Chapter 30 “Explanations”

“What happened?” Brandon demanded angrily as he stared around the room at the miserable looking students.

He had gathered the group that had travelled to the future together, seeking an explanation as to what exactly had happened.

When no one attempted to answer his question he turned his gaze onto Seth.

“We went to try and find something that could help us against Steeson,” Seth sighed as he took the responsibility to speak up. He had cleaned up the cuts on his arms and face, yet along with the nasty gash on his cheek they were still visible. He had not bothered to go to a healer to fix him up, no, a healers ability was not to be wasted on such small injuries.

“And did you?” Brandon asked dryly, referring to Seth’s reply.

Seth looked away while the others hung their heads.

“You,” Brandon glared at Seth, “I expect more from you Seth. You know better than to go rushing off to find answers!”

“It’s not his fault,” Akira murmured.

“No,” Brandon turned his gaze onto her. “You all had a part to play.”

Everyone hung their heads, all except Anita who was sitting in a corner with her legs draw up to her chest while she watched the exchange going on in sullen silence. Tears stained her cheeks and yet nor more seemed to come.

Akira knew how her friend felt. She had cried on her own room until no more tears came. Now she felt nothing but hollowness inside her. There was a bit of her heart missing, the bit that Savannah filled.

Kirk shot a worried glance at Anita and Akira knew what he was feeling. At first when Akira had travelled to the future Anita had been a quiet girl who kept to herself, observing others and only talking now and then. After she had helped rescue Akira from being hanged she suddenly changed form that quiet girl to one that spoke her mind with confidence. Now however, she was looking a lot like her old self again.

“And you Akira,” Akira lifted her eyes to see that Brandon was staring accusingly at her. “I really expected more from you Akira, as the Rider of Legend you have an obligation…”

Akira turned her gaze away, refusing to meet Brandon’s eyes.

“It is your duty to protect others and keep them safe and yet going on this little adventure of yours you put everyone in danger…”

“It’s not Akira’s fault,” Dominique spoke up defensively.

“As the Rider of Legend she should have never agreed to the whole shenanigan in the first place,” Brandon growled. “From what I hear you were lucky to get away with only one causality. You were all put in danger, Akira should have never allowed that.”

Akira felt like he had taken a direct punch to her heart. Breathing became hard. Blaming herself was one thing, but having Brandon accuse her was another.

“That’s not fair!” Dominique protested.

“Dominique,” Akira spoke up silently as she looked up to meet Brandon’s eyes. She suddenly understood why he was letting her take the blame. “He’s right,” she murmured, “As the Rider of Legend I should have thought things through. I should never have allowed such a plan to go through where everyone was put in danger. It is my fault.”

“Akira…” Seth protested.

“It’s my duty,” Akira murmured, “To protect others, and this time…I failed.”

“No,” Anita choked. All heads turned towards her in surprise. “It’s my fault,” she lifted her tear stained face, “I could have saved her if I had just been able to stay longer I would have been able to heal her!” fresh tears poured down her face, “It’s all my fault!”

“Anita,” Kirk shook his head as he went up to her and wrapped a comforting arm around her. “You tried.”

“There is only so much a healer can do,” Seth murmured, “And bringing someone back who’s already too far gone is not one of them.”

“Blaming each other isn’t going to bring her back,” Dominique murmured angrily.

“No,” Brandon agreed, “It’s not. I am truly sorry for your loss, but I do hope that you all,” he looked pointingly at Akira, “have learned your lesson. We do not want anyone else having to die because of stupid mistakes.”

Akira’s heart squeezed at Brandon’s seemingly lack of emotion, yet she knew that one, Brandon tended to hide what he felt from those around him and two, out of everyone in the room, he had known Savannah in the least.

“What about Lindsy?” Liam spoke up.

“The girl you brought back with you?” Brandon asked.

Liam nodded. Gina had taken Lindsy under her wing while Brandon met with the rest of the group so that they could have their privacy.

“What about her?” Brandon asked.

“She doesn’t belong here,” Liam spoke.

“No, she doesn’t,” Brandon agreed.

“We have to take her back then!” Liam argued.

“She can’t go back Liam!” Seth told him impatiently. “Don’t you get the point? She was seen with us at the Red Dragon, if she goes back now Watchers will most likely go right after her!”

“But she isn’t even a part of this!” Liam protested.

“Try telling the Watchers who saw her with us that,” Seth replied evenly. “Even if she wasn’t a part of this before, she is now. I’m sorry, but that’s just the way it is.”

Liam set his jaw and looked away in defeat.

“Seth is right. Until this is over, she will have to stay with us like the rest of you,” Brandon agreed.

Akira looked at her old mentor. “When this is over,” his words repeated in her mind and she couldn’t help but wonder when this would actually be over. Was she actually ever going to be able to face Steeson and get things over with?

“Not to mention your time travelling in the middle of the city was a reckless thing to do,” Brandon said making Akira realize that he had been talking.

“Why? We didn’t do any damage,” Dominique shrugged.

“Yes, but you didn’t know that before you did it,” Brandon replied.

“We needed a quick escape route,” Kirk spoke up.

“That doesn’t make it any less reckless,” Brandon replied firmly.

No one replied and Akira just stared lifelessly into space. Her heart wasn’t in having a conversation with Brandon, to listen to him giving them his piece of mind. She already knew what they had done was stupid. Savannah was dead because of it. She held back the tears that threatened to spill. No, she would not cry, not now, tears would solve nothing.

“Look,” Brandon let out a sigh, “Get some rest, take the next day off from classes to get over your grief.”

Akira stared at Brandon, wondering if he really thought that someone could get over such a loss during one day.

“I’ll go to the council and try to explain this mess to them as well as figure out what we can do from here on,” he continued.

“Good luck with that,” Akira thought dryly. She was sure that the council wouldn’t be able to think up anything for this one. No, they had never been of any use before so why start now.

She watched as the others made their way to the door, with Kirk leading, all of them looking a complete wreck.

“Can we have a memorial for her?” Anita whispered as she looked up at Brandon brokenly. Kirk, who had reached the door, paused. He turned to look at Brandon like all the others.

“Please?” Anita choked.

Brandon nodded his head ever so slightly. His confirmation made Anita’s shoulders sag in relief, it also brought about fresh sobs which racked her shoulders. Dominique put a comforting arm around her and led her to the door.

Kirk, who was already there, pulled the door open only to have Gina almost tumble into him.

 Brandon raised his eyebrows when Gina, upon recovering herself, shot him a sheepish look. “I…uh…” she stuttered. Quickly she pointed an accusing finger behind her where a wide eyed Drake stood, “It was his idea,” she said.

Brandon shook his head as he saw that behind Drake Jeremiah and Isaac stood in the corridor while Lindsy stood some way behind Gina, looking completely lost while Will seemed to be hanging some way back, watching from a safe distance.

“I…” Gina continued trying to find a way to explain why exactly she had been leaning so closely against the door.

“Go,” Brandon told her in a tried voice.

Gina nodded rapidly and turning on her heel she grabbed Drake and dragged him away down the corridor.

Kirk slowly walked out the door and the rest followed. Jeremiah and Isaac both paused, waiting for Kirk and Tresus to pass by them before they followed. Dominique, his arms still around a sobbing Anita, slowly made his way after them with Will falling in behind.

Lindsy moved to the side, looking completely lost until Liam approached her and offered his hand. Lindsy hesitated before she accepted.

“So this is the past?” her voice echoed in the corridor as Liam led her. “And Fluffy is actually Redemption as in the Redemption?” her voice disappeared as she and Liam rounded a corner.

“Let’s go,” Seth softly told Akira, who was still in the room.

Akira shot Brandon a look, yet he did not meet her eyes as his attention seemed to be taken up by a piece of paper that lay on the table before him.

Turning away Akira walked to the open door and Seth followed. Yet at the door Akira suddenly paused.

“We’re running out of time,” she said, her voice emotionless. Without turning to see Brandon’s reaction she walked out of the room.

The door behind her clicked shut and a moment later Seth fell into stride beside her.

“You’re not the one to blame,” he said softly as they walked.

Akira didn’t reply.

“Akira…”

“I’m fine Seth,” Akira told him stiffly.

In reply Seth stepped into her way, blocking her path as he stared right at her. “No,” he told Akira sternly. “You’re not okay Akira, you can tell yourself that all you want but I can see your hurting just like the rest of us.”

Akira didn’t reply as she turned her head to look away.

Seth’s response was to grab her shoulders. “Akira, we are going to have to talk about it sooner than later.”

“Talk about what?” Akira asked, refusing to meet Seth’s eyes.

“What happened back there, in the Red Dragon,” Seth responded.

Akira turned her head and met Seth’s eyes evenly. “Savannah got killed, that’s what happened Seth,” Akira told him angrily. “The Watchers were not trying to take us in, they were trying to kill who they could!”

“I’m not talking about that,” Seth said softly.

Akira’s eyes narrowed. She knew what Seth was getting at, and yet she didn’t know what to say.

“Akira, back there you did something you’ve never done before,” Seth told her gently, “In no tale of any Rider of Legend did that occur before either.”

“None of them lived very long,” Akira replied moodily as she wrenched herself from Seth’s grip and tried to step past him. When he followed her by getting right back in her way she glared up at him.

“Akira, what you did was far from normal.”

“I’m far from normal!” Akira replied angrily, she flinched as she realized she was taking her anger of Savannah’s death out on Seth.

“Akira, I’m just trying to help you here,” Seth told her gently. “You seemed just as surprised as me when you did that whole white light thing, so tell me, what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Akira whispered as the fear she had buried inside herself crept up. Fear she had felt just after she had created a large gaping hole in the wall of the Red Dragon, fear of herself, at the scale of what she had done. “I just got angry,” she murmured, “It was like suddenly nothing mattered anymore except for the anger and taking it out on the source.”

“The Watchers,” Seth nodded. “Has it happened before?” he asked concern in his eyes.

Akira stared up at him. She knew that Seth was trying to help, that he wanted to figure out what she had done, to find out what exactly it was, for like Akira, he seemed somewhat cautious of this new ability she had displayed.

“Something like it happened before with Haiden I think,” Akira replied with a sigh as she remembered her last battle with Haiden. “But it never progressed to me actually being able to…” she left the words unsaid as she remembered the way the one Watcher had been thrown against the wall. “Look Seth,” she sighed. “I can’t explain what happened or how I did it, and whatever it was, I don’t think I’d be able to do it again if I tried.”

“What do you mean?” Seth asked.

“I can’t explain it…” Akira sighed in frustration, “but I think it’s similar to me being able to read riders’ minds through Redemption. As Redemption once told me, a human’s mind is not as complex as a dragon’s, being able to read riders’ minds like Redemption does should not be possible and yet I am able to do it at times. But I can only do so at certain moments, mostly when in the height of battle and my senses are wide awake, sometimes at other moments, but not all the time, my mind can’t take it.”

“So you think this light thing is the same in that you can’t use it whenever you want?” Seth asked.

“Maybe, I’ve never done it before so I don’t know and right now, I don’t care less. It didn’t save Savannah and that’s all that matter. She’s dead Seth, do you get it? DEAD!” Akira told him angrily as she clenched her fists.

“It’s not your fault,” Seth told her.

“No, but I couldn’t save her,” Akira replied. “As for whose fault it is that she’s dead, there’s only one person to blame, and that’s Steeson.”

Seth didn’t reply and Akira pushed her way past him, making her way down the hallway.

“Akira!” Seth’s voice stopped her. “Promise me you won’t do anything reckless,” he told her gently.

Without turning around Akira continued to walk down the hallway, leaving Seth’s plea unanswered.