Half an hour had passed since Gonje began repairs on his ship. The hull had sustained minor damage, and vital parts had been ripped out from the rough landing. Akeron and Zuri had entered the forest, looking for the missing part, as well as being wary of any sign of aura.
Akeron bent down to observe the shoe tracks on the ground. "She knew we were on our way."
Zuri asked. "The storm, you know who was behind it?"
"It was an illusion, more powerful than one I could create myself. It's one of the many talents of the Ojaa Faction."
"Why would they do that?"
"The Orod were one before, but certain events and actions led to a break. Pewan and the Ojaa, with access to tincture, their motivations are very different even though we seek the elements the same."
"What happened between them?"
"It's a complicated story, way before I was born," Akeron said, scanning the bushes for anything out of the ordinary. "The Pewans believed the elements need to be reunited, same as the Ojaa but they believed more in force, a result of the Yinoa invasion that led to the creation of the elements to begin with. The Ojaa, we believe, may take over the galaxy with the help of the elements."
"Is that really possible?"
"It's what we believe."
The duo moved farther before encountering a part of the ship. Heavy and large, Akeron employed his tincture to increase his strength, as he lifted it with help from Zuri.
Zuri grunted. "Who is she?"
"I may have a clue," said Akeron, he felt the part get lighter. "Kelienne, she is one of the best wielders of tincture I've ever seen."
"And what are you going to do if you see her?"
"Take her down, her presence would only hinder the journey."
"You mean to kill her."
"Orods are forbidden from taking one another's lives."
"She sent a storm after us, I think she meant to kill us."
A point worth noting, Akeron thought. His encounters with Kelien in the past had resulted in worse circumstances than the ones they were currently in. Truth was, Kelienne was a formidable foe, capable of ending his life. Her age, experience, and usage of tincture spoke to his legacy, but then, their code held strongly. The Orod were not a band of lawless bandits and outlaws, they had order, whichever faction they belonged to.
Akeron answered. "We are alive, are we not?"
"Hopefully for much longer, we have to move much quicker, I don't like this place."
"You know, being an Orod requires you to be fearless. Even in the face of death, you need to stand strong," said Akeron. "If you want to learn my magic, you need to master that."
"I take it that means you'll be teaching me soon."
"I'm considering it, but you have to put in the work," Akeron paid attention to his weakening hands and weary legs. "You're still a kid, you have potential."
"So I've been told, master."
Master. A playful jab but it could mean more than he was finally ready to be a mentor to the next generation. He found himself considering the idea of Zuri learning tincture, what would that mean for his status on Ulyrn Nezys, how would his father react? A question for another day, it seems.
They arrived at the ship with the missing part. Gonje appeared from the back with his head covered in sweat and black oil. He looked tired.
"Good," Gonje let out an audible sigh. "I'll fix it and we'll be ready to go."
A couple of minutes later, the engine roared to life. Gonje swore under his breath, accompanying it with a slight prayer. The ship began to hover slowly, out of the twigs and into the air.
Akeron asked. "How fast can you push the engine?"
"Not that fast," Gonje pushed buttons on the dashboard. "After that rough landing, the engine would need better repairs at Ortin station. That's assuming we don't get into another storm."
"Kelienne succeeded in delaying us, she wouldn't stick around," said Akeron.
"She must have been tailing us for a while," Zuri said.
Ishould've known, he thought. Akeron sighed. There was no way Kelien would've known about Hudun, but it would not take a genius to figure out the location of the bandits, especially with the resources and assets of the Ojaa scattered across the galaxy.
Minutes later, they approached Ortin station. A domed city, with docking stations visible from their ship. There were hundreds, possibly thousands of people walking back and forth, boarding and exiting different crafts. Finding Kelienne amongst them would prove difficult, especially if she concealed her aura, and that was assuming she had not yet taken off for the South.
Akeron considered abandoning them, chasing down Kelienne himself but even then, he wouldn't be able to take Kelien down and retrieve the element at the same time. The situation had to be approached with reason and calm.
"We are here," Gonje said, as his ship docked. "I'll look for the mechanic, here," he handed Akeron a note. "Here are the contacts as requested by Lord So'lan, I would follow you but I ain't leaving this ship alone."
"Understood," Akeron glanced at Zuri. "Let's go."
They exited the ship and moved into the crowd. Akeron handed the note over to Zuri.
Zuri read aloud. "Greiant, on Level 32, apartment 213."
"You know who that is?"
"I've heard father talk about him, I don't know much."
Akeron moved, keeping his eyes on Zuri. The crowd was a heavy one, people bumping into one another. He scanned through the crowd with his glowing eyes, and there it was, a distinct aura. He switched course and chased after the aura but it kept moving around. Kelienne, couldn't possibly be anybody else. Zuri called for him to wait but he ignored her. This was perhaps his one chance to catch up to her. But why? Why was she still in Ortin Station? Could this be a trap, like the storm?
Akeron chased the aura down the stairs, into a small bar. On the seat in the corner of the room was Kelienne, with a jug of beer in her hand, and a sly smile, waving down Akeron to take a seat with her.