The Konian savanna was most beautiful from the sky. That was part of the reason Kitaya loved flying so much. High above a sea of green watching the flora, the fauna, the people. Watching life unfold beneath you. It was like being a god. But now, that faded into the background.

As the cloudwalker ran across the sky, her mind raced with all the possibilities of what happened to Aldeheid, where he could be. The best – and least likely – option was that he was at the town. The most probable option was that the Vidaldi had taken him somewhere, taken him prisoner, to torture him.

"Kitaya." Fukami's voice cut into her thoughts. "A little gentler, if you will."

Confusion left her speechless for a moment, then she realized how tight she holding onto Sora's fur. The white hair strained around her clenched fists. "Sorry." She loosened her grip and took a breath to level herself. Getting frazzled would not find Aldeheid.

"What's our plan of attack?" Jayer asked from the rear.

"I don't think it would be wise for Kitaya to return to the town," Jetei said. "Thebacklanders are not fond of Konian royals."

"You've been here before?"

"My family passed through this region a few times. The people here aren't the friendly sort, so we tried not to make a habit of it."

"I see." Jayer fell silent and Kitaya could imagine him deep in thought, brows furrowed eyes distant. "Alright, Jetei and I will go into town and see if Aldeheid made it back there. Kitaya, you should take Fukami to ruins and search for any signs of him."

A ripple of surprise settled in Kitaya's gut. "I thought you were more concerned with gathering information on the Vidaldi, Jayer."

"I did, but, and I'm sure you'll agree, finding Aldeheid is more important."

"To you?" Kitaya looked over her shoulder at him, eyes narrowed. "Up until a few days ago, he wouldn't even speak to you. What's your agenda here, Jayer?"

"It's the same as yours Kitaya." His brow furrowed, and he looked at her as though she'd kicked him.

But Kitaya didn't relent. Up until their battle at the border, he and Aldeheid were butting headsmore than two angry monoliths. "Then why not say that from the beginning? Why make it about the Vidaldi instead?"

He scowled and looked away, eyes locking on the southern horizon. "You know, there was a time when I would call him brother. Before the fighting, before he became Sahn Cera. I was the first charge of the Wylerra's royal house. The castle was big and empty, and Baldavin wouldn't let me play with the servant children."

Kitaya frowned, but didn't interrupt him. Aldeheid and Jayer were alike in that getting them to speak of their past was as difficult as keeping a Lyberra grounded. It wasn't something they'd do without either a fight or the right conditions. And it seemed this day, conditions were favourable.

"I was alone for a long time. Until Aldeheid came along. At first I was only allowed brief visits to see him, but as he grew, I took him around the castle, taught him how to blush the leaves on the winter trees. We would steal sweets from the kitchen and sit in the gallery to watch the snow fall. I taught him to play Tactica, and before long he was beating me every single game."

"What changed?" she asked.

Jayer's scowl deepened. "Aldeheid was chosen as Baldavin's heir. And from then on, we grew apart. He was always in lessons and lectures and meetings with the council. It was then I grew bitter towards Baldavin. He took away the one friend I had. The one brother I had."

"And you've been trying to reach out to him, because you want that back?"

Jayer shrugged a shoulder. "I opened up the chasm between us. I want to close it. To think, just when we'd found some common ground, he goes and does this."

Kitaya wished she could relate to what Jayer was saying. But she'd never had that kind of relationship with Nylarah or Mellidius. The former devoted her life to serving the gods and was barely around. The latter was far too strict for her liking.

"Alright," she said with a nod. "We'll go with your plan, Jayer."

"If you two are done squabbling," Fukami said. "We're almost there."

Kitaya looked forward in time to see the silhouette of the town on the eastern horizon. "We should land here."

"Why?" Jayer asked.

"We can't fly into the backlands on this," Jetei said, before Kitaya could answer. "It will be too suspicious. And in this place anything suspicious is bad."

Fukami took Sora down in an easy glide and they landed in the tall grass. They chirping and singing of insects drowned out the crunches of Jayer and Jetei's feet and they slid from the cloudwalkers back.

"Be careful out there," Kitaya said. "And if you find Aldeheid, bring him to us."

"I'll drag him by his hair if I have to." Jayer gave a smile, and he and Jetei headed east, disappearing in the sea of grass.

Kitaya sent up a small prayer for both their and Aldeheid's safety. They were back in the sky a minute later, this time heading north. The ruins were miles away from the town, deep withing a thicket of forest that had overtaken the vacant land.

"Kitaya," Fukami said, drawing her attention. "Did you all have a fire fight last night?" he nodded at the tiny wisps of smoke and the scorched land occupying the area where the ruins used to be.

"We didn't."

***

Kitaya strapped Aldeheid's sword to her back as they landed outside of the ruins. The day was ripe with sunshine and crisp breezes, and her heart ripe with fret. The cloudwalker knelt so she could slide from its back. Her knees were still weak, but she stood upright long enough to take in the scene. As she walked along, grass and underbrush gave way to soot-soaked destruction.

The ruins had been reduced to ash, along with miles of forest surrounding it. The charred remains of trees and structures stood like black silhouettes in the daylight. Every footfall sent up a small cloud of ash, and heat still rose from the ground to warm the soles of her boots. She pulled her shirt up over her nose to filter out the acrid smoke that still curled from the debris.

"Good gods," Fukami breathed, as he floated alongside her. "He did this?"

Kitaya stepped over a tree that had been reduced to charcoal. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was responsible." She thought back to Aiisha, when he'd taken down that monolith... and nearly died. No, he's okay, she reminded herself, looking down to make sure her mark was still intact.

Fukami pressed a finger against her against her brow right where it was furrowed. "Do not fret, Kitaya. If Aldeheid did all this, then there's a good chance he escaped and made it back to the town."

"You're right." She exhaled and stuffed her marked hand in her pocket so she would stop looking at it.

"Here." He hopped off his bag and offered it to her. "You should rest a little. You're still not sure on your feet. Should we search the area or settle down to wait for Jayer?"

She sat on the floating bag with a muttered thanks and bit down on her thumb nail. "We'll set up a base camp at the edge of what forest remains and wait. I want to know if he's safe before I start looking." And panicking.

"Sounds like a plan." He floated off the ground, and they drifted north. "There's actually something I wish to speak to you about. For your ears only, my dear."

"Why only me?" she asked in a whisper, as though someone was eavesdropping.

"Because it only concerns you. And others may make negative assumptions based on what I'm about to tell you."

They continued their journey in silence, only stopping when they reached a greener bit of forest downwind, where the air was cleaner. Kitaya summoned the box and rifled through for her tent. The map was still in their bags and the Stone Viper, and hopefully Aldeheid was there with them. If not, Jayer would have to get creative.

"Have a seat." Fukami took the tent from her hands and began pitching it with quick, efficient movements. Then he zoomed off into the forest and came back with armfuls of firewood they wouldn't need for at least a few hours. "Is there anything else we'll need? Should I procure nourishment?"

She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. "I suppose." She felt so small and helpless, like a lost child. Her strength alone wasn't going to find Aldeheid, and she couldn't expect everyone to drop what they were doing and help her.

"Kitaya." Fukami waited until she met his eyes to continue. "We're going to find him. I promise."

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Kitaya unstrapped Aldeheid's sword from her back and laid it across her lap. The gildings on the sheath winked in the sunlight filtering through the trees.

He folded his legs up and floated on the air. "It's about the Vidaldi, actually. And I'll ask that you don't share this information with anyone you don't trustwhole-heartedly."

She frowned but nodded her head in agreement.

"Good." Fukami brushed his glossy hair away. "Amongst the Vidaldi, magicians outnumber capes one hundred to one. This is because it's mandatory for their capes to enduresomething called the ritual of thirteen. If the cape survives the ritual, they'll be able to use their own magic."

A ripple of cold passed over Kitaya, raising gooseflesh on her skin. Her mind went back to the night she and Aldeheid stood on the mountain peak near her home. The flash of gold, her shock. She was always sure there were other capes like her, but amongst these masked degenerates was the last place she'd expected to find them.

"For the ritual to be successful, a certain conditions must be met. First the cape must be isolated – no other magicians or capes can be around. Second, the magic in their bodies must be at critical levels. And third, they must be left alone. Then they fall into a death-like sleep for thirteen years and emerge with magic as golden as sunlight. I'm guessing you met these conditions." Fukami arched a brow at her.

"I did..." Kitaya would never forget that night, the searing pain, feeling as though she was being burned from the inside out. The fact thatother capes were forced to go through that... It was hard to process.

"Then consider yourself a very lucky cape Kitaya. Only one in one hundred survive the ritual."

She'd always wanted to know why she was... the way she was. How she'd survived. But this wasn't the answer she wanted. This answer made her sick to her stomach. "And they're forced to do it? Why?"

"The Vidaldi believe that relying on others is a shortcoming, so the very concept of the bond is not welcomed in their cult. I suppose it's not something that we, from the outside looking in can comprehend. But I'm sure it makes perfect sense to them."

She understood now why the gods renounced them as their disciples.

"With any luck, the Vidaldi may show their faces again. Then we can wring some answers out of them." Fukami smiled, as though imagining himself in the act.

As much as Kitaya wanted to wring some necks herself, doubt dulled her conviction. "Are you sure you want that? They seem more dangerous than we initially thought."

"But you have me here." He made a grand gesture and floated off the ground, leaves swirling around him, divine in all his godly glory.

That got a small smile out of her. "Thank you, Fukami."

***

It wasn't until five hours had passed that Jayer and Jetei arrived at their camp. The former looked as though he were about to fall over, while the latter held Kitaya and Aldeheid's bags on his shoulders. But there was no Aldeheid in sight. Fukami had flown off to investigate the area some more, and search for any leads on the Vidaldi.

Jayer took a seat on the box and winced, clutching his side. "Sorry that took so long. Stealing your bags was trickier than I thought it would be."

Kitaya had been doing the mental equivalent of holding her breath since they'd dropped him off outside of the town. Now that she could finally, exhale, she felt utterly deflated. He was gone. They had. They were probably torturing him while she sat around doing nothing.

"I'm sorry Kitaya." Jayer looked away and ran a hand through his hair. "We asked around, and no one has seen him since you left the town last night. There are bets on whether he'll return in a week's time. That's usually when they know if someone is coming back or not."

Kitaya fisted her hands in her hair. What were they going to do now? She didn't even know where to start. Where to look.

Jetei set their bags next to the box. "There's always the possibility that the Vidaldi are holding him hostage somewhere."

"Then if we find them, then we find him. But how...?" Jayer placed his hands on top of his head, and Kitaya could see the cogs in his head turning.

"What about Mellidius?" Jetei asked.

Kitaya scowled. "We don't have time to worry about that idiot when Aldeheid is missing."

"Easy." He held his hands up. "Just hear me out here. You and Aldeheid came out here looking for him. We saw the wanted poster in the inn. We were told that the people who chase his bounty don't live to tell the tale. And I'm speculating here, but what if he's mixed up with the Vidaldi somehow?"

Jayer nodded. "That's an excellent point. You too coming here to look for him, then the Vidaldi showing up can't be a coincidence. I know what we'll do. Jet and I will replicate what you and Aldeheid did."

Kitaya took a moment to process their theory. It made sense. Perhaps that was why Mellidius never returned home. Just as she thought; he'd gotten mix up in some nonsense and couldn't face Eriani. "You should head back to town then. Fukami and I will continue to comb the area. Meet us back here at nightfall."

Jayer nodded his ascent.

"And Jayer?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you."