The Relentless Path

Chapter VI: Leverage in the Storm

The rain battered the stone ruins, relentless and cold. The younger man stood a few paces away from Cora, his arms crossed and expression hardened as he kept watch. Kellan sat against the wall, head lowered, eyes closed. The tension in the air was palpable, the storm outside seemingly feeding into the atmosphere within the crumbling shelter.After the argument that nearly escalated into a full blown fight, both men had gone quiet. Ryker's mocking bravado had faded into a simmering frustration, while Kellan, ever the stoic, remained distant. She watched them both carefully. The storm raged on, but something else was being stirred between the three of them, maybe a new opportunity.Cora could see it. There was something off about Kellan. His posture was slumped, more than usual. His jaw clenched in subtle intervals as if he were suppressing pain. He wasn't just tired—he was hurting.

"You going to keep staring or do you plan on trying something stupid again?" Ryker broke the silence, his words dripping with irritation.Cora raised an eyebrow. "Why, you nervous?" she shot back, more focused on the older man than the one taunting her.

Purple eyes darkened instantly, his usual mockery slipping away. In one swift motion, he stepped forward and slammed his boot into her stomach. The force knocked the wind out of her, and she doubled over, coughing in pain, her body instinctively curling to protect itself.He loomed over her, eyes glinting with satisfaction. " Hardly." He kicked a small rock toward her before leaning back against the wall, flicking a lighter casually between his fingers. The flame reflected in his purple eyes, casting flickering shadows across his face. "Be careful. That attitude of yours isn't going to get you far," he muttered, voice dripping with amusement.

Cora groaned, her breath coming in ragged gasps after Ryker's kick, but she kept her eyes on him, watching his every move.

The captor shot her a smirk before turning away, flicking the lighter again as he leaned casually against the wall. The tension seemed to linger, but something else caught her attention again —a small movement from the older man.

Kellan shifted his weight, his hand instinctively reaching up to press against his temple. His eyes tightened, brows furrowing as though fighting off some invisible strain. It was subtle, but not subtle enough.

Cora's sharp gaze lingered on him. She'd seen it before—the slight wince, the tensed muscles trying to mask the pain .

Cora winced from the kick but bit back her reaction, keeping her eyes on Ryker. As he turned away, playing with the lighter, her gaze shifted to the older man. Her mind wandered briefly to the earlier fight in the woods, recalling how Kellan had taken a hard blow to the stomach."You know," Cora began nonchalantly, "you took quite the hit back there in the woods. Could be some internal bleeding." She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "Might want to keep an eye on that."

Ryker's smirk faltered, and his gaze snapped toward Kellan. For a moment, the lighter stilled in his hand. "He'll manage, worry about your dammed self" he muttered, but the confidence in his voice wavered.

Kellan, however, said nothing. His silence confirmed what Cora already suspected. The battle from earlier had taken more out of him than he let on. And now, that silence was more dangerous than any spoken admission.

"You don't have any external wounds," Cora continued, her tone edging toward something resembling concern but still laced with opportunity. "But you look like you're one bad blow away from passing out."