Steel Flight [Completed]

Chapter 35: Promises

-Jack

"Finally. I was starting to think I'd have to come and save you two." Skai sat up against the cave wall, a small array of food before her. I wondered how she'd kept all of it so clean. The last time she'd had a chance to steal any was back on the Horse. Apparently, she'd stolen more than the bread and apples we'd already eaten.

"What?" Skai asked.

"You had food all along?" I asked. "I was starving!"

She rolled her eyes. "I snitched it from Archibald's kitchen."

"Oh," I said sheepishly.

Colton shoved past me and grabbed a few packets of . . . hardened flour and seeds?

"Aren't those a little small for the giant?" I asked.

"He liked to put them in his lawa," Colton answered around his mouthful.

Skai swallowed. "But how'd he get food from Juxtaposition?"

Colton shrugged.

I approached the pile of packets, but sniffed mine suspiciously before popping the bread it contained into my mouth. It wasn't bad, though it wasn't what I had been expecting either. Besides the seeds and garlic taste, it didn't quite taste. . . natural. It was stuffed full with flavor, and yet somehow bland, devoid of it at the same time.

"First time eating packet bread?" Colton asked, watching my face with a smirk.

I grinned. "What gave it away?"

Tom bounded out of Colton's pocket, raced toward Skai, and snatched up one of the packets.

"Don't worry," laughed Colton. "It's Tom's first time too."

I watched the tiny boy munch on the side for a moment. "Where are you from, Tom?" Apparently not Juxtaposition, if he hadn't eaten much of their food. He was dressed in a brightly colored tunic and close fitting pants. Once again, the style wasn't familiar to me.

He licked the crumbs from off his lips. "I hail from Sovi, a small town in the Southern Kingdoms."

I scrunched my brow. "Are those different from the Seaside Kingdoms Colton mentioned earlier?"

"Not really," Colton said. "Though the Seaside Kingdoms include a couple of small island kingdoms not generally considered part of the Southern Kingdoms."

I turned back to Tom Thum. "Is everyone there your size?"

His face crumpled. "I am the only one I know of. But this is a big world. One day I am sure to meet another. Somewhere." I'd never seen the tiny boy even remotely sad.

"I wish I was small," I said. "It would be so cool. I mean, come on! I bet you can eavesdrop in your sleep. And you can hide virtually anywhere!"

Skai watched me shrewdly, a small smile playing over her lips. I winked. She nodded. "Anyone who tried to catch you would sure have a hard time of it."

"Anyway," I added. "You'll find another like you. I'm sure of it."

Tom had perked up, until this last statement. Then he slumped down again. "How do you know?"

"I know it the same way I've always known magic is real. Trust me." When he didn't seem reassured, I added, "Skai and I will help you."

"Really?!" he cried, springing up.

"Sure. It'll be fun."

Skai shot a look at me, but I pretended not to see. She sighed in exasperation, stood, and pushed me deeper into the cave.

"We'll be right back," she called over her shoulder.

Oh boy.

"You had no right!" she burst out when we were far enough away.

"What do you mean? I only told him-"

"You gave him false hope! We don't have any reason to believe-"

"I'm tired of reason. I know we can-"

"And Colton too. What are we going to do with them?! We can barely survive ourselves!"

"I only promised to teach him how to make a slingshot," I said, stung. I'd never seen Skai like this- red faced and trembling with anger.

"And just when do you plan on doing that? Before or after you turn to metal?"

My insides stilled.

Skai paused, then put her face into her hands. "I'm sorry, Jack. I don't know what came over me."

A crazy thought popped into my head, but I pushed it away, shaking my head as I did. No, no it couldn't be. I smiled tremulously at Skai. "It's fine."

She opened her mouth to protest, but I shook my head. "It's fine."

She smiled too, obviously still feeling bad. "So, you wanna go eat the last of the packet bread? You might have to fight Tom for it."

I laughed. "He can have it. I'm not quite that hungry."

Now it was Skai's turn to laugh. I stared at her, puzzled. After everything I'd ever said to her, all my jokes and sarcasm, that's what she chose to laugh at?

She laughed again at my expression. "Come on, Jack Peterson. Let's go not eat." She turned and went back the way we'd come, still laughing to herself.

"'Kay. . ." I said to myself. "That was weird." Then I shook my head and followed her back to the others. Soon after, we doused the fire that Skai had built and went to sleep.

Only, I lay awake hours after, thinking.

The metal had stopped creeping upward, thanks to that last potion Archibald had poured on me, but for how long?

I bet Formliss could stop it.

The thought had been growing unbidden in the back of my mind, but only now did I have the words to recognize it.

I turned on my side and tried to make out the shape of Skai's form along the other wall.

Skai, could I use some of your secret water that everyone's trying to steal from you? Not to use it for my own selfish benefits, of course.

I could only imagine her stricken expression, worse than when I'd betrayed her trust to drink Flight. If that was even possible. No, I couldn't ask that of her.

But. . . what if I didn't ask? I could sneak a little sip and she'd never have to know.

I was halfway to her still form before I remembered again her fearful expression when she thought I knew what having the Semper meant. She worried I'd turn on her. But I wouldn't. Not even to stop the steel. Not even to save my own life.

My hands shook as terror burst inside me. I didn't want to die.

But I couldn't do that to Skai. I was her friend. And she deserved a friend who didn't care what she carried in her boot.

With that resolution, I returned to my place beside the wall and eventually drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Comment below: what did you like? Dislike? I'd love to hear from you!