Ronin suddenly woke up, gasping for air.
He grunted in pain, placing his talon over his chest. It ached with throbbing pain.
Ronin looked down to the cause of the pain, holding his tongue as he saw blood dripping from his chest.
"How on Pyrrhia am I alive?"
He looked around, seeing the same beach he was on before he blacked out.
He couldn't remember much of what happened. Last he saw was IR taking over and devouring the Ex-Queen.
Ew, he shuddered.
But what happened after that?
Cinder...she flew away to the beach. Why?
Ronin looked to the ground below him, spotting a familiar set of armor, a scarlet horn ring, and pouches. He picked up the armor. "This is Cinder's..." He looked to the pouches, picking them up and inspecting them. "So are these." He placed them over his neck, wearing them around his chest. "I have to give these back to her." He placed the armor inside of the pouches, hoping they would stay fit.
He picked up the horn ring, which felt as if its paint was freshly dried. He inspected it, confused of its origins. It was the only thing that wasn't Cinder's.
Or was it?
She didn't...
No, she wouldn't.
Who would dye a horn ring with their blood?
Cinder would.
Ronin shook his head. "I just need to find her."
Suddenly, he heard wingbeats. "Moons! Gotta hide!" He ran to the nearest cave, ducking into it and lying down quietly, his form hidden by the shadows.
Ronin watched as a familiar dark pale orange SkyWing landed on the sand. Soot, he remembered.
Could he have something to do with Cinder's disappearance?
Ronin watched as Soot looked around, clearly panicked. "Shit!" the SkyWing cursed aloud.
What could he be panicking over?
Maybe he's looking for Cinder, too, Ronin wondered.
Soot then stood completely still. His eyes shot even more open. He gripped his chest, seeming to struggle with breathing. Then came the tears.
Then, after a good minute or two, the SkyWing collapsed. Ronin suddenly realized.
"Moons! Soot!" Ronin ran out, trying to run as fast as usual with the weight of the pouches. He checked Soot's pulse. He was alive, but his heart was pounding.
Ronin panicked. He had just witnessed a panic attack.
He knew what one of those felt like. Soot must be exhausted.
The RainWing looked around. Maybe there were guards somewhere.
But would they listen to him?
He was a criminal. And, at this point, so was Soot.
Ronin sighed, dragging the SkyWing to the nearby cave. Ronin sat next to Soot, basically waiting for him to wake up. He sighed once more, resting his head on his front talons.
...
Within a few minutes, Soot gasped for air, lifting his head up. His vision was blurry. Where was he?
He looked around, practically panting. To his right, he saw a familiar red-and-yellow RainWing. Ronin lifted his head, his bright blue eyes staring at Soot. "Oh. You're awake. You ok?"
Soot struggled for words. "Wha...I...How...What?"
"Woah, Soot, slow down," Ronin said. "Deep breath. What happened?"
"H-how're you alive?" Soot said, still panting.
"What do you mean?" Ronin tilted his head, confused.
"Wh-when I found you and Cinder-"
"Cinder?!" Ronin interrupted. "You saw her? Is she ok?"
Soot bit his lip, looking down. "I-"
Ronin shook his head. "No...she's not...you're joking. This is a sick joke."
A tear shed from Soot's eye. "I so wish I was."
Ronin took a deep breath, his voice breaking. "I...just continue."
Soot nodded. "When I found you and Cinder, it was awful. You had a gaping stab wound right at y'er heart. Cin...Three moons. She had been stabbed through both of 'er wrists. She must've died from blood loss."
"Wait..." Ronin started.
"I...I died?"
Soot nodded slowly.
"How on Pyrrhia am I alive?!"
Soot shrugged. "I'm wonderin' the same thing."
Ronin took a deep breath. "Good gracious. I just...do you know where Cinder is now?"
"Her body's at the palace."
"Why?"
"I asked Phoenixfire to watch 'er while I went to get you."
"Wait, who's Phoenixfire?"
"...The new queen?"
"Oh! Right, right, continue."
"So my plan is to take you guys to the delta, since Eagle's probably there already. Then we can ask 'em to revive Cinder."
"But how are we gonna get her there? And what about Eagle's soul?"
Soot growled. "All that animus soul stuff is bullshit. Eagle will be fine, and so will Cinder once we get 'er back."
"A-alright." Ronin went silent.
Soot then stood up, walking out of the cave. "Let's go. We can't waste any more time." He shot off to the palace, not even caring if Ronin was following him.
He was gonna get his sister back, and it didn't matter how.
YOU ARE READING
Cinder: In No Way, a Hero || Book 3
General Fiction|| BOOK 3 || Cinder and Angel reunited, but where are the others? Has IR returned? Has Skyblaze gotten to them? Were they even alive? Cinder was willing to find any way to know, which leads to an unexpected alliance, disturbing secrets finally shar...
