De'Vas Chronicles Book 4: Chapter 17

The chirping of birds woke Ash, his eyes peeling open to see the early morning light as he inhaled the crisp air. He wondered why he was outside until he looked down and saw a head of blond hair sleeping on his chest, his arm still wrapped around her. Slowly, his groggy mind pieced together last night. The memories came back of how they had stayed out under the stars long after he had extinguished the brazier used to cook the kabobs. They had talked about the stars, each other, and life for hours as the wine bottle grew empty.

He rubbed Selena’s shoulder, and she let out a soft moan before snuggling close to him. Ash let out a sigh, figuring there wasn’t any hurry, and smiled at the sleeping Selena at least until he turned his head. Only to see Grace watching them as she ate a piece of dried beef.

“Did the date ritual fail?” Grace asked as she tore a bite from the meat. “You two don’t smell like you mated.”

Ash’s mouth hung open as he stared at the silver-haired wolfkin woman. Grace just took another bite as she watched him. Ash gently shook Selena’s shoulder.

“Five more minutes, Ella,” Selena groaned. “I’m having good dreams.”

He shook her shoulder again.

“Selena, it’s time to get up,” Ash said softly to her.

She stretched, turned, and looked up at him, smiling.

“Good, it wasn’t just a dream,” Selena said, her violet eyes locked on his.

She leaned up and kissed him.

“Last night was wonder— Grace! You’re here,” Selena said, finally noticing the older wolfkin woman watching them.

Grace chewed her food and swallowed. Ash saw her nose twitch, the same as Faylen and Haylee when they scented something.

She pointed the piece of dried beef at them.

“I can come back if you wish to mate, though you may want somewhere more private,” she said. “Most of the castle will start to wake soon.”

Selena’s eyes widened.

“M-mate? As in sex!” she exclaimed before looking at him, her face crimson.

Selena quickly rolled off of him and started for the stairs leading down the rampart. She stopped at the top step and looked back at him, her face still red.

“Last night was wonderful, Ash. Thank you,” Selena said as she curtsied before hurrying down the stairs.

Ash let out a heavy sigh and looked back at Grace.

“She’s a strange one as well,” the wolfkin said.

No, I think that’s just you, Grace.

Ash’s still half-asleep mind finally pieced together why Grace was watching them sleep.

“You’re here to get me for the behemoth?” Ash asked.

Grace nodded.

“The best time to hunt is before dawn. We are already late, but I did not wish to disturb the date ritual,” Grace answered.

Ash stood up and stretched.

“Sorry, I should have guessed you would want to head out early. Give me a minute to grab my potions,” Ash said.

***

Grace moved silently through the woods in a dead run. Ash was keeping pace with her, but nowhere near as quietly. She had glanced back at him several times with a look of disapproval.

“It is good we are hunting a Behemoth and not deer, you would frighten them off for miles,” Grace stated.

Ash let out a fake laugh.

“I’m a city boy. The Markel Forest is the first forest I’ve been in more than a few hours,” Ash replied.

Grace’s speed slowed, and she looked at him curiously.

“Haylee and Selena have mentioned they come from cities as well. Do you all hail from the same one?” Grace asked.

Ash smiled. So, even Grace was curious. There had been a lot of whispers and gossip about Ash, Selena, and Haylee among those in Castle Markal. The three of them dressed strangely, behaved differently, and had secrets, all of which hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“Haylee and I come from the same city, District 114. Selena’s District is 208, but we’re all vassals of Cleo,” Ash answered.

Grace was now walking beside him.

“District. That’s an odd name for a city,” she stated.

Ash nodded and debated how much to tell Grace.

“They are very different compared to Riverbend. The Districts have high walls built around them and are filled with people of various races. District 114 is mostly beastkin,” Ash answered. “And I think elves are the majority population of District 208.”

Grace stopped and stared at him.

“There’s a city made up of beastkin?” she asked, shocked.

Ash nodded.

“The population is growing and becoming more diverse, but beastkin are still the majority,” Ash answered.

Grace tilted her head, pondering what Ash had just said.

“You rule this District 114?” she asked.

Ash reluctantly nodded.

“I do. Since I’m here, I’m sure my girls are watching over it right now,” he said, before adding. “And since my mother is in the District, I’m sure she’s helping them.”

Grace looked at him curiously again before she came to a stop.

“We are here,” she said. “I will return to the castle. If you are not back by sunset, I’ll try to retrieve your body.”

Ash ignored the comment. Instead, he looked around, then arched an eyebrow at the leaving Grace.

“Where is it?” he asked.

Grace didn’t look back.

“Near. Keep making noise, it will come,” she said before vanishing in the foliage.

Ash shook his head as he pulled out one of the vials of Lightning Resistance potions he crafted. He only had three of them, given the limited supply of Stormcallers that Grace had found. He had the other vials stashed in a pouch with five of the disgusting Greengrubs. He really wished he had learned how to brew healing potions from Lilly.

Slowly, he began moving through the forest, watching for either signs of the Behemoth or the monster itself. The massive trees once again made him feel small as he passed by their trunks, which were wider than some houses. He felt Sparky stir within his elemental scar, no doubt anticipating the fight they would soon be in.

A wall of vines appeared before him as he stepped around one of the giant trunks, and he pulled Riptide from his belt, activating the rune on the magic blade. The translucent blade of Water Magic began hacking away at the vines, clearing a path.

He wondered how the Behemoth would compare to the kraken. That fight had been one-sided, and Ash had only survived due to Sparky’s intervention. That was how he learned his elemental scar was more than what it appeared.

He cut through the walls of vines until he started seeing the rays of sunlight. His eyes took a moment to readjust to the brightness compared to the shaded canopy within most of Markal Forest.

“A clearing?” Ash said to himself as he stepped out of the woods into the sunlight.

He saw several stumps of the massive trees before him, the remains of the trees pushed against the edge of the clearing as if to create a wall. The ground was torn up, as if construction equipment had been used to make large holes in the ground that were now muddy ponds from rainwater.

As he approached closer, he started to notice the deep claw marks on the ground and in the stumps. They were larger than the old claw marks he had first seen upon arriving in Markal Forest. The ones Eva told him were made by a behemoth.

He was a quarter of the way through the clearing when a mound of earth near the wall of trees began to move. The large mound was the size of a semi-truck, and Ash was waiting for something to burst through the dirt and reveal itself, only for the mound to turn and face him.

“Well, shit. Looks like we weren’t the only ones to prepare for this fight, Sparky,” Ash said.

The purpose of the muddy ponds was clear now as he locked eyes with the behemoth. The beast’s thick, shaggy fur was caked in mud, creating a natural armor that would give it some resistance to Lightning Magic.

He doubted the monster had planned for that; more likely, it had done this to avoid pests and stay cool while in the clearing. As it stood from the ground, its body became clearer, and Ash got a decent look at it. The Behemoth resembled a cross between a boar and a bull, having both horns and tusks, though its forearms were more reminiscent of a sloth with their long, sharp claws.

The Behemoth let out a roar as Ash popped the cork on the Lightning Resistance potion and downed it. He slipped the empty vial into the pouch with the other vials and the greengrubs, then he clipped Riptide onto his belt.

As he expected, the behemoth started charging at him, its horns angled down. Ash adjusted his stance to one Mander taught him to use in sword fighting for better balance while on the defense. Once he was in the stance, he placed both his arms in front of him, outstretched, even his fingers.

“Okay, Sparky,” Ash said as the element’s magic started flowing through him. “Let’s see how much of the mud we can knock off with this spell.”

Lighting Magic began to run down both sides of his arms, creating arcs between them. The concept was the same as his Bolt spell, and in truth, this was just a more powerful version. Bolt was his staple attack and had served him well in many fights, but he had been in a few battles where his enemies merely shrugged off the spell. Neftali’s golem, the kraken, and Victor all barely batted an eye at the spell. He needed something stronger; if Bolt was a pistol, he required a cannon for enemies like them.

Ash released the spell, feeling his body being pushed back at the recoil of magic. His first test of this new spell had left him on his ass.

The sound was less of thunder and more of a continuous roar as the massive lightning bolt collided with the behemoth. A cloud of dust formed in the air as its charge was stopped, and the Bolt Cannon knocked it to the ground.

Ash looked at his arms, seeing the minor burns caused by using Sparky’s magic running along them, but not as severe.

“Dosage, maybe?” Ash asked himself as he pulled another vial of Lightning Resistance out and downed it.

He watched the behemoth stand, shaking its head in agitation. Several clumps of the dried earth fell from its shaggy fur as it snorted. It pawed the ground with its sharp claws, preparing to charge again.

“Good,” Ash said as he pushed the magic through his body. “Let’s try Bolt Cannon a few more times, then move on to more new spells.”