Kindle Lou smiled and said, “One moment.” She held out her hand and a tiny sliver of fog slipped into the room from under the door. The others inhaled in surprise, but no one said anything until Kindle Lou had manipulated the fog into words.Clouds are water.“That is so cool,” Key said and reached to touch it. He spun his fingers through the “w” and Kindle Lou laughed and let the fog encircle his wrist like one of the many bangles already there.“I think that will send a proper message,” Newt said. “The king will definitely hear of it, and then ... what?”Kanisa shrugged. “That is why we hope Sora has a plan.”“We will keep your secrets, if only because we trust Sora and want to help him,” Newt said. “Stay and relax. Sleep and bathe. Thud and Mintle will go to the market for more food.”“That will be wonderful,” Kanisa said and dug into her side pouch for money. “Please allow me to pay for it.”“He would not have it any other way,” Dawn said and got a slap to the back of the head fro
Newt retrieved the things he needed and everything was quiet as Kanisa sketched out the basic layout of the courtyard where King Matthios held his executions. “I wish I could say how Sora is going to be killed, but the king changes it all the time. He could be hanged, he could be cut open, beheaded, shot with arrows. It depends on his mood.”“What a just and noble king,” Falcon muttered.Kanisa looked over at him and kept her mouth shut. Before, she would have defended her king, that those executed had been traitors. But she had been doubting King Matthios' methods for more than a year now.“I doubt we will be able to get up on the walls, which would be ideal,” Conrad said, tapping part of Kanisa’s hastily scribbled map, “but even just here, above the others.” He pointed to an inner set of stairs. “I do not want to hit someone by accident.”Kanisa nodded and then sat back, thinking of Sora and his powers.“Think out loud, Kanisa,” Kindle Lou said.Kanisa smiled. “Sorry. If Sora has al
“You are dangerously close to losing your life, Master Kanisa.”Kanisa shrugged again. “But I do not understand why. Why are you doing this? We live in a prosperous country. And yet here you sit with a slave at your feet and people gossip mongering to gain your favors. Why?”“The elementals are a threat to our peace.”“What peace?”“You should read more novels, your highness,” Kanisa said. “The antagonist always explains his plans just before his demise.”“I am the bad guy? Are you not a traitor? Committing treason?”“There are worse things,” Kanisa replied. “Greed, for one. Arrogance.”The king smirked.“So you do not want to explain what happened to the Fire Knights Village--”The king’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.“--that is fine,” Kanisa said, “just tell me why.”“Why?”“Yes. Why are you doing this? We are a prosperous country. We live in fertile lands and have food to feed our poor. Why the armies? Why the taxes? The gold crown upon your head was not heavy enough with you
“Jaddah!” Conrad shouted.The stones between them lifted and formed a walkway to the king’s box, and Conrad ran across it. Soldiers ran toward them, and Conrad twisted around them, sword flying and knocking them to the ground. One caught his arm, and he twisted, running the man through. Everything shook again and knocked all the soldiers off their feet, allowing Conrad to reach his sister. He fell to his knees and gathered her close.“By the gods, you are all annoying!” Falcon shouted. “Kindle Lou!” He spun his hands around and a massive twister formed in the courtyard. Kindle Lou threw water at it, creating a waterspout that had more running toward the exit. None of the arrows came even close to them, and the soldiers were giving up, running out of the courtyard.The relief was short lived as Kanisa glanced over at Conrad to check on him just in time to see the battered body of the king drive a sword into his side.“Conrad!” Kanisa shouted and moved, stopping as the chains caught on
Kanisa smiled and laughed in delight. She stood up and moved to Sora, pulling Sora Gulden into a hug. She held on to him tightly, arms around her waist and was so happy that Sora was well.“Thank you for coming to get me,” Sora said, returning the hug with his arms around Kanisa’s shoulders. “There were moments when I thought you would stay in the Eastern Mountains and just wait for me.”“I am sure you had a plan for that, too.”Sora smirked. “Of course, but I am glad that you did not wait. You are pretty smart.”Kanisa chuckled.There was movement from the bed, and Kanisa spun around, smiling even wider as she made her way back to the bed. She climbed in carefully, settling next to her Knight of Fire.Conrad coughed, eyes shut tight. “Why do I feel like I got run over by a herd of horses? And why do I wake up to you in another man’s arms?”Kanisa chuckled. “You were stabbed, remember? You almost died. And Sora brought me flowers. You have never brought me flowers.”“Is your heart so
“I am not leaving Kindle Lou,” Falcon said and hugged her tightly. “I thought I already made that clear.”“So five,” Sora said and pointed to Falcon. “Is five okay, your highness?”Falcon stuck his tongue out at him.Kanisa shook her head. “If we want to give the people the power to vote and choose, then we give it to them all the way. They can appoint people to count.”“Someone may fake the numbers,” Conrad said.Kanisa sighed. “Well, I am not counting as many hundreds of thousands of votes.”“We are getting ahead of ourselves anyway,” Dawn said. “What if the people want a king?”“The people have never wanted a king,” Conrad said with Kindle Lou and Kindle Dee nodding.“This is the best we can do,” Kanisa said. “We propose the borders of the Provinces, the more the better. Seven or eight. We send the map with the announcement to all the major cities and villages in the town. Those that agree will hold the vote.”“And those that do not?” Conrad said.Kanisa pondered him.“Many people
“Ciel Karhillaz!”Wimer Aslix went down the hallway and pounded on Ciel Karhillaz’s bedroom door.“Ciel Karhillaz, you stupid, walking corpse, you open this door right this instant!”The door flew open. Wimer Aslix glared up at him. Ciel Karhillaz scrunched his face. Not always the best idea since his skin was no longer as pretty as it was when he was alive. The crinkles tended to stay until he could get to a mirror and flatten them out.What did he do now?“What did I do?” Ciel Karhillaz asked.Wimer Aslix lifted up his foot. A slightly, smelly glob of fleshy, green goo was stuck to his $400 Guccis.“How many times have I told you to pick up after yourself?”“Sorry, sorry, . Sometimes I don’t notice.”“Don’t notice. You don’t notice? You leave a fucking chunk of your body and you don’t notice?”Ciel Karhillaz shrugged. “It comes with being a zombie, I guess. Don’t worry, . I’ll clean it up.”There was loud knocking from the door next to Ciel Karhillaz’s.“Shut the hell up,” Bosy shou
Bosy risked a peek out his curtains. Finally the sun was setting. Summer sucked. Long, long hours of daylight. Yeah, he could go out in it if he had to, like in the morning or evening, and as long as he covered his whole body with SPF-5000 ForVAMPS sunscreen. But never in the afternoon.He paused at the door, located all the occupants in the apartment. The zombie was in the kitchen as always. Alta Presion was in his room. Wimer Aslix was alone. In the living room.Bosy glided there. He stood in the slightly darkened hallway and watched the back of Wimer Aslix’s head. That sweet, melt-in-your-mouth, hopefully-in-your-hand scent assailed his nose. Deep breath.Wimer Aslix heard him. Elf hearing was only second to vampire hearing.He smiled. “Bosy, glad you could join the world of the living.”“I told you, I don’t die when the sun comes up. It just burns my skin.”“I know,” he said and patted the couch next to him. “I’m just teasing.”Bosy sat across from him instead. That close and he m