Chapter 89: 89. Night-time in the Ashplain

They covered more distance before night arrived.

As they moved east across the Ashplain, the land slowly changed. The open, rolling savanna near the coast became thicker and more crowded. The grass grew taller, and trees appeared more often. The ground was no longer wide and easy to cross. It became uneven and harder to move through, as if the land had formed in its own way without considering whether people could travel through it easily.

They set up camp in a natural stone formation. Leah explained that it was a traditional stopping point for travelers. The large stones formed a rough circle and had been used long before the clan system existed. According to her, people had sheltered there for longer than any written records could confirm.

At the center of the circle was a fire pit. It still held old ash and had been worn smooth from being used by many generations of travelers.

Leah built the fire with clear experience. She moved efficiently, choosing dry wood from the nearby trees. It caught quickly. Within minutes, the fire was steady and low, producing very little smoke. She did all of this smoothly, without hesitation or visible thought.

“You’ve camped here before,” Owen said.

“My mother brings the pride’s young warriors through the Ashplain every year. It’s a three-week journey — from the coast to the eastern mountains and back. It builds endurance and teaches navigation.” She leaned back slightly, watching the fire burn. “I completed the journey four times before I was taken.”

She said the last word in a calm, direct way. There was no extra emotion in her voice. Owen had noticed this before. She never exaggerated what happened to her, and she never avoided it. She simply stated it as a fact from her past.

“The Ironmane warriors we saw this morning,” Owen said. “They were skilled.”

“of course they were” Leah replied. “Of the three clans, they are the most focused on war. Their training has always been strong.” She paused. “Their ability is not what concerns me. Their orders are.”

“Explain.”

She kept her eyes on the fire. “Ironmane warriors would not attack a mixed group that includes a member of the Auric Pride and a dragon while traveling on a neutral route unless they had high-level approval. An action like that requires direct permission from the clan chief.” Her tail shifted slightly. “That means Marak personally approved an attack that could have triggered conflict between the clans. That is not just reckless behavior. It suggests he has decided that maintaining peace between the clans is no longer important.”

“Someone… or something has made him confident enough to ignore the consequences,” Owen said.

“Yes. And the only thing that changes that calculation for a clan chief is—”

“Power,” Owen finished. “Something that shifts the balance enough that conflict between clans no longer feels dangerous to pursue”

Leah met his gaze. “Demons. If Azmireth offered Marak support — military aid, unique abilities, access to power outside the normal.”

Owen thought about Eckstein. About how the demon network operated through intermediaries — finding humans whose appetites and ambitions made them useful, providing resources and cover, extracting what they needed in return. Eckstein had provided cover for demon operations in the human continent. Marak might be providing the same function here.

“The question is what they want from him,” Owen said.

“Access to the Story Dungeon formation?,” Leah replied immediately. “It is inside Ironmane territory. They would need Marak’s cooperation to operate near it without restriction.”

Owen thought about that in silence. The fire crackled. Something large moved through the grass in the distance but did not approach.

Yuki returned from her watch post and sat beside him. Uru shifted from her shoulder to his knee and became still.

“Odessa is asleep,” Yuki said. “Alfred has second watch. He found three Ironmane tracking signals around the perimeter. He is deliberately moving in ways that make their tracking difficult.”

“Of course he is,” Owen said.

“He seems satisfied.”

“Alfred seems to prefer tasks that require patience” Leah said.

Yuki nodded. “How far tomorrow?”

“If the route remains clear, twenty-five kilometers will take us to the eastern narrows of the Ashplain,” Leah said. “It is the most defensible point. After that, another fifteen kilometers to the Ironmane border.”

“Then we are officially in their territory,” Yuki said.

“Officially, we remain in neutral ground until we cross the marked border,” Leah said. She gestured to the grass. “Unofficially, we are already under observation.”

“Good,” Owen said evenly. “Let them watch. Let Vorak report everything to Marak. I want him aware of our approach. When someone feels pressured, they act restless. Their actions reveal their priorities.”

Leah looked at him with those amber eyes and he had the sense of being assessed again, a particular quality of her attention that evaluated him without judgment, simply building a picture to accommodate her thoughts.

“You make yourself visible when concealment would be safer.”

“Sometimes. If you stay hidden, you learn what someone does when they think no one sees them. If you are visible, you learn what they choose when they have no other option but direct approach.”

“And you prefer that.”

“It is more direct.”

Leah considered this, then lay back on the grass and looked at the sky.

“The stars are different here,” she said. “Different from the ship.”

Owen looked up. The sky above the Ashplain was clear and dark, with no artificial light interfering.

“I did not see stars like this when I was human,” he said. “Too much city light.”

“Do you miss your human life?”

He thought before answering. “Some parts. The scale of problems was smaller. My biggest concern was paying rent. It was manageable.”

“And now?”

“Now the problems are larger,” he said. “But, they give me a purpose. and that feels good.”

Leah did not respond, but her expression softened slightly. The fire burned lower.

Yuki leaned against him and fell asleep quickly, used to resting whenever the opportunity appeared.

Owen remained awake, extending his Mana Sense across the plain, monitoring their surroundings while the night remained quiet.

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