...THE KIDNAPPING...
~ CAIN ~
Phwt!
A short whistle cut through my lips. I had questions for that girl and would not authorize her to leave without receiving some answers. A few Daemun darted after her, but assuming I gave the order to attack, one of the boys swung at me.
We were the same height, but without much effort, I evaded his hastily thrown fist. His movements were easy to predict, and even easier to counter, but I held myself back since gathering information took priority over killing him.
"Careful, they do more than just bite," I warned as the remaining Fyres released a guttural growl overwhelming the sound of rumbling skies. A storm was approaching, and the flashes of lightning frequently illuminated the girl's pursuers, but much to my annoyance, they were cloaked in distortion magic, so I couldn't quite see their faces.
"I will take care of Cain, so make sure that girl does not get away!" the boy shouted at his friend, ignoring my warning. He threw his weight forward and took another swing at me, but I slapped his arm down before one of the hounds could snatch him off his feet and rip him apart.
"Are you trying to kill me with conversation? Because it's fucking working. I need something more exciting to keep me interested – something that makes my skin crawl off my flesh, makes my silver blood ooze out of open wounds and makes my muscles twitch and ache as they are stripped from my bones. Just thinking about it excites me. So then, which one of you will keep me company?" I asked, smiling widely to show off my fangs.
"Fuck you," the bigger boy snarled.
"Oh, I'd let you if you keep me bent over." I winked, but the Fyres didn't appreciate the joke, and neither did he, because he slammed his foot down, lowered himself into a basic combat stance, and prepared his body to throw another punch. His form was practiced to perfection, almost to a fault. His feet were spread apart, knees slightly bent, his body lowered, his hands raised slightly in front of his face, and his chin angled towards his chest.
Something wrapped around me, quicker than the boy could pull his arm back, and I was quickly pinned in place by something that weighed three galaxies. My eyes snapped to his companion – the skinny kid – holding out a hand as if he'd been gripping his fingers around my body. Then, the other boy's fist connected with my stomach, and I felt my organs crush up against my spine.
'He's got quite an arm, I'll give him that, but I didn't come out here to get beat up by a few kids.'
I brought my tongue up to my palate and gave the Fyres the order to attack. They obeyed my command and went straight for my captor, but with the simple wave of his hand, eight of them perished instantly and the others decided to approach him more cautiously.
'Weight spells augmented to affect the afflicted's bone density – and cast without any incantation no less. A breathless spellcaster. I see. He's telling me not to take this lightly. Alright, kid. You have my attention.'
"Hey, don't you dare look away from me, Cain!" the boy in front of me roared. Another fist struck my body, damaging my insides with a massive blow. While I was still pinned in place by his companion's spell, he slid his rooted foot to the side – for better balance – raised his other leg into the air, then, with a hard swing, delivered a devastating kick to my side, cracking one of my ribs in the process.
'Well fuck me, that's going to leave a bruise. Better heal that before Rivian sees.'
"Coda, I can't hold him much longer. He's too strong!"
"Shut up, Raven, and do what you are told. Go after that bitch before something else does!"
Thanks to my wolves relentlessly throwing themselves at the boy named Raven, I felt his grip on me slipping, giving me the edge to break free of his hold. Coda prepared himself for another kick and his leg became a blur.
I stepped aside, evading his strike, and placed myself behind him. I ran my finger down his spine, feeling his muscles tense up as a result. I poked him a few times, to gauge the strength and density of his muscles. The smell of his fear excited me, and I felt my cock press up against the constraints of my jeans, but the unyielding fabric wouldn't allow me to get very large.
"Meldora," I spoke his name. "Surely you realize that bigger muscles won't change who you are."
He whirled around, ready to crack my nose under his elbow, but I guided his arm around my face with a carefully placed finger.
"Sorry." My eyes, still glowing gold, darkened a bit. "But my face is off limits."
"Do not underestimate me," Coda growled. Before he could strike me again, either with his fist or with his leg, I stepped back and put some distance between us.
"I expelled you because you were too arrogant, Mel, not because you were weak." I raised my hand out in front of me. "I have numbers. You don't. I have magic. You don't. I have combat experience. You don't. I have sexy golden-yellow eyes. You don't. And most importantly, I have dimples. You don't. I have you beat in every aspect. I believe it's 'me' who shouldn't be underestimated."
"You are still so full of yourself, Cain. You may have magic and killer strength, but I know your secret. You cannot even fuck me without Willka's permission. You are no different than the Daemun you have summoned."
"Yes, and? Just because I follow certain rules doesn't mean you can take me on. I notice you're still as cocky as ever. It would have been more effective to cut me open if you were trying to get under my skin."
I reached for my kunai, which was in my back pocket, and levelled it with my gaze. I sank into a combat stance. I waved my hand at Coda, flexing my fingers and encouraging him to come at me.
He tried to kick the kunai out of my hand, but I lowered the blade and tilted it upwards, causing him to slice open his leg. I snorted, mocking his inexperience with a sarcastic laugh.
'I knew he was dumb, but who the fuck tries to kick a sharp weapon out of their opponent's hand?'
I stepped forward, swung my kunai horizontally, and watched Coda raise his arms to block my attack. My blade sliced into his flesh, and blood leaked from the deep cut just below his wrists.
"You watch way too many movies, kid."
"Shut up!"
I gasped dramatically and put my hand over my mouth, "What? Oh no, we can't have that. We both know how much I love the sound of my voice!"
He lunged forward, aiming a fist at my face, but his eyes quickly glanced at my side, making it obvious that he was planning on a different mode of attack. So, I ignored his fist and protected my cracked rib from receiving another blow. His leg smacked against my arm, but I held my ground and didn't allow him to shake me.
I brought the kunai to my lips, tasting his blood, and glanced over his shoulder at his companion. Raven was nowhere to be seen. It was unclear if he fled or pursued Kiera, but either way, he was gone. So were my hounds. Aside from one, they've all been returned to the nether, with their ashes scattered all over the wet terrain, mixing with dirt, dried leaves, and small sticks.
"Your opponent is me!" Coda snapped, delivering another kick. I snatched his foot under my armpit. I hooked my foot behind his rooted ankle, pulled my leg to the side, and placed my free hand onto his neck, pushing him down. I let go and let gravity do its magic. He landed on the ground with a thud.
"Yes, yes," I said, growing bored of him.
'Well, fuck, I thought this would be exciting, but aside from bulking up his body, Meldora didn't grow much these past two years. How disappointing. Here I thought he'd be enough to kill me. To top it all off, the setting for my death is perfect. I'm in the middle of a dark forest with barely anyone around. The rain is getting heavier as we speak, only adding to the dreadful atmosphere. I could scream and wail and no one would hear me. Just thinking about it has me all hot and bothered.'
I pressed my boot onto his chest and licked the other side of the blade. His blood tasted annoyingly average, neither sweet nor bitter. In a way, it was more of a letdown than Aria's had been.
"What do you want, Cain?" he asked, grabbing onto my leg.
"Information," I said simply, pressing my heel onto his sternum. "Something you said earlier piqued my interest. You'll take the girl with you even if you must drag her corpse out of this forest. Now, I wonder, what makes her so interesting that an expelled student would come out here to kidnap Kade's daughter? To exact revenge? To obtain unimaginable power? Perhaps to hold her for ransom? I doubt it, given that you implied her worth wouldn't degrade even if she died. So then, tell me, why are you here? What do you want with Kiera? And most importantly, how is all this related to Henry? Oh, don't look at me like that. I can smell him on you. I know you're working for him."
"Mort'kyr degas Myra!" Coda screamed out. He finished casting before I could stop him. His body twitched violently, and his mouth began foaming. His eyes rolled back into his skull, and he screamed out in agony as the curse he'd afflicted on himself boiled his blood and stopped his heart.
"Death won't save you from answering my questions, Mel." I leaned down and wrapped my hand around his ankle. "But I'm pressed for time, so I'll deal with you later."
I clicked my tongue in quick succession. A rounded sound left my lips, giving the remaining Fyre the order to take the lead. He walked off, taking me in the girl's direction.
"Just where in the seven bloody hells is she off to anyway?" I murmured as I dragged Meldora up and over a large rock. The hound huffed, as if saying he had no idea, and continued walking.
'Stars, Willka's incessant whining's got me sounding just like him.' I felt my skin crumple up with disgust.
We stalked through the trees and eventually arrived at a river, where three hounds had Kiera surrounded. She was crouched down, holding her head in her hands, trying to block out their constant clicking.
Something was wrong with her. Like her mother, her heart was weak, barely pumping enough blood to keep her alive and her breath was short and forced. She would faint soon and after a painful hour or so, she would die.
'Ugh, just my luck. Fine. I guess I'll save her. I did tell her mother I'd take good care of her...'
I walked closer, and the girl looked up. Her tear-filled eyes looked horrified at the body I was dragging behind me, and the air filled with the sweet scent of her fear. She scurried back, but the hounds growled at her, freezing her in place.
"Hello, Kiera," I said softly, glancing at the river behind her. She remained silent, staring at me with widened eyes and a quivering lip. "Where is your father?"
"I…" – she swallowed – "don't know…"
"Lost him, have you?" My eyes flicked down to her neck. "That just means he left you to die out here."
"No. He sacrificed himself. H-he didn't abandon me."
"If he's not here, he left you behind."
"He'd never do that."
"You don't know him like I do. Now, come. I'll treat that wound before it kills you."
"I-I'm not going anywhere with a murderer."
"To put it bluntly, you are rude for assuming such things. This guy killed himself, and your mother was slaughtered by the Daemun. Trust me, I share your devastation."
I would have killed them myself if I could. Of course, I was saddened that I had been denied the freedom to make it happen. I grabbed Kiera's hand and dragged her towards the direction of my car.
"N-no!" Her voice trembled with fear, barely leaving her throat. "Let go of me!" She smacked my hand, trying to loosen my grip, and dug her heels into the ground attempting to slow me down.
"Stop that," I hissed, annoyed at her struggling. She ignored me and decided to bite me instead. I snatched her up and threw her over my shoulder. She hammered her fists down and kicked her legs.
"No, let go of me! Put me down!" she screeched like a goddam banshee. "VINCENT! HELP ME! PLEASE!" Giving up on my back, she tried to smack my face, reaching behind her to pull on my hair and ears.
"Bis Astr!" I cursed. "Would you please stop struggling? I'm not going to hurt you."
"PUT. ME. DOWN!"
'Well, there goes my hearing. Fuck, is that blood coming out of my ear, or did she nick me? For a girl so clearly terrified of me, she's still brave enough to fight back. I'm starting to like her.'
When I ignored her, she latched onto my back and bit me. It's not the weirdest 'thank you' I ever received, but definitely a strange one. I mean, I didn't save her yet.
"Are you always this nice?" I asked sarcastically. I trudged around a bend in the river, seeing my car parked in the distance. A Fyre stood beside it. When I approached the car, it stepped forward and bowed its head slightly, as if welcoming me back.
"Cain," it spoke. Kiera stopped squirming and stared at him, as he fell in beside me and followed me to the car. "He has something to report."
"Speak freely, Ymir, you need not ask permission." I carried Kiera to the passenger seat.
"The clans are surrounding the barrier. He thinks they are attempting to cut off Cain's escape," Ymir said.
"I assumed as much." I opened the door and pushed Kiera inside. I held her in place, buckled her seat belt, and shut the door in her face before she could say anything to me. Dragging Coda to the back of the car, I popped open the trunk and tossed him inside. "Send word to the others. I'll be returning to 86. They need not worry about me. Those of you remaining may hunt the other clans as you please. I will not stop you."
"Ymir is most grateful," he said, licking his lips.
"Break your masks when you're done. Don't dawdle in this layer. It's not safe. And whatever you do, don't speak your name in front of others. I don't want you taken from me."
"Very well, Cain. We will do as you say," Ymir answered, bowing his head once more.
"Ah, before I leave, have you at all located my familiar? If he's with Kade, it will require more searching. That fucking coward fled. I doubt he's still on this layer."
"He is with the girl," Ymir said, glancing at the front of the car.
"Well fuck me, no wonder Aria spewed more shit than usual, droning on about her daughter." I sighed. "Alright, I'm heading off. Give Yazrah my thanks when you see him."
I moved to the driver's seat, climbed inside, and closed the door. I looked across at Kiera, who, of course, had gathered a few things to throw at me. First, it was my house keys, then a book about magical runes, and finally an empty water bottle.
"The fuck is wrong with you?" I asked, staring at her.
"Let me out!"
"Don't be ridiculous, Kiera. As I have said earlier, I will not harm you. So, calm the fuck down." I buckled my seatbelt and put my hands on the steering wheel.
"Where are you taking me?" Before I could answer her, she picked up the book and smacked my arm.
"For the love of – would you please stop hitting me? I'm taking you to Lilah!"
"Lilah?" She lowered the book. "Who is that? What does she want with me?"
"What? Lilah is a place, not a person."
"A place?" Kiera looked confused.
"Yes. Now, sit still, keep your mouth shut, and let me get you to a healer."
"What did that Red do to me? What is marking? Why did it bite me? Why could my parents see it? And since when could they talk?"
"Any other questions you want to bombard me with?" I asked, starting the car.
"Yes, why –"
"By the stars, I was being sarcastic," I hissed at her.
I put the car in first gear to get momentum, then shifted up to second and drove slowly down the twisting route away from Kade's cabin. I opened the windows and bent forward, extending an arm to my feet. I reached for the bottle of water I bought and handed it over.
She threw it out of the window…
"Thought you might do that. Good thing I bought two. If you throw this one away, I'm not sharing mine with you, okay?" I said and handed her the other bottle.
"Why should I trust you? I don't even know you." She glared at me, gripping the book in her hands, ready to hit me again if she didn't like my answer.
'Feisty. Alright, I've decided. I like her. She'll fit right in with the boys at home.'
Although I did not come here for her, my familiar was trapped inside of her body, therefore my objective to retrieve him was complete. Returning to the island was my final mission and getting there safely was my next challenge.
"I'm Cain. I come from Ri'elle, Layer 86." I shifted to a higher gear and sped up the car. "Lilah is an island. You'll be safe there if you keep your head down and do what you're told."
I glanced at Kiera. Irked by the sudden silence. Her eyes were closed, and her body was pressed against the seat, held in place by her seat belt. The blood oozing out of her shoulder wasn't red anymore. It was black.
"Fuck!" I slammed the steering wheel.
'Dammit! She's got less time than I thought.'
I took my phone out of my pocket, holding the wheel straight with my knees, and dialled Thornwood's number. Five rings later, she finally picked up.
"Cain? Aren't you on Layer 365? How are you calling me?" she answered with a confused tone.
"How the fuck do you know where I am? Disregard my question. Find Reed and come to the mansion. I need his help," I said and hung up.