ATASHA’S POV
<b>68 </b>
E55 vouchers
The only time I ever saw Cassian struggle was when his humanity slipped. This time, there was none of that.
When hended in the snow, the ground seemed to quake under his weight. The beasts lunged at him first, thick jaws snapping, ws raking the air. He didn’t draw his sword. He didn’t even reach for the dagger strapped to his belt. Instead, he met them head–on with his bare hands.
The first creature charged. Cassian caught it by the throat, fingers digging deep into the hide. A crunch followed as he twisted hard, snapping its neck in a single violent motion. Before the body even dropped, another beast lunged from the side. Cassian swung the corpse like a shield, bones breaking under the impact, then hurled it into the snow with a wet crack.
Blood sprayed across his cloak and face. It only made him look more like what he truly was<b>, </b>something built to kill.
A third beast wed <i>at </i>his back. He turned fast, faster than it could retreat, and drove his fist straight through its jaw. The sound of bone giving way echoed across the clearing, followed by a screech that cut short when Cassian ripped its head free from its shoulders. He tossed it aside as if it were nothing but trash.
The remaining beasts hesitated. Even they seemed to know what they were up against. But hesitation didn’t save them. Cassian was already moving. He tore into them with an efficiency that was sickening to watch. Soon enough, his bare hands started breaking bones, ripping limbs, smashing skulls against the frozen ground until the snow was more red than white.
It ended as quickly as it began.
Cassian stood in the middle of it all, chest rising and falling steadily. His cloak dripped blood, his hands stained past the wrist. Around him, the bodies of the beastsy broken, piled in heaps that looked less like corpses and more like butchery.
The lean, tall figures he had stepped in to help had gonepletely still. They stared at him, weapons still in hand, but none of them moved closer. Their strange faces showed a mix of awe and dread. Even though Cassian had just saved them, they kept their distance, like one wrong move might put them next on the ground.
Silence stretched. Then, one of them turned.
His eyes didn’t go back to Cassian. They went upward, straight to where I was.
I stiffened, my hand tightening around the bark of the branch. His gaze locked on me, and I immediately felt the prickle of unease run down my spine.
“Thank you for saving us, your excellency,” one of them spoke. Unlike the other one, he was looking at Cassian before he gave Cassian a shallow bow.
I frowned. Why could I hear the man’s voice so clearly? He was at least ten meters away. That wasn’t far, but for some reason, It almost felt like he was speaking right next to me. It felt as if he had leaned close and spoken directly into my ear.
<b>9:41 </b>Tue, <b>Sep </b>16
:
68
55 vouchers
I studied them more carefully. At first nce, they almost looked normal, but not quite. They were tall, lean, their frames stretched in a way that made them stand out. Human enough to pass, but different enough to unsettle me.
Cassian gave no reaction to their thanks. He only nodded, then turned his back on them. He crouched low over one of the broken beasts<b>, </b>drew his dagger, and began cutting into its side.
I knew what he was doing, he wanted meat. We had nothing with us, no supplies. We needed to hunt if we wanted to eat. But the strangers didn’t see it that way.
The man who had spoken earlier stiffened. His grip on his weapon tightened, and he stepped back like he had just realized what kind of predator was in front of him. “Your Excellency… may I know what you are doing?”
Cassian didn’t answer right away. He stilled, his de half–buried in muscle. Then he turned his head toward them. “You may leave.”
The air shifted. Shock rippled across their faces.
The younger one, the same one who had looked at me first, took a step forward. “How dare you order us. Do you- ” He wasn’t able to finish his words when the older man p his shoulder.
Cassian’s expression darkened instantly. The weight of it was enough to send a chill down my spine even from where I stood.
Before the tension could snap, the older man from earlier quickly raised a hand. His shoulders stiffened as he spoke, “Forgive him. My grandson is hot–headed. We have been traveling for days, and this is the first time we havee across someone like us. We are wary… and desperate for rest.”
Cassian said nothing. He just watched them, blood still dripping from his hand, the dagger steady in his grip.
The silence stretched until it became unbearable. I shifted slightly, unsure if I should say something, but the look on his face kept me still.
The old man cleared his throat again, this time with a trace of awkwardness. “If you do not mind… can you help us with something else?”
Cassian didn’t reply. His stare pinned them in ce.
So the old man pressed on. “Can you point us to the direction of the Northern Outpost?”
Cassian only frowned at the question, the lines around his mouth sharp.
The old man didn’t stop. He stepped forward half a pace, bowing his head just enough to show restraint. “Please do not take this the wrong way. We are… travelers. We have been trying to reach the northern outpost, but the tide caught us by surprise. A beast horde broke through our path. We lost most of our belongings. We were fortunate to survive, but most of ourpany did not. The outpost is the only chance we have left. If <b>we </b><b>can </b><b>get </b>there before the beast tide finishes, we may live. Without it, we won’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. His words rolled too easily from his mouth. But who did he think he was fooling? Travelers? In this part of the north? No one came here by ident. Thend itself was enough to kill most men, and yet he wanted us to believe they had simply wandered into a beast tide and survived it? Did they think we were that blind?
9:41 Tue<b>, </b>Sep 16
…
:
<b>68 </b>
55 vouchers
“Of course, if you help us, we can… pay you,” the man said. “Fae stones… we have fae stones. If you do not know, we are going to visit the Lord of the North. He could- He would surely reward you for helping us.”
I looked at Cassian, expecting him to cut the old man off. To my shock, he said, “I will lead you to the outpost.”