The Lion's Gambit (Book One) Fully Released

Chapter IV - Into the World

Feeling the weight of the world crash down onto his chest, Kota coughed while falling to the ground. He reached out his hand to see the light shining down on him and felt the softness of the dirt and the light poke of grass on his fingertips. Closing his eyes one last time, he tried to focus before opening them, and he saw he was no longer inside the prison, but outside in a forest.

Kota lifted his head off the ground as he took a deep breath, feeling the coolness of the day's air. He glanced around and saw the green of the grass and the leaves above him. The scattering of birds startled him as they flew away from the group's sudden entrance into the area.

Flipping around onto his back, Kota took in more of the clean air and felt the warmth of the sun on his skin. He unexpectedly heard the cracking of leaves and twigs, and he lifted his body as he watched Lucinda stumble until she leaned against a tree, catching herself. He turned away rapidly as she heaved behind the tree, coughing afterward, because of the effects of the R'tal stone. Trying to stand, he noticed Sonya with her knees against her chest a few feet from him. She buried her head into her knees, and her hands were over her head, with no steam coming off her skin.

Kota stumbled a bit as he stood, seeing in front of him the remnants of the other stone as it lay scattered across the ground. He gained his bearings after a second, and he turned while glancing at the two of them. "That stone is hell... Is everyone all right?"

Lucinda raised her right arm, giving him a thumbs-up as she still braced herself against the tree. Kota then turned to Sonya, seeing her lift her head from her legs, and he again noticed the blood on the right side of her face. Kota started walking to her slowly before dropping to a knee in front of her. He placed his hand on her chin, trying to see the precise location of the cut. Tracing the line of blood to a spot on her scalp, he moved some of her dark brown hair. She kept her eyes closed as he looked, finding the broken skin.

"Lucinda, Sonya needs your calling. This is a decent cut," Kota called out, turning toward Lucinda still leaning on the tree.

"This is nothing, Kota, and if this were all it took to keep me down, I would not be a warrior. I just need time from that stone," said Sonya, smiling at him and regaining her composure.

Lucinda walked over to them and knelt next to Sonya to look at the gash Kota had mentioned. Then she reached into the bag on her waist, grabbing three apples before handing one to each of them. She took a bite before handing her apple to Kota and then moved her hands to Sonya's head. "Make sure you eat," she instructed them. "Aria said it would help with the stone travel, especially for a caller like yourself."

Sonya winced in reaction to the feeling of Lucinda's mending powers reconnecting her skin, then took a bite of the apple and chewed. She put it on the ground and moved her hand over to Lucinda's left arm, tracing the scratch up her arm.

"It's nothing. Mine will need less attention than yours will. Unfortunately, my calling will not remove any scars. It just mends the wound shut and heals the inside to some extent," said Lucinda as she stayed focused on Sonya's injury.

Kota looked at the apples in his hand and took a bite of his own. He glanced around the area, seeing familiar trees and smelling the air. Then he looked over at the others. "I am assuming you know where we are, Lucinda. It seems familiar, but Aria must have told you something about this location."

Sonya moved her head, but Lucinda forced her to stop. "Yes," she replied, "but it was not Aria who set up this stone. Now, do not move. I am almost done."

Sonya took another bite of her apple as Lucinda replied to Kota.

"I know our general whereabouts, not the specific location. Alexis was the one who set up the stone on this end. She is in the nearby town—"