Rescue

The night was cold. Rays of the full moon reflected off the fresh snow, giving it a bluish tint. The heavy-laden trees hung over the camp, and Kyle had a difficult time deciding if this was comforting or oppressive.

He and Varasach were tied beside the horses a good ten or so paces from the fire. Too far off to feel its heat. Not that Kyle minded; no indeed, he loved the cold. But poor Varasah. Her body didn't have enough fat to keep even a rodent warm. She had been raised in the tropics, body adapted to deal with extreme heat. Out here in the North, she shivered like grass in the wind.

Their captors, the Guards, had the decency to give them thick blankets to go over their furs. But it was hardly enough for her.

Kyle, hands bound in front of him, held her as close as he could. One would think that with all he had done, she would at least retain a little heat. But no, her skin was freezing.

Three Guards slept beside the fire. A fourth sat at attention, eyes darting between the road and his captives. He was the eldest and most decorated if the group. Each time his eyes met Kyle's, he would flash a smug grin. We've caught you, those eyes seemed to say. Look at how helpless you are. By this time tomorrow, you'll be dead.

Kyle hoped the stare he sent back looked at least half as sinister.

Not for the first time in these past few hours, his mind went through their predicament and possible escapes. He could somehow untie his hands and reach his wrist panel, which held an arsenal of weapons he could use to temporarily incapacitate the Guards, get a horse, and ride back to Cyrus before Varasach died of hypothermia.

But that wouldn't work. He'd been trying to loosen his bonds for hours with no progress.

The next thing on his list was to simply stand up- his feet had not been tied- and make a break for the woods. He was fast. Fast enough that by the time the Guard could wake up his comrades and take up the chase, Kyle would be deep into the thickets: he knew a thing or two about camouflage.

That wouldn't work either. Varasach was too lethargic to run, and with his arms bound, carrying her would be nearly impossible.

Every plan after this grew less and less logical. He finally had to resign himself to the fact that he was not going anywhere. Not unless Cyrus somehow caught wind of his predicament and sent help.

But help would undoubtedly be too late for Varasach. She'd be dead by morning if they could not get out of the elements.

"Let her sit by the fire," Kyle said. "Please. She's weak."

The Guard's grin went up another notch on the smugness scale.

Kyle looked away, rubbing Varasach's bluish cheek with his thumb. Her eyes were half-lidded, and breath rose in lazy puffs from her nose and mouth. Too slow for his liking. Her body was shutting down.

"Why should I?" the Guard asked. "You're traitors to the Crown. You'll be dead soon anyways."

Kyle resisted a sudden urge to claw the man's face off. "You should help her because you've got a reputation to uphold. As a representation of said Crown, you must respect the people. Treat them the way our King would treat them."

The Guard scoffed. "I'll tell you how our King'll treat you. Like you deserve to be treated. Rebels. Trying to incite a rebellion by selling Cyrus' propaganda to unwitting peasants-"

One of the Guards laying on the ground groaned and rolled over. "Let the girl up here, East," he said tiredly. "You know she's the only reason he hasn't escaped yet. If she dies, he'll put up a fight."

East grunted and stood.

"Ah- Careful," Kyle said as East snatched Varasach from his lap. "She's freezing. You could damage her body by too much movement."

East set Varasach a few feet from the fire and straightened her blanket. "What are you, some kind of doctor?"

"Yes, actually," Kyle said. "And I'd like to request that you-"

"You aren't requesting anything," East said. "You're our prisoner. It's enough that I let the girl up here. Now shut your mouth."

Kyle wanted to cringe. If these are the King's representatives, he thought, then I can understand why Cyrus wants this rebellion. He pulled at the ropes around his wrists again, grinding his teeth at the pain it caused.

"Give it up. I tied those knots myself. You aren't getting loose." East crossed his legs and leaned toward the fire, trying to regain the heat he'd lost while taking care of Varasach.

Kyle's breath left his lips in a sigh, cold and without vapor. Being a Nindroid, he had no need to generate heat. His winter clothing gave him no more comfort than a summer cotton tunic and pants, though he'd learned the hard way that people tend to react strangely to men traipsing around snowdrifts without the proper gear, so he dressed like everyone else.

He leaned back against a snowbank and pretended to sleep. But he left an eye half-open, resolved to not rest until Varasach was safe.

I'll get you out of this, Vara. Just stay strong for a few more hours. I'll find an opening soon. I promise.

And then the knot budged.

Kai felt as though two mighty forces stood on either side of him. Both powerful, deadly, and very unstable. They contended with each other, unaware that poor Kai was caught in the middle of it all, trying and failing to bring back peace.

Cole and Jay both sulked on their horses, unwilling to look the other in the eye and speak in anything lower than a shout.

Cole rode at the front of the line. Jay rode in the back. Unfortunate Kai was caught between. The peacemaker. The one hated and depended upon by both sides.

They had been riding for six hours. Dawn was nearly upon them, a lighter blue on the horizon under the indigo of the sleepy sky.

It had taken a lot of mental strength on Kai's part to convince Cyrus that Jay was strong enough to go with. It had taken even more grit- and even some of Moonsong's telepathic power- to keep Cole from tying Jay to a chair and leaving him there. In truth, they all knew Jay wasn't strong enough. The pallor of his skin was proof of that, let alone the fact that he could not function without his cane. But one look into his eyes said that if he was denied this opportunity, actions far worse than anorexia might take root.

So they let him go. But only after making him promise to do as Cole said- he was the leader, and was responsive for keeping his team safe.

Cole still wasn't talking to Jay though, let alone giving orders.

Kai cleared his throat to break the oppressive silence. "How much further?" he asked.

Cole jabbed a finger over his right shoulder. "Just passed them," he said. "They're in the woods to our right about a hundred feet back."

"What? How could you know?"

"The tracks, duh," Jay said. "I saw it too. Six horses branched off the road. Now why would someone do that? There are inns all along these roads. There's no need to camp, especially in this crappy weather."

Kai had never known Jay to use that kind of language before.

"Okay," Kai said. "So...why aren't they at an inn?"

"Because they have something to hide," Cole said. "In this case, their hidden cargo would be Kyle, who is famous for healing every plagued person along this highway. If a couple Guards showed up at an inn with Kyle as a prisoner, the locals would cause trouble."

"I...guess that makes sense," Kai said. "Why did we pass them?"

"Because of the terrain, most likely," Jay said. "We're higher on the hill than them. More places for us to hide and observe them."

The sound of a heavy carriage thundered down the road behind them.

They knew the drill. Reposition their hoods over their eyes, pull up their scarves. They could not risk being recognized by others traveling this highway.

As one, they kicked their horses into a fast walk and lowered their heads. Within seconds, they were overtaken by the fast-moving carriage on skis, escorted by four white-uniformed bodyguards on horses. The carriage's company did not slow or indicate in any way that it knew the trio was there. It trotted around a bend, and the hoofbeats faded away.

Kai, Cole, and Jay turned their horses around and went back to where they had originally stopped to discuss their plan.

"That was Lord Julien's coach," Cole said. "It had the family crest on the side. Two birds: one gold, one blue, flying on a matte of white."

"Thank you for stating the obvious," Jay said. "And I don't think that was a proper use of the word 'matte'."

"And what do you know?" Cole curled his upper lip.

"A lot more than you."

Cole turned his horse to face Jay's. "Listen, you lightweight. I don't-"

"Enough," Kai said, holding up a hand. "Moons, it's getting way too hot between you two. Can we let it drop, please? We could get spotted."

"Fine." Cole pointed to the woods. "Here's the plan. It's still early, and they're probably still sleeping. Kai, you and I will go in there as quietly as possible and extract Vara. Kyle too, I guess."

"You guess," Kai said, deadpan.

"Yes, I guess. If the Guards are awake, we'll create a distraction and lure them away from the site. If it's one guard, a blow to the head should do him in. Once we have Vara and Kyle, we get to their horses- which are most likely tied separately from the Imperial mounts- and bolt for the road. We'll run to Cyrus so fast the Guards won't know what hit them."

"Okay, great plan," Kai said. "But what does Jay do?"

Jay's eyes seemed rounder and more earnest than usual.

"He stays here with our horses," Cole said. "So they don't run off while we're gone."

"Cole!" Kai's tone spooked the horse. Its ears flattened in annoyance. "Jay is not a hitching post! Let him help."

"No way. This is a stealth mission. We only need two people. Add another and what happens? Too much noise. Too much confusion. Less chance of anyone making it out of there."

"But I want to help," Jay said.

"And you are. By staying here with the horses, out of trouble."

Kai's hand went to his belt, where Moonsong sat in its sheath. "But-" he began.

"Don't try denying it," Cole said. "He's weak. If he attempted to walk through the deep snow off-trail, he'd hurt himself."

Kai's mouth opened, ready for an intelligent defense that would appease Cole and make Jay feel important.

But nothing came to him. Cole, he hated to admit, was right.

Jay caught Kai's look. He looked down at his hands, sighed, then lifted his head again. "It's all right," he said cheerfully. He waved his hand and laughed. "I get it. I'll stay here, where I'm needed. Good luck, guys."

Kai knew this ruse all too well. But what could he do about it? Nothing right now. I'll talk to Cyrus about how to deal with this, he thought. There has to be a science behind it.

"Thank you," Cole said. "Stay put. We'll be back." With that, he dismounted and disappeared into the trees.

Kai left his own saddle but stopped there. He patted Jay's good leg. "I'm really sorry," he said. "I want you to help more. You could prove invaluable someday. But right now..."

Jay swallowed- a brief moment of clarity- then his mask was back up. He grinned wider than a hungry panther. "Yeah, I get it," he said. "Now hurry up. And come back safe."

"Will do," Kai said. And he followed Cole's deep, snowy tracks into the woods.

They reached the campsite without trouble. It was difficult to distinguish faces in the light of the dying campfire, but Cole could see six lumps down there.

"Look," Kai said, pointing to a huddled bundle of furs beside the horses. "I'll bet that's Kyle. And the smaller lump next to the fire is Vara."

Cole's entire face wrinkled in disgust. "If they hurt Vara..."

"You always say that," Kai said. "But you rarely make good on that unnamed threat."

Cole found no substantial argument against that claim, so he composed himself. "Fine. Okay. So..."

Birds chirped and wind hissed in the silence.

"So..." Kai prompted.

"So they're all sleeping," Cole said. "We can sneak down there and get Vara-"

"And Kyle," Kai added.

"-and Kyle. Yes. Get them both out, and sneak away while the Guards are still asleep." He stood, hand on the lump that showed through his coat. His Blade.

"Let's go," he said, and bolted down the hill with a speed and silence Kai had not known he possessed.

Kai followed a little less gracefully.

Cole slinked around the four sleeping Guards, moving toward Varasach.

Just as Kai reached Kyle, a loud cry of pain echoed through the woods.

Cole's head shot up, and he cursed. It had been Jay's shout. Startled, and loud, and possibly pained. It echoed so loud that the Guard across the fire from Cole bolted to a sitting position, rubbing his eyes and pushing away his blankets.

The Guard, a young man of hardly twenty winters with stark silver eyes, gasped at Cole. "Whoa! Uh...what are you doing? Trying to rob us? You won't get away with...that..."

Cole drew Raindancer and commanded it to grow into a long, dangerous-looking sword. It did. He pushed the tip into the man's nose, trying to still his thumping heart. I'm leaning over a fire. A hot, wild fire that could-

There was no time for fear. Not with his Vara's life on the line.

He spoke through his scarf in a soft purr. "I can get away with anything I like," he said. "And not you, your compatriots, or King himself can stop me."

The gears spun in the Guard's head. "You're..."

"That's right. The Dark Knight. And by kidnapping this woman, you've made a dangerous enemy. You.."

He had a sudden urge to duck. Why? He didn't know. But the urge was strong, and he suddenly realized that the Blade in his hand was glowing, vibrating, sending out a warning. A warning for what?

He knew a few heartbeats later when another Guard, who had gotten behind him, threw a fist toward his face.

Cole ducked, then drew up his right leg and knocked the Guard's feet from under him.

While this may have started as a graceful maneuver, Cole was distracted by his surprise. What had happened? What was Raindancer doing?

Kai caught Cole as he slipped.

"I can't find Vara," he whispered into Cole's ear. "Y'know, with my powers. She's not here."

"And Kyle?" Cole asked as he righted himself.

"He doesn't have a human mind," Kai said. "I wouldn't be able to find him anyway."

Cole punched the Guard in the gut. It only felt fair, since he felt like doubling over and retching himself. Then he hit the man's head with his Blade. That was easy.

"So what are you saying?" he asked as he doubled around to find Kai engaged with a second Guard.

"I'm saying they're probably not here!" Kai shouted over the noise his opponent was making.

"Of course they're here," the oldest and most decorated Guard rose to his feet, dragging the young and shaken one with him. "You see this?" He kicked the pile of furs beside the fire. "She's sleeping. The man kept nagging us, insisting that she come up here since she was starting to freeze."

The lump on the ground did not react when the man kicked it. But that did not keep Cole's rage from boiling up inside him. If anything, his Vara's immobility only made him more upset.

"Get Kyle," he said to Kai. Then he threw his weight at the Guard, intent on clawing his face off.

But his hands didn't find the Guard's face. Or any other part of his body, for that matter. Instead, the Guard had stepped aside, leaving Cole to trip over Varasach's body. He turned his head, disoriented. And then dread filled him as he realized where gravity was carrying him.

He landed in the fire pit.

It took a whole second- which felt more like an eternity- for Kai to get his legs moving.

"Cole!" He leaped and, without regard for what the flames might do to his hands, grabbed Cole's shirt and pulled him from the fire pit.

"Get down! Cole, get your clothes into the snow!"

When Cole did not react, Kai barreled into Cole's body and threw him down. They fell so fast and so hard that Kai's forehead hit Cole's, and he laid there on top of his friend, unable to breathe for a few seconds. Then he went into a fit.

"How bad is it?" he asked. "Does it hurt?" He rolled Cole over and saw that the flames had been extinguished by the snow. The smell of searing animal skin made Kai feel sick. He blew on the largest black spot, where Cole had landed the hardest, and the smoke dissipated.

Cole's eyes darted wildly in their sockets, as if searching for a way out of the pain he was feeling.

"You're okay," Kai said feverishly. "It-it-it... It mostly just burned your clothing. Your cloak's ruined. But-"

A sword pricked the back of his neck. "Bastard," the Guard said. "Coming on Cyrus' behalf to take back our prisoners? Just shows what a nutcase that old man really is. You two are pathetic. Go on, hands in the air."

"But he's wounded," Kai said.

"And I'll take care of it."

There was only one other instance in which Kai had raised his hands in surrender. That was when he had been on the Dark Island with Cole beside the river, an army of stone warriors on their tail. He had sacrificed himself to make sure Cole would escape.

Bitterly, Kai raised his hands.

"Good. Now slowly take any weapons you have and-"

A flash of blue light cut the darkness between Kai and his captor, ripping the sword from the Guard's hands.

The Guard stumbled backward, staring at his empty hands with alarm. "Den!" He turned to the young Guard. "What did you do?"

Den's eyes went wide. "I didn't to nothing, East. I swear!"

East turned to his two unconscious companions, then opened his bearded mouth for another angry question.

"Shouting doesn't help anything," a voice said over their heads. "Trust me, I know."

Kai could have laughed in relief, had he not been so worried about Cole. "What are you doing, Jay?" he asked.

Jay, Blade in one hand and East's sword in the other, smiled as he floated down to the snow. "Disregarding every order Cole gave me," he said. "And for once, Stormstrider agrees with my choice. Screw rules. You need help."

"That we do," Kai said. "Can you get those four guys tied up before they cause any more trouble? Gag East too, while you're at it. He's annoying."

"Consider it done." Jay pulled a length of rope from one of his many cloak pockets and busied himself there while Kai tried to make sense of Cole's wounds.

Cole muttered words in the Dark Tongue. Mostly words like 'pain' or 'surrender'. But there were a few stringy sentences Kai could not make heads or tails of.

He was having a panic attack.

"You're okay now," Kai said, trying his best to look calm. "Look, nothing but first-degree burns on your hands. Didn't get through your clothes in most places. You're fine."

But Cole was not convinced. Either that or he was so out of it that he didn't hear Kai's voice. He continued rambling about surrender and chains and pain and...

Kai packed some snow around Cole's reddening hands. "You're okay." He took Cole's head in his arms and stroked his hair.

"Jen," Cole whispered, eyes unseeing. "Jen. Liev. Yast'trieyo n. Jen, jen." Death. Everywhere. Inescapable. Death, death.

The sky was still dark. The sun seemed to be moving slower today than usual. As if the world was clinging to the darkness.

"You almost done?" Kai asked Jay, wanting to be rid of this place, though he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Yep." Jay tied the cords around the last man and went to Kai's side, feet hovering inches above the snow. "Where are Vara and Kyle?"

"Not here," Kai said. "Look at those blankets. Clever, kind of. Kyle must have escaped with Varasach while the Guards slept. They disappeared long before we got here."

Jay bit out the first syllable of a curse, then let it fade. "So where are they?"

"I don't know," Kai said. "Their horses are still here. That means they left on foot." He looked Jay up and down. "What was that noise you made earlier? The cry that caused all this trouble in the first place?"

Jay chuckled nervously. "Eh, sorry about that. It was a bird."

"A bird." Kai raised an eyebrow.

"It spooked the horses. I kinda fell from the saddle. Sorry."

"You didn't hurt yourself?"

"No. I'm okay. Got all the horses back, too. They're tied to a tree off the road."

"Good." Kai nodded to the woods. "Can you try and find some prints? We need to track Kyle and Varasach down before they get into more trouble."

"Yessir." Jay flew away in a flash of light.

How long can he go on like that before losing power? Kai wondered. Not very long, I'm sure.

This was not one of Kai's main concerns though, so he let it slide for now.

Cole's cries grew louder and more fervent. He was trapped in a nightmare of his past. Reliving the Overlord's abuses.

It was as though Kai's heart was going through the fires of Cole's torment. Melting, writhing in agony with his friend.

He murmured words of comfort to Cole in the Dark Tongue. Things Besai had said to him after his own sessions in the Overlord's dungeons. Promises. Encouragement.

Eventually, Cole calmed down enough to close his dilated eyes. His breathing grew more controlled.

"Good, good," Kai reverted to their native language. "Just relax. You're safe."

In a few more moments, Cole fell asleep.

Kai breathed a relieved sigh, breath leaving his mouth in a thick vapor that twirled its way up to dance with the morning stars.

If Kyle had been here to see this... Kai's face flushed. Ugh. Thank the Hosts for small miracles.

He wrapped Cole in some furs and stood, facing his four prisoners. Two of the Guards were still unconscious.

"You guys will get out of the ropes eventually," Kai said. "When you do, don't follow us."

One Guard snarled.

"Kai." Jay appeared behind him, and Kai jumped, startled. "I found some tracks.

Kai regained his composure quickly. "Where?"

Jay rubbed his neck. "Kyle's tracks go to the road, and then south a ways. Then-"

"South? Shouldn't they be traveling north?" Kai asked.

"The nearest town is in the south," Den said. "The woman was sick. He probably wanted to get her help as soon as possible."

"Fair enough. Jay, how soon can we get to them?"

"How about...twenty minutes ago?" Jay said. "We passed them on the road."

"That's impossible. We would have seen them."

"Not if they, say, were inside of the Julien carriage we passed."

"How can you be sure?" Kai asked.

"Well...like I said. Kyle's tracks lead to the road, where he then went south. But only for about twenty yards. Then I saw the tracks from the Julien carriage. They stopped, and there are lots of different footprints there. To me, it looks like Kyle and Varasach got into that carriage and are with the Juliens right now."

Kai rubbed his forehead. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

"We just came all this way, traipsed through all that snow, and did all that fighting, and Kyle was right there the whole freaking time?"

"Yep."

"Gah!" Kai kicked the snow repeatedly. "Why? I hate Kyle so much right now!"

"You always hate him," Jay said.

"True! But I hate him more now." It was like a mini-blizzard all around him as the snow flew and was caught up by the wind.

"Uh...maybe we should catch up with them?" Jay said.

Kai stopped, then looked at Cole. "Yes. Let's go. I need to give that Nindroid a piece of my mind. And my Blade."