Page 86 of Of Realms and Chaos

The moment we made it around the corner of the stone pathway that led to the open fields, I released them, lifting my hand to pinch the bridge of my nose. I was calm. I was collected. I was the sea, rolling with the tide, unaffected by the boats that sailed across the surface. I moved them, not the other way around.

“You bastard! How dare you embarrass me like that! Sir, I am so very sorry. I did not mean to cause an upset. I promise, I can do the task.” I was the sea. I was the sea. I was the sea.

“No, you most definitely cannot! Lara told me she lost all of her family during the war, just like Horis.” Ray flinched at his mention of another whisp who had brutally lost his family. “They left her to save our already endangered kind, and now she has no one. Do you know how dangerous someone with no one to lose is? Let alone someone who is almost half a millennia old? She is not some pet you can train. She is rabid and dangerous, Ray!”

Fuck the sea.

“Enough!” My voice was commanding, but the tremor that shook the dirt beneath our feet was what called them to attention. They both stood, looking completely without remorse. Luckily for them, I was in a time crunch. “Both of you, go see to Lara. Help her. She is struggling and alone. Like you both, she possesses immense magic, and she can aid us in this war. She needs the will and incentive to do so, which is where you two come in. I do not have the time or the puppets to explain this further.”

Before either could respond, I portaled, my feet landing on the grass across the training field. With far more haste, I searched the crowd for Noe. She was supposed to be coming with me to talk with Adbeel, but I knew that she was probably out here bickering with Lian and Damon.

I found Li first, her instructions to the mortals going fairly well. The group was large, but they all listened carefully as she spoke in broken Behman, watching her with eager eyes. When she used her Air power against them, it was clear there were two distinct reactions: distrust and awe. Luckily, most looked to be a part of the latter group.

“Third position!” Her shout rang, followed by a collective grunt as everyone shifted. One man, who had found himself in first instead, was thrown to the sky on a violent gust of wind.

Oh no.

“Lian!” She turned my way. Only her pointer finger was keeping her Air power focused on the man, who was screaming so loudly that birds were taking to the sky—flapping violently to get away. I groaned as I made my way to her, feeling more like a babysitter than a prince or a general.

“What? He was not listening, and he needed to learn a lesson.” Her wicked smirk did not match up with the innocent tone. She was clearly having more fun than she should be.

“You know better. These are our allies. They deserve respect and the opportunity to grow. Put him down or I will find a new swordmaster.”

Lian’s answering gasp was almost enough to lighten the mood, but the man screamed for help above, every mortal still standing in third position. Clearly they were used to this. “Fine, but I hope you know that you are encouraging weakness, oh benevolent General Ayad.”

I did laugh then, watching as she lifted both palms and slowly lowered them, the man landing lightly on his feet. The poor thing had wet himself.

Stella save us all.

With that, I ruffled Lian’s short blue hair, earning a growl of frustration before I set off looking for Noe once more. A moment later, I found her sparring with Damon, a large group of soldiers watching as they went head-to-head. Though Noe’s magic was superior to Damon’s, the strength and control she possessed was not enough to guarantee her win. My lieutenant general was fast, smart, and ruthless. He wielded two swords against her two whips of shadow, neither so much as stumbling as they attacked again and again.

Noe used one whip to swipe at his ankles, the other latching around his chest when he jumped to avoid the first. He grunted as she tugged, the shadows tightening around him, slowly suffocating him. He reached down and grabbed a small dagger, flicking it low and slicing into her thigh. She screamed out in pain but did not relent. Instead, the shadows spread, engulfing him for a moment, before dissipating to show him suddenly gone. Noe had portaled him.

The small crowd erupted into cheers, though I focused more on watching Noe attempt to pull out the dagger. Rushing to her, I quickly grabbed her arm and tugged her hand away. She would not heal fast enough if she hit a major artery, that much I knew from Ranbir’s rants.

“Get off, Bell, I am fine!” Her eyes darted across the group, and I knew that she was likely nervous of what the others would think of her. With a quick glare at the onlookers, I scooped her into my arms, careful not to jostle her left leg too much. Everyone dispersed, looking at me with terror in their eyes.

“You need to see Ranbir, or at least one of the medics. Especially since your stupid, competitive ass is supposed to be going with me to talk to Adbeel.” Her responding huff and the crossing of her arms made me smile. She had always been a brat.

Since we could not portal, I had to carry her to the infirmary. Blood poured out of her leg, leaving a trail behind us. The walk was nearly silent, the only sounds breaking the monotony being Noe’s small cries of pain when the stairs left me no choice but to adjust.

“I hate you,” she said between clenched teeth as I stepped onto the landing of the second floor.

I laughed, turning a corner too sharply and nearly hitting her legs on the wall. “Yeah, sure you do.” My smile grew wider when she stuck her tongue out at me, acting like a youngling. Strangely enough, I missed getting to be young with her. We had so much more fun back then.

“I am serious. As payback, I am telling Ash about that time you got so drunk that you stripped naked and fell down a hill. She will love that story.”

I smiled, remembering how I swore I would never drink again then woke up the next morning hungover once more.

When she failed to get a rise out of me, she contemplated in silence. It was not until we were a single hallway from the infirmary door that she finally landed on a good enough threat to speak aloud.

“I will tell her about that time you spied on her and Cyprus when they went into her room in that inn. Remember, the one in Elpis?”

Shit.

“She will not care. It is no secret that I am a jealous idiot.” Even I was unconvinced, my shaky voice and heavy breathing telling Noe exactly how terrified I was of that.

Shit, shit, shit.

---