The eagle, p.16
The Howler's Cry (Cross Academy Book 2), page 16
Kohlannis
Just before Kohl reached Fells Lake, he heard the bushes beside him rustle. Instantly, he pivoted and stared into the forestry. It took him a moment of blinking dumbly at the trees before he noticed a figure standing in the brush.
He gasped and took a sudden step back.
The Red Face stood right before him, staring down through dark eyes partially hidden by his bloody mask. “You came.”
“I thought you said to meet at Fells Lake.”
“There’s a group of trainees camped out there. We’re fine here.”
Involuntarily, Kohl tightened his grip on KI’s limp form. Cool it, he told himself, this was your idea.
“Where’s the girl?”
“Not coming,” Kohl said.
“Did you betray her?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
The Red Face stepped into the clearing. “Set him on the ground and walk away.”
“Take off your mask first.”
He paused. “No.”
This was as far as Kohl’s plan had gone. He mentally cursed himself, just now realizing how ill-prepared he truly was. Did I really think he’d take it off just because I asked?
Something in his peripheral shifted, Kohl turned, but there was no time to dodge—not with KI in his arms. All he could do was take a step back, but that wasn’t enough. The Red Face was right in front of him now, his mask so close he could hear him breathing behind it. His eyes were dead beneath the covering, staring blankly at him the same way you would stare at a pile of rocks or an empty field.
The Red Face punched him. His jaw burned with the impact as his head snapped back, and he went sprawling to the ground. KI landed on top of him with a thud, and he shoved his limp frame aside so he could regain his footing, but the assassin wouldn’t let him. He grabbed him by his blonde hair and dragged him backwards, landing two horrible blows to his chest. Each thud of his fist summoned a strained wheeze from Kohl as he tried to suck for breath that wouldn’t come. His ribcage rattled in his chest with the next punch, on the fourth, he cried out, though it was more from fear of his heart stopping and his lungs collapsing than from actual pain.
He's trying to kill me! Kohl gasped, hands flailing, swinging at the air. The Red Face caught one of his arms and twisted it so badly Kohl thought he’d snapped it from his torso. He screamed. The sound of it rang through the trees, but it was quickly cut off as the masked man punched him in the throat.
Now he was choking and clutching at his neck. He suddenly felt weightless and realized he’d been hurled through the air. By the time he understood what was happening, he’d already hit the ground, feeling his ribs bend inwards on impact. His throat hurt too much to scream, and the Red Face was back again, marching over to him to finish his beating.
No … Kohl crawled backwards. Fear prickled all the way down his spine, leaving a trail of raw panic behind. I’m going to die.
Kohl’s back hit a tree and he glanced over his shoulder—bad idea.
When he looked back again, the Red Face was right before him, hand extended. He grabbed him by the collar and slapped him hard across the face, then he closed his hands around this throat.
“You … have the boy,” Kohl said in a strained whisper.
The Red Face let out a scoff. “I know. But I’m not done with you yet.”
When his fist met his stomach, Kohl heaved forward and vomited, despite the choking grip still holding his neck. The Red Face dropped him to his knees to avoid his puke and watched him retch.
“I thought the Hungers were supposed to be strong. Legendary.” He squatted beside him. “Isn’t your family motto, Fear us?”
It was. And there was a reason behind it. A reason to fear the Hunger name. But Kohl refused to use the dark powers that haunted his very existence. It was his curse that’d gotten him into too many fights as a kid, and the Hunger curse that forced him to live in the gated sector of the city, like criminals. Worst of all, it was his curse that got his father killed and left his brother a cripple wishing for death.
Eventually, death came for Karmen, too, but that was a thought for another time.
Kohl wiped spit from his mouth as he looked up at the Red Face. “I will not use my curse to fight you.”
The Red Face raised his booted foot. “Then you will die.”
Kohl closed his eyes, anticipating the impact. He even felt the air whoosh against his cheeks as the assassin kicked at him, but the blow never came. Before his boot could make contact, the Red Face was suddenly blasted with a storm of raging fire.
The attack was accompanied by a shrieking cry of madness that Kohl could only associate with Fox Fire. He smiled as he glanced up and saw her hurling balls of fire at the masked man. She pushed him relentlessly, backing him into the woods until he was more than a few feet away from Kohl. Only then, did she let up and look over at him.
“What took you so long?” Kohl asked.
She huffed. “The plan was for us to take him together and then split up along the way.”
That had been the plan… To have Kohl hand over KI while Fox prepared for an ambush. They had discussed it while KI was still unconscious after eating the poupo egg. But Kohl had no way of telling if anyone was listening, so he initiated the argument with Fox later on and took KI without her knowledge. It was more believable that way.
“You were supposed to wait for me to come back before you carried him off!” Fox snapped.
She hadn’t wanted to be there when Kohl overpowered KI. He didn’t blame her. He hadn’t wanted to do it at all, and he’d almost changed his mind when he saw the pained look of betrayal cross KI’s face just before he lost consciousness.
When he wakes up, I’ll explain everything, Kohl decided. But first he had to deal with this assassin.
“Sorry about the change in plans,” he told Fox. “But that still doesn’t explain what took you so long.”
She smirked down at him. “I didn’t get the memo the meeting spot had been changed. But that’s a good thing because I bumped into some friends.”
Suddenly, the Red Face came tripping back into the clearing with yet another shrieking mad woman hot on his tail. Kohl’s face lit up as recognition set in.
Kressa Lion.
Except she wasn’t her usual self, small and thin with a pretty smile. Kressa’s skin now glowed silver, like she was covered in a layer of sheet metal.
She lunged forward and punched at the assassin, but he sidestepped, and she ended up punching a tree instead. Her fist blasted a hole into the trunk.
“She’s strong,” Kohl breathed.
“Having metal muscles will do that to you,” Fox said.
Kohl opened his mouth to reply, but another figure stepped into view and his words were replaced by a shocked gasp. Both Vinny and Montell walked into the clearing with another boy trailing behind. Kohl recognized him as a trainee from Class G5, but he was too distracted by the Lin brothers to acknowledge the extra kid.
He glanced back at the Red Face, still fighting Kressa, and then back at the Lins again. “They’re not the Red Face,” he whispered.
Fox grinned. “Nope. You were right.”
“Then who?”
“I don’t know, but I’m glad I bumped into them and learned the truth. They were camped out at Fells Lake when I arrived. Once I explained things, they agreed to lend a hand.”
Vinny glanced over and then nudged his brother who nudged the other boy. Together, the three of them made their way to Fox and Kohl while Kressa exchanged blows with the mystery assassin.
“I can’t believe he showed up here,” Montell said.
Vinny crossed his arms. “I can. As long as that demonic kid—”
Montell elbowed him hard. “We’ll help however we can,” he said before Fox could fly off.
“We need to get KI back.” Kohl grunted as he struggled to his feet. “He’s on the other side of the clearing. I left him when I—” he cut himself off. He’d almost said, when I got beaten up, but he glanced at the Lin brothers and changed his mind. “When I started fighting with the Red Face.”
“I can go get him,” said the new guy.
Kohl glanced over at him, he was average height with auburn hair and green eyes. A fresh tan stained his normally pale skin. “How?” he asked.
“You haven’t seen Wend’s blessing yet,” Monty snorted, then he patted Wend on the back and said, “Go get him.”
Wend leapt into the air, his legs clearing their heads and still climbing higher. It was an incredible jump, higher than any of the other trainees could achieve. But he was still climbing even higher and drifting further away from the group.
Kohl sucked in a gasp. “He can fly.”
“Pretty cool, right?” Montell crossed his arms.
Vinny rolled his eyes. “He can’t fight worth a lick.”
“Why would he fight when he could just fly off?” his brother countered.
Vinny sighed. “Exactly.”
“Good thing we don’t need him to fight right now, then,” Fox said. “He just needs to grab KI and fly back over to us.” She glanced at the Lin brothers. “You two can take him to safety while Kohl, Kressa, and I finish off the Red Face.”
Kohl nodded, barely paying attention as he watched Wend land swiftly and scoop KI into his arms. Once he was secured, he leapt into the air again and flew over the raging fight still going on below. Relief swelled in Kohl’s chest, this is amazing, he told himself. And then his relief nearly choked him as he saw the Red Face shove Kressa and pivot.
Almost in slow motion, he punched at the air—and fire shot from his fist.
Kohl heard nothing but silence screaming through the forest as he watched Wend’s shirt go up in flames. The young trainee’s face pinched at the sudden pain, and he lost his grip on KI. Both boys tumbled from the air, racing toward the ground.
The sound came back with a sudden clap. Kohl heard Wend shrieking as he spiraled toward them, flames eating up his back.
Vinny punched his brother’s shoulder. “I’ve got KI!” he said, running forward.
Montell matched his pace, moving in sync with Vinny without a word. Together, they held up their arms and braced themselves, jaws clenched, eyebrows furrowed.
“Activate your power at the moment of impact,” Vinny instructed. “Same time, okay?”
Montell grunted his reply.
“Now!” Vinny shouted.
For a moment, Kohl expected the brothers to be crushed by the falling students, but they had better control over their blessing than he thought. Vinny exhaled a breath as he caught KI, taking him into his arms like he weighed nothing more than a feather. Montell did the same, using his gift to lighten Wend’s weight just as he caught him, but he still fell to the ground, trying to avoid the flames engulfing him.
“Fox!” Kohl snapped, staring at the raging blaze.
She ran over and held out her hands, her concentration locked on the swirling heat. In the back of his mind, Kohl remembered when Fox put out the flames in the Academy. At the time, he hadn’t said anything, but he thought it was one of the coolest things he’d ever seen. Shooting fire from your fists was one thing, but controlling that fire, putting it out when it mattered most—that was extraordinary.
Fox stepped back once the flames on Wend’s back were out. No one said anything, but they didn’t need to. He’d stopped screaming before Montell had caught him. Kohl knew what that meant.
“He’s…” Monty choked on the rest of his sentence, unable to speak the word.
Vinny had no problem saying it. “Dead.”
“Shut up, Vinny!” Fox snapped.
“Don’t be upset just because I said what everyone was thinking,” he told her calmly. “If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the Red Face.”
Fox seemed to see the wisdom in his words, stepping into the clearing without wasting any time. Kohl felt the air charge with heat and energy as she moved, taking out her flint and steel. When she struck it, raw power charged forth. The flames were so hot, they glowed blue before blasting the masked assailant in his backside.
He shouted in pain and stumbled forward as Kressa danced out of the way, trying to avoid him as much as the heat. Exhausted, she was glad to trade places with the furious sundancer.
Kohl stood and offered his arms as she ran over to them. “You’re okay,” he said, hugging her.
“I held him off as long as I could.” She pulled away as her skin shifted from metal to normal flesh again, revealing the pretty smile he missed.
“We need to help Fox,” Montell said.
“There isn’t much help we can offer,” Vinny replied.
Kohl frowned, watching Fox and the Red Face exchange blows. He was using fire just like her, blasting her with scorching flames, but Fox was unfazed. She met him with equal force, her attacks clapping like thunder, screaming through the trees as her fire stormed around them.
“We’ll just end up burned alive, like Wend,” Vinny said casually.
Just then, Kressa glanced down and noticed the boy’s smoking remains for the first time. Before she could scream, Kohl took her into his arms again, turning her away from the gruesome sight.
“Don’t look,” he whispered into her hair.
Kressa took a few deep breaths before untangling herself from him. She kept her eyes focused on his as she spoke. “I’ve seen death before. You don’t have to shield me from it.”
Kohl only nodded.
“But thank you. That was still sweet.”
“Can we talk about the assassin’s powers, now?” Vinny asked over Kohl’s shoulder. “We can’t even join the fight because there are two sundancers going at it. Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?”
Montell pressed his lips into a thin line like he didn’t want to say anything.
Kohl sighed. “He’s not Roaring.”
“There are only two sundancers in Babel,” Vinny insisted.
“It isn’t him,” Kohl snapped.
“What makes you so sure?” Montell asked.
Kohl looked at him, a small smile forming on his lips as he peered over Monty’s shoulder into the forestry. “Because Roaring Fire is right behind you.”
Kohlannis would never forget the look of pure terror that took over both faces of the Lin brothers. But, even more memorable, was the frightening sound of thunder that swelled around them when Roaring marched forward.
His amber eyes were filled with rage, his body rigid with tension—pinned up energy begging to be released. The air burned with the bitter smell of smoke as he passed them by. Roaring paid them no mind, not interested in the apologies muttered by the twins, or the gaping look from Kressa. His vision was forward, focused solely on his little sister and the masked assassin.
As he stepped into the clearing, electricity crackled around him, shredding the air as his uncontrollable energy rolled off him in waves. Lightning struck right where he stood, and Kohl cried out in shock. When his nerves settled, he realized Roaring hadn’t been hit by the lightning—he had summoned it.
A cloak of pure light glowed all around him, shimmering and flickering with his power. He was surrounded by raw spiritual energy, a sundancer at his finest.
Roaring held out his hand and lightning struck again, this time, it didn’t cloak him in a veil of energy, it yielded to its master and calmed in the palm of his hand. The sundancer held a bolt of lightning like it was a rod or a stick, like this was something he did every other weekend.
Kohl blinked, astonished by both his power and his composure.
I don’t believe what I’m seeing, he thought, and, glancing at his gaping companions, neither did anyone else.
“Amazing,” said a voice behind him.
Kohl turned to find Vyanna Farron and a small group of students standing with her. She glanced at him. “We were travelling together but Roaring suddenly charged ahead when we heard the fighting.”
“Welcome to the show,” Vinny said sarcastically.
“I’m glad he’s on our side.” Dart stepped forward and fist bumped Kohl. “Glad to see you made it out all right.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Same.”
“Should we help?” Vyanna asked.
“How can we?” Vinny said. “The man is calling down bolts of lightning like it’s nothing. I’m not getting mixed up in that.”
Kohl silently agreed as he returned his vision to the battle.
Roaring lifted the rod of lightning and hurled it at the Red Face, still locked in battle with Fox Fire.
Kohl felt the crackle of power split the air before the bolt hit its mark. He only had a split second to react, panic arrowing his heart as he realized the amount of power Roaring had just released.
“Get down!” he shouted.
Thunder roared around him, shaking the very earth as the lightning struck. Heat exploded against Kohl’s backside, throwing him and the rest of his classmates forward. They all screamed, hurtling through the woods, reaching for each other and clinging to the nearby trees as they tried not to get blown away.
Their struggling was futile.
Kohl tumbled over the ground and rammed into something hard, immediately knocking him unconscious.
17
Evelyn
A dozen members of the Taber Tribe stood in a circle mumbling prayers. Lieutenant Diaz glared at them as he waited for Marlo Jo to return. He wasn’t angry with them; it wasn’t their fault the training master hadn’t taken his advice and sent in her team earlier—when they’d first spotted the Red Face.
Secretly, Diaz didn’t entirely blame Master Jo, either.
When the Red Face had first appeared, his interaction with the other students had been so brief, Marlo’s argument to further observe his behavior had met little resistance. The meeting at Fells Lake had intrigued everyone in the room and Diaz had to admit Master Jo’s observations were critical.
Just as the students themselves had noticed, the Red Face didn’t use fire the first time he’d tried to capture KI. Was it because he was trying to keep his blessing a secret? Or was it because he couldn’t use fire before? Because, perhaps, the first Red Face wasn’t the original one—the one who’d burned the Tower.
Just before Kohl reached Fells Lake, he heard the bushes beside him rustle. Instantly, he pivoted and stared into the forestry. It took him a moment of blinking dumbly at the trees before he noticed a figure standing in the brush.
He gasped and took a sudden step back.
The Red Face stood right before him, staring down through dark eyes partially hidden by his bloody mask. “You came.”
“I thought you said to meet at Fells Lake.”
“There’s a group of trainees camped out there. We’re fine here.”
Involuntarily, Kohl tightened his grip on KI’s limp form. Cool it, he told himself, this was your idea.
“Where’s the girl?”
“Not coming,” Kohl said.
“Did you betray her?”
“That doesn’t matter.”
The Red Face stepped into the clearing. “Set him on the ground and walk away.”
“Take off your mask first.”
He paused. “No.”
This was as far as Kohl’s plan had gone. He mentally cursed himself, just now realizing how ill-prepared he truly was. Did I really think he’d take it off just because I asked?
Something in his peripheral shifted, Kohl turned, but there was no time to dodge—not with KI in his arms. All he could do was take a step back, but that wasn’t enough. The Red Face was right in front of him now, his mask so close he could hear him breathing behind it. His eyes were dead beneath the covering, staring blankly at him the same way you would stare at a pile of rocks or an empty field.
The Red Face punched him. His jaw burned with the impact as his head snapped back, and he went sprawling to the ground. KI landed on top of him with a thud, and he shoved his limp frame aside so he could regain his footing, but the assassin wouldn’t let him. He grabbed him by his blonde hair and dragged him backwards, landing two horrible blows to his chest. Each thud of his fist summoned a strained wheeze from Kohl as he tried to suck for breath that wouldn’t come. His ribcage rattled in his chest with the next punch, on the fourth, he cried out, though it was more from fear of his heart stopping and his lungs collapsing than from actual pain.
He's trying to kill me! Kohl gasped, hands flailing, swinging at the air. The Red Face caught one of his arms and twisted it so badly Kohl thought he’d snapped it from his torso. He screamed. The sound of it rang through the trees, but it was quickly cut off as the masked man punched him in the throat.
Now he was choking and clutching at his neck. He suddenly felt weightless and realized he’d been hurled through the air. By the time he understood what was happening, he’d already hit the ground, feeling his ribs bend inwards on impact. His throat hurt too much to scream, and the Red Face was back again, marching over to him to finish his beating.
No … Kohl crawled backwards. Fear prickled all the way down his spine, leaving a trail of raw panic behind. I’m going to die.
Kohl’s back hit a tree and he glanced over his shoulder—bad idea.
When he looked back again, the Red Face was right before him, hand extended. He grabbed him by the collar and slapped him hard across the face, then he closed his hands around this throat.
“You … have the boy,” Kohl said in a strained whisper.
The Red Face let out a scoff. “I know. But I’m not done with you yet.”
When his fist met his stomach, Kohl heaved forward and vomited, despite the choking grip still holding his neck. The Red Face dropped him to his knees to avoid his puke and watched him retch.
“I thought the Hungers were supposed to be strong. Legendary.” He squatted beside him. “Isn’t your family motto, Fear us?”
It was. And there was a reason behind it. A reason to fear the Hunger name. But Kohl refused to use the dark powers that haunted his very existence. It was his curse that’d gotten him into too many fights as a kid, and the Hunger curse that forced him to live in the gated sector of the city, like criminals. Worst of all, it was his curse that got his father killed and left his brother a cripple wishing for death.
Eventually, death came for Karmen, too, but that was a thought for another time.
Kohl wiped spit from his mouth as he looked up at the Red Face. “I will not use my curse to fight you.”
The Red Face raised his booted foot. “Then you will die.”
Kohl closed his eyes, anticipating the impact. He even felt the air whoosh against his cheeks as the assassin kicked at him, but the blow never came. Before his boot could make contact, the Red Face was suddenly blasted with a storm of raging fire.
The attack was accompanied by a shrieking cry of madness that Kohl could only associate with Fox Fire. He smiled as he glanced up and saw her hurling balls of fire at the masked man. She pushed him relentlessly, backing him into the woods until he was more than a few feet away from Kohl. Only then, did she let up and look over at him.
“What took you so long?” Kohl asked.
She huffed. “The plan was for us to take him together and then split up along the way.”
That had been the plan… To have Kohl hand over KI while Fox prepared for an ambush. They had discussed it while KI was still unconscious after eating the poupo egg. But Kohl had no way of telling if anyone was listening, so he initiated the argument with Fox later on and took KI without her knowledge. It was more believable that way.
“You were supposed to wait for me to come back before you carried him off!” Fox snapped.
She hadn’t wanted to be there when Kohl overpowered KI. He didn’t blame her. He hadn’t wanted to do it at all, and he’d almost changed his mind when he saw the pained look of betrayal cross KI’s face just before he lost consciousness.
When he wakes up, I’ll explain everything, Kohl decided. But first he had to deal with this assassin.
“Sorry about the change in plans,” he told Fox. “But that still doesn’t explain what took you so long.”
She smirked down at him. “I didn’t get the memo the meeting spot had been changed. But that’s a good thing because I bumped into some friends.”
Suddenly, the Red Face came tripping back into the clearing with yet another shrieking mad woman hot on his tail. Kohl’s face lit up as recognition set in.
Kressa Lion.
Except she wasn’t her usual self, small and thin with a pretty smile. Kressa’s skin now glowed silver, like she was covered in a layer of sheet metal.
She lunged forward and punched at the assassin, but he sidestepped, and she ended up punching a tree instead. Her fist blasted a hole into the trunk.
“She’s strong,” Kohl breathed.
“Having metal muscles will do that to you,” Fox said.
Kohl opened his mouth to reply, but another figure stepped into view and his words were replaced by a shocked gasp. Both Vinny and Montell walked into the clearing with another boy trailing behind. Kohl recognized him as a trainee from Class G5, but he was too distracted by the Lin brothers to acknowledge the extra kid.
He glanced back at the Red Face, still fighting Kressa, and then back at the Lins again. “They’re not the Red Face,” he whispered.
Fox grinned. “Nope. You were right.”
“Then who?”
“I don’t know, but I’m glad I bumped into them and learned the truth. They were camped out at Fells Lake when I arrived. Once I explained things, they agreed to lend a hand.”
Vinny glanced over and then nudged his brother who nudged the other boy. Together, the three of them made their way to Fox and Kohl while Kressa exchanged blows with the mystery assassin.
“I can’t believe he showed up here,” Montell said.
Vinny crossed his arms. “I can. As long as that demonic kid—”
Montell elbowed him hard. “We’ll help however we can,” he said before Fox could fly off.
“We need to get KI back.” Kohl grunted as he struggled to his feet. “He’s on the other side of the clearing. I left him when I—” he cut himself off. He’d almost said, when I got beaten up, but he glanced at the Lin brothers and changed his mind. “When I started fighting with the Red Face.”
“I can go get him,” said the new guy.
Kohl glanced over at him, he was average height with auburn hair and green eyes. A fresh tan stained his normally pale skin. “How?” he asked.
“You haven’t seen Wend’s blessing yet,” Monty snorted, then he patted Wend on the back and said, “Go get him.”
Wend leapt into the air, his legs clearing their heads and still climbing higher. It was an incredible jump, higher than any of the other trainees could achieve. But he was still climbing even higher and drifting further away from the group.
Kohl sucked in a gasp. “He can fly.”
“Pretty cool, right?” Montell crossed his arms.
Vinny rolled his eyes. “He can’t fight worth a lick.”
“Why would he fight when he could just fly off?” his brother countered.
Vinny sighed. “Exactly.”
“Good thing we don’t need him to fight right now, then,” Fox said. “He just needs to grab KI and fly back over to us.” She glanced at the Lin brothers. “You two can take him to safety while Kohl, Kressa, and I finish off the Red Face.”
Kohl nodded, barely paying attention as he watched Wend land swiftly and scoop KI into his arms. Once he was secured, he leapt into the air again and flew over the raging fight still going on below. Relief swelled in Kohl’s chest, this is amazing, he told himself. And then his relief nearly choked him as he saw the Red Face shove Kressa and pivot.
Almost in slow motion, he punched at the air—and fire shot from his fist.
Kohl heard nothing but silence screaming through the forest as he watched Wend’s shirt go up in flames. The young trainee’s face pinched at the sudden pain, and he lost his grip on KI. Both boys tumbled from the air, racing toward the ground.
The sound came back with a sudden clap. Kohl heard Wend shrieking as he spiraled toward them, flames eating up his back.
Vinny punched his brother’s shoulder. “I’ve got KI!” he said, running forward.
Montell matched his pace, moving in sync with Vinny without a word. Together, they held up their arms and braced themselves, jaws clenched, eyebrows furrowed.
“Activate your power at the moment of impact,” Vinny instructed. “Same time, okay?”
Montell grunted his reply.
“Now!” Vinny shouted.
For a moment, Kohl expected the brothers to be crushed by the falling students, but they had better control over their blessing than he thought. Vinny exhaled a breath as he caught KI, taking him into his arms like he weighed nothing more than a feather. Montell did the same, using his gift to lighten Wend’s weight just as he caught him, but he still fell to the ground, trying to avoid the flames engulfing him.
“Fox!” Kohl snapped, staring at the raging blaze.
She ran over and held out her hands, her concentration locked on the swirling heat. In the back of his mind, Kohl remembered when Fox put out the flames in the Academy. At the time, he hadn’t said anything, but he thought it was one of the coolest things he’d ever seen. Shooting fire from your fists was one thing, but controlling that fire, putting it out when it mattered most—that was extraordinary.
Fox stepped back once the flames on Wend’s back were out. No one said anything, but they didn’t need to. He’d stopped screaming before Montell had caught him. Kohl knew what that meant.
“He’s…” Monty choked on the rest of his sentence, unable to speak the word.
Vinny had no problem saying it. “Dead.”
“Shut up, Vinny!” Fox snapped.
“Don’t be upset just because I said what everyone was thinking,” he told her calmly. “If you want to be angry at someone, be angry at the Red Face.”
Fox seemed to see the wisdom in his words, stepping into the clearing without wasting any time. Kohl felt the air charge with heat and energy as she moved, taking out her flint and steel. When she struck it, raw power charged forth. The flames were so hot, they glowed blue before blasting the masked assailant in his backside.
He shouted in pain and stumbled forward as Kressa danced out of the way, trying to avoid him as much as the heat. Exhausted, she was glad to trade places with the furious sundancer.
Kohl stood and offered his arms as she ran over to them. “You’re okay,” he said, hugging her.
“I held him off as long as I could.” She pulled away as her skin shifted from metal to normal flesh again, revealing the pretty smile he missed.
“We need to help Fox,” Montell said.
“There isn’t much help we can offer,” Vinny replied.
Kohl frowned, watching Fox and the Red Face exchange blows. He was using fire just like her, blasting her with scorching flames, but Fox was unfazed. She met him with equal force, her attacks clapping like thunder, screaming through the trees as her fire stormed around them.
“We’ll just end up burned alive, like Wend,” Vinny said casually.
Just then, Kressa glanced down and noticed the boy’s smoking remains for the first time. Before she could scream, Kohl took her into his arms again, turning her away from the gruesome sight.
“Don’t look,” he whispered into her hair.
Kressa took a few deep breaths before untangling herself from him. She kept her eyes focused on his as she spoke. “I’ve seen death before. You don’t have to shield me from it.”
Kohl only nodded.
“But thank you. That was still sweet.”
“Can we talk about the assassin’s powers, now?” Vinny asked over Kohl’s shoulder. “We can’t even join the fight because there are two sundancers going at it. Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?”
Montell pressed his lips into a thin line like he didn’t want to say anything.
Kohl sighed. “He’s not Roaring.”
“There are only two sundancers in Babel,” Vinny insisted.
“It isn’t him,” Kohl snapped.
“What makes you so sure?” Montell asked.
Kohl looked at him, a small smile forming on his lips as he peered over Monty’s shoulder into the forestry. “Because Roaring Fire is right behind you.”
Kohlannis would never forget the look of pure terror that took over both faces of the Lin brothers. But, even more memorable, was the frightening sound of thunder that swelled around them when Roaring marched forward.
His amber eyes were filled with rage, his body rigid with tension—pinned up energy begging to be released. The air burned with the bitter smell of smoke as he passed them by. Roaring paid them no mind, not interested in the apologies muttered by the twins, or the gaping look from Kressa. His vision was forward, focused solely on his little sister and the masked assassin.
As he stepped into the clearing, electricity crackled around him, shredding the air as his uncontrollable energy rolled off him in waves. Lightning struck right where he stood, and Kohl cried out in shock. When his nerves settled, he realized Roaring hadn’t been hit by the lightning—he had summoned it.
A cloak of pure light glowed all around him, shimmering and flickering with his power. He was surrounded by raw spiritual energy, a sundancer at his finest.
Roaring held out his hand and lightning struck again, this time, it didn’t cloak him in a veil of energy, it yielded to its master and calmed in the palm of his hand. The sundancer held a bolt of lightning like it was a rod or a stick, like this was something he did every other weekend.
Kohl blinked, astonished by both his power and his composure.
I don’t believe what I’m seeing, he thought, and, glancing at his gaping companions, neither did anyone else.
“Amazing,” said a voice behind him.
Kohl turned to find Vyanna Farron and a small group of students standing with her. She glanced at him. “We were travelling together but Roaring suddenly charged ahead when we heard the fighting.”
“Welcome to the show,” Vinny said sarcastically.
“I’m glad he’s on our side.” Dart stepped forward and fist bumped Kohl. “Glad to see you made it out all right.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Same.”
“Should we help?” Vyanna asked.
“How can we?” Vinny said. “The man is calling down bolts of lightning like it’s nothing. I’m not getting mixed up in that.”
Kohl silently agreed as he returned his vision to the battle.
Roaring lifted the rod of lightning and hurled it at the Red Face, still locked in battle with Fox Fire.
Kohl felt the crackle of power split the air before the bolt hit its mark. He only had a split second to react, panic arrowing his heart as he realized the amount of power Roaring had just released.
“Get down!” he shouted.
Thunder roared around him, shaking the very earth as the lightning struck. Heat exploded against Kohl’s backside, throwing him and the rest of his classmates forward. They all screamed, hurtling through the woods, reaching for each other and clinging to the nearby trees as they tried not to get blown away.
Their struggling was futile.
Kohl tumbled over the ground and rammed into something hard, immediately knocking him unconscious.
17
Evelyn
A dozen members of the Taber Tribe stood in a circle mumbling prayers. Lieutenant Diaz glared at them as he waited for Marlo Jo to return. He wasn’t angry with them; it wasn’t their fault the training master hadn’t taken his advice and sent in her team earlier—when they’d first spotted the Red Face.
Secretly, Diaz didn’t entirely blame Master Jo, either.
When the Red Face had first appeared, his interaction with the other students had been so brief, Marlo’s argument to further observe his behavior had met little resistance. The meeting at Fells Lake had intrigued everyone in the room and Diaz had to admit Master Jo’s observations were critical.
Just as the students themselves had noticed, the Red Face didn’t use fire the first time he’d tried to capture KI. Was it because he was trying to keep his blessing a secret? Or was it because he couldn’t use fire before? Because, perhaps, the first Red Face wasn’t the original one—the one who’d burned the Tower.
