Fragments of Alchemy: The Code Breaker

Chapter Forty ~ Liquid Fire ~ Part I

Chadwick wanted to shout a warning or something, but he found that he could barely breathe. He clung to Stella's saddle and watched the four Shadows approach them. Kazuo noticed right away, and he moved quickly to get in between the Shadows and the Chemists, pulling his Chimaera from his pocket and standing ready to fight.

'Are you the informant?' a Shadow asked, looking at Kazuo. 'No, you don't seem happy to see us at all.'

'Here,' someone said, and Chadwick turned his head to see the lady in dark blue come out of the hut. She had a guilty look on her face, and she didn't seem happy to see the Shadows, either. 'You will do what you promised, won't you?' The lady made a pleading gesture. 'The Shadows will leave Blackthorn and Burtree! Swear it!'

'That's up to the Code Breaker, sadly,' a Shadow replied. 'But it was the deal, so your Chemists will likely go free in exchange for her.'

Chadwick looked at Thea, and she made a morose face as she figured out what was happening. This lady must have a Chemist or two studying Alchemy at Blackthorn. She had sold Thea to the Shadows in exchange for her own children's freedom.

'I'm sorry,' Kazuo said, stepping forward. 'But I can't let you take these two. Stay back, Chadwick-kun, Aru-chan.'

Chadwick felt his breath rush out of his chest as he watched Kazuo approach the Shadows. His godfather calmly took out his bo staff and infused it with a watery aura.

Four against one. Hardly a fair fight. He and Thea would have to help. He looked back at Thea and tried to think of a signal of some kind to let her know they needed to do something. If only Pax was mature enough to allow them to communicate! Thea's eyes were glued to the Shadows with a hateful look in her eyes. Maybe she was also thinking that they couldn't let Miyamoto fight them on his own.

Stella, we have to help my godfather, Chadwick told her.

We can't! Stella replied. Tatsu says your godfather wants us to run for it! Fly for it, rather.

What? Chadwick clenched the pommel of his saddle. We can't leave him!

Tatsu says we must! Kazuo will hold them off as long as he can and give us a fighting chance to get away.

I won't leave him, Stella!

By now, the Shadows had unsheathed their weapons or Conjured their Elements. They formed a half circle around Kazuo, while he enlarged Tatsu until he was twenty feet long, twice the size of Stella.

Then it was like everything slowed down. Even the falling snow seemed to stop, suspended in midair.

A Shadow threw something at Kazuo, but Tatsu deflected it with his tail. The movement drew in a Shadow on the other side, but Kazuo spun back and dodged the attack before Chadwick even saw it: a knife that nearly caught his godfather square in the chest, but Kazuo was too quick.

The other two Shadows charged in, their hands glowing with Elemental attacks. Kazuo back-stepped quickly, rolled to one side and stopped the first Shadow before he could even wield the fire in his hands. With two quick swipes of his watery bo staff, the Shadow's fiery hands smoked as the blaze went out.

'Chadwick-kun! Aru-chan!' Kazuo called out. 'Now!'

'Wait!' Chadwick shouted, but it was too late. Stella crouched down and opened her wings, and Chadwick panicked at the thought that he was about to abandon his godfather. Before it was too late, he pitched backwards off Stella's back and landed on his back in the snow with a grunt. His ribs and spine cried out in anguish; for a moment he couldn't breathe.

Oh no, you don't! Stella snarled. She grabbed at Chadwick's arms with her front claws; in her large form, she was big enough to pick him up. She reared back on her hind legs with Chadwick's arms still held tight in her front claws. Chadwick scrambled to grab her claws; his feet dangled and his stomach reeled. She spun around and leapt into the air; her wings flapped furiously. Chadwick felt a rush of adrenaline along with the pull of gravity as the ground grew further and further away below his feet. He clutched onto Stella's claws, hanging on for dear life. Thea and Pax followed right behind them.