Chapter 21 Chapter 21

Chapter 21 Chapter 21
Chapter 21: The Floorboards

Kaelen lunged at Vane. His knife went forward. Vane twisted his shoulders backward and the blade caught his arm instead of his chest. Vane grunted and stumbled back in pain, blood running down his sleeve.

He looked at his arm. He looked at Kaelen. His face went from surprise to anger.

He said "You little—"
Kaelen replied, “You little what? Huh big man.”
Vane’s men have already disappeared now. They were maybe afraid of what Kaelen might use his powers to reveal about them to their boss. He called out to them. “Dorry. Dorry.” Silence followed. Kaelen was just standing looking at him with disgust.

He said, “I don't know why you keep attacking me childishly. I only gave you all a little tip of the iceberg. Wait you I fully come after you, then you can come show me your full glory. A little message for you and the others. Tell me that I haven't started yet. I will make sure they die a painful and slow death. I am not a man of many words. Don't make me talk too much.”

He swung wild. Kaelen ducked and drove his shoulder into Vane's chest. Vane fell back and hit the ground hard. His knife skidded away.

Kaelen stood over him. His knife was raised. His arm was shaking. His chest was wet with blood.

Vane looked up at him. He said in pride and fear, "Do it. Do it and see what happens."

Kaelen's arm would not lift. His head was spinning. The street was tilting.

Kaelen laughed a little and said, “Don't act all high and mighty. Like I said earlier, I am not killing you yet.” His head was pounding and his heart was still beating fast. He tried to Stable himself.

He heard Rook's voice. "Kaelen!"

He tried to move. His body would not listen.

The world went dark for like ten seconds.

He was under the floorboards.

Eight years old. Dust in his nose. Light through the cracks. Boots above him. His father shouting. His mother screaming. Lira crying.

Boots stopped above his head.
A voice. "The boy. The list said a son."

Another voice. "Not here. Leave him. A pup with no den won't last the winter."

Then silence.

He lay there in the dark. He could not breathe. The boards pressed down.

Then he was on the street. Ten years old. Hungry. Cold. He stole bread from a baker. They chased him. He hid in an alley and ate it in the dark.

Some men found him. They grabbed him. He tried to fight. They just laughed at him instead.

One said "The mines will beat that out of you."

He screamed for help. No one came.

Kaelen opened his eyes. He was on the ground. Vane was getting up.

Rook was beside him. Her hand on his arm. Sparrow was behind Vane with a broken bottle.

Vane picked up his knife. He said "You're done."

Sparrow swung the bottle. It hit the back of Vane's head and shattered. Vane staggered and screamed. Blood ran down his face.

He turned. His eyes were confused.

Sparrow grabbed Kaelen's arm. "Get up. Now."

Rook pulled him. Sparrow pulled him. He got to his feet. The world was still spinning.

Vane's men started coming back. Boots on stones.

They ran down the street and hid around a corner. Through an alley.

They came to a door. Rook pushed it open. A small storage room with crates. Very dusty.

Sparrow closed the door. She put her back against it.

Rook lowered Kaelen to the floor. She looked at his chest. "The cut is not deep. But you lost blood."

He said "I'm fine."

She said, "You passed out. You say you are fine all the time but you are fading away. Let's stop here. You don't have the strength to continue this battle."

He laughed and still said "Rook, I'm fine."

Sparrow was holding her hand. Glass in it. Blood on her palm.

Rook said "You're bleeding too."

Sparrow said "It's nothing."

Kaelen looked at her. Her face was pale. Her hand was shaking.

He said "You hit him."

She said "Yes."

He said "He would have killed me."

She said "He still might."

Kaelen leaned his head back. His chest hurt. His head was spinning. Rook found an old bandage in the room. She wraps it around kaelens arm and sparrows palm to stop the bleeding. She then cleaned the wound on his chest.

“I have been wondering,” she said.
Kaelen replied, “Wondering what?”
She said while still cleaning Kaelen's wound, “Vane and crest men are powerful. I know of how they killed people. Why are we dead yet? Why can't they just finish us off with one strike?

Kaelen replied, “He let out a little smile. Because I am Kaelen the greyman. I decide when I die. Call this phase of my powers a game. A hanky panky one. Their intelligence will always look stupid before me. Just wait till I master how to use my powers, you will see me in my full glory.”
He laid back and closed his eyes.

Rook and Sparrow looked at each other confused.

He was back under the floorboards with dust in his nose. Light came in through the cracks. Boots above him.

A voice came from beside him. "Kaelen."

He turned. Lira was there. Blue ribbon in her hair.

She said "Get up."

He said "I can't."

She said "You're not under the boards anymore."

He looked at her. Her eyes were grey. Like his.

She said "You left me."

He said "I was scared."

She said "I know."

She reached out her hand. "Get up. They need you."

He took her hand.

He opened his eyes.

The room was dark. Rook was sitting beside him. Sparrow was by the door, watching the street.

Kaelen said "How long?"

Rook said "An hour."

He said "Vane?"

Sparrow said "His men been up and down the street three times."

Kaelen tried to move. His chest screamed in agony. The cut was closed. Rook had bandaged it.

He said "We need to move."

Rook said "You can't move."

He said "The warehouse. Where we train."

Rook said "That's the first place they'll look."

He said "It's the last. They already searched it."

He pushed himself up. His arms shook. His legs shook. He got to his feet.

They moved through the streets. Sparrow kept checking the corners.

The streets were empty.

They made it to the warehouse. The torch was still burning. Blood was on the floor.

Kaelen sat against the wall. His legs gave out.

Rook sat beside him. Sparrow sat on his other side.

Sparrow said "Did you see him? Alden? At the dinner?"

Kaelen said "Yes."

She said "What did he look like?"

He said "Like a man who thinks he's safe."

She said "Is he?"

He said "No."

Rook said "What happens now?"

Kaelen said "I need to get stronger. The echoes. I need to hold more. Hold them longer."

Rook said "You almost died tonight."

He said "I know."

She said "And you want to do it again?"

He said "Yes."

She looked at him. Her eyes were wet. "You're going to get yourself killed."

He said "Not tonight."

A noise came from outside. Footsteps. Slow.

Kaelen's hand went to his knife. It was not there. He had lost it.

Rook pulled hers. Sparrow picked up a piece of wood.

The footsteps stopped outside the door.

A voice. "In here. I saw them come in."

The door creaked open.

A man stood there. Tall. Thin. A scar on his cheek.

He said "The boss is going to be happy about this."

Behind him, more men. Four. Five.

He stepped forward. "The Greyman. Bleeding on the floor. Not so scary now."

Rook moved in front of Kaelen. Her knife was up.

The man laughed. "Two girls and a dead man. Easy."

He raised his knife.

A voice came from behind him. Cold. "I wouldn't do that."

Elara stood in the doorway. A lamp in her hand. The light was blue.

She said "You have ten seconds to leave."

The man laughed. "There's five of us."

Elara said "You counted wrong."

Behind the men, shadows moved. Shapes in the dark. The men saw them.

The man's face went white. He backed away. "This isn't over."

Elara said "Seven."

The men ran.

Elara knelt beside Kaelen. She looked at his chest. She looked at his arm.

She said "You're a mess."

She pulled a jar from her coat. She put a salve on his chest. It burned.

He clenched his teeth.

Rook said "Why did you come?"

Elara said "Because Alden is planning something. Men from outside the city, soldiers, and mercenaries are coming."

Sparrow said "For what?"

Elara said "For you."

She finished wrapping his chest. She stood up.

She said "You have Seven days. Maybe less."

Kaelen looked at Elara with confusion written all over his face and said "Seven days for what?"

She looked down at him. "To kill them before they kill you."

She walked to the door. She looked back.

She said "Get stronger. Fast."

She was gone.

Kaelen sat against the wall. His chest burned. His arm was numb.

Rook looked at Kaelen and said "Seven days."

Kaelen said "I heard."

Sparrow said "Can you do it?"

He looked at her. Her face was hard. Her eyes were steady.

He said "I have to."

He closed his eyes.

He thought about the floorboards. About Lira's hand. About the dark.

He was not under the floorboards anymore.

But the men who put him there were still above him. Still walking. S
till waiting.

He opened his eyes.

He said "Tomorrow I start training."

Rook said "Tonight you rest."

He looked at her. Her face was pale. Her eyes were tired.

He said "Tonight I rest."

He leaned his head back against the wall. The torch was almost out.

He closed his eyes.

The dark was quiet.