Getting to Riverbaynk involved doubling back past the Fortress, so Barro went with them in the convoy for at least that far. The party then continued on down south toward the river. The closest point of the river to the Fortress was only a few hours away, which explained to Rihou and Nick how they had been found so fast. What boggled them was the distance they had traveled. The current had carried them in less than a day the same distance it took them a few full days to travel.
Riverbaynk actually started a few hundred yards from the river where one or two small farms were located. The city itself sat on a massive bridge that spanned the river across the fattest part and then carried on for a half mile in either direction. It wasn't actually that big a city; less than a few thousand called it home. It also had no militia of its own.
It seemed hard to believe that that many people could call a four-square-mile space home, but buildings had been built very close together, and there were only a few streets. It was a charming, lively place, and many people smiled and waved as the party entered the actual limits of the city.
It was getting close to late in the evening, and there was no way to talk to the mayor before morning, much as Rihou wanted to do so. "There's no one here to protect them," he said firmly. "We need to touch base before it's too late."
"And you're exhausted," Naomi retorted. "A few hours of sleep won't make a difference, Rihou! Let's just go to the inn and rest for a bit. You might be running on sheer willpower, but I'm not. I'm not used to this kind of thing."
"Then you go rest and I'll talk to the mayor," he said reasonably. "You don't need to babysit me, Naomi." He turned around but was brought up short by Elissa. She stood directly behind him with her hands on her hips and her green eyes narrowed. "Elissa," he started.
"No." She grabbed his wrist and began to drag him behind her as she headed for the inn. "You're exhausted. You don't sleep well at night, and you're not eating enough. You think I didn't notice? You're going to take a few hours for yourself. No one, least of all us, will begrudge that of you."
He sighed and gave in. He was pretty sure that he was more stubborn, but he rarely felt the need to argue with her. Especially when he knew she was right. "Yes, dear."
The inn was bright and merry, and music spilled out the doors welcomingly. As they drew close, a man with pale brown hair hurried up with a friendly smile. "Someone sent word that there were travelers in town," he said. "Here, I'll take your horses. I'm Arist. I own the inn. My wife, Danica, is waiting for you inside. We have a full house, but we've cleared a table for you to sit down."
The party relinquished the horses, and Nick smiled. "Thanks for the effort."
"Of course!" Arist told him. "Word has spread about what happened at Carvinia." He smiled at Rihou. "Alliance or no alliance, most people of the cities still acknowledge the things you're trying to do for us, Lord Rihou. I don't know if Riverbaynk will join with the Rebels, but my inn is always open."
"Thank you," Rihou said sincerely. "It means a lot."
Arist took the horses to the attached stable, and the party headed inside. As they entered the doors, Nick took a deep breath appreciatively. "I always wanted to own an inn," he admitted. Ewan and Kyle lifted their brows at him, and he explained, "Well, I like people, too. And there's always something really comforting about a good inn. I always figured that when I got out of the Army, I'd look into opening my own. Yeah, it's a waste of combatant skills, but that's what weekends and monsters are for."
Gravely, Rihou said, "His father owns a shipping empire, and he wants to open an inn. Uncle Daniel is amiable, but more than a little flabbergasted. What was it he said?" he asked Naomi.
Just as gravely, she said, "'Where did I go wrong?'"
Bemused, Kyle looked at Ewan. "I don't think we'd even know what to do with ourselves without something to fight. I suppose if we ever find ourselves ready to set down roots, we'll know then what we want to do. I grew up on a farm; I guess I could go back to that."
Ewan snorted. "I'll probably be old and have a foot in the grave before I want to settle down."
Into Elissa's ear, Rihou whispered, "Bet you five gold that if he gets that second chance, he'll change his mind about settling down."
She giggled. "No bet."
They had reached the front counter, but there was no one there to check in with. Before someone could call out, tiny feet came pounding down the stairs, and a small girl shot behind the counter. Something scuffled, like a crate being dragged, and then a lovely face topped with brown ponytails popped up over the top of the counter. Her brown eyes sparkled merrily. "Hi!" she said. "I'm Kalliope! My parents own the inn!"
Nick took one look at her and fell instantly in love. There was just something about this small, spunky kid that tugged at his heartstrings. "I'm Nick Luminarie," he said. "The other people are Rihou and Naomi Royaltine, Elissa, Kyle Raitels, and Ewan Grizmar." He smiled. "Can we check in?"
"Sure!" She grabbed the large book and dragged it closer. "Here you go! Uhm," she closed one eye, "it's ten gold per night per room."
"That's certainly fair." Rihou was carrying the money, and he dug out sixty gold and put it on the counter. A little smile tugged at his lips. He could definitely tell that Nick was smitten, and he didn't blame him. Nick had always had a soft spot for kids, and Kalliope was a lot like he had been as a child. Like called to like.
Everyone signed into the ledger, and Kalliope hopped down off her crate. She caught Nick's hand and tugged to make him follow her. "I'll show you your rooms!" She led them upstairs and handed out keys. Thinking carefully about what her mom had told her, she said, "We provide pajamas for sleeping, and each room has a bathing room attached. We serve dinner until eleven, so you have lots of time to come down and eat."
Each word was carefully recited from memory, and everyone had to smile. Nick nodded firmly. "We'll be down shortly. Your dad said he had saved a table for us, and we'd hate to waste it."
"I'll go tell Mommy to warm up the dinner she was holding!" She waved a hand, and when he leaned down, she went on her toes to kiss his cheek. "See you soon!" She ran down the hall and then skipped down the stairs.
"Cute kid," Ewan said. He grinned. "And she just turned our wannabe innkeeper into mush."
"It was so odd," Nick admitted with a laugh. "I just adored her when I saw her."
In one voice, Ewan and Kyle said, "Raven." When brows lifted, Kyle explained, "Tyrian and Cassie's adopted daughter. From the day she arrived at Aon Castle, she was the princess of us all. We all loved her. You just have to love Raven. Then again, she's a lot like Tyrian. She comes by it honestly."
Rihou suddenly grinned. "I've wanted to meet her ever since Tyrian wrote about her in a letter. A pint-sized Faerie swinging a battleaxe? I have to see that."
"She swings an axe?" Naomi asked incredulously.
"Yes," Ewan said dryly. "She does. And the fact that she can fly while doing it makes her doubly dangerous. We dread when she's a teenager. We really do."
With that frightening and yet hilarious image in their minds, everyone went into their rooms. It took a lot of self-control for Elissa to not follow Rihou into his room with him. As much time as they spent together, it never felt like enough. She wanted to have him all to herself. And while she understood the ideal behind taking things a day at a time, the temptation to throw him on the floor and have her way with him grew stronger by the day.
When she stepped back into the hall, it was just as he stepped out as well. He gave her one of those slow smiles that made his eyes look like melted chocolate, and her pulse fluttered faster than a narcissist's fan. "You are a dangerous man," she complained.
"This from the woman who deliberately dresses to aggravate hormones." He walked stealthily toward her with a stride that heated her blood. "I'm not complaining," he told her huskily as he pulled her into his arms. He savored the torment of feeling her body pressed to his, and his hands curled around her hips. He could feel the dagger in her garter where her leg pressed to his, and it was a curiously safe feeling. The promise of safety she gave him was as seductive as her beautiful heart and body. "I like the way you dress," he said, skimming his lips over her slender neck. "But if you wanted to switch to leggings, I'd be able to enjoy those gorgeous legs more."
Her lashes lowered helplessly. Shivers were beginning to spread through her entire body, a fist of need coiling deep inside. His right hand felt hotter than ever before, as if he wore a relic. The magic under his skin tingled and burned all the way through with dizzying pleasure. "Rihou."
The way her breathy voice hitched on his name rasped over every nerve in his body. He ached to claim her for his own, to the point that he had finally realized and accepted that he would never stop aching for her. "How much longer are we going to last?" He nipped at her ear and savored the way she trembled. "I'm thinking it won't be much longer." He skimmed her lips with his once, twice, and then lingered on the third as he watched her eyes darken with hunger. "Months? Weeks?"
"Days?" She turned her head and found his lips blindly, needing his taste imprinted inside. She fisted her hands in his hair and held on fiercely as the kiss went wild. There was a shocking depth of wildness and passion underneath her lover's easy-going nature. He gave so generously of his heart, felt so deeply. He was a glowing light inside her.
"Yikes!" Naomi hastily covered her eyes as she stepped out of her room and discovered her brother and very likely future sister-in-law in a torrid embrace. "Do you mind?" she complained. "You have rooms! Use one of them, for god's sake!"
"Go away," Rihou muttered against Elissa's lips. Her lashes lifted to reveal darkened green pools and desire raked his body all the harder. "Walk away and you won't notice."
"Break it up," Ewan said mildly as he walked past. He grabbed Rihou by the collar and pulled him away from Elissa. "Let's go. You can control yourself until after dinner, at the least. You've got an iron will that matches Tyrian's."
Wryly, Rihou said, "Unfortunately, Elissa is the one thing that I have no willpower to resist."
That wasn't much of a surprise, frankly. It was also, in Ewan's opinion, perfectly logical. A Kentei Star needed every weapon she could get if she was going to keep her Kaiten from falling apart. Of course, it was a two-way street, but that just kept things nice and balanced and entertaining for all the rest involved.
The others, including Kyle and Nick, caught up with them at the dining room and they headed to where Kalliope was waving at them. The empty table was just big enough to seat all six of them, and Naomi pointedly sat between Elissa and Rihou. "I want to enjoy my dinner," she said dryly, "and not endure my brother and his girlfriend flirting with each other! It's traumatizing."
"Spoilsport."
Nick grinned and tugged on Kalliope's pigtail. "What's on the menu?"
"Baked chicken and fruit dressing!" she answered promptly. When Rihou wrinkled his nose, she tilted her head. "You don't like chicken?"
"I like them so long as they're cooked," he grumbled. He elbowed his sister when she snickered. "You shush! If you hadn't taken so long to scare them off, neither Nick nor I would have been traumatized."
"I wasn't traumatized as much as scared senseless for a few days," Nick defended himself.
With a giggle, Kalliope ran off toward the door leading into the kitchen. She really liked these people. Nick reminded her of her papa, and she felt really nice near the others. She felt like she fit in with them.
When she returned, she was following behind a lovely young woman carrying a tray with dinner on it. "Here we go!" Danica said with a smile as she put the tray down. "Enjoy! We start serving breakfast with sunrise, so whenever you wake and are hungry tomorrow morning, just come on down. Arist is going to go ahead to the mayor's home for you, to let him know you're here."
"Thank you," Rihou told her. "For everything, regardless of the outcome."
Bright and early the next morning, a very cheerful Kalliope got to escort everyone to where the mayor lived. She held tight to Nick's hand and skipped along beside him contentedly. If she noticed Rihou and Elissa looked a little unrested, she didn't say anything about it. Ewan and Naomi were snickering, so she assumed it was an adult thing she wouldn't understand.
Elissa laced her fingers with Rihou's and rested her head against his shoulder. Softly, she said, "You're the one who chose to be a gentleman and wait until 'it was right.'"
"So I'm slightly suicidal," he countered dryly. "And I knew it would be frustrating from the beginning. But the wait is worth it." He smiled down at her. "It'll be worth every minute." He lightly brushed her lips with his. "You're here," he added softer. "That's enough for now."
She could only sigh. She was beginning to think that if he ever did have a relic, it would be healing oriented. Despite his lethality, the gentleness at the heart of him made him the perfect person to have healing magic. Not many Healers were also warriors, but it wasn't that unheard of.
They got to the mayor's office and were shown right in. He was actually quite young, not that much older than Ewan, and a shrewdness in his eyes went past his age. He also offered a genuinely friendly smile to Rihou. "Lord Rihou, welcome. I admit, I was surprised that such a small town even crossed your path."
"Lives are lives," Rihou said softly. "My intent is to save as many as possible. I won't blindly assume that only the large cities are at risk. There is madness inside Foresalia, mayor. I won't let it fester here."
The mayor nodded slightly as if he had just confirmed a hunch. "Riverbaynk does not have much claim to fame other than being the only place to safely cross from north to south across the river. We have no militia to lend you. We couldn't truly help your fight against Foresalia unless it was to provide occasional supplies."
"I didn't ask for you to do anything, did I?" Rihou countered immediately. "The City-States are all equally important, no matter their size or what they do. Even if you could only occasionally send someone up to, I don't know, wash windows or something. It'd be important. Your city would be."
"I'd like to think about it," the mayor said. "Talk to my people. I will give you my answer tomorrow. Please, I welcome you to stay in Riverbaynk for the rest of the day. Arist and Danica have already told me they are willing to let you stay free of charge for tonight."
"They will not," Nick scolded Kalliope.
She gave him a cheeky grin. "They will too!" She held onto his leg happily. She had been hoping they would stay longer so she could spend more time with him. She was already thinking of all the excuses she could to make her mommy and daddy take her to visit him and Rihou and Naomi. And even Ewan! He was big, and gruff, but really nice.
With nothing else they could do, the party left the mayor's office to head back to the inn. Kalliope skipped ahead, and Rihou teasingly told Nick, "Papa Nick has a new daughter." He just laughed when his brother punched his arm. "I think it's great. She's like you as a kid, seriously. Well, a little different, but mostly like you."
"Maybe we should write to Uncle Daniel and tell him he and Aunt Helena are grandparents," Naomi said slyly to both her brothers. She shared a wink with Elissa. "We can also tell them that Rihou got caught in a bard's net."
"It wasn't so much a net," Elissa disagreed modestly, "as it was a dance."
"Dance?" Kyle asked Rihou.
"Dance," he concurred gravely. "She had me landed before I knew I was hooked."
Kyle held open the inn door for everyone, and when Ewan passed him, he murmured, "What are we going to do if we end up with the third one as well?" He had already thought of all the same things Ewan had, especially the more he learned about Rihou.
Ewan snorted softly. "Pray."
The day went surprisingly fast. Elissa taught Rihou and Naomi some card tricks and then they proceeded to entertain the patrons who came to the inn. Kyle and Ewan relaxed and enjoyed having a day off. Nick offered his services to Arist and Danica and spent the day helping Kalliope clean rooms and run the desk. He loved every minute of it, and it firmed his resolve to have his own place eventually. For now, it was just a dream. Rihou needed him, and he would never abandon his brother.
As evening began to turn into night, Rihou began to get anxious. He couldn't seem to sit still. He would move from window to window, his eyes constantly sweeping the landscape. His shoulders were visibly tense with agitation, and his right hand constantly flexed and clenched, almost as if he resisted the urge to cast spells from a relic he did not wear.
And while no one else seemed to notice, his friends certainly did. They knew it was a sign of his sixth sense on full alert, and that that meant danger loomed on the horizon. Kyle and Ewan almost always had a hand on the hilt of their sword, and Naomi hooked her nunchucks into her belt rather than carry them in a backpack like normal. Nick shortly began to look agitated as well, and if Rihou was looking out one window, he was looking out another.
Nothing happened. Dark fell and the inn eventually closed for the night. Everyone went to bed, but no one could sleep. Rihou didn't even try to pretend. He stood at the window in his room and looked out at the sleeping world. Death. Danger. Madness. The words seemed to throb inside his soul like an early warning system. It had never been so sharp before.
The emotions inside were so strong that not only did they spill over to Elissa, who was the one most attuned to him, but it also spilled over into everyone else. His door opened and he turned to see Elissa standing there with Naomi and Kyle right behind her. No sooner had they entered than did Ewan and Nick arrive. "I don't know what's wrong," Rihou told them. "It feels like . . . like Erube. How I felt then."
"I'll wake the mayor," Ewan said instantly. "I'll make him goddamn listen to me! I won't discount your senses, Rihou. You've been right far too many times." He ran swiftly from the room.
He had only been gone for a few moments when the horizon outside the window suddenly lit with a reddish glow that danced macabre shadows on the walls inside the inn. The thump of something hitting the inn was heard long before the whomp of fire catching and spreading.
Rihou threw the window open and stopped breathing. Even in the dark, he could see the sea of soldiers surrounding the city and rushing within. "It's the Army!" He whirled from the window and ran out into the hall. "Everyone wake up!" he shouted. "Foresalia Army is attacking! Wake up!"
Voices began to rise even as screams began to echo outside. Rihou turned sharply. "Kyle, you and Naomi need to get to Ewan! Rout as many civilians as you can and get them out of here! Kyle, send a signal to our soldiers! If anything, they can create a diversion! Elissa and Nick are coming with me."
"Where are you going?" Naomi demanded.
Something dangerous moved across her brother's eyes amid the fierce glitter of his iron will. "I'm finding Sarcon Malady." That he would be present was not a question in his mind. The attack looked far too familiar.
Far, far too familiar. The peaceful town was already a sea of blood and fire. Those who tried to escape the city limits found themselves running into the soldiers outside. Others jumped over the bridge and into the river, but long-range soldiers shot at them from the shoreline. Some made it. Most did not.
The two units from the Rebel Army appeared and split up to cause a distraction. The night sky filled with screaming and shouting and crying. The river ran dark with blood as it dripped from the bridge. The fires reflected eerily against the water and sky. It was a nightmare of death and madness.
Arist and Danica rushed as hard as they could through the devastation, carrying Kalliope with them as they tried to make it to an exit. Any exit. Jumping into the river was too dangerous; Kalliope could not swim, and neither parent would sacrifice their daughter for their own lives.
In the darkness, even in the fire, it was hard to tell which soldiers were which. Arist had been laughing with Rihou about the Rebel Army needing uniforms, but he was not laughing now. He could tell who the enemy was; they were the ones killing civilians. But in the fight of soldier versus soldier, the dark uniform of Foresalia looked no different from the dark clothes of the Rebels.
A man stepped forward from out of nowhere. His dead eyes looked unholy as he studied the small family. "Don't leave," he offered cordially. He made a gesture with a sword stained so thoroughly with blood that even the metal had tinted with color. "The party is just beginning!"
Arist shoved Kalliope into Danica's arms. "Run!" He urged her. "Go!"
Danica whirled to leave, but a building crumbled and chunks of burning rubble blocked her way. The only escape was past the madman confronting them. She put Kalliope down and smoothed back her hair. Very softly, she said, "Run when he moves. Run and find Nick and Lord Rihou. You must live, Kalliope."
"Who are you?" Arist demanded of the man sharply. "Why are you doing this?"
"Why?" He smiled. "Why not?" With a bow that would do any courtier proud, he said mockingly, "I'm Sarcon Malady. You might have heard of me." He leapt forward without warning, and his sword swung through the air toward Arist.
The innkeeper tried to dodge, but he was neither fast enough nor trained enough. The blade bit into his arm and then kept on going through until it severed wholly from his body. His scream overlapped with Danica's, and she lunged toward Sarcon. "Run!" she shouted at her daughter. "Run!"
Kalliope could not run. She stayed frozen in horror as she watched Sarcon cut her father in half. Just . . . in half. As if cutting through a loaf of bread. Blood sprayed the air, splashed across her face. Her mouth opened but no sound emerged despite the screams welling inside her chest.
Danica managed to claw open the side of Sarcon's face, but he shoved his sword into her stomach and jerked upward. She was dead before she fell, but he still cut off her head just to kick it away down the road with a roar of laughter. He glanced to the side, saw Kalliope standing there, and scowled. She wasn't screaming. Why wasn't she screaming?
"Aren't you scared?" She stared at him with uncomprehending eyes, and anger welled. He stabbed her, just a bit, in the arm and the leg, but she didn't cry. "Cry!" he ordered her. "Scream!" He carefully, very carefully, cut across her throat, just deep enough for blood but not deep enough to kill. Still, she did not move. Clearly, the kid was already broken, and therefore no longer any fun.
He made a disgusted sigh and stabbed her in the lower belly deep enough that the blade came out the other side a bit. He would have shoved the blade even further, and possibly cleaved her in two the way he had Danica, but he never got the opportunity. A figure lunged out of the flames and slammed into him so hard that he was knocked flat on the ground.
When he looked up, he found himself looking into violent brown eyes set into a familiar face. Something burned in Rihou Royaltine's gaze. Something powerful that sent a chill down Sarcon's back. "Royaltine," he spat as he got to his feet. "You're not dead yet?"
Rihou spun one tonfa so fast that it was little more than a blur. "It's not easy to kill me, Malady." His normally smiling face was dead serious, his voice as hard as stone. "I won't let you destroy the City-States. Everywhere you go, I'll be there first." His eyes narrowed sharply. "Every life you take only extends the time you'll fester in hell."
The chill became fear, real fear, as Sarcon stared at Rihou. For the first time in his life, Sarcon found himself facing the one person who could not break. He could see it in his eyes. The core of sheer iron strength that allowed him to endure under any conditions. Order amid chaos. Sanity among madness. Rihou was the antithesis to everything Sarcon craved. Instantly, he no longer cared about the City-States as a feast of blood and terror. It would be a tool. A weapon. Rihou was his only equal. Destroying him, shattering him, was all Sarcon could think of.
Rihou attacked without warning, silent and deadly, and Sarcon dodged as fast as he could. With a maniacal laugh, he said, "Not yet, Royaltine! We'll play later!" He whirled and disappeared into the flames as his laughter ripped apart the burning night sky.
Rihou dropped his tonfa and rushed to where Elissa and Nick knelt with Kalliope. Elissa had ripped strips of material off her skirt and bound every wound she could. She was pressing more wadded up cloth to Kalliope's stomach, desperate to stop the bleeding. "Oh god," she said over and over again. "It won't stop bleeding!"
Ewan came running up, and he went white as he saw the scene. "Shit!" He dropped down beside Elissa and took over holding the cloth to the wound. "The Army is retreating. We only saved a hundred people or so, total. Everyone else is dead. Naomi is with Barro and Ulrich, and they've got the survivors."
"I won't lose Kalliope!" Nick vowed fiercely. "We have to heal her! Isn't there anyone with a Medicine Relic here? The doctor? Did he survive?"
Suddenly, softly across his mind, Rihou heard a feminine voice whisper, Rihou. You have the power to heal her. Come to me. I will help you. Bring Nick and Elissa. They are critical to your destiny.
Without question, he trusted the voice more than he had trusted anyone, and he wasn't even sure why. He leapt to his feet. "Someone's calling me," he said urgently. "She said I can save Kalliope. I have to find her!"
Elissa and Nick also scrambled up. "We're going too," Elissa said instantly. "You're not going alone, Rihou!"
Rihou didn't bother to explain that he would have asked them to go along. He simply turned and ran through the city, following that voice in his mind. He could feel a power, oddly familiar, tingling along his skin. It reminded him of storms and lightning, yet it soothed and comforted.
The fires were being extinguished, and smoke choked the air. His soldiers moved around carrying lanterns and Light Relics to allow them to see what they were doing. All faces were streaked with soot and many were streaked with tears. The devastation of Riverbaynk was a terrifying thing, and it engraved itself inside Rihou along with the memories of Erube.
The feelings led him out of the city and onto the southern bank. Before he could figure out how to ask, he spotted a dark area in the ground that looked like a hole of some kind. He made his way to it carefully and then looked inside. It was indeed a hole, and steps led down into the land.
Elissa went first despite his protests. Like hell she would let him go first. Once at the bottom of the stairs, she found a Light Relic on the wall. She lightly touched it, and the entire tunnel illuminated softly. Rihou and Nick joined her, and they moved quickly down the path toward a brighter spot of light at the end.
They burst into the small room to discover it was empty. Rihou started to speak but was stopped when a soft lavender light filled the air. When it faded, it left behind a beautiful woman with long black hair. Streaks of reddish-orange were scattered among the black, like flashes of fire in the night sky. She smiled, and her twilight colored eyes warmed. Instantly, eternally, Rihou trusted her. He knew hers had to be the voice he had heard. "You," he said. "You called me." He slowly shook his head. "Who are you?"
"You know who I am," she said gently.
He frowned as he studied her, but there was initially nothing familiar about her old-fashioned Magician's robe. It was white with lightning bolts scattered across the material, and her hands linked together inside the sleeves. There was something ageless about her face, something ancient about her eyes. His eyes lowered and he saw the relic mark etched over her heart. It was too stark, too vivid, to be anything but a Pure Relic. And because it was shaped like an elaborate hourglass, it had to be the Pure Relic of Time, and therefore she could only be one person. "Lady Tanelia," he breathed.
"You know why I am here," she told him.
He took a deep breath. "I'm the second Kaiten Star. I felt . . . I just . . . I knew," he said simply. "It just made sense of too much. Why Tyrian and I got along like brothers. Why I was finding all these people who I just knew I needed, people that I was sure needed me. Why I found Elissa."
"You are the second Kaiten Star," she confirmed. "Elissa is your Kentei Star. She is your fiercest defender, the one person who can bring you back from the brink of destruction. She, of all the Destined Stars who share the skies with you, is the one most critical. She exists solely to hold you together."
"I had already thought so," Elissa said. "Like Rihou, I knew it made sense of everything." She curled her hands around Rihou's and held on when he gripped her fingers like a lifeline. She was his lifeline. She knew it for fact now. "I will never let him break," she vowed.
"It will not be an easy task." Tanelia did not look away from Rihou. "The Kaiten Star has an iron will so great that they can endure things that would utterly destroy others. But because they cannot break, they cannot heal. As a gift for such a burden, Destiny gifted the Kaiten with one hundred and eight companions to share the skies with."
"Tyrian fought for freedom. What do I fight for?"
"Sanity."
Rihou found himself smiling despite the odds. "What else would it be?" he asked wryly. "I have to gather my Destined Stars, don't I?"
"You do. Some followed Tyrian. Others are special only to you. There are others as yet that will follow the third."
"Third!" Nick already felt sick to his stomach at the idea Rihou was being forced to take on this role. But that there would be another? "You mean there will be another Kaiten Star who has to nearly kill himself to save his country?"
"There will be a third," Tanelia confirmed. "And that will be a war for peace itself. A war to end all wars. The final Kaiten." There was something almost secretive in her smile. "Do not think of it for now. There is time enough to think of it later. The Kaiten Star shines on Rihou now. It is his story, his legend, to be written this time. Rihou, gather your companions. When you have, you will be strong enough to end the madness inside Foresalia. You have already begun."
"That I noticed! Ewan, Kyle, Elissa, Naomi, Raine, Tyce, Orpheus, Barro, Ulrich, Thalia, Gertie, Xander, Charity, Temerity, Skyla, and Xero." He looked at Nick with a frown. "Why isn't Nick a Destined Star, Tanelia? He's my brother. He is important to me, as much as any of the others!"
"That he is," she agreed. "But the role he fulfills in your destiny precludes him from being a Star for you." She held up her hands and a relic appeared on each of her palms. One shimmered softly white and held a shield symbol in the center. The other shimmered black and had a sword in the middle. "Before you are two Pure Relics. Or rather, two Pure Relics that are actually two halves of a whole Pure Relic. The Pure Relic of Security. The relic, as a whole, is too potent for one caster. The Shield is positively charged while the Sword is negatively charged. To equip the whole Relic of Security would tear anyone, even a Kaiten, apart. Therefore I give you the choice. One is yours, Rihou. The other is to go to Nick."
"Me!?" Nick stared at her. "Why not Elissa?"
Tanelia looked at Elissa who looked away. "There are complications. Elissa knows well what they are, but they are her choice to tell. There is an eternity for her to claim as well, should she be able to. But at this moment, this is not it. Make your choice well, Rihou. It will define your entire life. Your very, very long life."
There was no hesitation for Rihou. "The Shield," he said instantly. "It calls to me. It's a healing relic, isn't it? You said I could have the power to heal Kalliope. That's what you meant. There is no choice. The Pure Shield Relic is mine, and the Pure Sword Relic is Nick's. That's why we could never wear other relics. The Pure Relic of Security had already chosen us."
Tanelia smiled. Just like Tyrian, Rihou was wise beyond his years. His instinctive understanding of events only underscored his connection to Destiny. "You are correct." She held out the Shield Relic. "Take this, and take your destiny."
He took the Shield Relic without hesitation. It floated up over his hand for a few moments and then suddenly arrowed down inside. Pain exploded in his body as the relic forced itself into his very soul and swarmed to consume every drop of his magical capacity. He felt swollen, ready to burst, and fell to his knees as his legs gave out. Then, just as abruptly, the pain ebbed and faded into a dull throbbing that shortly dimmed as well.
"Rihou?" Elissa knelt beside him and held onto his shoulders. "Are you okay?" His hand curled around her wrist and her eyes widened as she felt the sharp slap of his magic zipping into her body. It was more potent than it ever had been before. The shimmering white shield etched into the back of his hand only seemed to emphasize how strong he was, inside and out. A Healer. She had been right all along.
He turned his head to see Nick also kneeling on the ground and shaking his head swiftly. The black sword that was the mark of the Sword Relic glowed vividly against the back of his right hand. "Hey." He held out his relic hand.
His brother glanced at him and then took his relic hand with his own. The mark of Security instantly appeared over their joined hands. Softly, Tanelia said, "You can use the relics jointly in battle and access wholly new spells. It is only the bond between you that will allow for such a thing. Truly, you are brothers now."
Nick shoved himself to his feet and then helped Rihou stand. "We have to save Kalliope!" he urged. "Please, Rihou!"
"Let's go!" Rihou turned and ran down the hall as fast as he could, and Nick stayed right on his heels. There was no time to be spared, not when Kalliope's life literally rested on the line.
Elissa lingered behind for a moment and said softly to Tanelia, "From that first moment I saw him, I knew that there would be no one else in my life that mattered more. In all the time since, I've only reaffirmed that feeling time and again. I've felt it, that I was what could save him."
"You are his salvation." The Great Sage smiled. "A Kentei Star is no less strong willed or spirited than a Kaiten Star. But perhaps you will have an easier time of it than Cassie did; Rihou is far more laidback than his elder brother."
Elissa gave a ladylike snort. "I wouldn't hold my breath on that." She hurried down the tunnel as well, not wanting the males to get too far ahead of her. The eternity that was hers to claim was not one that frightened her. It would be locating the damn thing that would be hard. She would do anything to be by Rihou's side for eternity.
She caught up with Rihou and Nick at the surface and they rushed back into town. Bodies were still being removed for burial, and soldiers with Water Relics attempted to wash away the blood. Ewan was still where they had left him, though Kyle and Naomi had joined him. Kalliope was still alive, but deathly pale. Kyle had wrapped her in his jacket to try to keep her warm, and she looked small and fragile.
Rihou dropped down beside them. "Long story short," he started, "I'm the second Kaiten Star. But I think we all knew that. We can discuss it later." The power was there inside, the magic just waiting to be cast. A runic circle opened around where he kneeled, and, as was normal, it appeared wholly unique to him alone. His resembled gold fog with red sparkles, and the sparkles swirled up to surround the symbol of the Shield Relic that appeared over his head. "Hourglass Reset," he commanded softly.
Billows of red and gold power spilled down from the symbol and swirled around Kalliope's body. The others held their breath, too afraid to breathe for fear of interfering. The bleeding wounds slowly stopped doing so, and the edges began to pull closed. Ewan steeled himself and removed the wadding from the wound on her stomach. It was still horrible enough to make Naomi choke back a sob, yet it began to heal before their eyes.
Rihou put his hands down over the wound and fiercely poured his magic directly into Kalliope. The spell could only do so much by itself. However, the relic had changed his magic entirely to pure healing force, as it did to all Healers, and that meant he could use his raw magic capacity as another way to heal. It would only be within the range of the spells he unlocked; he could not do more than straight healing until he unlocked more spells and discovered more ways to use his magic. But because he had such a truly incredible magic capacity, his limitations even within the scope of just his first spell were very few.
Kalliope had to live. He knew it, was absolutely sure of it. He could see inside her the fragile threads that might just weave her to another's destiny. A star had blessed her birth though it was not one that shared his sky. She had to live. Sarcon could not take this life too.
She suddenly began breathing easier as the wound on her neck faded to a pink scar. So, too, did the wound on her stomach seal. There would be no removing the marks of the horror. The damage had stayed for too long, and not even the healing power of a Pure Relic could do it all. But she would live. She would recover, and she would live.
"Oh god." Naomi covered her face with her hands as another sob welled. Ewan put an arm around her shoulders and she turned to cling onto him. "I couldn't stand it!"
Nick picked up Kalliope with shaking hands and cradled her close. He couldn't have survived losing her. She had become too precious to him in such a short time. He turned to Rihou to thank him but saw how pale he looked. "Rihou?"
Rihou's eyes closed and he slumped over without a word. Elissa caught him before he hit the ground, and she held him against her breast as she buried her face in his hair. "Relic exhaustion," she explained quietly. "He evolved the first spell too fast after receiving the relic and it has stressed his body too far. He'll sleep until his body recovers; the relic has basically shut down everything except his breathing in order to heal. He won't need food or water until he wakes."
"It won't get better," Kyle admitted. "It'll keep happening. The nature of his being a Kaiten means he has to evolve his relic. He'll only just recover from one level before he rushes through the next." He let out a shaking breath. "A Healer. Son of a bitch. That's as bad as what we dealt with for Tyrian. It's just a curse of a different kind."
"How is it a curse?" Naomi whispered as she gently curled her hands around Rihou's.
Ewan sighed and brushed at Rihou's hair. "He's going to want to heal the world. He'll never be able to understand why he can't, and the times when he loses someone he tried to save are going to go against the core of what makes him a Kaiten."
Nick studied his brother for many moments, thoughts churning inside his mind and fear inside his heart. The madness had to end, soon, before it destroyed everyone he loved. "What now?" he asked softly.
"What else?" Kyle's smile was sad and wry. "We do everything we can to support our Kaiten. Let's return to the Fortress with the survivors. There's nothing more we can do here."
"Was this part of Destiny too?" Elissa asked. "Did all these innocent people have to die just to force Rihou onto his path?"
Kyle and Ewan shared a long look, both remembering the many lives lost that had propelled Tyrian onto his path. Some had been more personal than others: Tyrian had lost his brother, his mother, and his father, and Kyle had lost his fiancée. No one had ever wanted to admit they had been Destiny's collateral. Even now, it was too painful to think. "I don't know," Ewan finally said. "I just don't."
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
Chapter 7->
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