Web of Knowledge - Chapter 23: Expression

The match ended soon after Kalden destroyed the power plant. Unlike the qualifier rounds, which kept going until the last group of survivors, this exam focused more on the major objectives. Now that Kalden had blown up the plant, it was impossible for any faction to win.

Moon Army had been tasked with maintaining the status quo, which was obviously impossible. And Sun Army couldn’t detonate their bomb without the plant’s mana source. As for Blood Army, they’d been tasked with disabling the plant, and this explosion didn’t count.

Raizen set a thirty-minute timer, giving the remaining teams a chance to complete their smaller objectives. Many of them succeeded, especially the ones who’d been clear of the blast.

The Grandmaster’s reaction was exactly what Kalden had expected. Destroying the plant was technically a valid move to prevent his opponents from winning, but Kalden wouldn’t be rewarded for it. Aside from the kills he’d scored, which actually numbered in the dozens.

Tori and Lyra seemed to understand, too. Rushing into the plant had ended in disaster, but who could have guessed they’d run into Akari there? Her team never would have made it that far if they hadn’t stumbled on to an Alchemy Shack. With that in mind, he doubted the store’s placement was a coincidence.

“There are a thousand paths to victory,” Raizen always said. And he’d proven that today by dropping various tools in their path. Some students took advantage of the tools while others got tunnel vision and ignored them.

Everyone got a break once the thirty minutes were up, then Raizen gathered them in the field for his post-exam thoughts. He replayed key parts of the match on several screens of dream mana, discussing which tactics worked and which ones didn’t.

He showed Akari’s team raiding the alchemy store and her subsequent series of portals that brought them into the power plant. Her advancement was obvious in hindsight, because these portals were twice as wide as they’d been last week.

Several other teams used Wind or Gravity Artists to get in early, including the team Kalden had fought when he first arrived. Others commandeered trucks or construction equipment as makeshift tanks. Arturo Kazalla had even used a train to get behind Moon Army’s lines.

Unfortunately for Kalden, this recap ended with the scene of him destroying the power plant from the control room. Most people hadn’t known who to blame for that, and he felt dozens of eyes on him as Raizen spoke.

~~~

“Trengsen,” said a gravelly voice. Kalden turned to see Zukan Kortez, the massive half-dragon with dark green scales stomping toward him. He wore a black fedora, with a golden necklace peaking out from his shirt. Kalden couldn’t make out the pendant from here, but it looked like an Angelic star.

Zukan’s teammate, Arturo Kazalla stood on his right, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses despite the cloudy gray sky. Elise Moonfire stood on his left with her blonde hair in a tight braid.

“What was that?” Zukan demanded as he closed the distance.

Kalden raised his chin to look at him. “Don’t tell me you’re a sore loser.”

“You ignored the spirit of the game,” Elise said.

Kalden gave her a flat look. “You’ve known me for half a semester now, Miss Moonfire. What made you think I’d play fair today?”

“That’s your problem,” Zukan said in a low voice. “You rich little humans think you can take whatever you want. But some of us are training to be soldiers.”

Zukan probably didn’t mean “soldiers” in the traditional sense. He would have joined the military if that were the case. But while Espiria’s main branches answered to the prime minister, other Mystics commanded their own private forces. These sects and clans walked a fine line between actual soldiers and civilians, depending on who you asked. And unlike the main military branches, they were happy to accept graduates from programs like the Artegium. They also paid much better.

“We fight to make this world better,” Zukan continued. “That means following our orders.”

“I can respect that,” Kalden said. “The world needs people like you.” He left the rest unsaid—that he and Akari had much loftier goals in mind. Even the absence of those words felt arrogant enough.

“And it has enough people like you,” Zukan retorted. “You caused an explosion in a populated city.”

“It’s a game,” Kalden said. “There were no civilian casualties.”

“You killed members of your own army.”

“My tactics would change in real life.”

“These games prepare us for real missions,” Zukan said. “If the Artegium had any integrity, they’d disqualify you now. You and your Death Artist friend.”

“This was a game,” Kalden repeated, drawing out the last word. “Do you lecture crowns players who sacrifice their pawns?”

Zukan narrowed his reptilian eyes. “You darken your soul every time you do this. You become more ruthless. More likely to do this in real life.”

Kalden shook his head. “Raizen said it himself—this was nothing like a real battle. What kind of bomb needs a power supply just to explode? It was a contrived scenario for three factions to fight each other. Besides, your team was planning to detonate a bomb. What’s your conscience say about that?”

“It says I was playing a role for the sake of a lesson. What were you doing?”

Kalden ignored that. He didn’t need to justify his actions to Zukan Cortez, and there were no prizes for trying. Instead, he turned his gaze to Elise Moonfire who loomed a few paces behind the massive dragon. This self-righteous idealism wasn’t her style at all. She literally won duels by showing people their most traumatic memories. Even Elend drew the line at that.

Elise put on a show of looking stern. She’d carefully controlled the muscles in her face, but a triumphant smile flashed in her eyes.

“I see,” Kalden finally said. “You two plan to gang up on Blood Army.” Despite all their plotting, no one had seriously considered an alliance until now. Kalden and Elise would have both betrayed each other, and they both knew it. Meanwhile, Zukan was too noble for anything unfair or unbalanced.

Now, Zukan saw Elise as the lesser of two evils, and she could trust him to keep his word.

“We’ll join forces against you during the qualifying rounds,” Zukan confirmed. “That alliance will last until you’re eliminated.”

“Why are you telling me?” Kalden asked.

“I don’t stab people in the back,” he said. “I’m telling you to your face, and I’m telling you why.”

Zukan and Elise went their separate ways after that, but Arturo hung behind. He shrugged as if to apologize for the whole discussion. “I like you, shoko. But I also wanna win.”

“You know she’ll betray you,” Kalden said.

“Yeah, well, two can play at that.”

Kalden almost laughed. “You think you can beat a Dream Artist at her own game?”

“I’ve beaten her before. And honestly, shoko? You’re way more ruthless than Moonfire.”

~~~

Kalden got home around eight o’clock that evening. He’d driven himself back from the airship port, while Akari had gotten a ride with Relia. Elend and Irina were both out tonight, so he headed straight for the pool house in the backyard.

He’d probably have to move to a regular guest room once winter set in. Otherwise, he’d be trudging through snow just to get to the main house. But he’d appreciated the extra privacy over the summer. Especially when he’d been dealing with his injuries.

Kalden pulled off his t-shirt, then he headed to the bathroom to turn on the shower. He’d already showered after the match, but this had been a long day, and he needed to unwind.

And yes, he was capable of relaxing, despite what everyone seemed to think.

No sooner had he reached the bathroom than the poolhouse door swung open. Kalden popped his head out to see Akari storming inside.

“Ever heard of knocking?” he asked.

“Your door has a lock, doesn’t it?”

Kalden sighed, returned to the dimly lit bathroom, and took his time putting his t-shirt back on. Akari followed him straight inside, ever the soul of decorum.

“Why’d you chase me down?” she demanded.

“I had to put up appearances. I couldn’t pull my punches with all of Blood Army watching.”

“I watched the replay on the ride back,” she said. “Your objective was nowhere near the control room.”

He nodded. “I wasn’t trying to help Blood Army win today. I wanted all three armies to lose. No faction gets the starting prizes this way. ”

Akari crossed her arms but didn’t meet his eyes.

“And I have the three armies fighting each other,” Kalden continued. “This is exactly what we wanted. They’re focused on me instead of—”

“I don’t give a shit about the armies,” Akari said. “Or your little plots. It’s just another stupid system. Like the badges on Arkala, or the marks in Creta.”

“I’m not part of it,” Kalden said. “I’m trying to take them down from the inside, and it’s working.”

“Working for you,” Akari shot back. “I would have gotten a starting prize today if you didn’t get in my way.”

Kalden raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you stormed in here because I didn’t go easy on you.”

“Yeah right,” she said. “We tie. Even with you going all out.”

“Then what’s really going on? Why are you sailing around the storm now?”

“Look who’s talking,” Akari said. “Couldn’t get you to say two words to me all summer.”

“I’m here.” Kalden spread out his arms. “I’m listening.”

“Fine.” Akari took a step closer. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re a zombie all year, and now you suddenly care? Now that you’re in Blood Army?”

Kalden blinked. Whatever he’d expected to hear, it wasn’t that. And yes, he might have thrown himself too deep into training earlier in the year, but he’d gotten better as the weeks went on.

“I saw you.” She gestured at his face.

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Forget it.” Akari rolled her eyes.

“No. Why’d you really storm in here?”

“I said forget it.” She turned as if to leave, but Kalden slid to block her path.

“Tell me. What’s wrong?

Akari let out a breath, then her jaw hardened as she glanced up to meet his gaze. She swallowed hard, and her lip quivered as she spoke. “You cared about this. I saw it in your eyes while we fought. You finally cared about something, and it was all for that stupid army.”

Then Akari pushed him away with her new Apprentice strength. His back collided with the towel bar, and she stomped toward the doorway.

He grabbed her by the wrist, and her dark hair bounced against her shoulders as she whirled back to face him. She held his gaze with fire in her eyes, but she didn’t break away. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, and he felt the pulse in her arm where he held her. She really was beautiful when she looked like that. A part of him had thought so before, and it was even clearer in this moment.

They hadn’t been this close since before they’d arrived in Koreldon, but something had changed today. As if fighting had finally broken down some invisible barrier.

“It was never about them,” Kalden finally said.

Akari sprang toward him again, closing the distance. Their lips met, and it was impossible to say who started it. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his own hands grabbed her waist, pulling her closer.

Words often came slowly for Kalden. Too late, or not at all. But battle was a true form of expression—all the complex musings of the heart reduced to simple motion. Mercy, anger, fear, and sacrifice. They’d felt it all in the match today, and it was worth more than ten thousand words.

Akari felt like a coiled spring for the first few seconds, which honestly didn’t surprise him. Her jaw was tight, and he felt more teeth than lips when he kissed her. But she adapted quickly like she always did. Their lips met and parted, and she relaxed more each time. He still felt a current of ferocity beneath it all, from her beating heart to the heat of her breath.

She lifted his t-shirt and dug her hands into the muscles of his lower back. Kalden’s own hands wandered below the hem of her hoodie and tank top, feeling the soft skin of her stomach. His hands crept upward, but Akari must have gotten impatient because she grabbed his wrist and brought it all the way to her breast.

Well, she certainly knew what she wanted.

A sensation like cycling mana flowed through him at the touch. Everything became a blur, and thoughts faded to raw sensations—her lips against his, the warmth of her skin, and the way she fit into his arms. He wanted her more than he'd wanted anyone before.

Kalden reached down and grabbed her by the thighs, lifting her up and pinning her against the granite counter. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer and rocking against him. A satisfied sound escaped her lips, and she shrugged out of her hoodie, letting it fall on the counter. She grabbed the hem of her tank top next and started exposing her skin to the cool air.

“Wait.” Kalden reached out and stopped her. “We shouldn't move too fast.”

“Yeah.” Akari let her shirt fall back into place, breathing hard but not meeting his eyes. “That’s cool.” Her words were casual, but her couldn’t mistake the desperation in her voice. It was just like the day he’d refused to dance with her at Arturo’s party.

He took a step back, trying to get a grip on his racing thoughts. “I want to,” he said, “believe me. But there’s no reason to rush into things. I wouldn’t want to sleep with you before we’ve even gone on a real date.”

Akari let out a long breath and met his eyes in an unspoken challenge. She didn’t believe him, which was actually fair, considering he’d spent the entire summer in denial.

“It’s okay.” He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. Her body melted against his, and she squeezed him as if she never wanted to let go.

“I'm still here,” he told her. “No matter what.”