Author's Note: I want to take a moment to thank my friend Obelisk of Light for helping me figure out ways to lay the foundation for certain themes I'm introducing in this chapter. I'm very blessed as well as thankful to have such smart, knowledgeable, and passionate friends to help me hammer these things out :D
Later that day, after the gathering of warriors concluded that Fujin's group should leave the following morning since they had the longest journey, the Hydromancers held a feast. That is, if one could call it a feast; their food supplies were low, so the people dined on giant roasted bats, an assortment of insects, and plain water. Catja informed the Earthrealm Champions that once they had been a wealthy society, prosperous from trading on the rivers and seas. The other races in Outworld sought their medicines, the best in the Realm, as well as their superior iron tools and weapons, so their food stores were always overflowing. But when Rain betrayed them, Shang Tsung razed Tlachtga to the ground and destroyed everything, cursing the forest that had once given them life, ensuring that they would never again recover. And so, the Hydromancers were lucky to eat at all.
On behalf of the Champions, Kuai Liang graciously thanked both Catja and Henryk for their hospitality, and in private made it a point to tell everyone on the team to eat what they'd been given without question, no matter how disgusting it was. It wasn't much, but it was more than the Hydromancers could afford to spare, and for that, he expected them to show their hosts all due gratitude. No one argued, not even little Sherman, and as she watched her new husband play ambassador, Anya felt a surge of admiration for him. She had no idea he had it in him; he was not exactly tactful. She wondered how much of his good behavior stemmed from the fact that he was already on thin ice with these people. But it didn't matter why. What mattered was that he did, and it was making an already difficult day better.
Not to say that the day had been all bad. She certainly didn't wake up from Adaia's drug-induced sleep thinking she'd be married by nightfall. Although she could only imagine what her father – her stepfather, rather, she bitterly reminded herself – would think about it. He already hated Kuai Liang to begin with for taking his daughter away. But to elope with her in a pagan sort of way? She was fairly certain he was never gonna let her hear the end of it, and might just take his .30-06 to his new son-in-law on principle alone. But as Anya snuggled against Kuai Liang's arm and listened to everyone talk over supper, she decided she didn't care. For the first time in months, she felt happy. She knew she had made the right choice.
Catja strolled to the newly wedded couple, but before she sat down she looked at Kailyn and said, "Sing for us, Tetrach."
A dark cloud crossed the warrior's face, apparent even in the firelight from the bonfire, but the woman obediently bowed to her Queen and stood with her spear clutched tightly in her fists. Anya wondered if her half-sister ever did anything without her weapon, but her musings faded away when Kailyn began to sing a song in a strange language. Her voice was slightly flat and off-key – clearly, she was no musician – but it was okay. At least it wasn't terrible, and now the nurse wondered what the sad melody was about.
She looked at Catja, who now sat beside her, and asked, "What's she singing about?"
The Queen looked at her with her one good eye. "The day that Shang Tsung and his army came to Tlachtga," she answered. "We don't write our history like people in Earthrealm do," she explained a moment later. "The practice is called beul aithris, which loosely means 'oral tradition.' All of our clan knowledge is passed down through song. It makes it easier for the children to remember our history and commit it to heart."
"Kailyn doesn't look like she's enjoying herself too much," she noted.
Her mother chuckled softly. "She's not. She hates to sing. But as the Tetrach, it's in her job description, especially since most of our history is about warfare and battle. Try to get her to practice while you're on the road."
"When exactly do you think we'll have time to sit around singing?" Kuai Liang replied pointedly.
"It's a long journey to Mòhé," she answered with a grin. "Do you plan to walk there in silence?"
"With any luck," he said under his breath.
The nurse rolled her eyes. So much for diplomacy. "Well, if he doesn't, I will," she said. Catja smiled and stroked her cheek affectionately, but then unexpectedly pressed her palm into her skin. She looked at her with surprised, worried eyes, to the point that the nurse withdrew in paranoia. "What's wrong?" she demanded to know.
"Oh, nothing," she hastily replied. "Are you feeling okay, Anya?"
She lifted an eyebrow. "I'm alright. Why?"
"You just felt feverish to me, that's all," she said, though her daughter sensed she was lying. The Queen continued: "But I guess it was probably just the fire making you warm."
"Probably," she agreed suspiciously.
"I hope you're not coming down with something," she said worriedly a moment later.
"Mother, I'm fine," the other insisted as the Queen fussed over her face.
The scarred woman frowned. "Okay," she replied. "Just…promise me you'll be careful and stay out of trouble. Please don't take any unnecessary risks. You're far from qualified to do that." She looked at her new son-in-law and pointed at him. "You-"
"Yeah, yeah," he interrupted, holding up his hand. "I already do, and I already planned on it."
"What are you talking about?" Anya asked him, studying his face in the firelight. "You already do what?"
"I already look out for you, and I already planned on keeping you out of trouble," he answered. "Well, as much as I can in Outworld, at any rate. And given the fact that it's you." He smiled, smirked, and then tenderly kissed her forehead.
"Kuai Liang, listen to me closely," Catja began, interrupting their moment. "There's a reason Henryk doesn't want Kailyn to go to Mòhé, and why I don't want my daughter to go there either. Believe me, if I thought there was a viable way to keep her from going, I would. But I know she's headstrong and would follow you to the Netherrealm just because. But Mòhé is not a good place for Hydromancers to go. They treat their prisoners worse than we treat ours."
"You ritually sacrifice any Cryomancer you catch," he scoffed. "How can they do any worse to the Hydromancers?"
"We kill our enemies, it's true," she answered. "You may not think so, but it's a small mercy. We don't prolong their suffering, even though they deserve it. But they, on the other hand, don't treat us with that same kindness. Instead, they make slaves of us. Slaves for every little…chore…you can imagine. And especially our women." Catja swallowed hard. "Now I can't lie, I am extremely worried about Kailyn," she said. "Her mother is my best friend and she's like a daughter to me. But I am downright frightened about Anya going there."
The nurse looked at her mother's earnest face, but then held her hand. "I'll be okay," she said as a tear leaked from the Queen's good eye. "I'm not helpless. I can contribute."
"Kuai Liang, promise me you'll bring her back to me," Catja begged, reaching across Anya's lap to hold his hands in hers. "I've spent the last ten years thinking I'd never see her again, and in spite of my mistakes, the Elder Gods gave me another chance with her. I don't want to lose her a second time." They stared into each others' eyes for a long moment before he finally nodded and she leaned back once more.
Suddenly, a wiry little figure flopped into Anya's lap without warning, and she yelped in surprise a moment before he threw his arms around her. It was Sherman. "Tell me a story, Anya," he ordered. "I'm bored, and I'm sick of my dad's stories."
"Do we look like your entertainment committee?" Kuai Liang barked, clearly annoyed by the boy's actions. He pulled him off his wife by the scruff of the neck and made him sit in the dirt before them.
The young Apache boy was undaunted by the icy stare that met him. "Not you, Sub-Zero," he replied. "You're more boring than my dad. If you were on my entertainment committee, I'd fire you."
The Cryomancer narrowed his eyes. "Does everyone who talks to you always visualize duct tape over your mouth this early into the conversation?"
Sherman crossed his arms. "Does everyone who talks to you visualize you with a personality?"
"Okay, that's about enough of that," Anya intervened, giving Kuai Liang a look. "Sherman, I'm not much of a storyteller. But if you had a scrape on your knee or something, I could help you with that."
"I can tell him a story," Smoke volunteered from beside Sub-Zero. "Hey kid, you want to hear about the time my buddy here fell down a well?"
"We're not telling him stories from my childhood," Kuai Liang hissed.
"Why not?" Anya asked with a smirk.
"Because he never was a kid?" Sherman asked, though it sounded more like a statement.
The Cryomancer raised an eyebrow. "That's right," he flatly said. "I came out fully grown. I hold the world record for being the largest baby ever. You should see what my mother looks like now. So we're not telling you stories."
Tomas grinned. "You're not. But I am." He chuckled and looked at Sherman. "He was hunting a 'wolf,'" he began, throwing up finger quotes when he said 'wolf.' "Of course, it wasn't a wolf, it was Sektor pretending to be one-"
"You know what, that's not an interesting story," he interrupted as Anya started chuckling beside him. She threaded her fingers through his and squeezed them in amusement. He never wanted to talk about his childhood, and it'd been like pulling teeth to learn what little she knew. It'd be good having Tomas around to rat him out.
"Oh, okay," the cyber-ninja said. "Do you want to hear about the time he rode a goat and it bucked him into a briar patch?"
Sherman started laughing. "Yeah, I can see that happening to a guy like him."
Now Tomas started laughing. His eyes grew glossy as memory flooded them. "I don't think I ever laughed so hard in my life," he confessed. "It was his tenth birthday, and me, Bi-han, and Sifu Halsey took him to a friend's house in Tingri."
"Shut up, Tomas," Kuai Liang barked.
"I coerced him into riding the family goat," he continued, ignoring him. "That was also the day I caught one of the family's daughters giving him his first kiss in the bushes."
Now Anya raised an eyebrow, and she crossed her arms, giving him a look. "Oh, really?" she said with an amused grin.
"It's not important," he announced. "It's not even that great of a story. It's boring."
"Oh, I don't know," she replied in a sing-song voice. "My interest is piqued."
"Sherman," Nightwolf's calm voice spoke as he approached. "Come. It's past your bedtime."
The boy looked at his father with a disbelieving stare. "How can you tell?" he countered. "It's always dark here. For all you know, it's morning and time for me to get up."
"Sherman," his father said warningly.
His son sighed heavily. "All right," he droned on grudgingly, climbing to his feet. "But I expect to hear this whole story later, Smoke."
"You got a deal, kid," he replied as Sherman followed his dad to Catja's home.
Anya, feeling ornery, continued to stare at Kuai Liang as if expecting an explanation, like he was in the doghouse for Tomas' revelation. She cleared her throat and raised her eyebrows at him even higher, and as expected, he started to squirm. But she said nothing.
"Oh, come on, Anya," he began, shifting uncomfortably. "You're not really gonna get mad at me for something that happened sixteen years ago, before I even met you, are you?" She merely shrugged and continued staring. "Look, she caught me by surprise," he hastily explained. "We were playing hide and seek, and she just…kissed me. I didn't do anything wrong."
"Oh, I know," she agreed, now smiling again. "I was just messing with you." She and Tomas laughed.
"That's not funny," he growled.
"It was a little funny," she countered, holding up her thumb and index finger so it looked like she was measuring an inch of space between them. And then snickering, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
A hot morning followed, in spite of the lingering night sky overhead. The warm wind streamed through the cracks in Catja's shack, comforting the Earthrealm champions sleeping there. Anya, who spent the night innocently cuddling with her husband because they shared a room with Cyrax, Smoke, and Kenshi, slept in something of a fetal position against him. Before nodding off, she only wished that she and Kuai Liang could've had some more honeymoon time. But this was cool too. Kind of. She woke just before dawn, when purple-gold clouds hurried overhead, sprinkling just a little rain onto the village, and perhaps served as an omen of luck on their journey.
To Anya's surprise, Catja gave her a spear as the group prepared to leave, a notched and dented one that had clearly been loved. As Fujin, Kailyn, Adaia, and even little Morgan watched, the Queen bowed to her daughter and placed it in her palms.
"This was mine," she explained. "Do me proud."
"I can't take this," she argued.
"Yes, you can. And you will," the other replied. "But I'm only lending it to you. You have to bring it back to me." The Queen winked and smiled as a tear slipped down her face.
Anya swallowed hard, knowing that she was ordering her not to die. "I promise," she said before her mother hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek.
Then Catja focused on the Tetrach. "Kailyn, I expect you to train her to defend herself and teach her our songs. And look out for her."
"Yes, Milady," the blond woman answered as she squeezed her own daughter for the hundredth time in the last fifteen minutes. With a smile, Fujin patted Morgan on the head and gently tugged on one of her springy curls just to see it bounce. With a bright smile, the tiny toddler gripped his hand with little fingers and shoved one into her mouth, chewing on it and slightly drooling. To Anya's amazement, the Wind God did not seem repulsed by Morgan's obvious teething behavior, and he let her bite him for a couple of minutes.
"Are we gonna get this party started, or what?" Kabal wanted to know, gathering the others to him while awaiting Sub-Zero's orders.
"Beware the numerous eyes and allies to the Dragon King," Henryk said as the villagers gave them their traveling packs. "Expect his other servants to find you and attack you, especially the Tarkatans and Zaterrans. Even the birds in the sky and the animals in the trees and plains should give you pause for fear."
After his cheerful warning and a round of goodbyes, the company finally left Tlachtga. The Champions took no extra weapons than what they already carried, but the Hydromancer blacksmith and shaman, Myrddin, had stayed up all night forging a new set of tiger hook swords for Kabal. When the detective expertly flailed his arms into impossibly dangerous forms to try them out, the villagers watched, impressed.
"Ha!" he yelled triumphantly. "I feel like myself again."
"What are you talking about?" Sub-Zero had replied. "You didn't stop being a jackass when Rain took your last set away."
Kabal looked at him, probably glaring behind his goggles, and said, "100,000 thousand sperm, and you were the fastest…" Then he shook his head and walked off.
To help them blend better, the Hydromancers had camouflaged the group in black clothes reminiscent of karate gis, but thicker and with no belts, the jackets fastened to the side by frog-loop buttons. Over those clothes they wore tattered, fur-lined cloaks to pass themselves off as half-crazed natives, the idea being that from a distance, no one would know they were foreign to Outworld. They were also loaded down with as many provisions as the Hydromancers could spare, including winter clothing. Anya had taken her mother's coat, gloves, scarves, and boots, and dreaded the bitter cold temperatures that awaited her in Mòhé.
Kailyn, who obviously knew Outworld the best, took point and led the Champions through the forest bordering Tlachtga on the north. At first, they had to walk single file through the dense trees. Anya walked between her half-sister and Kuai Liang, and she stumbled repeatedly, to the point she started to feel as if they were making a snail's progress because of her awkwardness, and the latter was probably fed up with her constantly tripping on loose vines or getting caught on thorny bushes. Embarrassed to be the resident tenderfoot of the group, Anya blushed fire-engine red every time he untangled her from one of these obstacles, and then she rushed on, saying nothing but a harried 'thanks.' He said nothing at all, though, as he patiently helped her traverse the treacherous land.
Sometime after noon, at the border of Hydromancer territory, the Earthrealm Champions left the forest and headed northeast, following no paths, just the Tetrach as she led them to the northernmost Outworld kingdom. Virtually on the opposite side of the globe from Tlachtga, she'd explained to them that they would have to hold this course towards Mòhé for several days, and perhaps even weeks. This country was much rougher and barren than the sylvan land of her people, and their going would be slow because they had to stick to the deep, dried-up gullies and ravines to avoid detection from their enemies. Therefore, she said, she couldn't begin to estimate how fast they'd arrive in the snowy lands of the Cryomancers.
"We can't dilly-dally," Fujin said in response to Kailyn's declaration.
"I know," the Tetrach replied sternly as the group spread out more informally. "The spies of my Queen reported that Onaga has made it his priority to locate the Cryomancer." Anya noticed that the woman avoided saying Kuai Liang's name whenever it came up, but everyone knew who she meant regardless. "He is determined to capture the Dragon Medallion."
"What is this Dragon Medallion?" Kenshi asked pointedly. "And why's this guy so hell-bent on finding it?"
Fujin winced. It was clearly a sore spot for him. But he cleared his throat and said, "It's an amulet that was crafted by my cousin, Eidotheia. She was the most talented sorceress in all of Creation, and I was her apprentice. Our workshop was here in Outworld, in a cave overlooking the old Tlachtga. It has long since been destroyed."
He paused, collecting his thoughts, struggling to fight off the grief that now marred his youthful face. "Onaga was a mighty ruler, and a gifted sorcerer in his own right. But how could he compete with a god? So he devised a system of runes that would imprison, torture, and even kill one."
"Is that how Hotaru got the one-up on you?" Kuai Liang asked.
"Yes," he replied. "That bola snare was not originally a Seidan standard issue. Many years ago, as it is now, the Seidans were loyal to Onaga and served as his enforcers, so he gave them his runes to deal with the more free-thinking gods like me." He inhaled and then said, "He wanted Eidotheia's power, so he used his runes to capture her and me both, and then he demanded she craft a spell to imbue him with all of her knowledge. Of course, she was very wise and smart, and she knew that he'd only use such knowledge to hurt and destroy the Realms. So, she refused.
"To coerce her, Onaga threatened to wipe out the Hydromancers, her most beloved creation, if she didn't comply. It pained her greatly to do so, but she still refused. She could not, in good conscience, trade a handful of lives in exchange for all of Creation. So he went to destroy them as he'd promised, only to find that they were protected and hidden by numerous wards and charms that she and I had put into place. They wouldn't stop him forever, but it would take his priests years to unravel all the knots.
"In frustration, he turned his attention to me. Eidotheia and I were close, perhaps even closer than my brother and I."
"Who's your brother?" Kenshi wanted to know.
"Raiden," he said.
"You never told us that," Kuai Liang snapped, not even trying to hide his irritation.
"You never asked," the Wind God countered.
"I guess that means we can expect more of the same on the god front, then, can't we?" he hissed. "And by that, I mean nothing."
Immediately, Kailyn whipped around with her spear and thrust it towards the Cryomancer's throat so hard that he barely pivoted to the side in time to avoid it. "You will not speak so disrespectfully to Lord Fujin," she growled, her eyes blazing with fury.
"I'll speak to him however I want," he snarled back, and now everyone stopped walking. Anya instantly noticed white fog wafting from his arms, indicating he'd summoned his powers to his surface. But she didn't expect to see that his skin from his hands to his elbows had turned sapphire in color.
"What's going on with your skin?" she demanded to know, stepping between him and Kailyn and inadvertently interrupting their standoff. She pointed to his arms, afraid to touch them lest he accidentally freeze her.
"Yeah, I was wondering that myself," Smoke said.
"I have no clue," he replied, looking at them in puzzlement.
"It's the Dragon Medallion," Fujin offered. "It's amplifying your powers. It does that. And if you'd all kindly allow me to finish my story, you'd know why."
"Then get to the point," Sub-Zero snapped as he started walking again. Anya trotted beside him, and would've gripped his hand to comfort him, but his powers stayed in his hands and his skin remained dark blue.
"Why do you tolerate his blasphemy?" Kailyn asked Fujin. "Does it not anger you?"
"Of course it does, Tetrach. But you know what happens to me if I get angry," the other said cryptically. She sighed unhappily, but his answer placated her.
The same was not true of Kabal. "Well, we don't," he said. "So you want to let us in on your secrets, there, big guy? So what's the story? You turn into an ugly green guy by the name of 'The Hulk' and start smashing crap?"
Fujin snorted. "Not exactly," he drily answered. "I am the god of the wind. Think of how destructive the wind can be when it's angry. Tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards. It's been known to level entire cities without a moment's warning. So, use your imagination. I can't afford to let my anger run wild. People tend to die when I do."
"Kuai Liang?" Anya said quietly, subtly urging him to knock it off. He'd never been fond of the gods in any religion, never mind the fact that Himavat was his distant ancestor, and it was like arguing with Raiden had been his favorite pastime. Fujin's declaration, however, reminded her that being disrespectful towards them verged on stupid. But he ignored her and continued walking.
"Anyway," Fujin continued, "Onaga turned his attention to me in order to force Eidotheia to do what he wanted. She refused, but after he tortured me in ways you can't begin to imagine, she finally conceded." He paused, biting his lip. "She should've let him kill me. Gods can't truly die. We're merely reborn elsewhere with no knowledge of our prior selves."
"So that means Raiden's still around," Smoke deduced.
"He is," the Wind God replied. "But I don't know where. And even if I did, I wouldn't have time to help him overcome his amnesia. Onaga won't wait, I can promise you that."
"So your cousin built that amulet that Sub-Zero's wearing?" Kenshi wanted to know.
"Yes," he answered. "Eidotheia didn't know how to fulfill Onaga's demands, so she had to invent magic to do it. And when she did, she made the amulet to hold her power. Unfortunately, the spell required a blood sacrifice in order to work. Her blood, to be precise. It was a secret she kept, even from me." His head sank to the ground in sorrow.
"She went to Onaga and told him she had finished her task, but before that happened, she had a private conversation with my half-brother, Shao Kahn. Back then, he was a decent man, an honorable warrior, and he was the High General of the Dragon King's armies. She told him that it was imperative he seize the Medallion for himself and use it to stop Onaga. She also gave him a dagger dipped in a poison so deadly, the tiniest scratch from the blade would kill even an immortal within seconds. It worked.
"Immediately after she killed herself and fused her power into the Dragon Medallion, Shao Kahn snatched it. Obviously, Onaga attacked him, but Eidotheia, who became the Blue Dragon, the guardian of its powers, gave my half-brother the strength to fight him long enough to scratch him with that dagger. In seconds, Onaga was dead, and Shao Kahn was the new ruler of Outworld."
"So how'd he become a grade-A douchebag?" Kabal asked, giving voice to the question everyone had on the tip of their tongues.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Fujin replied. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the phrase." The Earthrealm Champions all grumbled their agreement, so he continued: "The Medallion gave him so much power that he was virtually invincible. But Eidotheia, and this is something I've only recently figured out, is still alive inside it. That was where she was reborn, according to Himavat anyway. She has no conscious knowledge of who she is. She's trapped, having imprisoned herself inside of it so she can stand guard over it for all eternity. And she is a very fussy protector. I think you're already familiar with that. I understand she made short work of your sister, Miyuki."
"What's that got to do with Shao Kahn?" Kuai Liang demanded to know. Anya saw him absently touching the blue amulet fastened to his chest beneath his black cloak, probably thinking of the way the Blue Dragon froze Frost to death.
"Evidently, Eidotheia can make things happen, force things to bend to her will," Fujin said. "It's doubtful she knows why she does such things, but regardless, she does. Himavat told me she tired of Shao Kahn's corruption, and so she manipulated events around her in order to lure your ancestor, Xing the Betrayer, into his palace.
"Not many know this, Kuai Liang, but Xing was once a master thief, the self-proclaimed 'King of Thieves,' to be exact. He did, indeed, live up to his title, and he perpetually challenged himself to steal greater and greater things. The bigger the danger, the greater the prize. So, it was only natural that he turned his eye towards Shao Kahn's amulet, the source of all his mystical powers. He thought it was lucky that it fell from the Emperor's clothes the day he snuck into the palace, and rolled under a chair where he could easily grab it. In actuality, it was Eidotheia."
"You have a dishonorable family history, Cryomancer," Kailyn spat.
"And you're proof that evolution can go in reverse," he shot back.
"Quiet, you two!" Fujin snapped. "Xing wore the amulet, and it amplified his gifts for deception and trickery. Soon, the Cryomancer Shǔdì, thinking he merely had a gift for stealth, not knowing the Medallion was in his possession, made him a General and gave him an army. But the power he enjoyed corrupted him as well, so when Shao Kahn came to him and promised him even more power if he turned on his people, he couldn't resist. He convinced his army to slaughter those Cryomancers who wouldn't bend a knee to the Emperor.
"Again, Eidotheia must've tired of the corruption because one day, as he stood over his newborn son's cradle, the Medallion fell from his clothes into the baby's blankets. Shortly thereafter, Himavat smuggled Jae to Earthrealm and put him in the care of his foster parents, who quickly found the Medallion and decided to keep it safe for him so that one day, he could have it as an heirloom. Xing was executed by Shao Kahn not long after he lost the amulet."
"But then the Lin Kuei took Jae," Kuai Liang muttered.
"Yes," Fujin agreed. "And of course, the Grandmaster found the Medallion. I think by this point, Eidotheia must've somehow recognized that even though he was evil, he could protect the amulet better than a little boy, even if that little boy was one of the last Cryomancers alive. What fool would try to sneak into the Lin Kuei Temple and steal from the Grandmaster himself? So she tolerated him owning the Medallion until Jae grew to be an adult.
"He, of course, had been raised like you were, Kuai Liang. And like you, he had not been corrupted to evil, not completely. So when the Great Kung Lao saved his foster family from being murdered, it was only natural that he felt obligated to repay him. He did that, against his Grandmaster's orders. You can imagine how well that went over."
Kuai Liang said nothing to that, but Anya knew he did understand. His face, to the casual observer, looked like a solid mask. But to her, who knew him so well, the stress lines around his eyes seemed more pronounced than usual.
Fujin continued: "Eidotheia knew the Grandmaster meant to execute Jae for his treachery, but probably knew he needed to live in order to have children of his own. And so, as she had with Shao Kahn against Onaga, she gave Jae the strength to kill his Grandmaster, flee, and start a family."
"Except the Lin Kuei still found him," the Cryomancer bitterly replied. "And my family's been cursed ever since."
"True," the Wind God agreed. "And Eidotheia's 'chosen' the Grandmaster ever since. Judging by the men she's chosen, she's gone with the strongest warrior, the one least likely to let the Medallion fall from the Lin Kuei's possession. I also suspect she's tried to stay close to your family. Why, I can't say. But I can say that every Grandmaster who's owned the Medallion has been blessed with supernatural abilities in one form or another. And now she's giving her power to you, amplifying your natural abilities and giving you strength not even your full-blooded Cryomancer kinsmen have. I think she sees something in you that isn't apparent to me, or even to Raiden. I hope she's not wrong because if she is, then it's only a matter of time before the Medallion corrupts you as well, and you destroy everything that you love."
A tense silence followed, and no one said anything for at least half a mile as they reflected on the Wind God's words. But then finally, Kenshi broke it by randomly declaring, "I wish I had my guitar with me."
Everyone, save for Kailyn and Fujin, turned and gave him a funny look. "Your guitar?" Smoke repeated. "You play the guitar?"
"Why not?"
"Because you're blind," the other replied indelicately.
"So?" he said indignantly. "Ray Charles was blind. Lots of musicians are blind. And you'd think the only Czech guy in the group would know Jaroslav Jezek, a famous blind composer from Prague."
"Oh, so because I'm from Prague, I'm supposed to know every famous Czech person?"
"And just because I'm blind, I should have a cane and a seeing eye dog?" Kenshi paused. "I like to sing, too. Me and my friends back home have something of a garage band. We sound like shit, but that's really because my friends don't know how to play. I'm awesome, though." He grinned. "Hey, who knows 'Country Roads'? I feel that's an appropriate song to sing right now."
"Really?" Kuai Liang asked in disbelief. "You think now's the appropriate time to put on a Broadway musical?"
"Country roads," the blind man sang, ignoring the Cryomancer, "take me home, to the place, I belo-ong! West Virginia, Mountain Mama, take me home, country roads." His voice, in contrast to Kailyn's the night before, was pitch-perfect and enticing.
"You really just went there, didn't you?" he rolled his eyes.
Immediately, Kabal added to the song, probably just to annoy Kuai Liang, his voice raspy and odd-sounding through his mask, but otherwise good. "All my memories, gathered 'round her, Miner's Lady, stranger to blue waters."
Now Anya couldn't resist joining in. "Dark and dusty, painted on the sky, misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye."
Her new husband cast a dirty look her direction. "Don't encourage them, Ahn," he admonished.
But then all three of them, and now Fujin as well, sang the chorus as one: "Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belo-ong! West Virginia, Mountain Mama, take me home, country roads. Take me home, now, country roads. Oh, take me home, my country roads."
"You all have lost your minds," he said, picking up the pace as if to ditch them as if he were embarrassed to be seen with them. But the skin on his arms had receded to its normal color, and his face had relaxed some, so Anya kept pace with him and took his hand in hers. He faintly smiled at her and then chuckled, shaking his head as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
Unbeknownst to all of them, Rain watched them trek through a gully from the embankment high above, crouched in the dark shadows cast by a large boulder. He had slipped away from Sindel as she scouted Tlachtga's perimeter, and had followed the company ever since they left the Hydromancer village. Sooner or later, they'd have to stop to rest, and like a wayward lamb, Anya would surely wander away from the others to relieve herself. When she did, Rain would pounce.
But when he saw that Cryomancer filth wrap his arm around her and then kiss her only moments later, he slammed his palm into the ground, calling down a branched bolt of lightning from thick clouds above. It sparked and thundered off walls of adobe before finally dissipating as quickly as it came, and then the traitorous Hydromancer hugged himself tight with his arms, as if he might physically stop himself from flying apart from rage. Furious. Sickened. Somehow impure, unclean, as though a thousand parasites squirmed between his muscles and bones, wrapped themselves around his organs, and burrowed deeply into his brain. It took every inch of his self-control not to scream as cold rain falling from the sky and the longing to kill washed over him. She was his, and his alone.
He leapt from his hiding spot and sprang into action.
Author's Note: Sorry I didn't tell you all this above, but I didn't want to give it away. The song the group winds up singing is called "Country Roads" by John Denver. The other song I considered for that scene was also by John Denver, and it's called "Rocky Mountain High" because I thought its lyrics were very relevant to what Sub-Zero's been going through as of late. However, I thought it also might be construed as shameless promotion of my home state, LOL, so I went with "Country Roads" instead because there's a very nostalgic feel to it, this longing to go home, which was more relevant to all of the characters, not just him.
