of Sword and Flame

Chapter 43: Kui'ala

Ren glared up at the guard. They stared calmly back down at him, and for the first time, he could see their face clearly, unmasked at last. He was young, only a few years older than Ren himself. He had short brown hair cropped against his scalp in a manner only comparable to a soldier's. And his eyes, sharp and focused, darkened with fury.

"You have continued to get in our way," the guard commented under his breath. The door outside the cell cracked open, revealing a woman with long chestnut hair. She lifted a hand, and in one swift motion, a familiar, slightly transparent, glowing white disc dug into Ren's ankles, slicing through the skin. Ren cried out in pain at the sensation, pulling his legs in to grab the cuts.

The man with the portals raised a hand to stop the woman. Ren felt the searing discs dissipate, and he bit down on his cheek, reassuring himself that the cuts had not gone bone deep. But oh, how they ate away at the tissue surrounding it. Still, Ren pressed a firm hand against the ground, looking back at them with his gaze steeled. He heaved himself to a standing position, resisting the urge to collapse back onto the ground.

The man with the cropped hair continued staring him down, standing a few feet from him inside the cell. Ren pressed his forearm against the wall and slumped against the cool, shiny surface. Then he launched himself forward, fist outstretched as it slammed against the man's face. It sent the man tumbling back, head hitting the bars as blood dribbled down his front.

"You bastard," the woman with the discs warned, lifting a finger. She looked to her companion for any sign of an order. Ren's knees hit the floor again, but he continued glaring at them, even through his wincing.

The man clasped one hand over his likely broken nose, but the other hand flicked through the air. The ground beneath Ren opened once more. He fell repeatedly for a few long moments. Everything flashed by. The next thing Ren knew, he had been slammed into solid ground once more, and this time, his vision went dark.

"What now?" the woman with the discs demanded. The man dropped through another portal to appear outside the cell, casting a glance at the unconscious boy crumpled against the floor of the cell.

"Why don't we ask Anika what we should do with the prisoners?" He replied.

"Prisoners? There's two?" The woman inquired. The man sucked in a breath.

"Yes, but Doctor Lithian requested that I leave the second one to him. He said he wanted to deal with her himself."

Anika glanced at the woman standing before her. She was explaining to Anika the situation, how two people, found wandering the forest, had escaped containment.

"I sent every guard we have to search for them. They'll be scouring the building."

Anika nodded, noticing the stressful fidgeting of the woman before her as she toyed with her fingers.

"Hey, take it easy," she soothed, pressing a friendly hand to the woman's shoulder. "They can't have gone far. I'm sure they'll turn up any mi-"

"We've got one of them back in our custody!" a guard's voice rang through the air behind them. Anika turned and met with a familiar short-haired guard, Lani. "What should we do with him?"

They looked to Anika for direction, eyes wide with respect for whatever her decision may be. She studied their faces, noticing the dried trail of blood streaming from Lani's face. If the intruder could land a blow on Lani, surely they had strong resilience. A strength that could be useful.

"Hmm," Anika let out, thinking quietly to herself.