Page 5 of When Death Called Life Home (When Deities Awaken #1)

Chapter 5

Death’s Protection

ASCIAN

S leek, strong muscles moved beneath Ascian’s palm. The familiar tan, smooth coat of Alamea brought with it a spike of adrenaline as leaves and branches whizzed past the man’s head. The staff of his scythe bumped against his back with each long stride the beast took over the forest floor.

Most Elysians gained a guardian in their childhood. Each almost identical to a regular predatory animal, but large enough to carry who they chose on their backs, and with an extra feature unique to each individual. Alamea resembled that of a puma, but with a black outlined pattern of what appeared to be the amorsa petals covering her belly, and irises of pure gold.

Elysian’s rarely shared the name of their guardian with anyone else. The few times he knew of, was between those whose souls had been joined, an act more sacred than a guardian’s name. To tie yourself to someone in such a way could only mean there was nothing but pure trust between the pair.

He knew where they headed. It’d been the only place to rise to his mind when he realised a portal had been opened. Driven by hope that he was right and yet terrified to be so. For if the same portal that opened three years ago had been opened again, only one reason arose. One ridiculous and stupid reason.

Alamea slowed beneath him, dropping into a soft trot and then even more until she slunk low though thick bushes. Ascian lifted his arm to prevent branches from scratching at his face, keeping as low as he could on his guardian’s back. Her ears remained pinned back, flicking up for split seconds at one minute intervals until she finally laid down completely.

Through the leaves, a woman in barely any clothing stood face to face with a serpent. Curiosity and fear battled each other in every single inch of her features. In every movement, too. She leaned towards it while her feet shuffled back. Eyes wide, yet fingers twitched to reach out and touch the scaled skin. Ascian wondered if she were even conscious of her own actions.

He slipped from Alamea’s back, lifting to his full height and walking into the overgrown clearing. His grip moved his scythe easily to draw the serpents attention, mimicking its smooth motions in a dance of dominance. The serpent judged his movements, their speed and accuracy.

For its size, it would barely be ten years old, young by all accounts and yet it had learnt when to spot a threat and calculate outcomes of a fight before striking. It’d come across Reapers before. A whistle of warning and the creature disappeared without a second thought.

He turned towards the woman, her attention still on that of the retreating serpent though it could no longer be seen amongst the foliage. A brightness lightened her eyes, intelligence shining within that he hadn’t witnessed in three years. She looked familiar, but Ascian couldn’t figure out whether there were only parts of her that felt familiar or if it were her as a whole.

“You’re lucky you’re still breathing,” he hummed.

Her gaze flickered to him, captivating a foreign pull deep within his chest. For a brief second he forgot how to breathe. Forgot he needed oxygen in order to continue living. It was a feeling he shoved down, forced into the acid of his stomach to be eaten away to nothing. Only when he’d gained back control did he step towards her.

“The young are the most savage in their kills, they normally don’t think twice before striking. You had it pausing…”

In truth, he understood completely why it had paused. There was an energy to her, an aura surrounding her being, that even he paused at. Why wouldn’t it stop creatures of the forest? Serpents, though? A creature often loyal to witches and witches only? That’s what he couldn’t place his finger on.

“Why…?”

She yanked her face from his touch and left his hand midair, unable to remember when he’d moved it there. When he’d decided that touching her would be a good idea.

“Perhaps I do not smell appetising.” Her silvery voice caressed his mind, like it begged his walls to drop just for it, not that she appeared to have the intent. If anything, she closed herself off the more he assessed her. The brightness in her eyes shifted to something darker. “What is it? The creature?”

“We simply call them serpents. Some say only the witches truly know what they are, but their existence is dwindling, too.” He paused, eyes narrowed in on her further. “But most Elysian’s know that.”

Panic flashed as her eyes widened. Ascian tilted his head, tongue running along the back of his teeth in thought. She didn’t give off human energy, yet she didn’t know a simple fact about serpents.

“Alora!”

The blood flowing in his veins iced over. Shivers running up his spine, setting the hair on the back of his neck on its ends. He stumbled back as he took her in again, her head turning towards Kallias’ sharp voice.

Alora.

He couldn’t be here. Not now, not with her. Pain sliced his chest and he turned and stalked back to Alamea, who moved as soon as she felt him on her back. Ascian didn’t know their direction. Not for a start. His mind buzzed with newfound knowledge.

Alora was home. She was in Elysia, breathing and walking like any normal person here, but different in a way. Something was missing, he just couldn’t pinpoint what . He couldn’t think about it now, though, in the middle of the forest, while Alamea was vulnerable and concentrating on their path rather than the world around them.

It took him a few minutes to figure out where they were and where they headed, then Verena came into view. Her long, pointed nails caged around a pale neck.

Alamea stopped and Ascian swung his leg off to slide down her body onto his feet. He approached casually, sliding his hands into his pockets and pausing a few feet behind them both. He curved his lips into an amused grin.

“You should’ve stayed closer to your precious trees,” he purred.

Verena’s head shifted at his voice. She would’ve heard his approach, her hearing far more exceptional than any reaper he’d met. It was one of the many reasons she was an asset to his team. Another mutation, perhaps, much like her eyes.

The nymph she held against a large boulder appeared equally feminine and masculine. Blue hair with the slightest wave sat just above their shoulders, a single braid curving over their right, arched ear with gold laced through it. They had pale skin with rosy cheeks, human-like even, but what caught Ascian’s attention the most was their mismatched eyes. One, a stunning blue like that of a crystal clear ocean, and the other a third that same blue while the other two thirds were a gold a shade deeper than the strand in their hair.

The nymphs were always present within the forest, able to travel through the trees or water when at their full strength. Not even the Vitarce knew the full extent of their abilities.

“I was just asking them who opened the portal,” Verena informed him.

“And why would you assume it wasn’t me?” They snapped back, eyes darting between the two reapers.

A deep chuckle escaped Ascian’s throat, an almost true humorous one. “Well, for starters, only pure-blooded nymphs can access the power to open one and you, little deathly one, are half Elysian.”

A glob of spit landed directly in front of Ascian’s feet, his nose scrunched as his lips curled into a snarl.

“And secondly, I just came from where the portal was opened so unless you can name who you supposedly opened it for...” Ascian cocked an eyebrow and waited.

The nymph swallowed, silence stretching out between them. Verena’s fingers twitched closer to the nymph’s neck, a hunger filling her scarlet gaze.

“You have ten seconds, little one, before my claws come out to play cat and mouse,” Verena purred, her sultry voice, despite the threatening tone, had a flush creeping up the nymph’s cheeks and they started to fidget and twitch against the rock.

“Vaine!” They snapped at the last second, a whine following. “Kallias Vaine.”

Ascian went still, jaw clenching at the name simply spoken aloud. It’d been three long years since he’d heard it. They’d been peaceful, too, as peaceful as could be when the two sides were constantly battling on the soul fields.

He’d suspected it to be him, especially after hearing him call Alora’s name. Alora, who hadn’t been seen for those three years. It didn’t matter if she were the reason behind him opening the portals, though, Kallias knew the risks and had still gone through with it without permission. Because of him, a human had fallen through and as such, payment was required.

“Ascian.” The concerned tone brought him from his thoughts. Back to Verena who’d diverted her attention away from the nymph to ensure her commander was okay. Even the nymph, mismatched eyes widened, watched him with careful thoughtfulness.

“I’m fine,” he muttered in response to Verena, then cleared his throat. “Name?”

“Why?”

Ascian grabbed his scythe from his back as he closed the distance between them and grabbed the nymph’s hand, slicing the pad of it with the tip of the scythe’s blade. “Name.”

“Mace,” they quickly spat out, hissing from the sting of the cut.

Ascian pressed the side of the blade against it, their blood filled the tiny, intricate carvings and turned into a gold and silver masterpiece. He lifted the blade and once more pressed the tip of it onto the nymph’s wound, draining the now golden blood back into their veins.

Verena drew her grip from Mace’s throat with a frown.

“Verena, take them back to the Golden Grotto. I’ll deal with them once I return.”

Verena tensed, wrapping her fingers around Ascian’s bicep and squeezing tightly. “Can I have a word with you?”

The man barely gave her a glance. “No. We’ll speak when I return to the Grotto.”

Her grip tightened further, the skin between her splayed fingers growing to be a bloodless pale. Ascian easily latched his scythe to his back once more and gripped the wrist of her hand holding his arm, tightening until he felt the bones shift within. He knew why Verena fought him. Why she didn’t want to accept the task he’d provided her with. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last that she ever pushed her limits of power.

His grip tightened a fraction more and a pained groan left Verena’s lips. “Do you need another lesson, vepueri ?”

Every visible part of her face grew taut, her eyes shading with a dark glaze. Ascian raised an eyebrow and pushed the question further. The one thing he appreciated when it came to Verena undermining his decisions was that she’d never once done it in front of others before. Never questioned him when it might make him appear less in control than he truly was, and yet here she was doing just that. He should cut her soul for it.

“No,” she caved, releasing her hold on his arm and trying to pull her wrist from his grip.

Ascian didn’t let go right away, and instead pulled her closer, lip curling up to display his sharp canines. “If there is a repeat of this, be assured you’ll leave my presence without a soul. Whatever warmth you may have left within that heart of yours: gone.”

Verena stared him dead in the eyes. Something akin to fear peeked out from behind her darkness, a steady realisation that Ascian wouldn’t play favourites with her. No, he’d allowed this to reoccur too often and she’d grown comfortable. Too aware of his leniency towards her. Perhaps it was cruel for him to flip the switch so quickly, to let her think it was okay to do for so long and then the one time she finally does it in front of another, to threaten her soul. In all honesty, Ascian didn’t particularly care. He was done playing nice.

“Do you understand?” Ascian pushed.

“Yes,” Verena spat and yanked her wrist free when she felt his grip loosen. “I’ll see you back at the Grotto.”

He watched her grab the material of Mace’s shirt and pull them from behind the boulders, over to where her fox waited patiently. They climbed upon its back and with a single look back at Ascian the creature took off, sprinting through the trees and dodging low-hanging branches that could swipe the two off its back.

Only when they were out of sight did Ascian let the tension drain from his muscles and into the dirt beneath him. His head fell back, eyes closing as he drew in a long, shaky breath. A large head bumped against his hand then against his body. The puma’s tail curled around Ascian’s feet, her large golden eyes staring up at him when he found the strength to open his own.

A partner would be a better way to describe the beasts. Ascian knew why they were labelled guardians, but in that moment all he could see was a friend and a partner. Someone who never judged his actions, no matter how repulsive they were. The original Elysians must have created the bond through pain and trauma, for no other species appeared to form that same bond. No other species appeared to need the same bond to keep their humanity.

“We’re not finished hunting yet, Alamea,” he whispered, pressing his head to hers. The feline purred loudly, standing and brushing her body around his before crouching. Ascian climbed onto her back, feeling the muscles along it shift once more. His own responded, balancing himself, comfortably gripping her body in a way he’d done thousands of times previously. It required no conscious effort to provide the required pressures or taps where needed in order to ask her to go in a certain direction, and he doubted any conscious effort was required on her end to interpret those directions.