At least now it makes sense why my hand didn’t burn when the fire engulfed it, and why there were ice crystals on Aislynn’s back. And I suppose the sensation that coursed through me was actually a transitional phase. But still — why me? Why am I the one that ends up with different color wings? Not just a primary set of two affinities, but now a secondary set as well.
But wait, now this means that I have an affinity toward four elements. That’s… different. No one else is able to wield more than three.
There’s a myriad of emotions fleeting about my brain, each vying for my attention, but now is unfortunately not the best time to deal with this. I look up from the point on the ground I was staring at and wonder what I should do with my sister.
“Talon,” I say after a moment’s thought. “Do you think you’ll be able to carry Aislynn for a while? I think you should take her to the bunker where Piero is.”
“Of course,” he says without hesitation. “But if someone follows us that could be a potential problem.”
“Aethyr will go with you.” Volunteering my brother’s services wasn’t my first intention, but he’s a complete mess right now, and as such, I don’t think he’ll be much help over by Safeyya anyway.
“I will?” he looks at me skeptically. I just nod in return. “Right, I will,” he reiterates. “But what about you, Selvyn? You’ve tapped out almost all of your power healing Aislynn.”
An immensely strong breeze pulls in from the south and I sense him flying toward us, using his triple wind affinity to escalate his movement. By the time I look behind me, Genesis has already touched down beside us and has lain a hand upon my shoulder. A look up into the clouds shows that Gyllien is not far behind him.
“Your brother will be fine with us,” he says. “You should make haste and prioritize care-taking of the wounded.”
Gyllien lands next to her brother and takes in the scene before her: Talon still cradling Aislynn in his arms, Aethyr wiping tears from his eyes to save himself embarrassment, and the mass of bodies we slaughtered strewn about.
“Well, dear brother,” she speaks wistfully, “It seems we were unfortunate enough to not arrive in the nick of time, as we thought we would.”
“I am aware, sister.” He closes his eyes as the feathers around his wrists and ankles rustle in the wind. “There is more trouble up ahead, and Safeyya is caught in the middle of it. It seems we are still needed, and I believe that is an understatement.”
“Agreed.” Gyllien looks at Aislynn once more and then returns her gaze to me, and it lingers on my back. She rests her hand on the shoulder Genesis isn’t holding. “My, my… it appears as if someone has grown up. She bows her body in my direction, and then whispers in my ear on her ascent, “We see what has transpired… well done.”
“Aethyr, Talon,” Genesis speaks up again. “You should do as Selvyn suggested and take Aislynn to the bunker. Go, now.”
Talon raises himself to his feet, and still cradling my sister in his arms, prepares for takeoff.
Aethyr wipes his eyes with the back of his hand a final time and then gets up as well. Before taking off, he looks at Genesis, then stares at the back of Gyllien’s head.
“It’s good to see the both of you… thanks.”
Gyllien turns in time to see the three of them take off, apparently unfazed aside from a subtle lift of her eyebrow. “Are we ready, Genesis?”
“Yes, sister. Though I do not wish to fight.”
“Nor do I, brother. But fight I shall.” The crown of feathers around her head flows casually in the breeze. “I am in tune with Mother Cinderfal and do not seek out unnecessary destruction, nor do I wish to cause harm to any living creature. However, this is our home, for better or worse. The place we were birthed, and the people that destiny has intertwined us with. For these reasons, I deem it necessary we intervene and assist our fellow brethren. We, who have been blessed with our affinities, have a duty to uphold. These are our people, and I shall come to the aid of those less powerful than I.”
“I see,” Genesis says, cupping his chin in his hand. “Well spoken, sister…. Thou art stronger than I, due to the natural order of things, yet I shall aid you when I sense I am able.”
“Indeed, brother,” Gyllien states slowly. She stoops down and pulls up two lengthy vines from the earth, neither of which has the thorns Celestra likes to use. “We shall aim only to defend our territory; we shall not aim to kill.” As she finishes speaking, I notice several trees on the horizon lifting themselves out of the ground and seemingly levitating in midair.
“Agreed.” Genesis nods toward her and then walks to stand beside his sister. I feel a gust of wind stronger than any I’ve ever summoned flow toward us from the west.
The twins spread their wings and prepare for takeoff, simultaneously speaking one word: “Begin.”
I follow behind them, but at a moderate distance so as not to engage anyone myself. I have almost depleted my water resources, and feel too drained to tap into my wind affinity. Even though I’ve recently gained two new affinities, I have no idea whatsoever how to wield them, and this is not the environment to test them. My ability to help Aislynn with them was surely a one-time thing for now.
As we near Safeyya and the rest of the fighters, Genesis swoops his hand out in front of him and three rogues go flying into the distance. Less than ten seconds and they’re past the city limits.
As they attempt to fly back toward us, their path is blocked by a barricade of trees that have begun to grow densely in the area. They’ll get back in for now, until Gyllien finishes whatever her plan is, but it won’t matter. These two aren’t even close to breaking a sweat.
As Safeyya’s fending off a rogue on her right that seems to favor close combat, another two pop up on her left in an ambush attempt. Gyllien extends her vines and grabs them by the waist. She pulls them overhead and down toward the ground behind us and then flings them forward. They’re out of the city faster than the others, and Genesis gives them a boost until they’re specks on the horizon.
Safeyya lets an attacking female lock their hands around her wrist, but before the woman can try to crush her bones, an electric shock races through the enemy’s body. The woman falls to the ground lifelessly.
My sister looks at us as the twins pass her by. “Them?” she asks me rhetorically, then, sarcastically adds, “To what do we owe this pleasure?”
We watch as the twins separate the fights all around us, flinging the combatants toward the outskirts of the city.
“They just want to help, I suppose.”
“But why now?” She eyes them warily, the two of them working efficiently. “They’ve never come to our aid before. They don’t like fighting, and they’re quite frank about how much they dislike being in the city at all. They’re nature-goers.”
“Do you really need to know the answer to everything?” I sigh dejectedly at my sister’s need to be three steps ahead of everything that everyone else is aware of. “Look around,” I say, pointing to the bodies littering the city, both friend and foe. “Do you want this to keep going?”
“Of course not.”
“Then just let them help in whatever way they want.”
Gyllien spins around in midair, waving her arms about her head, extending and multiplying her vines until it looks as if a jungle has overtaken the battlefield. When she stops, she gazes around and locks onto her targets. She then maneuvers the vines in a way that they encircle the remaining rogues around us, and tightening her hold, she raises them up into the air above us.
Some of them with more destructive affinities fight back. The fire and lava wielders burn their way out of the plant life and fly back down, only to be thwarted by Genesis. The ice wielders send barrages of shards toward us, but Genesis is able to deflect those as well.
The tricky ones are the lightning wielders, as we have been standing still for the time being. But Safeyya works on deflecting their attacks, as some of our allies take out the stragglers.
; The sky begins to darken, and as I look around, I realize even though Gyllien has been focusing her attention before us, a giant wood barrier is encasing the city. The trees have grown taller than I could ever imagine, the foliage creating a dense barrier. Long vines are crisscrossing in the air, connecting the tops of the trees and creating a covering that is blocking out the sun.
After a few more minutes, there’s just one large hole in the plant life above us to allow anyone in or out of the city. Genesis moves his arms down and as he brings them back above him, Gyllien’s vine net structure with the trapped rogues comically flies upward. She condenses her attack, pulling them all close together, and then as a collective group, they’re banished from the city.
Safeyya starts to fly toward them, but Gyllien holds out a hand to stop her.
“We do not intend to kill them,” she says.
“If we don’t take care of this now, it may only become a larger problem in the time to come.” My sister isn’t one to bend to the will of others, even those that save her hide. I’m not a fan of ruthlessly murdering people, but in this scenario, I will side with my sister.
“I understand you, but I have told you our intention. We have done the work we came here to do.” Gyllien looks at Genesis, who nods at her in response. “I’m releasing them now,” she says.
“To hell with that,” Safeyya grunts hoarsely. “I appreciate what the two of you have done for us so far, but there’s a job to finish.” Safeyya pounds a fist into her open hand and mentally dives into her affinity. An ominous thunderstorm brews above us, and I hear lightning crackling. A downpour of rain falls through the tree leaves and pummels my skin relentlessly. “And as the Commander of the militia, I will finish what was started, and protect the citizens of this city from a future threat.”
“Then,” Genesis sighs, “Do what you must. But my sister and I shall play no further part in this story.” The two of them fly off into the distance and disappear into the trees, but the barrier above us stays intact.
Safeyya soars up through the opening in the sky and I follow behind her, hovering just below the barrier.
“Stay there so you don’t get hit,” she instructs me.
“Is there anything I can do to assist you?”
My sister towers above me, her hands raised above her head, as she taps into her lightning affinity and circulates the storm above us. The sheer destructive capability astounds me; the power of a god at her fingertips.
“I didn’t want to do this earlier because I would’ve hurt our friends,” she says, “But now is the time. As for your offer… yes, actually. There is something you can do if you have the strength. Manipulate the water around them, if you’re able to, and latch it onto their skin. It’ll make it easier to target them.”
I do as she asks, which takes but a moment, and then watch the festivities begin.
Chaos ensues above me, as lightning bolts strike down all around us, cutting through the bodies overhead. One by one the rogues fall on top of the barrier, twitching and sizzling as life leaves their bodies.
Several missed strikes set fire to treetops. Anyone left alive upon impact begins to burn around us. A mass of cries and groans bombards my ears from all different directions. The familiar scent of decaying leaves hits my nose as the fire spreads from tree to tree.
Safeyya and I look at each other, and she relinquishes her hold on her affinity. The rain stops as the clouds above dissipate, allowing the sun to stream back onto our faces.
As quickly as it started, it’s over.
Safeyya sighs, sinking to her knees, depleted. The barrier begins to revert to its original form around us, the vines burning and some simply vanishing in thin air. Either Gyllien witnessed what happened and is restoring things to their natural order, or she decided to pull back once she realized what Safeyya had in mind. At this point, either guess seems plausible.
Safeyya slumps into my arms as the barrier below her crumbles, and she yawns before addressing me.
“It’s done.” She looks into my face, searching for something I don’t think is there anymore. “I can’t call you my kid brother anymore. You’ve really come into your own.”
I smile and she returns it before closing her eyes.
“Now, take me to Aislynn.”
CHAPTER XX
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
"So then, it’s true?” Piero stares at me intently as I set Safeyya down inside the bunker. His eyes settle on the dried blood coating both of my arms like sleeves.
I look around and notice a dead body off to his left: a metal wielder — her head frozen solid. Piero follows my gaze and addresses the first of two abnormalities in the room.
“Oh, her. I had a problem, and I took care of it.”
“Care to elaborate?” Safeyya asks from a sitting position next to Aislynn.
“She decided to come snooping around when she figured no one was home. She saw me sitting here and then thought it would be a bright idea to attack me. Turns out, not the smartest idea in the world, deciding to take on the Ice Tune in an enclosed space.”
“Well then, perhaps I should be thanking you.”
“There’s no need for thanks, Safeyya.” He continues to look me over for any sign of damage. His gaze rests on the cut on my arm; I sealed it but didn’t get rid of the marking just yet. Aside from that, and the sweat on my forehead, he’s not going to find anything horrifying — I’m fine. Well, physically at least. I’m not sure about my mental status at the moment.
“You’re right,” she quips. “Not like she had a reason to come snooping around. Perhaps she would have been better off alive so that I could interrogate her about her intentions.” I give her a glare out of my periphery and she shrugs it off. “I’m just kidding, of course. Anyone in your shoes would have done the same thing.”
“So then,” he says, looking into my eyes. Time to address the second oddity in the room. “What Aethyr’s told me… everything’s true? You saved Aislynn’s life and as a result of the ordeal, you gained your secondary set of wings.”
“I suppose that it is,” I say. “It just kind of happened; I’m still trying to process it myself.”
“You’re the definition of amazing, Selvyn.” He runs over to me, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. After a long kiss that I feel wildly embarrassed about having in front of my siblings, he pulls me into a caring hug and whispers into my ear, “We haven’t known each other that long, but I’m incredibly proud of you right now. Congratulations.”
As he embraces me, I see my family watching with genuine happiness splashed across their faces.
Aislynn speaks up quietly from in between Safeyya and Talon, her head resting on his bicep. “I think it’s safe to say that we know who’s going to teach you how to manipulate ice.” Everyone chuckles at that.
Piero pulls back from the hug and grabs my hand. “Oh indeed,” he says, winking at me, “We surely do.”
“And,” I jump in, looking at my brother, “I think I know who’s going to have to teach me how to wield fire.”
“I think you already have a good handle on it,” he mumbles, looking away from Aislynn.
“I think that was just part of the transformation,” Safeyya interjects. “He’s going to need real training, Aethyr. You know that as well as we do.”
Aislynn whispers something into Talon’s ear. A moment later, her arm is around his neck and he’s helping her walk over to Aethyr, who decided to sit away from everyone else. She plops down to his side and leans against him as fresh tears sting his cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs. “I was reckless and you almost died because of it.”
“I don’t blame you,” she responds. “And if I could go back in time, I would do the same exact thing to protect you. You’re my little brother.”
He chokes back a cry and wipes the tears from his eyes. “I wouldn’t. I always make stupid decisions…”
“Alright,” Safeyya says, addressing the rest of us. “I t
hink it’s clear that the two of them are going to need a few minutes alone.” She motions to the entrance to the bunker. “Shall we?”
We exit the bunker into fresh air and the last remnants of sunlight, together breathing a collaborative sigh of relief.
I know Piero’s going to have a number of questions to ask me. I will fill him in when we’re able to have some alone time, but for the time being, the only thing on my mind is taking a relaxing bath.
The four of us stand still for a moment. “Let’s walk for a bit,” Safeyya says. “We should try to clear our heads.”
“I’m going to wait for Aislynn,” Talon replies. He sits astride a tree branch over the bunker entrance, letting her and Aethyr have their privacy, while also giving us ours.
“I can’t imagine the headache this is going to be to clean up, Safeyya,” I say.
“I know, Selvyn. I’m not looking forward to it at all. Though thankfully, this is going to be more of the Council’s burden than mine. Bastards can’t even fight themselves to defend our city. The least they can do is take care of the aftermath of a battle. I bet I’ll just end up delegating…”
She trails off, looking between myself and Piero. Her lip trembles as if she has something to say.
“Is everything alright?” I ask her.
“Not really,” she says sullenly. “I saw someone during the battle, and I don’t think it was a coincidence.” She nods toward Piero. “Perhaps the two of us can discuss in private?”
I glance over at him and try to read the expression on his face. Is it hurt? He seems sad that Safeyya still doesn’t trust him. But I do. I’m still not sure where this is going between the two of us, and that’s okay; I don’t need to make a decision right now. Though what I do know is that all the worry he must have felt for me on the battlefield doesn’t need to continue. I can spare him this.
“You can speak freely, Safeyya.” I smile up at Piero and he grasps my hand, entwining his fingers through mine.
“Well…” she starts, looking cautiously at Piero one last time. She must interpret how protective he is of me already — she looks at our hands and seems to have just made a decision.
Underestimated Affinities Page 23
