I am Sam
Chapter Twenty-Three

SASHA

“So we carry on down this river until...” Looking down at the map in my lap, I’m tracing my finger down the river, all the way to where the Seelie court is posted.

“Pretty much,” Asher shrugs as he continues rowing us onward,

“So what’s the plan once we get to the Seelie court?” I ask, suddenly looking up at him questioningly.

“Convince them not to kill you,” He says with a smirk and a wink,

“Haha, very funny.” I retort, rolling my eyes jokingly,

“It wasn’t meant to be a joke,” He shrugs nonchalantly, “The Seelie Fae are tricky mystical creatures; they like playing games; and everything is a riddle with them, so make sure you don’t get caught up in one of they’re riddles; they’ll end up convincing you to marry one of they’re own just because you couldn’t answer the riddle, and whatever you do; don’t drink the tea,”

“The tea?” I repeat, suddenly feeling confused,

“Yeah, it will have you wandering around their maze for days if not weeks,”

“You speaking from experience?” I ask him with a slight grin, smirking he scoffs,

“I spent two weeks in a maze because of that tea,” He chuckles, and I can’t help but chuckle too.

“Okay then, say no to the tea.” I wink back at him, and he shakes his head at me with a smirk, and it’s like being this way with Asher is the most normal thing in the world; with us being wolves, it’s just natural to form strong emotional bonds with one another, and I can feel it with Asher, he might not be my pack back in my world, but he’s an Ultima wolf. Because of it, he’s connected to Wolf, which means Asher is now somehow connected to me, too.

We go down the river, and I’m completely mesmerized by how beautiful, and calm everything is around me; we’re surrounded by gigantic boulders and rocks on either side. The smell of fresh mountain dew resting on the green moss covering the smooth stones suddenly has me leaning over the side of the boat and stretching out my hand and running my fingers along the fuzzy texture as a smile has me biting my bottom lip,

“You look at moss like it’s the first time you’re seeing it,” Asher says with a smirk, and there’s a hint of curiosity in his voice. Turning my head to look at him, I shrug nonchalantly,

“Sometimes we go through life never taking notice of the little things until the little things are all we have.” And a small smile creeps up at the corners of his mouth as I continue listening to the sounds of the soft misted water cascading down the rock formations; birds chirping somewhere above our heads as the trickling water continues running over the cobblestones. Asher suddenly pulls me from my own drifting thoughts the moment he asks a question I wasn’t expecting, “So what’s you’re deal anyway?” Furrowing my brows in response, I turn to look up at him,

“My deal?”

“Yeah, I mean, I know you’re a half-wolf/witch,”

“Elemental power,” I correct him with a teasing raise of my brow,

“Right, of course, you’re a spirit element like you’re twin, Atlas. But, I mean, besides learning about this side of your life you never knew of before, what about the life you left behind in your world, the people who raised you; you never talk about them,” My jaw clenches as I quickly look down to tug a stray strand of hair behind my ear,

“Um, there isn’t really that much to tell,” My voice is suddenly tiny, and Asher instantly picks up on it; that damn wolf intuition runs deep with shifters.

“You know you can’t lie to me, maybe to your friends, but the more time you and I spend together, the more like pack we become; you get how that works, right?” And my mouth suddenly shuts as I sit up straighter,

“You think of me as pack?” I can’t help the small smile that forms as I look up at him, and even though he’s covered from head to toe in dry white clay, and his eyes are black voids, his words couldn’t be more accurate,

“You’re a wolf, Sasha; first and foremost, your wolf side is stronger than your witch side,” My brows furrow in response,

“That’s not true; my wolf side isn’t stronger,”

“Yes, it is,” He says as his brows knit together, and now he’s looking at me like it’s the most obvious thing and yet I haven’t figured it out yet, “Why do you think they cuffed us?” His question suddenly has my own brows furrowing as I shrug,

“Because wolves were banned from the witch’s realm?” Smirking, he shakes his head,

“They’re afraid of us, they like saying we’re unpredictable, but the fact is that they can’t control us, and that scares them,”

“That doesn’t make any sense; they’re elemental witches...”

“Oh, it doesn’t, really?” Asher says, raising a brow at me, “Think about it, Sasha, if they are so much stronger than us, then why cuff us? Why curse us? Why use magic to force control? We don’t need magic or curses to tear them apart, but without their magic, they’re pretty useless, actually.” I think it over for a moment, and it makes sense, all except for one thing,

“But what about they’re dragons? They’re way stronger than we are,” Asher clenches his jaw as he sighs,

“When I was little, my father would tell me the story of the dragons, how they resided in dragon mountain many, many years ago; there were five of them; the eldest of the dragons was a red dragon; they called him the evil one; the story goes that the red dragon wanted to seize control not only over the other dragons, but also over the witches, the Seelie fae and the Ultima, but to do that he would have to be able to blend in among them, seem less petrifying, he would have to look human.” I’m suddenly listening attentively to his story when I ask,

“So what happened?” Smirking, Asher sighs,

“Well, if you believe the story, then it would suggest that the red dragon made a deal with the Unseelie Queen to gain a human form for himself and the other four dragons. Can you imagine the devil making a deal with an even bigger devil? The thought alone should terrify anyone into thinking twice; but not the red dragon; oh no, his greed for power and control led him into making that deal, gaining a human form for himself and the other four; and starting his reign of destruction,”

“So, where is this red dragon now?” Cocking a brow at me, Asher smirks,

“You tell me, you’ve been living under his roof,”

“Ronan, he’s the red dragon?” I sound shocked, and yet; I shouldn’t be. Nodding, Asher’s eyes are suddenly stern as he stares at me,

“If you believe how the story goes, then yes, Ronan is the red dragon, and your friends, your brother; they are nothing more than a byproduct of Ronan’s control.

“What happened to the other four dragons?”

“Who knows, the story goes that not long after they took on human forms; they just disappeared, except the red dragon, the evil one.” A moment of silence stretches out between us when Asher turns back towards the front of the small boat, getting ready to continue rowing.

I’m about to ask him more about the red dragon, about Ronan, when a strange tingling sensation begins running up my arm, I’m suddenly turning my head to look down at the water. Pulling my hand from my lap, I gently run it along the cool water when I suddenly gasp before yanking my hand back out of the water. Turning to look up at Asher with concern on my face, I can feel my heart rate escalating.

“Noah,” His name leaves my lips, and it’s as if all realization hits me all at once, “He knows I’m in the river,” Asher spins around as his brows furrow in response,

“How?”

“He’s a water element,”

“I know what he is, Sasha. I mean, how does he know you're in the river?”

“I- I touched the water,” Looking down at my hand, I swallow down hard; "I felt him in the water,” Asher suddenly stands up straight in the boat as he stares from me to the water and back at me again, his energy suddenly becoming intense as he runs his hands through his messy hair,

“I told you to keep your hands out of the water, Sasha; why do you think I told you that?”

“I’m sorry, I...” Looking back at him, I’m swallowing hard, “How much further do we have to go? I mean, can’t we just go faster? I’ll help you row?”

“We’re still half a day away from the Seelie court; we can’t go much faster; I’m cursed, remember, can’t use my Ultima powers, and we only have two ores,” Furrowing my brows, I’m biting down against my bottom lip, I secretly want to ask him about Ultima abilities, but the current situation definitely isn’t the right time; because honestly, if Atlas and the other's replace me I know, they’ll try and stop me and drag me back; and I can’t let that happen, I have to replace Lisbon no matter what it takes.

An idea suddenly pops into my mind as I look down at my hands, what if I... but before I can even complete that thought, I’m suddenly knocked down against the side rail of the boat, wincing as the back of my head hits the wooden side I’m quickly looking up at Asher in shock,

“What was...” As my eyes fly up to behind Asher, my mouth snaps shut; my eyes widen in disbelief and horror; his brows furrow in response to my reaction, and he abruptly turns around, and we’re now both facing the gigantic wall of water in front of us. Asher instantly lets out a puff of air,

“Well, that’s unexpected, let me guess, Noah?” Nodding, I swallow down hard as a “Yup” pops from my lips,

“I thought you said he was the nice one,”

“He is,” I respond quickly,

“And you class putting a massive wall of water in front of us as nice?” Shrugging, I’m still staring at the mighty wall, which must be standing about ten feet tall,

“Well, I guess you should be looking on the bright side,”

“What bright side?”

“He’s only trying to stop us, not hurt us.” Tilting his head in disbelief, Asher’s jaw tightens,

“He’s half dragon Sasha, believe it or not, there’s a part of him that wants to hurt us," I’m suddenly frowning at Asher when I try and stand in this tiny little boat, but I’m very wobbly, and the boat moves erratically from side to side,

“Noah isn’t like that?” I retort irritably, mind you I’m facing a massive wall of water which could crush us in an instant, which suggests otherwise,

“You’re delusional,” He suddenly snaps at me,

“No, I’m not,” I snap back before returning my attention to the wall of water; my eyes suddenly take on a blue shimmer as I narrow them; fisting my hands by my sides, I let out a huff,

“Noah, no!” Asher cocks his head as he furrows his brows at me in disbelief,

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m talking to Noah,” I say as a matter of fact, and now Asher is looking at me like I’m crazy,

“Have you completely lost your mind? You’re talking to a wall of water,” Smirking I cock a brow at the massive wall of water,

“Oh, trust me, this wall is all Noah,”

“Great, we’re gonna die, crushed by a wall of water before we could even get to the Seelie court, all because you couldn’t keep your hands out of the water,” Asher retaliates, but I ignore him. Instead, I stretch my hand out towards the water, and the moment it connects with the cooling effect of the wall, I smile,

“Noah’s my friend, he would never hurt me, and you’re wrong about him wanting to just because he’s a half dragon; Noah’s the gentlest and kindest person you will ever meet,” A blue power aura begins to circulate all around me as I suddenly do something unexpected, taking one step out on the water, I place my other hand against the wall of water as I lift my other leg out of the boat,

“What are you doing?” Asher snaps at me,

“It’s alright,” I say softly as I now stand on the water in front of the wall, being held up by my own elemental powers and ability, “Noah made a promise to me the first day I came here that he wouldn’t let the water hurt me,” Taking a deep breath I slowly let it out as I close my eyes, “Noah, you need to let me go; I have to break this curse, if it was Circen who was cursed, wouldn’t you do the same, wouldn’t you do everything you could to break it, please Noah, please let me go.” There’s a moment where I just stand there waiting, hoping for a response of some kind, and then suddenly, the wall of water disappears from in front of me. I immediately fall forward right into the water.

“Sasha!” Asher grabs for me but goes over into the water with me; the moment I come up to the surface, coughing as I gasp for the first breath of air,

“I didn’t mean that literally, Noah,” I cough again. The moment Asher comes up for air beside me, he’s coughing as well, and I can’t help the moment I burst into laughter, “See, I told you he’s nice.”

Asher’s wiping water from his face when he turns to face me, and my jaw suddenly slips when I look at his face; the white clay is now washed from his face. The person I’m staring at isn’t the same person I’ve known these past few weeks; he looks so... different. He’s got dark brown locks that frame his face, a tanned skin; he’s actually really handsome with the softest skin ever under all that clay.

Asher’s brows furrow in response to me as we continue floating in the water,

“What?” Smirking, I lean my hand up to his face as I wipe away at the last bit of milky white clay against his cheek; pulling it back, I show it to him, and he instantly swallows hard as he wipes away at his face, “Fuck, no, no-no-no; this isn’t good,” His voice immediately sounds panicky as he pulls himself onto the boat before extending his hand and helping me into the boat as well. Now I’m feeling confused as I stare at him in bewilderment.

“What’s wrong?” Narrowing his eyes, his jaw clenches,

“What’s wrong, what’s wrong? That clay is the only thing standing in the way of the very monsters in this realm from knowing who and what I am,” He snaps at me,

“Monsters like Malvessa?”

“And Ronan, what, you think he doesn’t want me dead? Think again, if he knew that I was alive and didn’t die with the curse Malvessa cast on me, you don’t think he would come and finish the job? Seriously, are you that naive?” He again snaps, and this time I wince at the harshness in his tone,

“Okay fine, let’s just cover you with more clay,” I say, suddenly annoyed,

“You think it’s that easy? I don’t have any more clay; the last bit I got from the Seelie fae I used, I don’t have any more,” He barks,

“Jeez, just calm down,”

“I will not calm down!” He snaps, and now I’m suddenly really getting aggravated the moment I level his hard stare with my own,

“We’re pack, aren’t we?” There’s an uncertain twitch in his brows as he stares at me,

“What?”

“Well, aren’t we? You said we were pack or were you lying?”

“I wasn’t lying; you are my pack,” He retorts irritably, and I don’t back down because cursed Ultima wolf or not, he needs to stop freaking out,

“Good, because if we’re pack, then you better know I’ve got your back, and I don’t plan on letting Ronan or Malvessa kill you, okay?” There’s a moment of silence as he stares at me in disbelief before he responds,

“Okay, so what do you suggest? It’s still half a day, remember?”

“Just sit down,” I say in annoyance as I go to do the same, and strangely enough, he listens; sitting opposite me, he holds onto the ores, “Pull those into the boat,” I say as I stretch my hands out on either side of the boat,

“What?” He says in disbelief,

“Just do it,” I murmur as my eyes instantly illuminate with power blue shimmers. Asher does as I ask; I’m surprised he’s not fighting me on it.

My entire body begins to radiate in a blue mist as I focus on the boat, the water, and it moving. It begins to take over my entire body; and I've never felt this focused. I suddenly feel it move, the boat; it's moving faster and faster as it begins gliding over the water effortlessly, a slight breeze rustling through my hair as a small smile forms against my lips,

“This is crazy; how? It’s moving so fast; how are you doing this?” Asher’s voice suddenly lets out an astonished chuckle, and only then does he sound his age for the first time since I've met him, an eighteen-year-old boy, instead of some dark and tormented soul.

Honestly, I can’t believe I’m doing this either; my powers are pushing this boat forward with determination, the feeling inside my body suddenly tingling with a euphoric sensation of energy I didn’t realize was this strong.

~

Moving through what Asher called the river gates, I’m staring up at the height of it in awe; on the map, this shows a bridge; this is way more than just a bridge. The two gigantic statues guarding the entrance are undeniably Seelie fae, and I suddenly feel intimidated.

Asher suddenly begins steering us towards the side of a bank; about five minutes earlier, he had insisted he row from there; he didn’t want us arriving at the Seelie court using magic; they don’t like elemental witches as it is.

Only when he hoists a rope around a log sticking out of the ground do I notice cobblestone stairs leading up in between the large rock formations; Asher jumps out and then holds a hand out to me to get out as well, but I feel hesitant as I stare from the stairway to him,

“And why exactly can’t we just carry on with the river; there isn’t even anyone here; the place looks deserted,” Smirking Asher shakes his head at me,

“Trust me, we’re being watched. We wouldn’t make it within a mile of this place without having Seelie fae arrows descending on us, and believe me when I tell you, Seelie archers rarely ever miss, ever.” Letting out a breath I was holding, I suddenly take his hand as I step out of the boat onto the solid rock, and I won’t lie, after being in that boat for the past nineteen hours or so,I'm feeling slightly unsteady on my feet.

“So, when we get to the Seelie court, what should I expect?” Leading me up towards the steps, he allows me to go first,

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,”

“Is it a good plan?” I ask nervously,

“I have a plan,” He repeats, which instantly has me turning around to face him as my brows knit together,

“You don’t sound too sure,” Asher gives me what I’m guessing is his sincerest reassuring smile, yet I don’t feel all too reassured at this point, “Is that why I’m walking ahead of you, in case they kill me?” Asher suddenly chuckles as he shakes his head,

“No, you’re walking ahead of me, so they don’t end up killing me,”

“Huh?” I ask, now feeling really confused,

“The Seelie place their woman on pedestals here; they idolize the divine feminine as being great mystical creatures of life and magic,”

“Aha,” I’m looking at him with suspicion as I slowly turn to carry on walking up the rocky path, “But I’m an elemental witch,” I retort suspiciously,

“But you’re still a woman first and foremost,” He shrugs as he follows behind me. I can’t help but replace this all to be a little strange, not that I’m complaining, of course; if they are all pro- woman in this place, it means I stand less of a chance of being killed, right?

By the time we get to the top of the stairway, we’ve climbed at least three hundred steps; as I turn around to face Asher, I’ve got my hands on my hips as I shake my head,

“That’s insane; they expect you to climb those every time you come here?” Letting out a low chuckle, Asher seems to replace this funny, but I’m definitely not. I’m about to scold him for laughing when a cool, dominant, crystal clear voice suddenly sounds behind me; the moment I swing around to face it, my breath hitches in my throat as I shut my mouth.

I’m suddenly met with a man standing in front of me who looks more like he was born from the wings of angels than anything else; he’s at least eight inches taller than me with robust, sharp and defined facial features; he’s clearly Seelie fae; he has pin straight long white hair reaching all the way down to his lower back, a blue crystal crown on his head with matching crystal blue eyes that are suddenly piercing mine as he looks down at me, he radiates importance, I can tell straight away by the clothes he's wearing.

His facial features remain stoic as he slowly moves his gaze from me to Asher; only then do I notice that Asher is bowing,

“Prince Aslan,” He says, and I’m surprised by the amount of respect in his voice towards this Seelie. Giving a curt nod, the Seelie prince slowly returns his gaze to me as he raises a curious brow; his eyes look like they’re slowly drinking me in. Gulp.

“You must be Sasha?” My brows suddenly furrow in response,

“H-how did you?” He suddenly looks amused as a slight grin creeps up at the corners of his mouth,

“There isn’t much I don’t know, little wolf.” Looking over at Asher, he let’s out a slow breath,

“Asher, I see you are unprotected,” Nodding Asher’s brows furrow,

“I fell into the river,” But the Seelie prince’s eyes don’t change; he keeps his expression the same, stoic and calm,

“You might want to go and attend to that problem right now,” Nodding, Asher comes past me and is about to grab for my wrist when the prince intervenes by grabbing for my wrist first, “I’ll make sure she’s safe,” And his eyes remain on mine. Asher seems annoyed when he looks at me,

“I won’t be long,” the moment I turn my head to look at him, I don’t miss the warning in his eyes, but the prince immediately tilts my chin back up to him, “You need not be afraid, little wolf, I will not harm you.” Nodding like an idiot, I can’t help but feel incredibly nervous around this guy. Gulp.

Asher groans in annoyance but then nods as he continues past me before disappearing completely. I’m now utterly alone with the Seelie prince. Suddenly, I’m acutely aware that he’s taking my hand in his as he begins leading me further towards lush green vegetation that reminds me of something out of the Amazon rainforest.

The moment he stops in front of a small stream, he’s still got his eyes fixed on me before slowly letting go of my hand,

“You must be thirsty, please, help yourself,” Looking down at the running water, I’m suddenly looking back up at him in surprise,

“It’s red?” Giving a small knowing smile, he nods at me,

“It’s delicious; I promise it’s safe; look...” He says calmly as he leans down and cups some water in his hand before drinking it; looking back up at me, he gestures for me to do the same, and I’m suddenly leaning down on my knees beside him; I guess if he drank it, it should be fine, right?

Cupping my hands together, I fill them with the red water before bringing my hands up to my mouth; taking a small sip, I’m suddenly surprised by how deliciously sweet it tastes. Looking up at him, I’m suddenly smiling,

“Mmm, it is delicious,” Giving me a slight nod, he cups his hand under mine as he brings my hands up to my mouth,

“Please, have some more,” Nodding, I slowly start drinking more water. Honestly, I didn’t realize how thirsty I was until I cupped about three handfuls of the sweet-tasting water. I’m about to go for a fourth when he suddenly takes my hands in his and pulls me to stand with him, turning me to face him, I’m looking up at him, and for some strange reason, everything is feeling a bit weird. Cupping my cheeks in his big soft hands, he smiles suggestively at me,

“So tell me, little wolf, do you want to punish those who have wronged you?” I’m suddenly blinking back as I smile coyly at him, thinking of what a strange thing that is to ask someone you’ve just met; but I can’t help the small giggle that escapes my lips; everything suddenly feels so light and floaty even his hands on my cheeks feel tingly and ticklish as I swallow down hard.

"Yes," I giggle again. Smiling at me he gently rubs the soft pad of his thumb across my bottom lip,

"How much?" He whispers,

"Very much," I breathe as a small gasp escapes me, and I can't help feeling stranger and stranger by the second.

I suddenly notice Asher come up beside me, but I can’t look away from the prince; it’s like his eyes are holding me hostage; that’s strange, right?

“Prince Aslan, we are here to discuss safe travels into the Unseelie side,” I vaguely hear Asher’s voice through the foggy state my mind is suddenly in; I know I’m drugged; I just replace it strange that the prince is still fine, he drank the same water.

“I know why you have come, but first, you will both come back to Sansa with me to have an audience with our Queen,” I’m nodding like a fool when I giggle again, and I know I should be shaking my head no. Still, I just can’t seem to be able to.

Slowly removing his hands from my cheeks, the prince takes a slow and deep breath, like he’s breathing in my scent, and it’s then that I notice a shimmer of icy blue behind his eyes that seem like crystals.

Turning towards a path, he gestures for me to go first, followed by Asher; I know the prince is following behind because I can still feel his strong aura; it’s intimidating me as my feet continue to move onward. Asher suddenly leans his face close to my ear when he whispers,

“Tell me you didn’t?” He grumbles,

“Didn’t what?” I whisper with a giggle,

“Drink from that stream back there,” He mumbles,

“What’s wrong with the stream, it's water?”

“That stream is called Tea stream, Sasha, hence the red colour,” He grumbles. I’m suddenly giggling even more as I cup my hands over my mouth,

“You mean the tea isn’t a tea but a stream of water?”

“Yes,” He hisses lowly beside my ear,

“Well then, yes, I drank the tea,” I giggle again,

“How much did you drink?” He hisses irritably,

“I don’t actually know,” I giggle some more and I can't help myelf, which has Asher suddenly sighing with a groan,

“Great, that’s just great.”