LOST

Chapter 15- Hudson

Celestine

"What?!" Kendal gasped.

"Wait," Odin said with a frown. "Are you saying that Hudson is in Kythia?"

"No," Aiden snapped. "No way. There is no way that their leverage was right under our noses."

I wanted to laugh. This was the first time I had seen Aiden torn between something. He believed what we were saying was true, but he didn't want to.

"Hudson is in Kythia," I confirmed. There was silence on board. Nothing but the waves crashing onto the sides of the ship rang through the air. There were gulls in the air, swooping around and shrieking. It was Kendal who finally found her words.

"Y-you said that Hudson is not a 'who'," she whispered solemnly. "You said that Hudson is a 'what'."

I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"What exactly is Hudson?" she asked. There was dread in her eyes. Kendal was smart and quick-thinking. By the rigidity of her stance and the hardness in her eyes, she must've figured it out already.

"Hudson is an army," Karthur spoke. I could hear the smugness in his voice. I looked at Aiden, anticipating his reaction.

My heart sank. His eyes were red and he was shaking from head to toe.

"You have a freaking army stowed away in Kythia?" he bellowed right next to my ear.

"Ah, no, sh," I gasped, covering my now sore ear.

"Yes, we do," Karthur chirped happily. His chest puffed out in pride. I wanted to slap my cousin silly. Did he not realize he was treading dangerous waters?

The anger radiating off Aiden nearly burned me. He lunged for Karthur with enough precision to match a hungry wildcat. Without thinking, I jumped between the two men. I immediately regretted the decision as the full impact of Aiden's body-slammed me into Karthur. I cried out in pain as my hand crushed between the two. Kendal quickly reined Aiden back and by the look on her face, it was clear that she was using a great deal of effort to restrain him. Aiden snarled viciously at Karthur. Karthur simply gave him a challenging smile. I smacked Karthur's shoulder with my hand.

"Stop that," I warned him with a glare. He looked at me and his expression changed. His eyes softened.

"If you say so," he said softly and walked to talk to some nearby guards. I sighed and turned to the Kythians. Aiden still looked like a raging bull. Kendal was still processing what I'd said. Odin's jaw caressed the floor. Courage looked like she was going to faint.

"You shouldn't have come along," I said, looking directly at Aiden. "You are still loyal to Kythia. Hudson may not take you in."

"I'm not loyal to Kythia," he snapped at me. "I wouldn't be out here if I was loyal to my country."

"Then why'd you come?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Two reasons, love," he huffed. "One- I couldn't leave Kendal and Ramah with you. I had to ensure their safety since I'm the reason that they got into this in the first place."

"And two?" I asked.

"I had to escape my father," he said bitterly, glancing at Odin as he said it. When I saw the vulnerable look that crossed his eyes, I knew better than to push the topic. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, unable to meet my eyes as if he'd just admitted to a sin. I tore my gaze away from Aiden and looked at the rest of them.

"Since you know Satian's best-kept secret-," I started, praying that my voice wasn't as shaky as it sounded. "- you can't go back. Once we reach Hudson, he will decide what to do with you."