Maya Pov
"DO YOU TRUST ME, MAYA?"
Kai's desperate question echoed from across the battlefield, cutting through the chaos of combat. What was he planning? I didn't like the uncertainty in his voice, but I had no better ideas. This water mage was clearly more advanced than me—I was lucky to have lasted this long. Whatever Kai had in mind, it had better work.
"...YES," I called back hesitantly.
Almost immediately, his voice carried overhead again: "THEN DO IT NOW!"
Without waiting, I channeled my magic, condensing a ball of flames as small and dense as I could manage before rapidly expanding it outward. The resulting explosion was massive, flames quickly engulfing everything—including myself. The heat was intense, and I could barely stand against the shockwave.
Within seconds, I wasn't standing at all. A strong arm wrapped tightly around my waist as I was swept off the ground. I didn't even have time to be startled before we blasted through the wall of flames, and I got a good look at who had grabbed me.
Rowan?
Confusion flooded through me as I looked at him, then back at the dissipating flames that were rapidly growing more distant. Cold realization gripped my heart, turning my blood to ice as I finally understood what Kai's plan had been all along.
"N-no. NO! We can't leave him, Rowan! We can't!" I cried out.
Rowan's face contorted with such pain it looked as though he was being physically tortured, but he didn't respond. I looked back toward the battle, where the explosion had finally subsided. In the distance, I could see Kai getting to his feet, looking back at us.
"No, no, no... KAI!" I screamed with everything I had before turning my anger toward Rowan. "Rowan, we can't leave him! We have to go back!"
No response.
"Rowan, please!"
Still nothing.
"I don't want to have to make you stop with force, Rowan... we have to go back! They'll kill him!"
Finally, Rowan's agonized expression loosened enough for him to speak.
"So what? You want to go back so we can die there with him?" His voice was tight with emotion. "This is hurting me just as much as it's hurting you, Maya, but... but this was the only way for any of us to live. Kai knew that. I'm not going to ruin the chance he gave us, and most importantly, I can't lose both of you."
His words did nothing to dampen the flames of my anger. "Then why me? Why didn't you take Kai?"
My questions fell upon deaf ears as he refused to respond again. Soon tears began to flood my face like a broken dam as I gave up the fight. He was right, but... this wasn't right. I was the strongest, the oldest, the prodigy—I was supposed to protect them. But in the end, it seemed like Kai was always the one saving me.
I was a failure. I thought I was strong. I thought my talent would carry me to the heights of power. I was wrong. I was weak, so weak. And because of my weakness, yet another person I cherished would disappear.
My thoughts flowed with my tears as I remained draped over Rowan's shoulder. After a few solemn moments of silence while Rowan ran, I glanced up at the road behind us.
"Um, Rowan," I said, my voice slightly shaky, "two of them are chasing us, and they're gaining... fast."
Rowan grunted and looked back at the two mages who were moving with unnatural speed. He looked forward again.
"Damn it," he muttered, and then without warning, he took a hard left into the forest and picked up his pace, dodging oncoming trees and jumping over undergrowth.
We ran for a while longer before I spotted the mages behind us again. This time they were farther away, having difficulty tracking us through the sprawling forest. Rowan made more strategic sharp turns and pushed through dense areas of the forest to obscure our path. With every second, I could see the mages falling farther and farther behind until finally, after what felt like an eternity of running, I could no longer see them.
We had lost them.
Rowan didn't slow down, though. We wouldn't be truly safe until we made our way back into the city. No matter how deranged these people were, they wouldn't dare fight us in the open where the royal guard patrolled. With that in mind, Rowan kept going. He ran and ran and ran until finally the city came into view, Delocard rising before us as we emerged from the treeline.
Soon after, we were within the safe proximity of the city. We were safe.
But what did it matter? Kai was probably already...
I bit my lip so hard at these thoughts that blood trickled down my chin. My momentarily halted tears began flowing again as Rowan finally set me on the ground.
No, I wouldn't lose hope. I couldn't. Maybe he escaped... or maybe for whatever reason, those people had left him alive. Either way, I had to try. I didn't care how much money I had to spend or who I had to hire. I had to find Kai... or what was left of him.
As we stumbled through the city, the guards gave us curious looks but asked no questions. We must have been a sight—burned, bloodied, and broken.
"We need to find somewhere safe," Rowan said quietly, his voice hollow. "Then we can plan."
I wiped the tears from my face, leaving smudges of ash and dirt across my cheeks. "Plan what? A rescue or a funeral?"
Rowan flinched at my words but didn't answer. His silence told me everything. He didn't believe Kai was still alive any more than I did, but neither of us was willing to say it aloud.
"We'll find him," Rowan finally said, though his voice lacked conviction. "But first, we need to survive. That's what he wanted."
I nodded numbly, following Rowan deeper into the city. Each step took us farther from Kai, and it felt like my heart was being torn from my chest. But I would honor his sacrifice. I would survive.
And then I would find him—whatever it took.