The chapter has not been edited by Imoutu yet, but I decided to post it since I promised. :)
The first thing Kyoko noticed was the sound of stone grating against stone. Then she felt the weight of her body, bruises and a stinging that promised a nice sizeable gash. Kyoko winced, opening her eyes as she sat up.
She appeared to be in some sort of underground tunnel. It was dim, light visible from the hole located in the tall ceiling. The hole occupied the now dead wurm. The creature was still twitching, the body originating from even farther underground. It twisted against the walls as it extended above the ceiling like a long slimy stalk. The head was probably resting on the levels above, keeping it from completely falling through into the underground. A good thing too, or else Kyoko would have been crushed by it.
Kyoko gave an involuntary shudder. Some of the wurm's tongues were still wrapped around her. She quickly pulled herself out, wincing at the burn marks from where the saliva had touched her skin. None of the burns were severe, thank goodness. Wurm burns were especially difficult for the body to heal from.
As she wiped away excess slime with her sash, she gave the rest of her body a quick overview. Nothing broken, good. Her arm felt a little sore and there was a cut on her ribs, but it was shallow. She reached into her pants pocket to look for her beaded back. It was empty.
Shoot. Thought Kyoko. It must have fallen out sometime during the fight. She'd have to rely solely on magic for any sort of healing. She pressed two fingers on the cut, her arcane magic swirling as it created a fold to staunch the bleeding. It worked easily, especially with such a small cut, but she wished she had something to clean the wound. That would have to come later.
A clatter caught Kyoko's attention. Then a groan.
Kyoko recognized that voice. She hurried to her feet, stumbling around the rubble towards the nose.
"Chiori!"
The woman was sitting among the rubble, attempting to prop herself up with an arm. She was placing most of her weight on the right leg, her left sticking out awkwardly. It was obvious she was hurt.
She lifted her head as Kyoko approached, giving a pained grimace. "Looks like we both fell down here." She groaned. "Stupid wurm. I'd kill it if it wasn't already dead."
"You need to sit back down." Said Kyoko, grabbing Chiori and helping her move. The woman groaned in pain, but did her best to help as Kyoko set her down in a less precarious area.
Kyoko yanked her tattered shall to get it out of the way, quickly examining Chiori's leg. A sizeable chunk of her calf had been torn, flesh and muscle resembling shredded meat. Though it was bloody, it wasn't bleeding out at an uncontrollable rate.
"It doesn't look like your artery was hit." Said Kyoko. "I don't have any of my tools with me so I can't do much."
"Here." Said Chiori as she pulled something for her pocket. It seemed to be another dimensional bag. "Should be plenty of supplies in there."
Kyoko took the bag, tearing into it to find what she needed. Thank goodness Chiori was prepared.
A distant shout echoed in the room.
Kyoko looked up.
It was Kanae and Shadow. The two warriors appeared to be skidding down the body of the wurm, using magic to keep their balance as they made their way towards them. It was so strange that Kyoko stared at it for a moment.
"Just take your time." Said Chiori through gritted teeth, sounding annoyed. "It's not like I'm in pain or anything." The woman was still on her back, eyes shut.
"Sorry." Said Kyoko, pulling out the last clamp she'd need. She pressed anesthetic into Chiori's leg. "I just saw Kanae and Shadow sliding down the body of a giant wrum."
"Ha, now that'd be a laugh to see." Said Chiori, her weak attempt in humor not covering up her pain. She groaned again as Kyoko began to clean the wound.
Kanae and Shadow both reached them a moment later. Kyoko was still working with Chiori so she was unprepared when she was whipped around as Kanae grabbed her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" said Kanae, her face uncharacteristically expressive. Kyoko blinked at her, watching as Kanae's eyes trailed her up and down.
"You're hurt." Said Kanae. "The burns from the saliva."
"They're not that bad." Said Kyoko, unable to stop a smile on her face. "Sorry for worrying you Moko-san."
Kanae's face relaxed. "Mo, I told you not to call me that." She said, her voice soft. Kyoko reached up and squeezed the hand that was on her shoulder affectionately. She had accidentally worried her friend.
"I'm doing just great, thanks for asking." Said Chiori sarcastically. "No, don't mind me. I'll just bleed over here quietly."
"Sorry Chiori." Said Kyoko moving to continue cleaning Chiori's wound. She was having to carefully brush out rubble and sand from the wound, her hands covered in Chiori's blood. Her movements were quick but precise.
"I need to finish sewing this up." Said Kyoko. "I dropped my bag somewhere so I have to use Chiori's needle."
She pulled out the needle, glancing at the spell installed. It was as she thought. It was installed with only light circles.
"Shadow, can you help me initiate the spell?" said Kyoko. "I don't have any thread since the light magic takes care of that. I could rewrite the program but I'd rather not take up time."
Kanae moved out of the way to allow space for Shadow to kneel by her.
"Just place your hand on my shoulder and channel into the needle," said Kyoko. "I can do the rest." The technique was called assisting. It was one of the many things she had learned in her clerical classes.
He complied with her request, and Kyoko channeled, both her and Shadow's magic going into the needle. She quickly sewed up Chiori's leg the best she could, much of the flesh completely torn. The needle darted in and out of the skin, trailing a soft blue light. The anesthetic had gotten to Chiori at this point, helping the process considerably.
"Where is this place anyway?" said Kanae, looking around the cavern.
"The underground catacombs." Said Shadow. "Most people are not aware of the secret passageways buried under the palace."
"Clearly." Said Kanae, standing at attention with her spear. "Should we go up the way we came to get out of here?"
"I don't think Chiori can make it up there with this leg." Said Kyoko, who had finished sewing the wound, now wrapping it tightly into place.
"Then walking it is." Said Kanae. "I'm assuming you know the way Shadow."
At Shadow's nod, Kanae stowed her spear behind her back. She grabbed Chiori, hauling the woman to her feet the second Kyoko was done with her.
Chiori groaned, holding her head with a hand. "A little warning would have been nice."
"You're fine. You've got Cleric Kyoko looking after you." Said Kanae.
That managed to elicit a chuckle form Chiori, albeit a weak one.
"She really should let that leg rest." Said Kyoko, feeling hesitant about moving Chiori so quickly. She hadn't lost a lot of blood, but the muscles and tissue had been damaged. Straining then would just make it worse or tear the stitches.
"We don't have time." Said Kanae, nodding to the ceiling. "That battle is still going on upstairs and any of those creatures could decide to come down and pay us a visit. Moving is the better option for survival."
Kanae was right. They needed to keep moving and get out of the palace, yet Kyoko couldn't completely squash the physician in her that said Chiori needed to stay put. Kyoko wiped her palms on her pants nervously. With the amount of dirt and grime that covered her already, it did little good.
"Lean as much as possible on Kanae." Said Kyoko to Chiori, who nodded to show that she understood. Her face was a little white, but she didn't look like she was going to pass out.
Shadow motioned for them to follow, so they did, away from the wurm carcass. The cavern led to other similar halls, these completely closed off and darker. The walls were bare, no decorations or doors leading to other rooms. Occasionally they would meet a cross roads and Shadow would pick the way they should go. Kyoko was soon lost, unsure if she would have been able to retrace the way they had come.
They had to move slowly through the eerie corridors. Chiori couldn't move very fast, and the other three were still cautious for any more attacks, though they didn't meet a single other living creature the whole way.
The silence left too much room for Kyoko to think. To wonder about the poor people above who had either turned into monsters or were being attacked. How had the accursed been able to destroy the inhibitor in the first place? For the millionth time she prayed that Kuon was safe.
A scuffle from Chiori brought Kyoko out of her revere. The woman had tripped on an uneven portion of the ground. She was still being helped by Kanae, but her breaths were labored.
"We need to stop." Said Kyoko. "Take a break for Chiori."
The group stopped.
"I'm fine." Said Chiori immediately, though there was no strength behind it.
"You're not." Said Kanae, almost carrying her to the wall. She carefully bent down, helping Chiori place her back against the wall to sit. Chiori didn't protest, a sign that the woman really was pushing herself. Kanae joined her against the wall a second later, taking a tired breath.
Kyoko decided to sit down as well, taking a spot next to Chiori and examining her leg. It looked like the stitches were still holding.
"How much farther do we have to go?" said Kanae.
"Not far." Said Shadow. "If we keep down this hall, it eventually leads to the entrance just outside the palace."
"Good." Said Chiori, who had her eyes closed. She was leaning her head against the wall, taking deep breaths.
Kyoko hugged her knees to her chest. Everything around them felt entirely too calm. She knew the chaos that must be going on upstairs, yet there was no sound down here but their breathing and the beating of her heart.
…and something else.
Curious, Kyoko listened more closely, sensing the area around her. It felt like…
Kyoko recognized that light. She stood up suddenly, earning a questioning look from Shadow as she stared down the hall they had come from. He was beside her a second later, no doubt sensing it as well.
Seconds later, footsteps and the soft beating of wings echoed towards them. Queen Julie was hurrying down the corridor, Rosa flying beside her.
"Your highness!" called out Kyoko as the woman got closer. Shadow immediately went to one knee, head bent. Kanae stood up and when Chiori tried to do the same thing she was shoved back down by Kanae with an order of 'sit.'
To Kyoko's surprise, when Julie got close enough, she pulled Kyoko into a hug.
"I'm glad you're safe." Said Julie as she pulled back, the relief evident in her eyes. "But what are you guys doing here?" She did a double take at seeing Chiori. "Chris? Why are you umm…"
No doubt the queen was talking about Chiori's female attire. Chiori motioned to Kyoko and Kanae. "Long story, but the short of it is that they know." She said.
"Me and Chiori fell down here." Said Kyoko, answering her other question. "There was a giant sand wurm and it dragged us both down. We couldn't get back up due to Chiori's leg."
"A giant sand wurm appeared from all the way down here?" said Julie looking troubled. "Just how many of our security defenses did they breach? This is ridiculous!"
"It's obvious someone with a great deal of intel has betrayed us." Said Shadow. "It's likely someone you are well acquainted with."
Kyoko couldn't help shivering. The thought of someone the queen and king were close to betraying them was scary. Maybe even Kyoko knew them and had trusted them. It wouldn't be the first time someone had betrayed her but still. She disliked the idea even more considering the death and destruction that person was causing within the palace.
Her eyes wondered to Kanae, the warrior silent during the discussion. Her lips were drawn into an unusually tight line. It appeared she was battling something with in her.
"It's no use trying to guess what exactly happened right now." Said Julie. "You all can follow me."
"Where are you going?" said Kyoko.
"To reverse this chaos." Said Julie, already hurrying down the hall again. The others followed her, Chiori helped along by Kanae again. "There's another inhibitor hidden in the catacombs."
"You have another inhibitor?" said Kyoko, wondering why this hadn't been activated earlier.
"We do, but Kuu was afraid of the enemy finding out about it." Said Julie. "They kept it secret from almost everyone. I only learned about it because Rosa told me. I decided to come down here and help activate it."
"Shouldn't you have been evacuating?"
Julie scoffed as she sent Kyoko a determined gaze. "I may not be able to fight, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to help in my own way. If Kuu wants me to leave so badly he can come and get me himself."
The group kept walking, taking a slower pace so as not to exhaust Chiori. Rosa flew on ahead of them, her vibrant feathers glowing in the semi darkness. They hadn't gone far when she stopped.
There was nothing to distinguish this part of the hall from the rest. The demi-god changed forms, becoming the boy Ren. Kyoko had to fight down the faint blush at seeing Rosa use that form in front of the others. She might as well be screaming her love for Kuon. Why had the phoenix taken the form of her heart anyway?
Rosa placed a hand against the wall, murmuring soft words.
A grating sound reverberated, and the wall began to shift. It melted within itself, creating a large entrance.
"It appears no one has been here since the inhibitor was first placed." Said Rosa to the group. "I would still proceed with caution."
Kyoko took Rosa's words to heart, following the queen through the entrance. It led to a large chamber with a high ceiling. The space was bare, save a raised platform in the center of the room. A white rock pedestal sat there, a large crystal resting in its center. That must be the inhibitor.
There was a grating sound, and Kyoko looked behind her to see the entrance closing. The rest of the group had all entered behind her. The doorway melted back into existence much like it had appeared in the first place.
Julie had walked up to the inhibitor, running her hands along the edges of the pedestal. "Good, it hasn't been tampered with."
"Then activate it." Said Kanae, who had brought Chiori over as well. "We don't have any time to lose."
"I can't, it has to be charged with light magic first." Said Julie, "It had to be completely drained to make sure none of the accursed could sense it. Once its full, then we can activate it."
"I'll help." Said Chiori, moving to place a hand on the pedestal, but Julie gave her a stern look.
"You need to rest. Rosa, Kyoko's shadow guard and I will take care of it soon enough."
Chiori relented, probably only because this was her queen talking to her. Kyoko doubted the woman would have listened to her or Kanae.
Julie, Shadow, and Rosa all placed a hand on one of the corners of the inhibitors. Light began to flow from them into the rock as it greedily soaked up the magic. Soon is began to glow more faintly, color returning to the once drab stone.
"How long will it take to charge?" said Kyoko.
"At this rate, maybe ten minutes." Said Julie with a grimace. "Even that is an optimistic estimate. This thing takes a lot of power to be self-sufficient."
Then it looked like Kyoko was going to wait around for that long at least. Kyoko sat down next to Chiori, letting out a sigh of frustration. She wanted to be doing something. Anything to help. Even the queen was contributing to this chaos in some way while Kyoko had been concentrating on escaping. She felt like a coward.
Chiori was fiddling with her bandaging.
"Something wrong?" said Kyoko.
"It's just on a little too tight." Said Chiori, tugging at the fabric. Kyoko nudged her hand aside, helping her loosen the bandages. It gave her something to do at least.
"Thanks." Said Chiori as Kyoko finished, but she noticed that Chiori looked troubled. Her aura was dull, muted by something. Instinctively Kyoko put a comforting hand over Chiori's. The woman gave a small start, looking between Kyoko and their hands in confusion.
"What are you doing?" said Chiori.
"You looked like you needed comfort."
Chiori stared at her. Then gave a weak smile, curling her fingers around Kyoko's hand. "You're something special, you know that Kyoko?"
Kyoko tilted her head in confusion. Chiori waved it off. "I'm just worried about my dad is all. I bet he's in the heart of everything, doing his best to keep the king safe."
"Your dad's a great fighter." Said Kyoko. "He fought off an accursed to keep me safe before."
"That's what I heard." Chiori grimaced. "I take it back, it's too exciting to be around you Kyoko. You're a magnet for trouble."
Kyoko gave a laugh, shifting her position so that she and Chiori were nestle side by side against each other. She tightened her hand around Chiori's, wanting comfort herself.
"They'll be alright." Kyoko said firmly. "Kuon and Dyrus. They'll both make it. And then we'll have a good long chat with both men until we're satisfied."
"So it was the prince you wanted to talk to." Teased Chiori.
Kyoko gave the woman a light shove with her shoulder, a small smile coming unbidden to her lips. Yes, she would have a good talk with Kuon and get everything straightened out. If they all survived this mess.
She noticed Kanae was eyeing her with a quizzical expression.
"What?" said Kyoko.
"Since when do you call the prince his name without a title?" said Kanae.
"That's-" Kyoko face turned a slight pink. "He gave me permission to. I'm not being disrespectful or anything."
"No." said Kanae slowly. "It looks like you finally got rid of that wall you placed between you two."
The comment made Kyoko pause. Yes, she had placed a wall between her and Kuon. A lock box to be specific, but the locks had all been destroyed and she was done trying to seal it back up.
"But I have no walls for you Moko-san!" Said Kyoko happily. "You and Chiori are my number one female friends!"
Kanae scowled.
Chiori leaned closer to Kyoko. "I think 'Moko-san' is offended she has to share the number one slot."
"You can keep it." Said Kanae immediately. "This child is too troublesome to bother with. And don't call me that."
Chiori sent Kanae a challenging smirk, as if she were considering the offer.
A soft tinkling laugh sounded behind them. Kyoko looked back. The queen was apparently listening to their conversation even as she charged the inhibitor. She had a hand over her mouth, stifling her laughter.
"Sorry, are we being too loud?" said Chiori.
"No, you're fine." Said Julie, smiling at them. "I'm just surprised. You three seem close."
Kyoko beamed at the comment while Kanae's expression just worsened. Chiori appeared thoughtful before giving a nod.
"I guess we are." She said.
A grating sound echoed through the room. Kyoko whipped her head around to see a portion of the wall slide away as another entrance appeared. Someone was walking through it.
It was Shin.
Kyoko relaxed, instantly grateful it was him and not someone else. An enemy for example. The man walked in confidently, the usual spring in his step as he waved.
"There's already a whole party here." He said. "Aunt Julie, shame on you. You're supposed to have left."
"You know me better than that." Said Julie, giving him a fond smile. "I can't let my husband have all the glory."
Kyoko stood up to greet Shin, but something flashed in front of her.
It was Kanae.
The woman had raised her spear, leveling it at Shin. Her eyes were hard.
"Don't come any closer." She said.
The path to the throne room was not clear. There were small skirmishes in almost every corridor, stopping them in their path. Kuu would have insisted in stopping anyway to help those that were trapped or in trouble. In almost every instance, those they helped would hail their king and prince, praising them for saving their lives.
Kuon wish he could smile at their words like his father did. He wished he could show the strength and support that they needed during this crisis, but he couldn't. Not with that thing still trailing him.
He had been ignoring the specter since the attack, but with every passing minute, his mood deteriorated until he was certain it was caused by one thing. An acceleration of his curse.
Kuu seemed to sense this. His father kept sending glances at him when he thought Kuon wasn't paying attention.
Kuon pretended not to notice.
They were coming up on the entrance to the throne room. There were remnants of a battle here, bodies of humans and monsters covering the floor. They mostly converged on the door. The intricate wood was severely damaged, long marks gouging into the paint and staining it a murky brown with blood.
It looked like a group had barricaded themselves in the room.
As they approached, the door opened. A guard appeared, looking highly relieved.
"Your majesty!" cried a guard. "Thank goodness, you've come to save us!"
Kuu gave a firm smile, raising a hand in greeting. The doors were pushed open further, and Kuon followed his father into the throne room.
The place was full of people. Dozens of them were sprawled around the room, civilians and guards alike. They began to stand as Kuon's group entered. Sunken faces stained with dirt lit up in hope.
Kuu strode towards one of the guards, quietly exchanging words with him. The man nodded, signaling his men.
"They're going to get everyone ready to move." Said Kuu back to Kuon and his guards. "Dyrus, you and your men help them prepare, then we're escorting everyone out of the palace. In the meantime, Kuon and I have something to take care of."
Dyrus bowed, moving towards the other men to help with the effort. Kuu motioned to his son, leading him to the back of the throne room. The distance between the refugees and the throne was large enough that the sounds became indistinguishable to Kuon. They moved behind the raised platform to the now familiar oil lamp hanging on the wall.
Kuu gingerly took the vessel from it stand. He held it in his hands for a moment before his gaze met Kuon's. Wordlessly, he held it out.
Kuon took the vessel, unsure what he felt. Unworthy. Definitely. But also frantic to do something for his kingdom. For his father. To finally show everyone that he was worthy to be his father's son. They were all counting on him. His friends, family. A certain someone with bright golden eyes.
She deserves so much better. he thought. Not someone who is corrupted by anger like I am.
The specter beside him gave a dark chuckle. Kuon did his best to ignore it. His grip on the vessel tightened as he opened his mouth to start the pledge.
"I, Kuon H-"
Kuon stopped. His breath caught in his throat.
No. He thought. Not again. It's not working.
He scrambled to keep talking. To complete the contract. The light inside wasn't yielding. It refused his connection. He had failed before on his own, but the thought of failing in front of his father again terrified him. He had to do it. For Ashuron.
Kuon took a deep breath, feeling his father's eyes on him.
"I-"
He couldn't continue. It was resolutely refusing him.
Kuon slowly lowered the lamp.
"I'm sorry father." Said Kuon.
He couldn't look at Kuu, disappointment making his heart heavy. Even during the greatest threat to Ashuron, Kuon was unable to rise to the occasion.
"Son." Kuu's voice was soft and without judgement. "It's alright."
He made it sound like it was. Kuon raised his head to his father, banishing his feelings of doubt and disappointment.
"What do we do now?" said Kuon.
"We continue fighting." Said Kuu. "There's one more back up plan. We have-"
A loud scraping sound cut Kuu off, and then several screams. Kuon hurried out from behind the platform, his father beside him.
The doors of the throne room had been pushed open. Men and women were scrambling back from the entrance where an accursed stood. The same one they had fought before. He walked through the doors, unperturbed by the people who were scrambling around him.
"So this was where you were hiding it." Said the accursed, giving an approving nod. "Very sly Kuu, I didn't know you had it in you."
"What are you talking about accursed?" said the king. He had subtly stepped in front of Kuon, motioning for him to move back. Kuon did so, slipping the vessel inside of his robes. He'd accidentally taken it with him.
The other people in the room were exiting, not wanting to stay in the same room as the accursed. Thankfully the monster didn't seem to have any interest in them as they fled. Soon only Kuu, Kuon and Dyrus were left in the room with the monster.
"I'm talking about the vessel of course." Said the accursed.
Kuon had to hand it to his dad. He didn't flinch at the mention of the vessel. Instead his voice became very controlled as he asked. "The vessel? I've never heard of such a thing."
The accursed clicked its tongue. It had started circling them slowly, Kuu matching his movement. The two were walking around the throne room, slowly drawing closer.
"Do not play games with me Kuu, it is very tiring having to repeat things be both know." Said the accursed. "Of course we know about the vessel. The Dark Djinn is very interested in it. And so am I. How the phoenix managed to manifest in this world through a single item. It must be very unique indeed."
"Sounds fascinating." Said Kuu dryly. "You'd better hurry up and find it before I do, or else I might become too powerful for you to handle."
The accursed gave a tittering laugh. "But it's here, isn't it Kuu? The second we attacked, you placed your hopes on your son. Believed that he could finally fulfill his destiny and bind himself with the phoenix. So you raced to where it was hidden to complete the contract."
Kuu didn't answer.
Kuon, who was watching the two near the sidelines felt a creeping sense of dread. These accursed, just how much did they know about them?
"I was right wasn't I?" said the accursed. His smile grew. "You've always put a foolish amount of faith in that boy. You're entirely too predictable."
"And if I am?" said Kuu evenly. "It does not overcome the fact that you will end here accursed. Light will prevail."
"Not this time." Said the accursed. He almost sounded sad about it. "It's a shame really. You've always been such a strong ruler, but now you're so completely cornered and you have no idea."
"What is that supposed to mean?" growled Kuu.
The accursed held up a finger. "Ah, we don't want to ruin all the surprises." He said with a smile. "Though I will tell you one thing. If you're waiting for the second inhibitor to go up, you're wasting your time."
Kuon's eyes widened. There was a second inhibitor? It made sense to have one, but how had the accursed known about it? He looked towards his father. The man had visibly stiffened.
"How did you know…" said Kuu.
The accursed smile had become dangerous, his voice lowering. "You should be more careful who you trust."
"Dad." Said Kuon. "Who knew about the second inhibitor?"
Kuu glanced back at him.
"Me, Lory, Rosa… and Shin."
The polished wood felt rough beneath Kanae's hands as her grip tightened. Her gaze and spear didn't waver as both focused on the man standing in front of her. He had stopped, confusion evident in his hesitation. Her companions were confused as well, wondering why she was leveling her spear at one they thought was a friend.
"What are you doing?" Chiori said, sounding exasperated. "Put that down before you put an eye out."
"I agree with the she-male." Said Shin, taking a step forward. "I'd like to keep both eyes thank you."
Kanae took a step forward as well, spear still raised. Shin halted, his expression worsening.
"I told you not a step closer." Said Kanae.
"Kanae, please, this is ridiculous." Now it was Kyoko trying to stop her, the girl's voice soft and a touch frightened. She had probably guessed what was going on in Kanae's head. "He's not one of them."
"Eh?" said Shin. "You think I'm an accursed?"
"He can't be." Said Julie. "He can use light magic, an accursed can't."
"He doesn't have to be an accursed to work with them." Said Kanae firmly. "Think about it your majesty. You said earlier that someone close to us had to have betrayed us. Shin knows a lot about the security around the palace, he knew about the pearl and he had access to Hirotaka's study. He could have led the accursed into that room. Plus, you know that his father is working with them. How can you trust the son when the father is corrupt?"
It all made too much sense. How could they not see it? If they put their emotions aside they would be able to see that it all fit too well. It wasn't as if Kanae wanted him to have betrayed them. Her own stomach had twisted into a sickening shame she refused to acknowledge.
Shin's eyes were still locked with her own, his expression strange. She couldn't interpret what he was feeling. It made her unease worse.
"There's just no way…" said Julie, though she sounded less convinced. "He's done so much for us. I can't believe it."
Shin finally broke eye contact with Kanae, suddenly smiling like usual as he sent Julie a salute. "Thank you, Aunt Julie, I'm glad you have such confidence in me." He took a step forward.
Kanae stiffened, even muscle straining as she silently begged him to stay back. To stay away.
"But you have to admit." He continued, as if unaware Kanae's spear was aimed at his chest. "Kanae makes a good point. Someone close had to have betrayed us, or else the accursed could never have breached our defenses so easily."
He took another step, then another, walking fearlessly towards Kanae's spear. His hands swung casually on both sides, neither going for his sword hilt. He was completely open for her to attack.
"I'm the most likely candidate." He continued "I know enough to give them access to all sorts of information, and close enough that you would never see it coming. Emotions aside, it would be the perfect coup."
Please stop. Thought Kanae. Please stop walking. I don't want to hurt you.
The thought ran sudden and true through Kanae, the strength surprising her. Shin had reached Kanae's spear. He didn't stop. He took another step, his chest pressing into the tip of her spear. Kanae jerked back, but he pressed forward again.
Then finally, he stopped, Kanae's blade cutting into his tunic.
"But emotions are a part of us." Said Shin. "They are what drive us. What makes us human. What reason would I have to betray everyone?"
"It could be anything!" cried Kanae, her voice shaking. She couldn't look at him, her eyes on her own spear. "You could secretly want to become king. Maybe you resent Kuon for some reason, I don't know! You're impossible to read, always smiling as if everything is well with the world. Even when they're all laughing at you. How can we trust anything you say?"
"Then do it."
Kanae's head popped up, staring at Shin. His eyes were firm, unyielding.
Was this some kind of joke? Was he trying to trick Kanae by pretending to surrender to her? Her hands were shaking now.
"If you think-" she started but he cut her off.
"You need to make a decision soon." Said Shin. "Because we're about to have company, and you can't afford to hesitate during battle."
What was he talking about?
Before she could ask him, there was a muffled blast. Kanae automatically jerked her head towards the noise. The entrance Shin had walked through was crumbling, the magic sealing it disintegrated as two people walked into the room. Kanae recognized one of them.
It was that snake woman, Naomi and another accursed.
Thanks for reading!
And thank you for all those that have taken the time to leave a review!
And thank you Pamela for reminding me that the two-year anniversary for this story is coming up in a few days. Sheesh, that's insane! Thank you all for reading and encouraging me through this journey.
Updates are weekly for now. Any changes will be on my profile.
Thanks again!
-Blushweaver