Ashborn Primordial

Chapter Ashborn 404: The Final Hours

Annas strode through Samar Patag’s castle with the bold, confident steps of one who owned it. And while he might not live here, he may as well be its lord. Before the Tournament, Annas had already been a veteran—respected and highly decorated within the Chitran military.

And while one might be forgiven for thinking his infuriating loss would have put a black mark on that reputation, it was anything but.

From the lowliest servants to the highest Rulers, Annas received bows of deference and nods of respect as he passed. For he had done what none of that dared. He’d fought the Akh Nara. He’d even dared to kill him. And for that, he was now the most beloved kothi in all of Chitra.

It was that which granted him his most important of meetings with the Raja and the governor of Samar Patag.

“Enter,” a muffled voice said from within the audience chamber. Armored guards on either side opened the great wooden doors, carved with hundreds upon hundreds of intricate scenes from Gargan history. The art was beautiful. The content was not.

The sight of Gargan victories—several over his own clan—nearly made Annas sick.

“You,” Annas said to one of the guards.

“Yes, sir?”

“I want these carvings gone, understand? I don’t care if you have to replace the doors, or if you have to enlist a hundred Gargan slaves. Actually… Yes,” Annas snarled. “Have the chisel out the carvings on this door. Let them understand that their heritage has been erased for all time. That would be fitting, don’t you think?”

Another perk of being the clan’s darling. No one dared refuse him.

Annas shook his head. As cathartic as revenge was, that was not his aim today. No, today he had a far greater purpose. A chance to put the Akh Nara threat behind them. For good.

“Well met, Anna,” Raja Matiman said, walking over to grasp Annas’ arm.

“And to you, my Raja,” Annas replied, bowing his head. Matiman was one of the few he bowed to these days. One of the few he respected.

Annas’ eyes flicked to the other kothi in the room. The panderer. “Asuman,” Annas spat, as if the very word caused him pain. This was not a demon he would ever bow to. The kothi’s very existence was a blight to their kind. Why the Raja allowed that snake to remain in power, Annas did not know. He wondered if Matiman would take offense if Annas were to arrange for something bad to happen to the Gargan sympathizer. He wondered if he would be granted the position of governor after…

Annas licked his lips. Tempting. Very tempting.

“Now, tell us what news you have for us in these dark times,” Matiman said, gesturing for a seat around large rectangular table that had been placed at the center of the great hall. It was a testament to the Raja’s respect for him that he did not sit upon the throne that sat in the distance, but rather joined him at the table.

Matiman sat some seats away, perhaps aware of Annas’ distaste for him.

“I come to you with both news and a plan. As you are no doubt aware, the Akh Nara recently visited the Iksana.”

“To think they let him leave there alive,” Matiman sneered. “The Iksana have gone soft.”

“I’m afraid it is worse than that. I know not how or why, but Zarak’Nor, our staunch ally against the Akh Nara, seems to have died while the Akh Nara was there.”

Matiman scowled. “This is the first I am hearing of this! How is this possible?”

“Likely because Raja Sagun’Ra himself ordered it be kept secret.”

“You mean to say,” Matiman said, his voice barely above a whisper, “that our Iksana allies have turned against us?”

Annas pursed his lips. “It appears that so, Raja. Not only have we lost Nor, we may have lost the Iksana as well.”

The room fell silent for a long moment, giving Annas the perfect opportunity to strike.

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“As such, I do not believe we can rely on the information our informant… this cult leader, Raoul, has provided. For one, he may very well be feeding us misinformation.”

“We have taken this into account,” Asuman said, clearing his throat and speaking for the first time during their conversation. “Raoul believes the enemy will strike from the forests to the south, and from the sky. While we are building protections to deal with these threats, we fully plan to keep the army within the walls of Samar Patag. Whatever the Akh Nara cooks up, we will be ready for it.”

“I hope so, Asuman,” Annas said. “For your sake. After your handling of the recent Gargan incidents, one must wonder whether you are sufficiently motivated to our cause.”

“I assure you, my loyalty lies with Samar Patag,” Asuman said heatedly. “If the city falls, so do I. I have every intention of keeping it.”

Annas leaned back. Now was not the time to attack Asuman. If his plan were to succeed, he’d need the governor’s cooperation, as much as it irked him.

“I suggest an alternate plan. One only those of us in this room will be privy to. This looming war… Even victorious, it will prove a disaster for our clan. Many will die. Much chaos will be sown, and the recovery will take years. Why not nip the situation in the bud?”

Matiman narrowed his eyes. “And what would you propose?”

“Killing the Akh Nara, of course,” Annas said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, yes, why not?” Asuman said.

Annas could feel the sarcasm dripping from those words alone.

“Why not kill demigod who defeated the Ravager—who defeated you, need I remind you. Lest we forget he is surrounded by an army of Warriors trained in the Ash. Or his airships. Or the fact that a being capable of creating Ash Gates from thin air seems to accompany him everywhere he goes. Even otherwise, Raoul says his base is deep within the Ash. Merely venturing there would kill us. Even you.”

“I don’t like your tone, Asuman,” Matiman said, but his expression was grim.

“My apologies, Raja,” Asuman said at once. “Just that it is easy to make bold claims. Another entirely to accomplish them.”

“You are right,” Annas said, surprising the other kothis. “Which is why we must be intelligent. We are kothis, are we not? We must lure him out of his cave. Lure him to a place of our choosing. Where the prana is deficient. Where we will set a trap.”

“And who would act as bait for this lure?” Matiman asked, steepling his fingers.

Annas smiled, but there was no warmth in his expression. “I believe I have the perfect candidate.”

Hiya darted through the slums, moving just slow enough not to attract attention. Partway through, she bumped into Ekta, who nodded and fell into step beside her.

Hiya felt like they were everywhere these days, ordering around demons who were stronger than she’d even thought possible.

Seriously, how did they even get that strong? They were supposed to be Laborers. Laborers! Farmers and workers, more comfortable with pickaxes and hoes than talwars and halberds. And yet, their very presence alone gave Hiya the jitters. It was like they leaked power—though, now that she thought about it, the Akh Nara didn’t do that. Did that mean he was weaker than them?

No, that couldn’t be right. The Akh Nara was invincible. A living god.

It wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t Hiya be like that? If those farmers could change, so could she!

And now, Hiya was telling them what to do! Didn’t that make her even more powerful than them?

She shook her head. No. Not really. Maybe Bolin might have thought that way, once. He would’ve let the power go to his head. Hiya… knew better.

She bit her lip. She just wished she had actual power. Like the Akh Nara. Or even these Laborers-turned-Warriors.

“It’s safe to go now,” she whispered, having just ducked into a rundown shack that was a front for the mining operations inside.

“Thanks, miss,” a red demon said, ruffling her hair with a fond smile. “Don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Hiya pulled away, scowling. She hated it when they did that. Treating her like a child, when she was the one scouting for Chitran patrols… Could they at least give her some respect?

When Janani had recruited her and Ekta, she’d been skeptical, but it made sense. No one suspected her. She could walk right by a Chitran patrol—even tail them—without them guessing a thing.

Stupid kothis, Hiya thought darkly. They don’t even know we have two gods on our side.

When Vaak—the Akh Nara—had appeared and given that speech, Hiya’s knees had nearly buckled. She’d hid her face, not wanting him to see her tears. It was happening! It was finally happening! Janani would no longer have to work herself to the bone to care for them!

And Ekta would no longer have to grow up as an Outcast Calling. That alone was reason enough to give her life to the cause.

Even Svar would benefit, though that boy could drown in a ditch for all Hiya cared. It gave her no small amount of satisfaction bossing him around whenever she could. That had been one of the conditions for her helping the Akh Nara’s rebels. That Svar be put under her, and that he had to do her every bidding, or face the consequences.

Well, that wasn’t quite true. Hiya would’ve agreed anyway, but she couldn’t deny that the looks of hate he gave her as he silently obeyed made all of this so much more fulfilling.

Hiya and Ekta handed the Ash Warriors-turned-miners ragged robes to disguise themselves, reflecting on just how hopeless they’d been in the beginning. They’d arrived at the work site in twos and sometimes threes, sometimes even chatting merrily!

Hiya nearly had a panic attack, and she’d told them all off for it. They’d repented… Although the smiles on their faces as they did irked her. Still, they had changed. They knew better now, and left the shack one at a time, and only when Hiya had confirmed the Chitran patrols were far away.

When they’d all gone, Hiya was left alone in the ever-growing chamber. This one was nearly one, and soon, they would begin construction of the next batch. The last batch.

“It’s all going to change soon, isn’t it?” Ekta asked, looking up at Hiya.

“It will,” Hiya confirmed.

“But what if it doesn’t?”

“The Akh Nara will make sure it does,” Hiya said. “You believe in the Akh Nara, don’t you?”

Ekta frowned. “Doesn’t everyone?”

Hiya’s lips twisted into a grin. “I suppose they do.”

Change was upon them. Soon, the Samar Patag would look so different. The whole realm would be different. And Hiya couldn’t wait to see it.