The Journey of Two Sisters: Book 4 of the Kinstone series

(Marron)

I feel another tug on my finger.

I’ve been driving for the past few days along every possible route Aria could take. If she is heading north, there are several options for her. But knowing her, there is really one place she could go to since fleeing the Ranch.

So yesterday, I began following the main bus route towards Missouri. It hasn’t been easy as I had no idea how many times they would’ve stopped to rest or if Aria had been driving towards St. Louis.

I feel yet another tug on my finger, but this time it feels as though it had been snapped tight. I peer down to see it glowing bright red, as if burning hot, yet no heat. Why is it glowing? Somehow I should know what this is, but part of me knows that it’s tied to my sister.

I look back up to see people standing some distance from a bus stop. I pull over to the side of the road and take out some binoculars.

At first glance I thought they were just standing around waiting for the next bus to arrive. But they weren’t even near the platform. They were just standing around and talking to each other. I look through the binoculars at them. My eyes grow wide as I see the sigil of Hawkesvaine emblazoned upon their clothes.

If Hawkesvaine is after her, then Aria and her group really are in for a fight. I put down the binoculars into the front seat and get out of my car. I slowly creep towards them, keeping myself hidden in the bushes.

My attention is then drawn towards the sounds of explosions coming from the woods not too far from where the station is. I look back towards the group of Hawkesvaine members still standing there. Some appear to be no older than me.

I pull out my needle and throw it towards them as they begin to move towards the woods. I direct to pierce each and every person. My targets hardly even notice having a needle going through them.

I watch as the needle does one more pass before I direct back towards my hand. Once I catch it, I grab hold of the magical thread and yank on it hard, causing the group to slam into each other, and to be knocked unconscious.

I come out from behind the bush and run over to them. I see several phones lying on the ground. I hold out my hand and summon each of them. I place the tip of my finger against the back of one and shoot a small beam of magic through the stack, destroying them. No one will be calling on the whereabouts of my sister.

I toss away the broken husks and turn my attention back onto the men lying at my feet. I place my hands over them. “Mind is fleeting, mind is fading. Strip the images of the past and cast them aside.”

My hands begin to glow as I twist and twirl my fingers, pulling upon their memories of my sister and where they are. Once done I look them over, making sure they are still knocked out. With a nod, I turn and head towards the woods, and my sister.

My feet seem to carry me without thinking, somehow knowing where to go. I see in the thread from before glowing even brighter as it seems to be pulling me forward, feeling it growing even tighter. My ears soon hear the sounds of a girl screaming in agony mix in with the sounds of adults laughing.

I quickly duck behind a tree, and peer out. To my horror, I see Aria pinned down in the ground by a trio of adults.

She flails her tails wildly, firing kitsune-bi around her, with several wrapped tightly around the necks and arms of her captors. Several of the fireballs managed to hit a couple of her captors, with one being hit squarely in the face. The man rolls on the ground crying out in pain.

This brief moment gave Aria a chance to hold out her hand. I glanced over to see water flying in from a nearby creek. But she was quickly struck in the back of the head, causing the water to fall to the ground.

I feel my heart beat rapidly in my chest. I know I should, no, have to intervene and rescue her. But…but I feel the weight and guilt of my sin staying my feet. My hand tightly grips the exposed root in front me. It’s as though I am unworthy of my sister.

My heart shudders again as I hear her scream. I look over to see that I woman is now leaning over her. She grabs Aria by the hair and hoists her head up.

My eyes then glance upwards. Her knights are struggling to reach her, but are far too heavily surrounded. I watch as their swords wing desperately through the air, cutting down their opponents by more remain and are actually giving them a good fight.

Fenris on the other hand is also struggling as he constantly attempts to break past the group of humans around him. But he is often intercepted by people who are able to “somewhat” counter his shadow magic. Some have even erected a barrier, separating Aria from her party.

She lets out yet another scream I see her captors actually pulling on her tails. Her tiny body flails on the ground from the pain. Her captors all seem to be enjoying their torture of my sister. Tears stream down the side of her face as I glimpse the sheen of a knife as it’s drawn.

My eyes grow wide as I know the abominable act they have planned for her. Seeing actual fear in my little sister’s eyes finally causes my apprehension to snap. I rise from my hiding place and charge in to help her.

I race up to her and blast all of them with a burst of magic. I land a kick to the one pulling on her tails. His body lands hard onto the ground as I proceed to drive my boot into his neck. Aria slowly rises and looks up at me. Her golden kitsune eyes sparkle with surprise. A soft, hopeful smile begins to form on her face.

Before she can say anything, I am knocked from behind. I stagger for a moment, finally regaining my footing. I reach back to touch my head, thankfully not seeing any blood.

“No one will interfere with us taking the girl,” says the man in front of me. “When we bring her in, our coven will be richly rewarded. And we don’t aim to share the prize with anyone.” He then pulls out a massive hunting knife.

Does this guy think that I’m with a rival coven? Aiming to bring in my little sister?

I ears still ring a bit from the heavily blow I just took.

“You won’t hurt my sister!!!” screams Aria.

The young kitsune holds up both of her hands. Deep crimson dragon flames mixed with deep-blue ice spew forth from her hands and cover the man. I look on with shock. When did she learn to combine both elements together so perfectly?

I then peer behind her, seeing that she now has her ninth tail. It sways through the air with the rest of them. Something…something within my heart seemingly is leaping for joy. Why?

The man is knocked back several feet and into a tree. He rolls around on the ground, screaming in agony as his body both freezes and burns from the combination.

I stagger back to my feet, with her rushing to me. I feel her placing her back against mine. My heart shudders at her touch. In my mind, I am seemingly torn, wanting to run away yet at the yet same time stay with her.

Here is my sister, the one I betrayed and stole from her home and mother, the same girl that I have missed terribly over the past couple of months. I’ve missed her even more so than ever in the past. But now we’re together again, and I feel like a coward, wanting to just run away again now that I am here with her.

I feel a soft pinkish tail wrapping around my body. Aria presses her body tightly against my own.

“Thank you,” she whispers, causing my heart to shudder once more. Her voice is mixed with happiness and a tinge of sadness. But it’s the sadness that grips my heart. I know I’ve done wrong by her, and again feel as though I am unworthy of my sister.

I hear the sounds of the woman from before rising to her feet. I peer over my shoulder towards her. Her lips curl into a snarl. “It seems that I have to deal with another problem,” she says.

“A problem that we intend to solve,” adds Aria, flaring her tails.

She lets go of my body as I see her summoning a pair of clones and charges the woman. The trio tackles the woman to the ground, with one of them slamming their heads into hers, knocking her out. Two of them then rise and charge towards Fenris and the knights. With the aid of the clones, they are finally able to push back against Hawkesvaine.

I launch my needle into the crowd, watching as it pierces through each and every target with ease. Sheets of ice then soon begin to appear amongst the trees. I peer over to see the Aria next to me, looking back and smiling. At just a glance, Aria has already deduced my strategy. I know her party is tired from fighting and would love nothing more than to end this fight.

The needle ricochets off of the sheets and into more of their attackers. Fenris begins to drive his opponents towards a central point with the aid of a clone. He drags several into the shadows, and then spits them into the growing group. The knights slice through several more, again driving them into the center of the woods with the rest of their numbers.

Fenris takes control of the ice sheets and creates a mini blizzard, causing them to grow and encircle their enemies. I yank on the magical thread upon the fifth pass, quickly snatching it out of the air.

Aria grabs onto the thread, charges her finger and streaks it across the thread, firing a string of magic along it, causing the group to explode. Their unconscious bodies fall to the ground in heaps.

Aria then runs over to them and holds out her hands, casting what appears to be a pinkish mist over them. I guess we really do think alike sometimes.

She turns to Fenris, “Can you drag them into your shadow and dump them far away from us?”

The wolf nods. I watch as the group begins to sink into a dark shadow. Even the ones laying at me and Aria's feet begin to disappear. Once gone, the massive wolf then turns and runs off into the woods.

I stand there for a moment as one of the clones disappears. Aria’s knights sheath their weapons, finally breathing a sigh of relief and momentary victory. I feel my heart shattering as the guilt from before begins to swell within me.

I can’t stay, I think as I turn and walk away.