Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
Elijah
W aking up in bed without Kainda the next morning was cold. Literally cold. The room’s temperature mimicked a freezer. Her clothes no longer sat on the other bunk, but her bag still leaned against the post, so she hadn’t gone far. Taking off the sheet to put on clothes sounded entirely unpleasant, and when I finally broke down and tossed it off, not a single word in my vocabulary felt strong enough to describe how awful. Since the capture, I had a tremendous aversion to the cold.
The door at the other end of the room opened and Kainda walked out, cell phone in hand. Her eyes bright, focused, and eager. Determination written in every line of her being. She looked ready to get out of here right this instant and take out Uttu. I’d been half afraid that I’d wake up and find her long gone on her quest to destroy her current nemesis. And quite possibly herself in the process.
“Morning, E. Althea should be here any minute with breakfast. I’m actually surprised she hasn’t been here already. My conversation with my fellow hunters took longer than I had anticipated. We’ve mostly got a plan together to take Uttu out of this realm permanently.”
“Good morning. I’m grateful you have a plan because I was beginning to believe you were going to rush headlong into this flying by the seat of your pants and the will of the universe. As much as I’d like to see the end of Uttu, I’m not fond of the idea of your death or dismemberment.” The thought so off-putting, it soured my stomach. Starving one moment turned on a dime, now the thought of food completely unappealing.
“Me either. And truth be told, I just came up with this plan as I was talking with my team. So I’m only doing slightly better than fly by the seat of my pants. E, are you still dead set on coming along?”
“I’m still coming with you, Kainda. When are we going?” Not exactly anxious to face Uttu, but if it meant Kainda would stop looking so angry and grief stricken, then I’d do it.
“If you’re ready, we’ll leave here after I speak with the coven leaders. Part of the plan requires a great deal of power and magic, so as much as I don’t want to ask this coven for more help, I’m going to. Contrary to my words and actions regarding Uttu, I have no intention of letting her escape or kill me by being reckless.”
Well, thank God for that. I’d really begun to wonder if this wasn’t a murder suicide mission for Kainda. Her death would be a real shame. I needed her to make it out of this ordeal alive and in one piece. At some point during this whirlwind, I’d started to develop feelings for her. It seemed impossible that we’d only known each other slightly over twenty-four hours. The intensity of the situation and the high stakes, the perfect catalyst to losing our heads. Feelings, not the most brilliant idea to get saddled with before going into battle.
Kainda gathered the rest of her things while I made a quick trip to the bathroom to freshen up. I’d just returned to the bunk room when the front door opened. Althea all smiles walked in holding a large thermal lunch bag. Even from across the room and through the heavily layered bag, I could smell warm cinnamon sugar. The sour feeling in my stomach disappeared as my mouth started watering.
“Good morning, Kainda, Elijah. I apologize for the delay in breakfast.” She held out the bag to Kainda. “Help yourselves. While you eat, may we talk for a moment?”
Kainda took the bag sitting on the edge of the bed we’d slept in. She nodded to Althea as she began pulling out containers of food and two reusable bottles of water. Sitting down next to her, happily surprised to find fresh crusty bread, homemade fruit preserves, turkey bacon, and baked apples. I wouldn’t necessarily claim happiness about the turkey bacon, but with the way my stomach growled, I planned to eat it anyway. We ate from the same containers, not bothering with the plates included in the lunch bag. The food was delicious, and the portions generous but not wasteful.
“I know you’re hunting the former goddess now demon Uttu. She’ll require a large amount of power and magic to banish her. I spoke with several coven leaders to see if we could lend you any assistance. This won’t be an easy battle for you, and I hope you don’t think I’ve overstepped my bounds. I only wish to help you both.”
“What did they say?” Kainda cutting right to the heart of the matter as always. It was like she only had so many words available for use in a day and afraid of running out.
“It was not an easy ask for them. They have agreed to discuss the matter while you both eat. Someone will come by when they have reached an answer. I don’t want you to get your hopes up because they will do what they deem best for the coven. Prayers to Goddess that they can assist you and that they come to a decision soon.”
“Prayers to Gaia.” Kainda whispered the words in reverence. She didn’t want to hope, but I could see how desperate she wanted them to offer aid.
“These baked apples are divine, Althea.” I was a sucker for the soft, fruity, sweet food. These were some of the best I’d had before.
“Thank you, Elijah. I made them myself this morning. Fresh from the orchard to the plate. Is there anything else I can get for you? They should be sending someone with their answer in short order.”
“We’re fine, Althea. Now, what do you think their answer is going to be? What are our odds of them agreeing to help us?” Kainda flicked her fork between her fingers around in a circle in agitation. I could see her doing the same thing with a blade, obviously something she did this on a regular basis.
“They’re here with their decision.” As if on Althea’s cue, a knock sounded at the door to the bunkhouse.