The Planes Walkers

13. To Shnela

"We are to take any Spirit Elementalists back to the desert, by order of the Emperor," one soldier spoke to Rujar.

Rujar chuckled. "You want him? You'll have to do it the official way. Get me an order directly from the Soul Emperor himself, and we'll do this properly."

Jet's heart sank. He was being referred to almost as if he was a trade good.

"They can't have him!" Heyvl snapped.

"Calm down, boy," Rujar shot back. "It's all a process. It's the only way I can keep him protected."

Heyvl held his tongue. Neither of the boys were sure what Rujar meant by that.

"Now, unless any of you would like to return to your ruler as a soul, I suggest you all leave...NOW!" Rujar yelled.

The soldiers hesitated but then started to fall back. Jet let out a sigh of relief. Rujar didn't let his Element recede until they were out of sight. It was a surprise to see the Crystal Element firsthand. Jet wondered if that's how his own Element was to Heyvl.

"Rujar," Jet said carefully.

Heyvl shot Jet a look and realized who it was. "Wow, you're Rujar?" Heyvl questioned.

"That's me, kid. Now before you two say anything, what in the world are you both doing out here?" Rujar asked as he turned towards them. He was wearing the same armor that Jet had seen him in before.

"We were hoping to find you in the Crystal Kingdom," Jet explained.

"Is that so? Why?"

"Jet needs protection against the Soul Empire," Heyvl added.

Rujar nodded. "I can see that. Why are they after you?"

"I don't know," Jet admitted.

Rujar's face became puzzled. "Aren't you the boy I saw in Calbar all those months ago?"

"I am."

"What happened that night? What of your brother?"

Jet explained the story of what happened. He had felt like he had relived that night a thousand times.

"If I had known what he was up to, I would have..." Rujar trailed off as Jet's expression became saddened with the thought of that night. The only solace was that Jet knew the time frame. It had been several months since he was thrown out that window. He wasn't sure how he managed to stay in the Plane for so long.

"Well I don't think he knows you're alive. I believe he is after any Spirit Elementalists...and with your story of what he had in that tower...I had seen it myself, but didn't think he was serious in using it. He wanted our Kingdom's support in technology, but I thought it was a foolish idea to mess around with tech like that."

Neither Jet nor Heyvl said anything in return. Rujar shook his head and said, "I'll need to send a scout to the Empire to confirm my theories. No doubt his soldiers will mention me protecting you, so my position as ambassador might be ruined."

"I'm sorry," Jet apologized.

Rujar shook his head again. "Don't be. I'm also a protector of sorts, so I was still doing my job in protecting you. But come, let's go. We need to travel to the city. We can talk more later."

Rujar turned back towards the outside of the cave. He then gripped his shield and started to lead. Heyvl and Jet didn't hesitate to follow. He saved their lives and they could tell Rujar would protect them.