The morning light broke across the trees in slanted gold blades. Frost clung to every branch, and the snow cracked under her barefoot pivot. Her silver eyes cut through the fog like daggers of their own.

  Ash watched the elf girl training just as the sun had risen, she had said she wanted to loosen her muscles but he suspected she just wanted to see if anything changed in her body after contact with the goddess the night before.

  When he had woken up he had found her training, she said nothing more than needed to. He was glad to see she was fine.

  He cuddled the leopard pup in his arms, it had seemed to realise that he gave more warmth than the world around him so it never left his side.

  Ash wished for one thing above any other and that was a steaming, sweet bowl of soup. "Hey can I join you? You could teach me."

  The elf paused mid slash and looked at him, her silver eyes reflecting the sun's rays. "I will not be teaching a human boy, sacred traditional combat."

  Ash frowned at her. "I have a name, it's Ash."

  "And I have a name, it's Lyra." She said nonchalantly as she slid her daggers back into her side. "Use it well."

  Hearing that made Ash's face beam with a smile, before he could say a word she cut him off. "Let's get moving."

  Ash climbed to his feet keeping the leopard pup in his cloth, "Do you know where we're going or how long we'll take to get there."

  Lyra replied. "Solspire is at the human border of the rift. It will take a couple months to get there."

  "A couple months?" He asked. "Why am I going there, is there someone who can help me there?"

  Lyra's reply shocked him.kore than he was prepared for. "Your mother is waiting for you there, she can explain why you are so important. I can tell you that you are carrying a baby god in you."

  "My mother, I have a mother?" Ash stopped in his tracks.

  Lyra stopped and looked back at him, "Please don't have a nervous breakdown, we have enough problems as it is."

  A mother? The word echoed like an unfinished lullaby. In his dreams, there had always been a shadow—arms he couldn’t reach, a voice he couldn’t place. Could it be real?

  The prospect of having a mother all this time sounded scandalous, if so where had she been, had she left him. Did she know what was going on with him? Or was the elf lying to him to get him to cooperate with her?

  "Ash, not all of us have peachy moms and dads either, walk it off." She turned and started to walk. To her surprise he followed her without saying a word more.

  The leopard pup whined, it could sense the change in their mood.

  Ash pet it on the head, "I'm alright Snow, just surprised."

  Lyra called out, her voice almost sounding amused. "Snow?"

  "She's white and fluffy so she's snow." Ash replied.

  Lyra noticed how his mood had dropped since she made the reveal about his mother. She slowed her pace till they were almost walking side by side. "How did you grow up?"

  He opened his mouth about to speak but closed it back shortly after, he stayed that was for a few seconds. Looking as the canopy of trees before finally speaking. "Why the interest in my past now?"

  She pondered on her next words carefully before she spoke. "It's my mistake, I should not have asked." She awkwardly pinched her thighs as she increased her pace slightly.

  Ash watched her from behind, his eyes heavy with worry. He was not sure why she was interested in him now or if it meant anything, but he desperately wanted to speak to someone after all this time. She had been cut off from him since they met, though he did not respect that.

  He sighed and spoke, "I was raised in the home of the village chief Orric, I grew up with his first son Tomas. He was my best friend, he was the only person who did not make fun of my dreams. He called it my fantasies, said I would make a good artist one day."

  Ash's words fell short as he remembered the fate that befell them.

  Lyra hesitated before asking. "Did you love it there?"

  There was a long silence before he replied. "That would be an understatement, the whole village we watched out for each other. It almost never crossed my mind that they were not my blood, but they were family."

  Lyra pursed her lips, she reached out her hand to him. Ash's heart skipped a beat as he hands landed on the leopard pup's head. She pet it and smiled slightly, "Snow is a great name, Rizhen would have loved it."

  Ash locked eyes with her. "Who's Rizhen."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Her eyes glittered as she spoke. "My boyfriend." She pulled away slowly.

  Ash's face fumed with embarrassment, unable to hide his surprise he screamed. "You have a boyfriend?"

  She glared at him, "You think I'm too young to--"

  He cut her off before she could finish. "Who would want to be with a cold, mean pompous girl like you."

  Lyra stopped and stared daggers at him. Her eyes started to twitch as she fumed silently, she grumbled under her breath. "Humour me, how many girlfriends do you have?"

  Ash whistled innocently as he started to speed off.

  "Damn human", she cursed under her breath.

  Far behind them, deep within the forest’s dying mist, the remnants of the bandit horde regrouped.

  "Boss, I don't think they made it across." Said one of his men, a tall thin man bearing a sickle by his side.

  Korran Hoxshore, ordered his men to turn back. "Let's get going, we still have goods to deliver. No use chasing after strays who'll die in the forest."

  They started to leave, horses pulling the wagons away. Korran looked across the river and grimaced, he spat into the water and turned to leave. He took a few steps when he started to hear the water bubbling behind him.

  He paused, his back felt a cold touch on them. "What the hell was that?"

  He looked around to see no one behind him, the sound of the rushing water continued as well as the strange bubbling coming from the rivers edge.

  Korran was skeptical on checking it when he started to hear whisperes coming from the water.

  It was low, almost impossible to hear. It was hard to describe what it sounded like, whether it was male or female. But one thing was clear, every words that he heard caused his body to shudder.

  "No, I can't have been wrong..."

  "I sensed that bitch's power here, why did she descend...?"

  Korran, took out his huge battle axe he had strapped to his side. "Who the hell is there? Show yourself."

  The voice stopped but the bubbling continued.

  And without warning the voice started again.

  "Oh, we have an audience don't we? Don't be shy, show yourself."

  Korran remained where he stood for another minute, waiting for the voice to speak again but it didn't. He slowly moved over to the edge and peeked to see bubbles rising from the water, within the bubble was the most hideous figure he had ever scene.

  It stared at him, and the most heart wrenching voice came from it. "Yes, you will do nicely."

  Korran screamed as he watched a black trident pierce through his chest. He staggered backwards and crashed into a tree, the trident slipped out of his chest.

  Black blood poured out of the gaping hole in his chest and with it a huge never ending moving of maggot crawled out of him.

  Korran screamed like a mad man, crying for help. For him men to return. The water continued to bubble and a melancholic cackle rose from it.

  "Boss, I don't think they made it across." One of his men called to him, it was a tall thin man bearing a sickle by his side.

  Korran Hoxshore stood there at the edge of the river dazed, he looked down at the water but there were no bubbles. He checked his chest for a gaping hole but there was none.

  "Boss, I know they kill one of ours but we can't let the goods rot now can we?" His man insisted.

  Korran turned to them, he spoke as confidently as he could but failed to muster as much courage. "Yes, no use chasing those strays."

  They nodded and started to return with the carriage.

  Korran rubbed his temples. "Damn, did I drink too much last night? Fuck me." His heart was still racing by the hundred.

  He looked over at the river one last time before turning to leave, as he started to leave one thing shocked him.

  He could see a small number of black maggots digging their way into the earth and vanishing underneath.

  Korran felt his skin crawl, he hurried out of the place like he was being chased by a ghost. "I'll be damned, I've finally gone mad."

  Snow spat out another of the grapes Ash had tried to feed it, it looked at him, it's bright blue eyes in defiance. When he tried to pet it, it but his hand breaking through the skin and spilling his precious blood.

  Ash hissed out as he pulled away. "I don't think snow leopards like grape that much." He looked up at the tree where Lyra stood on a tree branch scouting the way forward.

  She looked forward, all she could see was trees too dense to see anything through. "Unless you can hunt some meat for it yourself I suggest you give it some of yours."

  "Ha, ha. Very funny." He said with a hint of sarcasm. He took the pup from his satchel and dropped it ground, it while at him. "Don't look at me with like that, I can't go on smelling like piss every time. If you wanna pee, do it in nature. I'm nm your toilet."

  Lyra scoffed. "I don't know you look like a toilet to me."

  Ash dropped down on a massive tree root that grew out of the ground. "Why don't you carry her for once."

  The elf girl did not respond, she simply pouted her cheeks and thought to herself. "All this forest and you humans don't even appreciate nature. Typical primates."

  Ash watched Snow try to walk, she fell every time she did. He smiled, an idea popped in his head in that moment. "Listen, can you teach me how to fight like you do?"

  Lyra groaned, "If you think I am going to teach a human the sacred arts of my people, you-- why am I even talking to you?"

  Two days had passed since their encounter with the goddess by the frozen river, their journey forward since then had been decided by her and her alone. She barely spoke, but when she did he tried to have as much of a conversation as he could. Or to the extent she allowed.

  Ash raised his voice. "Um, are we lost?"

  Lyra dismounted of the branch and landed before him, she exhaled and pushed strands of silver hair from her face and said. "Yes, we are. Unfortunately."

  Ash groaned loudly, "How did you even find me?"

  She sat down next to him cross legged, her face written in frustration. "I followed the sentinels through a portal." She looked at Snow who had managed to stay standing on her four legs for a minute before falling on its belly.

  "A portal, is that like a kind of vehicle?" He asked, oblivious to what it was.

  Lyra continued to look at Snow, she replied; her tone cold. "I wasn't supposed to come here, to get you I mean. I'm not fully a moonblade assassin, but here I am."

  Ash leaned in closer to year her.

  She glared at him. "What are you doing?"

  He pulled back slightly, "You were talking way too low."

  "Was I?" She groaned before she continued. "After my parents death, by law I was to take up their position as a moonblade assassin. We are usually stationed at the border of the new and old world, the rift to protect and put an end to any threat to our world."

  The new and old world was not a concept Ash was new to. He had heard that the world was split in two, severed by an ancient magic.

  The new world was the world inhabited by humans, a world of innovation and power. The old world was inhabited by the dragons and elves, a world of magic and culture.

  "I was very young at the time, I was trained to live up to their reputation. I passed all the tests, except one." She pinched her knee and bit her lower lip.

  Snow finally managed to stand on its feet, it yelped for joy but was surprised to find out it was not being taken seriously. It fell down disappointed.

  Ash could see Lyra's eyes, they were white with fear. She caughted him staring, she covered her face with her hands and fell backwards. A muffled scream left her lungs, Ash watched her in amusement.

  "You need some time?" He asked in a serious manner.

  She dropped her hands by her side, her face looked red. Her hair spread out around her like millions of white silver spears, reflecting the sun's rays.

  She heaved a deep sight, "To become a real member I have to have killed a trespasser, usually they bring back their head as proof."

  "That's awful." He gasped. "So you haven't, um--"

  Her face burned even more. "Yes, I haven't killed one dumb human till then."

  Ash found that hard to believe, "But you hate humans don't you? Or you hate me at least."

  She looked at him, then at the trees over her. "Maybe I do, or maybe I don't. The world hates humans, maybe that's enough for me."

  Ash tried to understand, but it only left him more confused. "You said you weren't meant to be here, why are you here?"

  Lyra shut her eyes, she let her tired bones relax. "The sentinels tried to come through, we fought them off. Or tried, or tried to. They opened the portal and I followed against the wishes of the others."

  Ash responded. "That's dumb."

  "Your mother's voice guided me, called to me. And here I am." She said.

  "So, you don't know the way to Solspire?" He asked.

  She bit her lower lip before she answered. "Solspire is an ancient land within the new world rumoured to be close to the border, it shouldn't be hard to find."

  Ash barely managed to suppress a yawn, he looked from her to Snow who was barely walking before falling to the ground. He picked up the little pup and cuddled it. "Going through the forest will only make our journey harder. There should be a small town somewhere here, old man Orric, Tomas and I used to go there to buy fire wood and sell produce."

  Lyra barked at him with cold rage, "No human settlement."

  Ash was shocked by her surprise. "They are nice people, I know them."

  She glared at him, her silver eyes passing on a powerful message. "No, humans."

  He hesitated before replying with a slow nod. "No humans, got it. It'll be dark soon, we'd best find somewhere to lie low before the frost comes."

  Lyra closed her eyes and let her thoughts empty themselves. She remembered the look on the face of the first man she had killed, she remembered the colour of her blood, she remembered how warm it was. She did not regret it but, she hated the fact that she had killed him.

  It happened so fast, she never wanted to be put in a situation where she would have to resort to end a man's life. But if anyone stood in the way of her and her mission, she would not hesitate.

  Up till now she had thought Ash was simply the vessel to the flame but was she wrong. She had only recently learned that he was delicate.