His godfather had been right. The feeling was intoxicating. So much so that Vir feared he might grow irresistibly addicted to the sensation if he wasn’t careful. He scanned the demons. Most hadn’t even noticed the wolves that had been about to end them, let alone Vir’s actions.
Most. Not all. The few who’d managed to retain their wits despite the onslaught of prana regarded him with a varied range of expressions. Some stared wide-eyed, others with suspicion. There were a couple who prostrated—those worried Vir the most.
Vir Blinked to Balagra’s side as he worked his healing magic. “Will they live?”
Balagra grunted. The perspiration streaming from his face showed just how much stress the demon was under.
“Give me another five healers and I’d say we have decent odds. With just me? Best pray that Yuma smiles on us. No deaths so far. Whether that continues, only they can say.”
“Understood. I’ll not bother you then,” Vir said. “Let me know when we’re out of danger.”
The next several hours passed in tense anxiety as Balagra worked nonstop, rushing to one demon after the other.
Despite his words of caution, not a single one had perished. Vir didn’t credit the feat to Yuma or any of the gods.
The credit lay with Balagra alone, and his tireless efforts to ensure they all lived. How the demon drove himself so hard for so long, Vir couldn’t know.
All he knew was that he was immensely, deeply grateful for this miracle worker. Vir wasn’t sure he could ever properly thank Balagra for his actions on this day, but he certainly intended to try.
Despite what Balagra thought of himself—an outcast—he was a hero, through and through.
“How’s he doing?” Vir asked, looking at the sleeping form of the Naga, who’d shifted into his full serpent shape the moment he’d declared the demons safe.
“Well enough, considering the ordeal he’s just been through,” Malik said, crouching down beside him. “Now, I’m no healer, but I think he ought to be fine with some rest. Thank the prana of this realm. It either kills you or it turns you invincible.”
The gray demon was one among the many who would have perished without the healer.
“Not invincible,” Vir said with a small chuckle. “Not quite. Let me know when he’s awake. I’ve set the others to guard duty, but I’d feel a lot safer with Balagra on watch.”
“You and me both,” Lagen said, approaching with a couple of other demons Vir had scouted. Or rather, the only demons who hadn’t immediately succumbed to prana poisoning. “We owe our lives to this Naga. We’ll watch over him like mothers.”
“You sound as though you’re going somewhere,” Malik said.
“I am,” Vir replied. “We’re running through the last of our food and water. It is imperative I find a new source quickly.”
“What of the Ash Beasts?” Malik asked. “We may be able to drive off one or two weaker ones, but without you…”
“Don’t worry,” Vir said. “When Balagra awakens, you’ll be in good hands. Over the past hours, I’ve driven away or killed all beasts within a full mile of here, and I won’t be gone long.”
Lagen’s eyes met Malik’s, and they exchanged a look. Vir knew that look. That clearing the area for a mile ought to have been impossible, but both accepted his words as fact. They’d seen what he could do firsthand.
“We’ll do our best to stay alive while you’re gone,” Malik said at last. “Please, do be careful.”
Vir nodded. “You have my promise.”
Armed with a large rucksack filled with canteens and a couple of large cloths for hauling back any food he found, Vir set out, Leaping three hundred paces with each bound.
At that pace, it didn’t take long to locate a nearby forest, complete with more than enough fruits and wild edibles to feed the prisoners. Landing, he plucked several oversized melons similar to the ones Cirayus had brought for him when he’d first entered the Ash. After filling the bags, he pushed deeper, and came upon several springs. Protected by the forests’ canopy, this fresh water was likely what kept the forest alive. A common feature in the outer regions of the Ash.
As Vir worked to fill up the canteens, he thanked the gods for their luck. Yes, the transition had been arduous, but ultimately, they’d landed in the outer regions of the Ash as he’d hoped.
He’d had reason to hope, of course, with how weak the Ash Beasts had been where they’d entered the Boundary, but that was only a rough guideline at best. Cirayus once mentioned how, in the past, he’d been thrown deep into the Ash, despite having taken every precaution.
As Vir finished up with the spring, his thoughts turned to the longer-term. Food and water were essential, but those were easily solved with a source nearby. Shelter, was another matter entirely.
With the encampment the demons had made on the other side of the Boundary, protection was of utmost importance, even above basic needs.
Forests offered excellent concealment, though that cut both ways. The forest was alive with life, from insects far larger than they had any right to be, to ground critters, and everything in between. Ash Beasts were not the only fauna that survived in this realm.
With so much prana in the roots and trunks, Vir would be hard-pressed to spot predators before they attacked.
Even if he did notice them, an attack could come from any direction at any time. And what about when he was asleep?
Then again, the Ashen Realm offered few locations suitable for building a base. The base of a volcano was a possibility, but how would they ferry the materials needed to construct a true, fortified base? Rocks and boulders might’ve worked, but what they wanted were wooden palisades with proper gates.
And if Vir was the only one who could ferry supplies, he feared he’d spend most of his time doing just that.
No, they’d need something that was both defensible and convenient.
Vir looked at the tall, spindly trees that soared easily as high as the trees of the Godshollow.
The forest truly was the perfect location for constructing a fortified Garrison. Perhaps not out in the open, but if they cleared trees and built a fort… They could even dig a dry moat and erect sharpened pikes, giving them a clear field of view for any potential attackers. Their supplies even included basic survival items such as saws, axes, and knifes. With some work, such things could be fashioned.
Not only that, but the forest’s natural canopy shielded from the sight of Shrikes, and as for building materials… They would never run out. If they were smart, they could even build their Garrison right on top of a freshwater spring—eliminating their most pressing need.
The more Vir considered the idea, the better it sounded. Maybe the demons wouldn’t ever sleep in comfort in this blighted land. But at least they could sleep with a proper roof over their heads, and a sturdy wall to protect them.
And yet, how to lead those demons into such a place, where dangers could lurk around every corner?
It was this thought that weighed on Vir’s mind as he returned with fresh water and food.
It was on his mind when he set the supplies down and distributed it to his demons.
Hours later, most demons had regained consciousness, huddling near each other, either for warmth or protection. The camp was mostly silent, and the demons were sullen. Though they’d just survived an incredible ordeal, most were exhausted. Worse—their eyes lacked the flame of hope, and no amount of food or water would change that.
They needed something more.
Vir stood at the center of the seated demons, cleared his throat, and addressed them.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity to Vir, he shed his lies and his deceptions and addressed the camp as the person he truly was.