Word Count: 1859

I stare out the window of the carriage, watching the blur of the forest pass by.

The last time I was in a carriage like this, it came to a stop and Tai's men interrupted us. Now, not only does Marek sit in front of me, him and his dark clothing nearly melting into the shadows in the corner, Tai sits beside me.

Today is the day. Together, the three of us are heading deep into the Jade Provinces main forest, close to my home village outside Tai's territory to kill the Beast. For once, I have no desire to return home, where my mother will be, disgusted by the mention of my name. I'm still numb from that night. Only a few days have passed, and yet every time the thought of my mother passes through my mind, my stomach twists and my heart aches.

"This will warm you up," Tai murmurs from beside me, making me startle. Looking down, he has pulled a woollen blanket over my lap. I hadn't even realised I was cold, the early morning chill having crept into the cabin, winter emerging from nowhere.

I'm unsure of what is colder; the tension between Tai and Marek or the brittle air that still lingers from the darkness, the sun only just emerging through the trees, sending dappled light across the floor of the carriage, like golden ripples of silk.

I smile gratefully at Tai, who shivers himself beneath his tunic and coat. "Who knew the Jade Province was so cold."

Tai's estate isn't far from the border of the Azure Province, so I'm not surprised about the chill.

"It isn't from inside your wealthy manor," Marek mutters, looking out the window, expression passive, although his eyes are a tumultuous storm of atlantic blue. He hasn't given Tai so much as a glance since we stepped into the carriage, finding the passing view of the forest in all it's earthy colours far more fascinating.

"I'm assuming you're not affected by the cold because you're from the coldest Province in the land," I cut in before Tai has a chance to snap back. Marek looks at me, a warmth breathing life into his cool eyes. We haven't spoken since the other night after the event. Thinking about it has my toes curling within my shoes.

"Yes. The cold suits me," he admits, before resuming looking out the window. Next to me my window is foggy, the haunting glades beyond murky in my view.

I'm not excited for what a run in with the Beast may look like. His appearance is greatly contested, but at least if the man from the forest was right, he does in fact exist. Marek will do the killing, Tai and I only being here for support, which I hope will not be necessary.

"And once you're free, will you return to it," Tai mutters, drawing me from my thoughts again.

"Depends," Marek replies, his voice low and husky. "Depends on how long you plan to keep me as a slave to you."

I swallow, but my throat is so dry it hurts. Marek can't be blamed for hating Tai, not after everything he has done. Yet I had silently hoped the two would keep away from each others necks for the entirety of this trip. Especially since the sun has just risen, and we won't be close to my home village until the sun is setting.

"You killed my men," Tai growls lowly, his tone making me shudder.

"And now that I know what I do about you, I doubt you would have wanted me to take the risk that those men were rebels. Not when I had Akara with me," Marek says, already anticipating Tai's reaction. I shudder. Having these two men speak like this right in front of me is unnerving, sending my stomach twisting almost painfully.

Tai blinks, taken aback before a shadow passes over his face. "I'm sure you are well aware of what a rebel looks like."

I'm the only one in the cabin to appear startled by Tai's very sudden statement. Marek frowns only slightly, the confusion there for only a brief moment before he washes it away, replacing it with that stoic, hardened expression.

"What are you accusing me of, Taius?" he asks slowly, the tone lethal and threatening. I haven't even allowed myself to consider the idea of Marek being involved with the rebels; not when I know for certain he isn't. The rebels have a hand Tai's home, yes, but not through Marek.

There's no one in here I trust more.

"Let's not get into this," I murmur lowly, although my words don't even cut through the tension.

"You're right about me caring about Akara," Tai mutters, leaning back against the plush seats of the cabin, folding his arms over his chest. "I find hard it to believe that you don't have anything to do with the Summoner that targeted her."

"I would think carefully before accusing me of anything else," Marek warns while I gape silently between the two. "I despise the rebels for what they have done to Akara. But no one is to blame from that other than you."

I clear my throat. "We are meant to be working together today. Calm down."

"I agree," Tai exclaims, although doesn't take his eyes off Marek, clearly not done pushing him, waiting for a reaction that I already know won't come. He has spent too long of his life restraining himself, as far as I'm aware. Tai looks down at me. "I'm working on getting you out of there."

"Work harder. She doesn't deserve this," Marek mutters, gloved fingers tapping against his leg, breath fogging in front of him. He has dressed himself today in his hunting clothing, the black coat attached to a hood he has pulled over his head, bronze strands falling out messily from the front.

"Are you not frightened of your fate once Akara is gone? She is the only reason I have allowed you to get away with what you have," Tai reminds him, confirming what I already figured.

Marek shrugs. "I fear nothing from you, King."

"Likewise, Hunter."

I release a long, painful sigh. Marek has weapons tucked in his coat, all of which he has the ability to inflict immense amounts of damage with his adept skill. Tai must know this, and being that with every minute that passes, we are gaining distance from his manor, I would imagine he would be worried about what Marek is likely considering. Marek admitted he would kill Tai if he got the chance...He has every opportunity at this very moment.

"Can we keep the fighting to a minimum, please?" I quietly beg, ensuring they both absorb my sharp look. Marek watches me for a long, lingering moment before glancing away out the window, not arguing anymore. Tai shifts uncomfortably, also not pushing it.

Resting my head against the wooden interior of the cabin, I close my eyes. This is going to be a long trip.

For the rest of the day, we remained relatively silent. Tai spoke at times, making comments about the lush Jade Province that he clearly isn't as familiar with as me. Marek remained to himself, looking nowhere else but the passing scenery.

We arrived after nightfall, nowhere close to civilisation. The point of this is to ensure we are amongst what is known to be the Beast's territory in order to cause the least amount of disturbance. Out here, it's unlikely we will come across anyone, even other Tani, as this is strictly a territory belonging to the Beast.

After camping uncomfortably through the night, we have awoken at sunrise to begin walking. This may be a long search for the Beast, and we may come out with nothing...not to mention it's lightly drizzling, my curls already damn and unruly, Tai suffering from a similar fate.

"This is just miserable," I mutter hopelessly after our first two hours of walking, my feet already aching in my boots as I step uneasily through the bush, our wandering having gone off track.

Marek looks over his shoulder, looking over me to ensure I'm still managing. "We should try cover as much ground today as possible."

"Yes sir."

I smother my smile, Tai's quip not going unnoticed by any of us. The King walks behind me, his title no longer meaning anything in the depths of this forest. Here, there are no other sounds than the fresh breeze lacing through leaves, or the gentle patter of rain on the rich earth. Even the creatures that dwell out here are deathly silence, keeping to the trees or undergrowth.

"Remember, I'm the only one who can kill him. If he attacks, run," Marek tells me, pushing back bush for the rest of us to step through.

"Gotcha Marek," I respond, knowing I want nothing to do with killing the Beast. If I kill him, being human, I will be taken down with him. Still, I'm careful in the way I look around, seeking the sight of leering green eyes of a beastly form that I've only been drawings of.

I'm not sure how much longer we walked for until we spoke properly again. After exhaustion nearly swept me off my feet, Marek took my pack, shouldering both. Tai hasn't complained much, which I imagine is out of pride, not wanting to appear weak before the hunter. Although the weather has let up, a icy chill still dwells in the breeze, fog gathering around our ankles.

"I don't think we are going to find him," I admit finally.

"It's the perfect hour to find him. We have to be close," Marek breathes lowly. I'm not sure what strategies he has employed to find the Tani, but it's more than I or Tai can comprehend. This is what he is good at, and it's evident he knows what he is doing, and where he is going, having prepared before we left.

"Look, I know you're the hunter here, but I don't think it's a good idea to keep traversing in the dark," Tai says uneasily.

Just as I go to turn around to look at him, willing to agree, I feel my feet suddenly fall through a hole in the ground, dragging the rest of my body down. My hips fall through, my arms managing to grasp at the ground, holding me up for only a second before the dewy grass slips through my fingers and the rest of my body tumbles through the hole.

And suddenly, all I see is darkness.

🤍••🤍

If you guys want to read ahead, you can read more of KING'S POSSESSION on Radish! It's chapters ahead of Wattpad (:

🌨••🌨

I'm officially rewriting Alpha Jasper's story now on Radish! It will be following the same storyline with the same characters, but with revised scenes and some new ones!

I love Jasper's story so much that I wanted to go back and rewrite it. I hope you guys will enjoy it, you can find it now on Radish (:

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~Midika 💜🐼