"Ugh, just great. That's the first decent nap I'd gotten in... well I don't know how long- but you had to go and ruin it!"
Kai stood frozen, gaping. Nothing was computing anymore. Which, after walking through magic portals (because apparently that was a thing), seeing a giant dragon (which was still standing way to close even if it had taken a liking to Cade), nearly being killed in a cave in, almost watching his brother be killed in said cave in, then having another child appear out of nowhere... his weirdness meter had tapped out a while ago. Either that or he was too tired and sore to deal with this.
The scruffy brown-haired kid continued to glare up at Kai. "Well? I'm waiting."
Kai shot a glance at Cade, who looked as confused as Kai felt. "Waiting for...?"
"Of course it's some imbecile who wakes me." The kid muttered- loud enough for Kai to hear. Kai bit down a flash of irritation and waited. Sighing the kid's face went from anger to something akin to disgust. "I'm a djinn. You get three wishes. Whoop-de-do."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Oh great he's deaf too."
Kai returned the kid's glare with one of his own. "Disbelief, not deaf."
"Three wishes? Just like that?" Both Kai and the kid looked at Cade, the first words he'd spoken since the djinn had made an appearance.
"You say it, I grant it. No wishing for more wishes, no wishing for love, no wishing for death."
The djinn put a particular twist on the last word that sent a shiver down Kai's spine. Were there others who'd tried to make a kid kill someone? Magic or not, no kid deserved that on their conscience.
"Why are you in a cave?"
"I dunno." The question seemed to take the kid aback. He blinked and looked around as if just realizing where they were. And that there was a dragon with them. "Atlas!" He ran to the dragon who lowered his snout. Kai glanced away, feeling like he was witnessing something oddly intimate. "You're still here." The whisper echoed back toward Kai and Cade. After several seconds the boy seemed to remember he wasn't alone. He cleared his throat but kept a hand on the dragon's nose. "Whoever found me last musta brought me here. Probably didn't want the rest of his crew getting any wishes."
Kai wasn't sure how to interpret that information. "How long ago was that?"
The boy shot Kai an unimpressed look. "I was in a lamp. In a cave. How should I know? But some dude named Razin was king at the time."
Starting with surprise, 'Ow bad idea with a possible concussion,' Kai narrowed his eyes. "That was over three hundred years ago."
The kid glanced at the cave ceiling and looked like he was concentrating on something only he could see. "That tracks, given how much sleep it feels like I had."
"What?" Kai shook his head. "Never mind. Whatever is going on, I did not sign up for another kid, no offense."
Curling his nose, the boy resumed glaring at Kai. "Watch who you call 'kid'. I'm three thousand years old."
And Kai had really thought this day couldn't get any more bizarre. "Uh huh, it doesn't really seem like you're acting like a three thousand year old."
"How would you know what a three thousand year old is supposed to act like? You ever met another one before?"
'He's like Cade on attitude coffee beans.' Cade with coffee was not a mistake he or Nya would ever make again. Rubbing his temples Kai tried to figure out what to do next.
"Look djinn I'm sorry-"
"Who are you calling 'djinn'? Rude much? That's like calling you human. I've got a name you know."
'Actually I didn't know. 101 facts about djinns aren't covered when you live on the streets.' Kai sighed but didn't voice his frustrations. "Sorry. I'm Kai and this is Cade. What's your name?"
"Nelson."
"Okay Nelson, nice to meet you." His words might not have been believed through his ground teeth. "How about we continue this conversation when we're above ground?"
Cade pressed himself into Kai's side. "How are we going to do that?"
Looking up at the wall of rock surrounding them, Kai grimaced. "We'll figure it out, but not by sitting here." He really just wanted to flop on the floor and sleep for twelve hours, but instead he approached the nearest rock face. Grooves cut in and out, making it look like it'd be possible to climb- for him at least. Cade still had a ways to go in his climbing abilities and Kai had no idea about Nelson. "Scratch that. You two stay here. I'm going to try and see if there's an opening still near the top. It's still a few hours until dawn so it's possible there's an opening we can't see."
"You could just wish us out." Nelson offered.
"Eh I'm not sold on this wish thing, but if it's true I don't see how that would help get us out of here."
Nelson shrugged. "I can't do anything unless someone wishes for it, but as soon as the 'magic word' is used I'm able to grant it."
"So..." Cade dragged out the word, "does that make you basically human unless someone makes a wish?"
Wrinkling his face in disgust, Nelson gave a reluctant nod. "Basically."
That seemed convenient to Kai- though he did come out of a teapot/lamp thing so there was some sort of magic involved. Regardless if they somehow did have a finite number of wishes he didn't want to use one on getting out of the cave unless they absolutely had to.
"Hey, you said his name was Atlas right?" Cade gestured to the dragon. Nelson nodded. "Do you think he'd like to help us?"
Atlas shook himself and flared his wings. He nudged Nelson gently, then walked over to Cade and huffed in Cade's hair.
Cade laughed. "I think that's a yes." Lowering a wing, Atlas nuzzled Cade toward it. "Kai! Can we, can we, can we!?"
Atlas turned to glare at Kai, who backed up a pace. "If Atlas wants it, who am I to say no?"
Shaking his head in what Kai could only describe as a haughty way, Atlas lowered a wing to the ground. Cade slowly reached out and laid a hand on it. Atlas twitched an ear but remained otherwise still. Shooting Kai a wide eyed grin Cade scrambled onto the dragon's back.
"Well don't just stand there!"
"Yeah, no. Totally normal. Climb on a dragon. I'm sure I didn't hit my head and am hallucinating." Muttering to himself Kai walked toward Atlas, only to stop when Nelson didn't follow. "Coming kid?"
Nelson tensed, a weird twisted expression appearing over his face. "I- you have to get the lamp. Where it goes I go."
Something unpleasant lodged in Kai's chest. Keeping his face as blank as he could, Kai picked up the lamp. Unlike the first time it felt cold and heavy in his hands. He made his way back to the group, pointedly not making eye contact with Nelson. For his part Nelson didn't say anything as he climbed on Atlas behind Kai.
Cade leaned forward and rubbed Atlas's neck. "Can you get us out of here bud?"
Atlas roared, the sound reverberating throughout the cavern. Kai winced but Cade laughed. With a mighty heave that left Kai's stomach far behind, Atlas lifted off into the air. Blood rushed through Kai's ears. His knuckles stood out a vibrant white against Atlas's chocolate scales.
Up and up they went. How had they not reached the top? Kai fought the urge to squeeze his eyes shut. A burst of green filled the cave, blinding its occupants. Rumbling shot through the cave and a sudden warmth hit Kai's skin. Cautiously he opened his eyes. Yellow sunlight bathed miles of sand dunes in a cheery glow. Kai let out a deep sigh of relief. They'd made it out. They were alive. And apparently had been off the map all night.
A small sound that might have been a whimper came from behind him. It broke off midway but Kai knew he didn't imagine it. He bit the inside of his cheek. Given their current seating arrangement he couldn't look at Nelson without the boy realizing it, and Kai didn't think Nelson would take kindly to the attention. Still that noise had flared what Nya jokingly called his 'big brother instinct.' Something was definitely up with the kid. The only question was what?
Atlas descended toward the sand and Kai mentally shook himself. He'd try to sort it out later. The ground rushed to meet them, but with hardly a bump Atlas touched down. Cade let out a whoop and slid down Atlas's wing. He plopped in the sand and cheered again.
"We made it!"
Kai surveyed the desert. No sign of Clouse. Hopefully that slimeball had hightailed it back to the castle at the first sounds of the cave in. But now what?
Honestly, sleep sounded so good at that moment. Kai carefully dismounted, stumbling when his feet hit the ground. He heard Nelson follow his lead but Kai continued to avoid looking in the djinn's direction. Instead he gave Atlas a pat on the nose.
"Thanks boy. We owe you one."
Atlas assaulted Kai with his tongue. Kai lurched backward with a small gasp of pain, swiping strands of drool off his shirt. "That'd better wash out."
"So now what?" Cade voiced Kai's earlier thoughts.
Taking a mental deep breath, Kai turned around. Cade lingered near Atlas's head while Nelson stood frozen near Atlas's wing, his eyes closed and basking in the sun's rays. Kai fought back a wince. In the light of the sun the djinn looked even younger and his skin had a sickly pale hue.
Angling himself to include Nelson in the conversation, Kai grimaced. "We've got to get back to Nya one way or another, but the question is how? I'm too well known now by the palace guards. And once we do meet up we have to decide what to do then. Do we lay low in town or... try to make it somewhere else?"
Cade's shoulders dropped. "Leave Ouroboros?" There might be a lot of bad memories associated with the city, but it was still the only home all of them had known.
"Either way we still have to sneak into the city to find Nya. We can figure it out from there."
"I wish she were already here with us." Cade muttered.
"Your wish is yours to keep."
Cade and Kai jumped. Nelson's voice had deepened an octave and reverberated with power. The air next to the group shivered, taking a humanoid shape. In the blink of an eye Nya stood in front of them. She stumbled forward, arms flying up in what might have been an attempt to protect herself. Rushing to her side, Kai caught her before she could face plant.
"Woah, hey there sis. I got you."
"What-! How-! I was just-!" Nya blinked owlishly at the scene around her before locking her gaze on Kai. "Kai! You're alive! And Cade, you are too! I was so worried-"
"I know. I'm sorry, but Cade and I are okay."
Nya frowned and reached a hand to Kai's cheek. "Your face doesn't say that." Oh yeah, Though Kai couldn't see himself he could feel bruises pulsing with his heartbeat. "Please tell me I didn't hit my head and am imagining all of this?"
"No, you're really here." With a strained smile Kai gently eased Nya to a sitting position. 'And I guess that's one way to test Nelson's word.' Apparently they had a djinn who granted wishes in their presence. And that wasn't the weirdest thing to happen today.
"What happened to you? Cade and I came back to find our home ransacked with you nowhere to be seen? Then Cade took off and I- I-" Nya broke off, her voice thick with emotion.
Kai winced. "I'm sorry I scared you. The guards found me- still trying to figure out how- and carted me off to the dungeon. Cade found me there but Clouse- yes that Clouse-" Kai added at Nya's incredulous look, "came to offer me a bargain. Find this," he held up the lamp, "in exchange for my freedom. He magicked me away and somehow Cade stowed away with us. Clouse had me go in some cave to look, which ended up, ah, closing prematurely. Atlas got us and Nelson out."
"Who's Atlas and Nelson?"
"Uh, just don't freak out okay?" Nya narrowed her eyes but nodded. Kai pointed behind her. Turning, Nya caught sight of the dragon and the djinn for the first time. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. After several long seconds she opened them again.
"Even if this was some sort of hallucination there's no way I could make this up. A dragon and another kid. Why not."
"Djinn apparently." Kai corrected before Nelson could start complaining about being called a kid again.
"Sure, why not." With another deep breath Nya pulled herself to her feet. "Nelson, Atlas, nice to meet you. I'm Nya." Nelson froze again, his mouth twitching before he finally gave a curt nod. Nya turned back to Kai. "I have a feeling there's parts you're not telling me, but that doesn't matter right now.
"Last night Cade and I went to Jay's after you disappeared. We were trying to figure out what to do when Cade decided to wander off." Nya's voice hardened and she shot a glare in the younger boy's direction. "We figured he'd try to find you but Jay and I split up to try and find Cade. After a couple hours I went back to Jay's house to try and regroup but- Kai- he- his house was ransacked too!"
"What!?" Cade and Kai asked simultaneously.
Nya shook her head and Kai saw her eyes taking on a glassy sheen. "One of his neighbors saw me and said the guards hauled him off about an hour before I got there! I ran to the Eastern district but I was- I am- so scared. You all gone..." Nya trailed off then balled her hands into fists. "I didn't know what to do. I was about to slip to the palace to find out what I could when I... appeared here. We've got to help Jay! There's no way he did anything that would make the king's men go after him. You know him! He would never-" Nya broke off. Covering her face with her hands, Nya's shoulders began to shake.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry we scared you. We'll get him back though. I promise."
"How?"
How indeed? For a fleeting moment Kai wanted to go back on his word. To gather his siblings and run away somewhere where they wouldn't be hurt... but that would mean leaving another friend in dire straits. 'Sometimes the right path isn't the easiest one.'
Kai glanced at Nelson, who stared out across the sand dunes, appearing not to be paying attention to the conversation. Yet given he stood only a few feet away, Kai seriously doubted he missed their exchange. Given how Nelson had somehow brought Nya to them they theoretically could wish Jay to them, but if the king had Jay imprisoned somewhere his disappearance would only sound an alarm and a manhunt.
Plus something about the whole situation just felt off in a way Kai couldn't name. The only way to find out what was going on would be to return to the castle. That didn't have much appeal but Kai felt he was partially to blame for Jay's disappearance. Yet, becoming a prisoner again would only serve to put him back in danger of the noose and keep from being in a position to find information on what was really going on.
No. He needed a way to be invited into the castle, without anyone knowing who he was. And he needed some sort of sway to be able to get any answers. The only people of power he knew were...
Kai turned to Nelson. "Can you make me an Elemental Lord?" Although right now they didn't seem above being in danger, at least they still held sway in the court. "In a way that the palace staff wouldn't recognize me."
Nelson made a scoffing sound, but quickly stopped when he saw Kai's face. "Oh, you're serious. That's interesting." Before Kai could ask what was interesting, Nelson continued, "Of course I can but you have to word it right."
This could either be the bravest or stupidest thing Kai had ever done in his life. "Nelson, I wish to be an Elemental Lord."
"Your wish is yours to keep."
Something erupted in Kai's middle. The burning sensation spread to every cell in his body. Kai cried out, more from shock than actual pain. After several seconds the feeling lessened, though a thrumming energy hovered just beneath his skin. The exhaustion and aching pain that had dogged him all night were obliterated by the warm energy. Kai took a deep breath and looked up. Nya and Cade were watching him, concern and awe etched on their faces. Nelson, however, was watching Kai intently.
On instinct Kai mentally reached for the energy. A ball of crackling fire poofed into his hand. "Well," Kai said (definitely not squeaked), "Go big or go home."
"No way! Can I-?"
"No!" Kai and Nya shot down Cade's inevitable question.
"Fire is going to draw a lot of attention. The last thing we need is for you to be looked at too closely." Had Cade already forgotten their close encounter with the Hypnobrai only a few days ago?
Cade pouted but Kai had practice in ignoring his puppy dog eyes. He turned to Nya. "I guess we're heading back to Ouroboros."
"Guess so, though you still have some explaining to do."
"Yeah... I'll get back to that. First though..." Kai trailed off and looked at Nelson. The djinn shifted, keeping his head down. "I'm not about to leave a kid, three thousand years old or not, alone in the desert or back in a cave. For the time being I think it'd be best if you stuck with us."
"I figured." Why did the kid sound so resigned? And what happened to the spitfire Nelson had been down in the cave? "If you want me with you I- I have ear plugs." The other three shared a glance among themselves that Nelson must have felt, despite keeping his gaze locked on his feet. "As a djinn I have to grant any wishes I hear, as long as whoever is saying the wish hasn't had three granted already. My other m- the others who've found me wanted me to wear them so only the one who had the lamp could make a wish at any time."
Kai felt slightly nauseated even as he followed that twisted form of logic. "How do you know what's being said around you?"
"I'm not blind." Nelson bristled, some of his earlier fire showing. "I can see what's going on and I can read lips, which for whatever reason doesn't compel me to grant a wish, and I know some simple signs."
Knowing some sign language would only be of benefit if the others with Nelson knew it too, since Nelson could still speak, just not hear with earplugs in.
"On the way into town would you be willing to teach us the signs you do know so we can keep you in the loop of what's going on when there's people around?"
Nelson's head shot up. "What? You- ah, sure."
"Alright then. Let's get started, gang. We've got a long walk ahead of us."
"Well..." Nelson drew out the word. "Since you wished to be an Elemental Lord. There's an entourage that can come with that." In a blink the four were surrounded by horses and a barrage of banners bearing a rich red tongue of fire. "Though, I think if you rode Atlas it would make a better impression."
After a beat too long of silence Kai slowly nodded. "Right. Good idea." He walked up to Atlas's side. "You up for it, big guy?" A deep rumble filled the air. "Alright then. Let's get to it."
.
A/n- So I really didn't want Kai to manipulate a child into giving him a freebee wish, and when you trade a carpet for a giant powerful dragon, there are other options to getting out of a cave-in ;)
