Chapter 33

Chapter 33

 

Twist of Feat…

 

 

‘Is it her?’

‘I dunno, I think so. He’s the one I’ve been trailing all day.’

‘Ok then, let’s have a look.’

Cameron’s eyes flew open. The figure leaning over both he and Kailah jerked back in surprise, but not fast enough to dodge the coffee cup to the side of the head.

Kailah awoke at the sound of the figure’s scream of pain. She rolled off Cameron and the couch, hitting the floor with a grunt. Cameron jumped off the couch, stumbling slightly due to his right leg having fallen asleep under Kailah. He grabbed Kailah, pulling her behind him, and then picked up his sword from where he had laid it on the coffee table. The metallic ring of the sword being drawn pierced the room above the whimpers of pain from the writhing figure on the floor.

“Who the hell are you?!” Cameron demanded trying to peer through the gloom.

In the darkness he could make out another figure crouching next to the one on the floor. Kailah used her casting to bring the dying fire in the hearth back to life. As the flames flickered hungrily in the confines of the stone, Cameron was able to make out the two figures. To his surprise both were male of about sixteen years of age. The one kneeling had blonde hair while the one on the floor had brown; both of them had red eyes like Kailah’s.

“Who are you?” Cameron demanded moving the tip of his sword to under the blonde’s chin.

“Please, don’t!” The one on the floor cried, his voice slightly muffled, “Don’t kill my brother.”

“Shut up, Kash,” The blonde warned through gritted teeth.

“But Kelm-”

“That’s enough,” Kelm ordered, his burning eyes never leaving Cameron’s stern face.

The one called Kash did as his brother told him but Cameron could still see the pleading in his eyes. Their clothes were old and tattered, both were malnourished and from the evidence on their exposed skin, mistreated.

Cameron narrowed his eyes, “I won’t ask again, kid.”

“We’re Chaos,” Kelm spat.

“And I’m the empress,” Kailah shot back sarcastically, “Why’re you here?”

Kelm didn’t reply, his eyes shifting from one to the other and back. Cameron inched the sword closer to the young man’s throat, drawing a pinpoint of blood.

“Answer the pretty lady, now,” Cameron ordered.

Kash gripped his brother’s arm, pleadingly, Kelm scowled as he answered, “We have a mission.”

“What mission?” Kailah let the fire die down slightly; the room’s temperature had noticeably risen.

When Kelm didn’t answer, Kailah gently touched Cameron’s arm to lower the sword. Cameron did as he was bid letting Kailah move in front of him. The boys watched her with skeptical curiosity as she squatted down to their eye level. Gently, she reached out, holding her hand against Kelm’s cheek.

The boy’s breath became fog as Kailah gently stroked his cheek with her thumb, “When I ask a question, I expect to be answered.”

Fear filled the boy’s eyes as his lips turned blue and he began to shiver. Ice began to permeate the ground around Kailah’s boots the longer the boy held his silence. Cameron watched, confident his Caster knew what she was doing. At least he hoped so.

“Enough!” Kash pleaded, levering himself off the floor and interposing himself between Kailah and Kelm.

Kailah met the fiery look in Kash’s eyes with a glacial one of her own, “Then answer my question, boy.”

“We were sent to get information,” Kash swallowed hard, holding tightly to his brother, “Our master sent us to find the Celestial Paradigm.”

“What is that?” Cameron raised an eyebrow, “Some kind of wagon?”

Kash shook his head, “No, the Celestial Paradigm is supposed to be a female with a special mark on her back. She’s supposed to be the key to ending the war between Chaos and Order for eternity.”

Kailah didn’t release her hold on Kelm as she waited for Kash to continue. Cameron did notice, however, that she was putting warmth back into the boy. The ice around her feet had retreated back into her boots and the fire was once again awoken.

“Why do you think it’s Kai?” Cameron asked slowly.

Kelm swallowed hard as Kailah released him, he carefully licked his lips before he answered, “We’ve checked every other female Caster here, except her.”

“We’ve been tailing you two for hours,” Kash admitted sheepishly, “You’re kind of scary, Miss.”

“How?” Cameron narrowed his eyes skeptically, “I would have noticed you two in a crowd.”

“We’re Shadow Mergers,” Kelm answered proudly, his thin chest puffing out ever so slightly.

Cameron raised his eyebrows in surprise, but as he thought to himself that explained the feeling of being watched. Shadow Merging was a type of lower casting, like the Cancellers. The Merger’s body melted into shadows and they were able to move from shadow to shadow at will. The Order had a whole force full of them, dedicated to espionage. Looking at the two boys, Cameron’s assumption of the Chaos having one as well was confirmed.

“Alright,” Cameron sheathed his sword, “does she have it?”

Kelm’s chest deflated and the two of them exchanged glances, “We, um, didn’t get the chance to check, since you bashed him in the face with a coffee cup.”

Slowly, Kailah stood up and crossed her arms, “What does this mark look like and where on my back would it be?”

At that moment Kash’s stomach growled, loudly. Kelm’s stomach joined his brother’s in the song of hunger and the both of them blushed. Kailah snorted while Cameron rolled his eyes causing the boys’ blushes to deepen in shade.

“Kailah,” Cameron turned to his Caster, “would you mind heating up something for our two delinquents?”

“We don’t want your sympathy,” Kelm cried as Kailah walked off toward the kitchen.

Cameron gave the kid a sympathetic look as his stomach growled even louder, “It’s ok kid. Here, let’s take a look at that.”

Gently Cameron knelt to the boys’ level and moved Kash’s hand away from his face. It was badly bruised and cut slightly but no broken bones. He straightened up and motioned for the boys to follow suit. Kelm helped Kash to his feet, the two of them still cautious. Cameron escorted them to the kitchen where Kai was cooking up some breakfast for them all.

As the aroma of sizzling bacon and toast filled the small kitchen, Cameron felt his mouth watering. Glancing back at the two boys sitting at the table, he couldn’t help but grin at their anticipatory expressions. He pulled the bandage kit down from the cupboard and brought it to the table. The boys tried to remain on guard but by the symphony of their stomachs, Cameron guessed it was a losing battle.

He pulled a chair around next to Kash and started pulling out bandages and cleaning materials. He checked the wound one more time in the better light of the kitchen lanterns then doused a clean rag with liquid from one of the bottles.

“This is going to sting,” Cameron warned as he leaned closer to Kash.

Kash nodded and obediently turned so Cameron could get at the wound better. The kid flinched when the cold liquid hit the open laceration but didn’t cry out, to which Cameron was impressed, this stuff always made his eyes water.

Just as he was finishing up, Kailah started putting plates of food in front of everyone. Cameron stomach growled at the sight of scrambled eggs, bacon and toast set before him.

Kailah handed them each a fork, “Eat up.”

Kelm poked the eggs cautiously with the utensil but Kash took one bite then dug in ferociously. Kelm stared at his brother in shock as Kailah laughed. After looking from his brother to Kailah’s soft smiling face and back to his brother Kelm took a bite. He too then began to eat with gusto. Cameron shook his head as Kailah sat down and began to eat as well. Her soft expression of pleasure lifted his spirits.

Fudgums came out of hiding and demanded to be fed. Other than that the four of them ate in silence. The rain beat a soft tempo on the window pane offsetting the clink of metal on plate. To Cameron’s surprise he found himself relaxing and slightly wishing he could have this moment last forever. Reality was a right b*****d though, and when Cameron had finished eating he turned back to the two boys, his countenance deathly serious.

“Now,” Cameron caught their attention with the tone of his voice, “what does this mark look like and where would it be?”

Kash had just taken a giant bite of toast and was trying to chew it quickly to answer. Cameron smacked him on the back when he started coughing and Kailah went to get him something to drink.

Kelm just shoved the food in his mouth to one side and answered out the other, “In the dead center, and our master said it looks like the symbol for infinity but with two curved spikes on each end.”

“Well if I did have it you wouldn’t be able to tell,” Kailah sighed, handing Kash the glass of water, “I’ve had a scar there since I was very little.”

Both the boys’ countenance fell slightly in disappointment. Cameron caught Kailah’s glance and the inferring look she gave him. He cursed in the privacy of his own head as he turned back to the boys. Kelm herded the remainder of his eggs around on his plate while Kash slowly drank the water he had been handed.

Cameron grunted as he stood, “Well, what are we going to do with you two?”

“What do you mean?” Kelm’s head snapped up.

“You admitted to us that you two are Chaos,” Cameron shrugged, “Therefore you are our enemies and it is our civic obligation as a Pair of the district of Kalm to ‘deal’ with you two.”

Kelm’s eyes darted from Kailah to Cameron, his breathing quickening. Kash gripped his brother’s arm and swallowed hard. Cameron arched an eyebrow at the brothers.

“What are you going to do?” Kelm’s voice cracked.

Cameron narrowed his eyes at them his face stoic, “I,” he paused and took a deep breath, “am going to get Maltoris.”

“Kailah do you mind babysitting our two defectors while I run and get our illustrious leader?”

“WHAT!” Kelm cried standing so fast he knocked over the chair, “Who said we were def-ack!”

He had tried to step toward Cameron only to find his feet frozen to the floor. Luckily he managed to catch himself on the table before he broke anything falling sideways. He cursed as he straightened back up with the assistance of his brother.

Kelm sat heavily in the chair Kash righted for him, “You might as well kill us now; no one defects from the Chaos and lives long enough to enjoy it.”

“What do you mean?” Kailah’s voice was soft, “You would be protected by the Order.”

Kash shook his head slowly, “That would only last for so long, the Chaos do not forgive deserters. In the interim the rest of our unit would be punished in our stead.”

The boys held up their right hands, both were missing the pinky finger. Cameron heard Kailah’s sharp intake of breath even as his own stomach knotted in disgust. This was a problem. If the two of them were unwilling to defect the only course of action to him and his Caster was to take them as prisoners of war, or kill them. Neither prospect was high on Cameron’s list.

The creaking of ice caught Cameron out of his thoughts. The boys cried out in surprise and then protest as ice settled around their waist, pinning them to the chairs and floor.

“Cameron,” Kailah turned on her heel, “a word, please.”

She left the room, ignoring the curses from the two boys, without bothering to see if Cameron followed. He smiled apologetically at them and followed after his Caster. She motioned to him from the front door and he followed her out into the hallway. She shut the door with a six inch gap so they could still hear if the boys did something and turned to Cameron.

“What do you want to do?”

Cameron sighed, “No fair, I was gonna ask you that question.”

She snorted derisively, “Too bad, I asked first. We can’t let them go. I really don’t feel like killing a couple of teenagers, no matter how misguided. But,” She paused biting her lip, “Cameron I’ve heard stories of what the Order does to POW’s.”

“Yeah,” Cameron didn’t meet her eyes; he had been some of those stories, “but they don’t want to defect.”

She rubbed her forehead, “So we’re back to what do we do?”

Cameron didn’t answer her. He didn’t have an answer to give her, not one that she would like anyway. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed heavily.

“We can hand them over to Maltoris,” Cameron suggested, “he’d probably know how to handle it.”

Kailah bit her lip, “You sure?”

“No, but it’s the best we got,” Cameron reentered the apartment, heading straight for the kitchen.

Warning bells were going off in his head at the silence coming from the kitchen. When he rounded the corner he understood why. Kash and Kelm were slumped forward, still pinned by the ice around their middle, blood pooling onto their laps from their slit throats.

“Cameron!”

At Kailah’s cry of panic Cameron raced from the kitchen. His instincts told him to duck, he did as they bid, narrowly dodging a swing that would have taken his head. He continued with his forward momentum into a slide across the wood floors, spun, and jumped to his feet to meet this new threat.

Fanten grinned at him as he faded into the shadows. Cameron cursed; he knew something had been off about the Pair supposedly from Karpel he just hadn’t made the connection to Chaos. He watched the shadows, waiting for Fanten to emerge. The purple light drew his eyes and his heart sank. A portal stood in the doorway to Kailah’s room and through the edge Cameron could make out a figure carrying an unconscious person slung over their shoulder.

Recognition of the figure fired in his brain and Cameron charged for the portal. Before he could reach it Fanten tackled him from the left, leaping out of a shadow on the wall, and the two of them tumbled over the couch. The graceless tumble continued off the couch onto the floor accompanied by swearing and grunts.

Cameron caught Fanten with an elbow to the side of the head momentarily dazing the dark haired man. Before Cameron could press his advantage, though, Fanten struck him multiple times in retaliation. Cameron struck upward with his palm to Fanten’s chin, but was dodged.

Fanten grabbed Cameron by the head and slammed it down hard on the floor. Cameron saw sparks as pain erupted inside his skull. Fanten hit a few more times for good measure then while Cameron was dazed pulled a dagger from his belt.

Cameron cursed under his breath, his eyes blearily trying to focus on Fanten’s fanatical glee as he raised the dagger high.

Fanten smiled sadistically as the dagger plunged for Cameron’s heart, “The Paradigm is ours!”