XVI

ORIA FOREST, NEAR EVERWOOD

The woodland floor was a dappled tapestry of light and shadow as the mid-afternoon sun filtered through the canopy. The golden light and the melody of songbirds wove a deep sense of tranquility through the trees. That peace was abruptly shattered by a rustling in the undergrowth, a sound that grew in volume, signaling an approach. From the deep shade, a figure slid gracefully into a sunbeam.

The girl paused, allowing a pair of cold blue eyes to acclimate to the brightness. Her stark white hair, accented by a vivid pink stripe above one eye, was cropped short, failing to conceal the tips of her sharply pointed ears. Her attire was unconventional: a maroon tank top layered under a small white vest, which was attached to a large, statement collar. Two maroon straps, ending in heart-shaped clasps, connected the top to a pair of white shorts. On each wrist, she wore a pair of silver cuffs that seemed permanently fused to her skin. After a moment of silence, she glanced back into the woods and gestured for someone to come forward.

With a joyful yelp that was the very antithesis of stealth, another girl burst from the trees, crouching a few feet away. She had the distinct features of a Kistune—a fusion of human and fox.

The white-haired girl hissed, "Really, Haelia! What part of 'quiet' don't you understand? For a Kistune, you certainly aren't very stealthy."

Haelia's chocolate-brown eyes widened with playful remorse as she stood and pouted at her friend. She had dark red fox ears and a matching, bushy tail. Her skin was a warm, earthy brown, and her long auburn hair was bound in a high ponytail. The olive-green tunic she wore was tattered and had clearly seen better days. Two crude stitches of brown twine held together a large tear behind the loose collar, and four more mended a rip along her left leg. Her outfit was completed by short, two-toned brown boots and a simple garter on her right thigh. The Kistune crossed her arms and flicked her long ponytail. "I not know these words, Elisia. Stealthy?"

Recalling her companion's struggle with the Common Tongue, Elisia’s stern expression softened into a grin and a sigh. "Sorry. I forgot."

Before another word could be exchanged, four brutish robbers crashed out of the trees behind them. One of them cocked his rifle, its metal glinting in the sun. "Freeze! We've got you now, thieves!" The other three followed suit, leveling their own weapons.

Haelia's eyes widened in genuine fear. Elisia took a deep, steadying breath before replying, her voice smooth as honey. "Thieves? Oh no, no, gentlemen! You misunderstand. We only meant to borrow those items from your camp. We had every intention of—"

A warning shot fired into the air silenced Elisia and the songbirds in a single, deafening crack.

"Enough!" the leader roared. "We don't care what you were going to do. All we know is that you stole our supplies. And for that, you must die!"

A harsh laugh rippled through the bandits. A sense of impending catastrophe washed over Elisia and Haelia.

"Uh-oh," Haelia whispered, her ears drooping as her gaze remained fixed on the menacing barrels of the rifles.

EVERWOOD: REYA'S OFFICE

As one might expect from the pragmatic Aqua Mage, Reya's office was tidy, well-organized, and tastefully furnished. Haken, Aden, and Kara sat in chairs before the large mahogany desk that dominated the center of the room. Behind it, Reya rummaged through a massive pile of documents, muttering impatiently to herself. Kara, meanwhile, was trying to count the books that lined the floor-to-ceiling shelves. She gave up when she reached 157.

As Reya continued her desperate search, the same young Sentinel from their arrival burst through the door. After a quick glance at the three seated guests, she hurried to Reya's desk, whispered something urgently, bowed, and then rushed out, closing the door quietly behind her.

Reya paused her search long enough to sigh and open a drawer, from which she produced a pair of thin, silver-framed spectacles. Settling them on her nose, she returned to her papers. Aden ran an agitated hand through his hair. His impatience radiated from him, a palpable energy in the quiet room. Haken, too, was showing signs of restlessness. Kara was about to probe the Half-Elf's mind out of sheer curiosity when Reya let out a triumphant cry, slamming her fist on a thick stack of bound papers. All three of them jumped at her sudden outburst.

"I finally found it! Here it is!"

Her excitement was completely lost on them. Aden leaned forward, an eyebrow raised in concern. "Reya, we didn't even know what you were looking for, so…" He trailed off, turning to Haken and Kara for support. Haken simply kept his arms crossed, looking thoroughly annoyed, while Kara merely shrugged.

Reya adjusted her spectacles and blinked. "Well, after what the Princess said in the briefing, I remembered I had a text on the Sacred Beasts and the Fated Mages in my office. It's just an overview, but I thought it would be beneficial for all of us to peruse it."

Kara leaned forward to look at the tome. She whimpered inwardly, daunted by the prospect of reading what appeared to be nearly three hundred handwritten pages. "Just an overview?" she squeaked.

Reya's glare through her spectacles made Kara feel as if she were a schoolgirl being reprimanded. "Yes, an overview. Kara, this is critically important information. You need to be familiar with it to succeed in this quest."

Forcing a smile to conceal her dismay, Kara nodded. She felt Haken's gaze on her, and her face grew hot with embarrassment.

As if on cue, a single, booming shot echoed from outside, shattering the tense atmosphere. All four of them leaped to their feet. Aden and Haken were the first to the window, peering out to locate the source of the sound. A wave of unfamiliar energy swept through Kara's consciousness, and she wrinkled her brow, trying to parse its meaning. Her Aether powers were still new to her.

Reya stormed to the door, snatching the glasses from her face and barking commands. "Aden, I need you and Haken with me to investigate. Kara, you stay here."

Aden nodded and followed Reya out, but Haken paused, his gaze lingering on the shocked, slightly offended Kara. His voice was low but distinct as he asked, "You sense it too, don't you?"

She nodded slowly, a familiar thrill washing over her as her emerald eyes met his. "Someone powerful is out there," Kara stated, her mind racing to analyze the energies she felt.

"More than one, it seems," Haken murmured. He took a step closer, his gaze flicking back to the window before returning to her. Gently but firmly, he took hold of her arm. Kara inhaled sharply, her head spinning from the potent energy of his touch. It was easy to lose oneself in his focused, intense gaze. For what felt like an eternity, they stood there, barely breathing, staring into each other's eyes. Kara remembered how furious he had seemed the night they met at the ball. Now, however, something was different. She saw something gentler, almost melancholy, in their depths.

Then, Haken leaned down and kissed her.

It was only then, as his lips met hers, that Kara realized how much she had longed for this. Leaning into him, she let out a soft sigh, afraid that the slightest movement might break the spell. He raised a hand to her face, his thumb caressing her cheek, deepening a kiss so tender it brought tears to her eyes. The kiss was freighted with unspoken meaning. She could feel his anguish, his overpowering yearning, and felt a desperate need to fill the void she could sense deep within him.

"Well!"

Reya's sharp voice tore them from their private world. They sprang apart to see the Base Commander standing in the doorway, arms folded, a thoroughly exasperated expression on her face. "I leave you two alone for three seconds, and you're back at it again! I swear, Kara, I expected more from you!" Reya grabbed both of them by the arm and began dragging them down the hallway.

Haken wrenched his arm from her grasp and strode ahead. "Do not chide me," he snapped, his voice seething with a rage directed entirely at Reya. Yet even in his anger, Kara felt his thoughts return to her, still lost in the memory of their kiss.

Reya laughed humorlessly and released Kara's arm. "Aden's already outside. It seems some bandits broke through our ground defenses and are within the base's perimeter. They're accosting two young girls, apparently."

Shaking off the lingering exhilaration of the kiss, Kara nodded. Two people were in danger. She was getting used to constant confrontation. As they neared Everwood's main entrance, they could hear the sounds of battle. Judging by the cries of pain and terror that echoed in her mind, Aden was holding his own. Suddenly, Haken stopped, leaning against the wall beside the doors. Kara and Reya halted as well, Reya's agitation growing.

"Haken, we have to go help Aden!" Kara urged, pointing toward the conflict.

He looked away, his face a mask of indifference. "I'd really rather not," he stated flatly.

Before Kara could argue, Reya was hustling her out of the base. "Just leave him, Kara. I'm sure he has his reasons."

Kara and Reya ran down the stairs and out into the open. Near the tree line, she saw Aden fighting four bandits. He had already imprisoned two of them in a cage of writhing vines, but the remaining pair, clearly more experienced mages, were putting up a fierce fight. There was no sign of the two girls Reya had mentioned.

They ran toward him. "Finally!" he grunted, his forehead glistening with sweat. "These two are putting up a real fight!"

"Aden," Reya said, her tone all business, "we can take it from here." Aden hesitated, bristling at her dismissive tone, but then nodded. "Do me a favor and find those two girls." As he turned and disappeared into the trees, Reya inhaled deeply, raised both palms, and enveloped the two bandits in a churning wall of water. The men shouted, trying to use their own magic to counter hers, but the Aqua Mage was far too powerful.

Over the roar of the water, Reya yelled, "Kara, can you restrain them?"

Kara nodded. Her eyes flared with a searing green light, and she pinned the men's arms to their sides with her Aether abilities, stifling the magical energy flowing from them. The two mage-bandits writhed, their eyes glimmering with terror. Reya dropped the water barriers and summoned her tele-sphere, issuing a command for Sentinels to come and take the men away.

As the Sentinels escorted all four outlaws inside for interrogation, Kara couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of unease. A chill ran through her, and she trembled visibly.

Reya noticed, her expression softening with concern. "Kara, what is it?"

The Aether Mage shook her head, offering a weak smile. "Nothing. I just got a strange feeling from those men."

Reya nodded, her brow still furrowed. After a moment of watching the Sentinels depart, the sound of Aden's distressed voice from the woods reminded them of his mission.

"Whoops…" Kara muttered, meeting Reya's gaze with a sheepish grin. Reya rolled her eyes and broke into a run, plunging into the woods with Kara right behind her.

They found Aden hanging upside down from a thick vine while two young women delighted in his capture. Kara's jaw dropped at the sight of one of them—the girl who was clearly part fox. The other had ears even more pointed than Haken's, and she was quite short. They were dancing around the slowly spinning, thoroughly irritated Aden, who had his arms crossed tightly over his chest.

Reya cleared her throat loudly. Both girls froze. The fox-girl crouched low, while the white-haired, pointy-eared girl narrowed her sharp blue eyes.

With a faint accent, the fox-girl yipped, "More baddies?"

Reya smiled diplomatically and shook her head. "No, we're Sentinels from Everwood. I'm Reya, the Base Commander. This is Kara, one of our newest recruits, and the man you have hanging up there is Aden, Commander of Ravenhold and Master of Elements."

The two girls exchanged stunned glances, then rushed to let Aden down. He hit the ground with a grunt, and Kara had to suppress a laugh. She saw an amused smile play on Reya's lips as well.

"Wow! Really sorry about that!" the white-haired girl said hurriedly, bowing low. "We've been running from those brutes for days and we're still on edge. Oh! I'm Elisia, by the way, and this is my Kistune companion, Haelia."

The Kistune's tail twitched as she popped up and bowed as well. "Lucky day, 'Lisia!" Haelia exclaimed, practically vibrating with excitement.

Aden brushed dirt and twigs from his clothes and attempted to regain his composure. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ladies, truly," he remarked as smoothly as he could. With a quick glance at Reya, who simply arched an eyebrow, he took Elisia's hand and gallantly planted a kiss on it.

Kara's eyes widened. What a flirt, she thought, astounded by his audacity.

Elisia withdrew her hand, giggling. "Well, aren't you the smooth talker?" She turned to Haelia, who beamed and threw her arms around Aden in a massive hug. "Cute, cute, cute!" she squealed, giving him a squeeze that made his eyes bulge.

While Haelia was occupying Aden, Elisia turned to Reya and Kara, her expression suddenly serious. "Hey, um, Haelia and I were actually coming to Everwood for a reason. We want to become Sentinels."

Reya grinned, a little taken aback by Elisia's candor. "Really? Well, of course! Come with us, and we'll get everything squared away."

Kara offered her a welcoming smile, and Elisia fell into step beside the much taller Aether Mage. "So, you're new too?" Elisia asked without hesitation.

Kara grinned broadly. "Yeah, my sister Lyra and I are brand new. So far, it's been pretty non-stop."

Elisia nodded, then seemed to realize someone was being left behind. Two someones, actually. She pivoted and shouted back at Haelia, who was now tickling Aden and making him howl with laughter. "Come on, Haelia! We're going to be Sentinels, so stop goofing around!"

Haelia froze, her ears drooping in disappointment. A relieved-looking Aden jogged past them to catch up with Reya, mouthing "thank you" to Elisia as he went. Kara chuckled to herself. These two, she thought, were going to add a healthy dose of chaos to Everwood.