Aya closed her eyes. If Keira could do it, then so could she.
She calmed her mind as she clasped her hands. She searched within her, focusing her energy. At first all she saw was pitch black. She refined her thoughts. Energy. Then she saw it. It was nothing but a blue speck floating in a speck of darkness. She willed her thoughts into it, and slowly it grew. A bright light coursed inside her chest and her body tingled with the familiar feeling.
“What is that noise?” Hotaru gazed at the battlefield. He ran toward the balcony, his eyes glued on the massive tsunami that had risen from the sea. “But that’s impossible. It would take an entire army of gifted water wielders to do something like that. Who? Who?” His gaze turned to Aya. “You!”
Aya’s hands trembled with exhaustion as she divided the water into hundred of ice spears. She guided all of them toward the enemy soldiers.
An ice attack entered the room and slammed into the throne chair, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. A soon as it broke, the steel bars snapped open. As Aya had suspected, the chair had the controls to the cages.
Hotaru whimpered as he crawled to the edge of the balcony. “You must tell me how you broke through the devourer’s blockade.” His eyes darted over to Keira and Draiven, who were closing in on him. “N…n…niece. Surely you un…understand that what I did was…was…was for the g…good of Sugiko.”
Keira remained expressionless. “Get out of here. Never come back to my father’s lands.”
“Of course,” His eyes faced the floor as he crawled away. “But I’m taking you with me!”
Hotaru stood, driving toward Keira with a dagger in hand.
Draiven dashed forward and took Hotaru in his paws. He held him up for a second, and then he tossed the screaming man toward the rocky cliffs.
Aya winced as the screams came to a bone-crushing end.
Keira stumbled to the edge of the balcony. She looked out at the battlefield. “The city is ours!”
Her men from the beach cheered. Hotaru’s soldiers held their hands up in defeat, as they eyed the sharp ice spear above them.
A load of weight left Aya’s shoulders, and for the first time in days, she allowed herself to smile.
CHAPTER 27
Night had enveloped the sky as Keira walked up the steps. It was weird for Aya to see her in a fine silk dress. Even stranger was seeing her wear makeup around her almond eyes. It wasn’t much, but Aya still found it hard to get used to.
The large crowd that had gathered in the bazaar stood quiet, watching as the rightful ruler took her place.
Keira reached the top steps. Nanake, Raji, Rika, and her two bears were already there, waiting for her. She turned to face her people.
Nanake stepped to the front of the podium and spoke in a much louder voice than Aya expected from an elder. “All hail Empress Keira, the eighty-seventh of her line. May her rule be long and prosperous one!”
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause.
Keira stepped forward and waited for the applause to dwindle. “It is an honor to serve you. I promise to do my best to continue my father’s legacy, a legacy of justice, toleration, and kindness. This victory against would not have been possible without the hundreds of men and women who fought against tyranny.” She smiled as she gazed at Raji, Rika, and her bears. Her voice grew shaky. “Many others had to give their lives.”
Many from the crowd looked down in sadness. No doubt they too had lost loved ones.
Nanake waved her hand. At her call a woman emerged from the crowd. In her hands she carried a cuddly bear cub. The bear had snowy-white fur, just like Lori once had. The woman presented the cub to Keira.
“It’s Lori’s daughter,” said Nanake. “Her name is Maru.”
Aya felt a warm feeling creep all over her as Keira took the cub in her arms. She held it close, as if afraid to lose it. She whispered something in her ear, though Aya was too far to hear what it was.
“Thank you, grandma,” said Keira. “But there is someone else I should thank for this victory. Rohads, come forward.”
Sheridan and Aya stepped up to the podium.
“These Rohads showed courage unlike any I’ve ever seen before. It’s no exaggeration to say that without ‘em Hotaru would still be terrorizing Sugiko.” She took out two jade pins. The insignia of a dragon was imprinted on them. She carefully pinned them on the Rohads’ chest. “I declare Aya and Sheridan honorary members of the Sugiko army.” She then faced her crowd. “Enough formalities. As my first order I declare that the warehouses shall be re-opened. Each head of their household will be given enough rice to feed their families for a year. Let the celebrations begin!”
The people cheered louder than ever. Aya could have sworn that she saw Raji almost smile for a split second as the people took to the street in dance. Others watched as multicolored fireworks burst in the air. A large red dragon, with men underneath it, weaved through the street, followed behind by countless laughing children.
Aya marched over to Keira. A sense of sadness washed over her. “This is where I say my goodbye.”
“Are you sure you can’t stay a while longer?”
“You have your empire to look after. And I have people I need to get back to.” The thought of seeing Falcon made her heart skip a beat.
“Of course, you have your responsibilities.” Keira’s expression grew stern. “I hope that what you told me about the Suteckh Empire doesn’t come to pass. But if they attack, then you’ll have the full support of my army and I.”
“Thank you,” said Aya, glad to have Sugiko’s support.
“No. Thank you for showing me kindness when I showed you nothing but spite.” Keira embraced Aya. “You will always have a sister in me.”
Behind them, Rika shuffled her shaky feet. Aya extended her hand and pulled her into the hug. “We can all be sisters.”
“But I was horrible to ya,” stuttered Rika.
Aya smiled. “I've already forgotten about all that. How about we make new memories from now on?”
“I like that.”
“Can I join in on that hug?” asked Sheridan, laughing to himself.
The girls eyed him without saying a word.
“Yeah, didn’t think so, but I had to give it a shot.” He walked into the crowd, dancing and singing at the top of his lungs.
~~~
“I’m going to miss this place,” said Aya. From atop the mountain they had a clear view of the castle, though it looked much smaller from so far away. The fireworks were still bursting every few seconds.
Sheridan stuffed a peach dumpling into his mouth. “It was nice and all, but I need to get back to my love.”
“Your love?” Aya asked. She sneezed as dry pollen blew into her nose. It smelled of honey.
“Hiromy, of course. Oh, how I missed that hair, those eyes, and that tight suit that hugs her fine body and—”
Aya brought up her hand. “I think I get the idea.”
“Oh, yes. Sorry.”
“Let’s keep moving. We’re still days away from Ladria.”
“You mean we’re not going to stop at the Butha bathing houses?” He kicked the ground under him. “Sheesh. You really have to learn to relax. We accomplished our mission and gained the support of Sugiko for the upcoming battle. I’m sure the Ghost Knight also secured the aid of Zhangshao. What else do you want?”
“There is no time for bath houses. We might have won the battle, but the war is far from over. The Suteckh and Shal-Volcseck are far from done. Of that I’m certain.”
~~~
“May you rest in peace,” said Father Lucien. He lit sticks of lavender incense over the stacks of rocks. Underneath rested a wooden coffin.
It had been a week since the chaos master had passed away. Falcon took in the strong smell of flowers. Usually he would have waved it away, but today it didn’t bother him as much. Even though he had not known Demetrius for a long time, the old man had taught him an important lesson. Being a chaos wielder didn’t nece
ssarily mean he had to be evil. Before him lay a being that had been a chaos wielder; yet, he’d been a good man. This gave him hope for the future. Hope that he did not have to give in to the power of chaos. Hope that with holy guiding him, the chaos within him could be kept under control.
“Let’s go,” he said, walking out of the cave. He moved through the long corridor in silence. Faith, Iris, and Father Lucien did the same.
When they walked out of the cave, it had already begun to rain. Small pieces of hail bounced off his head. He held up his hands as the ice balls fell on his palm. Aya suddenly filled his thoughts. What was she doing now? He craved to see her again. To show her what he’d learned. It had been so long since they had last spoken.
“Hey, mate!”
Falcon looked up in surprise. Off in the distance, running toward him from K’vitch, was a small figure.
“Mates!”
“Chonsey,” said Falcon, waving at his friend. He certainly was happy to see him, but shocked. Chonsey should still be back at the academy, training for the next trials.
Chonsey stopped in front of him, gasping for breath. “I finally found you, mate.”
“What are you doing here?”
“That’s why I’m here.” The cloth of his shirt wrinkled as he tightened his grip on it.
Falcon didn’t like the tone of his friend’s voice. “Out with it!”
“The Suteckh launched an attack on Ladria, mate.”
Falcon’s stature slumped. “What?”
“They destroyed everything. They even tried to kidnap the emperor, but Hiromy put a stop to it.”
His chest tightened. “Is she alive?”
“I…I don’t know. But what I do know is that the entire city has been annihilated and thousands of lives have been lost.”
Falcon looked at the sky absently as Chonsey’s words echoed in his head.
“The grand city of Ladria has been sacked.”
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HEIR OF THE ELEMENTS
CHAPTER 1
The day was coming to a close as three wielders traveled the narrow path that cut through the sea of trees. Scattered rays of lights trickled through the few openings that the thick branches above provided. Droplets of water, from the rain that had now stopped, glistened as they coursed down the leaves.
“What do you think, mate?” asked Chonsey. “Is this a good place?”
Falcon pointed into the forest and sighed. He’d hoped to reach his hometown of Ladria before nightfall, but apparently that wasn’t going to happen. “Let’s move into the trees a bit. We don’t want to set up camp directly on the road.”
Faith nodded. “Good idea, Falcon. The last thing we want is to run into bandits, or worse.”
Falcon stepped out of the hard dirt path and into the mossy forest grounds. The fresh aroma of wet dirt drifted into his nostrils.
Chonsey followed closely behind him. “I wouldn’t be too worried about bandits. I mean, if it was just me, of course I would be on my toes. But not with you here, Falcon. You’re a void wielder who is only supposed to wield the basic elements, but somehow you have control of even the advanced elements.” He grinned and turned to the emerald-eyed girl who trudged behind him. She wore a pink jumpsuit with a white blouse underneath. “And you Faith, you’re the only holy wielder in ages. That’s crazy.” He took a breath. “No, I’d be more worried for the poor bandits that run into us. They won’t know what they’d be in for.”
Falcon stared down at his gray emblem. “Having this is not a solution to everything, Chonsey.”
“Besides,” Faith added. “The idea of staying off the road has nothing to do with whether we can beat bandits or not, and everything to do with the fact that they may be Suteckh scouts.”
Falcon grimaced. He still couldn’t believe the story Chonsey had told him. It sounded like a fairy tail. The capital city of Ladria was so powerful. How was it possible that the Suteckh Empire could have overtaken it in only a day? Surely his friend had exaggerated. Chonsey had a tendency to stretch the truth a bit.
Falcon stopped and threw down his bag as they reached a small clearing. There were a few lingering bushes here and there, but nothing too troublesome. “This is a good place. Let’s set up camp here.”
Chonsey unrolled the light blanket he carried on his back and tossed it on the floor. “ Good. I was getting tired, mate.”
“Earth plateau,” said Falcon, as he bent down and touched the wet ground. In an instant two long plain stubs of dirt emerged. They stretched about two feet over the forest grounds. He felt shame as he stared at Faith. “I’m sorry you have to sleep in such a hard place again. I know back home you had a nice bed, and ever since you began traveling with me you’ve been living like a peasant.”
Faith waved her hand dismissively. “You know I don’t care about those things, so don’t you worry about it.”
Despite her words, he still felt a pang of guilt eating him inside. He took a seat.
“What are you doing?” asked Faith in a shocked voice.
Falcon looked at Chonsey, then back at Faith, trying to figure out what he’d done wrong. “Errr…sitting down.”
Faith took his hand and pulled him up. “Yes, I know. But you could at least wait until I set up a shield on your bed. That way you won’t have to sleep on dirt. You don’t want to get your leather jacket and hair dirty, do you?”
“Oh, yes, sorry. I’ll just go gather some wood while you do that.”
Faith’s white emblem, that rested on the dorsal part of her glove, intensified in brightness as she waved her hand. “Malawi Lesotho.” An almost invisible blanket materialized and covered a sleeping blanket. It flapped loudly as the wind beat against it. “Now you try it.”
Falcon stopped dead in his tracks. “Try what?” He was certain he knew what Faith was talking about. She had been drilling him on it every other night, but he simply couldn’t get the handle of it. What was the use of making himself look like a fool again?
Faith took his hand and pulled him before the Earth plateau he had created. “C’mon I know you can do it. Wave your hand around like this.” She moved her hands from side to side. Then think of a strong emotion, allow it flow from within. You did it once, I’m sure you can do it again.”
He thought back to the battle against Lakirk. “That was under pressure. But when I’m in a calm environment, I can’t do it.
“Sure you can. I know you can do it, simply think of someone you love. Use their memory.”
Her green eyes met his. He gulped loudly as butterflies formed in his stomach. “Ummm…yes, someone I love. I’ll just do that.” He closed his eyes. Images of his two best friends, Aya and Faith flashed before him. But instead of feeling peace, he felt turmoil. One second he’d be staring at Faith, only to be replaced by the image of Aya, her dark hair flowing behind her as she gazed at him with her almond shaped eyes. The words of Father Lucien came back to him. The heart cannot belong to more than two. Sooner or later you must make a choice. His eyes snapped opened, his heart beating faster with each breath.
“Are you well?” asked Faith.
“Y…yeah, I’m fine.”
She looked him over with a look of disbelief. “I’ll do the cover. You go ahead and fetch some wood if you wish”
She didn’t have to tell him twice. He immediately took into the woods. Once he was far off from the camp, he settled next to a large rock and took a seat, cursing himself. Faith was patient, but how long was he going to continue failing like this? If he couldn’t even make a cover, how was he expected to control holy barriers powerful enough to keep the chaos energy that raged within him in check? Unable to formulate the answers, he remained seated in place, staring at small patches of visible sky for what seemed an eternity.
Finally, once the heavy feeling in his stomach had dissipated, he got up, found a few scattered pieces of wood, and headed back.
“You were gone fo
r a bit,” said Faith as Falcon marched back into the camp.
“Yes, branches were hard to find.”
“Aha, I’m sure they were.”
Falcon tossed the few branches he managed to find into a pile. He snapped his fingers as his gray emblem turned a deep red. Seconds later a flame had engulfed the few pieces of wood.
“It’s nice having a fire wielder,” said Faith, taking a seat next to the fire. She patted the spot next to her, signaling Falcon to join her.
The wielder gulped nervously, but then he took a seat. He turned over to invite Chonsey to join them, but his loud snores made it obvious he was already deep in sleep.
“Do you think Iris is doing well?” asked Faith in a low voice. “She was so sad when we left.”
Falcon thought back to the peasant girl they had befriended back in K’vitch. He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss her too. In the short time he’d spent with her, he grew quite fond of her. “I’m sure she’s doing fine. She has Father Lucien looking after her, after all.” His gaze dropped to the floor. “To tell you the truth, I’m more worried about Aya.”
“Aya is a strong wielder. I’m certain she’s fine.”
“I’m sure you’re right, but I’m more concerned about letting her down. I was tasked with warning Missea of the upcoming Suteckh invasion. Aya is smart. I have no doubt she succeeded in getting the city of Sugiko on our side. But me? I didn’t even get to Missea, much less warn them. And now I’m headed back to Ladria, having accomplished nothing.”
“You figured out who was kidnapping people from K’vitch and you put a stop to it. Do you think the people of K’vitch would say you accomplished nothing?”
Falcon grimaced. “I’m not too sure helping them was a good idea.”
Faith gave him a hard stare. “Of course it was a good idea. Children were being taken from their parents. Their energy was being sucked out of them. Are you saying we should have let them die?”
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