Chapter 198: A line

Quil’s ring attack burst from his palms in a bright, spinning hoop and headed straight for the stranger. The person stretched his hand to take it, but before that could happen, the air between them splitted.

A hand reached out of a tear in the space. The stranger moved back and the hand closed on the empty space where the intruder’s collar should have been.

The tear widened, and Richard stepped through.

"Father!" Brin cried.

Richard didn’t answer. His reaching fingers had come within an inch of the first stranger’s sleeve when both of them moved at once, flinging themselves backward in a single fluid motion, as if they had expected him. Kael bit on his lip to muffle his cry.

The one who had torn off Kael’s wing, snatched at the air with its free hand, and a ragged circle of black light tore open behind them.

They didn’t wait for Richard to move before they stepped back into the portal, and it folded shut.

Silence rushed in. Jordan’s wind barrier gave out, releasing Coco and Fin who was shivering in her gasp.

Quil ran to Kael and dropped to his knees.

"You alright?"

"Urgh! Never been better!"

Quil nodded and braced himself to carry Kael but as soon as he gripped the boy and lifted him, he went crashing back in shock. Kael had zero weight.

"Come, are you alive? The wind can probably carry you."

"That’s the whole point of having a wing, you deep shit."

"Are we doing this right now?!" Coco snapped at them.

She rushed over and took off her outer garment.

"He’s bleeding out. Should we—"

"Move."

"Ekk!" She scrambled sideways at the sound of Richard’s voice. He reached out and grabbed Kael by the shoulder, lifting the boy who was already going unconscious.

Then he made a casual tear in the space and walked into it.

They watched as it closed.

"Should..." Quil looked around. "Shouldn’t we have gone in with him?"

"Father would say ’nothing is wrong with your legs.’" Brin laughed. "C’mon, let’s go."

They ran again, and came out in the opening beneath the floating empire. Gryphons came and picked them up, then they soured the sky. Fin clung unto Coco, while the rest rode alone.

"How did this get up?" Quil asked.

"Excessive vital energy in the air would raise it." Fin replied.

"Who set it up?"

"This world is like that. Everything goes up sometimes." Brin replied.

The gryphons took them straight to the palace. Many were already being treated. They saw Claude unconscious in the treatment wind, and Tyler beside him.

Fayera, Tiana, Anya, Lane and Carlel were there too. The leading family were all present except Rowen.

They all splitted up to report back or get treated. Quil found himself being stalked openly by Coco.

"Why did you charge in to fight that person?"

He looked back and slowed down for her to catch up.

"Someone had to do it right?"

She leaned forward and tilted her head to look at him. "You’re the ’take responsibility’ type of guy?"

He laughed. "You realise that we were all screwed if the king didn’t show up right?"

He made a gesture to indicate something small. "This close."

"Yeah..." She laughed.

Her eyes wandered ahead afterwards, and she saw the bodies.

Although the fight had in no way affected the floating island, those who died down were brought up.

Unrecognisable guards, few people with the mark.

As they continued forward, Coco’s eyes caught someone among the dead people.

"Quil look!"

He turned his gaze.

"That’s—"

"Cia." He muttered.

"But she was with Ragnar." Coco spinned around. She observed all the corpses. "Where is Ragnar?"

She met up with one of the attendants and tapped the lady. "Excuse me. Did anyone come in with the lady over there?" She pointed to Cia. "A man. Tall, umm—"

"He’s the treatment wing."

"Alright, thank you."

She returned to Quil. "Let’s go."

They found him propped against pillows in the treatment wing, bandaged from shoulder to waist. Ragnar’s eyes were downcast, the light drained from them.

"Hey man." Quil spoke first.

He didn’t raise his head, but he recognised the voice. "You and your girlfriend made it."

Coco gasped. "We’re not—! I mean.... about Cia...well..."

"We won on the mountain," he raised his head. His eyes were bloodshot. "We won. Then he came. Out of nowhere, no sound, no warning. I couldn’t lift my arm. The pressure was... like that of our king." Ragnar’s fingers curled slowly against the sheet. "She didn’t even look back at me. She just stepped in front. I remember thinking she was being stupid. That she should have run."

His breathing hitched, and the healer in the corner took a step forward to check him. He waved her off.

"The stranger’s hand was already coming down. Then this guy came out of nowhere."

"This guy?" Coco asked.

"Silver hair, silver eyes, dark skin."

"Haliad." The students chorused.

"Yeah. He was there, and it was over so fast I almost missed it. The person entered a portal." He paused. "But she’d already fallen by then. I watched her fall."

He gestured towards himself and released a pained smile. "She died for an idiot like me. And the thing is...I can’t even have a proper revenge."

"You’ll find the person," Coco objected. "If you remember—"

"No." Ragnar cut in. "As much as it hurts me, I have to let it go. This... this is bigger than what I have to do alone. These... responsibilities that we bear with the mark... and we just have to prioritize keeping the rest alive. For that day, as much as it hurt."

Coco glanced at Quil, expecting him to say something, but then she saw it. The look in his eyes. He understood what Ragnar was talking about. He knew what was going on. Something she had no clue on. She suddenly felt left out, like a line had been drawn between them, and somehow it left a bad taste in her mouth.