CHAPTER ASHBORN 434: REALMWALKERS

Princess Ira was more than happy to allow Maiya be the first to step through the shimmering oval Gate—well, the first person, anyway. Vir’s terrifying Ash Wolves boulder through, presumably securing the area.

Ira only hoped they wouldn’t cause a scene. From all that Maiya had told her of them, they sounded intelligent enough to know not to, yet Maiya’s knowledge came secondhand from Vir, and while Ira didn’t doubt the veracity of Vir’s words, she did wonder about what discretion meant to a being who could suddenly sprout horns and grow to nearly three paces in height. She was understandably nervous.

In a seemingly impossible feat, Ashani changed her hair and eye color to black. Her white dress melted into rough brigandine armor, giving her the appearance of a mercenary from the Human Realm.

This shift happened in mere moments, and Ira was left gawking for a good while after.

“You’d think you’d get used to stuff like this,” Maiya chided from the other side. “What with demons transforming into snakes and a living deity from the Age of Gods,” Maiya said.

“That’s…” Ira wanted to tell Maiya that only made it worse, yet her words failed her. “How do you simply accept all of this!?” she blurted.

“Well,” Maiya said, scratching her cheek. “It’s all pretty incredible for me, too, but I feel like I’ll die of a heart attack if I stop and really think about everything, you know? Can’t be surprised at everything.”

Ira understood her point, yet felt very much that this was a feat easier said than done.

With a long sigh, Ira stepped through after them, finding nothing but an abandoned alley, six wolves, one living deity, and her friend. The familiar sight and smells helped ground her a bit… Until she remembered how the goddess had managed to place an Ash Gate with pinpoint precision at the exact location Ira described, merely from rough verbal descriptions.

She truly does remember everything in perfect detail, Ira mused in wonderment. As if her very existence wasn’t impressive enough. What Ashani represented—from the fact she existed at all to her unfathomable rescue by Vir’s hands in the fabled city of the gods—made her practically drown in an aura of mystery and intrigue.

Ira had nothing but questions, yet she found herself utterly unable to ask them. Forget speech—she couldn’t even look at the goddess without feeling the compunction to kneel before her.

“It’s safe,” Maiya muttered, breaking Ira out of her thoughts.

Ira nodded. Distant sounds of shouting could be heard, too far to pose any threat to them, and though it was midday, Ira couldn’t even make out the sun with how much smoke was in the air.

The city still burns, it seems, Ira thought, wondering how many battles still raged. How many still fought for her failed rebellion?

“This way,” the princess said, guiding the two down the alley and into another. The wolves outpaced her, brushing past her legs, which caused her to yelp and jump aside.

“You’ve nothing to fear from them,” Ashani said lightly. “They’ll sooner die than harm you. They’re really quite gentle creatures, once you get to know them. Fiercely protective of their own.”

“Noted,” Ira said, though she wondered whether she counted as ‘their own.’ She kept those thoughts to herself, however.

Their destination was one of the secret passages she’d hoped to reach before Andros caught them.

This time, however, there was no risk of that. With the Ash Wolves and the goddess, Ira doubted Andros would have an easy time capturing them again. Not to mention Ashani could allow them all to escape at a moment’s notice, even if she herself couldn’t follow.

They arrived at the dingy door before long, where Ira took a few minutes to confirm that this was, in fact, the correct shack. Since Ira had never personally used it, she was forced to rely on the descriptions from her memory.

“I believe this is the one,” she said. “I lack the key. We’ll have to break it open.”

“Allow me,” Ashani said, stepping forward and placing her hand on the lock. A flash of light nearly blinded Ira. It was followed by a tiny crack of thunder.

The lock mechanism fell right off. “I may not possess the array of magic you all have, but I’ve a few tricks of my own,” the goddess said with a playful smile.

“I don’t doubt it,” Ira said, being careful not to look her in the eye.

Maiya, however, had no such compunctions.

“Thanks, Ashani,” she said, setting her hand on the goddess’ shoulder.

Ira’s heart surged in panic. “What are you—!?”

The goddess cut her off. Not with admonition or rebuke. But with giggles.

Ira took a moment to compose herself. Despite all that Maiya had said, how could she act so casually with the goddess? Every instinct of Ira’s screamed at her to admonish her friend, but she held her tongue.

“This way,” Ira said, guiding the others into the dark tunnel. The wolves surged ahead, seemingly unbothered by the lack of light, while the goddess willed her rod to glow, providing ample illumination.

They proceeded in silence through the tunnel. It forked at a junction, where Ira chose left, then right. An hour of walking later had them emerging in the middle of Jatan Forest, which bordered the capital to the east.

Maiya took a great breath and stretched the moment they were out. “Feels so good to be back on familiar turf! Ladies, if you will? I’ll take over from here.”

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Ira let Maiya lead them, and with each step, her premonition grew increasingly certain.

“You intend to take us to the Children of Ash’s sanctuary,” Ira stated.

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“Sorry,” Maiya replied, cringing. “I know this is the last place you want to be, but you did kinda make me their Blessed Chosen. It has its perks.”

Ira suppressed a shiver, simply nodding.

They hadn’t walked far before Maiya found the spot. A small mound—covered in vegetation—all but invisible against the vegetation surrounding it.

Maiya knocked twice, then thrice, then twice again, against a surface that was surprisingly solid.

The door swung open a moment later, and they were greeted by a wide-eyed acolyte. “B-Blessed Chosen!” he uttered before vanishing into the sanctuary.

“Not the normal response, I take it?” Ira asked.

“Not quite,” Maiya said grimly, as if resigned to whatever was about to happen.

The man returned momentarily, followed by no less than a dozen Children of the Ash, all of whom gushed over Maiya, surrounding her and touching her as though she were a goddess herself.

Ashani and her wolves, meanwhile, went utterly ignored.

Ira scoffed. If only they knew.

“I have returned,” Maiya said in a commanding voice. “Though I shan’t linger long. Bheem and Yamal. They’re present, I assume?”

“They are, your holiness!” an acolyte said.

“Good. Then take us to my chambers and summon them. I’ve little time. Do not waste it.”

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Remaining silent, Ira followed the entourage deeper into the compound. Blood was everywhere. Fresh, caked, and in every color tone imaginable.

I made her deal with this. For years.

Ira couldn’t help but admire Maiya’s masterful acting. She wore the role of Blessed Chosen well, shifting not just her demeanor, but her body language as well. Ira was well-acquainted with the skill. She used it every day, after all.

In just a few short years, Maiya had gone from a timid girl to a ruler. Perhaps a better ruler than herself. Would Maiya have prevailed, were she in her shoes? She certainly outlasted her will, seeking to escape when Ira had resigned herself to her fate.

The princess bit her lip. From subjecting Maiya to the Children of Ash to sending Handmaidens to their deaths, so many sacrifices had been made. So many decisions she’d written off as necessary evils. A sunk cost for a brighter world. Yet now, what worth was that? What use was it all in the end?

“We’re safe here,” Maiya announced the moment they entered her bedchambers. It was a surprisingly stark place, with little other than her bed, a dresser, and a table.

Maiya walked over to the dresser and opened it to reveal several robes as well as a set of handmaiden armor. The drawer below it contained an absolute fortune in orbs, from C Rank all the way up to A.

“You keep all of this here?” Ira asked, shocked. “In plain sight, where maids can find them?”

Maiya chuckled. “The Blessed Chosen can get away with a lot. Didn’t you see how they didn’t even blink an eye at you? Besides, Children cultists are all loyal to a fault. Nobody would dare enter my chambers without my express permission. Even if I was gone for months. I’d know. I set wire traps to alert me if anyone ever did.”

Ira shook her head. “Of course you did.”

“Now, Ira,” Maiya said, sizing her up. “Let’s get you in some armor.”

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Ira had only ever worn armor for ceremonial purposes. Heavy armor on her frail frame was always a heavy burden, and so Maiya chose mostly gambeson and cloth armor, seemingly tailored for her form.

“Cultists come in all shapes and sizes,” Maiya said with a shrug. “Most are scrawny and malnourished.”

Ira frowned at the implication but kept silent. It was true—perhaps eating better and forcing herself to exercise would have strengthened her, though with her condition, she had to wonder how much it would ever amount to.

Once both of them were kitted out and Maiya armed to the teeth in orbs, two cultists knocked and entered.

“Bheem! Yamal!” Maiya cried.

Ira recognized them immediately, having met them at Maiya’s manor in Sonam’s castle district.

“Maiya!” the skinny one, Yamal, cried, rushing to embrace her in a hug. “We feared for the worst. When that horned creature appeared… We were there when… Are you unharmed? Are you well? Who was that? The one who stole you away? We couldn’t believe our eyes! You and the princess, captured! Andros, dumped in his own boiling pool! The city has never been in so much chaos.”

“What!?” Maiya and Ira blurted at the same time.

The cultists glanced at Ashani, eyes lingering for far too long. Even in her disguised form, Ashani was far too beautiful to blend in. Did she not realize this?

After a polite cough from Maiya, Yamal ripped his eyes away to look at Ira, freezing upon recognizing her.

“P-Princess!?”

Ira immediately regretted the terror she’d instilled in them back then. She’d hoped to keep them in line. Keep them from troubling or taking advantage of Maiya. Now, it seemed, that plan had backfired.

Maiya grasped Yamal’s shoulder, turning him toward her. “What did you just say?”

“Ah?” Yamal blurted, confused. “Didn’t… Ah! Yes. You fell unconscious. From your wounds. We saw it all happen. I can only imagine what you—”

“Yamal, thank you for your concern. Truly,” Maiya said, cutting him off. “It genuinely means the world to me. And yes, I am safe. We were rescued in the nick of time and healed completely. As you can see. But I need to know. What happened to Andros?”

“Well,” Yamal coughed. “As I said, the horned demon threw him into the boiling pit before absconding with the two of you. Couldn’t quite see where he went, though. One moment he was there, and then, poof!” His eyes glanced back at Ashani, as though her presence confused him somehow. “Have we met, or…”

“Yamal!” Maiya admonished. “Andros! Is he alive?”

“Ah, yes! Apologies. He lives,” Yamal said. “At least, that’s what the prevailing rumors say. Yet we’ve not seen him since the incident. His Balarian Guard swarmed the plaza, breaking up the crowd.”

“His condition must be dire, or he’d have shown himself at once to pacify the city,” Ira commented. “No human magic can fully heal such wounds. I’d resigned myself to either dying in that pot or living out my days a cripple.”

“We don’t know what Artifacts Andros has,” Maiya said. “It’s possible he has something to defend him against burns. Says a lot about his resilience if not even Vir could kill him. There’s precious little in any realm that can boast that.”

“Indeed,” Ira said, frowning. “What of the rebellions? How fare Daha and Kartara?”

Yamal’s eyes dimmed. “Riyan managed to hold Kartara by a thread, though Andros’ forces have already moved to occupy Kaia and Ksaia. As for Daha, I’m afraid it has already fallen. Once the Altani got involved, there was no chance for Sanobar. Perhaps for the best, given the beast that you said lurks beneath its castle.”

“The prince,” Maiya said, grasping Yamal’s shoulder. “Is he alive?”

“I’m afraid Prince Sanobar perished in the fighting. His body was taken by the Altani.”

Ira ground her teeth. So much hope, so much effort, so many precious lives. All erased. Just like that.

“Then am I to understand that the Altani now control Daha?” Ira asked, voice strained.

Yamal laughed nervously. “No, princess. The Altani now control Hiranya. Andros’ forces were utterly wiped out. It hardly took a few hours.”

“It's Banshi’s Folly all over again,” Maiya muttered, referencing the incident hundreds of years prior where something almost identical had occurred.

“So it would seem,” Ira said darkly. “The Altani are not an inquisitorial people. They must truly fear the spread of the Ash, or they would never act this way.”

Getting them to give up Hiranya would be nigh impossible. While the Altani rarely ever invaded other countries, there was only one force in their entire history they’d ever ceded territory to. A force with neither face nor form, and could not be killed.

“A problem for another time,” Ira said quickly, reprioritizing. “We need to aid Riyan. Have the Altani moved to attack him as well?”

“No, your Highness,” Yamal said. “They’ve not sent a single mejai to Sai.”

Maiya frowned. “Awfully strange, considering we ran into two of them trying to take the city. The heck are those mejai thinking?”

“It is pointless to guess their intentions,” Ira said, shaking her head. “They might lie low for years, only to strike at an opportune moment like this one. They might be testing the waters, waiting to gauge Riyan’s resilience before acting. Many have tried to divine the Council’s actions. All have failed.”

“So, what do we do?” Yamal asked.

Ira fell silent. It was clear the Akh Nara was too preoccupied to send any forces. Perhaps in a few days, maybe a week. But Riyan needed help now. Who was left? Rani? They’d never interfere in foreign politics. Let alone militarily. Matali? A possible lead—Ira had sway there—yet as weakened as they were, what could they possibly offer?

No, the situation was utterly—

“There might be someone else,” Maiya said. “People we’ll need to rely on Vir for, but it shouldn’t take more than a few words and promises from him. I know them, too. I can act as mediator.”

“Who?” Ira asked, frowning in confusion before realizing Maiya’s intent.

“No. Not them!” Ira cried.

“Yes, them,” Maiya said. “I think it’s time we contacted the Pagan Order.”