Avaryn

I sprinted out of the room, my heart in my throat and Raiden on my trail. The floor was shaking, and it was hard to keep my footing. Once we got on deck I was surprised to see that it was dawn and the sun was peeking through the horizon. Pirates all around were panicked and in motion. I froze for a moment realizing there were no other ships around us in the black sea.

Among the chaos I spotted Kalon and rushed to her. "What's going on?"

She stared down at me, her dark skin glowing in the orange glow of sunrise and her eyes apologetic, she smiled and nodded to the shore. I hadn't even noticed we had reached land, but that wasn't what surprised me.

Along the shore was my worst nightmare. It was filled with guards and soldiers, more guards than Raiden and I could take, and along them were the Lacuna. Shadow figures that were under the king's control and were only dangerous when he told them to be.
I turned back to Kalon with wide eyes.

"I'm sorry, Avaryn." 

And before I could even contemplate how she knew my real name her knife was pressed against my throat. I was spun around so that I faced Raiden who was coming for me in an instant, something vengeful in his eyes, his face painted with dark rage.

"Don't come any closer!" Kalon hissed, pressing the knife tighter against my throat, and Raiden froze at her command. The look on his face was unreadable, but his gaze kept going from the knife at my throat to my eyes. 

"That man," I gasped against her grip, thinking back to the first night on the ship. "The one you called Sal, he was not going to get ice cream was he? He was a messenger."

"Yes," Kalon said, her voice unnerving. "They told me you were clever."

"They? You mean The king?" I spit out his title, letting fury take over my emotions. I hadn't exactly trusted Kalon but I trusted her enough. Enough for everything to lead to this. I trusted her enough to be betrayed, again. "You liar! You said you hated him! You said-"

"I do hate him!" she shouted. "But the guards threatened my crew. My family. One came and found me before you arrived, he told me what to do. Pretend to bring you over to Shausn with good intentions until they gathered all their men to capture you."

I was livid.

"What is so special about you anyway? I understand why they are after the prince, he is the heir, but you ... I don't get it."

"And you never will, because I'm going to kill you," I snarled, struggling against her grip.

I heard a small laugh behind me. "Stop making me like you," Kalon said, maybe sadly. "You just have to cooperate for a little while longer."

"Let. her. Go," Raiden said through his clenched jaw, there was a wild rage in his dark eyes that I had never seen before. It was like a flickering flame inching toward gasoline. Ready to explode at any moment.

"I can't," said Kalon, guilt in her voice.

"You will or I will kill them all."

"Don't you get it? If I don't he will kill them all!"

My gaze found its way to the water, it was dark and ominously terrifying, you couldn't see the bottom. I thought briefly of what would happen if we jumped in. It made me wonder what was down there. What kind of monsters lurked below the black sea? I believed there was something, why wouldn't there be in a world full of magic and dragons?
A faint glimmer caught my attention. It was a spot in the water, the only spot in the water that you could faintly see through. No ... it couldn't be. It was too much of a coincidence. There was no way I was that lucky.

But damn, it was our only option.

I smiled and said thanks to whatever God was looking out for me.

I turned my eyes back to Raiden, who had gotten conveniently closer. He stopped looking at the knife to peer into my stare, somehow knowing I was looking at him once again. His eyes narrowed at my smug smirk and I saw his mouth twitch a fraction. He could always tell when I had a plan. 

"Raiden?"

He smiled widely and proudly in that way that made him look absolutely insane. He was putting his trust in me, blindly, like he always did for some reason. "Yes my darling?"

"Burn it down."

He hesitated, but only for a moment, before he said, "with pleasure."

Raiden's arms spread out.

Kalon frowned. "What is he doing?"

I ignored her, watching him closely. And then wild royal blue flames, brighter and hotter than I anticipated, traveled down his shoulders to his hands, spinning like spirals. They were beautiful. but I expected them to be. The electricity I felt from them was unreal, it was like I could feel them, like they were my own. They felt alive. I was transfixed, for only moments. Why did Raiden choose not to use a power that was so lovely? In fact I was jealous, why don't mine look like his? 

All it took was one flame to touch the wood.

"I'm really sorry Kalon," I said as I used her moment of shock to launch my elbow into her ribs. She dropped to the ground, grunting. "You should probably jump from the ship before you burn to death."

The polished silk wood of the ship was now covered in Raidens flames, they spread faster than any normal fire, it was as if the ship had been dunked in gasoline. Raiden found me, the fire was gone from his hands. He gripped my arm tightly and I realized his hands were shaking. He truly could not control the power he bore. It was terrifying. "I hope you know what you are doing."

I smiled, and he frowned. I wrenched myself out of his grasp and climbed over the railing. I looked down at the spot I aimed for. I held out a hand to him. "Do you trust me?"

He rolled his eyes. "I just burned down a ship because you asked me to, what do you think-?"  

I had already grabbed his hand and pulled him with me. I jumped into the black water, confidently, my feet aiming to where I wanted them to. Toward the faint glimmer in the water. Dragging Raiden with me. The feeling of falling lasted for less than a second but it felt freeing all the same.

We hit the cold water, and I felt my head dunk under cold waves, surrounding me and suffocating me before my body went weightless. In a way I was getting quite familiar with. A strange sensation of floating went through my body before I surged up, gasping for air, kicking my legs. I looked around faintly aware of bright lights and distant shouting.

"Raiden?" I gasped, looking around frantically.

And then found him behind me, already dragging himself out of the small pond we had landed in.

He glared at me. "A portal? Really? You couldn't have warned me first?"

I dragged myself out of the brownish water that did not smell nice.

Ew.

I did not want to think of what was in there. I laid my body across the grass gasping for breath.  I grinned at him. "I thought it would be more fun if I didn't."

"You're turning into me, this is not a good sign."

I pushed him back, smiling like an idiot. I had saved us. Me. not him. "I'm nothing like you."

He smiled, that smile, a glimmer in his eyes as he leaned against an absent tree. "You are much like me, you just choose to ignore it."

I didn't know if it was because of my adrenaline or because of my joy but I put a hand on his jaw and said in a mocking way, "whatever you say, deshima."

I expected him to roll his eyes or glare but that's not what happened. Instead he froze, staring up at me wide eyed and perhaps confused or shocked. I felt him lean into my touch, his eyes shuddering closed. "Gods, say it again."

His voice ... I had never heard it sound so desperate. I kneeled beside him, instinctively leaning my forehead against his which sent heat through my body. I could tell he felt it too because he shivered.

"What does it mean, Deshima?" 

His eyes finally opened. "Avaryn ..." there he went again. Saying my name like it was a prayer, like it was something to worship. Like he was stuck in a desert for years and my name was water. Flashbacks of the night before hit me, and I remembered what he felt like. What the burn of his lips and touch felt like and I suddenly needed to feel it again.  
I leaned closer to him ...

"Hey!" a voice shouted at us, a blinding light shining down at us.

I turned seeing ... a police officer? Where were we? I looked around for the first time since we had transported here, actually paying attention to my surroundings. I saw the glow of lights and a field of never ending buildings and I groaned. "Seriously?" I sighed. "Of all the places, New York City?"

We had been wandering the streets for an hour and a half. Nobody gave us a second glance or even questioned our wardrobes. Raiden looked ... well he looked like Raiden. Like a deadly Greer warrior draped in black, and me ... I looked like an off brand pirate with a mix of a drowned rat. I wore a white button up tunic that had flowy arms that I'm pretty sure belonged to a man. And suspenders to go along with it, holding up the baggy pants I was wearing. My hair draped across my shoulders in wet messy waves, it had grown out since I had last been in the human world. 

"If we could just convince somebody to let me use their phone," I murmured.

"Humans don't seem to be very trustworthy. And you say my people are horrible."

"I don't think I've ever said that."

"You've definitely said that."

"Have not!"

"Avaryn, darling, this isn't helping," he said as we stopped in a random alley way, leaning against the cold brick wall. Chills ran across my damp skin. "What will you even say to them? 'Hey, i'm halfway across the country with my Greer prince who you hate, can you come get me?'"

My Greer prince.

"They'll come," I growled.

"Will they? You don't even know them that well."

Anger brewed on my fingertips.

"I don't even know you that well!"

A flash of hurt flickered behind his eyes but it was gone in seconds.

"Precisely."

"Why are you yelling?"

"Why are you yelling?"

"I'm not!"

Raiden opened his mouth, probably to shout something back but then his eyes flicked up and in an instant he was grabbing me and shielding his body over mine. My mind did not process what was happening until I heard the wisp of an arrow and in a split second Raiden grunted.

My eyes widened at him and the blood coming from his shoulder. I stuttered the first words that came to my mind, "God, you need to stop taking arrows for me!"

He ripped out the arrow groaning. It was pure white and the arrow head was shaped like a heart.

What, did Cupid decide to make an appearance now?

I looked to the sky. What has my life come to?

I watched Raiden's eyes widen in surprise as he stared at the weapon, in familiarity.
I heard footsteps above us, definitely more than one set, parading along the edges of the roof like mice. Shadows lurked above us in the dark, flowing in the wind like lost fabric.

Raiden's dark eyes flashed in alarm and his grip on my arms tightened. He didn't bother to look in my direction as he said, "Avaryn. Run."

"Wha-? No! Who are these people-?"

"There's not enough time, deshima," he whispered hurriedly. Was that panic in his voice? "You need to run."

My heart sped up at the thought of Raiden being fearful and the thought of leaving him alone. He moved and I grabbed for his hands. "No! No I'm not gonna leave you to-"

But he was gone. He shadowed out of my reach, dark dust swirls left in his place.

That bastard!

I huffed. I really needed to learn how to do that.

Fine, I guess I'll do this the old fashioned way and climb up the fire escape. The building wasn't that high so it only took me a few minutes to reach the roof. What I saw was what I expected. Sort of. Raiden was battling with another figure. One who was dressed in all white, the exact opposite of him, but it was the same uniform the Greer soldiers wear. Great. The person had arrows and a bow strapped across them.

They didn't notice me on the roof. They continued fighting each other but it looked as if that was getting them nowhere. It looked like an endless battle. They seemed to predict each other's moves, flawlessly. Both of them moved in a strange way, well really it was the way Raiden always moved. When he fought, almost poetically, his movements were as smooth as waves, his adjustments like the stroke of a paint brush across a blank canvas. This person fought the same as Raiden.

Exactly the same. 

By the way they were fighting you could tell they knew each other. It was familiar. Like they had fought once before. Or a million times before. Who was this person? And why had they shot an arrow at me? Why was Raiden afraid of them? The Greer soldier swiped a leg under Raidens bringing him to the ground.

Unwelcomed panic rushed up my throat.

Nobody bested Raiden.

Before I could think about it, I drew a flame to my hand, swirling it into a ball, and launched it at the Greer soldier.

They dodged it in seconds and finally noticed me, turning their body in my direction. I got a full view of their face. It was a man who couldn't have been much older than me. His gaze was rounded with a slight curve to the end, his eyes were dark, not like the night sky but like the deepest parts of the earth, like the richest soil. His hair was sleek straight and black like Ravens.

Who was he?

He smirked, and it fit his face like a glove. His smirk was different from Raidens. It wasn't knowing like his, it was cruel, cunning, malicious. "Now, who are you?"

"No," I heard Raiden growl as he finally looked at me as well, an unfamiliar worry in his black eyes. "I told you to run."

I shrugged. "I thought it was pretty obvious by now that I don't take orders from you."

Raiden ignored me and said to the man, "she's nobody, Kenzo."

Ah, so Raiden does know him.

Kenzo made tsk sound with his mouth. "Don't lie to me, Raiden. I know who she is. I was only playing. She's the half-blood, the one that your father has the whole country looking for."

Raiden put his blade to Kenzo's nape, the only place he could reach in his position, fury in his eyes and in the way his hands shook. "Do not call her that."

"Why? Are you screwing the half-blood Raiden? I have to say that is quite beneath you-" he cut himself off as blood dripped down his throat from Raiden's knife. Which was pressing very aggressively against his throat. Kenzo smiled lightly. "You won't kill me, you've never been able to kill me. And also Roz is here and she'll be angry."

"Roz is here?" the question comes from my mouth.

Kenzos eyes flicked to me in a way that said he forgot I was here. "Yes, she's the reason Raiden here couldn't sense my presence. It was some witchy thing. A spell perhaps."

"Don't ever say 'witchy thing' again," said a smooth voice from behind me. I whipped my head around, so fast I wasn't certain I didn't give myself whiplash. Roz stood on the edge of the roof, wearing all black, pulling back her hood. Her dark curls fell over her shoulders and she smiled, in that insane creepy way of hers. She turned to me.

Oh god.

"I told you to protect him. Not turn his country against him," she said tightly, obviously talking about Raiden.

I rolled my eyes. "Why are you here?"

She grinned and clapped her hands. "To bring you back of course."

I felt sick.

"Oh! You haven't met Kenzo yet!" her eyes were filled with fake joy. "Kenzo meet Avaryn, Avaryn meet Kenzo. Kenzo is our fathers assassin."

My jaw slacked, my eyes shooting to Raidens for confirmation. He gave me a slight nod. My heart sunk.

Why would the king send an assassin after us?

"We're not going with you," said Raiden.

A flicker of hurt flashed across Roz's face but it was only for a second before a stubborn fury took over. "Well you don't have a choice." 

"I'll just kill Kenzo."

"You know you can't Raiden, he's the only person you can't beat and besides, he'll just kill Avaryn."

"He can't kill her. She's the only one who can wield the Vad."

Roz smiled softly but it was not at all comforting. "But does she really need both her legs to do that?"

Anger masked his expression and then resolved, fading into nothing. His face slipped into a mask of nothingness. Of no emotion. He took his dagger away from Kenzo and then looked at me with a deepness in his eyes.

Roz looked at me then, and for a moment I thought I saw something real in her eyes, but it was gone before it could even start. "You'll want to come with us Avaryn."

"Why would I want that?" I scoffed and then looked toward Raiden, begging him with my eyes.

I watched him sigh. Just dont kill her, his gaze says.

I grinned, before I let Roz's gift flow through me like a river of power. That was a lot easier than I expected. Stealing peoples powers had gotten a lot easier these last couple of weeks. It had gotten as easy as walking. Her ability was one of my favorites. Tingles of raw strength filled my chest and I felt infinite.

"Pain," I commanded, my voice not like my own. Like a clone that had taken over my body.

Kenzo and Roz dropped to the ground in seconds, screaming in agony, grabbing at their limbs. Their screams were loud but not quite loud enough to be heard over the streets and sirens of the city. I watched Raiden squeeze his eyes shut for half a moment before grabbing me and pulling me away and off the building faster than I knew he could.

"We need to hurry."

I tried to match his pace but it was very difficult. "I'm sorry, but won't Roz just do a spell to find us again?"

"Her magic doesn't really work like that. It drains her. Kind of like she can only do one spell a day."

I hurried to match his pace as we strode down the notorious streets of New York City. I couldn't help but think how strange Raiden looked in my world. With the lights reflecting from his eyes and in his strange uniform with weapons across his body. He didn't fit. The two did not mix.

"So," I cleared my throat. "What was Kenzo to you?"

At this Raiden finally froze, he smiled down at me, it was pure arrogance. Something I hadn't seen on him for a few hours. "Why? Are you jealous Avaryn?"

I scowled. "First of all, it's very strange when you call me by my name. Second of all, absolutely not, I am just a naturally curious person."

His grin widened and it was like he saw right through me. "That's true, you are, and it is quite annoying." 

I hit his arm at that and all he did was chuckle, a delightful noise that I thought I had come to long for. I've come to realize I liked his harsh jokes and foolish manners. There wasn't anyone like him.

"He was my friend," Raiden said, briefly, and I could tell he was not going to elaborate.

"Why send an assassin though?" I asked, thinking of the king.

"I'm not sure. My father isn't what you think he is. He may act like a man who is only power hungry and malicious, which he is those things, but he's much more. He's very intelligent, he thinks things through and he always has a plan."

The sun was rising, the glow splinting through the cracks of the buildings and reflecting on nothing but pavement. More people had begun stirring the streets, and some of them were starting to glance at us strangely. I looked down at my outfit. "We need to get out of this clothing," I said, then looked at Raiden. "And you need to ditch your weapons."

He glared. "Absolutely not. We don't even have a plan yet and Kenzo and Roz are bound to find us eventually." 

"Fine but you are drawing attention to us."

"If somebody has a problem with my weaponry they can have a problem with my daggers cutting off each of their fingers and shoving them down their throats."

"That's morbid."

He shrugged.

"You barely care for people's lives but God forbid anything happens to your weapons," I sighed with sarcasm.

He narrowed his eyes. "Don't be rude."

"I'll be rude if I like."

"Of course you will."

I scowled. "What is that supposed to mean?"

He grinned happily at my expression. "I enjoy pushing your buttons." 

"No," I gasped sarcastically.

I ended up finding someone who let me use their phone and called Bash.

And called him.

And called him.

He didn't answer. I tried Nyan next, but she didn't answer either and I didnt know any of the other Devaras numbers. I scolded myself for not memorizing them. Finally I called Crestwood academy and asked for Sebastian Crestwood. Supposedly he was not in, and hadn't been in for weeks. That could only mean one thing.

The royal Devaras were in the light realm.

And lucky for me I happened to know a portal that could take us there.

"I don't think this is a good idea," said Raiden as we made our way to a specific alley way in the back of a meat deli. "I am not welcome in the light realm."

"Oh, boo hoo," I rolled my eyes. "I am so sick of the whole Greer and Devara bulshit. It's seriously annoying."

Raiden conveniently stopped talking after that.

I bumped into a couple strangers along the way, grabbing wallets and as much cash as I could from their pockets. I was too eager to feel guilty about stealing from people instead of businesses. I was excited to go to the light realm again. Nothing compared to its beauty. It was like a living Da Vinci painting.

As we walked down the bustling streets, through the chatter and honks, and sirens, and shouts, I noticed Raiden had stopped moving from beside me. He looked as if he were in deep thought.

"Avaryn?" he asked.

"... Yes?"

His eyes had fogged over, like he was processing something, thinking about something. Perhaps figuring something out. "Doesn't it feel too easy?"

I frowned. "Raiden, what are you talking about-?"

Suddenly he looked frantic. He grabbed my shoulders and I jumped at his expression, not quite understanding what was happening. "Where does your mother and brother live?"

My head shook and I stuttered at his tone, "I- they- they live here. In New york."

He let go of me, his eyes wide. "Where? What's the address?"

Fear started to prick beneath my fingertips.

"Why?"

He ignored me and demanded, "what's the address?" 

I told him and as soon as I did he was gone, vanishing from my sight, shadows in his wake. My mind traveled to all types of places. But the one was clear, they were in danger. My family was in danger.

No.

I started running, I knew that it wasn't enough, that I wouldn't make it there but I ran anyway, disregarding the looks thrown in my direction. My legs ached from the speed I picked up. What was going on? Why did Raiden think my family was in danger? All I knew was that Raiden looked scared. Well more frantic maybe. And he never looked like that. Which meant something was horribly wrong.

I imagined myself in the apartment disappearing from the spot I was in and appearing there, but it didn't work.

My heart raced with fear.

Come on! Work dammit!

Next I imagined myself as shadows. I started with my feet and worked my way up, all while thinking about moms apartment. And then something happened. I watched as my body disappeared. And golden like shadows outlined my frame along with mistful dark ones. I felt light as a feather for only a second before I crashed onto a wooden floor. I looked around me to see I was in the kitchen of mom's apartment.

I did it!

"Mom!" I shouted. And stood up from the kitchen floor. As soon as I stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, Raiden was in front of me.

"Nobody's home. We should leave," he said, calmly, his face blank with no signs of any feelings or care. I knew him well enough to know what that meant.

My heart leaped into my throat and it felt as if I was being suffocated, like the air had been sucked from my lungs. "Why are you lying?" I whispered, afraid.

I made a move to step around him but he blocked me.

His gaze was hard but I could see right through him. I could see how weary he was. I could see the protectiveness in his stance. The way he always stood when he was around me.

"Get out of my way," I growled.

"Avaryn, Love," he whispered, a sad smile gracing his face. He cupped the side of my face with his palm. "Please don't go out there."

No. no. no.

I shoved past him and into the living room, pausing when I saw the blood that stained the carpet. Like thick wine of red, sinking into the fabric and clinging. Blood on the walls. Blood on the sofa.

Blood. Blood.

Nisha.

Screams shattered my ears and I knew they were coming from me because my throat began to hurt.

No. not again. Please. No. please. Not my family. Please. I did nothing wrong. This wasn't my fault. How was I supposed to know? Why is this happening? What did I do wrong? This is my fault. They are dead. They are all dead aren't they? Oh god. Oh god. No. my family is dead, they are dead. Why? No. They can't be. They just can't be. I forced myself to keep going, even though I knew what I would find.

The shadow king is not kind. He showed me once before what would happen if i defied him and i did it anyway thinking he would never know where they were. Why was i so stupid? Why hadn't I thought about this? 

I walked down the hall, my legs threatening to give out. I opened mom's door first, following the trail of blood. The room was torn into pieces. Fabrics were shredded and now stained red. Dressers were smashed apart in half, the bed was broken. And among the bed lay an angel. She had red hair that gleamed brightly in the sunlight but was subtle in darkness. Her smile lit up a room, mesmerizing everyone in it. And her eyes were made of honey, better than any hazel and brighter than any brown. She was light in a human. And yet she had endured so much pain.

And every single reason was because of me.

Now she lay on her bed. In a pool of her own blood. It was the same color as her hair. Ironic isn't it? Actually it was quite funny. Don't you think?

My hands began to hurt and I realized it was because I was clawing at my thighs. Why was I doing that? When did I sit on the floor? Why was my throat so raw? Had I been screaming? Or was I laughing? Or was it both?

I could almost recall the touch of somebody else, it was very distant, in the background but it was faintly there. And for some reason this voice, this touch, it helped.

My last thought before I blacked out was,
Where the hell is my brother?

****

Hey besties :) sorry I've been gone for a while. I'm moving and it been very stressful. And on top of that school had been really hard. And for some reason I just couldn't write. Really bad writers block.

Don't worry I'm not giving up. I'll finish this book. I have an idea of what I want to happen and a plan but for some reason it's so hard to write it out. 

I don't know if I'll be able to post next week but I'll try to post whenever I can.

Also what do you think of Kenzo? I'm thinking he might be a really good love interest for a certain someone ☺️

Oh and also the writing when avaryn finds out her moms dead is super chaotic but I did that on purpose because I'm writing from her perspective and she was very frantic and panicked and maybe a little crazy.

Okay. I'm sorry once again! Have a nice day loves💜