Chapter 177: Very Different
A day had passed, and the journey still continued. Ariana had originally thought it would not take this long...maybe just until night or late evening—but no. It was so bad that even after a whole day, they were still on the road.
The harsh afternoon sun sliced through the window, but thankfully, she was sitting on the other side with the Seer, so it did not touch her. A soft smile curved on her lips as she ate the pineapple fruit neatly cut on a plate.
Thanks to the things they had prepared, she did not feel hungry—or was it simply the adrenaline pumping through her body that made eating difficult? She wondered deeply if it would take yet another day.
Just then, the carriage came to a stop. Ariana frowned, wondering why, since the only time it usually stopped was when either she or the Seer wanted to pee, when they wanted to eat, or when the horses needed water or food. But they had just done that not even a few minutes ago, so this sudden stop was shocking.
The Seer shifted as Raven opened the carriage door. With a respectful bow, he spoke calmly.
"We will soon arrive, my queen. We have already reached the desert."
Ariana finally understood. No wonder the sun had gotten so hot—so unbearably hot. She had also noticed there were fewer trees and grasses, and the few she saw no longer looked fresh. That explained it. But why had Raven stopped?
"We stopped because this is where the carriage must end. From here, we will use the horses," he explained softly.
Ariana nodded. The carriage had been parked at the corner.
"Lady Ariana, let us go down," the Seer said.
Ariana climbed down, followed by the Seer. As her boots touched the dry grass, it gave a scrunchy sound beneath her.
The wind blew on her. It was neither cold nor hot—just warm. Then she looked ahead, and before her stretched a land filled with sand. It looked endless—so endless that the naked eye could not even make out where it stopped.
She turned her gaze to the Seer, who finally spoke.
"Luna Ariana, since there are only two horses, we will both share one while Mister Raven takes the other."
Ariana nodded, waiting patiently.
Raven moved to prepare the horses, removing them from their harnesses and setting them up for proper riding.
The Seer, as if suddenly remembering something, went to the back of the carriage and opened it. Ariana followed, not wanting to just stand there doing nothing.
"Luna Ariana, you don’t have to worry," the Seer said, noticing Ariana trying to help.
"No, I want to," Ariana replied evenly, with finality.
The lady finally nodded. Ariana picked up another sack-like bag and began putting fruits inside, knowing they would need them for the journey. They would not take everything, as there would be some left for their return. She prayed it would still be there by then.
After the sack was filled, the Seer also took hers. Together with Ariana, they carried them to Raven, who took the bags and hung them on the horse
Then Ariana and the Seer returned to the back of the carriage, this time carrying the water cans. They handed them to Raven, who tied them securely on the horse as well.
For some reason, Ariana found the sound of the scrunchy flowers beneath her boots soothing.
They closed the back of the carriage and walked to the front, waiting for Raven to adjust the pedals used for climbing.
Ariana could not help but respect Raven even more. She knew he had given his very best during this journey. Not only had he cared for them all, but he had not even slept through the night while she rested. He had stayed awake, driving the carriage. And despite the fact that she had informed him of this journey late—with little time to rest or prepare—he had still been ready.
But Raven was used to this. He had gone through sleepless nights in training and even during the last war. Compared to that, this was nothing.
Finally, he took a deep breath. Everything was done. He patted the horse’s head gently, earning soft noises from it.
If Ariana had known that one day she would be riding a horse for such a serious matter, she would have, without a doubt, practiced horse riding more seriously. But it was not her fault she had stopped during the fourth month of her pregnancy. Zavren had not allowed it, worried about her safety.
And that had been totally understandable, given the risks.
"Done," Raven announced, dusting his hands.
He waited as the Seer climbed onto the horse, taking the front to drive. Ariana followed, climbing up and settling at the back.
Both she and the Seer had their hair packed neatly into tight buns.
"Hold on to me, Queen Ariana," the Seer said.
Ariana nodded, placing her hands gently around the lady’s waist.
Raven moved next, climbing onto his own horse.
"Ready?" he asked.
The Seer nodded, followed by Ariana, who adjusted her balance and held on tighter—but not too tightly.
Finally, Raven moved the pedal, and both the Seer’s horse and his own began to move. The air blew against Ariana’s face as they picked up speed. The ride was much faster than the carriage had ever been.
Wait... was the carriage the reason it always felt slower? she thought. Even though the carriage had been quick, this was entirely different. No wonder it felt so smooth.
The horses continued forward, their hooves clopping rhythmically against the sand as dust lifted into the air. Ariana noticed just how far they were going, and how Raven deliberately stayed slightly behind so they wouldn’t lag behind him if he moved too fast.
Her lips parted, then pressed shut again. She knew she wasn’t someone who liked the sight of blood, but this time, she had to face it. She was already expecting to see it—blood, and lots of it. The killing would be massive. Her chest heaved, her heartbeat racing as the image of groups falling one after the other came to her mind. She couldn’t even imagine how it would feel to watch someone being killed right before her eyes.
"Lady Ariana, are you okay?"
Raven slowed his pace, noticing that the Seer had done the same.
Ariana hesitated, her thoughts doubling over themselves. Could she really face it? She forced a small smile.
"Yes, I am fine," she replied, even though she silently wondered how the Seer had noticed her unease.
The Seer tilted her head slightly, smiling.
"I heard your breathing. The way it quickened said enough."
Ariana gave a soft laugh at her words, and somehow, that eased her tension a little.
"Luna Ariana, I can feel it—we are close," the Seer whispered ams Ariana immediately felt the air change.
The air became to suffocating and unusually scary.
Ariana’s heart pounded louder in her chest.
"Okay. Thank you for the update."
The Seer nodded, then spoke again.
"I will make us invisible. Neither the vampires nor the werewolves will be able to see us. It is for our safety, Luna Ariana."
Ariana gave a firm nod.
"Very well then."
The lady slowed her horse slightly, glancing toward Raven, who also slowed down.
"Making us invisible now," she said.
Raven gave a brief nod, agreeing silently.
Ariana watched as the Seer began to chant. Her lips moved quickly, and though Ariana strained to listen, the words were strange—too strange for her to understand. Then, a faint glow shimmered around them, wrapping them in what looked like a bubble.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves disappeared. Instead, a roaring noise filled Ariana’s ears, and her heartbeat quickened wildly. They had reached the war ground.
The place was filled with people—too many to count. Blood splattered across the sand. Ariana’s body shivered..clinking and clanking of swords. Though she knew none could see them, she still felt exposed, as if invisible eyes were watching her.
Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of broken bodies on the ground, the flashing of weapons, and movements too fast for her eyes to follow. The horse pressed forward, carrying them through the chaos but at the corner side they were shielded not just invisible the seer powers were protecting them, until it finally stopped.
The Seer and Raven were both silent. Ariana couldn’t bring herself to look directly at the battle. Her chest tightened, fear creeping in as her gaze darted away. She hadn’t even seen her husband yet... where was he?
But just as she turned her head, her eyes landed on a massive wolf.
It was huge—so huge that it struck down more than ten men at once. Its fur was black, and its swiftness seemed almost unnatural.
Ariana’s eyes widened. Her heartbeat stuttered.
Z... Zavren.
She tried to put the pieces together. Could that really be Zavren? She had never seen him in his werewolf form before. But among all the wolves on the battlefield, he was the largest. His claws were sharp, his movements terrifyingly precise.
She wondered if the reason why the Seer and Raven were not saying anything was because they were invisible.
As if that was not enough, the wolf head suddenly snapped toward her. Ariana’s body trembled, her breath hitched as their eyes locked.