Road to Ruisea

❆ ❆ LXXI. CHIRO ❆ ❆

Jae's doing a pretty good job holding his own against Sho, but Chiro can't really say the same about himself.

Sure sure, he's building up fire — impressive, beautiful, hot fire — and that's the main thing keeping Sho and Hevva back, away from actually successfully landing a blow, but it's still not quite perfect, yet. Chiro's had no practice with this kind of magic, and illusions are very much not like it. It took him years to master even the most simple spell, and he just got this one today. So, by no means are the flames perfect. Sometimes they're too big, or too small, or they just disappear, blinking out of existence, then suddenly blazing to life in the wrong spot — like, say, the sleeve of Jae's jacket. Luckily the boy moves fast enough for the flame to be put out without a worry...

But still, Chiro chides himself. Yikes.

"You boys can't keep this up forever," Sho calls loudly above the roar of the flames and the wind. "I'll lug all your bodies back to Cevalon if I have to."

"Pretty sure you won't get paid for that!" Jae barks back. "Maybe for killing us, but not for killing Kumari."

"Not looking to get paid," Sho cracks his neck and launches another arrow. "I believe I made that perfectly clear. The reward is a job well done... Besides, by this point, I don't think the king and queen want a daughter."

There's a pause of conversation. Jae's retrieved his jambiya from the snow for the umpteenth time, and thrusts it toward Jae without a word. Chiro's flames flicker momentarily, but with a little concentration he brings them back up again.

But Sho stills, looking around coolly with those soulless black eyes.

"She's not here, is she?" He laughs bitterly to himself, "I can't believe it took me so long to notice. Ah, she might've left who knows how long ago! Leaving her precious little knights to protect her... How pathetic. I notice the prince isn't here, either — coward, that's what he is."

Chiro grits his teeth. Jae looks around, surprised but not unhappy, as he hadn't realized they'd left. Chiro hadn't exactly gotten the chance to let him know, either...

"At least I noticed now," Sho sighs. "Better late than never. No protest that her parents love her, or at least a defiant announcement of how she doesn't care... Alright then. I'll take care of you two, and then, if I have to, I'll burn all of Ruisea down trying to find her."

Chiro's eyes widen, "You don't mean that."

"Don't I?" Sho muses, not seeming sure as he rubs his chin with the back of his black-gloved hand. "Hmm. I suppose a village would be hard to burn in this cold, but I live for challenges... If a runty illusionist like you can make fire here, how hard could it be? And I think King Korol might not be happy, but, ah, well. King Eltin always did pay more. I think he'll be happy."

Some newfound passion explodes in Chiro's heart for the second time that day. He can't let Sho burn down an entire kingdom... Full of innocent people who didn't know of any of this until today, and probably might not ever. Most of them don't even know what fire is.

Chiro can't allow that to happen. Can't allow Sho to get to Kumari. Can't allow Sho to destroy Alexei's home. He can't he can't he can't...

But he knows he can't defeat Sho alone, either. He has Jae, yes, but last time it was Kumari who helped him so much, during the battle on the train top. He needs her, but she's at the palace, looking for something she thinks can help them.

Chiro can't beat him.

But Chiro knows one thing he can do.

He can stall Sho long enough for Kumari to get back and then to see what happens.