Ivory & Death | ONC 2021

5. The Truth

The chopper moved steadily, allowing Kai to work quickly on Kai's shoulder, Nai walking towards her with gauze and other medical supplies. They worked quickly and silently to stop the blood that escaped the jagged wound, both of them monitoring Kai's heartbeat, seeing the jerking as they patched him up. Nai obviously wanted to ask Sol questions about what Kai had been talking about, but anyone could tell the woman wouldn't talk about it, not right now. 

"Once we land, tell the Doc that the wound will have traces of poison in it." Sol caught Nai's eyes for a second as she lifting Kai's shoulder, wrapping it to stop the blood flow. "They lace those iron rods with all sorts of poisons, especially to torture those from Draco because of the blood they have."

"You've seen this before?" Nai stopped what he was doing, looking wide eyed at the woman before him in disbelief, mostly at the sheer brutality she'd witnessed. 

Sol nodded, looking up for a moment then back to her hands, working to stabilize Kai; "Unfortunately, I've seen too much of this."

As they work in silence, Nai wanted to ask question, Sol could feel the drift of Nai's questions as they moved around Kai, making sure he was okay. He would have asked, if they hadn't landed and Sol rushed with the others to make sure Kai was okay, nodding once at Nai as he took over and Sol disappeared behind a wall. Nai relayed the message to Doc, an older woman with grey hair that was always braided down her spine, a pair of iron cuffs wrapped around her wrists, secured more then 40 years ago and never to be taken off. Nai had questioned Doc about it years ago, hearing the horrors she had to live through from Draco, how the cuffs prevented her dragon to ever soar through the sky.

"Make sure Sol comes by soon. He'll be a little confused when he comes too." Doc nodded as she wheeled Kai towards the infirmary. 

Sol had made a beeline for the conference room she had originally been in before all this happened, finding that the meeting they had planned just began now the threat was contained. She had easily entered the room quietly, taking her seat once again next to Kai's father who smiled softly at her, giving her hand a squeeze before they both focused again on Ver speaking, talking about exactly what had happened. Sol's eyes stayed glued to the footage they had, they always had of her, fighting against the wolves, power wielding around her, the storm she conjured. 

"Sol?" Ver calling for her finally dragged her full attention to her surrounding, everyone staring at her. 

"Sorry, what?"

"The dragon. How is he?" The monitor behind Ver showed Sol of the moment the iron rod pierced his wing, the roar of fire leaving his chest as Sol just stood there staring in horror.

"He's fine." Sol waved away, looking anywhere except at the video playing around them. "Doc's extracting the poison and I'll heal him after."

"And the King? What happened with him?" Elder Kim, an aged woman who had fled from Mutare Territory decades ago, the scars that littered her body told anyone that she was haunted by the ghosts of her people. 

"Mathis is still a tyrant. He still wishes to take as many kingdoms under his rule as he possibly can. I don't think anything can change him now." Sol meet Kai's father's eyes. "Not when he knows."

"Does Kai?" His father couldn't help asking.

"He does now." Sol nodded sadly. "At least he knows that Mathis is his... I'm going to go explain everything to him after I'm finished here." Sol looked around the room at all the Elders and powerful people that was needed to win this war, to stop the dividing forces of the world and bring peace. "Mathis let slip that Kai was his brother, that he would only end up dying like their mother. He also said that I was promised to him."