Magika [Completed]

Chapter 25

A frigid wave crashed over Aldeheid as he dragged himself from the surf. The water soaked through his gear, his hair, his skin. And his wounded pride. Kitaya was trudging along beside him, her body a mere shadow in the moonlight. Together they sloshed through and collapsed on the shore of the small island.

Night had descended shortly after their leap into the water, and the current had dragged them back to the group of islands they'd passed earlier that day. The other humans from the ship were nowhere to be seen, nor was there any indication that they'd made it out alive.

Well, Aldeheid knew at least one of them didn't. He swore. Why did humans have to be so fragile? Why did he have to be so weak? He was sure if he'd had a cape, he would've been able to take out that beast.

Aldeheid was hunched over on his hands and knees, taking greedy gulps of air. His limbs shook with exhaustion and his chest burned. But that wasn't enough to quench the burning rage within him. He wanted answers. He needed answers.

"Kitaya..." he breathed between ragged breaths. "What in damnation was that?"

She sat quietly beside him, one knee propped up and her head bowed. Only the crashing waves filled the silence between them.

He ground his teeth together, his hands fisting in the sand. "Kitaya–"

"Summon the box Aldeheid." She held out several ether stones.

It took every bit of self-control within him not to bat them out of her hand. "No, tell me what's going on!" He pointed a finger towards the sea. "Why is there a monolith on earth?!" His questions faded, unanswered into the wind, but he wouldn't relent. "You knew this would happen, didn't you? That's why you got Eriani to enchant my gear. That's why you were watching the sea. Isn't it?"

She wouldn't even look at him. "Aldeheid, just–"

"No!" He slammed both fists down in the sand, sending a cloud of it high into the air. "I will not summon your damn box until I get some answers. There were innocent humans on that ship. Mothers, fathers. By the gods, there were children. Do you even care?"

She was in his face a second later. "I have had it up to here." She indicated her eyeballs. "With your damn whining. I didn't bring you along with me to yap like a dog whenever something doesn't go your way. Now. Summon. The. Box." She held the ether stones between them.

Aldeheid blew a long breath out through his nose. The temptation to lash out her was so strong, his hand twitched, but picturing himself doing it left a sourness in his stomach. No, he'd be the bigger person, even though she'd given him the verbal equivalent of a slap on the face. So, he calmly took the ether stones and summoned the box.

It fell in the sand next to them, but he didn't wait around to see what she did with it. He took the amulet from around his neck and threw it at her feet before stalking off down the shore. The salty air chilled him as he settled near a pile of rocks on the other side of the beach.

After several deep breaths, counting backwards in his head and reciting a few simple spells, Aldeheid finally calmed down. But the face of death was still clear in his mind. Damn her. He wanted to damn Kitaya too, but his mind rejected the thought. He didn't want to believe that the strong, fearless, beautiful cape he'd been travelling with was heartless.

However, she was hiding important information from him. And nothing frustrated him more than not knowing. Admittedly his knowledge on monoliths was next to nothing, but he knew for sure there was no way they could get through the gate that bridged Magika to earth realm.

But... the thin spaces? Kitaya had told him coming through a thin space was like walking through an opened door. And if that door was left opened... That meant that anyone and anything could get through.