Jens: Thank you for the review, and for sticking with this story even after the long hiatus! Glad to see you :)
Powder Keg
The plaza was cold- and not just because of the snow. Cole peeked through the curtains of Sheshin's justice building at the gathering crowd outside. From his vantage he could see very little, but what he did was not good. Skeptical whispers, crossed arms, scowls. As Cole watched, a man jeered at some soldiers standing on the temporary stage which had been erected before the justice building for the occasion. The soldiers, following strict orders not to inflame the already tense crowd, did not retaliate. It was clear that many of these people had come to cause trouble, not to listen to Zane and Kai's speeches.
"Tough crowd," Cole remarked, removing his finger so the curtain slipped closed. In a chair at the edge of the reception area, Kai sat, his lower lip tucked between his teeth as he feverishly added the finishing touches to the speech on his lap. "You ready for this?"
"No."
Relying on his cane more than he liked, Cole stepped away from the window. "You've been working on that speech all afternoon. I'm sure it's fine."
"No, no, it's not…" Kai scratched out a line and wrote in the margins. "It's different than we thought. The speech has to be tailored for this crowd, not just the South."
"Hey-"
"You need to realize how important this is! If I fail to rally the people today, then the South doesn't stand a chance against-"
"Hey." Cole snatched the pencil from Kai's fingers. "Breathe."
Kai reached for his pencil, but Cole flicked it to Zane, who sat silent in a chair near Kai. The Northern Lord floundered a moment, narrowly catching it between both palms. Kai reached across the gap, snatching it back with a dark scowl- aimed at Cole, but Zane still flinched.
"Cole, I don't have time for-"
"Breathe."
Kai took a deep breath- and then grimaced, laying an arm across his chest.
"Does it still hurt you that much?" Cole frowned. He thought Kai was well enough for deep breaths to not irritate his ribs anymore.
"I've been too active," Kai admitted, and set the pencil back to the paper. "It's just sore. I'll be okay."
"Zane's Blade has healing powers, right?" Cole gestured to the Northern lord, who hesitated, then nodded. "Maybe he could help?"
"No," Kai snapped. He tempered his frown and spoke more gently. "No, thank you. I was already partially healed by Ronin's Gem after the break. We don't know what the long-term effects of the accelerated healing might be, and until research can be done, I am hesitant to allow a Gem to completely bind such a dangerous and permanent thing as bone. And that goes for Cole, too," he added upon Zane's glance in his direction. "Your Blade cannot regenerate tissue. It is crucial that Cole's body is allowed to heal on its own time."
Zane shrugged.
With the rumblings of the crowd ever in the back of Cole's mind, he watched Kai revise and re-revise the message which he would give to the Southern people after Josi and Iam gave the all-clear for them to take the stage. Kai seemed to never be satisfied with his words, never confident that they were clear enough, sincere enough, passionate enough. Several times he paused, spoke a line or two out loud for feedback.
"It's fine," said Josi, who stood with crossed arms by the front doors. Her eyes glowed faintly: she was communicating with her Bird, Jema, who flew above the Square searching for trouble while Iam patrolled from the ground. "You need to stop changing the words, or you won't remember them when you go on stage."
"I can remember," Kai said firmly. Then he winced. "The end sounds awful on paper."
"Well, that's why you're reading the speech out loud," Cole said. He nearly placed a reassuring hand on Kai's shoulder, but seeing all the soldiers and various government officials in the room- including Sheshin's sheriff, who stood to the side with a dozen or so of his underlings, giving quiet orders- he abstained. Already Sheshin Keep's staff cast him odd looks when they thought he wasn't paying attention. It was in everyone's best interest that he didn't encourage the rumor that he and Kai were…
Cole shivered and pulled his cloak tight around himself.
Eventually Iam entered the justice building, a handful of soldiers trailing behind. He removed his gloves and rubbed his hands together, trying to get some warmth back into them as he looked to Josi.
"I still don't like this," she answered his unspoken question, blinking, and her eyes dimmed to their natural amber color. She pushed off of the wall and peered through a different set of curtains. "The stage is too open. A shooter could climb any number of the roofs in this plaza."
"We've been over this," Kai said, not looking up from the papers in his hand. "The people are already on edge with the number of soldiers we have patrolling the Square. I will not make things worse by perching them like vultures on the rooftops."
Josi's jaw tightened. They'd already had this argument upon their arrival over an hour ago. Thankfully, she knew better than to press her point again. She sighed, speaking to Iam. "Anything on your end?"
"The people are mad, but as long as the speech doesn't pour too much oil on the fire, I think we'll be fine. Zane, it's time."
Panic flashed across Kai's face as he flipped a page over to scrawl another note.
Zane, who had not so much as looked at his portion of their speech since leaving Sheshin Keep, stood. Iam opened the door for him. Many people jeered as he took the stage.
Cole fiddled with the frozen window latch until it came free; he opened the window an inch so he could hear better. As before, he watched through a crack in the curtains, wary lest anyone notice him- and his eyes. It was bad enough that the sheriff and other soldiers outside the keep had seen him. He couldn't have any civilians noticing his heritage, too.
It was Cole's own choice to come, for Kai's sake. Whatever harm might be done by exposing himself in public was already done.
"People of the South," Zane addressed the crowd, his voice loud and clear even with his back turned to the justice building.
Beside Cole, Josi pulled her sword slightly from its sheath. Her eyes were glowing again.
Zane spoke calmly and clearly despite the angry calls. "As your Regent, I stand before you with humility as I reflect on the pain my actions have caused this realm these past few weeks. There is no apology sincere enough to express my deep regret…"
He went on. As far as speeches went, this one was short, and Cole had heard the whole thing earlier in the day as Zane and Kai went over it together, so Cole turned his attention instead to the crowd. The hecklers weren't calming down.
This was a terrible idea. Cole pressed his lips together. What were their chances of Kai's speech actually diffusing the situation?
What were their chances of coming out of this unharmed?
What were Kai's chances of coming out of this unharmed? Cole touched his Blade at his waist. It thrummed softly, comfortingly, in response.
"Get ready," Josi told Kai. "It's almost time.
As Zane's introductory speech came to a close, Kai stood and walked toward the front doors, lips moving soundlessly as he read his speech one last time. His face, tanned as it was from his weeks in the West, was pale.
"Hey." Cole grabbed Kai's arm. Kai's attention jerked from the papers; he blinked at Cole, but was clearly still distracted.
"Be careful," Cole said. "There's a lot more angry people than soldiers out there."
Kai glanced to the side.
Cole's grip tightened. "Please. This isn't worth your life."
"That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?"
"I'm serious, Kai! You might as well give that speech on top of a powder keg. Don't stick around when the sparks start flying."
"If this speech doesn't work-"
"Then we'll try something else. All right? I know you. I know you want to get this right. And I'm sure you will! But…just in case." He released Kai. "If this gets ugly, don't try to fix it. Just get out. For your mother's sake, and Besai's."
"It's time to go," Josi said, and opened one of the double-doors, letting in a gust of cold air.
"Kai," Cole pleaded. "Be smart."
Kai glanced back as a pair of soldiers ushered him away. Cole watched, throat tight, as Kai climbed the stairs behind the stage.
"I am stepping down as your Regent," Zane announced as Kai came up behind him. "The true heir to the Southern realm, Lord Kai Kaytake, son of Lady Driniah Kaytake, daughter of Lord Dalan Ven, has returned from his campaign in the West and will pick up the sword to defend this realm in my stead." He turned to Kai as he approached and placed one hand on his breast, the other on his Blade at his belt. A peculiar gesture because of the weapon's diminutive size, but his sincerity could not be questioned as he bowed low, a clear gesture of respect and submission.
Some people- the brave ones who had come to hear the speech, not to heckle- bowed to their homecoming Lord. Kai tilted his head in acknowledgement. There was no applause as he stepped forward, hands lax at his sides.
He had put away his speech?
"Citizens of the Southern Realm," Kai called in a clear, authoritative voice, and even some dissenters fell silent. "I apologize for my absence. I have been on our sister island in the West, leading a secret charge against the Overlord. I am happy to be the one to announce the glad news of his defeat."
Shocked and incredulous murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Yes, it is true," Kai continued. "The Overlord is gone. The West is now hard at work rebuilding, and soon all those who have been kidnapped these past few years will return to us."
A moment of silence as he regarded the murmuring crowd. "It would be a great tragedy for them to come home only to find their homeland plunged into such terrible chaos. The Middle-North is on their way to our land as we speak, waging unprecedented war against their sister realm. I wrote to the Middle requesting a summit, but as of yet have received no reply. I won't pretend to know what the Middle's situation is, or if the King is responsible for the massacre that will take place if the Middle-North armies are not thwarted. But our Southern Realm, formed by our Patriarch Lei, stewarded by his descendants, has done nothing to provoke this action.
"You heard me right," Kai said as the people whispered to each other. "Massacre. We have reason to believe that, due to the actions of the former Lord and Regent Julien, the Middle-North views us as traitors, and have resorted to the barbarity of attempting to wipe the South off of the map. Some of you already know this: as we speak, Garmadon's Guards patrol our border, murdering all who try to cross. They keep us penned in like cattle awaiting the slaughter. This is what Regent Julien failed to tell you-" There was loud booing at the name- "and therefore the burden passes to me to keep my people safe. I'm sorry that I did not return sooner, but, as you can imagine, communication between the islands is difficult and slow, and I had no idea of Raen's death or this realm's plight until a short time ago.
"Citizens of the South, I pray earnestly that we may find a way, together, to survive this terrible hour. We have only a few short days before the North-Middle armies reach our borders. Without the proper defense, we will be quickly overrun and devoured by the bloodthirsty Guards who would burn our towns, murder our children, cut down even those without the means to defend themselves. Where will it end? Will they also cut down our grave trees? Burn our own unburied bodies and throw our ashes into the sea, as if we were common criminals?"
This sent the crowd over the edge: even the dissenters shouted their indignation at the mere idea of their dead being desecrated.
"Against both the Middle and the North, my soldiers are vastly outnumbered. But we are not without hope." Kai drew his sword- the decorated ceremonial weapon inset with a red gemstone, which had been carried by all of his predecessors throughout the generations- and pointed it toward the cloudy sky. Cole thought briefly of Moonsong and its shattered Gem. This sword was lackluster in comparison. Kai still kept Moonsong's pieces with him in a little pouch.
Across the square, a dark object fell from the sky, careening toward the earth. It almost looked like...
Josi let out a cry and collapsed. Cole whirled in an instant, searching for trouble. But there was no wound. Everyone in the room looked just as surprised.
"Josi," one of the soldiers exclaimed, kneeling as she writhed on the floor, grasping her head. "Josi!"
"My-" Josi gasped. The light in her eyes flickered, then dimmed completely. "My Bird."
The thing that fell from the sky. Jema, their eye on danger from above-
Cole shoved the soldiers standing in his path and threw the doors open, searching the rooftops. Where, where, where?
There, on a sloped roof across the plaza. A man in a dark cloak. Bow still raised, watching Josi's raven fall the final few feet into the crowd. Standing tall and confident on a roof on the other side of the plaza was a second cloaked man, arrow knocked, aimed directly at-
No.
NO!
There was a deep-throated scream; only after Kai whirled around, sword still raised, did Cole realize it was from his own mouth.
Zane figured it out before the soldiers, and even he was too late. He planted both hands on Kai's chest and shoved-
Cole staggered, clutching the doorframe to steady himself as a surge of terrible fire seized his lungs.
Kai fell with an arrow in his chest.
Cole's cry was picked up by a multitude of shocked Southerners. Around Kai, soldiers fell to a volley of arrows from other cloaked people suddenly on the rooftops.
Several masked men mounted the stage and took Kai's fallen body. Not dead, just unconscious. Not dead- oh, no, please not-!
Cole lurched forward, freeing his Blade clumsily from its sheath. It slipped from his fingers and clattered hollowly against the stones. He tried to pick it up but fell to a fierce pain in his back and legs.
Groping blindly for the weapon, he finally found it. His fingers bled- had he grabbed it by the blade? It didn't matter: Kai was bleeding worse, Kai was being taken- Hosts, no, please- Kai!
Cole scrambled to get his feet under himself but failed. Damn his back and this brace!
The men left with Kai limp between them, an arrow protruding from his ribs. Even from a distance Cole saw the blood blossoming on his coat, leaving a trail in the already dirty snow.
Cole must have made some sort of sound again. He must have cursed, cried out, screamed from some lost, dark place deep within himself. Because, as he lay on the stones, one of the masked men looked back at him.
A heartbeat in which the entire world seemed to fade. In which there was nothing, nothing but panicked breaths, thundering heartbeats, and this man. This man, who roughly held Kai's legs under one arm as though he weighed no more- and had no more worth- than a sack of grain. This man, undoubtedly an accomplice of the one who had shot Kai- was he dead, was he dying, was he hurt so terribly that the injury had rendered him unconscious? This man, who was taking Kai away-!
The moment ended, and Kai's kidnappers disappeared, parting the frenetic crowd with shouts and brandished swords.
More screams.
Fractured voices, shards of words which Cole heard, but could not comprehend.
"Get him!"
"-you, pursue the targets on the roof- You, follow Lord Kaytake, retrieve him at all-"
"-can't you just-"
"Josi, what the hell are you-"
Blood, seeping into the snow under Cole's hand. He flexed his fingers. That couldn't be his blood: there was no pain.
No, the only one who bled was Kai. Kai, and those soldiers who were now being tended while others pushed the crowd back, pleading for calm and order.
But how could anyone be calm? How could anyone bear not to shout, to weep, to beat the ground because Kai was-
"Cole?"
Kai was-!
"Cole! Hosts, he's cold as ice. Zane, get-"
Hands on him. Restraining, pulling, trying to take him away, but he couldn't go, he couldn't leave, he needed to get to Kai, he needed to save him!
But what could he do?
What could anyone do?
Kai was gone.
To Lou's amusement, Garmadon came quickly to the reception hall where he stood surrounded by a growing, curious crowd of servants and Guards. The messenger who'd brought the letter stood to the side of Vara's Guards, flustered.
Lou waved the opened letter at the King as he approached. "It's for you," he said, smiling at the panic in Garmadon's eyes. "From the Southern Lord. It looks like he finally returned and cashiered that fool regent."
"Give it to me." Garmadon crossed the room briskly under the eyes of curious Guards and servants.
"Oh, but wait!" Lou said. "Where's the Lord Rector, and High General Derek? And Regent Santi? I haven't seen him yet. Is he, perhaps, staying at an inn near here? They all need to hear this."
"And they will hear it," Garmadon said, snatching open air where the letter had been a moment prior. "In my study. Not here, Lou!"
"What's wrong with here, Uncle?" Lou asked. "Don't tell me that you want to keep this information a secret from your staff?"
"Lower your voice," Garmadon hissed. He did not attempt to grab the letter a second time. "It contains sensitive information that should not be released to the public! What if there is a Southern spy here?"
"It's a letter from the South, addressed to the King and the people of the Middle-North. I doubt any of it would be valuable to a spy."
"Yes, but…" Garmadon struggled for words. "Even so-"
"Your people are dying for this cause," Lou said, raising his voice so it carried throughout the room. The acoustics in here echoed marvelously: the growing dozens of onlookers heard him clearly. "Shouldn't they be allowed to know what the South really thinks of them?"
Garmadon clenched his fist at his side. In the tense silence that passed between them, the Lord Rector rushed into the room. He glared at Lou with unconcealed distaste.
Lou smiled pleasantly back at the old Priest. Then he cleared his throat and began to read in a loud voice. " 'To our Venerable King Li'am Garmadon, Ruler of the Known World's Three Eastern Realms, Blessed by our First King, and Endowed with Wisdom and Strength to Protect All Under Your Rule.' " Lou nodded with approval at the line, even as the King and Lord Rector's eyes widened. "He's quite deferential toward your many titles, King Garmadon. This is unusual behavior for a heathen, wouldn't you agree?"
"Lou," the Lord Rector snapped, crossing the room with remarkable speed for a man of his age. "I forbid you to-"
"Forbid me to what, exactly?" Lou stepped back, holding the letter behind himself. "Pardon me, but last I checked, I was the Blessed. Watch your tongue, Priest."
Ripples of shock spread throughout the room at Lou's disrespect. But they knew he was right: Blesseds did not take orders from Priests. Even if the Priest was the Middle's Lord Rector.
The Priest was wise enough to realize he could not beat Lou at this game under so many eyes, though Lou knew there would undoubtedly be hell for him to pay later in private. Seething, the old man turned to Garmadon, the only one who could make Lou stand down.
Lou arched an eyebrow at the King. The King looked back, stricken and speechless.
"You are undermining the King's authority," the Lord Rector said.
"I am doing nothing of the sort!" Lou said. "The King hasn't ordered me to stop reading yet. If he wanted me to stop, I'm sure he would have said so. Am I correct, Uncle?"
A tense quiet settled over the room.
Then Vara stood from the couch and walked to Lou. "I think Lou should finish," she said. She impressed him with a firm look toward her father. "We need to hear what they have to say."
Garmadon caved. Wearily, he waved for Lou to resume.
Lou cleared his throat theatrically and continued. " 'It is with great regret that I apologize for the actions of my late father, Lord Raen Kaytake-' " Quiet murmurs sprung up as people began to realize the author of the letter- " 'and his regent. I have been overseas and had no idea until recently the magnitude of the troubles my predecessors have brought upon you. The late lord and his regent were not acting on my behalf, nor do their sentiments reflect those of your Southern citizens.
'On a more joyous note, I am pleased to herald the glad news of Overlord's demise! After nigh on sixteen long winters, the West is finally at peace, and they work hard to rebuild what has been lost during his reign.' "
Garmadon sank onto a nearby couch, stunned, and the people around the room murmured excitedly. The Lord Rector only made a sour face.
Lou continued.
" 'You can imagine my shock and grief when I returned from this monthlong campaign, weary and wounded, only to find my homeland rent so terribly due to the actions of the late Lord Raen Kaytake and his regent. While I understand why my Blessed King has chosen to act against the South, I wish to caution you of the consequences of said action. Your three realms have been ravaged enough already by this terrible blood plague; must we shed still more blood by the sword, especially in retaliation against rebels who are no longer a threat to your sovereignty? History has its eyes on us: we would do well to consider the future wellbeing of this land and its people.
I would request with all due respect and humility a summit with my King, Regent Santi, the High Generals, and the Lord Rectors, to discuss the intent and consequences of this war, and to see if an understanding can be reached.
Forever Your servant,
Kai Kaytake, Lord and Steward of Your Southern Realm' "
Lou had known since their discussion at Borg's keep that Kai would be writing a letter- to be delivered to the King's Keep this morning- for the express purpose of Lou finding a way to spread its message to the entire keep's staff. He hadn't expected the young lord to write it so quickly. Whatever Kai said about hating politics, he certainly had the right instincts for it.
There could now be no doubt to anyone in this room, even the Lord Rector, about the South's stance in this war.
And now the question was, would Garmadon give them peace?
"Overlord is dead?" Vara murmured in the Dark Tongue. "Cole's letter said nothing about that! I had wondered, but-"
"Not here," Lou whispered back, motioning for silence. "I'm sorry."
Vara swayed slightly on her feet. She sank onto the couch beside her father.
Then she wept.
Lou offered the letter to Garmadon, who grabbed it with only halfhearted anger. He read it with a hesitant, comforting hand on Vara's shoulder.
"I…see," Garmadon said. Deliberately avoiding the Lord Rector's furious eyes, he stood, addressing the Guards, servants, and other various staff members who stood at the edges of the room.
"In light of this new development," he said, "I will be reconsidering our…strained relationship with the Southern realm. This is a delicate matter, and the South's message should be taken with a grain of salt: perhaps the young Lord Kaytake is telling the truth, perhaps not. Please treat this information as enemy propaganda until I have thoroughly investigated the matter. Back to your duties."
A number of salutes and bows accompanied the King's words, and the Guards and servants flooded quietly out of the room.
"My King," the messenger said when everyone but the Lord Rector and Vara's Guards had left the room. "I apologize. I brought the letter to these Guards, asking them for assistance, but-"
"I can guess well enough what happened," Garmadon said coolly. "You're dismissed."
The messenger bowed and shrank from the room, clearly embarrassed. Lou felt a twinge of pity for the woman: it was his fault, not hers, that the message hadn't reached Garmadon's hands first. He would have to inquire later and make sure there were no sanctions placed upon her for failing to fulfill her duty.
On the couch, Vara still wept quietly.
Frowning, Garmadon pointed to her Guards. "Take her to my study," he said. Then to Vara, "I'll be there in a minute, okay?"
"No," Vara said, waving her Guards away. She wiped her eyes and took Lou's arm to steady herself. "I'm fine. I don't want to talk to you right now."
Garmadon looked stung. Lou grimaced.
"Vara," Lou said, "I would actually like to retire for a while. Perhaps you should go…"
"But-"
"Vara. Please."
Vara reluctantly let him go and, fighting more tears, followed her Guards. Garmadon's pain was evident as he watched her leave.
"You're a fool, Lou," the Lord Rector hissed. "By challenging us and reading that rebel's lies in front of all those people, you are undermining the security of this country! Not to mention-"
"Please, Lord Rector!" Garmadon said with startling firmness. "Leave us be. I'll call a meeting later."
Seething, the Lord Rector stormed out. Aside from a Guard at his post outside the foyer doors, Lou and Garmadon were alone.
"Good work," Garmadon said. "You've taken not only my daughter, but also the trust of my people. Do you plan to take my crown next?"
"Hosts, Garmadon! It was hardly my intention to turn Vara from you. I've only tried to be kind to her."
"So have I," Garmadon said, "and yet here we are." He turned to go, but Lou touched his arm.
"Garmadon," he said. "I spoke at length with Vara today. Your daughter is brighter than she seems. I think she would make a good Queen."
Garmadon considered the letter in his hands, quiet for a long minute. There was a deep, dark sadness in his countenance as he nodded. "I know."
"If you know," Lou said, "then please listen to what she has to say." Garmadon turned away, but Lou grabbed his arm. "Her bitterness stems from the fact that you are orchestrating the destruction of the South. If you would only heed what she-"
"It is not up to me," Garmadon said. "You have a lot of nerve, challenging the Lord Rector's authority."
"That, or I'm very, very stupid. And at this point I'm not sure which."
"You and me both," Garmadon sighed and, shaking himself free, left the room with sagging shoulders.
Cole didn't remember fading into darkness, but when he awoke, he was in a carriage. It jostled along at high speed, taking the bumps in the road with little grace. With him were Josi and Zane, looking about as disoriented as he felt.
"You were having trouble breathing," Zane explained gently. "We couldn't calm you down, and you eventually just…passed out. Are you okay?"
Slowly the events in the plaza trickled back into Cole's foggy mind. Blinking, combing back his tangled hair, he noticed his left hand was wrapped in thick bandages. His back ached: vaguely he remembered his injury flaring, causing him to collapse, and his blind and disastrous grab for his Blade, which now hung on his belt, clean and harmless, likely unaware in its damaged state of the harm it had inadvertently caused him. Cole rubbed his face with a trembling hand.
You might as well give that speech on top of a powder keg.
How stupid could they get?
"We should have known better," Josi said. Her voice sounded…flat, somehow. Not quite human. "We were prepared for an angry mob, but this attack was too orderly. We couldn't respond in time."
"He's…" Cole couldn't bring himself to say dead, and besides, that couldn't possibly be true: it wasn't possible. Not after everything he'd endured at Overlord's hand, after surviving his near-disastrous fight with Nephilim, after singlehandedly defeating Overlord. It simply wasn't possible: Kai was Cole's rock, Cole's stability, Cole's entire world in Sage's absence, and worlds didn't fall because they had been shot by an arrow. Worlds were not supposed to be that vulnerable.
Cole was not supposed to be that vulnerable.
"He's…gone?" were the words Cole eventually chose.
Josi didn't answer, and so Zane spoke.
"We don't know," he admitted. "Best I could tell, the arrow probably lodged between his ribs. He was alive when they took him, but we don't know what they wanted him for. If they meant for him to die, then the kidnapping may have been their way of making sure we did not get him help, since the arrow didn't fly true. But it was too organized: I think they meant to take him alive from the start, and the arrow was merely their way of incapacitating him. Scaring the crowd." His jaw tightened. "And us. If that's the case, I wonder if I messed up the shot when I pushed him out of the way…"
"Or you might have saved his life," Josi said. "We're all at fault." She looked to Cole. "Are you all right?"
"Of course," Cole snapped. Under the pretense of being cold, he blew on his his trembling hands, then tucked them under his arms and looked out the window. Only, the shutters were closed. Cole stared anyways, unwilling to look back at Josi. Just leave me alone. Stop looking, stop trying, stop. Stop. Stop…
He needed to get away. He couldn't stay here, under their searching eyes. He couldn't afford to let them see him like this.
The world seemed to spin around Cole, bending, twisting in unnatural ways. Like an earthquake without the tremors, like a cold wind howling through leafless trees without actually disturbing them. Nausea roiled in his stomach. He tensed his jaw, breathing deep to quell it.
Breathe, he'd told Kai, just before he'd gone out to meet what might very well have been his death.
Breathe, he told himself now as he stood before the abyss, peering down into its yawning depths.
"Do we know who did it?" Cole asked calmly.
"Nothing concrete," Josi said. "They wore civilian clothing, but the way they moved suggests that they may have been Guards."
"But why would Guards bother to take out the Southern Lord?" Zane asked. "They have the upper hand in this war, anyways, and would undoubtedly have benefitted from a public, ceremonial execution after the South has been annihilated."
"I don't know." Josi slouched in her seat, stretching so her boots touched Cole's bench. "I don't know, damn it all."
Oh, Kai, darling, I'm so sorry. D:
Lou, though, amirite? XD
Thank you all for reading! Reviews and sundry comments are appreciated.