“Well, those texts of yours missed something. That’s not a mangosteen.”
Aya cautiously moved the fruit back and studied it. It had the soft, white texture that the books at the Rohad library had described. She brought the fruit to her nose. The sweet aroma engulfed her nostrils, just as the books had said. She then studied the shell that had fallen on the floor. It was the way it was supposed to be, purple and hard. No matter how much she tried, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Could it be that Keira was just toying with her? She certainly wouldn’t put it past her.
“I think I see a vein popping out of that forehead of yours from all the thinking you’re doing,” said Keira in between bites. “Figure it out yet?”
“No, as far as I can tell there is nothing wrong with this fruit.”
Keira grabbed the white fruit and pointed at it. “See those small pores?”
Aya made out small, barely visible dots at the bottom of the fruit.
“A real mangosteen doesn’t have those,” continued Keira. “What you’re holding there is a larys fruit, which is safely edible once it’s been cooked for at least a day. But if you eat it in its natural state, it will give you hallucinations for hours. Could be two hours or thirty. No one really knows how long. Either way, it’s not something very pleasant.”
Aya dropped the remaining larys fruits to the ground, feeling like a fool. How could she have been this stupid?
“Here.” Keira tossed her one of her fruits. “It’s the last rambutan, and I’m full. You eat it.”
Aya quietly peeled off the hairy skin and ate the white insides. “Thanks for telling me before I ate it.”
“Don’t thank me. I would have let you eat it. Loriko here was the one complaining.” She patted her bear. “Which reminds me. We have to get some food for Loriko. Bears don’t eat fruit. And if Loriko doesn’t stay properly fed, my vision link begins to dissipate. It’s bad enough I lost my other eyes. I can’t afford to lose Loriko’s too.”
Aya shoved her feeling of uselessness aside. She wished she had her bow with her so she could hunt. “Yes, of course. What did you have in mind?”
“Amazing!” came an excited shriek.
Aya turned in shock. In front of her stood a boy. He couldn’t have been more than six years old. He had unruly dark hair and thick eyebrows. His bland clothes were ragged.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” asked Keira. She seemed even more surprised than Aya.
“I’m Yuto. Well my real name is Yutomi Nagano Loa Gao of Nelia Port.”
“Yes, yes. We get it. Your name is long. But what are you doing here?”
“Well that’s a long story. At first my mom was like, ‘Yuto, fetch some meat from the slaughterhouse.’ And I said, ‘But why me? Have Nari do it.’ Nari is my little sister and she’s as lazy as they come. Just the other day she had to fetch the eggs and she didn’t do it. Her excuse was that she couldn’t because the chicken was her best friend—”
“Get to the point, boy,” snapped Keira. For once, Aya agreed with her.
“Of course. I was heading to the slaughterhouse when I heard some commotion. I got closer to see what it as and saw this bear of yours, oh yes. I did see it. I have never seen one up close. Well, I did once in the books Dad found in the gutter, but this is the first time I’ve seen one in real life.”
“Your home is near?” asked Keira, her voice dripping with interest. “And if I heard you correctly, you said something about meat?”
“Keira,” said Aya. “We can’t take this poor family’s food. It looks like they barely have enough.”
“No,” said Yuto. “We have a lot to go around. Father made a good catch the other day, oh yes he did. He said, ‘Son, I’m the best hunter in Va’siel.’ I never believed him, of course, because I know the best hunters are the Rohads.”
Keira frowned.
“But that still didn’t stop him from catching two full-grown male deer the other day,” continued Yuto. “I say it’s more luck than anything else. But now we have more food than anyone in Va’siel, oh yes we do.”
Keira’s frown turned into a smile. “You heard the boy. They have too much food, and we have a bear that needs food. It’s perfect.”
Aya scratched her head. Something didn’t feel right. “I don’t know. I think—”
“What you think doesn’t matter. I’m the boss, remember?”
“It’s settled then,” said Yuto. “Follow me, I know the way, oh yes I do.” He continued to ramble on as he led them through a path hidden behind a curtain of leaves. They ended at a small cabin surrounded by nature.
“Where have you been, Yuto?” said a short lady who tended to a slab of meat that rested above a fire. She paused when she saw that Yuto was not alone.
“I found these people out in the wilderness, oh yes I did. They need meat. I told them we have more than enough.”
“I hope that we’re not bothering you,” said Aya.
The lady’s color left her when she noticed the bear, but a second later it returned. “No. It’s no bother. We have more than enough food. Please sit.” She motioned toward a log that lay sprawled across the grass. “Yuto, go fetch your father. Tell them we have guests.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Yuto took off into the cabin.
Aya eyed the giant piece of meat that was roasting over the fire. Her stomach growled in hungry anticipation as the aroma of the salted meat passed by her. Loriko took to licking the air, as if he could taste the smell.
“My name is Nishi,” said the woman. “Are you refugees?”
“No,” said Keira.
Nishi turned the meat over. “We’ve had so many people pass through here lately, escaping the tyranny of Hotaru. Naturally, I assumed you were some of them.”
“That’s them, Father,” said Yuto as he arrived with a skinny man beside him. “They’re hungry, yes they are.” The boy turned to a small girl who ran behind him. “See, Nari? I told you they had a white bear.”
“Wow!” exclaimed the blue-eyed girl. She ran up to Loriko, but then seemed to think twice of it and staggered back. Aya suspected the bear’s sharp fangs had something to do with her change of heart.
“You can touch Loriko if you want,” said Keira, motioning for the kids to get closer.
The girl twirled her long ponytails. “But what if it bites me?”
Keira laughed. “Loriko doesn’t attack anyone without my order. Go ahead.”
“I’ll do it,” said Yuto. He slowly made his way to Loriko and ran his hands across the bear’s back. Loriko growled so softly, it was as if he was purring.
“See?” said Keira. “Loriko likes being pampered.”
This seemed to energize Nari with courage. She ran over to Loriko and touched his back.
The man smiled. “I’m Isamu. You honor us with your presence.” He extended his hand.
Aya returned the smile and shook the man’s hand. The sweat from his hands passed over to hers. As he moved over to Keira, Aya couldn’t help to notice that his smile seemed forced.
“Are you passing by on a pilgrimage?” asked Nishi as she handed Aya a bowl of meat. “Kids, get off that poor creature!”
“Do we have to?” whined the children.
“Yes. Have some manners.”
Both kids glumly got off the bear. Loriko seemed saddened too, until Nishi set an entire moose leg before him. He looked over at Keira, as if asking for permission. Once the blind girl gave him a nod, Loriko sank his teeth into the meat.
“Thanks for the wonderful food,” said Keira, “And to answer your question, we are indeed on a pilgrimage of sorts.”
Isamu took a seat at the end of the log as he stroked his long chin. “Then you must stay here the night and rest. We don’t have much, but what we have, we share. Besides, it’s not often we get visitors.”
Nishi’s eyes widened. It wasn’t much, and if Aya hadn’t been paying attention, she might have missed it.
Keira took a large bite ou
t of her meat, oblivious to anything.
Aya turned to Isamu. “But your wife told us that you get refugees passing through here all the time.”
Isamu coughed loudly as he struggled to clear his throat. He gazed at his wife, sweat pouring down his forehead.
“What my husband meant to say is that he’s always out hunting. He’s almost never here to meet the refugees who pass by.”
“Yes,” said Isamu. “That’s it.” He ate the rest of the meal without muttering a word. His wife did the same. This only served to heighten Aya’s awkwardness.
“Can we play with the bear again, Mom?” asked Nari once they had finished their food.
“No. It’s time to sleep.”
“But, Mom, Loriko wants us to play with him, yes he does.”
Nishi pointed toward the cabin. “To bed. Loriko will be here when you wake in the morning.”
“Actually,” said Aya. “I think we’re going to keep on moving. We’re in a hurry.”
“Nonsense,” said Keira. “We need to rest. What better place than with these fine folk?”
Nishi and Isamu both bobbed their heads. “Yes. That is for the best. It is almost night, and we have an extra room you may share.”
Now it was Aya’s turn to force a smile as the cool air messed with her hair. Even as she followed Keira and Loriko into the cabin, she couldn’t shake her growing doubts about the family’s hospitality.
“You’re crazy,” said Keira once Aya had revealed her suspicions. They were now in a room with two beds. Each girl took one of them while Loriko squeezed himself on the floor.
“Didn’t you catch any of the signs?” said Aya, growing restless.
Keira threw herself on the bed. “There were no signs to catch.”
“They had too much food for a simple family of four. Who else were they planning to feed?”
Keira narrowed her eyes. “Maybe they were really hungry.”
“I think they may be working with your uncle. And I know they’re hiding something. We should leave before we get a nasty surprise.”
Keira blew out the candle atop the middle drawer. The room was immediately engulfed in darkness. “Try to get some sleep, will you?”
But Aya could not sleep. Even after Loriko’s loud snores settled in, she remained awake. She strained her ears, waiting for the sound of imperial horses or soldiers, but nothing came. After hours of silence, she began to think that maybe she was going a bit mad. She allowed her eyes to close and her mind to wonder. That’s when she heard the soft whispers. They weren’t too loud, but they were definitely there. She tiptoed toward the door and snuck out to the living room. Yuto and Nari lay sprawled on the floor, deep in sleep.
The morning sun blinded her as she opened the front door. How long was I awake for? Ignoring her tired body, she followed the hushed whispers to the back of the cabin. As she turned the corner she ran into a group of people who definitely were not soldiers.
They were about two dozen men, women, and children. They wore old, ragged clothing. All of their faces were full of grime, as if they had been underground for a long time.
“We’ve been discovered!” shrieked a stubby woman as her eyes settled on Aya.
Isamu ran in front of the people and held his hands out. “Get back, spy. We won’t allow you to take these people.”
Spy. “What are you talking about?”
“We know who you are,” added Nishi. “You’re working with that monster, Hotaru. Well we won’t allow you to continue your oppression. Can’t you see they just want to be live their lives in peace?”
Aya shook her head, unable to take in the strange turn of events. “I’m no spy.”
“Of course you are,” said Nishi. “You’re a Rohad. Do you think we don’t know that the Rohads sided with Hotaru and helped murder Emperor Takumi?”
“That wasn’t me,” said Aya, growing restless. How many times was she going to be accused for something she didn’t do?
“What is going on here?” Keira staggered behind Aya, rubbing her eyes. “I was trying to nap, but the ruckus you were all making made it impossible.” Loriko followed behind her.
“Highness,” cried the stubby woman. She ran to Keira and gave her a slight bow as she wiped away her tears. “You’re alive. We thought you were dead.”
The rest of the people flocked around Keira.
Nishi and Isamu stood frozen, their mouths wide open.
Keira stared at the crowd of people, her mouth gaping. “Are you all fleeing from my uncle?”
The people nodded.
“We had no idea you were the princess,” said Nishi. “You see, we don’t go to the city much. Had we known, we would have treated you with proper respect.”
Keira held up her hand. “You welcomed me into your home and shared your food. And you’re looking out for my people by hiding them from that tyrant. You have shown me enough respect to last a lifetime.” She held both their hands. “Rest assured, once I reclaim my father’s city, you will be properly rewarded.”
The people cheered at the news, which brought a large grin to Keira’s face. And even after they had said their goodbyes and continued on their trek, the grin remained.
“You were right,” said Keira after a few minutes of walking. “They were evil masterminds plotting to turn us over to my uncle.”
“Well, I was right about them hiding something,” said Aya, though she couldn’t shake the feeling of failure that loomed over her. In less than a day her instincts had failed her twice.
They moved for many hours in silence. The scenery remained the same, countless trees, leaves, and plants. Finally, when the sun was close to descending behind the green mountains, the bear stopped, his eyes darting about.
“I sense it too,” said Aya, hoping she was just imagining the gaze she felt coming from the large bushel of leaves before them. Though she was certain she wasn’t.
Seconds later, a four-legged silhouette emerged from the darkness in front of her. The shadow moved forward, revealing a yellow, reptilian-skinned jaguar. It opened its mouth. A set of hungry, razor-sharp fangs loomed closer.
Instantly the white bear stood on its two hind legs, covering Keira behind its shadow.
Aya gulped as she took out her batons. Loriko was still injured from the fall he’d sustained. He was in no shape to take on a jaguar.
“Move behind me,” ordered Aya. “I can hold it back while…aaargh—” A sharp pain burst on her kneecap. She looked down just in time to see Keira hit her with a branch on her shin. Heart racing, Aya crumpled to the floor. “What are you doing!?”
“Let’s go, Loriko,” ordered Keira, stumbling as she took off in full retreat. “With the jaguar busy with the mercenary, we can escape.”
The bear turned to her master, hesitant to leave.
“I said, let’s go!”
This time the bear took off ahead of its master, leaving nothing in between the water wielder and the vicious feline.
Still on the ground, Aya took hold of her weapons, just as the jaguar pounced on her.
CHAPTER 19
The wind carried the smell of wet dirt as Falcon readied himself. He brought the sword over his head, sizing up the old man before him. He took off in a full sprint, lifting a wave of leaves behind him.
“Go, Falcon!” cheered Iris, who sat beside Faith under a prairie tree.
Falcon continued forward, his sword now a moment away from striking the chaos wielder.
“Wait,” said Demetrius, holding his hand up.
Falcon’s heart froze as he stopped the sword mere inches away from Demetrius. “Why didn’t you dodge?”
“No need to, I knew you would stop.” He held out his hands and rotated them in a circular motion. “I beg your pardon. But I have to stretch. You understand. The muscles of a poor old man are not as strong as they once were.”
“Yes, of course,” said Falcon. He waited as Demetrius stretched what seemed every part of his body. The fresh breeze coursed around Fal
con as the minutes trickled by. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the chaos wielder stopped.
“Good. I believe I’m ready now.”
Without saying a word, Falcon brought up his katana and rushed forward.
Demetrius’ hand shot up again. “Wait!”
“What is it now?” said Falcon, stopping in mid-sprint.
“This sun is blinding me.” He put up his hands to cover his eyes. “Perhaps we could switch spots.”
Falcon moved to where Demetrius had been standing. He looked up at the sky, sighing as he noticed the sun was barely even visible from behind a large cloud.
Falcon rushed forward.
“Halt!”
Falcon took a frustrated breath. “What now?”
Demetrius reached into his ragged sandal and chuckled. “There is a little something bothering me.” After seconds of searching he pulled out a small pebble and tossed it aside. “Funny how the smallest things can cause the greatest discomfort.”
“Yes, yes. Let’s go. I’m here to train.”
Demetrius winced. “So quick to rush. Tell me. What do you know about control?”
“A lot,” said Falcon. “Now let’s go.”
“It sure doesn’t seem that way.”
Falcon’s ears grew warm. “I’ll show you.” Falcon swung his sword where the old man stood. The weapon cut only air.
“You’re going to have to be faster than that if you want to show me what you learned.”
“C’mon, Falcon.” Iris hopped in place. “You can do it.”
Falcon clenched his teeth. Chaos teleportation, of course. He moved for another attack. Again, his weapon whooshed through the air, hitting nothing.
“This is getting tiresome,” said Demetrius. This time he stood at Falcon’s right side. “Are you ever going to land a hit on my amazing face?”
The pit in Falcon’s stomach intensified with heat. He felt his skin hardening. He was changing, changing into that monster from before.
Suddenly, Demetrius appeared directly in front of him. His skin was a dark brown. His regular eyes were gone, replaced instead with hollowed yellow pits. “Did you think you were the only one who could call on chaos form?”
Legacy of Chaos (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 2) Page 14
