Riverside City Chronicles | Book 1 | Riverside City [Capes & Cowls]

by VanDerHeyden, Paul C.

  “Oh yeah, we need to make this and other games in here, I’ll get on it tomorrow. This should liven up our evenings quite a bit,” Cinder says as she looks over at the Mancala board disparagingly.

  Chapter 47: Time Passes, but Memories Never Fade

  The next two years and ten months pass by in a flash, Cinder becomes something like a Godmother or Aunt to the pair. That was something that Theo and Kat never had growing up, they always had a Mom and, for a while, a Dad, but besides their teachers, no other adult filled that role until recently. Brigid tried to be that for Kat, but she was just too busy to put in the time necessary for her young charge.

  Cinder figured out that Kat could teleport as long as there was a person for her to use as an anchor at the other end. This came up when she trapped Kat in a maze of her hottest fire. Kat panicked and wished to be next to Theo, then she was there, passed out in his arms.

  Her range started out around at ten feet, but by the end she was moving almost a mile easily. When she pushed herself, she made it ten miles, but she passed out afterwards.

  “I can’t believe we go back to the normal world tomorrow, we have to go back to school like we didn’t just spend three years training and loving each other. It’s going to suck isn’t it?” Kat says as she stands with Theo staring at the white dome that has been their home for the past three years.

  “Absolutely, no more rampant galavanting with our powers, we’ll have to pretend to be normal again. Ugh, no more sleeping together, at least publicly. I don’t think I can go back to sleeping alone,” Theo looks at Kat with hope in his eyes.

  “I’ll get a pet fish or something so I can teleport back to my room in the morning, though you’ll have to behave yourself mister. I may not be a prude, but I’m no teenage mother to be either. You’ll have to take care of that part of the equation, figure it out, I’m not willing to give up our bedroom time either, Kat looks sternly into Theo’s confused eyes.

  “I just meant I like waking up with you in my arms, that was all. Though…” Theo starts quickly before Cinder’s laughter cuts him off. Theo and Kat both turn to look at Cinder’s laughing form.

  “A dragon as powerful as Theo doesn’t get someone pregnant by accident, that’s some normie shit, he chooses if he’s shooting blanks or not. If you’re still worried, once you Awaken fully you’ll be able to control your ovulation cycle, so you can protect yourself there too,” Cinder’s laughing tone does a poor job covering up the fact that she’s obviously been crying.

  “Well, that solves that,” Kat says as she walks over to hug Cinder. “I’m going to miss you Cin, I hope you know that. Next time Theo stops in to ask a question, I’m obviously riding along and coming to see you.” She sweeps the small form of Cinder up in a massive hug, her body much stronger from the daily training in the astral space.

  “Promise? You two won’t forget about me?” Cinder’s eyes fill with tears before she shakes her head to clear them, “Why am I so emotional? I’ve done this a dozen times.”

  “None of them made you part of the family,” Theo says as he steps up behind Kat and picks them both up. “You’re family, if I could take out with us, I would with no hesitation.” The three stand together, hugging and crying.

  With all of their eyes closed, they don’t notice Theo’s eyes glowing a deep crimson.

  After a few minutes, the three of them walk into the white dome house for what is potentially the last time. Theo and Kat stare around the room at the place they called home for the last three years. The TV they watched so many movies on with Cinder after playing board games. The library Kat had only recently finished due to her Draconic Soul evolving a bit, granting her the increased memory and intelligence all Children of the Dragon are gifted with.

  Finally, they settle down around the table for one last game of Root. Cinder plays as the Cats, Theo as the Alliance, and Kat as the Riverfolk. A night full of laughter, tears, and fun is had by all.

  “All right, you guys go back in three minutes. Anything else you need?” Cinder asks as they sit on their cushions in the void, both homes missing from the space.

  Theo stares at Cinder intensely for a minute or so. “If I could bring you out with us…”

  Cinder smiles ruefully. “That’s not how this works, I was given a task. I can’t abandon that, as much as I’d like to.”

  Theo frowns and then looks at Kat, who nods. “If you can’t come with us, then can you watch over us? If something drastic happens, try and contact us. I’ll go to sleep as soon as possible so I can talk to you. We trust you Cinder, you’re family.”

  “Done! I’m not through with you two yet. I get the feeling I’ll be seeing a lot of you. You’re both passionate people, so you should show up in my feed a lot. I’m looking forward to it,” Cinder breathes deeply as she holds in her emotions.

  A gong strikes and Theo and Kat disappear, their smiling faces are burned into Cinder’s memory.

  “Dammit I’m going to miss those two!” Cinder screams into the void around her.

  A deep voice interrupts Cinder’s tirade. “Your little tantrum may be a bit premature Cinder.”

  Cinder looks around and sees nothing. “Father? Didn’t you just leave with Theo?”

  “I had one last thing to do before leaving, so I delayed his return. Don’t worry, he can’t hear us, neither can Kat.” The Great Golden Dragon’s voice is filled with warmth. “I have a proposition for you Cinder. Are you willing to listen?”

  “Of course Father, anything I can do for you I will.” Cinder shifts from a seated position to a kowtow on her cushion.

  A laugh rumbles out. “Enough of that, you’re my daughter, not some king asking for gold. You need not kowtow before me.”

  “Yes, Father.” Cinder sits back on her heels.

  “Good, now I need you to go with Theo and Kat. You’ll act as their protector, though mostly through being a source of knowledge for them. There’s not enough time in the coming years for you to impart all you know to Theo or Kat, so I’m setting you free.”

  “What about the rest of the Children? Who will teach them?”

  “Your teacher, Huoqiu, was getting bored in the afterlife, I asked and he gratefully accepted the position.”

  “He is much more qualified than I was, so I guess the others will be fine with him. Will I get a new body when I leave?”

  Her father sighs. “At this point, it would overtax Theo to make a new body for you, but he does have the strength to make you a new vessel, a ruby pendant. If you agree, he will wake up with that pendant around his neck. You may take a few days to get used to your new living accommodations, but they’ll be remarkably like this. Your remaining Draconic Essence will be used to maintain your form until Theo finds a new body for you.”

  Cinder replies immediately, “Please, I’m not ready to be alone again.”

  “Done, see you soon daughter.” The Great Golden Dragon’s tone betrays the fact that if he could, he would be smiling ear to ear.

  Chapter 48: Back to Normal(ish)

  When Theo and Kat wake up, they find that Kat is in Theo’s bed, laying on top of him. Both are still in the clothes they wore to bed the night before. A pair of boxers for Theo and footie pajamas for Kat. Both of them look just like they did in the astral world, muscles and all.

  Theo reaches his arms around Kat and gives her a nice long kiss, Kat melts into it like she has so many times before. She purrs, “I can’t believe that three years have passed for us, but only eight hours passed out here. That’s the real magic of your Awakening, the other powers you have are amazing, but we stole time. I’m so glad we got to spend that time together.”

  “We’re going to need to explain at least some of this to Mom, I’m not comfortable lying to her about something as important as this.” Theo gives her a peck on the cheek.

  “What’s this?” Theo notices that he’s wearing a necklace with a ruby the size of a quarter set into its golden dragon shaped housing. He flips it over and sees an insc
ription on the back.

  You’re not getting rid of me that easily.

  - C

  Theo looks at Kat. “Not sure where this came from, but I think I’ll hang on to it.”

  “What’s with the necklace? It’s not really your style,” Kat asks.

  “Nothing important, I’ll keep it as a reminder of Cinder. It’s time to get up for school, plus you didn’t buy your fish yet, so you’ll have to sneak down the hall on your own. Good luck!”

  “You’re so mean! I’m in my pajamas! What if some weirdo tries to mess with me? I could be hurt!” She pouts, her lower lip quavering.

  “I’m more worried about the person who startles you now. They’re liable to get an elbow somewhere sensitive after all that training we did,” Theo chortles a bit.

  “Not nice, I’m still a girl you know. Anyway, the necklace is weird, but all right. I’ll see you after breakfast.” Kat fakes pouting before smiling at Theo.

  I’m not going to get her hopes up, she’d be devastated if I’m wrong. If I’m right, she’ll be ecstatic, so that should outweigh a small lie. See you soon Cinder.

  Kat scurries off of Theo, steals a kiss, and then bolts out the door.

  Dammit, I love her so much.

  ___

  The next day goes pretty normally, though Dante is broodier than usual until lunch.

  Theo walks over with Kat and his tray of food from the Italian place. Both of their trays are full of pasta and pizza, though the plate Theo sets down in front of him has more pasta and Kat’s has more pizza.

  Dante sits opposite them, angrily stabbing at his Chinese food. “Did the lo mein piss you off or something?” Theo asks while staring at his food.

  “Sana wouldn’t give me any of her Phal, so I got this instead. Tasty, but not what I wanted,” Dante answers before settling down a bit.

  “Are Dex, Mab, and Maka coming to sit with us for lunch?” Theo asks as he stares at his food some more.

  I promised Kat I’d wait, but this is torture. I’ve been waiting three years to eat pizza and pasta.

  ‘I miss the astral realm, going to the bathroom is so inconvenient. Especially for a girl, trust me. I’m coming now, did you get me lunch?’ Kat sends, obviously frustrated by her renewed physical needs.

  ‘Of course I did, but I’m staring down our food right now, I’d hurry if I were you,’ Theo fake growls back at her. After that he turns his attention back to Dante.

  “... but Dex said he’d be here,” Dante finishes his sentence then looks Theo in the face with a grimace on his face. He lowers his voice until only he and Theo’s enhanced senses can hear it. “You were just doing that thing with Kat weren’t you? Don’t bother denying it, now that I know about her all those blank looks I always caught you with make so much more sense. I just ask to be included sometimes, though keep the sappy shit to yourselves.”

  Theo’s face splits into a sheepish grin. “Trust me, this wasn’t one you wanted, I promise. Where are Mab and Maka going to be during lunch again, I was spacing out.”

  “Fair enough, Mab has a robotics team meeting with lunch included, and Maka is going to skip lunch so she can get in some more cheerleading training, I made her eat a protein bar though,” Dante says as Kat and Dex walk up. Dex’s tray has a burger and fries on it and they look amazing.

  “That line is always so long, but I can’t get enough of this burger! Three meats expertly blended into the perfect form of umami, the garlic aioli is to die for with these fries too!” Dex digs in after talking about how good his food looks, the look on his content face says that he isn’t exaggerating how good it is.

  “So, Maka is training instead of eating today? That’s no good.” Theo furrows his brow. “She’s already so strong and fast, what else does she need? She’s the mascot for pete’s sake!”

  ‘Kat patch in Dante, I want to mess with him and tell him the truth at one time.’

  Kat looks at Theo and then nods toward Dante. ‘Welcome to the mind palace Dante, don’t hang out where you’re not wanted.’

  ‘I won’t, I promise!’ Dante answers quickly.

  The sound of mental laughter fills the mental chat. ‘Dante, she’s messing with you, this is just a place like Facebook Messenger or Discord chat, nothing super personal gets stored here,’ Theo takes mercy on Dante, telling him how the mental chat works.

  ‘Oh yeah, on the topic of messing with you, Maka likes you, like a lot. She couldn’t even eat her food a few times she ate with us without Kat here. She eats a ton if Kat is here though for some reason.’

  Theo winks at the now blushing form of Dante.

  ‘Really? She never even gets close to me when I’m helping her with homework.’ Dante looks Theo and Kat in the eyes, seeing mirth there, he questions the information he was just given.

  They’re probably just messing with me.

  ‘Pat her on the back once, watch her reaction, that should assuage your fears that we lied to you,’ Kat sends.

  The rest of the day passes by uneventfully until independent study, also known as Cape training.

  Chapter 49: Group Training

  The trio of Theo, Kat, and Dante step through the portal and end up together on the other side.

  “Group training?” Theo asks his friends.

  “Worse, look at the floor,” Dante breathes, obviously uncomfortable. Kat looks at Theo and shakes her head, this wasn’t going to be fun.

  The floor of the chamber is divided into a 25 tile by 25 tile grid. Small marks glow in the middle of each of the tiles.

  Brigid walks up in front of them with a massive grin on her face. “Welcome to your training today, we’ll be testing your adaptability. Each of these tiles will be charged with a different energy. There are five elements represented, lightning, cold, fire, metal, and earth. If you’re wondering, yes Jolly designed this training exercise, it’s his favorite.”

  “Well there goes my advantage,” Theo mutters under his breath.

  Anyone else wouldn’t be able to stop me, Jolly’s test is going to be no joke.

  “Kat, seeing as you have seniority in the Cape game, you get to go first. Pick a tile and go stand on it, your goal is to walk from this side to the other, one tile at a time. There are some other obstacles here, but you’ll have to deal with them as they come up. Oh, there’s a reward for the person who gets across in the fewest steps.” Brigid hits a button on her wrist device and a TV screen comes out of the ceiling. On it are their names and number of tiles touched before reaching the other side.

  “Great, I get to go first,” Kat sarcastically blurts before blushing. “Sorry, Brigid.” Kat’s blush deepens when she sees Brigid laughing with her hand over her mouth.

  Brigid collects herself before speaking. “I’d like to see if you can figure it out before these two just brute force it to go a shorter distance.”

  “Fair, they do have a tendency to rush into things headlong, with little thought as to the consequences.” Kat takes a closer look at the board and notices that the colors never touch themselves. For example, yellow never touches yellow. The same can be said of blue, silver, green, and red. There are equal amounts of each color. Though there does seem to be a pattern, it is indiscernible to her.

  I can’t wait ‘til I Awaken, then this will be so much easier. I can read people like a book, but unfeeling things are so alien to me.

  “Nothing to it but to do it.” Kat steps onto the corner blue tile. The scoreboard ticks up to one for Kat.

  Nothing else happens.

  “This isn’t so bad,” Kat says as she steps onto the green tile in front of her.

  Unlike the blue tile, when Kat steps on the green tile, a whir of machines can be heard and the red tile behind her pops open revealing small green bugs. After ten flow out of the hole in the red tile, it closes. The green bugs start sparking and move to surround Kat.

  Kat reaches out to knock the bugs out with her telepathy and finds no minds for her powers to effect. This initial thought costs Kat,
a surge of green electricity surges out of a couple of the bugs and hits Kat in the chest.

  “Agh!” Kat grunts and takes a step back, the scoreboard ticks up again. Kat uses her psychic bubble power to protect herself while she regains her balance. She looks back at the scoreboard and sees a three next to her name. “What the hell, I only took two steps!”

  “Plus the red tile you’re standing on now Kat, remember I didn’t say the fastest time mattered, I said that the number of steps mattered. You stepped on an extra tile, it’s as simple as that,” Brigid delivers this message like she’s done it a thousand times. “Plus, you can only advance if you don’t hit a trap, so figure it out.”

  “Damn bullshit, I’m gonna swat those bugs.” Kat reaches out with big psychokinetic hands and crushes the flying bugs, at least the eight she can find. She looks down and sees the last two, obviously out of power from zapping her.

  “So, green is lightning, would have pegged that for yellow, but what do I know?” Kat jokes.

  Tentatively Kat steps onto another red tile in front of the previous blue tile.

  Nothing happens.

  She steps forward onto another green tile, bracing for the bugs to zap her again.

  “This seems random, that should have zapped me,” Kat complains a bit.

  Kat muddles her way through the rest of the grid of tiles, triggering traps five more times, two electric zaps like before, one cold blast to the face, and two rear end scorches. Each time she uses her powers to block part of the trap, some of them even broke through her bubble shield.

  After one particularly aggressive flame blast scorched the back of her training uniform after shattering her bubble, she yells at Brigid. “Are you sure this is the right level of trap for us? That last one would have toasted most of the Capes I know that took it directly.”

  “Good thing you didn’t take it directly then, Jolly designed the thing, I just put people through it. Apparently it uses something he got from Professor Tenzi to check how well someone will be able to deal with the traps. Each Cape gets exactly enough of a hit to make it a relevant training exercise. We can’t have people steamrolling through it or getting blasted so badly that they need medical attention.” Brigid shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t claim to understand it, but that’s what Jolly said.”