A/N *sigh* Finally, that took a lot longer than I thought it was going to. I had this whole chapter all written and was halfway done with typing... actually I think I was done typing it. Anyways I was writing the next chapter when the "Little Plot Bunny" came hopping along and made me change half of this chapter. Oh well it's here and it's done. I hope you enjoy it. "D
Chapter 3: His Secret
Abby blinked. Where did Kai go? He had put her in Star's stall and then had left. She remembered hearing feet shuffling around and some banging. Now though, it was completely silent in the barn. The smell of smoke had grown stronger and she found herself wondering what was on fire.
Carefully, she got to her feet and crept to the door. Peeking through the door she saw a man striking Kai to the ground. He laid there for a moment curled up in an all. The man that had knocked him down grabbed him by the hair and forced him to stand. For a moment they had a glaring contest until the man knocked him down again.
Looking behind them she saw her home on fire. That's when her ears picked up the sound of muffled screams from inside. No, there was no way her parents were in there! A soldier stepped in front of the barn door, blocking her view. The hilt of his sword gleaming in the fire's light.
Before she could stop herself she had burst through the doors and snatched the man's sword. She sung the blade from side to side to keep the others at bay. In no time she was standing by Kai. Some of the men laughed when they got a better look at her.
She only glared at them, trying to be strong. The weight of the sword felt so heavy in her hands. How did they make it look so easy? All she wanted to do was drop the weapon and run, but something inside compelled her to stand strong. So instead she gritted her teeth and tried to look as mean as she could.
"Now, now, little girl, put that thing down. We don't want you to get hurt," their Captain said in a mocking tone. He took a step closer.
She swung the sward. "Stay back! Or I'll cut you into pieces!" she yelled, hoping to sound tough. He merely laughed, so much for that working.
"Right, you're just a little girl," he teased, taking another step towards them.
She began to shake. "I'm warning you."
She felt a presence behind her. Before she could react she a gentle hand pried her grip from the sword and took it in their own. Warm breath touched her cheek.
"Thanks Abby, I got this," Kai whispered in her ear.
He then stepped in front of her and got into a fighting stance. With a snap of the Captain's fingers two of his men drew their swords. Kai ignored them and went straight for the Captain. The older man dodged Kai's first strike, and the second, and their third. The forth time Kai attacked he made a deep gash in the Captain's right arm. He screamed. The two soldiers that had been cautiously approaching him froze for a second. A second was all that he needed. In a flash he had knocked the two down.
"Let's go!" he hollered, snatching Abby's hand.
They ran past the fallen soldiers and headed towards the wheat field. What had he done? They could be arrested for attacking an officer! She could hear the soldiers chasing after them. As they drew closer to the field the smell of smoke grew stronger. The field, it was on fire! They were going to be trapped!
Kai didn't stop running though, he just kept charging forward. To their left there was an opening in the blaze. They raced for that spot. It was their only hope. As they drew nearer she could see that their opening was very small. He eyes squinted on their own accord as they ran though. They were inside the inferno now.
Sweat already dripped down her face, stinging her eyes. Kai never stopped running though, constantly dragging her behind. She couldn't hear the soldiers' perusing anymore. Had they stopped chasing them? She craned her neck to look back. There was nothing but flames behind them. The way that they had come was consumed by the fire.
All of a sudden she was falling. Instinctively, Abby ripped her hand free from Kai's to try and right herself. She was falling, failing, right into the raging blaze. Kai shoved her while using himself as a shield. Holding her breath, she anticipated the screams that would come next. He didn't scream. Before she knew what was happening they were running again.
After some time of racing though the fiery maze they found the way out. He didn't stopped there either, just kept striding forward. They were in an orchard now. She knew this place. It was near the abandoned farm where Old Otaku used to live. No one would think of looking there for them.
"Kai stop," she cried, putting on the brakes. "I know a place to hide."
He nodded allowing her to pull him in the direction. The old shanty wasn't too far. It was evident that no one had lived there for years. The wild flowers had overtaken the placing, sprouting between cracks in the wall while ivy clung to the walls climbing all the way to the roof. No one would find them here. With the forest so close and Old Otaku's apple trees all around the shanty was practically invisible from the road.
"Are you sure it's safe here?" he asked, pushing the door open.
"Yes, you can't see this place from the road and only the villagers would know of this place," she assured him, "and no one wants to help the King's men around these parts."
The inside was just as bad as the outside. The place had long ago been ransacked of all its valuables. There were a few things laying around here and there but Abby paid them no mind. Kai went into the bedroom. A few moments later he came back out with a holey blanket. He tossed it at her, landing on her head.
"Get some rest. We will leave once the moon rises," he told her, making it sound more like a command rather than a request.
"Leave? Where are we going?" she questioned. "We can't leave Baybrook."
"Well we certainly can't stay here."
"I told you no one will find us here. We can stay here until morning and then head back home. We should see what the damage has been done. Pa will want to start rebuilding-"
"Abby, we both saw what happened. There is nothing to go back to."
"The barn is still intact when we left. All the animals will be alright, that is if they didn't get loose. Pa will be really upset then. The crops burned and the milking cows gone astray, we'd have troubling lasting the winter." She was rambling now. She knew she was but if she stopped talking she would have to stop and think about what Kai was actually saying. "We have to go back."
Kai sighed and leaned forward so they look each other in the eyes. "Abby, listen to me. There is nothing left for you back there. There is no one there. Your parents died in that fire."
She shook her head stubbornly. "No they're not. My parents are a lot tougher than you think. Pa would have found a way out."
She could see the pity in his eyes. He took the blanket off her head and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Go rest in the room. Everything will make sense when you wake up."
She nodded. She was exhausted and she knew that she would need her strength in the morning. They had done a lot that day, gone to the village, encountered a group of soldiers, watched her home burn to the ground, ran though a blazing field…. She paused in the doorway and looked back.
"How is your back? Did you get burnt?"
He shrugged. "Its fine, nothing I can't handle."
"Okay," she mumbled heading into the room.
A purple haired boy about ten years old stood in front of her smiling. In his hands he held the reins onto her first pony, Mars. She smile up at the older boy and took hold of the reins. Her father came up behind her and lifted her on top of Mars. She giggled happily
"Thank you Pa."
"Are you ready for your lesson?"
"Yes!" she cheered.
For the next twenty minutes her father held onto a rope that led Mars in a large circle while he explained the basics of horseback riding. A lot of it went through one ear and out the other. Abby sat upon Mars with wide eyes full of wonder and delight. Peter sighed. It was like this every time.
Abby looked over to the right to call out to the boy. She screamed. The boy was transparent, and he was slowly fading away.
"Pa! Look! Help him!" she cried. "Bryan, he's fading!"
She turned to look at her father for help. Panic shot through her veins. Her parents stood side by side, engulfed in flames. They somehow were calm and were merrily waving farewell.
"Pa! Somebody, please help them! Help them!"
She shot up awake. They were gone. Kai was right. She remembered now, hearing her parents' cries for help when they were hiding in the barn. There hadn't been such cries from the house when she was outside. Tear filled her eyes. She was alone now, an orphan with no home. What was she going to do?
Before she could really start crying Kai entered the room. "Good you're awake. It's time to go."
Quickly she whipped away her tears. "Go, go where?"
"Into the forest, it will be safe there. I'm going to head towards the Seaway Pass."
"Why there's nothing there but a bunch of sand?" she inquired. What was with this guy? Did he really have a death wish or something? "The Seaway Pass is very far. We aren't prepared for such a journey. What if we just stick to the forest's edge and head to another village, Cilffside isn't too far from here."
"No, I'm headed for the Pass. If you want to come be my guest but otherwise stay here," he snapped and then began to mumble. "I should have never stopped here. I could have been there by now."
Abby flinched at the outburst. "Why are you so upset? It's not like there's anything there. What is so special about that place."
He looked away. "Nothing."
A light went off in her head. "What do you mean you should have been there by now? It takes over a fortnight to get there and that's by horse. You told us you were headed north to look for work. What is there Kai?"
"I told you nothing," he growled. "Maybe I've never seen the ocean before."
She shook her head. "That's still not the reason. Please tell me. I have nothing to gain by your secret. I swear to you that you can trust me. If you just tell me the truth, I'll… I'll follow you off the face of the earth without question. Please Kai, just trust me."
She had to know the truth. She knew from the beginning that he had been hiding something. All she wanted to do was know the real Kai. She had nothing to loose except for Kai. There was no she was going to give him up. He was all that she had left.
He sighed. "Sixteen years ago a phoenix named Dranzer killed the late King Susumu and flew away with his only son," he began.
"I've heard this before," Abby said. "Pa use to tell it to me at bedtime. Pa said that Dranzer was supposed to protect the Royal Family but instead he destroyed them."
"That's right, but I bet Peter didn't know that King Boris had drugged Dranzer to obey his every command. It was all Boris' doing. When Dranzer flew away with the crown prince the drug was wearing off. He knew it wouldn't be safe for the prince to return to the palace at such a young age so he took the prince to one of the hidden temples of the Gods. The Priestesses gave Dranzer their ward that they would protect him until he became old enough to take care of himself.
"Dranzer had failed in his duties as a Guardian. He died that very night."
Abby gasped. "How?" she whispered.
"He burst into flames right in front of the High Priestess's eyes." He glanced at Abby. "Don't look so upset the Priestess was fine, just a little scared."
"But he killed himself over something he couldn't control."
"He should have been more careful," Kai replied flatly. "It didn't matter though, because phoenixes rise from the ashes reborn. Instead of one phoenix, four were born, one for each physical element, earth, fire, air, and water. The newborn birds did not stay at the Temple. Over the years they have vanished without a trace.
"The prince is now of age to take the thrown. With the phoenixes' guidance and power he could become a great ruler. It is my duty to find them and bring them back to the Temple of Light."
"Why is it your job to go searching for them?" she couldn't help but ask.
"Because my father was King Susumu," he said slowly. "My name is Kai Hiwatari crown prince of Nasidor."
A/N Well there you go. Let me know what you think. Thank you come again. :D