Epic: The Last Light

Chapter Fourteen

Kai

Before the first hazy rays of dawn touched the sky and well before the Leaf would dock in Toric, Jinara escorted Kai back to his cabin as if he were a captive. As if he had no choice. He let her parade her authority—all straight back and chin high—and he, albeit sardonically, agreed to all the terms and conditions to his stay in Toric. The door was locked behind him, and a burly deckhand was left as a guard.

By high noon the merchant ship had made port, and business continued as usual. Mariana slept, and Kai sat patiently listening to the bustle of Toric's wharf. No one would ever know that two enemies of the crown waited silently in the belly of the glorious vessel.

Finally, when the sun gave way to nightfall, Kai unlatched the high window and pushed it open.

"What if Jinara comes to call on you?" Mariana asked, her voice tense with concern.

"Then it will be too late for her to stop me."

Mariana twisted the hem of her shirt in her hands. Kai took a moment to consider her. It wasn't just him she worried about. She must be scared, in enemy lands with her magic spent.

"Jinara's all steam and no fire," Kai said. "She'd never admit it, but she cares about me too much to put me in danger."

Mariana nodded, but Kai could hear her quickened heartbeat.

"She would never turn an innocent girl over to the humans," Kai continued. "If anything happened to me, she would see that you found your way home." He smirked and added, "However, you might not survive her lip."

His joke did not coax a smile from her. "But you will come back."

"Before your Death Sun rises."

She nodded but fidgeted in her spot as her gaze sank in thought to the floor. It was obvious that she was not assured. He reached out and touched her chin. Mariana's gaze settled back on him. His rough fingers brushed her jawline. "You must trust me. I will never leave you behind."

A coy smile pulled at her mouth.

Kai moved back to the window and hoisted himself up. He glanced back and flashed her his most devious grin before climbing out the window.

The night air was harsh and frigid off Toric's bay. Kai pulled his hood up and turned to face the ship. His nails, more like claws, dug into the side of the Leaf, and he climbed silently up the hull.

The main deck was still and silent. The crew had taken leave for the eve. Every tavern and brothel would be filled with hungry crewmen looking to spend every bit of shine in their pockets. Kai lifted himself onto the deck, and with no one there to stop him, he slipped like a shadow off the ship.

He walked silently through Toric's sleepy streets. The merchants and shops had closed their wares for the eve, exhausted from the long day of trade. The only noise was from the local bar, lit up like the sun shone from within. Kai's cloak drifted behind each confident step. The one sure way to be stopped and interrogated was to look like you didn't belong. A man who walked with purpose was often left alone, no matter how suspicious he might look.

Kai walked the streets as if he were a citizen of the city. Long ago, before the late King Arone's father stole the crown from Farin the Great, Kai had called this city his home. Toric had changed since then. He walked down alleys, and the new shops and homes gave way to run-down buildings and forgotten folk. The shining front of the city was a façade. This was the true heart of Toric.

He stopped before an old tavern, weather-beaten and neglected, facing a wide courtyard. Kai could remember when it was once a glorious travelers' haven filled with merchant tents. Children would race around to taste strange foods from faraway lands, and young lovers would visit the card ladies in hopes of discovering their future. A grand fountain had glittered in the daylight at the center of it all. But that had been many years ago.