by Ashley West
"A smarter move would have been having enough people before you started this," Silvia said, and Comman admired her courage, even as he could see that her hands were shaking.
Caldo shrugged a shoulder. "Sometimes we plan ahead, sometimes we invent mid-plan. Either way, it works out to a dead prince if I don't get the power I want."
"There's no way to give it to you," Comman said, trying to make Caldo see reason. "Even we don't know where it comes from."
"I've heard a legend," Caldo said. "That the powers were given to the rulers of the planets found worthy of them. That it's passed down from king to king or something like that and spread to the people. You're a ruler, aren't you? So you should have it."
For a moment, Comman didn't know what to say to that. He had never heard such a legend, and what did it mean if it were true? That he wasn't worthy? There wasn't time to worry about it now. "Well, you're out of luck then, I'm afraid," Comman said. "Because I don't have powers at all."
"We all know who your mother was," Caldo sneered. "How powerful she could be. How many she killed. If you're her son, you have to have it. If you're the Prince of that stupid planet, you have to have it."
Comman shrugged in return and spread his hands wide as if proving that he was unarmed. "I don't have it. That's why it is so easy for you to get my people to turn on me. Didn't Lennos tell you?"
Caldo looked confused and then angry. He peered at Comman as if he could look inside of him and see the power there. For a moment, he didn't look like he knew what to do. But then the expression cleared and he shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he declared. "I can get the power from someone else. If it's in your blood, then we'll just have to make you bleed a lot. We'll kill you, take your guard, and then go to Jontira and hunt for the source. You won't be able to stop us."
And that was true enough. If he died here, there wasn't anything he'd be able to do to protect his people.
So he'd just have to not die here.
"Caldo." Kain came rushing over, still wielding the hammer and out of breath. Comman relaxed the slightest bit.
"Ah ah ah," the mystery man said, stepping forward and brandishing a sword that looked wickedly sharp. Comman had forgotten about him, which was probably the way the man had wanted it. "Don't interrupt when your betters are talking, rock head. That's rude." He put the tip of the sword under Kain's chin. "Caldo's talking. Just wants to talk. No need for any blood to be spilled tonight."
Kain's eyes were hard, and he let the rocks shift to cover him from wrist to elbow and then jabbed his arm backwards, catching the slender man right in the chest with his rock armor.
The wind was knocked out of him and he staggered back, allowing Kain to wrestle the sword from him easily. "Don't threaten your betters," he sneered, breaking the sword over his knee and tossing the pieces aside.
"Oh, very impressive," Caldo said, giving a mock clap. "Such feats of strength. But how long can you last? How long can you fight my mercenaries and my creatures? Especially if we start targeting these humans." Caldo clicked two sets of his fingers, and two more men melted out of the shadows. They were armed to the teeth, and while most of the humans had successfully scattered away, there were still some nearby, hiding and watching the confrontation.
And this, this was Comman's worst nightmare. He'd never meant to involve innocent people in this. The humans hadn't even consented to having this many strangers on their planet, and now they were being used as leverage in some twisted game that had nothing to do with them.
If Comman could have, he would have given over the power to save these people, but he had no idea how to do that. He had no idea what to do.
Kain was looking to him for orders, and Comman had none for him. All he could hope was that his earlier gamble would pay off soon enough and that it would be enough to get them out of this in one piece.
These were the kind of odds that Kain hated. He had no idea what the best course of action here was. Comman was his priority, but he couldn't very well just stand there and let Caldo and his goons start killing humans. That was absurd.
And he needed to get Silvia away from danger as well, and there was no way he could do it all. He was just one warrior.
Just when he was about to throw caution to the wind and try to take out Caldo, a familiar war cry echoed around them. He looked up to see Litta hurrying towards them and felt something akin to relief.
He glanced at Comman who also looked relieved, and knew that the Prince had thought ahead and called the others.
"Where's the rest?" he asked Litta.
She looked angry as she shook her head. "They're upset about Lennos."
"And they blame the Prince?" Kain demanded.
Litta just shrugged.
If they should have blamed anyone, it was Lennos himself, but Kain didn't know why he expected rationality from this situation. They had already proven that they couldn't be trusted, and if they managed to live through his, Kain was going to see them relieved of their duties and back in the private sector before too long.
The good thing about Litta being there was that no one needed to catch her up to speed. It was easy enough for her to look out over the mess that was around them and figure it all out for herself.
"I'll protect the Prince," she said. "Thing about mercenaries is that if the person paying them is dead, they can't get paid."
Kain smiled for the first time since this mess had started. "That is an excellent point," he said. And oh, he would take pleasure in killing Caldo. "Try to keep the humans out of the way, too."
Litta inclined her head and then rushed off, forming her weapons, twin mauls that she wielded with ruthless efficiency, into her hands.
Kain knew what he had to do now, and he told himself that Litta would protect Comman and Comman would protect Silvia. He had a job to do.
Seeing that Kain's focus was on him made Caldo sweat, and Kain smiled to see it. Good. That was smart. He was angry now, and he could be at his most destructive when he was angry.
Caldo called something to the two in black, and they turned their attention from the humans they'd been going after to Caldo, hurrying back over.
"See, that's the thing," Kain said as he advanced, hammer in hand. "You still don't have enough men to make this work, Caldo. You want to know why I think that is?"
"No," Caldo snapped. "I want you to die."
"I think it's because you have an over inflated sense of your own skill," Kain continued as if Caldo hadn't said anything. "You thought you could do this all on your own, didn't you? You're just a lackey, really. You told someone you could handle this and they let you have at it, and you're failing. And now you're going to die here. Better than going home a failure, I'm sure."
It was funny, actually. Kain wasn't usually this chatty when he fought. When he was angry, he went silent and deadly, killing whatever was threatening his people or his Prince. But he'd been spending so much time with Silvia that the words came easily. There was something about how easily riled Caldo got when Silvia made fun of him that was satisfying to see, and Kain wanted that. He wanted to distract him with insults so it would be even easier to take him out.
"You can't kill me!" Caldo insisted. "They won't let you. You'll be dead before you get close."
Kain shrugged a shoulder. "Only one way to find out." And that was it for the talking. The two in black came at him at once, and Kain fended them off. They were fast and clearly skilled enough, but they were mercenaries, and he was a warrior. There might have been two of them, but they were still outclassed in every way. They were armed with knives that they brandished and threw at him, and Kain held up one armored hand to deflect them.
The first man who'd had his weapon broken came lunging forward, and Kain took care of him once and for all with a sweeping blow from the hammer that left him broken and bleeding on the ground.
The other two looked more wary now.
Good.
This power wasn't easy to control or master, and they thought t
hey could take it so easily? Kain was going to let them see what it could really do.
More of the creatures had shown up in the mess, and Kain saw Litta taking them on, keeping them away from Comman and Silvia and the humans as well as she kept them occupied with her weapons.
This place was going to look like a war zone when they were done here, but hopefully there would be minimal casualties. On their side, anyway.
It was easy work to cut down the two who seemed to think their little knives could do something against his hammer. He broke them one after the other, sparing a moment to feel bad that they had gotten caught up in this mess. It hadn't been their fight, but that was the risk mercenaries took, after all.
With no one standing between them, Kain advanced on Caldo. He was really sweating now, looking around frantically as his plan fell apart around him.
"It's sad," he said. "That it has to come to this."
"No!" Caldo said. "No, wait. Wait! I can...You don't have to..."
"You come here and you threaten my Prince," Kain said, anger boiling in him. "You covet my power and you insult my companion. And now you want me to wait?"
"Kain, wait."
That was from Comman who had made his way over. Litta had taken out the creatures it seemed, and interestingly enough, when Kain looked over, he could see that Silvia had her foot on the head of one of the broken and bleeding monsters. Kain had no idea what that was about, but she looked pleased with herself, and it made him smile.
But Comman was speaking, so he turned his attention back to his Prince, surprised that he had been stopped in his moment of triumph.
"Don't kill him." Caldo looked pleased, and Kain was relieved when Comman added "Yet" to the sentence. "I want to know more about why he wants our powers."
Caldo looked at him with trepidation. "I...I can't tell you," he said. "He'll kill me."
Comman had no pity in his eyes as he looked at him. "And what do you think we'll do to you?"
"You don't understand," Caldo said. "He'll kill me and make me regret ever being born. He'll make it slow and painful. He'll make sure I know every inch of his displeasure."
"And what do you think we'll do to you?"
Caldo paled. "You...you can't."
It was the first time Kain had seen such a pitiless look in his Prince's eyes. Clearly this had been the last straw for him, and Kain was pleased to see it. It was just too bad no one else could see him there, staunchly defending his people and their way of life.
"You have no idea what I can do," Comman said. "I might not have the same power that everyone else does, but I am not weak. I am not going to let you or this man you work for destroy all we have sought to build. I want you to go back to him and tell him what you have done here. Tell him that if he wants our power, he will need to send someone far more capable than you to come and get it."
Caldo was shaking now, and Kain, seeing that he wasn't going to get to kill this menace, let his weapon melt back into singular stones and drop to the ground with a clatter. He was gratified to see Caldo flinch at the sound.
He looked over at Silvia and was pleased to see she was still alright. She was helping the remaining humans get to their cars and away, apologizing for the conflict and the disturbance. It was clear that most of them had a lot of questions, and Silvia was cheerfully deflecting them. That was another mess for them to clean up, but first things first.
"Your Highness," Kain said. "If we let him go, how do we know he won't just try again?"
"He won't," Comman said. "At least not here. If he wants to come for us again, let it be on our own planet on equal terms. Earth will not become collateral damage in this mess. I will not allow it."
"He'll come for you," Caldo said with weary promise. "He'll never give up. Even after the others have been killed or taken out for their failure, he will never rest."
"That's fine," Comman said. "Because we are strong and will only be stronger. Now go."
Caldo scampered away, and they stood there and watched him leave. Once they couldn't see him anymore, Comman slumped.
Kain was there in a second, holding him up. "Your Highness. Comman, are you alright?"
The Prince smiled, and the usual good natured and slightly sheepish expression was back on his face. "Yes," he said. "I just...haven't seen that much excitement in some time. It must be hard to do this all the time."
That brought a smile to Kain's face. "It takes some practice, yes. But I think you did an excellent job. He won't be coming back here."
"Thank the Hills for that. We have enough to clean up here as it is. Kain, if you would?" He gestured to the mess around them, the loose stones and the cracks in the ground, the gaping craters in some places from the fight, the broken bodies of the creatures.
"Allow me, Your Highness," Litta said, and she stepped neatly forward and took care of it, flashing her power gracefully. It wasn't as good as new, but it looked a lot less like there had been a giant fight in the middle of the street.
"What will you tell the humans?" Kain asked because there was no question of Comman not dealing with this personally. That was just how he was.
"The truth," Comman said. "Those who organized the peace talks have connections. I'll ease their fears and tell them the threat has passed."
"Has it, though?" Silvia wanted to know. "How do you know they won't come back?"
"They don't want anything here," Comman said. "Not really. The Earth is just a convenience to them. What they really want is on all those other planets out there. Jontira and Fora and wherever else the elemental warriors are spread out. They'll hit them directly."
"And what will we do?" Litta wanted to know.
"We will prepare," Comman told her. "As best we can. We will solidify our allegiances and firm our borders to those who would do us harm. It will be fine."
He spoke with such conviction that they all believed him, and Kain had to admit he was very proud. "Let's get back to the hotel," he said. "We have a lot to do."
"You know," Silvia said later that night where she was tucked up against Kain's side. "I think this trip was good for him."
"For Comman?"
"Mmhmm," she murmured. "From how you described him before, it seems like he would never have done something like this before he came here. But now he's out there, winning allies and smoothing things over with the humans, making things right. He's coming into his own."
Kain hummed. He definitely agreed with her. There had been something of his mother's ruthlessness in Comman that evening, but most of it had just been a firmer extension of the power Comman always had but was afraid to show. He was strong in his own way, Kain had always known that, and he was ready to get back to Jontira and make sure everyone else knew it, too.
He wrapped his arms around Silvia and bit his lip for a moment, unsure. "I will miss you," he said finally.
They'd been avoiding talking about it all night. They both knew that now that Comman had achieved something big, the rest of it would follow in short order. And that was a good thing, really it was. It was high time they went back to their planet and made things right there. Kain was already making plans for the overhaul of the guard that he was going to suggest, and it was high time that things took a turn for the better for them all.
But...there was something—someone—he didn't want to leave behind here.
Silvia sighed softly and then smiled against his skin. "Come on," she said. "You'll be fine. Big, strapping guy like you? It'll be no time at all before you have some other pretty girl in your arms." She said it without looking at him, and Kain knew she was just deflecting with her usual flippancy, so he moved away and cupped her face in his hand, making sure she was looking at him.
"No," he said. "It will not happen like that. I will think of you all the time."
Something flickered in her eyes and she sighed again. "Really?"
"Really. You are...incredible. I didn't expect to find anyone like you on this planet. I thought that humans were all irritating an
d primitive, and then I met you and everything was different."
"You thought I was irritating the first time you met me," she pointed out.
Kain laughed. "I did, yes. Because you were being irritating. I had just saved your life and you didn't even seem to be grateful."
"Well, excuse me for being shocked that I was dealing with aliens. That kind of thing isn't normal, you know. Not to me."
"And now?"
She looked at him, and there was both sadness and resignation in her face. "Now I can't imagine my life without you."
It hit Kain in a tender place, and he pulled her closer for a moment, kissing her breathless. He could imagine his life without her, but it already seemed less full, less good. He would go back to the things he was used to doing, with some notable additions, and she would be here, living her life. Kain found that he really wanted to see what she would make of herself, what she would do. Maybe there was some way they could keep in touch. Maybe...
He sighed. "We have time yet. There's still work to be done."
That was the mantra that lasted over the next couple of weeks. There was still work to be done. Comman spoke with the dignitaries and won not one, not two, but four new allies. He talked with them about keeping them safe and trading goods, and they were all willing to back him on it. Treaties were signed and the talks were declared a success.
The humans were, of course, less than pleased about what had happened with the creatures and Caldo's mercenaries, but Comman used his connections to smooth it over well enough. Tech and money were donated, and the human governments stopped clamoring for retribution. Even Litta was impressed with how smoothly it was handled.
Kain offered the rest of the guards a choice. Things would have to change with how they treated their Prince, or they could leave. Endon, one of the older members who had come with them decided he didn't want to go back to Jontira at all, and Comman let him make that choice. Kain disagreed with it, but it was the Prince's call to make.
Soon enough, it was nearing the end of their stay on Earth. Silvia took Kain and Comman around to all of her favorite places. She bought them ice cream one last time, and Kain bought them gyros. They sat and they talked and they laughed, and then Comman went back to the hotel, leaving Kain and Silvia alone. They looked at each other, and they smiled.
