Chapter 4 #2
“That you and Chrome lost one of the two Elementals. And that he got the other one. What happened?” Being the Supreme General of the Warrior Guilds, my father had a hard time turning off his “work” when we were having family time.
I sighed, trying to loosen the tightness in my chest. “I don’t know. He just eluded us in the crowd in the club.” I shrugged, not taking my eyes off my food as I poked at it, losing my appetite.
“Garnet, honey,” Mom said softly, “let’s not talk about work at the dinner table. Let him eat in peace, yeah?”
My father’s neatly cropped, burgundy hair shined with the gel he lathered it in to hold it firmly in place.
With a resigned breath, he nodded and grabbed my mother’s hand across the table.
“Of course, Rose.” He offered her a gentle smile that no one else tended to get from him.
Much like the smile he gave her in their Union photos hanging on the wall in canvases behind him.
“It’s fine,” I said, waving with my fork in hand. I’d rather clear it up now than to sit with the anxiety through dinner. “Honestly, I don’t know what happened, Dad. It was an odd mission.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, an air of strained lightness in his voice. He was trying not to let his general tone infiltrate the dinner table.
“It was just odd that there were two Elementals there, but no humans died. There’s no telling how long they’d been there, but I’m thinking they were just there for the concert like everyone else,” I voiced aloud to my parents.
It was a thought I had been pushing aside since that night.
It had weighed heavy on me as it all just felt off.
Something hadn’t been right about it from the start, and I couldn’t let it go.
I wasn’t sure if I was seeking validation or assurance that I was wrong, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to mention it to my dad, the unofficial leader of the insurgency.
Hazel, who’d been sitting quietly as usual, listened as she ate. Her eyes volleyed back and forth across the table as she absorbed every detail. Aside from her, there wasn’t a more observant person except for Cotton Sjodin.
My father’s brows crinkled, pausing his fork halfway to spear some broccoli. “Perhaps they got interrupted when you and Chrome showed up, then.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. But they seemed more inclined to run than stay and fight, which I found unusual as well.” I forked a piece of asparagus and savored the tenderness emitting from it.
My mother’s food was far superior to the food in the dining hall where most Kinetics ate.
The only time I ate there was if Mom needed a break from the cooking.
“But why would you and Chrome be sent to track them down if they weren’t there to deplete a human’s aura, then?” my dad asked in genuine curiosity.
“I have no idea. It’s what doesn’t make sense to me.” Not to mention the strange guy showing up in the bathroom with Chrome. I still wasn’t completely sold on whether he told Chrome the truth or not. I supposed only time would tell.
“I’ll look into it,” my dad mumbled, scooping up a forkful of corn, the pensive wrinkles never easing up on his forehead. “See what intel had come in leading up to that mission.”
“You did well, darling,” Mom assured me. “You did the best you could. And I’m just so thankful you make it home after every mission safe and alive.”
“Thanks, Mom.” My heart twisted for her, knowing she must fear for my life every mission I was sent on.
I glanced at Hazel, who met my gaze. Thankfully, she held onto my odd inquiry about the princess from earlier.
It was times like these that I was really grateful that we shared a close bond as siblings.
I didn’t have to worry about her ratting me out to my parents.
I tipped my chin, letting her know that I appreciated her silence on the matter.
With a half-hearted eye roll and crooked smile, she returned to her meal. I cleared my throat and focused my attention back on my father. “So, I have a question.”
“What’s that, son?” Dad lifted his penetrating gaze from his plate, meeting my eyes.
“So,” I started, unsure how to broach this topic, “do you know why the princess hasn’t been trained? She’s fourteen and should’ve started a year ago.”
My dad nodded. “Yeah, it’s definitely not the choice I would’ve made if she were my daughter, especially with her being the princess,” he grumbled.
His dislike for the king was palpable. He knew there was some shady shit going on between him and the human government, but he needed time to discover it.
Regardless, he knew that the king didn’t have our people’s best interests at heart and wanted to put a stop to it.
“But he says she needs to be safe and isolated from danger.”
“That,” I said, tilting my head, “goes against everything we stand for. If anything, it puts her at more risk of being unable to protect herself.”
“Agreed.”
“So, what’s the plan?” I asked. “Any new developments lately on intel?”
My father chewed his food. “Bits and pieces here and there. Nothing huge, yet.”
I nodded, understanding the delicate nature of our mission. One wrong move could blow the entire thing, but my chest grew dense. “Well, it feels like something big is coming. Let’s hope we’re not too late.”