Chapter XVII

  After over a week of finding next to nothing of value in regards to Keskivaara’s lightning magic, Koroha Rhitta decided to change her plans. Instead of returning to the endless slog at the Academy, she made for one of the local libraries in the southern part of the city. She didn’t necessarily think she’d have better luck since it was unlikely she would find anything there that she couldn’t in either the Citadel or the Academy, but for her own mental health, she needed a change in scenery, so when Alharo suggested a few nights back that she visit a particular place he was familiar with, she took that as an opportunity. On top of that, her old friend offered to take the time off and go with her, claiming that the Korrei-Tarr could manage without him for a meager day. A part of her wanted to insist she would be fine on her own, but knowing Alharo the way she did, she could tell that he wasn’t going to budge on his stance. Therefore, when the indicated day arrived, she departed the Citadel in the morning, met the Vice-Captain at his house, then rode a carriage to the library.

  As expected, they came up with nothing. The place Alharo recommended was barely a tenth the size of the Academy’s library, so with both of them conducting the research, they were able to wrap off the day relatively certain that it was another dead end. However, despite ending up at the same result as always, Koroha was pleased to not have been alone. After finishing up, they went out to get some dinner as they once again discussed the situation, only to come to the same conclusions they had the other day:

  The City of Erika did not contain any information about lightning magic.

  “It seems my stay here in the capital will unfortunately be short-lived,” she mused over a glass of ale. “Of course, I’ll speak to Markreas first, but if he keeps me on this job like I expect he will, then I’ll have to make a few trips around the country.”

  Alharo grunted his acknowledgement, though he was clearly displeased by the idea. “You’ll go to Stellareid then… But we just got home barely a week ago, Koro, and you’ve been working tirelessly the entire time. I’m sure Mark would gladly assign this to somebody else, if only temporarily while you take some time for yourself.”

  But Koroha firmly shook her head. “You’re probably right, but at this point, I’m too invested. I haven’t been on a big project in a while, so I want to be the one to find this answer. And besides,” she quickly added when she noticed her friend’s displeasure grow stronger. “Arrangements will have to be made, such as sending word to the Cartigans to even get permission for a Master to visit on official duties, so I wouldn't be leaving right away. I’ll rest in the meantime.”

  “Very well…” Alharo conceded. “And you know, if you ask, I’d be more than willing to go with you, keep you company.”

  The Master of Wind laughed, her cheeks warming at the thought despite knowing she had no choice but to decline. “I know you would, and that’s why I won’t ask. Even setting aside the importance of your job, I doubt your family would appreciate you leaving them for such a long period of time. Don’t forget, I’m not the only one who just got home. Your wife and kids are more important than keeping little ol’ me company.”

  She watched him lower his head, his face turning a bit red from embarrassment. She wondered if his taste of adventure from the Battle of Ankalla was making him miss the old days more than he had before. Out of the five of them, aside from maybe Markreas, Alharo was the one who had the most fun on their royal team’s missions. She knew he loved his family, and felt fulfilled at his job, but she could tell that the excitable, adventurous part of him had not diminished with age.

  “I hate how right you are,” he muttered. “But I mean, like you said, you wouldn’t be departing immediately, and Stellareid’s only a few weeks away! I’m sure—”

  “I don’t think Stellareid’s the only place I’ll go,” Koroha interrupted. “I was giving it some thought, and I think if Keskivaara had stayed in the north after disappearing from his home, there would have been more records of it. Even if he wasn’t infamous back then, he was still a member of an elite family. That draws a lot of attention, and while he may have hidden out in the northern countryside, I think there’s a more likely possibility…”

  The Vice Captain sighed, clearly following her line of thought, and perhaps he already came to that conclusion himself. “You think he went south.”

  “I do. The country between Krato and the rest of the Great Cities is vast, with so many different towns, cities, and settlements between us that he could have been at any of them. The elite families aren’t as well known around there, either, so there was less chance of his face or name being recognized. It’s not even impossible he went all the way to Krato. Take it from a native like me, Alharo, that place is filled to the brim with weirdos and deviants…and because of that, it’s more common to mind your own business and not bat an eye at outsiders. If Keskivaara was in Krato, we’d probably never hear.”

  “I see,” Alharo said softly. “So if you don’t come up with anything in Stellareid, you’ll go to Krato?”

  Koroha nodded. “That’s the idea. It’s been a while since I’ve seen my father, so it’ll be a good excuse to visit home. On top of that, his position in the Ring of Kraton will make it far easier to gain access to information and archives than it would be in any other city. Point being, I’ll be gone for a while, so as much as I would love to bring you, it’s just not realistic. But hey, I’ll drag Triston along for the journey, so I won’t be alone.”

  It was painfully obvious how little he liked that response, but as carefree as Alharo Bann was, there was no question he was far more mature than he used to be. He understood that she was correct, so he conceded her points and they turned the conversation away from Keskivaara as they finished their dinner and ale. Afterwards, they decided it was about time they returned, but even though it was cold and rainy, Alharo insisted on walking her back to the Citadel despite his own home being in the complete opposite direction from the white tower.

  “Hey, if I can’t go with you, the least I can do is keep you company on the walk back, yeah?”

  Deciding that to be a fair compromise, she erected a shield of wind above their heads to serve as an umbrella, then began the trek through the city, her cloak pulled tightly around her body in a futile attempt to protect herself from the chill. She was bitter that the storm had already resumed, for she had noticed during her time locked in the library that it briefly stopped raining, leaving her hoping that the city may start to warm up again. Unfortunately, it felt like it was pouring even harder than before, so she found herself fearing it may be a couple of days before they saw the sun again.

  “Alright, here we are,” Koroha muttered as she flashed her Master’s coin to the guards and stepped through the gates, into the gardens. “Thanks again, old friend. It truly was nice not working alone, and I’ll keep you posted on whether I miraculously find something in the coming days.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, please do. I’m highly invested as well. A tad concerned, too, but…”

  Her friend trailed off as he watched Koroha slow to a stop, her eyes directed towards a cloaked individual standing stock still a few yards away. At first, she hadn’t noticed them due to the darkness, and while it wasn’t unusual for a person to be dressed like that in their current weather, the way he was staring at her left her feeling a bit off. What made her body tense even more was the fact that he looked familiar even with the shadows of the night obscuring most of his features. She was about to call out to him, if only to ease her worries and confirm it was just some Citadel employee heading home to their family, when Alharo’s next comment made sick to her stomach.

  “What is it, Koro?” he inquired, stopping to scan their surroundings without even lingering on the strange man for even a second. “Do you see something?”

  Wait, can Alharo not see him? But even without light, he’s very clearly visible, unless…

  The singular drawback of her inherited ability to see through distortion magic was that she had no idea when it was active. To her, a distorted individual appeared no different than everyone else, so she traditionally relied either on the behavior of those around her, or the behavior of the distorted person. Therefore, with that man clearly frozen at the sight of them and Alharo failing to notice him, Koroha instantly understood that this person was trying to hide. Her years of serving as the Master of Wind sharpened her skills to the point that she was able to snap out of her confusion at the drop of a hat, her hand snapping outwards as she snarled,

  “Corsikei!”

  A shockwave erupted from her outstretched palm, mercilessly blasting towards her target, but never actually making contact. Instead, Koroha’s eyes went wide with horror as the man’s body was suddenly engulfed in bolts of lightning that coiled around his arm, legs, and torso just before he exploded from the ground, her attack slamming into the mud harmlessly. She couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed, for if this opponent was using lightning magic, then it could only be one person. Except, that person was supposed to be safely locked in the dungeons beneath the Citadel—a place nearly impossible to break free from.

  Koroha cursed herself, her brief second of surprise leaving her vulnerable to the explosion of electricity that ripped towards her, slamming into her body and sending her flying back through the gates before slamming into the road just outside. She was convulsing, the lightning sending a horrific shock through her body that left her stunned, unable to control her limbs or summon her mana.

  Shit! Is this what his magic can do?! She desperately needed to climb to her feet, knowing that this man was one of the most dangerous criminals in the country. Damn it! How in the hell did Keskivaara escape?!

  ***

  Rickori Keskivaara was baffled when his attack actually landed on Koroha, especially given all he had heard regarding her inhuman speed and agility. The only explanation that made sense was that the sight of his magic left her so surprised that she wasn’t able to react in time. To the Master of Wind, he should be locked safely in the dungeons, so even though she had seen through his distortion, she wouldn’t have realized who he was until he summoned his master’s gift. With that thought, he internally chided himself for resorting to lightning right away, for if he’d used any of the other affinities, he would have been able to protect his identity, and perhaps even get away without them ever realizing who he was until it was too late. Unfortunately, that was not what happened, for the sight of a Master of Ijiria, as well as the most elite member of the Korrei-Tarr, left him so terrified of going back in that dungeon that he used his most powerful card instantly. After all, his magic was long since exposed, so there was no longer a reason to hold it back.

  So what does it matter now? I’m on the verge of freedom, after all these weeks of torture and torment! I refuse to go back to that cell! I refuse to die! So if Koroha Rhitta and Alharo Bann want to stand in my way, then I’ll do everything in my power to move them! But at all costs, I will make it back to my husband!

  Just as he had when enduring Nakoma’s flames, Keskivaara flooded his mind with thoughts of Velanor, with the hope that the man he loved was still alive out there, as he dropped his distortion, landed a few yards away from where Koroha’s shockwave struck, then allowed his magic to wrap around his body. The Master of Wind was left convulsing on the road, and since the most effective aspect of his magic was its ability to stun, he knew she would be out of the battle for a few moments.

  As for Alharo Bann, he had already recovered from the surprise as he ripped a one-handed shortsword from a sheath hidden beneath his cloak and sent wind magic surging into it as he prepared to take Keskivaara down. In addition to him, the guards that stood watching the gates were already reacting as a few rushed to Koroha’s aid while the others sprinted into the gardens to back up Alharo.

  “Stay back, it’s Keskivaara!” the Vice Captain roared, motioning for the soldiers to get away. “He’s too much for any of you to handle! Leave him to Master Rhitta and I!”

  Keskivaara smirked, finding it odd that the man wouldn’t just take advantage of the numbers he had, but he supposed the one consistent thing about the Ijirian elites was that they watched out for their warriors. Markreas had done the same back in Ankalla, for as destructive as the King was, he never once allowed harm to come to any of his men. It seemed Alharo was cut from the same cloth.

  My gut tells me to just run like hell, Keskivaara thought. I doubt I can take either of them out, but I’d be lying if I tried to claim I didn’t want to do some damage on my way through the door. If I could somehow kill Rhitta, I could repay Ilirianna by opening a slot for Caeli to become Master of Wind. It’s an alluring thought, but… Once again, Velanor’s face appeared in his mind’s eye, warming his heart and reminding him of what he endured these last weeks to accomplish. Vel’s my priority… If the opportunity presents itself, I’ll take Rhitta down, but the goal here has got to be flight. I can’t let myself get distracted by anything else!

  Mud once again exploded from under Keskivaara’s feet as he cast Proto and Electra simultaneously, launching himself towards the Vice Captain while creating five bolts of lightning that he held at the ready. Alharo tensed, bringing his sword up to guard, but it was all intended to act as a feint. Keskivaara touched down a few yards in front of his opponent, only to change course the second he was on solid ground, using Proto to propel himself right over Alharo’s head and through the wide-open gates of the Citadel. Naturally, a man like him was not going to be thrown off for longer than a split second, so before Keskivaara had even landed, he could sense three blades of wind being hurled in his direction.

  The People’s Mind twisted mid-air, his left arm jutting out with a casting of Nex already prepared, the shield of wind tanking all three attacks harmlessly before Keskivaara’s feet hit the road. The wetness from the rain caused him to slide into his momentum, bright blue lighting coiling around his wrist as he prepared a counterattack, only to sense Koroha’s movement just in time. The Master of Wind had recovered from the stunning, allowing Keskivaara to properly bear witness to her insane speed. Before his senses had even fully processed her casting of magic, Koroha was on top of him, a dagger clutched in her hand and angled in an icepick grip as she infused her arm with wind. The blade flashed down towards Keskivaara’s neck, confirming that she was intending to kill him rather than recapture him, but unfortunately for her, he was not some average mage.

  His reaction speed was sharp enough that he succeeded in grabbing her wrist just barely before the point of the dagger reached his throat, and without even a moment's hesitation, he sent as much electric energy into her body as he could, watching as Koroha’s body shook while she cried out in agony. Wondering if this was the opportunity he had hoped for, Keskivaara brought wind magic to the stump of his right arm and was about to send a blade of wind into her stomach, but suddenly, Alharo was behind him. Sacrificing his desire to kill Koroha, Keskivaara released her and Protoed into the sky right before Alharo's sword swung in an arc that would have severed his head.

  Down below, he watched as the Master of Wind dropped to the ground, so hoping that would be enough to provide him escape, Keskivaara turned towards one of the nearby lamp posts above him, cast Condite to wrap ropes around his forearm and the iron bar, then sent Proto through his feet to provide the momentum he needed. The People’s Mind gathered centrifugal force to sharply alter his direction, soaring over the nearby rooftops in the direction of the northern gates. The speed of his flight caused the raindrops to hurt against his bare skin, and he knew that if his adrenaline wasn’t pumping, he’d probably have been terribly cold given that the cloak was all he was wearing.

  Without warning, Keskivaara was knocked from the air, his forward direction suddenly shifting downwards as if his leg had been yanked. A quick wind burst below him softened some of the pain from his stomach slamming into a slanted rooftop, though he had no time to heal what damage there was. Fighting through the pain that shot through his body, he spun onto his back and erected a shield of wind seconds before Koroha’s dagger reached him. It slammed into the defense, failing to shatter it but still slightly piercing through, wind hissing as it leaked from the shield. As the Master of Wind bore down on him with a furious, and borderline feral expression on her face, she sent a burst of wind down the length of the dagger and into the shield, causing the wind contained within to explode out.

  The dull boom of displaced air sent her back a few yards, and Keskivaara was under no delusions that she wouldn’t be on top of him instantly. Koroha slid down the slanted roof, ejecting wind from her heels to slow to a stop—wind that would almost certainly be used to close the distance once more.

  Damn, she recovered from the stun much faster this time! But I put more power into that attack than I did in the first one! It was then he noticed the slight shaking of her body, as well as the occasional flicker of blue electricity. Shit… It’s not that it did less, it’s just that she’s powering through it! I suppose that’s a Master for you… Nikirin!

  Keskivaara shouted in his mind, the water coating the roof’s shingles and in the air violently coalescing into three ice walls between them. Using his good arm, Keskivaara stood and backpedaled higher up before noticing the dozen or so wind blades forming all around them in addition to the building mana where Koroha was.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Pluvan!

  Using magic to take hold of the rain, he gathered it around him in dense, pressurized rings that were constantly rotating, protecting Keskivaara’s crouched form. Koroha’s blades met just enough resistance that they all missed their mark, instead cutting into the building beneath him in a shower of shingles and splinters. However, a concentrated blast of Corsikei shattered a hole in the ice walls, revealing the Master of Wind standing with her blade thrust out.

  The second a flash of lightning appeared around his wrist, Koroha jumped high toward him, making her weariness of his power abundantly clear. If not for Alharo being somewhere nearby, the stunning ability of his magic would have already killed her twice, so she would be far more cautious than before, meaning he could no longer purely rely on the element of surprise. He’d have to be far more strategic.

  He rounded on the Master of Wind as she landed a few yards behind him, at the very point of the slanted rooftop, just as a surge of magic came from beneath him, proceeding the arrival of Alharo Bann as his large form touched down on the edge of the roof below Keskivaara. Simultaneously, Koroha and Alharo cast Proto, closing the distance between themselves and Keskivaara in the blink of an eye, the speed of the dagger and sword enhanced by their magic. They were a deadly duo, but neither had an idea of how to combat an affinity they’d never heard of.

  Flickara.

  That spell was the final one his master taught him before disappearing, for it was by far the most challenging one in the lightning magic arsenal. It turned Keskivaara’s entire body into electricity, and in practice, it was hardly different from the light spell “Ilumine”. However, where Ilumine turned the mage into a being of pure energy that could move at inhuman speeds, Flickara enabled Keskivaara to split his form, so the second he cast it, half of him flashed around Koroha’s right while the other half went around her left, before merging back into a single individual behind her. He could see in their body language that neither of them had been ready for that, just as he planned.

  Corsikei.

  When he returned to flesh, his palm was angled towards Koroha’s back, his shockwave slamming right into it as she was flung off the rooftop like a ragdoll. Alharo exhaled sharply, his attention briefly taken by Koroha.

  Electra.

  Keskivaara’s bolt just barely missed his opponent, who recovered just in time to pivot out of the way. Despite her spine almost assuredly being fractured, Koroha rolled and blasted back up to the roof nearly instantly, confirming that, like most mages on her level, she knew enough nature magic for emergencies.

  Alharo charged, his sword slashing downwards for Keskivaara’s neck, but a swift casting of rock armor around his forearm enabled the People’s Mind to reach up and deflect the attack. The blade scraped along the edge of the rock, then Koroha was there, right behind him yet again, with that lethally quick dagger ready to pierce his back and stab his heart. Flickara sent him splitting once more, reforming behind Koroha like he had the first time, but the Master of Wind was a quick learner, so by the time he was flesh and blood, she had spun around and was slashing for his neck. Using wind magic, Keskivaara tried to grab her wrist, but she angled her slash higher than his hand, resulting in him grasping at nothing but air and forcing him to lean away from an attack that would’ve taken his eyes. Before he could make any counters, he frantically ducked down to avoid a swing from Alharo, then flashed further up the roof to dodge Koroha.

  Keskivaara internally cursed, his eyes momentarily flickering towards the lights of the Market off in the distance. I need more chaos. The unknown elements of my magic are keeping them at bay, but it’s not enough to shake two goliaths like them. If I want any hope of outrunning one of the fastest Masters, I need to change the setting.

  Deciding to take advantage of their caution, Keskivaara cast a series of rapid-fire Electra, launching bolt after bolt towards Koroha and Alharo, who dodged them with ease before the former propelled herself across the small distance.

  Elasc.

  Electricity exploded from his body in a sphere, wrapping around him like a protective cocoon in a defensive spell Koroha wouldn’t have been ready for. Her dagger was in the heart of the space his shield was erected in, so the metal conducted the power through her weapon and into her body, electrocuting her and forcing Alharo to hesitate before making any move against him.

  Perfect. Exactly what I need. Thundus!

  That particular spell was an electrified form of Proto, essentially achieving the same powerful blast beneath his feet, but causing a surge of lightning to erupt with it. It created a shockwave in his wake that forced Alharo to jump back, providing an even more opportune opening for the People’s Mind to flee the rooftop.

  But just like before, Koroha Rhitta was hot on his heels. A glance over his shoulder showed the Master of Wind soaring after him, her arms stretched out in preparation of further attacks. Keskivaara clicked his tongue, reaching back with his left arm and casting Pluvan, gathering plenty of rainwater between him and his pursuer.

  Electra!

  He could sense her momentum halt right before reaching the electrified water, her mana stretching through wind ropes behind her.

  Geldai!

  Rather than forming a new attack, Keskivaara shifted most of the gathered water to ice and launched a barrage of icicles at where he sensed Koroha. Her mana signature suddenly snapped away, and as she swung into view, he saw her flying in an arc, Condite connecting her arm and a nearby spire. As he had slowed somewhat to cover his back, Koroha rapidly approached Keskivaara, using wind to enhance her knife, tripling its range in an attempt to cleave him in half. Her strike harmlessly passed through him as he frantically turned his form electric, and due to her wind blade being the only thing to reach him, she received no damage.

  When he reformed to strike back, a blast from Corsikei smashed into his back, throwing him down into an alleyway. Using wind magic, he tried to slow his decent, yet there simply wasn’t enough space to negate his momentum. Thus, he cast Flickara again, the lightning that made him up spreading across the ground and then coalescing back into his upright form. Knowing he had maybe a second to move, Thundus launched him back into the sky with a boom and he scanned his surroundings to find something for Condite to latch onto so he could return to his path.

  From behind him, a blade of wind that would’ve bisected his body streaked toward him. It was yet another quick casting of Flickara that saved him, reforming a few yards to his left as the attack he’d dodged tore into some building. Keskivaara had made sure he’d reappear facing the other direction, finding Koroha bearing down on him. Ice walls formed to intercept her, though they were weaker as they were made midair. While he knew they wouldn’t stop her, Keskivaara was still surprised as they were shaved away, the Master of Wind easily passing through them.

  What appeared to be short range castings of Perkari engulfed her like an aura, constantly churning and shredding anything that got close. Her arms were pulled together though, and the spell disengaged when she thrust her left hand out to attack him. As he replied by moving to kick her, the wind gathering into a blade rapidly expanded to form a shield, stopping his foot from hitting her, just as he wanted.

  Thundus!

  The lightning that shot down his leg and slammed into her shield both launched him back toward the Market and threw his opponent into the roof behind her. Using the rooftops between him and the Market as consistent launchpads, he constantly twisted around to either dodge Perkari and Corsikei, or to counter any castings of Condite intended to drag him from the sky again. He was lucky the Market was as close as it was, for Koroha’s Protos had far more power behind them than his own Thundus castings, so right as he sensed the shopping distinct beneath him, he spun around and hurled a few bolts at Koroha just for some extra protection.

  Alharo’s going to be here soon, but he’s nowhere near as fast as her and I, so I’ve got time! If I can just stun her with something strong enough to keep her down longer than a second, I’ll be free!

  Keskivaara landed in the center of the street, rain water exploding up around him from the force as he watched Koroha fly towards him with a scream of rage. All around him, the few people out shopping in the rain cried out in surprise, but he shoved them from his thoughts for the moment, though keeping enough awareness of the chance that one of the city guards happened to be nearby.

  Koroha closed the distance instantly, her dagger already swinging for his vitals. He sidestepped a thrust for his heart, flashed around her to dodge the subsequent swing for his throat, cast Electra at her exposed back, then rushed to the right when she Protoed above the bolt. He kept trying to strike her at least once, but she was adapting, and he was running out of spells he hadn’t yet used. Normally, he would have expected her to put more space between them given the danger of his magic touching her, but she must have realized he was prioritizing flight over taking her down, so she was keeping him on the backfoot to make sure he couldn’t get away.

  Casting Flickara, he split his body around her next thrust, then instantly used Thundus to blast into the air, but Koroha had ropes of wind around him before he was even fully flesh, dragging him backwards before he could get the momentum and hurtling him down the street with more force than was usually possible with a spell as brittle as Condite. She rattled off her own Proto, flying after his body as it spun in midair, and recognizing the need for defense, he cast Elasc, reforming his previous shield and ensuring Koroha couldn’t use her dagger. He sensed her hesitation, turning into the momentum as he infused his leg with both lightning and wind, then sent it slamming into her stomach, kicking the Master right through the glass door of a building. It was smashed from its hinges, and as Keskivaara used a midair Proto against his momentum to slow, he noted that she had been knocked into a tavern.

  Great! She should be stunned, too, so this is my chance to—

  Diving into a roll at the last minute, Keskivaara felt the rush of wind right above his head, and when he jumped back to his feet to identify whose sword had almost severed it, he grimaced at Alharo’s perfectly terrible arrival time.

  “Leaving you alive was clearly a mistake, my friend,” the Vice Captain spat, raising his sword across his body in a defensive stance. “How the hell did you even get out?”

  Keskivaara snorted, his lightning recoiling itself around him. “Just took a bit of creativity, is all. What, you thought the Citadel dungeons were secure? Ha! Nobody’s holding me down, Mr. Bann!”

  “We’ll see about that, now won’t we?” Alharo growled. “I’ll admit, you’re powerful, but you’re not good enough to survive this. Stand down, Keskivaara.”

  The People’s Mind glanced towards the tavern Koroha had been thrown into, finding it strange that she hadn’t already reached him given how quickly she had recovered every other time she was stunned. The only explanation for the delay that he could think of was that the sudden rush of patrons fleeing the building and trying to escape the chaos kept her unable to reach the door, but that explanation didn’t quite sit right with him.

  Where is she? Shit, Bann’s almost certainly trying to stall me, and I don’t have time for that! Fuck this, I’m taking him out and I’m running before Rhitta gets here!

  However, when he glanced back towards Alharo, he found Koroha already rushing up to stand beside him, though she had come from the complete opposite direction of the tavern. Keskivaara frowned, tensing up in preparation of a continued battle as Alharo shot his friend a confident look, as if trying to silently communicate that they had this handled. Koroha glanced up at him, smiled, then in a move that was quick but nowhere near the speed she displayed before, she jammed her dagger straight into Alharo’s throat.

  Blood splattered from his mouth, his eyes went wide with confusion and shock just as she ripped the blade from his neck. He dropped to his knees, his sword clattering to the ground as his hands desperately reached up, as if instinctually trying to close the wound, but before he could, a wind-powered swing of the knife severed his head in a clean slice. Keskivaara watched it hit the road just before his body slumped to the ground, his brain not even slightly processing what he had just witnessed. It was only when “Koroha” looked over at him, smirked, then raised her hand in greeting that he understood.

  “Yo, Keskivaara! Glad to see you made it out.”

  “Sartella?” he breathed.

  Leiolai Sartella! If she’s here, then…

  “Hop on. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  Her next comment was odd, but right before his eyes, her body began to grow exponentially. Her arms grew thicker, her fingers expanding into claws the size of blades, while her legs followed the same process. Her torso became ovular, her skull expanded, and wings began to protrude from her back. The cloak she had been wearing tore from the transformation, and as Keskivaara gaped at this magnificent sight, he found himself gazing upon the terrifying visage of a red dragon, its body barely fitting in the street.

  Hop on?

  “KESKIVAARA!”

  The snarl of hatred followed a sudden surge of mana, but even knowing that the real Koroha Rhitta had returned to battle, he opted to trust Leiolai as he used Thundus, blasting from his position and jumping onto the dragon’s back. The changeling was already taking to the sky, so knowing he would have to be their defense, Keskivaara remained on his feet as he prepared a few bolts of lightning to send down at her, only to pause in confusion yet again. Koroha was swinging at the air, her eyes facing away from him and Leiolai, as if she were facing a foe that was not actually present.

  “What the hell is she—?”

  “Riko?!”

  The sound of that voice caused Koroha’s bizarre behavior to leave his thoughts completely, and as he turned towards the call of his name, he watched a cloaked individual Proto from one of the nearby rooftops to land safely on the dragon’s back. Keskivaara’s shoulders slumped with relief, the sight of his husband’s smiling, relieved features bringing him so much joy that he couldn't have expressed it with words.

  “Vel…” he breathed, lunging forward to wrap his arms tightly around Velanor, desperate to confirm that he wasn’t hallucinating anything himself. “Velanor! I don’t understand! How are you here?! What the hell is going—?!”

  His frantic questions were cut off by a kiss, one he gratefully returned. It was unfortunately short-lived, for the speed that Leiolai was flying across the City of Erika forced them both to stumble down into a seating position.

  “I should be asking you some of those questions,” Velanor muttered, a wry smile on his lips. “You were hardly in the dungeons longer than a few days. How on earth did a person as valuable as you get out so easily?”

  “Ilirianna and Caeli are making a move,” he confirmed, raising his voice so that Leiolai could hear him, too. “They let me out, told me I needed to take credit for the death of King Markreas and Queen Toranei. I agreed, so Caeli escorted me to the gates.”

  Velanor’s eyes went wide with shock, a reaction Keskivaara had expected. They had, after all, been skeptical about Tali’s visions ever since they first decided to align with her, but if Ilirianna Iiji was truly committing a coup and grasping for power despite countless indicators that she would never do so, then it became infinitely harder to not trust in Tali Firrik. Keskivaara also suspected Velanor may have other reasons for believing her, especially given the fact that he and Leiolai were somehow in Erika.

  “As you can see, though, I ran into a bit of trouble,” the People’s Mind went on. “What about you though? I imagine Firrik must be nearby? No possible way the two of you got into this city without her.”

  His husband smirked bitterly, making it clear that regardless of his belief in her visions, his opinion of the seer had not increased. “That’s a long story in its own right, and one I’ll tell you in a bit. For now, we’re getting the fuck out of here. Sartella was keeping watch on the Citadel, so when she saw the sudden battle unfolding with Rhitta, she bolted back here to let us know. Firrik insisted we pick you up and run.”

  “Is she not coming then?” Keskivaara pressed, to which Velanor shook his head.

  “No, she told us she’d remain here for a bit. Said she wanted to try and make contact with Ilirianna… And if what you say is true, that’s a smart move on her part. But screw Firrik!” The man then smiled broadly, his body shivering in the cold of both the altitude and the rain. “I’m just so glad you’re okay, Riko. I was worried sick.”

  Keskivaara returned the smile, pulling the man into a hug just as he watched the dragon they rode upon soar over the northern gates of Erika and towards the forest beyond. “As was I. But we’re safe now. The worst of it is behind us.”

  ***

  Koroha Rhitta couldn’t believe her eyes as she gaped up at the distant shadow that was the dragon flying away. Her first instinct was to pursue it, but by the time she realized Keskivaara was on top of it, the creature had gotten so high up that not even a combined Condite-Proto would have allowed the Master to catch them. Instead, she could only stand there in the center of Market Street, a horribly defeated feeling crushing her heart as she slowly turned her head towards the fallen body of Alharo Bann. Koroha took a step towards it, then another, then another, moving almost on autopilot before she dropped to her knees beside the headless corpse and was only able to stare in disbelief. She weakly reached out, desperately wishing she could cast Benedio and make everything better, but Alharo was already dead, and there was nothing she could do about that.

  “Al…” she uttered, her words drowned out by the rain. “Alharo… Alharo, please… I’m sorry… I thought…”

  So many questions ran through her mind—ones she didn’t have any answers to.

  How did Rickori Keskivaara escape the Citadel?

  How did Leiolai Sartella get into Erika despite their many precautions against her?

  And worst of all, what happened to her when she was kicked into that tavern?

  After getting stunned once more by a jolt of lightning magic, Koroha slammed into the bar, feeling her body convulsing as she furiously tried to fight through it. Having gotten to her feet pretty quickly, she found Keskivaara already on top of her, wielding a sword he must have poached from a nearby guard or blacksmiths shop. She fought him for a few seconds, finding herself frustrated that he kept using that teleportation spell to flash around the room, using the patrons as cover, until suddenly, he was no longer there. Believing him to have gone back outside, Koroha rushed after him, only to arrive just as a copy of her severed Alharo’s head from his shoulders. She screamed out, charging at him with everything she had as she once again was forced to pursue his constantly flashing form.

  Then, just like in the tavern, he randomly vanished into thin air, as if he didn’t even exist. It was almost like she had hallucinated him, and before she realized it, Keskivaara was flying away on top of a dragon.

  Sobbing, Koroha clutched Alharo’s head to her chest, muttering apologies under her breath as she thought about her old friend’s wife and children, whose father had just died under her watch.

  She was crushed, and even when a squadron of guards came rushing over to her, she couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. Nothing mattered to her, except the silent promise that ignited in her heart.

  You’ll pay for this one day, Keskivaara…

  ***

  “So, my dear, was this adequate enough to reassure you that I am, in fact, your ally?”

  Standing on a rooftop a few buildings away from where Koroha Rhitta was crouched on the street, Tali Firrik smiled to herself, then glanced down at Seiras beside her. The man’s magic had resulted in the death of a warrior who was not only the Vice Captain of the Korrei-Tarr, but a former member of Markreas’s royal team. He wasn’t the type of person who would ever be sacrificed just to enable an infiltration, so as she gazed at the grinning features of the Master of the Mind, Tali felt confident in her next words.

  “Very well, Master Ka. I eagerly anticipate our alliance.”