The ship carrying Kai and the others finally docked at Gama port in Mohja two weeks later. The waters were rough but they made it safely.
Amish of all people kept hurling. She was clearly not used to traveling by sea. She got used to the current after a few days.
She mostly stayed in her and Abel's cabin. She came out only at night and even then she had a scarf wrapped around her face. They couldn't take the risk of anyone aboard the ship noticing her long ears or sharp teeth.
It felt weird being in Mohja again. Most people would be happy to return home but Kai wasn't. This place was the root of his painful past.
Anytime Kai felt the pain of his past, he would look into eyes as blue as the sky's. And Katherine would smile at him. That was all the strength he needed.
Before leaving the ship, the captain gave 'Raffin' a satchel of gold.
Worlds best cousin, Kai thought.
Half of the gold was enough to buy two old horses from a horse trader at the port. Then they rode for three days — resting occasionally at inn's — till they reached the forest between Mohja and the other side.
"We're going to have to leave the horses here." Amish said.
"Why?" Abel asked.
He and Amish rode on one of the horses with him leading. While Kai and Katherine rode on the other. Something about Abel and Amish's relationship had changed.
But that wasn't Kai's concern.
"Aswangs prowl this forest. Shapeshifter in your tongue." Amish said as she got down from the horse.
"And even worse things than the shapeshifters are in this forest. The horses will be a burden, trust me."
So they left the horses.
"I feel bad for the horses. Just leaving them like this." Katherine had said, gently stroking the mane of the gray horse speckled with black spots she and Kai had ridden.
"They'll survive out here." Amish said "But in there, they'll be torn apart and eaten."
They walked into the forest, moving as quickly as they could but treading ever so lightly as well. They walked for over an hour. The sun had begun to set.
"How much farther?" Kai asked. Moving around this forest in the dark didn't seem like a good idea. Plus it had become eerily silent around them.
"Another hour."Amish said.
Then she suddenly stopped, her ears twitching. Kai felt it too. A mind like Viktor's. And if Garett's description was right, it was a mind like a shapeshifter. But this mind was very strong. There was something dangerously different about it.
"What's going on?" Katherine asked.
"Something is watching us." Amish said, her features grim.
"It's mind is just like Viktor's...only it's like a hundred times stronger." Kai said.
There was a quick movement from behind them. Kai turned back but nothing was behind them. Just some leaves scurrying with the aid of the harsh breeze the stalker creature created with its speed.
Kai unsheathed heros. It was instinct to bring Katherine closer to his side.
Then there was another speedy movement ahead of them, so fast it was almost a blur.
"Shouldn't we be running?" Abel asked.
"I'll give you a head start." A playful female voice whispered in Kai's ear.
Even with Kai's speed as he made to use heros against whatever was behind him, he was too slow. He felt a blinding pain as something went through his stomach from behind.
Blood gushed from his mouth. He looked slowly at his stomach to find what looked like a tail had gone through it.
"KAI!" Katherine screamed.
He pushed her away from whatever creature was behind him. She fell into Amish's hold. Kai heard the creature giggle darkly.
As it felt as though life was leaving Kai, he used his last energy to speak.
"Run."
******
"KAI!" Katherine screamed.
No no no no no.
He wouldn't die. Kai wouldn't leave her. She stared horrifically at the tail that had gone through Kai's stomach as he pushed her away and towards Amish.
"Run." he said.
"No!" Katherine screamed.
Then behind Kai, the largest snake she had ever seen began to rise and rise until it looked at them from above.
It looked like a cobra, only it stood at the height of a full grown tree.
And it had four hands, two on each sides.
It's scaled gray body was fat from its head all the way to its mid region, then gradually became leaner to it's tail.
"We have to run now!" Amish said as she began tugging Katherine backwards.
"No! I'm not leaving him!" Tears streamed from her eyes.
"Katherine!" Amish protested.
The snake lifted its tail with Kai on it, smiling horrifically.
"I wish I had less pathetic visitors." she said in a voice akin to a child.
Abel suddenly swept Katherine off her feet and over his shoulder. Then he began running away, Amish leading.
"No!" Katherine protested as she banged against Abel's shoulder. "He's not dead! Please!" Katherine cried.
She saw the snake toss Kai to the ground. Then it charged for them. Abel was by no means fast enough. Just as it would come upon them, Amish tackled them to the ground.
"Don't ruin my fun elf." the snake said as it charged for Amish who was already on her feet. Abel pulled Katherine off the ground and brought her against a tree.
The snake attacked using its tail with lightening speed but Amish was agile. She dodged the snakes attacks.
She climbed a tree in three steps and made to strike the snake with a kick so fast that even Katherine didn't see it coming. But the snake did.
It was faster as it wrapped Amish with its tail. Amish yelled in pain as her skin seared.
The snake chuckled.
"You forget yourself young one. I'm faster and more dangerous than you are. Now you get to burn slowly." The snake said.
Amish screamed even more. Hearing someone as strong as Amish screaming was terrible to process.
"Shit." Abel said beside Katherine. "Run Princess." Abel said as he grabbed a big, sharp stick from the ground and charged straight for the snake.
Like hell he was facing it alone.
Katherine grabbed another smaller but sharper stick from the ground.
"Let her go!" Abel screamed as he charged for the snake.
"Abel no!" Amish said through her screams.
The snake grabbed Abel with a hand. Abel began hitting the stick on the snakes hand.
"What business do you have with humans elf?" The snake asked, her voiced intrigued. "They're so breakable." The snake said then squeezed Abel a little.
Katherine heard a crack.
"Ahhh!" Abel screamed in pain.
"Hey!" Katherine called, drawing the snakes attention.
It brought its large head to Katherine's face, not noticing the stick in her hands behind her back.
"I'll kill you in a minute girl. Wait your turn." The snake said.
"Let them go." Katherine growled.
"What are you going to do?" The snake asked.
"Screw you!" Katherine screamed as she plunged her stick into the snakes eye.
The snake wailed in pain as it jerked back.
"You're going to regret that." The snake said, as it opened its mouth wide, exposing its fangs. Then it charged for Katherine.
"Nooo!" Abel screamed.
Something moved very fast in Katherine's vision. Then the snake suddenly blasted backwards and slammed against a tree, dropping Amish and Abel.
And there he was. Facing the snake where it lay against the tree, heros in one hand. He was clutching his stomach where the snake had put its tail through and he was panting. His shirt was soaked in blood.
His dark locks were more appealing to her eyes than ever. Then he turned his gaze to her. His gray eyes as beautiful and intense as they've always been.
"Kai." Katherine whispered as a tear escaped her. Then she huffed a laugh. He smiled at her too. A smile she had learned to cherish.
"You're not a human." The snake said as it rose to full height. Kai turned his attention to it "And your power feels different from even a ye juai's. What are you?"
Kai gripped heros more firmly then strengthened his stance.
"Come at me and you'll find out." he said.
Always a badass, Katherine thought with a smile.
The snake screeched horrifically, showing its fangs. Then it charged for Kai.
"But you should know." Kai said as the snake came at him with full speed "I hate snakes!"
One second Kai was on the ground, the next he was above the snake.
Wait what?
It was like he disappeared. Only she didn't think he did. He was just so fast that he didn't even leave a blur.
Then he plunged his sword through the snakes large head. It fell to the ground. Kai still stood on its head.
"Snakes are slippery..." Kai hit the hilt of his sword to plunge deeper into the snakes head. "Spineless..." another hit "bastards." he hit the hilt again. This time there was a crunching sound. That must have done it.
He pulled heros out of the snakes head then came down from it. He stared at Katherine, panting hard.
"That's a pretty antagonistic statement." Katherine said with a smile.
"You saw what it did to me right?" Kai asked. She laughed. Then Kai fell on one of his knees, using heros for support.
She immediately rushed to his side. She threw his arm over her shoulder and helped him rise.
Abel approached them with Amish in his arms, unconscious. Her skin was red but not charred as it was before. She was healing then.
Abel winced at every step. Something must have definitely been broken.
"How are you even alive?" Abel asked. Katherine was as perplexed as Abel but was just mostly happy that Kai was alive.
"I think..." Kai said as he stopped clutching his stomach and lifted his bloody shirt.
There was a deep wound on the left side of his stomach. But it wasn't as bad as it should've been.
"I think I'm healing. But it's painfully slow." Kai said. "We have to keep moving."
"I don't think Amish is waking anytime soon." Abel said. "How do we find our way?"
"It's faint but I can feel the minds of several creatures in the east. They're not like humans or magical creatures. I think they're like Amish but I can't be sure from this distance." Kai said.
"It's our only option right now." Katherine said.
So Kai led the way to the location he sensed. Katherine supported him. She didn't know who to be more worried about. She supposed it was Abel who had the worst of it. He wouldn't heal like Amish and Kai would.
Yet he still kept straining his body for Amish's sake.
After almost an hour of walking, Kai came to stop.
"It should be here." Kai said. "The minds are strongest here."
"But there's nothing here." Abel said.
"Nothing you can see." A raspy voice said from behind Katherine.
It was Amish. Abel held her a little tighter as if she would disappear.
"At least not without the permission of someone who's been in the glamour." Amish said.
She lifted her hand then placed her palm on Abel's face. Abel smiled. Then he looked ahead and stopped smiling.
"What the ...?" Abel stared in shock at something Katherine couldn't see.
Amish waved Katherine and Kai over. She touched Kai's head. Then Katherine's. Then she fell unconscious.
Katherine turned back. Where there was nothing, there was now a small village.
"No way." she murmured.
There were several large fires set ahead so that it illuminated the small village as the sun had now set.
Around those fires were other elves and creatures Katherine hadn't seen till now. Some as tall as houses and others unbelievably short.
Ye juai's.
"Intruders!" A man shouted. At least Katherine thought it was a man till he suddenly turned into a gray wolf as tall as her.
Then it prowled towards them. Kai was already in front of Katherine. The other creatures around the fires were already up. They all had unfriendly looks as they approached Katherine and the others.
"Get back." Kai warned. The wolf growled it's refusal as it kept heading towards them.
Kai was already reaching for his sword.
"Candor stop." A voice said. She walked up and stood beside the snarling wolf. She seas as tall as Kai.
She had long teeth and long ears like Amish. But something about her seemed different. Katherine didn't think she was an elf. She had short dark hair and eyes the same color.
"Aren't you wondering how they got here in the first place?" The strange lady said.
Then she turned her gaze to them.
"Well. How did you get here?" The lady said.
Abel came forward from behind Katherine with Amish in his arms. There were suddenly murmurs.
"Lady Amish." The ye juai said in almost a gasp. "Who did that to her?"
"A large snake." Kai said.
The lady stood watching them for some seconds. Then she spoke.
"Who are you?" She asked.
Kai looked to Abel, then Katherine. Katherine nodded her approval.
"I'm the one who absorbed the mala ball. I'm Malakai."