What would our answers be? Would we choose to risk our lives and help this little female? Or would we turn our backs? This was a tempting offer. It had been a while since I had been out and about. If this was any other time, I would be all in. But, Kyleon was in danger as we spoke. I couldn't waste time here.
Two lines pinched between the redhead's brows. "By what you explained earlier, we don't have a choice. You save us for this purpose and I don't really have a body to go back to."
I, on the other hand, would be forced to go back to my dark prison. It wasn't what I would want, but it kept me close to Kyleon. I was comfortable there. Sometimes.
The little woman laughed. The soft yet strong sound engulfed us. "You're smart. I know I made the right decision."
In other words, we didn't have a choice at all. We had to help her.
I sighed.
She glanced at me. "Oh, don't look so glum, Sabastian. Your brother will be alright. Besides, I didn't bring you here just to have you follow me across the realm without giving you something in return."
I perked at that.
A prize. Nice. I didn't get many gifts. I wondered if it was something I could brag to Kyleon about. When we were younger, the little shit used to brag about his stuff all the time.
The redhead clasped her hand on her lap. "What would you give us that is of any value to us in our current state?"
Our summoner relaxed in her chair. "Your deepest desire. A fresh start. Sabastian can get a chance to live in the world of the living, rule beside his brother. Alpha and Alpha. Scarlet, you will be able to get back your body. You both can do whatever you want, be whoever you choose to be."
An even more tempting offer. The ultimate prize. If she was right, this was my chance to really protect Kyleon. I would be by his side like it was meant to be.
But, once again, the redhead asked the notorious question. "How do we know you're telling the truth? How can we guarantee you're not just stringing us on, playing with our minds?"
True. This angel woman was smart. She knew her opponent's mind as well as our lives. She knew what we wanted and what we had been through. This would be the perfect chance to exploit that.
The woman wasn't fazed by the question. She leaned forward and tapped the coffee table. A book along with a map appeared.
"Destiny Peak isn't just an ordinary place," she explained, pointing to a mountain peak on the map. "It's the source of power for this world. And that is precisely why the journey there is so hazardous. There's a pool in the middle of the mountain that gives to life all our dearest desires. One swim and you get one of your dreams to come true. You want to save a life, you dip in the pool with that idea in mind. When you emerge, it's a reality."
It sounded too good to be true. But, the real question was, was it worth finding out? This hunt could take us days, weeks. Could I manage to spare so much time?
I rubbed my chin. "So, all we have to do is get you to this peak place in one piece and we can take a dip into this pool?"
The little woman nodded. "Yes, that's correct. Our journey might take us two weeks max, but at the end of it, there is light. I wouldn't have summoned you both here if I didn't know you could do it."
The redhead nibbled on her bottom lip. An old habit of hers. I already made up my mind. If there was a slight chance this woman was telling the truth, I wanted to reap that reward. If she was lying then it would be my pleasure to kill her. In the end, it would all be fine by me.
"Okay," I stretched. "I'm in. I just hope you won't have a problem if I kill her after."
I pointed to the redhead. Whether or not there was a pool at our destination, she wasn't going to get a chance to use it. I wasn't going to allow her to go back to the world of the living after what she did.
The redhead glared at me.
No doubt, in her pretty little head the wheels were turning. She had no idea who I was and what I represented. She got a glimpse of me once. It would take a fool not to know she had forgotten about that time.
The little angel chuckled. "Let's just focus on working together to get to Destiny Peak. Whatever happens after will have to wait."
In other words, I could do whatever I wanted when we got to our destination. Which made this journey all the more enticing. Such a wonderful ending it would be.
The redhead returned her attention to the angel. "We'll need a little more information about our route to this place…" She raised her eyebrows, awaiting the name of the little woman.
A slow smile curled her lips. "You can call me Angel, and yes, you have a point." She pushed the book aside and drew our eyes to the map on the coffee table. "We are currently above the Shabah Village. We'll have to pass through there to gather supplies and to get to the Forest of Beast."
"I've heard of that place before," the redhead whispered. "It's made up of the most vicious beast in the universe. I've heard of three-headed snakes and bears with spikes instead of furs."
Angel bobbed her head. "Yeah, and those beasts possess fascinating powers. Powers Sabastian is going to harvest."
Oh.
I arched a brow. "Why?"
I was not only a wolf and Alpha to the Redwood pack but a vicus-god. My grandmother was the Goddess of Destruction. She had passed down a rare technique to me and my brother. We had the ability to reap the powers of others. This was called The Harvest. Neither my brother nor I had attempted to use this technique before.
Angel flashed me an innocent smile. "The deeper we go into the forest the stronger the beasts will be. No one has ever made it out of that place alive. To be honest, you're our muscles. Without you, we'll all die. To survive, you're going to have to reap each beast's power to get stronger to defend yourself against the next beast."
This woman was starting to sound like trouble. All in all, I would go to hell and back for Kyleon.
I dropped my feet off the table. "Let's get going then."
The redhead shot me a glare. "We can't just jump into something without assessing and knowing what we're going into. Going in blind is never a good strategy."
I waved her away. "The Little Missy said this is a two weeks journey. I don't know about you but I don't have extra time to sit and chit chat. Whatever we need to know, she tells us on the way. The sooner we start this journey, the better."
Her nose flared. I straightened. Angel watched us with fascination.
"Are you coming?" I questioned.
The angel nodded and stood. Another snap of her fingers and the book with the map vanished.
The redhead grumbled under her breath but joined us. Angel led us out through the front door. We stepped out into the cool night air. No stars were visible but three full moons were interlocking each other.
Angel handed us cloaks when we were outside. "It will get colder in the village."
As with the clothes, the cloak fitted.
Suited up, we trailed her down a lean path. Gravel crunched under our feet. The sound was louder in the silent night. There was nothing peaceful about this silence. It was the type that brought fear.
The room we left behind appeared to be a castle. However, the further we got from it, the more it took on the appearance of a tower. Large brick walls were all we encountered. Something of a fortress.
"The village is not too far from here," Angel announced when we neared the end of the path. "To avoid attracting any unwanted attention to ourselves we'll have to walk."
We nodded in agreement.
I couldn't help but get excited. Her way of saying unwanted attention either meant bandits or other ungodly things. I wouldn't mind both. It has been a long long time since I enjoyed myself. Kyleon was always trying to keep me tamed. This trip was a way to get everything out. The beast could be free.
A large metal gate opened in our presence. The minute we passed through, the entire room-castle-fortress-tower disappeared. The vast space revealed a cliff.
Once again, the little angel displayed an innocent smile. "Shall we?"