The Elemental Chain Saga Book Two: Dragons Ascending

Chapter Sixteen: Corona Lilium

Comparibly speaking, Corona Lilium had been spared by the war.

Some streets had been ravaged by the Andanobii during their first scourge, when they had been focused on escaping capture after their plan to murder the princess failed. The buildings on the edge of the city had been put to torch and families and businesses alike were forced to evacuate that part of the city; some had been cut down as they tried to flee.

The inner city had fared much better, which was good because a certain Yeuetanian waitress lived in inner city Corona Lilium.
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The pearl-handled comb made smooth movements through her silk hair. The brush had been making the same path down her hair for almost half an hour but it helped calm her nerves. All she could think about as she brushed was Greg and how she missed him.

The war had taken him away from her, she was all alone in Corona Lilium. She wished he was there with her, to console her. She had lost a friend during one of the Andanobii attacks, Lester Kingston. She had worked with him for years, him being one of the chefs at The Meadow Crown. She had even gone on a date with him, back before Greg had stolen her heart.

And now she had no one.

She softly put the pearly comb down in an ornate Yeuetan box. Small pearls dotted the ivory lid, making a soft clicking sound as she shut it. She left her small, simple silver colored bathroom and went into her bedroom. She sat on the edge of her bee, brushing her hands across the deep red cloth and resisted the urge to sulk. It was Saturday and it was her day off but she had no one to spend it with.

She let her head fall back against the soft cotton sheets of the bed. She let out a pent up breath, looking up at the pale white ceiling, watching the bamboo fan spin slowly above her, brushing her with a soft wind. That reminded her of Greg. Her situation could be worse, she presumed. She could have been killed or the capital taken. Worse of all, she could have gotten news of Greg's death. No news is better than bad news, she thought, trying to reassure herself. She just assumed he was really busy, safe, but busy with tasks of war.

Or...

Kayo let the thought slide out of head as soon as it came in, she didn't dare dwell on that now, that secret fear.

She let herself doze off, as to be free from the silent pain in her heart.
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Her eyes snapped open, awake and alert in a moment, just as her brother had taught her. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood swiftly. She had heard a loud crash and it had sounded off in her apartment.

She crept to the door and slowly opened it, the always oiled hinges swinging smoothly. Her eyes scanned the room. The red and tan interior was charming with a stone table and two large chairs in the corners. The open windows let in the fresh, crisp air of autumn. Her eyes traveled up from windows to her ceiling, her eyes widened in surprise.

The roof had caved in in a spot and the light from outside spilled in. But that wasn't the crazy part.

A young man was flat on his back on the wreckage of her coffee table. She winced, it had been made of stone. His face was soft and his lips full. His hair was untamed and curled like a murky sea of black hair, half of it covering his face. Kayo could see he had strong arms and toned legs, like Greg...

Kayo stopped. She hadn't noticed but she had slowly made it across the room to this mysterious stranger. She took a cautionary step back; she didn't know who this was or how he had gotten there. She had to make a decision though, wake him up or go and get the soldiers to take him away. Either option was viable, but something in Kayo made her stop from taking the easy way out.

And so she sat and waited.
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Kayo saw it coming with the blink of an the eye. She let out a shrill scream, so unlike herself, and tumbled to the floor. With a shuddering slam, a long, crude sword with a tempered silver blade, smashed into her couch. The weapon quivered slightly before stopping.

Kayo lost her patience at that, but hey, who wouldn't?

She stormed over to the unconscious figure and full on backhand slapped him across his face. The man flinched and began to stir. Kayo stepped back and politely tucked her hands behind her back, and her rage, for that matter. The man's eyes lazily opened "What the hell do you think your doing falling through my damn roof!" Kayo ripped her words into him. His eyes opened wide and he looked up at the ceiling "I did that!?" He croaked "can't say I do that on a regular basis." Kayo found it hard to be mad at him, clearly he hadn't meant anything bad by it. "Then what happened? It's very rude to drop in someone unannounced." Kayo saw as he cracked a grin; she liked it. "Honestly, it happened so fast it's still fuzzy. Tucker....the flames as he came....all my fault, damn it, all....damn it all."

Kayo didn't know what to make of that. "Umm, ok?" She was at a loss for words. "So how are you not, you know, dead?" He scratched his head, the grin still plastered on his face, "I'm stronger than I look." Trust me, you look strong, Kayo thought airily. "My name is Church, by the way." He groaned softly as he sat up to offer her his hand. She hesitated before shaking it. "Yokota Kayo. And you're sitting on what used to be my coffee table" she grinned. He stood and Kayo couldn't help but notice how tall he was, like Greg...

"What a nice place for me to land," Church smiled as he looked around "if I'm going to land anywhere, might as well land where no one is trying to kill me. That happens more than you would think." Kayo could understand. Greg was always flitting from one battle to the next.

"So, do you come here often?"

Kayo looked at him like he was an idiot "um, Church, I live here."

"That would explain a lot," He admitted. They stood there, looking at each other in an awkward silence. "Hey, its ShatterBone," Church walked over and easily heaved the sword from the couch. It shattered in half as the blade left it. Go figure, Kayo thought.

Church sheathed the weapon in a sheathe across his back. Kayo gave him a quizzical look "You fight? You don't seem like much of a warrior, no offense." Church gave Kayo a weak smile "I can hold my own." Kayo believed him. A question rose in her head "Where does I guy like you come from that they need to protect themselves? Or should I ask what are you?"

Church studied her for a moment before answering "I come from Vlaggon and I'm a collector." Kayo arched an eyebrow "Vlaggon?" Now it was Church's turn to raise an eyebrow "Yeah, Vlaggon. How have you never heard of it?"

Kayo gave him the simple answer "I'm a foreigner. It may just be that our countries never had conflict or that they never traded goods. Still, that doesn't explain why you're here. And what the hell is a collector!?" Church let a smile slide onto his face at that last question "Well, that could be it. And as for what I do, I collect rare and interesting things. I'm addicted to adventure; I collect rare artifacts, weapons, anything." Kayo could tell by the gleam in his eye he loved what he did. "Where do you find things like that?" she questioned. Church gave a sheepish smile "You know, around. You got to really look around for stuff like this. People just leave 'em lying around." He shrugged. Kayo began to nod, but then she stopped "Wait a second. Church, did you say people? You take these things from people!?" Church backpedaled from Kayo, lifting his hands as she stormed towards him "You're a thief! You have no right, none!" Church smiled even as he was being yelled at and after awhile Kayo stopped, realizing she must seem like a loon at this point. She stepped back "Sorry, it's not really my business. Still, stealing..." Church smiled genuinely "It's fine, it's fine. I know my lifestyle is, questionable, but it's what I do. I'm not bad, I'm exceptional." Kayo couldn't help but smile at that.

Church began to walk out the door. "Wait!" Kayo called after him "where are you going!?"
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