Whispers of the Embervale Luna(Breeder#11)

Chapter 6 : The Sharpest Blade

*Briella*

While figuring out what was causing the plant decay in the valley was extremely important, it was even more vital that we ensured our people had enough food and water. Kai and I were hard at work aiding the farmers in planting new crops for the valley.

It was backbreaking work, but they needed all the help they could get to get a lot planted in a short amount of time. We were more than eager to lend a hand. Of course, the weather took that opportunity to pretend summer came early, and the heat intensified.

I wiped the back of my hand over my forehead before straightening it so that I could rest my back. I had dug several holes in the ground to prepare it for seeds while Kai was circling the perimeter of the new field, attempting to enchant the outside to protect it from any possible disease.

I clenched my jaw as I looked over to where Kryzen and Roy were. I wanted to yell at them to stop interrogating the farmers and start helping us dig, but they weren't technically there for that. They were there to help figure out the cause of the mysterious disease. I scoffed in their direction and went back to digging, frustration welling up inside of me.

I was beginning to regret allowing them to stay and help. They had been here for about a week and hadn't really done anything useful, mainly interviewing different members as if they knew anything. I wanted to tell them to just give up and leave us alone, but I already said I wouldn't interfere.

I lifted my head when I felt a pair of eyes on me. I was unsurprised and annoyed to find Kryzen's deep gray eyes trained on me. I gave him my best “what the hell do you want?" look, but it didn't faze him in the slightest. He just continued to watch me, an almost curious expression on his face.

I just stared back when his face didn't change. I narrowed my eyes, trying to burn a hole through his head. As if sensing my intentions, he sent a smirk my way. I felt my blood boil at the arrogant look he was giving me. I resisted the urge to flip him off before I dropped the digging tool I was using on the ground and stalked off toward my brother.

Kai didn't notice me approaching right away. He was focused solely on what he was doing. Even from a distance, I could tell his posture was stiff with concentration. His light brown hair was falling over his forehead, and he pushed it away with annoyance every so often.

I stood back and watched him for a few moments, not wanting to break the careful concentration he had mastered. His slim hand lifted over the dirt and glowed for a brief second before a shower of glitter fluttered down to the dirt.

Kai had spent the past several days working on a magical substance that he hoped had a chance of protecting the crops from the disease. He wasn't extremely optimistic since we had a feeling there was some darker magic in play. Since we didn't know what we were dealing with exactly, it was next to impossible to come up with a potion that was promising.

I waited until he dropped his hand and started to get ready to move on to the next spot before clearing my throat. “Kai."

He whirled at the sound of my voice. The fact that he was so unaware concerned me. I was even more worried when I got a good look at his face and saw the defined dark circles beneath his normally vibrant green eyes.

“You okay, little brother?" I asked teasingly, stepping up to him.

He chuckled a bit, his shoulders dropping. “I'm fine," he assured me and then seemed to look me over as if realizing that I might not be. “Are you? Did you need something from me?"

I paused at the innocent, casual question. Was I fine? I spared a glance at Roy and Kryzen, who were still preoccupied with the poor farmer they were interviewing.

Kai followed my gaze to where the two guys were before looking back down at me. I was a little annoyed at the understanding that flitted across his face. He gave me a knowing look. “Maybe we should take a break. It's hot today, and you shouldn't be pushing yourself."

I considered that and realized that if I did end up sitting in the shade somewhere, my frustrations toward Kryzen would only grow. Despite my aching muscles from doing the manual labor, I found that I didn't want to rest.

I needed to spar.

“We could rest for a little bit," I said, thinking that Kai was the one who looked like he needed to rest. “Have you been sleeping okay?"

Kai's shoulders sagged a bit more as he shook his head slowly. “I've been getting some sleep if that's what you're asking," he said. “I've been trying to figure out this potion, and it's been keeping me up a bit at night though."

“Sounds like we could both benefit from a little sparring to blow off some steam," I said. I gave my younger brother a hopeful look. “What do you say?"

Kai looks at me warily. I could see the situation through his eyes briefly. He could probably see the frustration and built-up tension in my eyes and knew that he would likely be used as a punching bag of sorts to help me release it.

Unfortunately for him and fortunately for me, he was a good brother and nodded, gesturing past me for me to lead the way.

I gave him a thankful, winning smile and told myself I wouldn't go overboard.

A few minutes later, Kai and I were in a little clearing that we found through a thicket of trees. We weren't far from the field since we would need to return before too long to get more work done before sundown.

We were far enough to where I couldn't hear Kryzen's voice, which was good enough for me.

I watched Kai wince as I threw another punch toward his face. I paired it with a couple of swift kicks, barely allowing him enough time to dodge. I tried to slow down a bit, trying to rein in my wild attacks, but I was too annoyed and frustrated to control myself very much.

My little brother grunted as he stumbled backward after a particularly hard kick to his gut. He gave me an exasperated look but thankfully made no move to stop our little sparring match. He chuckled once, the sound slightly strangled. “I know you've been worried about growing weak since arriving here, but I'm convinced that you've only grown stronger."

I felt my jaw drop at the compliment, wondering if he was right about that. I knew he was being genuine. It was something I admired about Kai. He was always honest. Somehow, he was able to be kind as well, even though the truth wasn't always easy to hear.

“I hope with everything I have that you're right," I said before lunging at him again. “I can't afford to get weaker."

Kai sidestepped my attack before giving me an odd look. “Why not?" he asked. “Weren't we invited here to help preserve Embervalean magic and customs? I'm sure you could afford to get a bit weaker."

I heard my teeth ground together as I tightened my jaw. I wasn't mad at him, not even slightly, but I hated his words. “I can't afford to get weaker," I repeated firmly. “I have to keep fighting, Kai. I can't explain it. I just know that I'm going to need to be at my best for some reason."

Kai nodded seriously, barely dodging another swing to his head. He finally started to fight back a bit, lunging at me. “I suppose you wouldn't be you if you allowed yourself to slip and get weaker." There was a strange mix of exasperation and fondness in his tone as he spoke.

“I guess you're right," I said with a light laugh.

I tried to just have a good time sparring with my brother. It was one of my favorite pastimes since arriving in Celestial Valley. Fighting and pushing my body were things that reminded me of our much simpler life back in Drogomor.

I tried to focus on that aspect and the fact that I just loved fighting. I loved the feeling of power flowing through my body. The rush of adrenaline was completely addicting. I wanted to let it overtake me and allow the stress from recent events to just float away with each quick strike and swift kick.

I did my best to enjoy this time together, but Kryzen's face and voice filled my mind again. I could feel my movements growing faster and less controlled. I didn't even notice that Kai was starting to grow more tired and that we had been at it for a while by this point.

“Bri!" Kai finally yelled, breaking through my zone.

I froze and looked up at him, my shoulders heaving hard with exertion.

“Are you alright?" he demanded firmly. “Is Kryzen really worth all of this obvious frustration?"

“He has nothing to do with this!" I snapped, but it fell flat to my ears. I felt my fingers curl into fists at my sides as I fought to control my emotions. I could feel my nails biting into my palms.

Kai seemed to notice too because he suddenly reached out and grasped my wrists, forcing me to look up at him. “I think it might be because of him," he said carefully. “And there's nothing wrong with that. You're allowed to be angry, and you are allowed to be upset if something bothers you."

I could feel the frustration begin to boil over, but I refused to take it out on my little brother, who was very literally the kindest of us all. He was only trying to help, but damn it, he was being so pushy. “He has nothing to do with this," I repeated, lower this time.

Kai knew I was lying, just like I knew I was as well. “Is this really just about your childhood rivalry?" he asked finally, his hands still wrapped around my wrists. I think he held onto me like that so I couldn't look away.

I didn't know the answer to that either, so I didn't respond. I couldn't understand why I was angry the moment I recognized Kryzen in the woods. It implied that perhaps this was just about the fights we used to have as children, but then I thought about the way his gray eyes bore into me and made me feel exposed and vulnerable.

I thought about the way my blood felt like it was on fire when he was nearby, and how every word he said seemed to cut through me like the sharpest blade.

I couldn't figure out why that insufferable man affected me so much.

Kai dropped his hands when we heard footsteps approaching us. I winced inwardly, already knowing who it was before I whirled around and faced Kryzen.