Heir of the Elements (22 page)

“I’m making your favorite, Falcon,” she said, stirring the broth.

The aroma of the pichion drumsticks drifted out of the pot and into Falcon’s nostrils. He knew what she was doing. Making his favorite meal was a way for her to make him feel better, to make him forget about what had transpired in the Empress’ court. But despite the promise of a good meal, he could not get the morning’s events out of his head.

“I still can’t believe that Empress Latiha actually listened to what the Suteckh had to say.” Sheridan threw himself on one of the four beds spread along the long room, causing the mattress to creak under his weight. “I thought she was supposed to be some kind of wise ruler. Doesn’t she know what’s been going on for the past few months?”

“Apparently not,” said Aya. She sat quietly, looking out the third story window. She seemed to be lost in her own world, and Falcon was certain she was thinking of her father, sister, and her role as a Suteckh. Part of Falcon wanted to console her and tell her that everything would be fine, but how could he when he himself did not know how this would turn out?

“I’m going out,” said Falcon.

“Where are you going?” asked Faith.

“Out.”

“Where?”

“Just for a walk.”

“Don’t you want to eat?”

“I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

She looked at him with her sad emerald eyes, and he had to force himself out the door before he changed his mind. He did not wish to hurt her, but he needed to get away for a while and clear his head. The room, despite its large size, was suffocating him.

He walked across the moonlit city. Unlike the night before, it did not seem magical in the slightest. The brown walls seemed boorish. The people, with their rambunctious conversations, bothered him. Even the river, with the loud seagulls flying overhead, proved an annoyance.

When he finally got back to the room, his friends were all deep in sleep. On the small table in the corner rested a small bowl of pichion soup. He took sip after sip of the cold broth until all the contents were gone. Then, without thinking much, he threw himself on the floor and fell asleep.

~~~

The next morning, when they walked into the throne room, the Empress was already sitting on her throne, waiting for them. Her usual guards were already there. Again Lenka, who this time wore a dark grey suit, waved at him. Falcon returned the greeting. He was so glad he hadn’t been assigned to a job like hers. Standing stiff all day would drive him nuts.

Falcon noticed that the councilman was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Kaidoz was being accompanied by two male guards wearing simple dark robes. The insignia of the Suteckh raven was stitched on their chests.

The general spoke. “I’m certain that with the time you had, you no doubt found that the Suteckh are indeed innocent of the crimes raised against them.”

Latiha looked down as a slight smirk formed in her lips. “I have been empress for many years, general. Do you think I would have lasted as ruler if I couldn’t see through lies?”

“Of course not, your highness.” He regarded her quizzically. “Are you insinuating I’m a liar, Empress?”

“Not insinuating. I know you are. I can read it all over you. It is in the tone of your voice. In your malicious eyes. In your pathetic attempts to flatter me.”

Now it was Kaidoz’ turn to smirk. “Am I to believe that I bring forth a witness to corroborate my story, while these children do not, and you would still take their word over mine?”

“Unlike you, general, the Rohads, do not have the eyes of one who has been tainted with malicious intent.”

“If you were so sure of my guilt, why wait to tell me today? I was here yesterday, was I not? Why not arrest me then and there?”

“My senses are just one thing I use. I also rely on good people to aid me. I was fortunate enough to have two very good eyewitnesses confirm the stories the young Rohads told me. Since many of my messengers had gone missing, no doubt by your hands, I had to find out by other means.”

Falcon found himself taking an immediate liking to the empress. He had been so sure that the cold empress was going to side with Kaidoz that this sudden outburst by her had caught him by pleasant surprise. Now he understood why the empress had been so stone-faced the day before. It had been her way of not giving away any sign of what she felt.

Kaidoz shrugged. “Whoever these witnesses that you have are, can they possibly be a more reliable witness than the respected councilman I provided?”

“Will an Empress suffice as a reliable witness?”

There was an immediate murmur throughout the hall. No, not murmurs. More like exhales of fear and admiration.

Falcon turned behind him to see what the buzz was about. His jaw practically dropped. A man, who stood even higher than Cidralic had stood, entered the room. His face was painted with red streaks, and he had bulging muscles coming out of his tunic. His neck alone had to be over twenty-five inches and his arms over twenty-six. He wore a leather skirt. Amazingly, the man was not what Falcon or most people in the hall were looking at. Instead they looked past that, their eyes settling on the two massive bears that had just entered. One was black, the other brown. A young girl with snowy white eyes stood between the animals. At her heels followed a much smaller white bear.

“Hello,” said the blonde-haired girl. “I’m Keira. Empress of Sugiko.”

Chapter 21

Keira did not look in the slightest the way Falcon expected an empress to look like. Her hair was tied in a ponytail and braided with countless pigtails. Her brown tunic ended a little under her chest, exposing her slim waist. Unlike every other empress he had ever seen who wore robes, Keira donned brown leather pants.

The bears stopped moving, and the young empress came behind them and patted them both. “Draiven, Aykori, stay here.” Falcon half-expected the savage animals to turn on Keira at any moment, but amazingly, both bears stood still as they had been instructed.

“She uses the bears to see,” said Aya, noticing his confused look. “Don’t think too hard on it. It will just make your head hurt.”

Aya? How does she know about this Empress?
His curiosity was now piqued.

“Empress Keira,” said Latiha politely. She stood and, as if greeting an old friend, embraced the younger empress in a hug. “I welcome you to my city. I’m greatly honored that you would make the journey to Missea in person.”

Keira look flustered, in an
I can’t believe I talking to my childhood idol
kind of way. “The honor is all mine, great empress.”

By the time Empress Latiha had returned to her throne room, Keira seemed to have recovered.

“I made a promise to a friend that my people would rise against the tyranny of the Suteckh if they had to.” She looked over at Aya. A knowing glance passed between them, leaving no doubt in Falcon’s mind that the girls knew each other. “When I heard of the Suteckh’s claims, I just had to come here myself and shed light on their lies. The truth is that my people have confirmed the attacks on both Ladria and Sandoria.”

Kaidoz, who usually had a retort to any claim against the Suteckh, had gone unusually quiet. His eyes suddenly widened. “Get her!” He yelled as he pounced at Latiha. The Rohads beside her immediately formed a protective barrier around the ruler of Missea.

Kaidoz reached them before anyone else had a chance to get there. Five of the wielders, including Relis, Laars, Lenka, and two other Rohads Falcon didn’t know, stood before Kaidoz, trying their best to deflect the earth attacks he had been firing. Even outnumbered five to one, Falcon could see that the Rohads would soon be outmatched.

The two Suteckh guards who had accompanied the general battled the remaining Rohads. One of them, the taller one, flipped under the young guards and moved toward Latiha, dagger in hand.

Falcon wielded a protective layer of wind, but even with the enhanced speed, he knew it wouldn’t get there in time.

He quickly realized that his wielding was moot. The empress apparently was no damsel in distress. Still sitting, she blocked the incoming attack with ease. She twisted her attacker’s arm, and the blade clattered to the floor. Before the would-be assassin could recover, the empress kneed him in the face. His body crumpled down, where he remained unmoving.

The other Suteckh guard was winning his battle. He was so busy, however, that he did not notice as the gargantuan man came behind him. Massive arms wrapped around the short man. He kicked and flailed, but he might as well have been kicking a stone wall. The giant man picked up the man high in the air and, without any sign of emotion, brought him down onto his knee. There was a bone-crunching sound as the guard’s body seemed to bend almost in half. His eyes rolled back, and like his counterpart, he dropped to the ground, where he remained still.

By now, General Kaidoz had floored all of his opponents. Having done so, he turned his attention to Latiha. He ran full-speed with a deadly sharp earth spear in his hand.

A fire whip latched on to his foot, and in his haste, the general tripped to the ground. Kaidoz flipped and was up on his feet in a second. Laars wrapped another fire whip around Kaidoz. In the moment it had taken him to break free, the two bears had closed their distance on him. With hungry fangs, the two beasts pounced on the wielder.

Kaidoz fired two earth fists at them. Before they made contact with the animals, Falcon fired a gust of wind that diverted the earth attacks. Aya and Faith clapped their hands, each shooting out defensive walls. One was a serene blue barrier, the other a rainbow-colored bubble.

The general’s wild eyes travelled from Latiha to the dozens of enemies now converging on him.

“Terra Bastille!” he shouted. Instantly, a wave of brown sand surrounded him in a coffin. Falcon stood frozen for a split moment. To wield at such speed was near inhuman. Now he knew why Zoen had said Kaidoz was the strongest earth practitioner since the Golden Wielder.

Then, as if to further prove his strength, Kaidoz’ body dissolved into sand. The grains of dust swirled around the earth coffin. A moment later the chunk of earth, with the empress still inside, flew out of the window, and out of reach.

~~~

Faith couldn’t believe it. They had Kaidoz severely outnumbered, and the man had still managed to kidnap the empress right under their noses. She wasn’t about to let this man simply walk, or fly in this case, away.

“Read his energy,” she told Falcon, a little bit more forcefully than she intended to. Shal-Demetrius had instructed her to be firm with Falcon, but even after all this time, she still found it difficult to be too demanding.

Falcon’s face paled. “How? I just got this power. How am I now supposed to track his energy?”

“This is the perfect chance for practice.” As she finished speaking, she felt the power of Kaidoz growing dimmer. He moved fast, that was for sure. But the speed of earth was no match for that of light. Perhaps there was a way of pushing Falcon in his training, as Demetrius had instructed, without being forceful verbally. She was going to be forceful by action. “I’m going after him.”

“What?” Falcon exclaimed.

“Find me.” She closed her eyes and called on her power.
Blaze of light!

~~~

Falcon reached out for her, but in a brilliant flash of light, Faith had disappeared, leaving behind a golden trail of mist that originated where she had last stood and moved out the window.

“You have to go help her!” said Aya, looking worried. “You’re the only one who can teleport to her and find her in time.”

“I…I…” He knew he had no more excuses. He needed to get to Faith as soon as possible. But how? First, he needed to use a power that he had next to no experience with. Then he needed to call on the power of teleportation to reach Faith. Space was too slow, and with no image of where to go on his mind, he couldn’t rely on it. No. He would have to call on the power he hated the most—chaos.

~~~

She moved in a blur of light, tracking the earth energy. It didn’t take long for Faith to catch up to it and intercept it.

“Well, well,” said Kaidoz, landing with a loud thump in the open field. “I hadn’t expected you of all people to get to me. It looks like there is much more to you than meets the eye.” As he spoke, he brought the terra coffin down beside him with care.

Faith racked her brain. Why was he being so careful with Latiha? Why not just kill her? Could it be that he was planning to take her to someone?
That doesn’t matter, Faith. Concentrate on the here and now.
She seemed to be back in the prairies of Missea. This place was a bit different, though. The short grass was yellow, with many patches of sand that were devoid of plant life. There were many small hills that rose and fell, making it impossible to see too far ahead in the distance.

“Am I interrupting something?” asked General Kaidoz. He looked absolutely amused at Faith’s concentrated expression.

“Return the empress and I won’t hurt you.” She tried to make her voice sound as threatening as possible, though she was sure she wasn’t having much success with that.

“You would like that, I’m certain, but I cannot oblige. Why would I do that? You may be a holy wielder, but you’re untrained. You have no experience and no proper teacher.” He smirked. “No. I think I’ll simply make quick work of you and be on my way.”

With a cry, Kaidoz moved in. His speed was staggering, and only a last second summoning of her staff saved her from the incoming attack.

She twirled her staff into her opponent’s hands and brought them down with trained force. She moved in, hoping to butt the end of the staff into Kaidoz’ forehead, but moved back when he brought his hand up in a jab. It happened in an instant, and Faith had only the barest of milliseconds to glimpse at the sharp daggers that were now poking out of the general’s chest.
He can make his body into a weapon?

Faith reeled her head back, avoiding a right punch. A left jab came under her. She blocked the deadly blitz with her staff. This time she infused her weapon and ran it up the length of Kaidoz’ arm, using his own body as leverage.

The staff rocketed into the man’s face. His lips curled in agony, and he grunted under his breath. She twisted her staff and brought the other end over his head. This time the general dissolved in a mist of dust, only to reappear behind her.

Had it not been for the invisible holy field she had put around her, Kaidoz attack would have surely ended her. But instead, she turned to parry the attack. She drove forward, pressing her advantage and pushing her opponent back. In her haste, however, she misjudged her advantage. Kaidoz dropped under her and drove his sharpened knee into her gut, simultaneously extending it. Ignoring the pain, Faith jumped back to avoid the sharp dagger that almost impaled her through the stomach. Kaidoz had brought an earth wall up behind her, and she slammed her back hard against it. She fell to one knee.

Infused with her healing abilities, Faith was quickly back on her feet. She dropped into a defensive position, breathing hard.

“Looks like you’re tiring,” mocked Kaidoz. “This dance is all but done.” Again he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind the earthy smell.

Faith looked around her, trying to pinpoint where he would come out from. She was alone. The gray skies, dead grass, and silence were her only companions.

He suddenly appeared again behind her. Faith drove in with her staff, only to have him disappear again in a fit of laughter.

“You can try all day, but you’ll never get me.”

He re-appeared at her side. She took a good, hard look at him, allowing her eyes to settle on his chest. Every time he teleported his chest would materialize first, followed by his head, arms, and legs. It happened so fast, though, that it seemed as if the materialization was instantaneous.

An attack came down on her. She bopped her head out of the way, but a kick managed to graze her cheek, cutting an even line across her face and drawing blood.

She didn’t bother healing. Her energy was better suited elsewhere. This time, when Kaidoz reappeared she would be ready.

I’m here with you.
The voice of the previous holy wielder, Lunet, had first come to her when she was a child, and though she learned most of her wielding on her own, Lunet had been with her many times during her training. She had accompanied her during her battle with Cidralic, when she lost her mother, and the many times in life when she needed counseling. It wasn’t the real Lunet, of course. She had died thousands of years ago. But she shared a bond with her deceased holy sister, a bond that allowed her to see through her eyes and gather her experience. For many years she had not even known her sister’s name, but when she met Demetrius, she discovered the name and through it developed a richer connection with Lunet. Now it was time to put it to work.

Her voice changed, so that it sounded as though there were two women speaking instead of one. “Celestial lasso.”

Kaidoz had been reappearing every ten seconds, which probably meant that was how much it took for him to charge his ability.

Six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
Like clockwork, his chest was the first to appear. With the power of holy light, she materialized the chains at the side of the chest. When his hands and legs appeared, the chains locked around them and pulled back. The entire set-up was done and finished in the blink of an eye.

“Looks like I underestimated you, holy wielder.” Kaidoz face registered shock and fear. “I suppose this is where you finish me off.”

“No. You will stand trial for your crimes. I’m no executioner. A jury will decide your fate.”

“Unacceptable. Kill me and let me die as a warrior!” He was ranting now, his calm demeanor giving way to his bottled emotions. “I must die on my feet. Not hung by the noose like some simple thief!”

“You are in no condition to make demands, general. I took the life of a man once when I thought I was healing his sickness.” Her stomach cringed at the thought of Cidralic’s final moments alive. She had been so eager to stop Cidralic, sure that it was the poison that ran through his blood that had contaminated his mind, that she had killed him in her attempt to save him. That moment plagued her mind many restless nights, and even now it caused a tear to escape her eye.

“What is this?” said Kaidoz, seeing an opportunity to escape. “I see that—”

He didn’t get to finish speaking, for a deep dark blur with shades of purple suddenly fell from the sky. The thick liquid oozed down, revealing a head, hands, and legs.

“Falcon?” asked Faith, recognizing her friend’s clothing. His face, however, was far different than the kind one she had come to know. His skin was a deep brown, his eyes were hollowed purple lights, and deep lines traced his face. She had seen the chaos take hold of him before but never to this extreme. Even his hair had grown long, coming to an end at his lower back.
I pushed him too far! What have I done?