10
Keyda looked out at the crowd, and her heart plummeted a little. She hadn't seen this many Oni gathered since the formation of the union. She had been scrubbed and dressed in her finest clothes, which bothered her. Why was it that there was so much celebration around death? Her silver circlet was cold against her brow, despite the heat outside.
She was on a balcony, overlooking her people and the hastily created stage in the middle of the courtyard with the head-block and executioner standing by. There were people stuffed in every corner of the yard, children screaming and squealing as they chased each other around. Heavy Metal was next to her, waiting for her signal to start. She sighed, wishing she had made Cole come anyways. He would have hated it…but at least she wouldn't have had to do it all alone. She clenched her jaw and turned to her right-hand.
"Let's get it over with, then."
Cole hesitated outside the tent, not sure what he would find when he entered. He had a horrible feeling that Syn hadn't made it, and it made him sick thinking about explaining that to Hershel. The teen had hardly left his room since the incident, and Cole checked in on him at least once a day to make sure he was eating. It made Dorhn roll his eyes, but Cole had decided he really couldn't care less what the guard thought of him.
"Umm…hello?" he finally started, pushing his way into tent. He glanced at the table and his heart plummeted when he saw that it was empty. "Hello?!" he said louder.
"You and your yelling." a raspy voice called out. The Healer stuck his head around the corner and Cole felt his heart beat louder.
"Sorry…but you said to come back in a few days, to see…"
"Ah, right. The little slave girl." The Older Oni squinted at the table, scratching his chin. "Well, she pulled through, surprisingly."
Cole sagged in relief.
"Where is she?"
"At the moment? Getting me some water outside. You just missed her. A useful child, that one," the Healer mused. Cole frowned.
"Getting water? She got shot a few days ago…should she be lifting heavy things?"
The Healer shrugged. "Why not? She can walk, can't she?"
Dorhn pushed his way into the tent, wrinkling his nose at the strange herbal smells. The Healer looked the Guard up and down and snorted.
"I see you brought a Behemoth with you…"
Cole smirked as the guard's frown deepened. "This is Dorhn…he has the super exciting job of following me around…"
"What are we doing here, again?" the guard cut in, irritated. He picked up a bottle of some strange liquid and puzzled over its contents. The grizzled Oni snatched it out of his hands.
"Now, don't be touching things that don't belong to you!" he chastised and the guard rolled his eyes. He made a show of wiping his hand off on his shirt, and gave Cole an annoyed look, which the ninja ignored. The tent flap moved again and a small child walked in, carrying a bucket of water.
"Syn!" Cole said, and the girl started, nearly dropping the bucket. He knelt to get a good look at her, but she wouldn't meet his eye. He took the bucket from her hands, and she let him.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"I'm ok…" she murmured, wrapping her arms protectively around her middle. Cole put the bucket down and gently pulled her arms out of the way. She had a bandage wrapped around her middle, but it was clean; the wound must be closed, then. He looked at her face, but she still wouldn't meet his eye, choosing to stare timidly at the ground.
"Do you think you're feeling good enough to come back?" he asked quietly.
She flinched at his words and Cole frowned, concerned. She shook her head. "…I don't want to go back there…"
"You belong to the fortress," Dorhn cut in, sharply. She seemed to shrink into herself as the guard continued. "You are property…you do not get to decide where…"
"Stop it." Cole snapped, glaring at the guard before turning back to Syn. "Hershel's been worried about you."
Syn bit her lip, finally looking up to meet his eye.
"Is he ok?"
Cole smiled gently.
"Yeah…he's, um, he's just really worried about you right now. I'll definitely tell him that you're ok; he'll be glad to hear it."
She nodded slowly and Cole stood and turned to the Healer, who had been content to listen and observe from a few feet away.
"Can she stay here a while longer?" he asked, and the healer shrugged.
"I ain't a charity; you want me to keep her, then she'll work for me now, fair is fair."
Cole swallowed, but he looked down in surprise as Syn tugged at his arm. She was looking up, pleading with her eyes, and Cole realized that she wanted to stay here. He still didn't feel right "giving" her to the Healer, like she was some object to be traded, but the Healer must be treating her well if she was so eager to stay. Or perhaps she was just so haunted by what had happened to her at the fortress that she was too terrified to return. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case…
"Alright, then." Cole said, looking back at the Healer. Dorhn made an indigent sound as Syn visibly relaxed.
"You do not have the authority to give away property of…" the guard started, but Cole turned on him.
"I'm the reason she's still alive, remember? So I think that means that I get to decide." he snapped. The Guard fell silent, but he glared at Cole in a way that let the ninja know that he was going to be bringing it up with those "higher." The Healer chuckled to himself a few feet away, as if he found everything to be amusing.
"Get that bucket to the back basin, girl." he ordered, and Syn was quick to pick up the bucket and go to finish her task. He looked at Cole and smirked.
"Didn't feel like going to the execution, eh?"
Cole clenched his jaw.
"No…not really my scene." He suddenly regarded the ancient Oni. "What about you?"
The Healer gave a raspy sound that must have been a laugh. "Nah….too old for all that excitement. But as long as you're here, you might as well make yourself useful. It's come to my attention that I've gotten a little disorganized over the years…"
"A little?" Cole asked dryly. He had come to make sure Syn was ok…and he had done that. But he doubted the execution was over and he didn't really have anything else to do. His decision was made up for him when the Healer began shoving various things into his arms.
"Take em over to that shelf." the Oni ordered, and Cole blinked. He glanced at Dorhn and saw his disapproving look; it helped him make his decision. He followed the Healer's orders and the guard scoffed behind him.
The Healer glanced at Dorhn and raised an eyebrow. "Don't suppose you'd like a cup of tea while we watch him work?" He asked, gesturing at Cole with a thumb. Dorhn looked like he was going to turn the Healer down, but as he watched Cole trip over something and fall to the ground, parchment and bottles going flying, he smirked.
"Why not?"
Cole frowned at the various bottles, trying to organize them onto the shelf.
"Alphabetical order!" the Healer chided from another part of the room. Cole shook his head, incredulous.
"I don't even know what's in these…how am I supposed to put them in alphabetical order?" He complained. He heard some snoring and turned in surprise to see Dorhn fast asleep in his chair by the door. Cole scoffed.
"Well…that's a new one; he's generally annoyingly alert…" he wondered aloud. The Healer turned to look at the guard as well, a twinkle in his eye.
"Ah, sweet little Behemoth. He must have enjoyed his tea."
Something in his tone caused Cole to blink as the realization hit. He turned to the Ancient Oni in shock.
"Did you…did you drug my bodyguard?!"
The Healer shrugged nonchalantly.
"Eh…he was getting on my nerves. Couldn't have him tromping around; he was bound to break something." He caught Cole's look and chuckled. "Don't you worry about him, he'll wake up eventually. Gives you more time to work." He smacked the top of Cole's head with the last word, reminding him to get back to his task. Cole rubbed his head, narrowing his eyes at the old man as he disappeared around a corner. He glanced back at Dorhn and couldn't help but smile a little. It was nice to have some time to himself without the Guard breathing down his neck.
He looked back at the bottles and finally just stuffed them all up on the shelf. Then he turned his attention to the pile of dusty scrolls nearby. He picked one up and couldn't help but unroll it, expecting some unreadable language. He was shocked to see that the writing looked familiar.
He turned to the Healer as he walked back into the room, holding the scroll up.
"This looks similar to the writing I have at home…" he pointed out. The Healer stopped dead, giving him an unreadable look.
"Well, where do you think your realm got your language from, boy?" he snapped, and Cole turned back to the scroll.
"I can't really make it out though…just a word here and there, but it's different…"
"Course it is, most are ancient even for this realm's standards." The Healer said. Cole looked at all the scrolls around him.
"Where did you get all of these?"
The Healer was silent as he picked a few scrolls up and began shoving them into the bookshelf.
"It's my job to keep them. I have records stretching back to before the rule of Kahzym the first down to the time of Shaizer."
Cole helped him put the scrolls into the small square cubbies in the bookshelf, shaking his head.
"You realize that doesn't mean much to me, right? I don't really know anything about the history of this place…."
The Healer scoffed. "You know more than you think, boy. You met Shazier."
Cole turned to him, frowning.
"I did?"
"You just knew him by a different name." The Old Oni shoved a few more records away. "The Iron Baron."
Cole looked at him in surprise.
"His name wasn't actually Iron Baron?"
The Healer scoffed again, shaking his head at Cole like he was an idiot.
"Course his name wasn't "Iron Baron"….what kind of people would name their kid that?"
"Why change it?" Cole picked up the last of the scrolls and placed them in the final cubby. The Healer looked over, regarding him with another unreadable expression.
"Shazier wanted people to respect him, fear him, so he gave himself a name to fit his cruel personality. Names got power, kid!" The Healer was getting closer to him, and Cole took a step back, not really sure what the old guy was getting at.
"Take your name." The Healer reached out a gnarled finger. "Cole…Rock. Sturdy, reliable, stubborn…" he gave Cole a firm jab with each word and the ninja pushed the Healer's hand away as the Ancient Oni continued. "Unassuming, but foundational. People build off of you, kid…they're gonna continue to build off of you…"
Cole swallowed, rubbing the spot the Healer had jabbed.
"Gee…is that a compliment, or my horoscope?"
"Joke all you want, but you remember that names got power. They got meaning. Understood?"
The Healer's tone had become stern and intense and Cole finally nodded.
"Good." The ancient Oni went to walk away.
"What's your name?"
The Healer froze at Cole's question. He finally chuckled softly.
"Nice try, kid…"
Cole dusted himself off.
"Well, what am I supposed to call you? Healer? Old guy?"
The Healer turned and looked at him with twinkling eyes.
"You can call me Master Healer…"
Cole shook his head. "I'm not calling you that."
The Healer sighed and then chuckled with a shrug.
"The disrespect…." He thought for a few minutes. "You can call me Phos, then."
"Phos? That's your name?"
"No." Phos said. "But it's what you may call me."
Cole just stared at him for a few moments. The longer he spent with this guy, the more convinced he was that this Healer was insane. But he just nodded and Phos turned to busy himself with another pile.
Cole turned back to the scrolls, a sudden idea hitting home.
"Can I take one of these?"
Phos turned and raised an eyebrow.
"You mean one of the ancient, priceless records that cannot be found anywhere else? You want me just to give it to you?" He finally shrugged. "Sure…why not?"
Cole blinked.
"If you don't want me to…"
"Nah, knock yourself out. What do I care?"
"Well…thanks." Cole studied the scrolls and chose a small one before tucking it into his belt. He glanced over at Dorhn, who was still out cold.
"Phos…"
"What do you want now?" the Healer asked, obviously annoyed. Cole glanced at the guard one last time before continuing.
"Syn…the little slave girl…she's got a brother. He's at the fortress, but he can't really stay there…." Cole's heart was pounding; he didn't know why he was trusting the Healer with this, but for some reason, despite being completely crazy, Cole didn't feel like Phos was actually threatening.
"Course not…" Phos said, his voice suddenly low. "The others wouldn't understand, would they? It's been so long, they only know how to fear the power that used to be our heritage…"
Cole fell silent, not sure how the Healer kept doing that. Phos straightened, looking over calmly.
"Sure, bring him here. I can always use another free slave, can't I?"
"I…"
"Well, where else would you take him?" Phos cut in, hearing the hesitation in Cole's tone. "With your good friend the Dragon Master? I'm sure the Dragons will love having a volatile Oni-powered child in the middle of their camp. Can't see anything going wrong with that at all…"
Cole sighed, still unsure. He had thought of taking Hersh to Wu…but it made sense that the situation could get out of hand quickly. Phos regarded him with a knowing look.
"You're afraid I'll use him, because of his power," he muttered, once again hitting the point exactly. Cole didn't answer and the Healer shook his head.
"I wouldn't need to…" he said, and Cole stepped back in surprise as the Healer's eyes flashed purple.
"What…"
"It's up to you, kid. Do what you want…but I should warn you that your behemoth is going to be waking up shortly and will more than likely want to leave." His tone had gone back to 'irritated-senile' and he gestured to the scroll in Cole's belt. "Don't lose that, you hear? I expect that back next time you come."
Dorhn suddenly let out a groan and Cole swore Phos gave him a quick wink before disappearing around the corner into the back of the large tent.
"Wha…what happened?" The guard asked grumpily, and Cole sighed.
"You got bored and fell asleep, Dorhn. But it's time to head back."
11
Villagers were leaving the Fortress in droves as the Guardian flew overhead. Some of them recognized Cole; some of the children even waved. Many others cursed at them or scurried away, not sure what the Dragon rider's intentions were. Cole landed and headed into the fortress with his bodyguard hot on his heels. He hadn't gotten far when Heavy Metal stepped into the way. Cole resisted the urge to groan in annoyance…but just barely.
"We need to talk." the scarred Captain said.
"Do we? I feel like we just had a talk, not too…"
"Now."
Cole sighed and grudgingly followed Heavy Metal into a room. Heavy Metal dismissed Dorhn and then closed the door. Cole took a seat, looking at him in annoyance.
Heavy Metal finally turned, looking at Cole with an unsure expression.
"You're scaring people," Heavy Metal finally said, and Cole gave a start.
"What…I'm scaring people?"
Heavy Metal sat and sighed. "You are too volatile…too unpredictable, and it's making…"
"You're calling me volatile?!" Cole asked, leaning forward in disbelief. "I'm in a realm of dragon and Oni… I'm like the least volatile thing here!"
"You don't answer to anyone, and that makes people not trust you." Heavy Metal cut in, his tone making it clear he did not want to be interrupted again. Cole frowned but shut his mouth, allowing the Captain of the Guard to get to his point.
"I had hoped your stay wouldn't stretch this long…it's not normal for an outsider to be so close with the ruler. But Keyda has also made it clear she has no intentions of having you leave." Heavy Metal scratched his chin, regarding the boy in front of him. "So let me make myself clear…having you here has put her in more danger than anything else could have done."
"How?" Cole snapped, defensive.
"Don't take my word for it, lad; think about it. She led this nation for three months with no incidents against her life…and now a few weeks into having you here a leader of an entire area of the nation felt the need to organize an assassination attempt. You're influencing her to make changes and its rubbing too many people wrong…and they're all the wrong people to have on your bad side…"
"The realm has already changed…it has to change; it's not my fault!" Cole pointed out. "Change is inevitable at this point…"
"Course it is." Heavy Metal said. "But you're going about it the way you seem to go about everything…blasting and swinging." He shook his head. "Dorhn is assigned to follow you everywhere, and I'm sure you've picked up by this point that this measure is less about protecting you as it is making sure you are staying in line…"
"Yeah, you know, I have been feeling pretty controlled lately," Cole said bitterly, and Heavy Metal put his hands up.
"I know you don't like it…but it's necessary. The Oni need to know that you don't have the power to just do whatever you want. They are used to knowing their place, to knowing the place of those around them…but you don't seem to fit anywhere in our hierarchy and that frightens them, making them angry. Warrack tried having you killed to solve the problem, but he failed. Next thing you know Keyda's threatening the whole council…and he certainly felt threatened." Heavy Metal paused a moment before continuing. "There are people in this realm that would rather see the both of you dead than have any more of your changes erected that could threaten their positions. The execution today should help to convince people not to plot against you, but if you keep on attacking important parts of our culture, than people aren't just going to kill you…they're going to kill her."
Cole was silent as he glowered, thinking about what Heavy Metal was saying. After a few minutes he spoke.
"So…I should just go back to wandering aimlessly around the fortress with no purpose?"
Heavy Metal thought about it.
"You could continue your visits to the villages, but you'd have to follow rules; you couldn't do anything major without speaking with us first. Your little projects…walls and wells and the like…should be fine as long as you no longer involve Keyda directly." He paused. "But the way you treat slaves is unexceptable. If you try to get rid of the hierarchy, you will lead this nation into anarchy and they'll destroy you just for trying."
Cole didn't answer, glaring at the ground as the Captain of the Guard continued.
"Just try to fit in…let Dorhn follow you around, follow the rules of the hierarchy, and for ancient's sake, stop acting so romantic with…"
"I'm not part of your hierarchy…and if people need my help, I'm going to give it to them, slave or not." Cole said firmly, standing to go. "And I'm not going to pretend that I'm not in love with Keyda…because I am. I'm not going to hide that." He walked to the door, making it clear that their conversation was over.
"All the same, you need to be careful." Heavy Metal said as Cole turned the handle. "Don't forget…you already almost got her killed this week…"
Cole slammed the door behind him, and paused a second outside the room to run a hand through his hair, feeling both irate and nauseous. After a few minutes he was able to calm down enough that he felt that he could go talk to Keyda, and he headed down the hall to her office.
"Keyds?"
Cole had knocked but there was no answer. Now he slowly pushed the door open and saw her at her desk, he head in her hands.
"Are you ok?" he asked, entering the room. She looked up at him and sighed. He came around the desk and she stood and hugged him. He blinked in surprise and hugged her back.
"How was it?" he asked quietly.
"Awful. I'm glad you weren't there." she mumbled. She looked up at him. "How's Syn? Is she…?"
"She pulled through." Cole said with a smile. He moved some hair out of her face as she sighed, relieved. He cleared his throat. "But…but I kinda gave her to the healer…"
"Gave?" she asked, eyebrow raised. Cole sighed.
"With everything that happened to her, I don't think she would be able to cope coming back here. She basically begged me to let her stay there …"
"But…" Keyda glanced around and lowered her voice. "But Hershel."
"About that…" Cole smiled sheepishly. "I think we can let him go with the Healer as well…I mean, Phos seemed to be ok with it and the more that I…"
"Phos? Who the heck is Phos?"
"Oh. That's the Healer's name…well, not name…" he trailed off. "That guy's got a weird attachment to names, to be honest…"
"Cole!" Keyda said, bringing him back to the topic. "We can't just send Hershel to a random place…not the way he is. I thought we were going to send him to be with Wu until we could get him the vengestone…"
"It would cause a lot of grief, Keyds…just think of all that power in the midst of the Dragons…"
"But we can't just trust this healer! I still can't believe you trusted Syn with him…"
"Hey, Keyds…" Cole rubbed her arms as she started panicking. "It's going to be ok…the more I think about it, the more I know that this is going to work out."
She was silent for a few minutes.
"He can't just stay here, locked in his room," Cole urged. "Dorhn is already annoyed with how long he's been in there. In his opinion, Hershel should have gotten over everything within the day and gotten back to work. Keyds, this may be the only thing we can do to help Hersh until we get that vengestone. If he gets discovered here…"
Keyda bit her lip.
"I know…I know." She sighed. "Ok, let's go tell him, and then we can take him to the Healer…"
She went to leave but Cole put a hand out to stop her. She gave him a weird look and noticed he looked really conflicted.
"What's wrong?"
"Well….I…I think it may be best if I go. By myself."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"I…" he stopped, clearing his throat. "I don't want people seeing you running around with slaves, Keyds…"
She stared at him in shock and folded her arms. "What they heck has gotten into you?"
"Nothing." Cole said, giving her a little smile. "But…this is just something I need to do."
She shook her head, not understanding. He bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You need rest…it's been a long day, and you still aren't totally better from that sickness…"
She wanted to argue more, but she was feeling pretty worn out, and she knew he was right about the sickness.
"Fine, Idiot. Have it your way." She reached up and touched his face. "Come fill me in when you get back, ok?"
"Sounds like a plan." He gave her a quick kiss and then headed out the door, closing it gently behind him. She shook her head; something was up, but she was too worn out to try to figure out what.
Dorhn still hadn't met back up with Cole, and the ninja was hoping to get out of the fortress with Hershel before that happened. No doubt his bodyguard would be angry, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Cole started to push open the door to Hershel's room, but a force suddenly slammed into it and forced the door closed. Cole blinked in surprise.
"Hersh?"
"Go away."
Cole tried to open the door, but was surprised to find it locked.
"Hersh….you need to open the door…"
"I said…"
"Do I need to knock it off its hinges?!" Cole asked, voice rising slightly. "Because I will. Open the door, Hershel."
There was a moment of silence, and then Cole heard the lock click. He sighed and pushed the door open. He caught sight of the room and his jaw dropped.
"Oh…Hersh…"
Burn marks covered the walls, and the two mats were riddled with large holes. Hersh was in one corner, glaring at Cole.
"It's getting worse and worse…" he said. "You need to leave…I'll hurt you."
"You're not going to hurt me, Hersh…" Cole said gently, approaching slowly. "It's going…"
"Keyda loves you, and she still hurt you." Hershel spat. "You don't have any idea what it's like…having this inside of you…"
"You're right, I don't…" Cole was kneeling in front of him now. "Hersh, I came to tell you that Syn's ok. She pulled through, she's going to be fine."
Hershel looked up at him in surprise, and then his shoulders began shaking as he started crying in relief. Cole hushed him, pulling him close.
"We have to get you out of here, Hersh…"
"And go where?!" Hershel asked, looking up at him with hopeless eyes. "There's nowhere to go…the guards were banging on the door this afternoon, threatening…" He trailed off with a whimper. "If it weren't for the execution, they would have taken the time to drag me out. They said they would send someone tonight to teach me a lesson…"
"I'm going to take you to where Syn is." Cole interrupted, though the news that someone would be coming soon made everything feel more urgent.
"Where is she? Why? Why didn't you bring her back…"
"I left her with the healer; she didn't want to come back. But you're going to go there too Hersh…Phos will help you…"
Hershel looked at him and then shook his head.
"No…no there is no healer, is there?! Syn is dead, that's why you didn't bring her with you…"
To Cole's horror aura began whipping around the small boy as he pushed Cole away.
"You're taking me somewhere to kill me…you're trying to get rid of me….because I'm like this!"
"NO, Hershel, I'm trying to…"
"GO AWAY!"
A blast flew out and hit Cole straight on, knocking him backwards. He winced but pushed himself back up.
"Hershel, I told you that you can trust me, and I didn't lie. I promise you that Syn is ok…I really am just trying to…"
"Why should I believe you!?" Hershel yelled, eyes flashing. "The Baron said things too…promised things too. Everyone lies, everyone just uses us…and you're no different!"
Hershel stood and Cole stood slowly as well, putting his hands out in a defensive way. If Hershel kept yelling, he was going attract attention…
"Hersh, please… I know you're scared…but remember what we talked about?"
Hershel just glared, aura swirling around the room. Cole swallowed, mouth dry.
"We can't help being scared…but we do get to decide what we do about it. It doesn't feel like you have control, but you still get to decide what you do. If you keep this up, you are going to be discovered, and I won't be able to help you."
"There is no way that I won't be discovered!" Hershel spat. "I can't hide this! I can't even stay in my room all day without destroying things!"
"Syn needs you, Hersh." Cole said quietly, and Hershel's glower lessened slightly. "What is she going to do if something happens to you? You need to come with me now, before that guard gets here."
The aura was dwindling, but orbs still sphered the teen's fists.
"I know you don't feel like you can trust anyone…like you're alone. But I'm telling you, you can trust me. But you have to decide to do that…"
A minute dragged by, then another. Hershel finally lowered his fists; his eyes faded back to brown and he started falling sideways, exhausted. Cole lurched forward, catching his small frame before he hit the floor.
"You're ok…you're ok, Hersh…" he said, helping Hershel back to his feet. The small slave blinked up at him, dazed. Cole pulled one of the teen's arms around his shoulders, supporting him as they stood.
"We just need to get outside to my dragon, ok?" he said, and Hershel nodded, still tired. They made their way down the hallways. In all Cole's explorations, he had discovered a few rarely used passages. They took longer to navigate as they wound through the fortress, but they were lightly trafficked.
They finally made it outside into the darkness, and Cole called out to the Guardian in his mind.
"Cole!"
Cole froze, closing his eyes at Dorhn's voice. The bodyguard started coming towards them, and he felt Hershel start to shake.
"It's ok Hersh…deep breaths…just stay calm…" he whispered, praying that Hershel would stay calm, praying that the Guardian heard him and was on his way.
"Cole!" Dorhn was nearly on them when the Guardian swooped down and landed in front of Cole. The Master of Earth sagged in relief as he helped Hershel up onto the Guardian's back. Dorhn grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around.
"What are you doing!?" He asked, leering down at him with his massive frame.
"Dorhn…"
"You have been avoiding me all afternoon, and now I catch you out here, sneaking off into the night with another slave child…"
Cole glanced up at Hershel. He knew the kid was scared; he was going to be exposed if they waited here any longer. Cole quickly moved to board the Dragon, but his guard grabbed his arm.
"You aren't going anywhere…" he said, and Cole stiffened.
"Let go," he said, voice deadly soft.
"You aren't allowed to go anywhere after dark…and you certainly aren't allowed to go anywhere without me…"
His grip tightened, and Cole's arm began to glow. Dorhn noticed it and leaned in to hiss.
"You need to learn how to pick your battles, outsider…what do you think will happen if you attack me?"
Cole was literally shaking with fury and the desire to beat some sense into his bodyguard. But he could almost feel Hershel's anxiety…plus if he tried to free himself now Dorhn would make it a full blown fight. Cole knew he could win; especially with his Guardian on his side. But his guard was right; an outsider and a Dragon beating up a dragon master? It would only make everything worse. Not to mention that Hershel would undoubtedly react…
"Get off the dragon, slave." Dorhn's voice was threatening and Cole swallowed. He looked over at his Guardian and sent a voiceless command.
The Dragon took to the sky suddenly, and Hershel cried out as he hung on for dear life. Dorhn let out a snarl as he shook Cole by the arm.
"Where's the beast taking it?"
"Ah, Dragons…" Cole said, shaking his head. "Sometimes, they just got a mind of their own…"
Dorhn glared.
"Don't think for a second you've got me fooled. You've been doing this too long…going where you please, ignoring direct orders…"
"You need to let go now." Cole said again, but Dorhn shook his head.
"I've got orders for when you behave like this, Outsider…" He began yanking Cole back to the fortress with his Iron grip, and Cole began to power up once again.
"Don't even think about it…you'll only make things worse for yourself." Dorhn said. Cole debated whether it was worth it…but Heavy Metal's last words to him kept playing in his head. He felt so frustrated; he hated it, but he couldn't risk giving Keyda anymore negative limelight. He knew that Dorhn couldn't hurt him; Keyda would murder him. So he grit his teeth and decided to just wait out whatever this punishment was. The important thing was that Hershel got away…He just had to hope that everything would go well getting the kid to Phos. He closed his eyes, not wanting to imagine what would happen if Hershel exposed himself in front of the village before making it to the healer's tent. He would just have to hope….
Dorhn yanked him down a set of stairs, and Cole bristled as he realized that they were heading down to the dungeons. Seriously?! He was going to lock him up?! Cole's pride made him try to yank out of the Guard's grasp, but Dorhn continued to pull him along. He came up to one of the dungeon cells and threw open the door. Cole glared at him, but the dragon master's face was stony.
"You can spend the night in here, and tomorrow we can figure out what to do with you and your thieving…"
"What are you talking about?" Cole spat, and Dorhn's eyes narrowed.
"You've stolen two slaves from the fortress now…that makes you a thief. You may think that you have some kind of immunity because of how Keyda feels about you, but there are still laws, and you will still be kept accountable for your actions."
Cole glanced at the cell. Seeing the familiar layout with the wall-cuffs and chains suddenly took him back to months ago, when he had been tortured in an identical place. The memory made him balk, and he pushed backwards against the guard. Dorhn wasted no time throwing him forward into the cell, slamming the door closed as he locked it. Cole pushed himself up off the cold moist rocks, still shaking with fury. He wanted to blow that door off his hinges; it couldn't hold him here. Nothing could. He powered up his earth punch, about to carry out his escape, but he froze right before hitting the door. He let out an angry exhale as he allowed his earth punch die down. They wanted him to react like that; to prove that he was a threat to their way of life…someone who believed themselves above the system. He had freed Hershel; he wasn't going to apologize for that. But he could wait out this consequence for that action. He had no doubt Keyda would be furious at this; he knew that they couldn't keep him here, and he knew that they knew it as well. They just wanted as many reasons as possible to prosecute him….they were pushing him, trying to find his limits until he did something unforgivable. He moved to a corner of the cell, slowly falling into a sitting position, his head up against the stone walls. Well, they wouldn't break him tonight.
He closed his eyes and tried to block out the memories that kept trying to force themselves to the forefront of his mind.
12
The beating of Dragon wings woke the Healer in the night. It took him a few minutes to get up from his place on his sleeping mat; he hated how rickety and creaky he was getting. He moved silently to the front of the tent and pushed away the door flap. A large dragon came in for a landing; the Healer scratched his chin as he caught sight of the small figure on the back, glowing in terror. The dragon eyed him and the Healer chuckled.
"You making deliveries now?" he asked softly, and the Guardian narrowed its eyes. The boy was still clinging to its back, whimpering softly.
"Eh…boy!" the Healer called, just loud enough for the child to hear. The figure turned to face him and the Healer beckoned for him to dismount.
"You must be the one Cole told me about…hurry and get off of there; we don't want to attract too much attention…"
At the sound of Cole's name, the boy relaxed slightly, but he didn't move to get off the dragon. The Healer squinted up at him.
"Where is that yellow-skinned softie, anyways?"
"He got caught...and the dragon left without him…" came the timid reply. Phos shook his head.
"Eh, that kid…gives me the impression he's always in trouble one way or another…"
"Hershel!"
The call came from behind Phos, and the Healer turned to see the small slave girl come running out of the tent.
"Syn…" the boy's response was hardly a whisper, and he slid off the Dragon. She ran up to him and he knelt so he could check her over, studying the bandage job around her middle.
"Are you ok?" he asked, tone serious, and she nodded.
"Get inside, you too…quit making a scene." Phos snapped, glancing around. "You're both utterly hopeless at discretion… get in there!"
They glanced up and then hurried to dash back into the tent. Phos shook his head as if he was annoyed and turned back to the guardian.
"Looks like we both got our work cut out for us, eh?"
Keyda stared down that the gathered crowds, wishing that the execution was already over. She had been to so many over the years…but she had always been in the crowd, not up lauding over it like it was some triumph. The men that had plotted and attacked her deserved to die; she had no qualms about that. They could have killed her, or Cole…they did hurt Syn, even though the small child hardly posed any threat to them and their plans. Yes, this punishment was fair…it was justified. But glorifying over their deaths in this way…
A cheer erupted from the crowd as two dragon masters dragged a figure out of the fortress and towards the makeshift stage. There was a black bag over his head, and he stumbled and fought as they dragged him over to the Head block and forced him to kneel. Oni sneered and screamed and children threw stones and debris. Keyda closed her eyes, collecting her thoughts before turning to Heavy Metal to give the order.
"What an occasion."
Keyda froze in fear and disbelief. Her Captain of the Guard had been replaced by the Baron, who gazed out over the crowd with his ever-present look of amusement.
She went to back up, to run, but she could only stare as he turned to face her.
"You can't leave now, dear Keyda…the fun has only just begun…"
She found herself frozen in place next to him, and she wished she could curse, or run, or attack! But she could only stand, unmoving, still staring down at the stage. The yells and jeers seemed to dull while time slowed down. A bead of sweat trickled down her neck and back in the blazing heat, but she felt cold.
"Isn't it so justifying seeing people get the fate they deserve?" the Baron asked, his tone light and conversational. There were things Keyda wished she could scream back at him, but she couldn't speak any more than she could move. He smiled at her, condescending and proud, and she watched as the dragon masters finally forced the figure on the stage to be still, neck exposed as the executioner lifted the sharpened ax.
"Ah yes…we must punish the guilty, mustn't we?" The Baron lifted a gloved hand, signaling to the executioner. One of the dragon masters ripped the black bag off the figure's head. Keyda's eyes widened in horror as the captive looked up to meet her gaze with a look of terror. She finally managed to scream as the ax swung down to Cole's exposed neck.
She bolted awake drenched in sweat, and as the terror faded she was aware of the aura ripping around her. Her breaths came in horrified gasps, and she closed her eyes, trying to force her heart to stop beating so fast.
It wasn't real, it wasn't real, it isn't real….
After what felt like too long, the aural storm finally seemed to slow and fade and she escaped her bed, tossing the sheets off of herself as she hurried to the small basin and water pump in a conjoining room. She splashed the freezing water on her face, gasping as it woke her up more fully. She stood there for a while, leaning heavily on her hands as she gripped the edges of the basin.
Daylight eventually made its way through the window and there was a knock at the door. Keyda finished re-weaving the chunk of hair she always kept braided, and headed to open the door. Without Hershel or Syn, she was doing so herself nowadays. She frowned as she thought of Hershel; Cole had never come to report…
The door revealed Heavy Metal, and she could tell by his expression that he had more bad news. She sighed and opened the door more fully so he could enter.
"What now?"
Heavy Metal was silent as he stared at her, and she narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"We caught a thief, early this morning."
Keyda frowned, not sure why this warranted an early morning visit.
"A thief? Where are they now?"
"They were apprehended and put in the dungeon until I could talk to you about punishment." Heavy Metal said, and Keyda sat in an armchair, annoyed that he felt the need to bother her with these matters before they even had a chance to get ready for the day.
"Well, what did they steal?"
"Slaves…two young slaves."
Keyda stared at him, still not comprehending, and Heavy Metal continued.
"The first was actually taken a few days ago…but last night the theif was stopped in the middle of smuggling the other out of the fortress…on the back of his dragon…"
It finally clicked and Keyda stood, furious.
"You locked Cole in the dungeon?!" She immediately began moving towards the door, but the scarred captain stepped in her way, blocking her path. She gave him a murderous look.
"Out of my way…"
"Keyda. You can't keep giving him special treatment; he stole from the fortress and he must be punished…"
"Punished?" she spat, her eyes flashing.
"He can't be treated as above the law any longer; he needs to be held accountable. You know the punishment for stealing…."
Heavy Metal was pinned against the door before he could finish the sentence.
"You wouldn't dare…" she murmured, her fists glowing. Despite the Hatred targeting him, Heavy Metal was surprisingly calm.
"You're right lass…I wouldn't; I know you'd kill me before I even had the chance to try to chop one of his hands off…but don't you see? Word is going to get out, Keyda; his free reign is the reason that Warrack tried to kill you…"
"You don't know that." Keyda said, not releasing him. She thought a moment longer before speaking again. "Besides…he didn't steal those slaves."
Heavy Metal narrowed his eyes as she continued.
"The slaves were payment…to the Healer…"
"For what?" the Captain's tone made it clear he didn't believe her.
"You're the one who said that no one could know that I was sick…that I needed to get better as soon as possible. Cole went and got medicine from the Healer, and as payment I promised him my two personal slaves. They're only children…and traumatized children at that. Are you saying that you would have rather had me pay out of the treasury instead of using two basically worthless slaves as payment?"
He scoffed.
"I know you're lying, Keyda…"
"You can't prove that…" she said, and then raised an eyebrow. "What's the punishment for lying, anyways? Are you going to cut out my tongue?"
Heavy Metal just glared, and Keyda finally released him, knowing she had won this round. He rubbed his neck and shook his head.
"Even if that was true…he broke his curfew and resisted arrest…"
"I certainly hope so." Keyda cut in bitterly, but Heavy Metal continued.
"Tried to run from his handler…even without the stealing charge, I'll still have to give him three days imprisonment at the very least,"
"Absolutely not." She shoved past him and finally got through the doorway.
"Keyda!" He sounded exasperated, but she ignored him as she wound through the halls towards the dungeons. The closer she got, the more furious she became. How dare they…
She threw open the door to the dungeon, and the guards stood erect as they caught sight of her glowing eyes. She spotted Dorhn outside one of the cells and her fists clenched.
"Open the door." She ordered as she reached him, and the dragon master hesitated. She glared at him.
"Now."
Dorhn turned and put the key into the lock and Keyda had thrown open the door before the guard even had the chance to. It took her a few moments to locate the figure in black among the shadows of the cell. She marched over and knelt down in front of him, reaching out to touch his arm. He woke with a start and she frowned at how cold his skin felt. He blinked at her, and she swallowed.
"Did they hurt you?"
Her tone was low and threatening, though Cole knew it wasn't geared towards him. He sat up blearily and shook his head.
"Nah, I'm fine….just…just reliving old times."
She shook her head and helped him to his feet. "Let's get you out of here…"
"Keyds…" Cole didn't follow her to the open cell door and she turned, confused and angry.
"What?!"
He hesitated, as if trying to think of what to say. Her frown deepened; there was that look again; what was going on with him?!
"I…I don't want you to involve yourself in this…"
She stared at him, incredulous.
"Well, I'm involved. So you don't have to…"
"I'm serious," he cut in, and she threw her arms up.
"So am I! What is up with you?! It's like, like you've…" she trailed off as she saw his expression and scoffed. She took a step closer, raising her voice.
"Are we a team!?"
He blinked in surprise. "What?"
"A team…remember that? That was you who said that…" She took another step forward, her eyes flashing. "Did you mean it, or not?!"
He swallowed. "Of course I meant it…"
"Then why are you suddenly acting like you're in this alone?!"
He met her angry gaze, but didn't look like he had enough energy to fight back.
"I know I'm not in this alone, Keyds…but…"
"But what?!"
"But I don't mind paying the consequences, if it means that people will stop targeting you!" Cole finally snapped.
"What are you talking about, Idiot? Warrack's attack had nothing to do with you…"
"Are you sure about that?" Cole demanded. "Because if anything ever happened to you, and there was something I could have done differently to stop it…"
"So, what? You're just going to give up?! Let Heavy Metal and Dorhn and whoever else push you around and lock you up because you're scared someone might react badly if you stand up for yourself?!" she asked angrily. "Since when do you give in to bullies?!"
He clenched his jaw, looking away.
"This is different Keyds. I did something that was against the law. I don't regret it…but if I keep skirting around the consequences, people are only going to get angrier…"
She shook her head. "If I say that you're above the law, then you're above the law, Cole!"
"That's the problem!" he retorted. "I can't be above the law…not anymore. Keyda you know it's not gonna kill me to sit in here a few more days, and if it helps for all of this to blow over…"
"I can't believe you're just gonna roll over and take it! I keep you in your room for an hour and you run off, but Heavy Metal can put you in the dungeon overnight and…"
Cole grabbed her arms and she stopped talking, though she still shook with anger.
"Keyds…I'm not going to let them hurt me…or keep me here forever. But I can sit in here a few days; will you just let me do that? To keep you safe?"
"It won't make any difference!" she spat, but he shook his head.
"But it might." He came closer and she continued to glare at him. "I want to keep trying to make a difference here…but…but I've realized that might mean I need to start following a few of their rules."
"You're an Idiot." she said, still angry, and he dropped her arms. She folded them, fixing him with a disgusted look.
"You wanna stay down here? Fine. I told you a while ago you were free to do what you wanted." she said acidly. She turned to go and then glanced back before leaving. "But I guess with you down here, someone else is going to have to do your job for you…it's been awhile since I got to do some village visits…"
"Keyds, no. Don't go out there, not so close to…"
"You're not the only one who still wants to make a difference," she said angrily, and the cell door slammed closed. She went to walk back out of the dungeons, but turned to talk to Dorhn before she left. She fixed him with a murderous look, though his calm face didn't betray any reaction.
"If you ever lay a hand on him again…I will destroy you personally," she hissed. She saw a flicker of something break his stony mask, and then she was gone.
Heavy Metal was against it as well, but she couldn't care less at this point. She knew she wasn't going to make it far just on foot, so she decided she'd visit the healer's village to see how Hershel and Syn were getting along. She realized she still wasn't even sure if Hershel had made it…she had been so mad at Cole she had forgotten to ask.
She reached the Healer's village a little past midday, and she ignored the villagers' strange looks as she headed towards the Healer's tent. As she pushed herself through the door flap the first thing she saw was Syn, dusting a shelf of glass bottles.
"Syn!"
The girl jumped and knocked one of the bottles off the shelf, barely able to catch it in time. She whirled around, her eyes wide with fear.
"I…I…."
Keyda came in to get a better look at her, and frowned when she realized the small child was trembling.
"What's wrong?"
"She's fine." A raspy voice cut in and Keyda turned to see an Ancient Oni sitting in a chair, nearly completely hidden by piles of junk. "She's just terrified that you've come here to drag her back to the fortress with you…"
He looked the same as he had all those years ago, when Heavy Metal had dragged her here.
"Of course I'm not going to take her back." Keyda snapped. She looked around the room and her frown deepened. "Where's Hershel? Did he make it here?"
"I'm here." A timid voice cut in, and he appeared in the front of the tent from a room in the back. She sighed in relief at seeing him safe, but like his sister, his expression was wary and unsure.
"Is…is Cole ok?" he finally asked, and she clenched her fist.
"Oh yeah, he's fine…"
"I didn't mean to leave him!" Hershel said, voice rising. "I mean, the big guy just grabbed him…and then the dragon took off…I…"
"I know it's not your fault, Hershel," Keyda interjected, forcing her tone to be more gentle. "Cole's just being an Idiot. I'm only here because I wanted to make sure you made it ok…"
"Of course," the old Healer cut in. "The Ruler just popping by to make sure the runaway slave made it ok to his hideout…"
"He's not a runaway," she snapped. "As far as everyone is aware, I gave you both of them in payment for services rendered."
"Ah…" the Ancient Oni raised an eyebrow. "And which services would those be?"
She fell silent and he studied her face, taking in the dark circles under her eyes.
"Either he didn't give you the tea…or you haven't been using it," he finally said, and she bristled. Cole had in fact given her the small jar full of flowers…but she couldn't bring herself to use it. This Healer may have saved her once, but that didn't mean she just trusted him.
"I don't need it," she said stiffly, and he let out a raspy chuckle.
"No…you don't." he agreed, giving her a strange look. "What you need to do is learn how to control your powers."
She swallowed at his tone, but scoffed. "And I suppose you're some kind of expert?" she asked angrily.
He smiled and she stiffened as she swore his eyes flashed purple.
"Just a bit." he admitted. He turned back to the scroll he was reading, scratching his chin. "Come back sometime with that Idiot of yours and I'll teach ya, if you'd like…"
She just stared at him and he glanced up with a wink.
"Hey, your words, not mine."
She turned away from him, looking back towards Syn and Hershel. They both looked well enough. She finally turned back to the Healer, ignoring his earlier offer.
"I expect you to treat them well…if anything happens to them…"
"Shoo, girl. I don't have time for your paranoia." the Healer snapped, once again engrossed in his scroll. She blinked and swore she heard Syn giggle. She shot the child a glare and Syn hurried to stifle her laughter. She had come to make sure they were both ok, and she had done so. She turned and left the tent without another word.