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Chapter 21 - Hunger

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Cayden didn't know how to react.

The cost the oracle was talking about, he realised as his body went numb. The cost was Rena's key.

"What do you mean the djinn kept her key?" he managed to ask. "By a fae's wings, why would you let him keep it?"

Rena's head was turned from the light of her sceptre, but he heard her draw a ragged breath.

"It was a requirement to train with him. The only way he'd proceed was when I handed over my key. At the end, he would give it back. Said he could help direct my ley that way so I'd learn faster."

I'm the reason she was at those lessons. She didn't want to, and now I know why.

"Why didn't you tell me he took your key in the lessons, Rena?" Cayden asked. "Why—"

"What did it matter?" said Rena quietly. "I had to get close to the djinn if we had a chance of getting Nazine out. Not that it mattered in the end. He figured it out anyway and almost killed you with the spectre."

Kat's voice came in from the side. "Can't djinn read the thoughts of Mythics whose key they hold?"

Rena snorted. "Explains that, then."

Cayden stepped forward, the movement stiff from guilt. "Rena—"

Rena sniffed as she turned. Her tear-streaked cheeks and her drooping ears betrayed the hardened expression she'd molded to the rest of her features.

"It doesn't matter, I'll worry about it later. I don't need my key to feed Nazine," she said, ignoring his pity. "But I do need to feed off one of you to reach seven tails." She attempted a thin smile. "Any volunteers?"

Kat went to speak, but Cayden beat her to it.

"I'll do it," he said. "The other two need to conserve their ley, and she can't kill me as easily if she accidentally goes overboard."

Kat raised an eyebrow. "Will that even work? You aren't a Mythic."

"I don't need to be," said Cayden. "Kitsunes don't just feed off ley. Regular energy works too, not to mention, well, emotional."

"Emotion, eh, Cayden?" said Kat. The second eyebrow joined the first. "Okie dokie, if you say so."

"It should work," said Rena. Her expression melted under the nerves, giving way to the worry beneath. "Just... stay still, Cayden. I've only done this once before and that was—uh, just stay still." She glanced at Kat. "Pull me off if I have seven tails and don't seem like I'm stopping."

Kat grinned. "Third wheel. Done."

Cayden did as Rena asked. He kept his arms by his side, watching her as she prepared.

She steadied her breathing, the technique he'd taught her himself to collect panic and allow clarity to take its place. With closed eyes, she stretched her arms out long, flexing her wrists as her tails lifted off the ground behind her, taking on fluid movements as they flourished behind her.

Her eyes snapped open, and the corner of her lips tweaked upward.

Rena stalked towards him with soft, light steps perfectly balanced on the balls of her feet. The depth to her gaze drew Cayden in, calling for him to move closer. He resisted with some effort, remaining still as she reached him and placed one, tender hand on his chest.

Cold logic held Cayden still as instinct wanted to reach out. He told himself that this was for Nazine as Rena's fingers played with the edges of his tunic, sliding up until they rested on his neck, but even that thought couldn't suppress the shiver down his spine at her touch.

Rena didn't miss anything. A sly smile curved her lips, interrupted only as she nipped its edge with a slender, pointed tooth and tilted her chin.

It was a gentle brush at first, her lips barely against his as her warm breath stroked his chin. Her tails caressed his calves, setting his skin tingling and taking everything Cayden had to remember this was the kitsune's charm. That she was setting him up to feed from, tapping into his energy.

Remember, Cayden, he told himself. Remember why she's doing this.

"So guarded," the kitsune whispered in a voice like silk. "Relax, Cayden. Stop hiding yourself from me, let me in..."

Her fingers brushed across his jawline, and in the moment when the involuntary shiver wiped clean his mind, she slipped past his mental defenses and pulled him into the kiss and he was gone.

Cayden knew what a kitsune's feeding involved, but it was only in the middle of it that he realised there was no way he could ever possibly be ready for it. Her heady scent filled his nose and claimed his senses, dragging him down as she breathed him in, drawing his energy to her own reserves. She was in his mind, his thoughts, there was nothing that escaped her essence. Had she asked him then to conquer Leristith in her name, Cayden wasn't sure he could have refused.

He swayed on his feet, finding his arms around Rena, holding her to him even as she controlled the pace. She had him balanced on the edge, one touch to send him from this pure bliss into oblivion or the eternal gardens. One touch that would condemn him or free him, one touch that—

Rena broke the contact.

Everything went blank. The sudden loss of her from his thoughts felt like she'd been ripped up like the one flower in a bed of weeds, leaving him feeling empty and worthless as Rena clambered free of his arms. He was nothing, not without her, not without...

Cayden forced himself to take a deep breath, pressing a hand to the back of his mouth while he regained his centre. It was only after a long moment that he regained his wits, remembering why and how they'd been doing this in the first place that he was able to retake his place in reality.

Rena wasn't unscathed from the experience either. She hunched over by the wall of trunks, hugging her stomach. Her ears were flat against her head, and Cayden was fairly certain he hadn't imagined the growl.

But most importantly, there were now seven tails quivering behind her.

"Well that was interesting," murmured Kat. She stepped over to Rena and took her by the shoulders, steering her in Nazine's direction. "If Rena's taken back control from her instinct, you still have to feed phoenix boy over there."

Rena nodded, her eyes squeezed shut.

"I know, just... give me a minute."

As Rena recovered, Kat walked over to Cayden shaking her head. She took him by the shoulder and sat him down where he'd stood.

"Don't want you falling over," she murmured. "Big guy like you, we aren't picking you up easily if you break something."

Cayden didn't reply, not trusting himself to speak.

After her minute, Rena straightened up before walking to kneel beside Nazine.

Cayden watched her as she considered her movements carefully, one hesitant hand reaching to cover the key now around Nazine's neck. She wasn't as decisive with her second hand, testing several places before settling it on his forehead. She held that position, tails sweeping the dirt behind her until finally, her ears pricked.

Her body seemed to recognise the various pieces of itself, the seams of human and fox disappearing as she took in one, powerful breath that turned her tails silver.

The air glimmered around her, an aura of silver that Cayden assumed to be her potential energy-based abilities in their pure, raw form. Before they'd taken on a shape, been molded by her will, they resided as this energy in her body, now a growing, external aura as Rena prepared to transfer it.

The aura reached a breaking point. It shook, flickering with the threat to explode in the moment that Rena released it in one, smooth exhale.

It was like the clearing itself had held its breath. The silvery glow rushed down her arms, flowing from her tails to strip them from their ghostly shades and leave them the burnt orange Cayden had come to expect as the energy crossed from one Mythic to the other, infusing Nazine's body and key.

With the last of the aura gone, Rena removed her hands, pushing herself away from the phoenix with the fervor of a vampire avoiding the light. At a safe distance away, Rena hugged herself and cast her gaze to the canopy, five tails once more flat on the ground behind her.

"That was... interesting," said the oracle, her face as perfect as ever. "I saw that going a little differently."

"Differently how?" managed Cayden.

"She almost killed you when I watched that before," said the oracle. The slightest crease appeared on her forehead. "There must be another factor I missed."

Cayden took a note to never trust the oracle with his life. "I don't suppose—"

Nazine stirred.

Kat flashed to his side, taking his hand reaching for empty air as she supported his back with the other, helping him sit up. "How are you feeling, phoenix?"

Nazine blinked a few times and got that confused look when he didn't recognise someone. "Uh, like someone just threw me in a well and let me soak for a few hours. Not—" He cut off as he winced. "—great."

"Rena!" called Kat. "If you can manage it, we need fire over here!"

Rena scrambled over lacking all her usual agility. After a few attempts, she managed a steady flame that Kat promptly placed Nazine's key in. The shadow Mythic was barely able to keep Nazine from trying to set his own clothes on fire.

"Nobody wants to see what's underneath, phoenix," she said before going about shoving food down Nazine's throat before he passed out again.

Where Kat had come from, Cayden had no idea. He'd known she was a shadow Mythic, an unusual dae Mythic with roots in the energy and elemental families but the way she controlled the situation now proved he'd seen the tip of the iceberg in her file.

He put her training and presence down to another of the Order's safeguards. No matter what cage the Unbounds had put her in, holding a shadow was no easy business. Even though Cayden was grateful it hit a nerve, knowing there were things about this mission the Order had withheld.

Soon enough, Nazine fell back into unconsciousness, the spurt of energy brought on by the feeding already fading. Cayden just hoped enough residue would remain in his key to sustain him until tomorrow, or this journey was going to be like a mermaid trying to get through a desert.

After the rest of them had eaten, Cayden claimed first watch.

Kat and the oracle, who had informed him her name was Tia after becoming annoyed at his formal behaviour, took their places beside Nazine and were soon breathing evenly.

Rena remained sitting with her back against the wall, eyes staring at nothing. She didn't react as Cayden moved to sit beside her.

"So, about your key," said Cayden, keeping his voice low.

Rena's voice could have belonged to a ghoul for all the life it contained. "If you're going to yell at me, don't bother. I'm doing it enough already."

"I was going to say thank you," said Cayden. Rena flicked her eyes to him for a heartbeat before they were back on the ground. "I figure it wasn't easy leaving your key behind, given what it means."

"He gave me a choice," murmured Rena. "The djinn. Nazine's key or my own." Her head dropped to her knees. "He took the archangel's key too, forced him into submission. I was terrified he was going to do the same to me, but he didn't. Said that when I joined him, he wanted it to be voluntary."

Cayden had no excuses. There was nothing that was going to make it better. "But you didn't. You chose Nazine."

"That's why I couldn't do it." Rena's hand went to her throat, the empty place where her key should have been on its chain. "I can still feel it. I know exactly where it is. An itch that I can't scratch because it's in the centre of my chest and to touch it i'd have to rip myself open."

Rena didn't give Cayden a chance to reply, pressing her knuckles into the place where her ears joined her skull as she continued.

"Maybe that's what it is to be feral. Without sanity, you're reduced to your instincts, right?" Her tails lashed behind her. "Stripped of humanity, I'm a fox that enjoys taking the energy of others, manipulating them into a state where they'd happily give their last to me."

Cayden frowned. "You won't—"

"I will," said Rena. "Even tonight, it would have been easy to drain you. You, Cayden, of all people." She shook her head. "I won't get my key back, not before we get Nazine to Leristith, but hopefully I'll have enough time left to get out into the wilds or something before I lose my mind completely. If not, then you'll have to—"

"I'm not going to put you down, Rena," said Cayden. "Not until we've tried every option first. The Order's done research with ferals, they've helped—"

"They won't help an Unbound," whispered Rena. "And you know they won't."

Cayden fell silent.

Rena perked up, attempting a smile that didn't sit right on her face.

"Anyway," she said. "We have to focus on Nazine. He's the mission here." She stood up, turning to where the others slept. "I'm going to try and get some sleep. Wake me if you need someone to cover the next watch."

With that, Rena picked up her sceptre from the centre of the clearing, taking its light with her as she curled her tails around and left Cayden alone in the shadows, waiting for morning.

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A/N - Yay, update! *cough*

I figure if you've found Mythic you've also found Paladin by @SallySlater, but Paladin was recently published! YAY!

Go check out its new, shiny, edited version on Amazon ^_^ It's amazing and DEFINITELY worth your time. (Moreso than these piles of splodey words I post and call a 'chapter' >_>)