Ashera: Chapter 10

A story by Writerial.

​NOTE: Hey I’m sorry that these chapters still aren’t coming as frequently as I’d like them to be, I’m still pretty busy but I’m doing the best I can. Enjoy chapter 10! :)

    Two days. Ashera hadn’t moved for two days. She sat, trapped by grief, huddled in the corner of her shelter. Ryan and Fox would take turns bringing her food and water, but the majority of what they brought lay on the floor, abandoned.
    Some part of her brain knew that she must get up, that she must fight against her sadness. Sometimes, she’d get a burst of motivation and start to stand up, only to fall back down to the realm of depression.

    By the end of the second day, Ryan had had enough of this. Ashera could hear him pacing and yelling outside the shelter. “...not working! How are we supposed to do anything when she won’t move?”
    “We have to give her time, Ryan,” Ashera heard Fox respond.
    “Time my ass! We need to save the world-we don’t have time.”
    “You can’t just heal from something like this that quickly!” Fox said.
    “Well, she’s going to have to try. We’re leaving tomorrow morning-whether she likes it or not.”
    And so, Ryan appeared early the next morning, holding a cup of coffee. “Morning Ashera,” he said gently. He handed her the cup, and she set it aside. “How are you feeling?”
    “Okay,” Ashera said, though she never was.
    “That’s good,” Ryan said. “Do you think you’re ready to go now?”
    “Another day,” Ashera replied.
    “You’ve said that for the past three days,” Fox said gently.
    “We really have to go,” Ryan said, reaching to brush a strand of Ashera’s matted hair back. She recoiled from his hand. Ryan winced, as if the action physically hurt him. “I know a place. We can go there to take your mind off things.”
    Ashera didn’t reply. Ryan hesitated for a second. “C’mon, Fox and I already packed up all of our stuff.”
    “No,” Ashera said.
    Fox turned to her in confusion. “What do you mean ‘No’?”
    “No,” Ashera said. “I’m not going with you. No more of this...I can’t kill more people.”
    “You don’t have to kill them,” Ryan said.
    “Yeah I do,” Ashera said. She sighed. “Bear is the strongest person I’ve ever known. If he couldn’t save Saria, no one can.”
    “You were always stronger than him,” Fox said, to which Ashera shrugged weakly.
    “You guys go. I’ll be here.”
    Fox and Ryan glanced at each other. If they left Ashera here she’d die. A Calidi would come for her or she’d die of thirst or something of the sort. She didn’t even have her sword on her hip.
    “C’mon, Ashera, please come,” Ryan said. “It doesn’t even need to be a whole rescue thing. We just wanna hang out.”
    Ashera didn’t respond.
    “Please Ashera?” Fox asked. “Bear wouldn’t want you moping like this.”
    For the first time since Bear’s death, a fire filled Ashera’s eyes. She lunged forward and grabbed the front of Fox’s tunic. “You have no idea what Bear would want,” she snarled, then released her. Fox looked shocked, and brushed herself off.
    “Please come with us, Ashera,” Ryan said. “We’re going to this town called Willansoc. We’ll have fun. Just the three of us-out on the open road. Just like old times. Please, for me?”
    Ashera sighed. “What’s in this Willansoc?”
    Ryan grinned, helping her to her feet. “It’s great there. It’s the biggest party city in all of Golivun,” he started, and they were off.

    After a few hours of travelling, Ashera was feeling more in her element. She may not be able to rescue Saria or bring back Bear, but she could walk.
    Every step she took, she felt the scabbard clunk against her thigh. While they were walking, she unsheathed her sword without warning. Ryan jumped back. “What was that for?!” he exclaimed.
    “I wanted to see it,” she said, watching the faint yellow glow run down the blade of her sword. She sheathed it. “It makes me feel better to know it’s still there.”
    Ryan nodded. “Just...warn me next time, okay?.”
    “Okay, Ashera smiled.
    
    Eventually, they arrived at the town of Willansoc. The city glowed, even though it was almost dark. Ryan grinned at them. “You two wait here, I’ll go get us a room,” he said. “Then we’re going to party!”
    When he returned, the two uncomfortably followed him to a tavern. They sat at the bar and Ryan engaged in a conversation with the bartender.
    “Give us three of your specials,” Ryan told him and the bartender nodded.
    “How did you find this place?” Ashera asked.
    “My brother took us here before his wedding,” Ryan said. “Nothing quite gets you drunk like a Nightbird special.”
    The bartender set down three little vials of a foul-smelling clear liquid. “This smells like poison,” Fox said suspiciously.    
    “Tastes like it, too,” Ryan laughed. “But it works.”
    Ashera picked up her glass and watched Ryan down his. He shook his head afterward, but he grinned. With a shrug, Ashera threw back her head and forced the liquid down her throat.
It burned like fire and tasted like vomit, but there was a good to the fire, and Ashera found herself grinning like Ryan. “So?” he asked.
    “It’s great,” Ashera said.
    “Another round!” Ryan hollered.
    
    An hour and many shots later, Ashera’s head was feeling fuzzy. Her vision swam and she could hardly think, but she felt great. “Let’s dance!” she told Ryan.
    “There’s no music!” Ryan told her.
    “So?” she asked, dragging him out of his chair. Fox watched them go-she hadn’t had anymore of the shots after the first.
    She headed to the center of the tavern and started waving her arms around wildly. Ryan grinned. “Do you even know how to dance?”
    “No,” Ashera laughed.
    “Here, let me teach you,” Ryan said. He put one hand on Ashera’s hand and the other on her waist. “Is this okay?”
    “Yeah,” she said, leaning close to him.
    “Good,” he said. “If there was music, you’d sway in time to it. We can just kind of sway like this.”
    “You’re good at this,” Ashera said, putting her hand on Ryan’s chest. She leaned closer to him, so their bodies were almost touching.
    “Are you feeling okay?” Ryan asked, his voice concerned.
    “Never better,” she said. She tried to move Ryan’s hand further down her waist. He tugged it away quickly. “What was that for?” she pouted.
    “Listen, Ashera, I don’t think you’re feeling-”
    “I’m fine!” she exclaimed. She downed another shot, and it made her head swim. “Maybe you’re the one that’s not feeling fine.”
    “Ashera-”
    “You’re the one that kissed me,” Ashera said. “What? Do you not want this?”
    “But Bear-”
    “Bear’s not here,” she said, leaning in close to his face. Ryan stepped away.
    “I like you, Ashera, but not like this,” he said. “Not like this.”
    Ashera scowled in his direction as he walked off. “Fine. I don’t need you anyway,” she said, heading back to the bar to get more alcohol.

    Ashera’s head was on fire. The pain coursed through her like someone was hitting her head repeatedly with a hammer. What happened? Was she in a fight? No, she went to a tavern. She tried to remember what happened but couldn’t-the night was a blur. Groaning, she opened her eyes and sat up.
    She was greeted with the sight of steel bars. A guard stood across the room, watching her. She felt her hip and found her sword had been removed. Where was she?
    “Good morning, miss,” the guard said.
    “Where am I?” she asked.
    “Willansoc jail,” the guard said.
    Jail? The word sounded familiar in her limited human vocabulary. Jail was like the tribe’s dungeon-right? Where criminals went. Which only meant one thing-she’d been arrested.

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