(Amaia)

The Summer area drains us. The fact that Istrale Team was the one who initially entered this area and is nowhere to be seen shows that they have already crossed it and are ahead.

We drag ourselves forward, with every step the distance between us and the hidden door seems to increase.

Suddenly a horde of black scorpions the size of a small monkey attacked us. Slithering out of the burning sand with their stingers raised as if waiting for us to pass by.

"Be careful!" Kacir calls out, swinging his weapon as they scurry towards him.

Mintaka attacks them with his ice spikes, raining down on them, killing as many as he can.

I charge up my weapon again, and shoot them with jolts of electricity, electrifying the creepy creatures.

"Ouch! Argh!" I hear Rahria hiss. My head turns to watch her as she kicks one away and grabs her leg. "The fucker stung me."

Kacir’s worried gaze finds her but I raise my hand at him.

"Let me." He gives an appreciative but anxious nod.

I let the boys handle the scorpions and rush towards Rahria. Lifting the tight trousers from her leg, I notice the red wound with a small hole in the centre.

"It’s going to be fine." I rub my fingers there once and grab my charmed dagger which already has my stored healing powers.

I press the flat blade on her wound and let my powers flow out, healing her instantly.

"Whoa! Maeve gave you such a cool weapon with healing power inside." Rahria excitedly rubs her fingers on her healed skin.

"She surely did." My heart slightly pings. I hate lying to my friends but for now, I have no other choice.

By the time we straighten, boys are done with scorpions.

"You good?" Kacir places his chained blades on his shoulder. His hair is still hanging in front of his eye as he comes to hold Rahria.

"Yeah! Amaia healed me," she graciously tells Kacir, wiping the sweat off her brow.

His thankful gaze lifts towards me. "Thanks!"

I nod with a smile.

"Our mate is exceptional." Alnitak crosses his arms over my shoulders and holds me to himself.

"We should get moving before another horde finds us," Mintaka says, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. The sweat sparkles there.

Our little procession begins to move again, heading in the direction the vampires had guided us.

Then we see it, like a mirage in the distance. Our feet quicken against the burning sand until we arrive at the autumn door. The thick, dark wood is a welcoming sight, although we don’t know what lies behind it.

Kacir grabs the handle, twisting it he opens the door and we cross forward, until I feel a coarse rope binding against my leg and pulling me backwards.

"Argh!" I scream as my weapon drops from my hand.

The force makes me fall hard on the hot sand and a substantial amount of it I inhale.

"Amaia?" Mintaka shrieks, swinging his battle-axe. He cuts whatever was pulling me back while Alnitak grabs me from the ground and rushes towards the other side. Mintaka quickly follows and bangs the door closed.

"You good?" Alnitak frantically asks, holding my face captive.

"Yeah, what was it?" I ask, spitting out sand and turning my gaze towards Mintaka who is holding my sword against his thick shoulder. Beads of sweat fall on his nose.

"A giant lizard."

"Amaia? You alright?" Rahria comes to hold my shoulders.

"You gave us a scare," Kacir calls out, but I can see his eyes are roaming the surroundings, ensuring we are not in immediate danger.

"Yes, I just inhaled sand." I wipe my tongue with my hand and Alnitak lets out a snort.

"I can eat your sand," he offers with a wink. Even in this situation, he has a sense of humour.

"We need to keep moving. Staying in one place is dangerous, we should be vigilant as we have entered a new territory." Mintaka hands me my weapon back and takes the lead along with Kacir.

Rahria walks beside me while Alnitak stays behind us.

I take this moment to observe our surroundings.

The sun hangs low, just like the other places but it’s not burning our skin. Instead, it casts long, dappled shadows through trees bowed under cloaks of amber, rust, and burnished gold. Autumn seems to have kissed every spec of this place for its colours are magnificently displayed.

A crisp, scent-laden wind stirs constantly, carrying the dry perfume of woodsmoke, ripe apples, and decaying leaves. Under our feet, the ground is a soft, muffled landscape of fallen foliage. They crunch under our feet with every step we take.

The air hums with the occasional chatter of some creature we have yet to meet.

Deep purple clusters of flowers in the hedgerows, provide a contrasting burst of bright colour against the abundant bronze. A light mist seems to cling to the ground veiling the landscape in a soft, melancholic haze. It is a world caught in the beautiful hues of autumn bringing forth a nostalgic feeling.

"Will it be wrong to say this place is beautiful?" I whisper to my companions.

"No, it is enchanted in a way to pull us. We have to keep our guards up," Mintaka answers from the front.

I have tied Saiph’s handkerchief on my wrist, along with the black rose and Alnilam’s streak of hair.

The lock of his hair is going round and round in circles around my wrist. I am not sure why it’s doing that but it makes me feel closer to him, to them, like they are with me.

The hissing I have heard initially continues but we can’t pinpoint which direction it is coming from.

Rahria’s stomach growls and she sighs. "We should find something to eat. I swear the next creature I am killing I am going to eat its flesh. No matter what."

"I can smell apples in the air. I bet there are apple trees since it’s autumn." Boys nod at my words and begin our search for some ripe apples.

We have lost the concept of time but more than half a day must have passed since we first entered through the rainy door. We haven’t eaten anything and constant battles have drained our energy.

"There I can see apples on that tree." Mintaka points in the distance. Excitement runs through us at the thought of juicy apples and we quicken our pace.

I discover it in the distance. The gnarled apple tree, its branches groan under the weight of fruit so red and golden that they seem to glow.

To our horror and what makes us halt in our tracks is a serpent coiled around its trunk of magnanimous size. Its scales are the colour of dirty orange and rust brown.

"Seriously? A serpent on the apple tree. They really had to go there?" Rahria frustratedly drops her arms.

It moves with a slow, deliberate grace, its wedge-shaped head resting lightly on a low-hanging bough as if lazing around.

"Seems like we will have to toil hard to earn the fruit," Alnitak steps ahead of Rahria and me and swings the battle-axe in his hands.

The serpent’s massive head lifts, to observe us. A black tongue flickers out to taste the air. It lets out a deep, rattling hiss, a sound like steam escaping the earth. It unsettles the hearts.

"Min, let’s put our training into action." Alnitak places his elbow on his brother’s shoulder and he nods.

"Guys, relax. We got this. No need for all of us to tire out," Mintaka addresses us and Kacir nods, taking a step back. "We will be vigilant. In case things go out of hand, we will be stepping in."

They approach the apple tree with their axes raised. The glint under the dying sun. Mintaka circles left while Alnitak goes right. The serpent’s head swivels, black eyes tracking one, then the other, its rattling hiss rising to a furious scream.

"Be careful guys," my uncontrollable voice comes through. I can’t help but worry about my mates.

But they are beasts when it comes to fighting. Their uniforms are snug against their perfected bodies as they move and muscles ripple underneath.

The serpent strikes like falling lightning, but the twins move as one—Mintaka drawing its fangs with a flash of his axe, diverting its attention. Alnitak swings and drives his blade, deep behind its skull.

The serpent’s body thrashes, coiling and uncoiling with enough force to shake the apples from the boughs, but Alnitak holds fast with a snarling grin. Mintaka plunges his axe into its slithering body, dividing it into two. With one final, shuddering sigh that rustles the dying leaves, the serpent finally goes still, its hold on the tree loosening at last and falling on the ground between the foliage.

The twins stand amidst the fallen fruit and the coiled ruin, breathing hard and then they bend down to pick up the apples and toss them towards us.

Effortlessly, I catch one. "Toil of hard work is going to be sweet. Let’s eat."