waking just beneath the surface.

The patrol was closer now, voices low but growing louder. I glanced at Ashen, who gave me a sharp nod, signaling that he was ready to engage if necessary.

Suddenly, a figure emerged through the trees—a Nightborne scout, their pale skin gleaming in the dim light, eyes glowing faintly with the Void's influence. They were too close. Ashen's breath hitched beside me, and before I could stop him, he sprang into action, his powers unleashing in a dark wave that swept the scout off their feet.

But the effort was too much. As soon as the scout hit the ground, Ashen staggered back, clutching his side, his strength draining rapidly. I grabbed his arm, pulling him into the shadows as more voices echoed through the trees.

"Come on," I whispered urgently, guiding him deeper into the forest. We couldn't afford to stay here.

We moved as quickly as we could, but I could feel Ashen growing weaker with every step. By the time we found a small clearing, hidden by thick foliage, he could barely stand. I guided him down, his body trembling with exhaustion, and immediately started checking his wound again. The blood had seeped through the bandages, and I could see how much he was struggling to stay conscious.

"You're bleeding again," I said, panic edging into my voice. "Ashen, you need to stop using your powers like that."

He didn't respond at first, his breathing shallow as he leaned back against a tree. When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper. "I couldn't let them find you."

The words hit me hard, a wave of emotion swelling in my chest. I knelt beside him, my hands shaking as I worked to clean and rebandage his wound. "You need to stop worrying about me and start worrying about yourself," I murmured, though my voice faltered slightly.

Ashen's hand came to rest over mine, stilling my movements. When I looked up, his eyes were dark, filled with a mixture of pain and something else I couldn't quite name. "I can't do that, Kiera."

For a moment, the world around us seemed to disappear, the weight of his words hanging between us. I didn't know how to respond, how to process the flood of emotions that had been building between us for days. But as I sat there, patching up his wounds in the middle of the wilderness, I realized how much he had come to mean to me. And how terrified I was of losing him.

But we couldn't afford to dwell on it now. We were still in danger, and we needed to keep moving.

"We need to figure out our next move," I said softly, trying to refocus. "There has to be something in this sanctuary that will help us stop Soren and the Void."

Ashen's eyes flickered with determination, though I could see how much the effort cost him. "We'll find it. I promise."

The weight of that promise settled over us as we sat together in the silence of the woods, knowing that the worst was still ahead.

But for now, we had each other. And that was enough to keep us going.