Magics: Escape (Book 2)

Chapter Forty-Two

Kai collapsed onto his knees, his pulse pounding in his ears. He was too numb to sob his anguish, to think, to move. His whole body felt disconnected from the earth like he would float away at any moment. He couldn't comprehend any coherent thoughts. The only words that replayed over in his brain were these: No. No, no, no. Chase is dead. He can't be dead. No. His heart cried out in anguish and suffering and longing, but he could hardly feel it. 

Hands touched Kai's shoulders, but he didn't react. The hands were rough and large, with calloused fingers - it was Ezekiel. Kai didn't have the strength to impatiently shrug the stranger's hands off his shoulder. He couldn't pull his eyes away from Chase. 

Eventually, he realized that tears were running down his face. He felt sobbed marching up his throat, threatening to break free. He did nothing to try to stop them, let them flow freely from his mouth. His hand dropped onto his lap, trembling with sadness. He forced his eyes away from his friend's body and looked up at Shintaro with another devastated sob.

Shintaro was crying just as hard as Kai was, which normally would have startled Kai if he too hadn't been so upset. Tears were sliding continuously down his cheeks, splashing on his hands below him. His hands were hovering in front of his chest, palms up, and shaking with emotion. He couldn't seem to look away from Chase either. 

Kai looked over at his girlfriend, who wasn't sobbing, but tears were sliding down her face steadily. Her mouth was hanging open and her hands were limp at her sides as she sat on her knees. She was struggling to catch her breath due to the crying, but the look on her face told Kai that she didn't care. Her brother had just fallen, how could she care about herself?

Falte was standing stiffly beside Kai, his eyes trained on Chase's body. His mouth was open only slightly, his eyes wide and filled with tears that hadn't yet been shed. His hands were clenched by his sides, shaking furiously in shock and sadness. He hadn't known Chase for as long as Kai had, but there wasn't much of a difference between their relationship. Kai thought of Chase as a brother, and Falte was Kai's father; therefore, Falte found Chase to be a second son. 

Kai forced himself to keep looking at his friends instead of Chase, and his eyes locked on Linda. She was a few yards away, her eyes stuck on Chase's lifeless figure. They shone with tears as her hands hovered just in front of her mouth, which was open and trembling as she fought back her tears. Her other hand was touching her chest, and then she looked over at Shintaro with a heartbroken look.

Gabriel was standing next to her, a bleeding scratch on his cheek that must have just recently got there mixing with his tears. His teeth were gritted behind his slightly open mouth, his creamy eyes wide. His shoulders were trembling harshly as he stood in silence, staring at his friend. Gabriel was an antisocial person, Kai knew, but he thoroughly enjoyed being with the friends that he'd made.

Amy was sitting up to the right of Gabriel and Linda, leaning on her right leg and sobbing uncontrollably. Her eyes were shut tight as if she couldn't bear the sight of Chase's body. She had one hand over her mouth to muffle her sobs as she shrank into a small ball of sadness. Kai didn't know how she could get so emotion over someone she'd met only days ago, but he was almost grateful that she was upset too.

Kai forced himself to look over at The Dark Lord, the murderer, the Shadow King, the enemy. Kai didn't know what he was expecting, but the pleased yet surprised look on Brethren's face didn't spark any emotion in Kai's chest. He was too numb to feel any anger anymore. The Dark Lord's right hand was on his hip, and he was looking down at Shintaro with a small smile touching the corner of his lips. 

Beside him, Moon was grinning like someone had just given her a million dollars. Her silvery eyes were locked icily on Chase's body, and her shoulders were shaking as though she was holding back another laugh of triumph. Both of her hands were on her hips as she stared at Chase gleefully.