61. Kaiya
Isnuck another look at Rien.
The breeze ruffled his slightly curled red hair, turning the tips of his ears a light pink.
I could only assume he was the hermit Liam had spoken of. But this was no old man. When he”d removed his hood, I”d barely been able to contain my shock.
As if sensing my stare, he tilted his head and focused on me, and I was caught again by those unusual eyes. They had a slim gray ring around the iris, and a normal pupil, but everything else was a pure bright white.
Could Liam have been referring to this man”s father when he spoke of that old hermit?
And what was it with his korra? I”d NEVER seen something so bright.
If I didn”t know better —
Gods — whatever he was, Frexin would love to get her hands on him. The way he controlled the forest was unlike any magic I”d ever seen.
”You need to get away from here,” I tried again.
He just kept staring into space, though. The same way he had the last three times I”d tried to convince him to run.
I had to get him away! If Frexin got her hands on him …
No. I couldn”t consider it, not even to save Tye and myself. That would make me as bad as Frexin.
Holden released another round of muffled curses, and Rien turned to face the man. With a slight nod, the vines went into action, winding more and more around the body mage until he was fully encased in green.
Hells! His control of these plants was both amazing and terrifying!
Though they did give me an idea …
”Rien, how do you control the plants and animals like that?”
”Control?” he finally spoke, voice low and gentle. ”I do not control. I am the forest, and the forest is me.”
I stared at him, confused. ”You just ask them to help, and they do?”
His brows knit together, and he shook his head. ”We”re all pieces of the whole, so when one has a need, the others help.”
”Like a tight-knit team?” I asked. ”Like a family?”
”Like words that form a book. Like singers that make a song, or …” Closing his eyes, Rien lifted his hands, grin curling on his lips.
Suddenly trees, animals, bushes, flowers began to move and sway.
”… like dancers that make a show.”
I stood frozen and speechless as Rien nodded his head to some soundless beat, and the lush green world around us moved in time.
Massive trees swayed side-to-side. Vines wove around as if they had minds of their own, and gremlyns and brush creatures danced their way toward us as if it were some mystical forest festival from a children”s play.
What in the seven hells?
After a minute of the show, Rien opened his eyes, waved a hand, and everything returned to normal.
”Gods! I”ve never seen anything like that before.” I finally managed to say. ”How far away can you be while doing this sort of thing?”
He looked at me and shrugged. ”Anywhere within this sacred forest, I suppose.”
My lips curled into a smile as my mind raced. ”Rien, I could kiss you, I”m so happy!”
The man”s calm expression broke for a moment, but I barely noticed. An outlandish, risky plan was forming in my mind. But it just might work …
The sky was brightening with early morning light when we finally had everything in place.
Rien had leaned the trees away so there was a small clearing for us to work.
I”d removed the flare from Holden”s belt and lit it, sending smoke out to alert Frexin.
The ship was fast approaching.
”Thank you for your help,” I said, biting my cheek.
”If this ends the flood of intruders, it is but a small price to pay,” Rein said, shrugging.
He lifted his hood and sank back into the shadows of the forest just as the familiar whooshing sound filled the clearing.
I looked up to see Frexin”s ship stop overhead.
Panic filled me, but I pushed it away.
This would work.
Forcing a smile, I strode to where ropes were unfurling from the side of the airship. Lady Frexin slid down first, closely followed by Japhire and a dozen collared mages. Then several mechs leaped from the ships, landing hard but unscathed on the soft ground.
”My dear!” Lady Frexin said, wearing a wide smile as she strode to my side. ”You survived! I truly am glad. Now, where is my relic?”
Chest pounding, I glared at her. ”First, you said you”d free Tye.”
She made a tsking sound, then nodded up at someone. Tye”s statue was lowered down slowly with a rope, and I waited as collared mages untied him and carefully brought him to Frexin”s side.
The bond between us throbbed, despite his stony state, and I rubbed the back of my neck.
Before Frexin could say anything else, a loud rustling shook in the forest, and a giant monster emerged between two massive trees … or at least that”s what I hoped it looked like.
It was made of rock and wood, and was covered in patches of grass, bushes, and even small groups of flowers. Atop its head sat sets of antlers made of strange trees, and six stony emerald eyes looked down at us.
Fuck! Rien had outdone himself! When I”d suggested a puppet, I hadn”t even dreamed of something like this!
Frexin”s red lips split into a wide smile, and she walked past me toward the creature.
”Gods!” She sighed. ”This is what the Forest God looks like? I”d never imagined. Even in the Mage Era, few had seen the beast, but the stories spoke of it as if it were humanoid … Though I suppose it could have taken a different form in this life.”
”It wasn”t easy to find,” I said, voice cold. ”Everyone else is dead.”
Frexin turned away from the creature. ”Yes, how unfortunate. But after nearly a thousand years, I finally have the last key. Now I can complete my work. Those lives lost were but a drop in the bucket compared to how many we”ll save.”
What did she say? A thousand years? I shook my head, confused.
”I — I don”t think I heard you correctly.”
She ignored me, taking in the Giant”s appearance. ”Impressive as always, Kaiya. I”d hoped you could find it, given your gifts. I wasn”t sure, of course, but I was hopeful. Even the Mad Queen couldn”t coax it out!” She looked at me and smiled. ”What is that strange magic hiding beneath the bond magic of yours?”
Other magic? What was I supposed to even say to that? ”I — I think I was able to find it because it didn”t see me as a threat.”
Frexin nodded distractedly. ”Maybe. But I suspect it is something a bit more unique, dear, and I do so look forward to figuring it out with you, now that these ridiculous masks have been dispensed.”
Grinning, she turned to the collared mages and mechs, then gestured toward the monster. ”Collar it.”
The mech operators and collared mages nodded.
Collar?I looked around, confused, as my heart pounded in my ears. How were they going to collar a relic?
Except the mechs weren”t carrying a collar in the normal sense. This one had been fashioned into a long set of chains.
Fuck! What would happen when those items were disconnected from Rien?
My stomach twisted.
”And you, Kaiya,” Frexin said, interrupting my thoughts. ”Let”s free that mate of yours.”
My shoulders tightened. If she let him free before the chains were on, this might work! Tye would be safe, and the real relic would be kept from Frexin.
”What do you want the creature for?” I asked, trying to hold my voice steady despite the tension.
She just chuckled. ”Sorry dear, but you”ll just have to wait and see!”
Frexin began pulling the glove off her right hand, and my heart raced as she reached out to cup Tye”s cheek.
Faster!! We needed to go faster!
”STOP!” A hoarse screech sounded from behind us, and Frexin froze, palm just a hairsbreadth from Tye”s stony cheek. I spun to see Holden scrambling out of the forest, Japhire ripping vines off his body.
Fuck!My gaze flew to the forest where Rien hid.
”That isn”t the relic!” he called, as vines wound around his legs and up his body.
Frexin”s nails bit into my arm as she spun me to face her.
”What”s he talking about, Kaiya? Were you trying to be clever, dear?” she whispered. ”What am I even saying? Of course you were!”
My heart slammed against my chest as I shook my head, desperation clawing at me.
Please! We were so close!!
”He”s lying,” I assured her. ”That is the relic. You can see it with your own eyes!”
”There”s a man!” Holden screamed. ”The relic is some sort of man. He”s hiding nearby.”
Frexin shot me one more curious look, then nodded toward Japhire. Dozens of wolves took off into the woods, and a dozen more mechs jumped from the airship, shaking the ground as they landed.
”Yes,” Frexin said, voice in a near whisper. ”This makes more sense. Even now, you impress me, my dear! You didn”t just capture it. You befriended the Forest God and convinced it to help you, of all things! This is the stuff of myths and legends.” She chuckled softly to herself, then took a deep breath. ”But you lied to me, my dear. You lied. And now I have to teach you your lesson.”
Kneeling, Frexin gently pressed her bare hand into the dirt. She looked up at me. ”You should have sent the Forest God away from here. Then at least you would have had a small victory.”
I stared, heart in my throat, as the world around us changed …