The Child of Light and Shadow

Heat

The four of us are currently gathered in another inn near the palace, which took a good bit of running to do. If it weren't for the smoke and dust my fire spell rose into the air, our faces would've been seen, and we would've wound up being branded as criminals. That pretty much would have put a massive kink in my plans, which are already half-assed at best.

Raksha was meditating mid-air, while Yukiji stared at him in wonder. Honestly, in some ways, she's more a five-year-old than a teenager, which really doesn't do much to rid me of my protective instincts toward her. I constantly have to remind myself that, despite her exclamation of not wanting to kill anymore, it is something she has done before. If I let my guard down, she could have my throat in my sleep. Ban is out getting us food, since we'd rather not go to the very public dining area of this inn. Now, how to proceed?

"Raksha" I say, and the djinn opens one eye to look at me, "do you believe in the Child of Light and Shadow?"

"Of course. The Child was promised, and so he or she will come."

"What do you know of the origins of the prophecy?"

"Nothing, just like everybody else. It was given to man directly by nature. It is an occurrence, just like rain or wind. It has always been there." Well, that's helpful.

Yukiji glances at me. "You think you're him?" Wow, she catches on fast. MY surprise must have shown, because she quickly adds, "It's why you're only moving us near the palace." Fair enough. "Why, though? Why would you want that? No good can come of being a magic knight."

I frown. "It's the best job in the kingdom."

"It's the best-paying job, but you're likely to be experimented on, or killed if you learn the wrong thing." I guess she'd know. I wonder if she's lost any friends that way – or if she ever even had any. "So, what do we do?"

I cock my head to the side – a mannerism I've adopted to avoid looking emotionless, which has, at times, been a criticism directed at me. I'm not completely inexpressive by nature, but my face does tend to stay blank on most occasions. I had to work hard to turn this reaction into an instinctual one. "You'll be coming with us?"

Yukiji looks out the window. "I guess."

"The Apostles are gonna recognize you."

"I'll stay in the shadows."

"You don't have to, you know – not ever again. You're free now. If you wanted to escape the kingdom, there aren't many people who could stop you."

"I don't deserve to be free," she tells me, then pinches her left hand with her right. It looks like it hurts. "I'm a killer. I've killed many people. When some of my former colleagues defected, I was the one who killed them. Someone like me should just know her place, and accept the scraps she's given."

So wrong in so many ways. If I tell her that, however, I risk losing her. What do I do, then? Do I take the morally right path and tell her she really is free, or do I keep her around?

"You could try for redemption," I tell her, and my stomach turns slightly. "The Apostles are bad news – at least the two I'm familiar with. Getting rid of them will help people. You could assist in doing that."

She nods, trying hard to control her feelings. "What do we do, then?"

Raksha scoffs. "Do not expect one such as Jonah to have a plan ready, girl."

I put my hand on the urn. "Go run a lap around the inn."

Turning red, the djinn complies. One of these days, he's bound to learn. I might make him flash a group of kids if he keeps the lip up.