The air in the medical area of the Scarlet Storm Clan reeked of bitter herbs and stale sweat.
Rian Cole stood with his arms crossed, staring at the lad he'd accidentally electrocuted.
The boy lay on a stretcher, his face pale and a makeshift bandage wrapped around his chest.
His blue tunic, once pristine with its silver threads, was now scorched at the edges. Around him, three members of his clan hovered like guard dogs, their faces stern and their eyes boring into Rian.
"Sorry," Rian said, half-hearted.
One of the blokes from the blue clan, a scrawny man with a scruffy beard, scowled and stepped forward. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his tunic, but his stance screamed he was ready to pounce if needed.
"That's it? 'Sorry'? You don't even mean it, you little brat."
Rian let out a long sigh, his shoulders slumping.
'I'm doing this for my uncle…' he thought, pressing his lips together.
Rian leaned forward slightly, just enough to pass as a bow, and repeated:
"Sorry."
"No!" shouted a younger member of the blue clan, this one with messy hair and a vein throbbing on his forehead.
He jabbed a shaky finger at Rian.
"That's not an apology! Where's the respect? Bow like a man!"
Rian felt a knot twist in his gut.
Why did he have to apologise to them when they were the ones who'd provoked him?
Slowly, his heart started racing, and with it, the electricity was there again, buzzing under his skin, but then a wave of dizziness hit him.
'Shit…' Rian thought as the room spun and a sour taste crawled up his throat. He nearly spewed right there but swallowed hard to keep it down.
The scruffy-bearded bloke noticed this and let out a dry laugh, crossing his arms.
"What's this, Cole? Now you're gonna act sick so we feel sorry for you? Pathetic! Do you even know who you messed with? This lad's the son of Rick, the biggest merchant in our clan!"
Rian barely heard him. The scolding reached his ears like a distant mumble, drowned out by the buzzing in his head.
'This bloody buzzing…' he thought, swaying a bit. 'This medicine from my uncle's kicking in that annoying side effect again.'
◇◆◇
The door to Rian's uncle's cabin creaked as he shoved it open. His steps were heavy, and his face was twisted in a grimace of irritation.
The uncle, a burly man with a grey beard, sat in an old chair, carving a chunk of wood with a knife. He looked up and grinned, flashing a missing tooth.
"So? How'd it go with those twits?" he asked, his voice deep and gravelly. He set the knife on the table and leaned back in the chair, stretching his legs out.
Rian flopped into a seat across from him, crossing his arms.
"All sorted, they're happy now," he replied flatly.
The uncle let out a booming laugh that rattled the walls.
"Ha, I doubt it. That lot from the Sky Blue Clan are more annoying than a mozzie in summer."
Rian frowned and sat up a bit straighter.
"How'd your chat with my dad go?"
The uncle sighed, a long, weary sound. He heaved himself up with a grunt, trudged to a rickety shelf, and grabbed a bottle of dark liquor. He popped the cork with his teeth, spitting it onto the floor, and took a long swig straight from the bottle.
Rian watched with a look of disgust. "Was it that bad, what he said?"
The uncle wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and plonked back down, bottle still in his fist. "They're kicking you out of the clan."
Rian didn't even blink. "Not surprised," he murmured, scratching the back of his neck.
Truth was, he'd seen it coming, but for it to be because of those bastards…
"By the way, some old codger saw your little show from a distance. Seems he took a liking to you."
Rian tilted his head, puzzled.
Took a liking to him… an old man?
"What're you on about?"
The uncle smirked, a crooked grin that didn't reach his eyes.
"Your dad's not cancelling the family expulsion, that's set. But instead of chucking you out on the street like a stray, they're sending you to an academy."
Rian let out a dry laugh.
"Academy? I can barely read, you old git. What the hell do they expect me to do there?"
The uncle slammed the bottle onto the table with a dull thud and fixed him with a stare.
"Dunno, that's your mess to sort, but that old bloke got you this chance. I reckon… he wants you to learn to control your power."
Rian laughed again, but this time the sound cracked at the end.
"Control this?"
Rian raised a hand, and though no sparks flew, the gesture was like he expected something to blow up.
"You seriously think that's possible?"
"Yeah," the uncle said, taking another swig, shorter this time, and wiping his lips with his sleeve. "There's others like you. Folks who can't handle their powers at first. You're not the only walking disaster."
Rian went quiet. His eyes widened slightly, and his breath hitched for a second.
Everything his brothers had told him…
"Why didn't anyone tell me that before?" Rian murmured, more to himself than to his uncle.
The old man shrugged, then took another gulp, the liquid splashing a bit onto the table.
"You're off tomorrow. Your bag'll be in the cart with everything you've saved up here."
Rian stared at him, processing the words.
It was all so sudden that… he didn't even know what to say.
He didn't exactly have much in this clan, but… sending him off to fend for himself in the outside world?
The uncle got up, bottle in hand, and shuffled towards the door without another word.
When the sound of his footsteps faded down the corridor, something broke inside Rian.
'If I'd just controlled this from the start… Mum would still be alive,'
His shoulders shook, and a few tears rolled down his cheeks. Rian covered his face with his hands, biting his lip to keep quiet.