The Water Howlers - Book II ✔

Chapter 20 - Ki

Ki stared ahead at the mass of people completely blocking the road in front of them. Most of them wore tattered clothes and looked like they hadn't bathed in a while and Ki noticed a lot of them were young, maybe a little older than herself. There were even a few small children there and Ki instantly worried for their safety if something were to happen.

Jakar Belí was up with the coachman, shouting at them all to move out of the way and let them pass, but the people were clearly not listening to him. They continued to shout and Ki struggled to understand what they were saying. Scholar Aebond poked his head out of the door and sighed.

"They seem unhappy with the city and the royals," he said, fighting to be heard over the noise.

Thatch shook his head.

"We figured that much," he said.

"They are calling for the Belisar family's heads on stakes for usurping the crown all those years ago."

Ki looked back and saw Emmie and Ori approaching from their carriage. Hammas Ghadar was right behind them, his dark face set in a furious scowl.

"Stay back, all of you," he called out before whisking past them to join Jakar.

"Are you two alright?" Ori asked Ki and Thatch, who nodded in reply. Just then something splatters against the side of the carriage and though they duck down, Ki felt her cheek get hit by a wet mass.

"I think they're throwing tomatoes now," Thatch said, lifting a finger to wipe the worst of it off Ki's face. The tomato was followed by other fruit and vegetables and the Eslean emissaries cowered behind the startled horses.

Glass broke as the crowd began to throw stones and it seemed only a matter of moments before the situation could turn fatal.

"Can't we do something?" Emmie asked.

"I could easily clear a path," Thatch said, flicking a finger to conjure up a small flame.

"I think scaring them will only make this worse," Ki said to them with her eyes firmly on the mass of people.

"Then we'll not scare them, we'll awe them," Thatch told her and before she had time to object he was off, stalking past their carriage and the Eslean emissaries, who shouted at him to stay back and let them handle it.

Thatch stood alone in front of the angry crowd. A woman cried out and hurtled something after him, but Thatch ducked. He turned his head back to gaze at them before all too dramatically conjuring a large ball of fire in the palm of his hand.

But the effect was instant.

The crowd hushed and stopped to stare at the Fire Howler before them. Ki was too worried to even roll her eyes. Thatch conjured up another flame and then another and then he was juggling the fire balls.

"Seriously?" Ori looked at her with raised brows and Ki shook her head. Typical Thatch to try and make light of a dire situation like this.

"Come on, we can't let him stand there alone," Emmie said and moved towards the crowd.

The people took a collective step back as the three of them approached, still warily watching Thatch. Ki figured that they made quite a sight coming up in their robes, and with a quick wave, Ki made their dress robes billow in the wind.

Then she got more serious.

She raised both hands to the sky and summoned the wind and gathered dark-looking clouds on the otherwise clear blue sky. Connected in their minds, Ori then extracted the rain from the clouds and molded it with his hands into different shapes.