Empire Island, Exile the First

Chapter 5

I hunched over delicately balancing a vegan sausage and avocado sandwich in my fingers as I took another bite. The vegan sausage was an Old Town Cafe specialty, and I'd craved it over the years. I wasn't a vegan myself; I did indulge in meat and animal products, but many people in Wildwood stayed far away. Sometimes consuming meat fucked with the way your magic threaded through your body, but I hadn't noticed any difference so far.

I took another bite and felt sriracha sauce dribble down my chin. I chewed and reached for a fistful of napkins from the dispenser on the table; the sandwich clutched in my other hand.

As I chewed, I wiped my face clean and then I heard my name.

"Kairos Empire, is that you?"

I looked up to find Eva Tenet, my high school best friend, occasional girlfriend, and all round kick ass human being, walking towards me.

"Eva!" I said, sandwich forcing me to mumble her name in a most unsexy way. I swallowed quickly and stood up, stepping out and holding my arms open. "Get over here, my god, you look amazing!"

And she did. She was shorter than me by a few inches and had pale skin with a smattering of freckles patterning her face and chest. And the rest of her, in case you were wondering.

Her hair was coppery gold, like spun precious metal, and her eyes were bright green. Her body was curvy and had matured into something that would make any fertility goddess blush.

She was all the colors of the earth combined into one beautiful palette and was a bright spot next to my lean, dark form. She wore patchwork dresses and knit tops where I was in black leather and black jeans with matching boots.

We were night and day and when she sunk into my arms, I sighed and felt all the tension of the past few weeks melt away.

"God damn, you smell like the city," she said, looking up and wrinkling her nose. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

She gestured at the seat across from me and I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, please do. I have some time to kill before I see your mom."

"My mom?" she asked, sliding in. I sat down too, and smiled at her, just drinking her in. Seeing her again made all of this seem like the right idea.

"I need to get to Empire," I said. "You smell me, there's no way it will let me in like this. Besides..."

I pointed to my wrinkles and gray hair and she seemed to notice them for the first time then. She nodded sagely and said, "I see. There's only one problem, my mom isn't around anymore."

"What do you mean not around?" I asked as my heart began to flutter in my chest. I felt like I would have a panic attack if I didn't find out how to get to Empire as soon as possible. It was strange to go from avoiding a place to doing anything in my power to get there.

"I mean, she disappeared," Eva said and sighed. "She was on a collection run and we lost touch with her."

Eva's mom Avalon, or Avi, owned Temple Teas, the only herbal spell shop in Wildwood. She prepared and brewed and spelled the tea I needed to get me to Empire Island.

Not the Empire that was on the map, anybody could get there, but the Empire that existed neither here nor there, Empire north. The Empire that was constructed in between places, the spot where the wellspring was located and where only the right kind of people lived.

I needed that tea.

"How will I make it to Empire?" I asked, dread coiling around me like cancerous cells flooding an organ inside my deep, dark places.

"I can do it," she said, smiling brightly. "She taught me almost everything, you know. I've been running the shop for months now and things are okay."

"You can do the tea?" I asked, impressed with how my friend had matured into her skills as a healer and herb witch.