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I narrowed my eyes.
Kaia’s smile grew, and I found myself not caring that she assumed me to be inconsiderate. I’d grow her a hundred flowers daily to prove otherwise and see her smile like that. Like a fucking sap.
“That is the cutest thing,” she simpered. “You made wildflowers grow for us.”
That girl. After what she’d been through, most people would have broken down. The rest wouldn’t have handled it nearly as well. Yet, here she was, busting my balls.
“I am not fucking cute. Anyone else saying that would have lost several teeth.” I raised my hand to push wisps of hair away from her face, my fingertips grazing her chilled cheeks to tuck it behind her ear. The small pink scar from an amateur healing was revealed. It would always leave a scar.
I took a step away from her, and fuck if I didn’t need to tear someone apart with my bare hands. During that healing, I’d acutely felt her pain. It could have been my own. Yet, somehow, it was so much worse.
As the son of a kitchen maid and a lowly Earth User with a speech delay, I have known my fair share of abuse. I endured numerous beatings as a boy, fought in countless battles, and had scars to tell the tales. I learned not to trust anyone, but I dealt with it. I could not deal with Kaia’s pain. I’d rather endure it all again than have her experience one moment of the pain and torment she’d experienced.
I had felt anger so intense that I could have rendered an earthquake powerful enough to swallow the king and his capital whole when I saw her covered in lacerations and half-healed injuries, her hair burnt red from dried blood. I did everything I could to channel calming magic despite how my anger grew the more wounds I saw. The rage fueled my powers, yet that horrible, disgusting brand was still as raw and raised as a fresh wound.
I begged the Goddess to remove the cursed thing, knowing it would do nothing. She talked to no one, let alone someone who had never earned her favor. Instead, I vowed to protect Kaia and ensure she was never harmed again.
“Hey. You okay with everything?” Kaia asked softly, taking a small step towards me. I must have looked as angry as I felt.
I clenched my jaw and nodded.
“You seem…” she trailed off, speaking low. “Worried? Upset?”
Of course, I was worried. Ash wasn’t the only one concerned about Kaia and the mission. He wasn’t the only one who knew everything that could go wrong. I didn't want Kaia to go either. The plan wasn’t foolproof, but we were out of options. We needed to trust our team.
“I’m fine. And you have no need to worry either. Aiden will give us every piece of information we need. We will plan ahead.” Then worry the whole time they were gone.
The glance Aiden and River had shared earlier was worrisome. They were communicating something for sure. I needed to know where my teams’ heads were, but I couldn’t find out without River overhearing.
Curse Aiden for bringing her. That damn Spirit User made it difficult to speak freely to my team. We could be sleeping with the enemy.
Ash trusted River enough. Otherwise, he would have stopped all this immediately— regardless of Kaia's reaction. Feeling River out had been his first order of business. I tended to trust Ash's judgment, but I found that difficult to do this time.
River had ulterior motives. Her excuse was bullshit. She wasn’t here because she needed an escort. If she did, it wasn’t the only reason she’d come. We just didn't know what that motive was. Aiden assured us River was trustworthy, and although I trusted him, there was still reason for concern.
If she was an ally and had Kaia’s best interests at heart, she was a damn good one to have on our side. River would know Kaia better than we do.
If she wasn’t an ally and betrayed Kaia in any way, River would suffer at my hand, regardless of the circumstances. Aiden’s sister or not. If she caused Kaia any more heartache, I wouldn’t hesitate to return the favor, regardless of the entire militia of rebels who’d take offense. River's father, Milo Northcott, was one of the top two leaders of the rebellion. He would avenge his daughter and I wouldn’t care.
“Griff, you can talk to me.” Kaia smiled softly, placing her hand on my forearm. It was creamy and petite against my dark hair and the thick black markings on my forearm. It looked so fragile.
I wasn’t ready to discuss all my worries with her, not without more information. Aiden and his family were a complicated mess. Until I knew more, I didn’t want to worry her.
Instead, I gave her another truth. “I am feeling a bit guilty leaving Mom behind. I provided for her before we left. Having lived with nothing, we didn’t need much. I saved enough to last her the rest of her life. Her neighbors will check in on her from time to time. But…” I watched Kaia’s thumb graze soothingly back and forth across my arm. “I imagine my leaving hurt her. She lived her whole life for me, and now I’m gone. My father left her without any warning, too. He left her with nothing, alone with a child to raise and support.”
“Griff, this is not the same thing at all.” Kaia looked away and tried to remove her hand, but I caught it, placing mine on top. “This is my fault.”
“I’m an asshole.” I squeezed her hand, making her look at me before continuing. “This is not your fault, and I never should have made you feel that way,” I stated firmly. “It was my choice. And it’s a choice I would make again.”
“Did you get to say goodbye?” Kaia asked softly.
Here she was, going through more than any nineteen-year-old should ever experience in a week, and she was comforting me. Who was this girl?
“I told her I was leaving and that I didn’t know when I was coming back. I assured her I would be okay, so she didn’t worry, but I couldn’t explain more.”
“Do you think you’ll see her again?” Kaia asked.
I thought about that. About all the work we still needed to do and the dangers we still might face. It was impossible to know. Things were just too unsettled at the moment. We weren’t even halfway on our journey to the South. We weren’t close to figuring out what was happening with the magic. Who knew how this meeting with the rebels would go and what future relations there would be. The king still very well could increase patrols, making the journey dangerous. Who knew if it would ever be safe enough to see her?
