Chapter Fifty-Eight: Kai
Sweatbeadsdownmytemples as the brisk morning air stings my chest and the new tattoos there. My magic pulses beneath my skin, but I tamp it down as I duck the incoming punch from Haloa, spinning and barely avoiding the harsh swing of Jahlee’s sword from the other side.
“Damn it. I almost got you!” she shouts between heavy inhales, angling her long sword again as she begins to circle me.
“You do know thatmaimingour king would be a punishable offense, yes?” Haloa asks as he advances on me, swinging his fists in a quick combo of punches. I throw up my arms and block them, cursing myself for taking up Jahlee’s invitation to train so quickly after adding to the tapestry inked on my body.
“Those rules don’t apply to me because I’m his sister,” she says from somewhere behind me, making my brow arch. I catch a flash of my cousin’s white hair as she attempts to attack my blindside before I spin and duck, sweeping her legs out from under her. Siyala stumbles to the ground, letting out a growl of frustration.
My answering smirk falls quickly as I look up to see Jahlee’s sword arcing through the air towards me.Fucking hell. I duck and roll, snatching my sword from where it was discarded in the grass and turning back with only enough time to stop Jahlee’s blade a few inches above my face.
“Ha!” she laughs, light brown eyes glinting with mirth. “Got y—” I kick the side of her knee, making her drop. Jerking my sword upward, the momentum forces her grip on her own weapon to slip, and the hilt of the sword falls directly into my waiting hand. “Fuck!”
Jumping to my feet, I see Siyala surge towards me, gold ringing her irises. “When was the last time you shifted?” I ask.
Haloa closes in again, landing a kick to the side of my thigh that makes me grunt. I shoot him a disgruntled look as I toss Jahlee’s weapon to the ground, but the bastard simply shrugs his shoulders.
“None of your business,” Siyala snaps, swinging a fist for my side. My breath rushes from me as I lunge out of the way, grabbing her wrist and twisting it with one hand while lifting my blade to block another far too zealous attack by Jahlee.
“Itismy business when your refusal to shift is making you a hazard to be around.”
“I’m fine,” she says, attempting to kick out only to wobble on her standing leg. Spending years in her animal form has done her no favors when it comes to her strength or balance. It isn’t just that our physical bodies change during a shift. We are present in our minds, but everything else becomes lost to the animal within. Four years is a long time to be in such a state.
The four of us continue to weave around each other, exchanging blows and dancing away like we’ve practiced this choreography a hundred times before. Jahlee and Haloa are here by choice, while Siyala is here because I commanded it of her as her king.
“Stopkickingme!” Jahlee shouts after I do just that, having the nerve to look affronted as if she isn’t actively trying to slice me open. Throwing her sword on the ground in a tantrum she then collapses onto her back, her chest heaving as she stares up at the graying sky, a storm rolling in towards us. “I’m done.”
Haloa laughs as he abandons his fighting stance to stretch an arm across his body. He’s become an invaluable asset to me and a good friend to Jahlee. Siyala moves to grab a waterskin from the grass, and I eye her as she does, taking in the way her brows are pinched towards each other. “Have you spoken to your mother?”
She tenses as she drinks, pulling the waterskin away and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “She wants me to come home andwork. Like I’m not needed elsewhere.”
“You’re not. There’s nothing you can do for Rhea from here. And your attitude is just making everyone else around you miserable,” Jahlee says, and I let out a sigh.
Fucking gods. I run a hand through my hair, catching Haloa slowly backing away towards the palace.
“This sounds like a family thing, so I’m just going to—” He doesn’t even finish his sentence as he spins on his heel and breaks into a jog. My brows lower in annoyance—and faint amusement—before I return my attention to my cousin.
“I don’t care what anyone thinks or feels about me. Until I know Rhea is safe, until yourpreciousBahira proves herself to not be a fucking liar, I’m staying here at the palace.”
Anger pulses beneath my skin, the immediate response to her tone about Bahira hot and striking, but with a deep breath, I force it back down. “You won’t let us write letters to the Mage Kingdom—”
“For fear it may hurt Rhea!” she insists.
“You don’t want me to reach out to the mortal king,” I continue, watching her fists curl at her sides.
Jahlee stands and sheathes her sword, her gaze locked on our cousin.
“You know there is nothing else we can dobutwait, andthatcan be done at home withyour familyjust as easily as it can be done here.”
“You guys are my family,” she retorts, though the sentiment is tainted with anything but sweetness.
“Then you should heed our advice. You need to shift—”
“I spent fourfuckingyears trapped in my animal form!” she shouts, her eyes flashing gold as her neck strains. “You have no idea what it is like to bestucklike that. To be this fearsome animal and to still behelpless.To have to watch as someone you care about is hurt over and over again. And you can’t do afuckingthing about it!”
I watch tears crest her eyes, her harsh expression faltering beneath them.
“What happened over there, Siyala?” Jahlee asks softly, sitting up.
