by Kenna Bardot
"Kaia," Ronan whispered, and I turned back to him with a sigh.
"I can't be with someone who doesn't respect me."
"Kaia, please," he pleaded, taking my face between his hands and staring down at me with genuine distress in his eyes. Tears welled in mine, his touch setting me over that edge I'd danced for days - the one between being pissed and depressed. "I'm sorry. Gods, I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't think of what it would do to you to have to work given those circumstances. I just, I can't breathe when I think of someone taking you away from me, away from us."
"And how long until you decide my safety is more important than my trust again?" I whispered.
"I won't. I promise you, I won't. I'll talk to you about these things first. I promise." My shoulders shook with the attempt to restrain my tears. "Gods, don't cry. Please, don't cry." He tugged me into his arms as I broke down. "I can't lose you. I can't."
When I caught my breath, after feeling pathetic for accepting the hug in the first place, I pulled back from his hold and looked up at him. I squared my shoulders and nodded. “I think I need some time.” I sniffled.
“No. No, do not do that. I don’t want to be away from you, right now,” Ronan whispered, voice so uncharacteristically gentle, so uncharacteristically sweet, it nearly broke my resolve.
I tugged out of his grip, stepping back so that his arms fell limply to his sides.
“Little Bird, don’t go. Please,” Vali inserted.
I turned teary eyes to him. “You took his side. I expected you would at least want to hear my side of the story.”
My eyes darted to Alec Gaius, communicating that the next part went for him too. “I think you both showed me exactly where I am in this relationship. And I’m not sure I can be that anymore.”
“Kaia Wren,” Alec protested, stepping up to me and tilting my chin up so he could stare down at me.
“I never thought you would hurt me,” I whispered.
“Baby,” he murmured, face contorting into a grimace.
“But you did today,” I finished, stepping back out of his arms. I looked to Gale where he stood with his arms crossed over his chest. He nodded in support, and I tipped my lips up into what could be loosely called a smile before making my way out the door. Emerson followed and the door closed behind us, but not before I saw Gale stepping in front of it to block the others from following me.
“Where do you want to go, Precious?” Emerson asked, taking up stride beside me as I stormed through the halls.
“Kitchens. I want to talk to Otto, and he’s usually there this time of day,” I admitted. For some reason, his brotherly affection seemed like it’d be just what I needed at that moment.
We made our way in silence, slowly opening the kitchen doors. Otto sat at the counter where I knew he’d be, drinking his usual dark coffee, but he wasn’t alone. I retreated out of the room quickly before they could see me. I loved Mar to death, truly, but she wasn’t the person I needed to be around. I knew myself well enough to know that I was too on edge for her to tell me I was being a dumbass again.
“What’s wrong?” Emerson asked.
“Let’s just go to the library. I’m sure reading a book will distract me. I can just talk to Otto later.” He nodded, though he chanced a skeptical look at the closed door to the kitchens.
“Whatever you want.” We strolled more leisurely through the halls than before - most of my ire was fading to that well of sadness that came from the fear of losing three or four of my men. I didn’t want to be without them.
But I also needed them to let me be me.
The library was largely empty, visitation day meant most students were visiting with friends from outside the Academy or just lounging around outside. Blythe was the only one who sat at one of the tables, and her head perked up when we entered. She smiled, refreshingly unaware of the turmoil inside me.
At least until she took a good look at my swollen eyes and red nose. She patted the seat next to her with questions in her eyes. I sat on it hesitantly.
“You wanna talk about it?” she asked.
I shrugged in response, eyeing the book she’d been reading. “Emerson, sweetie, why don’t you give us a few minutes?” she asked him. “I think Kaia needs girl time.”
Emerson hesitated, shifting his weight around.
“It’s okay, Emerson. I’ll make sure Blythe walks me back,” I reassured him, and Emerson gave me a sigh that communicated just how little he looked forward to returning to my room without me.
“What’s wrong?” Blythe asked, closing the book she’d been reading and staring at me intently the moment Emerson walked away.
“You don’t have to sit here and listen to my problems.” I laughed tightly, watching Emerson’s back as he exited the library.
“You look like you need a friend right now. I may not be as chatty as Marisole Chesson, but I can listen.” Her head rested on her hand as she propped herself up on an elbow. “Whatever it is, I’m sure you guys will work it out. What all of you have is really special. It’s what most of us can only dream of finding.”
“It doesn’t feel like it right now,” I admitted.
“Well, sometimes dreams can become nightmares. Tell me about it,” she repeated with a reassuring smile.
And so I did.
Thirty-One
Kaia
We strolled through the woods, Finn at my side and Ash straight ahead of us. There'd been sightings of increasing Inked activity within the area surrounding the Temple. While it certainly was far from against the rules to be in those woods, the sudden uptake in foot traffic was a Security concern.
"So you worked everything out with Daniels?" Finn asked, kicking up some dirt as we walked.
My whip pulsed slightly on my arm. Ever since my Air and Earth had become equals, it was rare for it to even so much as move without my commanding it. So, to feel it do so was concerning.
Something was wrong.
I had that feeling. The same feeling I always got right before a Trial.
"We’ve talked," I evaded as my hand tightened on my sword in my left hand. Ash, just ahead of us, froze in his tracks.
"Ash?" I whispered, and he turned back with a frown.
"Do you hear that?"
"Silence. I don't hear anything." Finn shrugged, eyeing both of us intensely.
"Exactly," I said.
"Finn, you’ve been spending too much time inside. We're in the woods. There should be birds, rustling, other kinds of noise." Ash nodded to me.
I put an arm to my shoulder, letting Charlie hop onto it so I could look at him while I spoke. "Check the Temple?"
He gave a little ruffle of feathers, and then flew off, gaining height quickly to get above the trees.
"I say we keep moving on our patrol. We'll get back soon, but if we just abandon our post for no reason-" Finn broke off when a screeching caw rent the air.
"Charlie,” my voice hoarse as panic overtook me, and my feet took me toward the Temple at a run.
"Kaia, wait!" Finn shouted from behind me, but Ash moved with me - keeping up with my brisk pace. His legs were longer, but I pushed harder - there was no way I could lose Charlie.
We hit the edges of the trees, Charlie nowhere in sight. Ash and I stopped to catch our breaths, staring in horror at the group of Inkeds surrounding the Temple. Finn caught up with us finally, and he growled next to me. Some of the Inked wore masks, but most didn't. Most didn’t seem to care about their identities, like there was nothing wrong with them surrounding a sacred place. The door guards were nowhere to be found, but the fact that the doors were closed likely meant they'd managed to follow protocol and get themselves inside and barricaded the doors in time.
"We need to move," Finn grunted. "The Temple’s secure. Now, I don’t know why these Inkeds are here, but if they find us they'll try to use us to their advantage. We have magic so that’s to our advantage but it’s best if we don’t hurt anyone."
"I can't just leave without Charlie-"
I broke off, a croaking caw sounding through the clearing in the woods. One of the invaders stepped from around the Temple, Charlie caught in a cyclone of Air he wielded from his palm. He spun and spun and spun out of control within it.
An Air Mage.
"Come out, come out wherever you are, Little Monster!" the man yelled, his voice light and teasing.
"That’s no Inked. Who is he looking for?" Ash asked.
"I-I think he's looking for me," I whispered. Finn looked down at me, from the side of his eyes.
"Fucking shit," he hissed, turning to Ash. "You're faster. Get to an Air Channel and report this. The closest one. Now, and then go get Daniels."
Ash nodded, taking off down the hill at a sprint.
"Don't do anything stupid," Finn hissed at me.
"Too late," I whispered, darting into the clearing and letting my sword cast a blow to the cyclone. It wasn't a ton of force, a ton wasn’t necessary, but I managed just enough to make the Mage falter enough for Charlie to fly free of it. I could feel Finn standing at my back, a silent support as the masked Mage turned our way.
"There's the abomination," he sneered at me, stepping forward until he was in my face. "There's someone who would very much like a word with you." His hand grasped me around the arm, and looking up into steely eyes, I gasped as recognition pounded through me, but not surprise. I felt no surprise in seeing it was him.
"Take your hands off of her," Finn gritted out from behind me, stepping up next to me and giving the Mage a shove with Air.
He didn't budge, instead merely flicking his wrist and causing Finn to fall on his back. The masked Mage lifted a foot and slammed it down on Finn's knee hard enough that there was an echoing crack.
"Shouldn't interfere." His grip tightened around my arm, and he started to lead me away. "I don't suggest you fight, unless you want to be responsible for more than a little pain. Now, drop the sword." I did as told, letting it clatter to the ground. I started letting my whip travel discreetly under my uniform to avoid it being noticed. To no avail.
"The whip too, Miss Shaw."
I let it slide off my arm, curling up on the ground a pace away from Finn. The moment it did, he tugged at me.
"Kaia!" Finn yelled, still crumpled on the ground. He tried to stand, but he fell flat on his face after one attempt.
I simply glared at the Mage and walked as slowly as I could to stall. He reached out and grabbed a fistful of my hair. I cried out and shuffled along faster.
Struggling, I turned around to face Finn who was back on the ground and holding his knee at an awkward angle. When he met my eyes I mouthed the Mage's name, hoping to Gods he could read lips.
His eyes narrowed in confusion, and I jerked my head back to the Mage beside me. Charlie soared overhead, far enough away that I knew even the Mage didn't see him.
But I felt him.
Always nearby.
The Mage allowed Air to flow from his hands, a strong gust of wind propelling us forward and away from the Temple.
“Kaia!” Finn’s voice roared through the woods as we got further and further away.
✽✽✽
Ronan
I flew.
I flew faster than I ever had before.
I had to hope that Ash's message had gotten to Alec Gaius and Vali in AirQuarters, and that he'd get the new one to Gale to the Air Spire at InkHaven.
Someone had threatened our woman. And we had to protect her.
I had to find her and tell her I was sorry. Tell her I would do everything to make it up to her.
When I landed outside the Earth Temple, all the remaining Inked who'd had a part to play in Kaia's abduction were being led to vans, ready to be carted off for interrogation at another site. Her mentor sat on the steps, a Fire Mage's hands pressed to his knee. I watched his face turn from one of extreme agony to relief before my eyes as I thundered my way over to him.
"Davenport! Where is she? Where’s Kaia?!" I shouted at him.
"Daniels," he whispered, guilt passing over his features.
"WHERE IS MY WOMAN?!" I stomped over to stand directly in front of him, staring him down angrily.
He flinched back from my anger. "Zeevar, he broke my knee. I'm sorry. So sorry, Daniels. I tried to stop him, but he took her. Called her an abomination and took her."
I felt my face pale, clenching my jaw to keep from killing the mentor who'd promised to protect her.
"Who took her?" I whispered, voice deadly despite the low volume.
"I don't know. He wore a mask, but he was an Air Mage, a powerful one. He broke my knee then he made her leave her sword and whip then dragged her off." He gestured at the sword that was still in the middle of the ground. The whip was nowhere to be found. I pressed further, "Where did they go?"
"I don't know! She mouthed something to me as he dragged her away, and I’ve been turning it over and over in my head but it doesn't make sense!"
"What was it?" I asked, pride surging through me. We knew our woman inside and out between the group of us. One of us would understand whatever clue she'd left.
“She said something about it being fast… or lost. What could that mean? I don’t know.”
I clenched my fists in my hand, furrowing my brow at him. "Something fast and lost? What the fuck does that mean?"
"Ronan Asher!" Alec Gaius shouted, he and Vali racing up the steps to come up to my side. "Where is she?"
"Someone took her," I explained, barely restraining my rage. "She mouthed about something that was fast and lost to Davenport as he carted her away. It was an Air Mage, a really powerful one. That mean anything to you?"
Vali shook his head, his nostrils flaring as his breathing increased. I knew he needed to beat something up and was on the edge of breaking.
"Fast and lost? That doesn't-" Alec Gaius paused, his face paling and eyes widening. "Are you sure that's what she said?"
Finn turned to Alec, "I- not 100%, but it'd have to be similar-"
"Could it be a name? All this time we suspected the Headmaster. Frost?" Alec Gaius asked. "Could it be Frost?"
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" Vali roared. "All this time?"
"It makes sense," I agreed. "He's been at InkHaven the whole time and, yes, basically the Headmaster’s pet."
"But why?" Vali asked.
"He called her a Little Monster, an abomination," Finn returned. "And then-and then he called her Miss Shaw. Not Kaia, Miss Shaw!"
"Son of a bitch," I growled. Gale, Emerson, and Cel ran up the path, joining us. "Did you see Frost at all before you left?" I asked, cutting Gale off before he could speak.
"Not at the Academy. We flew right by him before landing. He was at the outskirts in the North-Eastern part of the city." Gale gave a concerned glance between us.
"Alone?"
"Yes," Gale answered shortly, and without a word, I shot into the sky. Alec Gaius and Vali followed, and I felt the other three behind them just a few moments later. I didn't have time to explain, and when I found Frost strolling along the edges of the woods like he didn't have a care in the world, I lost my damn mind.
I slammed into him, like a bullet, taking him down and sprawling on top of the miserable shit. "Where is she?!" I yelled, wrapping a hand around the front of his throat. Alec Gaius and Vali landed to either side of me, grabbing the hands that reached for my wrists. They held him steady, and I knew from the manic smile on his face the moment Frost chose to use his manipulation over Air to his advantage. He sucked it from all of us, leaving us feeling empty of something that was so integral a part of us.
The second Cel landed at my back, he soothed that empty place, shoving our Air back to us with a grunt. The next breath he spent taking Frost's own air from him with a swirl of bright red. I was going to make sure to kiss our little prodigy in thanks once we were all safe and sound with Kaia, especially Kaia.
"Where's Kaia?" Vali grunted, holding the arm steady with ease.
"No idea what you're talking about. Why would
I know where your little whore is?"
Gale's fist hit his face, and blood sprayed from his nose when it broke beneath his fist.
"Don’t make us ask again. Where is she?" Cel turned his wrist, and I saw Frost make a choking sound, face twisting in pain when the Air swirled around him.
"She should have just given up like the Keepers intended,” he wheezed. “Breaking Miss Montgomery should have distracted her just enough, but the bitch just wouldn’t die. I’d say it was a shame for Montgomery to die, but the death of a weak Mage is no sacrifice at all.” Frost spat up at Cel, and he jolted back. His distraction was enough to let the Mage beneath us flip me off of him with a precise gust of wind, and he escaped into the trees with the wind at his back.
"Fuck!" I roared, making a move to chase him.
"Let him go," Emerson said, and I turned to face him. Propped up on his shoulder, staring at me with wide eyes, was Charlie. And floating beside Cel was Kaia’s sword, cradled delicately in his Air.
He cawed at us, and then shot into the sky. He circled us, but directed us forward into the woods.
The next time I saw that fucking bird, I was going to kiss him.
✽✽✽
Kaia
He paced in front of me, as quickly as he could manage, with that cane of his tapping along the ground with dull thuds.
I was suddenly immensely grateful for the dirt on the ground instead of the wood I might have had to endure the click clacking of at the Academy. He turned to one of the other Mages nearby, scowling at him. "Where's Frost?"
The Air Mage shrugged as he twirled one of the throwing knives he held in his hands. "Had something to do to cover our asses with this shit."
"What exactly is this shit?" I asked, wincing when a hand cracked across my face.