Chapter 4: The Chase and the Loss.
The forest exploded into chaos.
Jamrak held the relic tight against his chest, its heat biting into his skin like teeth. Branches hit his face, thorns tearing his arms as he ran forward. His lungs felt like they were collapsing.Behind him, the forest thundered. Paws high the ground like thunder claps, claws behind him against the soil. The wolves were coming.
"Faster, boy!" the scarred convict shouted, though Jamrak's legs were already doing their best with every stride.The thin convict fell with a scream, his knees hit a rock. Blood streaked down his leg. He got up, half-limping, half-running, his cry mixing with the sound of the vicious wolves behind himThe silent one took the lead, his steps long, his eyes fixed on the trees ahead like a soldier who had outrun death before.
Jamrak tried to look back.Dozens. Wolves black as shadow, their fangs as sharp as ivory blades, their eyes lit like torches in the moonlight. One leapt, claws slicing across Jamrak's shoulder. His sleeve tore, hot pain on his skin. He stumbled but forced himself forward, his heart was beating like crazy,he could hear his heart beating."The border!" the silent convict shouted. "We're close,move!"They could finally see an open ground, where the earth itself shimmered under the moonlight. Silver dust and wolfsbane roots shone like frost, forming a thin barrier between man's land and the wolves' domain.
Hope,Salvation.
The convicts threw themselves forward. Jamrak staggered across the line, the relic held tight against his chest as if alive.A wolf launched at him, its jaws just an inch from his throat. It hit the earth with a scream, its paws burnt against the silver soil. It screamed and sent chills into the night . furious and in agony. The rest of the pack rushed to a halt, their growls rising like a bee on an intruder,held back by invisible chains.Jamrak collapsed to his knees, gasping, pressing the relic closer to his body ,as though it alone kept his heart beating. Its pulse in sync with the rhythm of his heart ,the surge of power through his bones.They had made it.But not all of them.Jamrak turned, searching. The thin convict's bloodied hand reached weakly across the border, his body shivering as wolves dragged him back. His scream vibrated into the night before he died , torn into silence.
Jamrak's throat closed. His vision blurred. He wanted to move,wanted to save him but his body would not answer.
The silent convict stood beside him, breathing heavily, eyes hard as stone. "Forget him," he sighed . "He's gone."
The scarred one spat into the dirt, his face pale. "One less mouth to feed."But Jamrak could still hear the echo of the scream carved into his mind.One could only wonder how half-starved, broken men had outrun a pack of wolves. Survival was no mercy. It was a debt and debts always demanded payment.And though the wolves had stopped at the border, Jamrak felt their eyes burning through the night.The intent stares and snarls.
The Alpha King arrived, walking through the park. His cloak of shadow flowing behind him, his golden eyes glimmered as he stopped at the thin line of the poisoned earth. He lifted his head and his voice like thunder. "Thieves!"The convict froze, trembling.Janrak though trembling met the Alpha's gaze. His body filled with the same strange recognition he felt before. "You have taken what belongs to the wolves", the Alpha growled. "Return it before the next moon ends, or we will tear down your walls and bathe in your blood. Tell your king."
The wolves howled in answer. His sound echoed out loud. Tearing the silence was known in the dark forest. Jamrak's blood turned cold. Fear and confusion. But he knew what he had just done. Behind the Alpha, Damacius, half hidden in the shadows, stood another figure, tall with cold, circulating eyes. The Alpha's half-brother. He said nothing, but his lips curled with the faintest smile, as though the chaos in front of him was a sweet scene. The Alpha growled once more. Then turned away. The pack slowly backed into the forest, their howls echoing long before they vanished.
Silence crashed down.
The convicts staggered forward, laughing weakly in relief. One slapped Jamrak's shoulder. "We are alive, boy, alive". But Jamrak could not laugh. His mouth was sealed. His mind, his stomach burnt in his heart. They leaned back to the palace. Under the cold door, the gates opened, and the king's henchmen dragged the relic from Jamrak's hand without a word of thanks or recognition. They took it away like it was always theirs. A pouch of silver was thrown on Jamrak's palm. Your reward, one guard hissed." The king keeps his word". The convicts cheered, collecting their own silver, already planning what their silvers would be used for. Jamrak stood frozen, staring at the coins. The relic that nearly killed him ,had cursed him with a power he could not control, and for it the king tossed him a handful of silver, like a scrap to dogs.
He turned and ran down the cold halls, across the palace wings, to the tiny room where his family lived. He burst inside and stopped. His mother lay still on the bed, her chest unmoving, her face pale as snow. Lira sat beside her, holding her hands, her eyes swollen from crying. Jamrak, Lira's voice cracked. "She's gone". The pouch of silver dropped from his hand. The coins scattered all over the floor. He dropped down to his knees. His hands trembled as he held his lifeless mother's hand. It was cold, no breath, no warmth, and no heartbeat.
He had promised her he would return, but it was too late. A tear fell down from his eye. He pressed his forehand against her cold hand. She couldn't help but cry like a child. His sister held him, both of them trembling together in silence and comfort of grief. By evening, guards came. "The king had no use for you anymore", they said. They ordered Jamrak and Lira out of the palace, throwing their little belongings after them. No plea changed their mind. No tears softened their hearts. Jamrak found himself on the cold street, his sister's hands on his knees. His mother's body was wrapped in an old sheet. The palace behind them, uncaring, like they didn't matter, not important.
With the last silver coin he had gathered, he arranged for a burial. It was not grand, but it was clean and quiet, under a small oak tree, where the wind met the branches and produced a soft breeze. He marked her grave with a simple stone, carving her name with shaking hands. Lira wept, kneeling beside the grave. Jamrak stood beside her, empty, his fist tightening. He felt like there was nothing more to his life again, but he remembered he still had his little sister to care for and his promise. With the last of the silver, he rented a small room in the lower quarters of the city. The roof leaked and the walls were thin. The house was small, but it was theirs. He bought some bread, dried meat, and a jug of water. This would last them up to two weeks or less. Still, when he saw Lyra bite into the bread and smile faintly through her tears, he felt a spark of strength within him. The final coin pressed into the hands of a schoolmaster in the poor district. Teacher Jamrak said," teach her letters, numbers, anything". The man shrugged, pocketing the coin, "She would get what she pays for". It was not much, but it was a start.
That night, Jermak lay awake on the straw mat of their new home. The relic's power was still reacting faintly in his veins. Surge ,shred of danger, little by little. His mother's words echoed in his ear. Respect them or they will destroy you. The Alpha King's roar haunted him. Return it or we'll tear down your walls. Jamrak lay flat on the mat. He had lost his mother and his home, but he still had his sister. And he swore that night," I would not let the rules, nor the king, nor anyone take her from me. Whatever power the relic gives me, I will master it".