“Tik, we have a safe place we can go to, and some friends who can help us. We can look at that ankle of yours and see what we can do to fix it up for you,” V offered his hand.
Tik seemed to shrink in on himself.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said, defeat apparent in his voice. “There’s no way I’m going to survive the Machi Thanatos. I couldn’t even escape a stupid trap.”
His demeanor triggered something in me. This was what the Elusians wanted. They wanted us broken, afraid to trust ourselves or each other.
“Did anyone ever teach you how to escape out of a trap like that?” I snapped.
Tik jumped, then shook his head. V reached out a hand as if to calm me.
“I’m not going to bite him, V,” I snarled. “Did you ever read about it in one of the books in your library?” I asked the boy. Again, he shook his head.
“Did you ever hear one of your elders tell a story about a trap like that and how to escape it?” I demanded.
He shook his head a third time.
“Then how the fuck were you supposed to avoid something you were never taught about, never heard about, and didn’t even know existed?”
“I-I…” his voice trailed off. “I’m not strong. No one ever wanted to teach me anything. They said it was a waste of resources since it was obvious I was going to die here anyway.”
V reached out and touched the back of his hand.
“They’re idiots,” he said as he squeezed Tik’s hand. The boy looked up at him.
“Tik, we can help you learn how to use your power in ways others might not have thought of. Kat and I, we’ve come up with all kinds of amazing new ways to use our abilities,” he said, nodding at me. “If you’ll let us help you, we’d like to.”
After a few moments Tik hesitantly nodded.
I focused on Tik’s leg. “This might hurt when I straighten it, but it will support your ankle and allow you to put weight on it without damaging it further.”
I’ll give the kid this: he had guts. I straightened his ankle to apply the Air support, and though I knew it had to hurt like hell, he didn’t make a sound. I could just see the tightening of the muscles in his jaw and the way his face went an ugly ashen color.
I wove Air around his ankle, creating a supporting band around the sides, then weaving small lines of Air around it until I thought it would be firm enough.
“Let’s get you up,” I said.
With Tik between us, V and I were able to help him get to his feet. He tentatively put some pressure on his injured foot.
“That’s pretty cool,” he said, looking at his leg in amazement. I tied off the magic, so I didn’t have to maintain my concentration. It wouldn’t last forever, but it should last long enough for us to get Tik to safety.
“We’re going to meet a friend of ours, Tik. His name is Helios. He’s a doctor, and he’s going to tell you some things that are going to blow your mind,” V said, making an exploding motion from his temple.
“As long as that’sallthat explodes,” Tik muttered.
The meeting between Tik and Hel went way better than I expected. Tik seemed to sense a predator in Hel, and it took a long time before he began to relax but it was really Betts who got the boy to warm up to her. Within a few minutes of meeting Betts and Tik were talking about ships and sailing. I lost all interest in their conversation, just happy the kid wasn’t scared to death anymore.
The second day Hel let us go out by ourselves while he took care of Tik. We found a Fire Mageia sitting in ambush, waiting for someone to pass beneath an alley that led to a water supply. Fortunately for us, Hel was familiar with the spot and had told us to use the building across the street to get a good view of the spot before entering. I was able to knock her out with an Air bubble before she even realized she was under attack.
Now we sat across the fire from her while Hel and Betts tended to Tik and waited for the woman to wake. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It had been just a few days ago that we had been the ones waking to a completely new world.
I noticed her breathing speed up first, then her body tensed in frustration as she realized her hands were bound behind her. V had summoned metal from the earth to encase her hands. Better than handcuffs. While it was possible to use our powers without our hands, it was a lot more difficult. Only the strongest of us were able to perform any kind of significant power use without some gestures.
“You might as well open your eyes,” I said as she feigned unconsciousness. “I can tell you are awake, Fotia Mageia.”
Her eyes snapped open, and she struggled to sit up.
“Release me,” she snapping with fury when she failed to pull her arms free.
