Moonrise
Alya watched Sayana bow to Thoren, glance briefly at Nyla and Kellan, and find her eyes again. Alya's own eyes widened when Sayana bowed slightly in her direction before turning to face her opponent.
"I've found the one," Kellan whispered, just as Thoren stepped aside to speak with a subordinate.
"You said that the last hundred times," Nyla said, rolling her eyes.
"I'm certain now," Kellan said with a nod, folding his arms.
Soon the fight began. The big fighter roared and charged. Sayana dodged his attack, then launched into the air, spinning once before landing on his shoulders. She raised her elbow, and just as she brought it down, Alya caught a glow spreading from her palms up to her shoulders, the light traveling with the strike as her elbow slammed into the center of his head.
He groaned and staggered forward, his eyes rolling back, before he collapsed with a heavy thud. Sayana somersaulted off him just as he hit the ground.
The crowd erupted, cheering, whistling, clapping, banging on anything within reach.
Pride was written clear across Thoren's face.
"Was she your student, Lord Thoren?" Nyla asked.
"Yes. She trained alongside Kaelith for years. It was always some kind of competition between them, who could last longer or bring down more warriors. Neither of them would ever admit it, but they made each other better. I doubt either would be half as strong without the other pushing them."
Kellan looked around, frowning. "Where's Kaelith?"
Thoren only smiled and led them out of the arena, past different parts of Kragmoor, into a greener stretch of the camp, toward the sound of falling water.
"Is that…" Nyla began.
"A waterfall, yes," Kellan answered.
Nyla gasped. "He went on and on about duty and the world ending, only to come out here and bask in…" She swallowed the rest of the sentence as they stepped through the trees to a wide waterfall, surrounded by hills and tall grasses like the one back at the island.
The trio stood there, eyes wide, mouths open, taking in the trees and the white rush of the waterfall.
"Is this the afterlife?" Nyla said, making Alya giggle beside her.
As if on cue, their eyes landed on Kaelith. He stood shirtless at the top of a cliff, water from the falls still dripping off him.
"Ooh," Nyla said. "When did he get so ripped?"
He raised his arms, and with a sharp twist of his shoulders, the air around them dropped instantly cold.
Alya and Nyla wrapped their arms around themselves. "You're going to freeze us, elf prince!"
Kaelith glanced their way, then let his shoulders relax. The cold left immediately.
"The strongest ice elf," Thoren said, pride in his voice.
Alya watched him bow slightly to Thoren, then turn and look straight at her.
Alya blinked and turned back to Thoren, wondering what it was with Thoren's star pupils and intense eye contact.
Thoren got called aside again by his subordinate.
"We're mad at you, Kaelith!" Kellan yelled.
"What did I do?" Kaelith asked with a shrug, jumping down from the cliff and grabbing the robe hanging on a nearby rock.
"You didn't tell us about your status. We've known each other for years, and not once did you mention you were… what, a prince?"
"It never came up."
"Seriously?" Nyla said. "That's what you're going for?"
Kaelith sighed, running a hand through his damp hair.
"I was wrong." He raised his hands in surrender. "I just didn't want to be treated differently. It was pretty lonely back home."
"Wow. That's the closest to an apology we've gotten. We'll take it," Nyla said.
Kellan reached out and patted his shoulder. Kaelith's mouth curved, and he reached out to grip Kellan's shoulder in return.
Just then, Thoren came back and led the trio to a wide clearing where warriors Alya's own age sparred in pairs, learning to shape and release their energy under the eye of an old man standing perfectly still at the center of it all. His head was bald, his beard long and white.
He looked up, nodded to Thoren, then turned back to his students.
"You'll be training with Master Roric," Thoren told Alya and her cousins. "Starting tomorrow."
Alya's heart did a backflip and settled into a new, faster rhythm. Was it because she was finally going to learn how to control her powers, or because all of it was in service of subduing the one who'd gone rogue? She had no idea. She only knew she was scared.
"I'll have to hand you over to my subordinate. He'll show you where you'll rest your head for the night." He stepped close to Alya and said quietly, "You're in great hands, Pure Tide." Then he gave her a slight bow and left.
The subordinate led them to where they'd sleep, one of a row of tents lined along one side of Kragmoor. Alya shared hers with Nyla.
Once refreshed and ready, they lay side by side, staring up at the fabric ceiling.
"What are you thinking about?" Nyla asked.
Alya sighed. "It's a lot. All I wanted was to find my family. Now I'm supposed to save all of them too."
She turned to face Nyla. "I wouldn't change any of it, though. I'd do anything to keep you all safe."
Nyla found her hand in the dark and squeezed it.
They smiled, and hugged, and before long, fell asleep.
Like every night before, Alya found herself in the wall-less room. Jayden stood at its center, eyes closed, head bowed.
"Jayden?"
He didn't answer.
She slowly walked up to where he stood and reached for him. Her hand passed straight through.
Somewhere behind her, a voice called her name. She turned. There was nothing there.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her arm.
She gasped and spun back around.
Jayden's eyes were open, but just white orbs stared straight at her.