That idiot.

Kitaya cursed the darkness. Without Aldeheid she had no eyes or ears, left to float in nothingness and stew in her emotions. The inky abyss was all she'd seen since Aldeheid had sent her away with the spirit. To think he'd used the entamora on her. Yet, she couldn't be angry about it. No other emotions could break the cloud of worry hanging in her mind.

What happened to you, angel eyes?

If those masked freaks had killed him, she'd never forgive herself. Or him. That idiot. What gave him the right to save her? She was the one who was supposed to save him. How dare he? She was the cape and he was the magician. He needed to know his place. The very next time she saw him, she was going knock those pretty eyes out of his skull.

If she saw him again.

Fear washed over her like a cold downpour. She had to figure out a way to get back. How long hadshe been stuck in the dark? Hours? Days? There was no way that she, herself, could break the entamora, but—

A ripple of warmth cut through her consciousness. The darkness surrounding her shattered like glass, and she squinted at the light that peaked through the shards. A dark figure appeared in her line of sight, and it took a few blinks for Kemah's features to come into to focus. Standing above him was Lady Hiroh with Aldeheid's sword in her hands.

Worry etched lines between his brows and on the sides of his mouth. "Kitaya? Can you hear me?"

Her eyes darted around the room, at the large square windows, thrown open to allow the light and wind in to the table weighed down with food and drink. Eriani sat at one side, nibbling on a pastry. "W-where am I?"

"You're back at the castle." He offered her a hand. "Here, let me—"

Kitaya's stomach plummeted to her toes. "That thing brought me all the way here?!" She tried to push to her feet, but her shaking limbs betrayed her, and she fell face-first onto the tile.

"Easy." Kemah pulled her to sitting position. "Give your body a moment to adjust."

"I don't have time for that!" She batted his hand away. "I have to get back out there!"

"Kitaya, just calm down and tell us what happened," Lady Hiroh said.

"Those masked freaks attacked us Aldeheid used the entamora and sent me away with that thing." Kitaya looked around, not seeing the sprit anywhere. Good, she may have stomped on its pretty little wings. She got up on wobbling legs and stumbled towards the table before pointing an accusing finger at Eriani. "You... you taught him invocation."

The Queen dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, her face impassive. "Your point?"

If Kitaya wasn't so weak and a little less restrained, she would've flown over the table and attacked her altori. "Why would you do that? You hate him!"

"It was to protect you. Which it seems he did. So, perhaps he isn't as stupid as I thought." Eriani took a sip of tea, her expression nonplussed.

"Were it any other member of the royal house, you would've had the Shujaa tearing down the backlands by now. But since it's Aldeheid, you couldn't give a damn."

She gave a dainty wave of dismissal, her rings winking in the sunlight. "You're being dramatic as always Kitaya. Aldeheid will be fine."

"I'm going back out there." Kitaya spun on her heel and teetered forward before slamming into Kemah's chest.

He caught her by the arm and steadied her. "Rest a moment. You can barely stand."

"Rest?! He could be dead out there." Kitaya flung her hands towards the windows, nearly throwing herself off balance again. "If you all don't want to help me fine, but don't you dare try to hold me hostage here."

Kemah looked at Lady Hiroh, as though begging for her help, but she only offered him a shrug. "He's not dead Kitaya. Your mark is still intact."

She squinted at her marked hand, noting that indeed, the jagged lines she'd inherited from Aldeheid were still there. So he wasn't dead. Maybe he'd made it out. Maybe he was okay, back in the town at the inn. She could meet him there and they could regroup and continue to look Mellidius.

"What's with all the commotion. I could hear the shouting from my room." A yawn stretched Fukami's jaw wide as he walked into the dining chamber. He was shirtless, his green tattoos standing out starkly against his pale skin. Slanted eyes, dark as coal regarded Kitaya for a moment. "Kitaya? I thought you wouldn't be back until the summit."

"When did you..?" Kitaya shook her head. "Nevermind, I don't care." She stomped pass everyone and nearly bumped into Jayer and Jetei on her way out the door. The former was walking with a cane, and the latter had to catch her before she fell over.

"Kitaya? What are you doing here?" Jayer asked, concern knitting his brows together. "Is everything alright?"

"No, everything is not alright!" she yelled, loud enough to shake the walls. "And none of you are helping."

"Now, now." Gentle hands lighted on her shoulders, and suddenly the ground wasn't beneath her feet anymore. She flailed her arms and legs as a gentle breeze swept her back into the dining hall. A chair flew up to meet her back and whisked her to a spot next to Eriani.

"We can't help you if you don't tell us exactly what's wrong." Fukami floated in front of her, lounged off on his bag with a piece of fruit in hand.

Kitaya made a sound that was more animalistic than she intended. "I already said those masked freaks attacked us!"

"By 'those masked freaks,' I assume you the Vidaldi."

"The what..?"

"That's what they're called, and the reason I'm here. I gave everyone a full debriefing on them and what I assume to be their purpose last night. Eriani was going to send you a correspondence today but I suppose that's no longer necessary."

"Kitaya," Jayer interjected. "Where's Aldeheid?"

"I don't know. He used the entamora on me and then invoked a spirit that brought me all the way back here. The last time I saw him, we were surrounded by nearly a hundred of those...Vidaldi."

He swore under his breath. "If you're returning to the backlands, then I'll go with you."

"You're not going anywhere." Jetei seized him by the wrist and gave him a pleading look. "You need to stay here and recover."

"We need more information on the Vidaldi, and we're already stretched thin here. I'm going." Jayer punctuated his point by slamming the heel of his cane on the ground.

"Then I will go as well." Fukami turned to Jayer. "We'll take my cloudwalker. Meet Kitaya and I on the east balcony in a half-hour, no more. Kitaya, you should eat something, get your strength up before we depart."

Her hand shook as she poured herself out a cup of tea, but she made no move to drink it. Instead, she stared at her reflection in the gold liquid, her mind drifting off once more. Why, angel eyes. Why? Why would do something so stupid and reckless?

There were so many of those masked freaks, those Vidaldi. Even if Aldeheid had made it out alive, it was likely he was injured. Perhaps he'd found a place to hide. Perhaps...

"Kitaya," Kemah said. He sat opposite her, but she hadn't seen or heard when he got there. "Aldeheid will be fine. I'm sure. He's not entirely helpless."

"Kemah's right," Lady Hiroh said. "For all his faults, Aldeheid is still a well-practiced magician. Have some faith in him." She held out the sword, pommel first.

Kitaya gave a stiff nod and closed her hand around the hilt, dragging the weapon into her lap. She stuffed bits of food in her mouth, not knowing or caring how it tasted. Time slipped by her and before she knew it, she was out on the eat balcony with Fukami. He'd thrown on a shirt but hadn't bothered buttoning it up.

Kitaya sat on the balcony's stone banister, ignoring the vertigo that gripped her as she eyed the fatal drop-off. Aldeheid's sword was heavy in her hands. "What do you know about the Vidaldi?" she asked, to distract herself from the dark thoughts stomping around in her head.

"Quite a bit." Fukami floated next to her, the light breeze playing with his glossy black hair. "I don't know if you've heard this before but when the gods create, they like to work in twos. Meaning they create two of the same thing. One is a prototype that is to be tested and used as a template of sort to create the real deal."

Kitaya stayed quiet even though questions were already filling her head. A sinking feeling entered her stomach, and it wasn't from the heights.

"The Vidaldi were the prototypes of the Hiroh clan."

"What?"

"Indeed.They were supposed to be the Disciples to the gods, the ambassadors and humanitarians that kept the people of Magika from destroying one another. But they were inherently flawed in the gods' eyes. They were subservient to a fault, so some amongst the gods believe that they could be too easily swayed to serve another master. Their ways are very dogmatic and cult like."

Kitaya bit down on her thumbnail, her mind racing. "I see... But what are they up to now? Why are they bothering with the thin spaces?"

"I'm not entirely sure. The other gods haven't spoken to me in eons, so I can only speculate. My guess is that, with the Hiroh clan gone, they're probably trying to take its place. Get back in the gods' good graces."

She scowled. "The Hiroh clan is not gone. Ayzel is still here and doing the work of many."

Fukami held a hand up. "She is but one Kitaya, despite all she does. The Vidaldi are many. Besides, this is only one theory, the latter is much more terrifying." He looked at her as though waiting for her to figure it out herself.

Kitaya bit down on her thumbnail, not sure if she wanted to face the grim alternative theory. When realization hit her, her stomach plummeted. "They're working for the gods?" If that was true then there was no way they could win. Their cause, their tireless work would be for naught, and earth realm and the humans were doomed.

"'Tis but a theory, Kitaya. Their presence and purpose could have nothing to do with the thin spaces," Fukami cautioned, his voice gentle. "It's best we not jump to conclusions here."

"But it fits..." Her grip on Aldeheid's sword tightened involuntarily. "It fits so perfectly."

Jayer came out on the balcony a moment later dressed in wrinkled, raggedy clothes, with a rucksack on his shoulders. Jetei followed close behind, looking at his magician as though he expected Jayer to fall over at any moment.

"All set?" Fukami asked. At Jayer's nod, he put two fingers between his lips and released a musical whistle.

Down from the skies came Sora, Fukami's cloudwalker. Her sinuous body, surrounded by a cloud of vapour was covered in glistening, grey-blue scales and pristine white fur. Fukami had offered Kitaya one of her own. But, while she loved to fly,cloudwalkers were notoriously difficult to take care of.

Sora landed, soft as a feather on the balcony, her claw-tipped feet clinging to the stone. Her long fluffy tail wrapped around Kitaya in greeting.

"It's nice to see you too." Kitaya hopped on first, smoothing away the soft fur on Sora's back. "How long will it take us to get there?"

"About an hour. I don't want to push Sora too had. We had a long journey already." Fukami gave a snap of his fingers and Jayer and Jetei, floated up onto Sora's back. "Let's not dally, shall we?"