Red Sun Rising

Chapter 8: Supernova

Malachi:

"So... he didn't beat you up?"

Benjin and I were walking across a rocky terrain, close to the Dwarf Kingdom, Erebor. I was only half-listening to Benjin's idle chatter for I was more focused on scanning the area for signs of Chaos. This was no time to let our guard down. His latest question however, caught my attention.

I turned to my colleague, his blue eyes shining with curiosity. The corner of his mouth twitched up, probably pleased that he had gotten my full attention.

Slightly irked, I said, "No, he didn't."

"How come?" Benjin asked next.

I didn't respond and began walking faster. Instead of the laugh I expected from him, Benjin clapped his hands together and jogged after me. Did he have to make so much noise? It was bad enough that the land was so rocky we made crunching sounds wherever we walked.

"Come on, Kai." He persisted. "Just tell me how you changed his mind. Did you tell him about your undyin—"

I tossed a small ball of light at him over my shoulder, cutting him off. There was a shuffling sound in the rocks as he dodged it.

"Huh," he said next, much more serious than before. "If it wasn't that... Steven's more clear-headed than I thought. He noticed it, didn't he?"

I stopped walking at last but remained silent. There seemed to be something... odd out on the rocks, close to the Dwarf Kingdom's gates. I crouched down low and began shaping an animal out of light energy.

"Of course he did. What you told him when he was still on the com-link was practically dripping regr—"

"Say another word and I will personally bury you in a dry desert inhabited by poisonous scorpions." I threatened, pausing in my light-sculpting. Benjin had been about to say 'regret'. After my little talk with Paenitudo, it was the last thing I wanted to hear.

I had sensed his presence in my mind, could feel him searching for the reason behind the emotion that had drawn him to us. It was unsettling. Normally, I could block people out with a single thought. Not even Shayera, my own twin, could get inside. But Paenitudo had gotten through with no trouble at all.

"You used that one already," Benjin said with a small smile. He had thankfully decided not to press me any further. "Running low on creativity, Wonderboy?"

"Maybe I should tie you to a cactus instead with a couple of angry Bowtruckles?" I said, putting the finishing touches to the hound I had created. It immediately came to life and with a hand signal from me, it began sniffing the area.

"Ooh," Benjin chuckled, rubbing his eyelids for a second, "now that sounded more like you."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Aw, come on pal. If you smiled a lot more, the ladies would come flocking at your doorstep."

"Like you, you mean?" I smirked, keeping my eyes ahead in search of my scout. It had padded off around a bend somewhere up ahead, where the ground seemed to go uphill. I wondered if it was safe to follow it. "You flirt well enough for the whole team, Pyriqua."

"Ah, well," Benjin shrugged, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes never leaving. "So the ladies come to me. But I do know one girl you—"

A howling sound came from where my dog scout had disappeared to, signaling that it was safe. I glanced over to Benjin.

"As much as I enjoy our little chats, Pyriqua, right now we have a job to do." I followed my scout's trail up a small hill and found a scene similar to the one back in Corona.