"Let me get this straight, you can't get back to the wall the same way you came. And you also don't want to take advice from the locals here?" Kip said with a very clear hint of sarcasm.

  They were currently making their way through the forest in the light of day. Lyra led the group as she always did, she found herself losing her senses by the second. She tripped several times over tree roots she should have seen earlier.

  She tried to block out the noise of others, she could hear her breath wheezing. "What's happening to me?" She said under her breath.

  Ash answered Kip with very little enthusiasm. "She's afraid of being discovered. If we could get a map, we would know where we're going."

  "I'm not afraid." She said under her breath, too low for any of them to hear.

  Kip grinned from hear to ear as he whistled to the wind and looked at the trees around him, then turned his gaze to the sky. He peered at the sky for a while before saying, "There are no birds in the sky."

  Dry leaves and roots crunched under their boots as they walked. Snow whined from Ash's satchel as she peeked out her head and begged for him to let her roam the forest but he ignored her adorably huge eyes and turned to face Kip who still gazed at the sky. "Is that bad?"

  Kip leveled his head and turned to face him, he gave a small not and looked forward. "It's never a good sign, I can tell you that for sure. Many people perceive birds as stupid creatures, but they are a bit more clever than most people. They migrate from danger, if there's any?"

  Ash looked up at the sky, then slowly looking forward at Lyra. "Kip... Can you teach me magic?"

  There was a short silence between the two as Kip kept quiet, he pretended not to hear him. But eventually broke the silence with a question, "Do you want to learn magic, or do you want to know how to fight? Or perhaps you want to defend yourself? These things should be asked if you want to know them."

  Ash though for a bit, and then said. "I'm not entirely sure."

  Kip wasted no time before saying, "Then you should not request such things unless you are ready to learn them. Before you ever do anything in this accursed world, always ask this question... Motive!"

  A small wind picked up as they walked.

  Ash did not say a word more, instead he listened to Kip talking. The words of the former scribe striking a set of chords within his soul, "There's someone after your life, what is the motive? There is someone sleeping with your girl, what's the motive? Someone becomes a eunuch, what's the motive? So little Ash, always ask yourself the what, the why and the how? Right now you have neither figured out. A life without questions is a life without purpose."

  Ash nervously took in a breath of air, it was moist and smelt of mint freshness. He tried to wrap his head around, Kip's words. Snow whined again, he rubbed her fur with his other hand.

  Kip stole a glance at the troubled boy wearing an upside down face and smiled a bit. He raised his hand and squeezed his shoulder slightly. Ash came to a halt, and exhaled heavily.

  Kip continued. "First question every man has to ask himself is what I am, and what I want to be. Listen very carefully, I am not your friend, but I am an obligatory human ally for the time being. I don't know you but if I were to guess who you were, I would say a boy who feels like he has the weight of the world on his shoulder. I can see you breaking and looking for a way out. That's what I see when I look at you."

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  Ash could hear the voices in his head come back, they started as hushed muffled voices and slowly became loud screams. He could feel the heat in his chest rising again, and there was nothing he could do to control it or stop it. He was burning up inside, Snow seemed to sense it before it happened. The little leopard pup started to cry wildly and try to climb out of the satchel.

  Kip squeezed Ash's shoulder tighter and spoke with a low, commanding tone. "Who gives a damn about the world? You are carrying some ancient dragon's baby in you, I guess that makes you a father. But does that change much about you? Quit thinking about consequences and tell me what you want now. Why you want it and how you will get it."

  Ash felt the surge of heat in his body begin to recede as he tried to answer Kip's questions.

  "Sometimes Ash, finding a new purpose gives us a reason to keep on living." Kip's words sounded once more.

  What did he have left to live for? He had already lost everything he ever loved. He searched for a reason he still wanted to live, and slowly he found one that gave him... PURPOSE!

  His mouth slowly parted as the words slipped out, "I want to get to the ruins of Spire at the edge of the world and find my mother. I want to ask her who my father is, why she abandoned me and I am going to get this stupid fire from my heart."

  A wide smile grew from Kips face, "No you know what you want and why you want it, now all that's left is how you are going to get it."

  Ash opened his mouth to speak but before he could Lyra's sharp voice cut him off. "Are you two going to kiss or not, you're holding me back."

  They both turned to face her with powerful angry glares.

  Kip hissed under his voice. "I am so going to get your girlfriend back for this."

  Ash rolled his eyes and spoke, "She's my obligatory help companion, and she's a meanie." He gave Snow a reassuring smile only to have her growl at him.

  Kip started to walk, pulling Ash with him. "So what's the story with the beast?"

  It took a few seconds for Ash to get what he was saying. "What?! You mean Snow? She's no beast."

  Kip rubbed the back of his neck and said, "If it has fangs and claws, it's a beast. Kid I've had enough experience with these things."

  Ash could not help but smile, he was more than pleased to have Kip with them. He knew they would soon have to part ways, but he still wanted to enjoy his presence to the fullest. But one thing bothered him...

  Why did Lyra let him travel with them?

  Why did she leave him under his care?

  She was always overprotective of him?

  He wondered if there was something more to it, something about Kip that made him an exception. He would expect her to attack him or cut off his head by then but she did not.

  In the middle of his thoughts there was a snapping sound then a loud thud. To their surprise the sound came from before them, Ash looked forward to find that Lyra was nowhere to be seen.

  Renewed energy filled his body and he charged forward like a raging bull heading for a red flag. Kip continued to walk casually, not showing any hint of concern. "I wouldn't risky life for such a spoiled brat, ever. Be careful kid!"

  Ash shrugged off the warning and jumped into the shrub of bushes ahead of him, he looked in every direction trying to spot her but there was nothing but tree barks and bush shrubs. Snow whined at him and he got the message, he brought out the pup and set it on he ground, it sniffed the air a couple of times before running in one direction.

  He followed it, his steps so quick he almost thought he had flown off the ground once. He felt alive, not with warmth but with cold, nauseating fear. Snow came to a stop next to a crumpled bush shrub and yelped at him.

  Ash got closer and caught a glimpse of Lyra laying on the ground, her body on its side, sprawled. He drifted to an abrupt stop and almost tumbling into her, he bent down and reached for her.

  He could see her body, it was unmoving except for the signs of breathing. Her chest rose and fell rather roughly.

  He scooped her up in his arms and called out to her, his voice heavy with fear. "Lyra, are you okay?"

  Her eyes were flickering, barely staying open for a second. She was sweating profusely despite the chill in the forest, and her face was pale, paler than how she always looked. She was almost white. Her lips also seemed to lose all colour.

  Another thing he noticed was her long pointy ears which now sagged, they dropped down like they had lost all life in them. He felt her forehead to find them burning. He jerked her slightly to wake her but she refused to wake.

  "Lyra, don't die on me again." He cried. "I can't lose someone I care about again."

  Tears welled in his eyes and he did not bother to hold them back, he shook her more rigorously. Out of nowhere she gasped to life and drew in a breath of fresh air, her body came back to life but she still seemed half recovered.

  Her glassy, silver eyes looked up weakly at him. She studied his face for a while before she spoke. "What happened?"

  He tried to answer without fumbling his words. "I don't know. I don't think you're well."

  Just then a familiar voice sounded above them. "Are you two lovebirds going to kiss or are you going to keep me waiting?"

  Both Ash and Lyra looked up at Kip where he stood behind them and gave him a dastardly looking glare. He gulped nervously and pulled back. "Sorry, bad timing... She seemed to have passed out."

  "She's sick?" Ash said, doubting his own words.

  Lyra looked up at him in shock and tried to climb out of his arms but her body felt frozen in place. "I don't get sick."

  Kip responded this time, his words stronger and more serious. "Not this time girlie, unless you have a magic potion in your bag you are going to need a doctor."

  Ash looked down at her and they locked eyes. For the first time he saw something akin to fear, but the closer he looked the more he realised it was more than fear.

  It was dread.