The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

It took us about fifteen minutes to return to downtown with traffic deciding to back up on us while crossing the bridge. I roll my eyes in frustration. The predictable thing about big city traffic is how easily it’ll pile up on you.

We turn back onto Riverside and a few short minutes later we pull into the parking lot of a large restaurant which sat along the river. We step out of the car and walk over to the building. Once more my eyes catch something moving in the shadows.

This time I was quick enough to catch of a somewhat better glimpse of it. It vaguely resembled a man, but couldn’t make out any more details other than that. I click my teeth in frustration. This time Fenris too is on the lookout, having noticed my head jerking towards the river.

I look to him, each giving a silent nod. I wanted to tell Rachel right then and there, but holds back. I should really learn to stop doing that.

The three of us enter into the restaurant and are immediately seated. Our server quickly brings us some water, laying a large bowl down for Fenris. There are a couple dozen other patrons along with us, remembering that this place was actually one of the city’s most celebrated locales.

My eyes train onto a few guests, noting a couple actors and singers strewn about the dining area. It’s relatively quiet, apart from the distant conversations.

Another reason why I love this restaurant is its simplistic beauty. Nothing flashy or gaudy, just wood paneling and soft tones of the walls. It had always reminded me of the Dirty Al’s on the bayside. It’s just comfortable.

I lean back into my seat and gaze out onto the river, watching as it flowed. I smile, remembering the faculty restaurant back at the University of Tennessee back in Knoxville as it too overlooked a river. I continue to gaze outward, relaxing a little, simply enjoying the fact that I was sitting across from my mother.

She smiles to me, her violet eyes shimmering softly against the reflective light coming off of the river. I can’t help back smile back at her, leaning forward and picking up my menu, opening it and scrolling through the items. I glance down at Fenris, who is resting quietly on the floor. I watch as his ears flickered with every odd noise.

I became so lost in watching my bonded that I didn’t even notice that our waiter had returned. A soft nudge against my foot causes me to look up. I find my mother smiling to me, “Well my love, what would you like to have?”

I quickly look back onto my menu, easily finding one of my three favorite meals, “Think I’ll have the Fuchsia-no-Hana platter.”

She smiles, handing her menu to the waiter, with me doing the same, who then promptly disappears.

Rachel leans forward onto the table, resting her elbows onto the table and smiling to me. I look up at her, tilting my head, smirking, “What?”

Her smile broadens into a small grin, “Oh nothing. You just seem…more mature.”

I tilt my head, giving her a sly grin, “So does that mean that I get to stay out late and go partying?”

My mother chuckles, “Heavens no, you are still a child regardless.” I giggle.

She isn’t lying. Even if I once was an adult, that’s all in the past, I really am a kid again. This is an undeniable truth and I love being one. I stand up a bit to readjust my skirt under my legs.

I also didn’t care about being treated like a child sometimes. When I first put on the necklace, my old life was over. I now was a little girl and the woman before me is my mother. My fingers strum my arms, feeling the blood pumping in my veins, knowing that hers flows in them.

I look up at her, softening my gaze.

She smiles to me, “What’s on your mind sweetheart.”

I sit up a little in my seat, “Did…Arcturus, when he was here a few days ago…ever ask you to marry him again?”

She blinks softly a few times, staring into my eyes. She smiled, closing her eyes and shook her head, “No…he didn’t.”

I cross my legs, “Wouldn’t you be happy if he did? Would you accept it now?”

My mother leans forward, reaching for my hand, to which I placed mine into. “Sweetheart, I know you wish for my happiness. I truly am flattered. But he and I have to sort out a few things before we are able to. Even before I was to ever accept, I would desire that you and he were to get to know each other first. I don’t want to simply thrust a ‘father’ onto you before you truly feel comfortable around him.”

I nodded, glancing down at Fenris, whose eyes stare up at me.

A small smile rises on my face, “Well…I do kind of already have one in this guy. Don’t I?”

My mother smiles wider, “That you do my love.” She gently strokes the top of my hand with her thumb.

I smile to her, feeling Fenris sitting up and nudging my hand with his cold wet nose. I giggle softly, running my fingers through his fur.

“You think highly of him don’t you?”

I look up at her, “I mean…I’ve only met him that one time and you’re right in saying that I need to get to know him first. So I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.”

Rachel grins, “A wise and quite mature answer.” I smile, feeling the necklace against my chest.

She slowly pulls away, gazing back out onto the river. She isn’t the only one who had to deal with sorting out stuff.

There are a couple of men that have to be dealt with first in my life before I could move on, which is made more difficult if I couldn’t see them face to face. She then let’s go of my hand and leans back into her seat, taking a sip of her water.

A few minutes later our salads were brought out. I held up my hands together and smiled, “Itadakimasu.” Rachel smiles to me.

I giggle, “Guess it became too much of a habit for me.”

She shook her head, “Think nothing of it sweetheart.” I smile, nodding.

The two of us quickly unwrap our silverware and begin to dig in. My eyes danced as the taste of the tangy ginger sauce swam in my mouth. The greens were light and crisp, perfect for the start of a meal. I look up at her, seeing my mother just smiling at me.

Aside from breakfast, this is the first time she and I had gotten to eat alone with each other. No one here really knew who either of us were or her status in the world. It was just simply a mother and daughter sharing a meal out together.

My time away from her only made me appreciate her all the more. There’s nothing quite like being separated by an ocean to deepen one’s love for family. I smiled softly, taking another bite.

When I had finished, I gaze back out onto the river, still loving how the light shimmered off of the water. I hoped to see the gossip when they got back from Nerazon. I then came up with idea of once they did; I’d go for a swim and spend some time in the grotto with them.

I giggle to myself, again drawing a strange parallel with the gossip and shirohebi from Asha’s shrine. Both groups were like a bunch of big sisters to me and could never help themselves but pull me into tight group hugs.

I also want to see Marron. She had been at the Estate while I was away, even seeing her after my performance. But wanted her to be here with me, to just curl up in her lap and let her hold me. I then smile, knowing that I’d get to see her at the gathering in just a few weeks.

Our meals were brought to us, with the waiter placing them onto the table. I smiled, pulling out my chopsticks and picked up the first piece of food and brought it to my mouth.

“DO NOT EAT THAT!” hearing Fenris’ voice echoing in my mind. I looked over to see him standing up and snarling.

My eyebrow raised in confusion, staring back at the food, “What? I don’t get it.”

Rachel also stares at him confused, “Fenris, what’s wrong?”

He continues to snarl at the food, “There is something foul in her food.”

I look back at him, smiling, “It’s just sushi Fenris. You’ve seen me eat it all the time.”

The room grows colder as he envelopes the piece in ice and shadow, causing it to turn black. My eyes bulge, “What the hell?”

My mother reeled back, “Aria, drop that sushi right now.”

I looked at her, “Why? What is this?”

She quickly then snatches it from my chopsticks and drops it onto my plate, “Poison.”

I stare back at my food, then conjuring water to float out of my glass and over my plate. Pure, magically-infused water can be used as a mirror, reflecting the true nature of something.

My heart seizes as I watch every piece of sushi turn pitch-black. I instantly shoved the plate away from me, scooting away from the table, swearing under my breath. Why the hell would someone want to poison me? I know of one person who really hates my guts, but she’d want to face me head on.

Rachel scans the room, eyeing staff, who act as though nothing is out of the ordinary. “We need to go.”

I nod, “No arguments here.”

She quickly pulls out some money and places it onto the table. We grab our things and make a dash for the door, not saying a word to anyone, with Fenris bringing up the rear.

We exit out onto the parking lot, but something is off. There’s no sound, no wind. I scan the street, finding that traffic isn’t moving at all. Even our limo sits motionless. I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up as something envelopes around us.

The air was thick and heavy, every breath was as though my chest was being pressed in. I know what this was, “A magic barrier.”

My mother nods, “My thoughts exactly.”

Certain types of magical barriers could create a separate space, which could be used to completely shut out anything from the outside world. I remembered the feeling when Himeji used one on me a couple years ago. But this was way more powerful. It almost reminds me of what happened at the shrine.

I swear under my breath, seeing Rachel do the same.

Fenris then growls loudly, having dropped his disguise, now standing well over five feet tall with two massive tails hung high into the air. His lips curl tightly back, baring his fangs towards the river.

“We need to leave,” whispers my mother, “we are far too exposed out here in the open.”

I nod in agreement, craning my head, eyeing an alleyway, “Let’s duck into there. Not the most sanitary of options, but it’ll at least bottleneck whoever’s after us.”

Rachel nods, “Agreed.”

I pull my purse around and open my water bottle, pouring some water out and tosses it into the air, forming it into a nearly invisible icy mist. This is meant to deflect anything that might be hurled towards me. The only problem being that it couldn’t stop something like a bullet, which is where Fenris comes in.

The wolf is far more adept with ice magic than I am, so he further enhances the makeshift defense screen.

The three of us dash out of the parking lot, heading for the alleyway. Another reason why I chose it was that I could fight better in close-quarters, just how I prefer it.

As we run, I gripped my purse even tighter. My senses were firing, scanning everything.

“I count at least half a dozen presences that are following us, maybe more,” announced Rachel. I nod as we cross the now motionless street.

We enter into the alley, to suddenly find myself being grabbed and slammed into a wall. I grunt as my body bounces off of it.

Rachel turns, “Aria!!!”

I roll to my feet, coughing up a little blood, only to roll away a split-second later as the sound of knives sailing through the mist and stab into the pavement. I stare up to see three figures, all dressed in black, because why not, clinging to the metal stairs. Their outfits almost appeared to be more shadow than actual fabric as it floated and swayed as if it wasn’t really there.

I then look back towards the entrance, seeing a fourth man, possibly the guy who grabbed me. I pull out one of the knives thrown at me and hold it close, pressing my left palm into the pummel, just as Yukari taught me.

“Aria!!!” shouts my mother, hearing her running towards me. I turn to her, only to have another shadowy man block me.

I leap back, summoning more water from bottle, forming the spatter into thousands of tiny needles, and firing them in all directions. Few hit their mark, but others are easily deflected, and then hurled back at me. I feel dozens of my own attacks piercing into my thighs, causing me to groan in pain.

Another knife soon flashes just barely an inch from my eye. I peel back like a reed in the wind, following in the same motion as the weapon, and sending a kick into my assailant. I follow up by charging an Orb and firing it into the man, passing through his body and partially into the man behind him.

I yank my hand back, causing the ball of energy to fly back towards me, hitting each person more once. I flip back a couple of feet, only to have my shoulder grabbed and then kicked in the spine, flying forward.

My eyes flare as I instantly transform into a kitsune, wrapping one of my tails around the nearest man's neck. I use what little water was left in the air to freeze into a platform and kicked off of it, spinning in the air, and slamming my hostage into the pavement.

I peer back at Rachel and Fenris, who each were dealing with a pair of shadowclad men, both trying desperately to reach me.

A fist soon strikes across my face, causing me to fall to the ground. It felt heavy and precise, even making my ears ring a little. I yelp as someone grabs one of my tails and curls it around their arms. I growl, sending kitsune-bi through it, and blasts my captor, setting his arm ablaze with blue spectral flame.

I flip back onto my feet again to discover a knife thrusted towards my chest. I parry the strike and grab his arm. Using his momentum, I spin around and plunge mine into his ribs. He didn’t even react to my attack.

With little thought, my hand quickly pulses into the pummel, sending a blast of ice magic along the knife and into his body. Before the spell could take effect, he turns and twists my hand free of the handle, dispelling it and then strikes me in the gut.

I stagger back, holding my stomach, coughing up more blood.

I could hear my mother’s frantic cries as she battles her opponent.

I look up, watching as the man pulls out the knife from his side. Fresh crimson blood drips from the blade as he flips the handle and slashed upwards. Again, I roll out away from the attack, discovering another coming in from the left.

I dodge the second, with a third then coming from the opposite direction. I take a slow breath, remembering my training with Yukari.

My body weaves through the rapid succession of attacks finding myself feeling lighter, no longer tied to the physical world. His strikes were fluid and wasted zero energy.

Although I highly doubt he’s ever fought a kitsune before. I match his movements, letting my body flow less like a person and more as a spirit, feeling the grace that had been so heavily drilled into me finally come out.

My body took on a soft glow as it weaves through the air, slipping through the onslaught of attacks. I retaliate by firing little jabs of magic into him, knocking the man off of his rhythm.

I attempted to land kicks to his body, moving fast and quick as my tiny frame lacked the raw physical strength of a dragon. Although the idea did cross my mind, it simply would’ve taken too long, and I needed the speed of the kitsune in this fight.

The assailant then swings down, trying to grab for me. I slide my body between his legs, wrapping one of my tails around his neck and pull hard.

The momentum brings the man forward, slamming headfirst into the pavement. I snarl, wrapping my tails around him and once more draw what little moisture I could muster from the air and condenses it, freezing the water into spikes and impaling him.

Rachel had always taught me to use my skills for defense and never to kill, a bit Jedi-ish if you ask me. When your life in on the line, you tend to throw those notions out the window. I didn’t hit any vital spots, or at least trying not to. I just want to restrain him.

My ears flick back at the sound of feet running towards me and turn to see my other opponent swooping in with a hand to grab for me. I dodge out of the way and leapt for a wall, kicking off of it and sailed through the air. My hands both fill with magic, as I watch him follow me.

I land on his head, and slam my hands into the sides of his temples, sending the charged magic into him. He quickly shrugs it off and grabs my arms, spinning me into the air and hurling me into the brick wall. I felt the wind escaping from me as I desperately tried to regain my breath. I look up at him, seeing the man drawing closer.

Once I was able to calm my breathing, I held up my hand, summoning several tags from my bag and created a couple of clones and sent them at him. They fought him back for a moment, allowing me to stand back up.

Fire swirls within my hand, kitsune-bi and now dragon flame. I mixed both together into an Orb and leapt towards my opponents, firing it at them. Both instantly catch fire as it passes through them the first time and then once more on the return trip. They clearly were showing signs of damage, but neither showing any pain.

My hands wave and dance in the air, directing the course and flow of the flames while my clones continue to dodge and harass the incinerating men. I wanted to call upon the water from the river, for if I could, I’d send it crashing into our attackers and then instantly freezing the lot.

But I was too far out from it and would’ve necessitated me bolting out of the alley, possibly exposing me to even more danger. I also hated the fact that I was fight on pavement and couldn't summon the earth from below to aid me.

Another problem I face during this whole ordeal is that I couldn’t call upon some of the other training I learned from Yukari and Master Mukegeno. The tags could be also used to seal or bind any target, with the use of spectral chains.

The thing is that I needed a few moments to chant the correct incantations for it take effect. Yukari also trained me on how to create massive illusions which could make the world appear however I wished for it be. Kitsune are tricksters for sure, but spells on that scale needed time to prepare, especially for a novice like me.

Time is a luxury I didn’t have. Even with my clones distracting them, I still needed a couple moments to settle myself and begin casting the spell.

I looked over to my mother and bonded, still being blocked by their opponents. The alleyway is full with pockmarks and blood as Fenris then tears into the throat of one of the figures, hearing the gut-wrenching sound of a neck snapping.

Rachel pierces the chest of another with a lightning spell. Both men drop to the ground dead. My mother motions to Fenris to charge after me only to have yet another pair of shadowy figures enter the fray. They quickly begin to push them back, forcing them to lose what ground they had gained.

Just who are these guys? They're just soaking up damage from all of us, with some even fighting on with limbs either torn or frozen off.

My mother summons her staff, only for it to transform into an all-black rapier with the ruby now forming at its core. For every one they take down, another soon takes its place. The more I watch them, the more I come to realize that they were trying to keep both my mother and bonded away from me rather than outright killing them.

Alleyway shakes and rattles as she sends shockwaves of magic with every strike of her sword. For the brief moment I could spare, I marvel at her, seeing every swing of her sword, the movement of her feet, the fierceness in her eyes as she fought desperately to reach me.

Fenris leaps and weaves through his opponents, slashing at them with his teeth and claws. My bonded even dragged a few into his shadow, which then collapsed, sending up a shower of blood and body parts.

He attempts the freeze the alley, which would have given us all a slight change in conditions and a potential distraction in order for me to Rush out to the river. But this proves to not be the case, only managing a small portion, instantly freezing three assailants in place, who were quickly killed by Rachel.

The cooler air however proves to be a boon for me in that it causes the hot humid air to condense, giving me limited access to more water.

I heard a scream as one of my clones disintegrates followed by the other. I reach to grab a couple more tags, watching the flames peter out around the men.

As I rise to cast the spell, a charred, searing hand grabs me by the throat, once more slamming me into the brick wall. His hand squeezes around my throat like a vise, gradually choking the air out of me. The smell of scorched, smoking flesh fills my nose as the still-burning flesh seared against my throat, scorching it.

I glare at his lifeless eyes, slamming my feet into the wall and wrapping my tails around him, engulfing the man in flames once more. I grabbed his arm and clawed at it, pushing desperately to free myself from his death grip. But it isn’t working. I feel more of my breath leaving me.

I find a knife on him and lift it up, stabbing furiously into his arm. My vision slowly begins to blur as I feel my life slipping away. My eyes grow heavy, as I listen to the faint cries of my mother. My hand lets go of the knife, letting it fall to the ground.

With one last act of defiance, I snatch the falling knife with one of my tails, plunging it deep into my captor’s temple. I open my eyes to see zero reaction aside from his grip tightening even more around my throat.

My eyes slowly begin to close, feeling myself slip away, and darkness slowly beginning to take me. Am I really going to die here, in some back alley?

Just as my last breath is about to me, something splatters across my face.

I fight to open my eyes, seeing a large blade sticking out of my captors face. He releases his stranglehold on me, as we both drop onto the ground.

I fall to my knees coughing, desperately drawing breath into my air-starved lungs. I then heard the sound of flesh being hacked in two, taking another needed breath.

“Easy Your Highness. Take slow and deep breaths,” I hear a slightly muffled voice tell me.

Your Highness?

I look up to see a heavily armor-clad man kneeling before me. His armor is smooth and grey with segmented pauldrons on his shoulders and skirt armor around his waist with bluish armor down the front.

His helmet is seamless and slightly bowl-shaped. His gauntlets are huge and smooth, kind of giving the impression he had taken them from RahXephon. His body looks heavily-built and in his right hand was a massive double-bladed sword with a huge blue crystal at its core.

I cough, feeling him softly rubbing my back. I looked over seeing my other opponent on the ground, also dead. “Your Highness, again, breath slowly,” speaking softly.

Again with the “Your Highness”. I finally am able to catch my breath, looking up at him. I can’t see anything beyond his faceplate. His attention then turns in the direction of my mother and Fenris. “I have secured Her Highness.”

“Good, I am nearly finished here,” speaks another voice, this time sounding more feminine.

I look up to see another armor-clad person, sporting an armor that I instantly recognize as being similar to that of Aqua’s from Kingdom Hearts. But it has a more greenish hue to the metal, with clear elven designs mixed into the armor.

The woman wields a smaller broadsword type weapon, but the blade is thinner and also sports a blue crystal as its core. On her left arm is a shield made of magic which sprouts out from what looked like an emitter of some kind. But it’s solid, as if made of glass. The woman deftly dispatch two more assailants with my mother and Fenris finishing off the others. Their bodies soon fade into heaps of ash.

A good assassin leaves zero trace.

Rachel quickly runs to my side, gathering me up into her arms, holding my tightly to her body. Hot tears drip onto my cheeks as she rocks me gently.

I feel weak, nearly as bad as when I fought against Irina. A hot, wet tongue slurps up my cheek, looking up to see Fenris, staring worried at me.

I let out another cough, spatting up another round of blood. My mother pulls out a handkerchief and wiped my face clean. “I thought I lost you my precious girl.”

I look up at her, “For a second I thought so too,” voice sounds raspy and gravely, turning the armor-clad pair, “thanks, whoever you are.”

The pair quickly kneels before me, bowing their heads low. “We are honored by your thanks, Your Highness,” speaks the man.

“We live to serve the Great House of Shyair,” adds the woman.

My eyebrow curls, Shyair?

My mother looks equally confused at the name, “What do you mean by…Shyair? As in one of the four Great Houses of Dewloura?”

The pair remains silent. Dewloura? What?

They then look to Rachel, “Lady Rivenfeld?” asks the woman.

She nods, “Yes? Do we know each other madam knight?”

The woman looks to her partner, and then back at my mother, “Only in passing my Lady. But I do remember seeing you while you visited the capital. But this clearly isn’t Dewloura. Might I inquire where we are precisely?”

I look to them, “This is Austin.”

Again they stare at each other. I listen as their armor clicks and clangs with every movement they make. But somehow it sounds more natural than just clunky armor, almost as if it were a part of them. Their movements are also freer, flowing as though they aren’t even wearing the armor at all.

At that moment, the sounds of cars rushing past us soon fill the alleyway, with people walking along the sidewalk.

My mother looks to everyone, “Perhaps we should continue this conversation someplace more suited for it.” The pair nods, rising to their feet.

Rachel then carefully loops her arms under me and slowly picks me up, pulling out her phone. I soon watch as the limo pulls up onto the curb, doors flinging wide open.

She carries me over, looking to the pair, “Please get in,” slipping inside, followed by Fenris.

Rachel places me onto the seat, sliding next to me to then hold me tightly to her body. My bonded takes his place on the seat next to me, having already shrunken into his smaller size.

The car rocks a little as the pair climb in, the woman “deactivates” her shield, sliding her sword into the emitter, hearing it click tight. The man’s massive sword shrinks in size until he slides into his gauntlet. Both warriors sit across from us, watching as the door closes.

Neither jump nor even move from their positions as the car pulls forward. I look to them, still unable to discern anything about either person.

Just what in the absolute hell was that back there and who are these two? They look like they came straight out of the Middle Ages or something. I stare at them, and why did they call me “Your Highness”?

I sigh allowing my body to revert to my human form. This causes a reaction as both of them look at each other. Rachel holds me tightly to her, stroking my hair. Tears still drip onto my cheeks.

I smile weakly, “Well…so much for our date.”

My mother looks to me and smiles, “Even after facing down death’s door, you still are able to jest.”

My shoulders shrugged, “What can I say, I’m an idiot.”

She chuckles, kissing my forehead. She then looked to the pair, “I cannot begin to thank you enough for rescuing my daughter.”

They bow their heads, “We live to serve the Great House of Shyair.”

Again…that name.

The car soon speeds along the highway, leaving the city, and heading straight for home. Rachel caresses my body, sending healing energies into me. I slowly begin to feel the stinging pain leave me as I rest against her.

Questions fly through my mind and I really can use some answers.