Hullo, dear readers,
Hope you are liking the story so far. This chapter might be... a bit more interesting. *wink, wink*. Worlds are colliding people! There might be a bit of confusion regarding the thaumaturge colours. Cress, of course, is first-tier/ head thaumaturge so she wears white. (I didn't put either Scarlet or Winter as thaumaturges because Scarlet is not exactly Lunar and Winter is a princess). Refer back to the first chapter if you are confused about the jobs of the other characters. It's in there somewhere. Wolf is the head/ alpha of the Wolves Guard and Jacin is his second in command/ beta. He is with Winter back in Luna so far.
Other thaumaturges include Reece Blackcrest (second-tier, now demoted to seventh tier) and Danto who is third tier.
Second-tier, as you know, wears red (Selene and Cress's special helper) , third-tier wears green (they are responsible for intergalactic relations) , fourth-tier is blue (they are the police force) , fifth-tier is black (judicial branch of thaumaturgy), sixth-tier is brown (they train people with the lunar gift), and seventh-tier is grey (thaumaturge assistants).
There are two branches of guards, the Wolves Guard and Ember Guard. Wolves Guard will be explained in the chapter below. They guard the royal family and the thaumaturges. Ember Guard is mentioned briefly also in Chapter One. They are the branch that is composed of shells and mostly run defense and security.
Sorry for the long prescript. I just thought to explain it all before you guys start asking questions. Though questions are fine. You can ask questions. I just didn't want you guys to get confused.
It had not been a good couple of days. First, yesterday, they had the Lunar delegate meeting which had not gone in the direction the Earthen Union wanted. Queen Camilla described the Lunars as impertinent, insolent, and utterly contemptuous of the Earthen powers. The South American bureau was in an uproar. Where do you think they will hide? Where do you think they'll go? Questions and accusations were flung around like boomerangs, going nowhere. Finally, it ended when President Vargas shut off his direct comm, refusing to 'listen to such unprecedented allegations'. After his exit, many of the others got fed up and left their screens as well.
Then last night, he'd gotten a vidlink invitation from Queen Selene's third-tier Thaumaturge Danto. That hadn't improved his mood. Thaumaturge Danto had wanted to begin trade negotiations for the renewing of Eastern Commonwealth and Luna's reciprocity treaty. Obviously, Kai had not been very delighted at the prospect of hosting a Lunar envoy, in apprehension of a repetition of what happened six years ago when Levana arrived mere days after his father's death. But it was not something he could refuse. Letumosis vaccines and medicines were part of Luna's trade with the Eastern Commonwealth and though the pandemic was now over, there were still small outbreaks here and there. And if he cancelled the trading treaty, the cures might not be sent down which might lead to another epidemic.
So that was why, Kai was now standing in the cold with Torin awaiting the arrival of the Lunar ambassadors. Snow crunched beneath his boots as he shifted to keep the feeling in his extremities. The sun gave off next to no warmth and only served to blind Kai whenever he dipped his head to gaze at the sparkling snow which had fallen overnight. His breath clouded the brisk air in small puffs. Kai hopped in place while breathing warm air into his gloved hands. Torin blinked at him, amused. "Would you like another coat, Your Majesty?" He had donned a giant white down coat which made him look like an overstuffed marshmallow. Kai had told him that, but he only shrugged. "Better warm and comfy than miserable and stylish." Kai wished he had listened to his advisor.
He watched as the Lunar spacecraft descended, displacing snow and making an overall mess of the peaceful aura the snow had given off earlier. The Lunar ship was in the standard opalescent body with golden runes around its hull. Kai wondered if it meant anything. The sun shone on the glittering spacecraft radiating the light off in glimmering rays of colour.
Kai and Torin waited expectantly, near the shadow of the palace walls as the ramp of the ship sunk down and Thaumaturge Danto descended. His emerald green uniform fluttered in the wind. Another man in grey followed close behind. Two Lunar guards in their fancy armor and golden runes stood at either side of the ramp, heads bowed. Even from a distance, Kai could tell they were of the Wolves Guard. It was in their sharp canines and the soft dusting of fur along their arms and face. He fought to keep his face impassive. They were the Queen's elite Escorts used only among the royals and their thaumaturges. The Wolves Guard were fiercely loyal to the queen and their keepers. To the point of death. Kai shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold.
The thaumaturge and his envoy walked toward them. Thaumaturge Danto was a no-nonsense man in his forties with blonde hair and gunmetal grey eyes. He must have been really handsome when he was younger. Kai dug his nails into his palm. Why is it that all of Queen Selene's workers have to be so young? And gorgeous. Kai wasn't usually this vain. He knew he was good-looking enough. All this talk about Cinder had been putting him off. No not Cinder... Queen Selene, Queen Selene. Stars, he had to get that through his head. His heart and his intuition wasn't working very well these days.
Thaumaturge Danto inclined his head elegantly. "Your Majesty," he said in a deep voice. "Thank you for hosting us. I am third-tier Thaumaturge Danto," he gestured for the man in grey to step forward, his face impassive, "and this is seventh-tier Thaumaturge Blackcrest." Kai almost choked. Behind him, Torin sucked in a breath but remained silent. Kai kept his expression calm, pleasant.
"We welcome you to the Eastern Commonwealth," he said placidly. His eyes flickered to seventh-tier Thaumaturge Blackcrest. "But we do not tolerate troublemakers." Thaumaturge Danto stepped forward.
"Then let me assure you that no troublemaking will take place, Your Majesty," he said casting a quick glare at his partner. "Thaumaturge Blackcrest is merely my assistant and in no way, shape or form will he participate in our negotiations unless you deem it otherwise." Kai gave him a slight nod.
"Will you need to be escorted to your rooms, Thaumaturge Danto?" he asked gesturing to a servant.
"That would be very kind of you, Your Majesty. Thank you. Blackcrest, follow His Majesty to the conference room to set up for later this evening. I am sure you will need some time..." Danto's eyes crinkled in distaste. "to clarify some things for Emperor Kaito anyway." He swept away after the servant, the two guards following. So Blackcrest was left with staring at Kai and Torin.
"I'm sorry," Blackcrest said at last, "but are we going to stand out here forever? I don't know about you but I am feeling rather cold. We don't have weather on Luna, you see?" he smiled tightly. Kai smiled back just as fiercely. What did Selene see in him?
"Of course, I am so sorry for being such a bad host. Please come in. I hear you are very... close with Queen Selene. How is she? Selene was a great friend of mine before everything happened with Levena," Kai said smirking. Never mind that it wasn't exactly true. It had the desired effect on the young thaumaturge though. Blackcrest clenched his fists and looked ahead, eyes narrowed.
"Oh... I see. Yes, well, she never mentioned you to me. Seems like she would have if you were such great friends." he said coolly. Kai laughed condescendingly. "And yeah we're very close. I was second-tier after all," he said with a modest shrug. "I was the person she went to for all her problems and such. And," Blackcrest smirked, " I lived only a few rooms away from her suite. She gets all these nightmares, you know," he shook his head sadly, "that's what happens when you have crazy for a family. Levana tried to burn her alive. It's not something that you can just forget." Kai opened his mouth, but Torin cut him off.
"Your Majesty, perhaps you would like to take a walk before the meeting." Torin glanced at Blackcrest. "I think you will cool down a bit in the cold." Kai glared at his adviser, but knew it was a good job on Torin's part. If he didn't get out of here... Kai could very easily strangle Thaumaturge Blackcrest. He took a deep breath and smiled brightly at Torin and then at Blackcrest.
"I look forward to our negotiations later then, Thaumaturge Blackcrest, It was a pleasure to meet you." Blackcrest dipped his head respectfully, baring his teeth into a smile.
"Oh, Your Majesty, the pleasure was all mine."
Kai slipped out of the palace after he changed into a nondescript grey hoodie , the same hoodie he had worn the day he first met Cinder. This time, he had the forethought to grab a coat before he headed out. He tried not to dwell upon what Blackcrest just implied. Room close to Cinder's... no, no, no! Don't think about it. It doesn't take a genius to guess what they were up to. He shook his head as if to shake out the thoughts he was trying to... Stars! Now dirty images were implanted in his brain.
He sighed and looked around. Kai had just started walking and walking and walking and he hadn't realized where he was going. Wait... wasn't that Cinder's old booth? He was at the market? Kai was so engrossed in his thoughts he- Cinder. Cinder was here. He had caught a glimpse of her sleek brown hair. Instinct took over.
Heart racing, Kai scanned the crowd for her. Again, that head of brown appeared and disappeared between a crowd of people. "Cinder!" he called. She didn't turn around. Kai ducked and dodged around the market crowd. There was too much noise, too much colour, and she was gone again. Then, Cinder reappeared, her slender body expertly slipping through the mass of shoppers and hawkers. She entered her old booth.
Cinder's old mechanics shop had been sold, and had been remodeled into a boutique. Kai smiled slightly. Cinder would definitely hate that. She didn't like fancy, ornamental things. Which was why Kai ended up buying her simple, elegant silk gloves for the ball six years ago instead of a more extravagant gift, a dress. Kai had wanted to. Cinder deserved the gown after everything she had done for him and what she went through with her adoptive family and legal guardian. But Kai had wanted to buy her something he knew she would keep, and not throw back in his face. He had to fight to get her to receive the gloves. Kai knew she loved the gloves as soon as she opened the box.
Smiling at the memory, he opened the door to the shop to find... no one. No one but a few lady patrons. No Cinder. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes in disappointment, Kai ignored the burst of pain as his heart plummeted down to his toes to shatter on the floor. He let go of the door and stepped back out before any of the costumers could recognize him. What was he thinking anyway? Why would she be here? Why would he even care if she were here or not? Kai exhaled and yanked his hands through his hair, tugging on the strands. Why?!
Because he knew she would have answers. Because he knew, he just knew that if he saw her again... it wouldn't be like the last time. Because if he could just demand some answers, everything would be okay again. But that was just wishful thinking. She was the one who threw you away, remember? He reminded himself. So why can't he just forget her?
Bam!
Kai stumbled back, his hands automatically clutching whoever was in front of him. It was a little girl. An adorable little girl about six, with curly red hair and bright green eyes. He righted himself and the girl and immediately let go. She held a stuffed rabbit and her eyes stared at him, wide and untrusting.
"Are you okay?" Kai asked concerned. The girl's eyes slid to the boutique window, where a robot mannequin was striking poses with featured clothes and said nothing. "Hey," Kai said quietly, bending down. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. I didn't look where I was going. It's all my fault." The girl avoided his gaze and stared past him. "Can you speak? Talk to me. Let me know if you are alright."
The redhead's voice was wary when she finally said, "Mommy says I shouldn't talk to strangers." The girl still wasn't looking at him. Kai tried not to smile at the girl's antics.
"But you're talking to me now," he pointed out. The girl shrugged.
"No, I am talking to the dress," she inclined her head toward the mannequin. Kai blinked. Was he that difficult when he was a kid? He switched to a different tactic.
"What's your name?" She started to suck on her thumb.
"Can't give out personal information," the girl mumbled around her thumb. "Mommy said so, but you can call me Carrot, everyone does." Kai was curious now.
"People call you Carrot? For your hair?"
Carrot rolled her eyes. "Everyone says that. Yeah, for the hair but also becau-" she stopped. "You're trying to get me to talk about myself aren't you? Are you a spy?" Carrot glared at him from the corner of her flashing eyes. She reminded Kai of someone, someone he had seen recently. But the more he tried to catch the memory, the more it drifted away past his reach. She eyed him up and down.
"You would make a really bad spy though." Carrot sniffed. "They call me that because besides the hair, I have good eyes. I see a lot more than what others do. For example, you see there?" Carrot pointed at the dress she was so fascinated with." Her voice dropped low. "You see the green embroidery at the bottom at the hem? How they are swirling into circles going lighter and lighter? It fades into white eventually but there was one stitch where they accidentally used green thread instead of white. They had covered it with the white afterwards." Kai squinted at the stitching. They all blurred together.
"How did you even catch that?" he demanded. Carrot shrugged, her curls bouncing.
"Good eyes."
"No kidding," Kai said impressed. "Are any of your other family members named after vegetables?" Carrot shook her head.
"No, but our whole family loves vegetables and fruits. Daddy especially likes tomatoes." Kai frowned.
"Speaking of your Daddy, where are your parents. Why are you alone?" Carrot bit her lip.
"I got lost in the crowd. Am I bad?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Aunty says I have to be good so she can show me around later. I tried to be good. Promise." Kai softened.
"I'm sure she knows that you're good. You're very brave, you know that?" he said encouragingly. Carrot rolled her eyes.
"I have to be brave. If I cried all the time I would be just like my little brother. He cries all the time. I-"
"Ginger! Ginger! Where are you?!"
Carrot beamed. "Daddy! Over here!" She waved a hand enthusiastically. Kai sucked in a breath. It was one of the Wolves Guard. The guard came over and lifted Carrot into the air.
"Where have you been? Didn't your aunt tell you to stay with me? You know that your aunt had an errand to run and couldn't be bothered. I had to comm her," the man scolded. Carrot whimpered.
"Sorry, Daddy," the man glanced at Kai. "Thanks for taking care of her for me, Your Majesty."
"It was a pleasure, sir," Kai said with a slight bow.
"Your Majesty?" Carrot squeaked. Kai grinned.
"Sorry, I couldn't be a spy. Does being an emperor impress?" Carrot opened her mouth to reply, but a woman's rich, musical voice cut her off.
"Ginger! Oh my- Stars! Wolf, you scared me! Thank goodness you found her. I was already dreading going back to the hotel to tell Scarlet." The most beautiful woman Kai had ever seen took Carrot from the guard, and kissed the girl's cheek. "Thank you so much for findin-" The woman finally faced him, meeting Kai's startled copper-brown eyes.
Kai was as white as a sheet. They stared at each other for what seemed like eternity. His voice was practically non-existent as he whispered, "Cinder?"
Then time stood still.
Sorry, this might be a long postscript as well. Guys, I might have lied last chapter when I wrote that there would be two characters from Cinder's Lunar crew that met Kai. Sorry, I didn't mean too, it was a spur of the moment thing. I didn't really plan for Kai and Cinder to meet so fast, but oh well. At least it would be enjoyable for you readers.
I am so conflicted right now. Should I post up a new chapter in Kai's POV or Cinder's POV? THE OPTIONS! Anyhoo, I'll take a poll. Tell me whether you want a Kai chapter or a Cinder chapter. I can't start writing until you guys vote so you better REVIEW FAST! I am going to wait three days starting Dec. 3 for your answers. I am just as excited to write it as you are to read it.
Cheers!
-Silverleaf