Firewind

Chapter 7-Kathra

Mother was not happy. At first, she was upset over Mei's capture. Then she was angry. Furious, actually. She was currently yelling at my father for befriending a ritskilionoso and welcoming him into our home without even bothering to tell her. That was nonsense of course. My father didn't know what his friend was until the night before. None of us knew.

I was walking down the upstairs hall that led to my room. My parents were fighting once again. This time they were in their room out of the earshot of nosy customers. None of them knew what had occurred out by the gardens that afternoon and we were trying to keep it that way. I walked past uncle Stor's room. The door was open but he wasn't inside. I know I shouldn't go through his stuff but I couldn't help myself.

The room was furnished with a bed and a desk on opposite walls. Scattered on the desk were papers and opened letters. Beside the bed was a small table with a candle melted down to the bottom and several books with titles that were written in languages that I didn't recognize. Something shiny was peeking out from under the edge of the pillow. I lifted the pillow up to find a small dagger. It was pale turquoise with wicked spikes on one edge and a fine blade sharp enough to cut through bone one the other edge. What was my uncle doing with a blade under his pillow? I wondered. I picked up the blade gently and immediately dropped it. It was ice cold and was so frigid it burned. I put the pillow back in its place.

I opened the cover of one of the books and flipped through the pages, finding nothing but more words I didn't understand that swirled on the pages, making it harder to read than it already was. I closed it and turned to walk out when I saw a note on pale blue paper on the desk. It especially caught my attention because the note was written in Arian script. I walked closer and read the letter.

Greetings, Rocky,

I hope you are holding up your end of the bargain. Because if not I will get Lightning-Face to arrange a ride for the little package. Oh, don't you worry! She'll be nice and toasty. And if you don't, your punishment will be executed by the Silhouette himself.

Sincerely, Ice queen

Who on Usnae Ari was this letter talking about? These definitely sounded like code names. But why would my uncle, of all people, be sending secret correspondence. I began to search through the rest of the letters when someone knocked at the door.

"Can I come in?" my uncle asked, raising his eyebrow.

I quickly stuffed the letter up my sleeve and turned to him.

"Sorry," I said quickly. "The door was open and I couldn't help myself."

"You're sure your mother didn't put you up to this?"

"She didn't. Why would she do that?" I asked confused.

"Because she thinks I'm a suspicious ritskilionoso that should be monitored at all hours of the day."

"But I don't think that. I've never heard any bad stories about..." I trailed off. I hadn't heard any bad stories about the spirit-born. But that was because all of the stories I heard were from uncle Stor. And he was one.

"Your mother has heard many stories about my kind. Unfortunately, they were told slightly differently than I have told them to you and your sister. So here's the real question, do you think I'm an evil monster that was prone to destroy the planet because it's just in my nature?"

"NO! Of course not!"

"Well, that is what your mother thinks."

"How can she think that? She finds out that you are a mystical being with awesome powers, she's known you forever yet, she believes the stories first?"

"Sounds kind of backwards doesn't it. Did you find anything of interest?" He asks, raising his eyebrow once again.

"Nothing to suggest you're suspicious. Guess my Madara was wrong."

Stor nodded.

"So all the stories that you told... you were actually alive then? And when you flew earlier? Can every ritskilionoso do that?"

"Woah, calm down. I'll answer all your questions but right now I'm tired and I'd like some time alone."

I nodded and left the room. My uncle closed the door behind me and I went to my room. My mind was a jumble of thoughts as I got ready to sleep that night. I couldn't stop thinking about Mei and my uncle. I hoped my sister was alive.

I woke up very early in the morning, before the sun was even close to rising. I went downstairs to the kitchen. At the table in the center was my uncle. He was eating what I assumed was breakfast. He glanced up when I entered.

"What are you doing awake so early," he asked.

"I couldn't sleep," I sighed. "What about you? For as long as I've known you, you haven't gotten up before sunrise."

He sighed deeply, as if he was exhausted.

"I'm-I'm going to save your sister."

"What?" I asked, completely caught off guard.

"I'm going after the abarif. Besides, your mother can't stand the sight of me so there's no reason for her to worry about my absence."

"But what about my Para?" What I really meant was what about me?

"You'll be fine," he said, hearing the hidden meaning in my words.

"I'm coming with you!"

"No you can't. It's too dangerous!" he said, standing up from the table.

"Too dangerous for a mortal?"

He didn't answer. He clenched his fists at his sides and turned his face away from me.

"Well?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips, glaring at him.

He clenched his jaw and didn't answer.

"You don't think I'm strong enough. I knew you didn't." He faced me again and I saw the hurt look in his eyes. "No one ever seemed to believe in me. I thought at least you did. But I was wrong."

I walked out of the kitchen and out into the tavern.

"Wait, Kathra," my uncle called after me. "Fine," he sighed. "You can come with."