The Untamed

Chapter 21: The Levitator Returns

    “You’ve come,” said the Kin. By the sound of it, it was a female with a very soft and patient voice. “Krone has been waiting.”

   This is a trap, Clyde told himself. She’ll slaughter me if I don’t run now.

   Before he could do so, however, the Kin appeared right behind him and he dared not move. He could feel her breath upon his neck.

   “Whether from afar or up close,” she whispered very slowly, “I can kill you at any moment if I wanted to.”

   The light she emitted illuminated the area completely.

   “But Krone has given me orders to spare you… Now, if you can just wait here, Master Krone is coming.”

   He felt all feeling in his legs leave him and he gasped as if he had just taken a dive in an ice tub. Thankfully, she reappeared several feet in front of him before Clyde had a chance to faint.

   Presently, Clyde spotted a figure come into view from the Vault’s entrance.

   “Krone,” he breathed. If only there wasn’t a Kin right next to him, Clyde would have run up and drilled a fist into his face. Under these circumstances, Krone had the clear upper hand.

   “Thank you, Radia,” said Krone softly. In the light, Clyde could see the man’s twisted smile. Very slowly, he approached Clyde and upon seeing the book, he nodded. “Very good, boy,” he said, sounding calmer and cooler than usual. “Hand it over.”

   Clyde felt completely helpless. Initially, he wanted to get answers out of Krone, but now, given the situation, he didn’t want to run the risk of getting himself killed. He feared that if he even uttered one word, Radia might simply slash his head off or something.

   But just before Krone could reach for the book, Clyde felt it ripped out of his hand by some invisible force. He grunted as it flew out of his grip and he couldn’t help but to try and grab it out of the air. Clyde had seen this kind of attack before…

   Sure enough, Euno appeared beside Krone and the book hovered right beside him.

   “Long time no see,” said Euno, chuckling. “And alone, too? Quite the brave one, aren’t you?”

   Clyde’s face prickled. Now what? He found his jaw locked and his body tensed.

   Euno handed the book over to Krone and the two stood side-by-side. Radia stood behind Clyde, ensuring he didn’t attempt to escape.

   “Quite an alliance,” said Euno roughly. “You managed to fool the boy into coming here. But I must ask you, Krone,” he said, looking at the man, “where is the girl?”

   “On her way,” he replied.

   Clyde felt his insides turn to ice.

   “I ordered the boy to come here first for a reason,” Krone continued, slowly stepping towards Clyde. “Do you know what you are?”

   Still finding himself unable to speak, Clyde slowly shook his head.

   Krone chuckled and walked back. “You came here to question me,” he said. “You might want to hurry and ask me those questions before your friends arrive. Once they come, we won’t have much time to chitchat.”

   Still, Clyde remained silent.

   “You must be wondering what I’m up to, yes?” said Krone. “The truth is, I’m after the secret to limitless power. I couldn’t care for you or this book,” he said, waving it. “The book was only to lure you here. The real reason is so that my deal with Euno can be fulfilled.”