Kaelor Vex's Arc

Chapter 3 of 5

The stone door swung inward. Cold air rushed up from the dark. Kaelor stepped onto the first stair, hammer ready. Ruby crowded behind him. Below, torches sparked to life on their own, one after another. They lit a stone room lined with racks of old jewelry and weapons. His bloodline's bunker. His people had sealed their wealth here before the exile. "Would you look at that," Ruby breathed. She pushed past him and lifted a gold chain from a hook. "This buys a lot of plane tickets home." Kaelor caught her wrist. "Put it down. This is not yours." "We opened it together, cat man." She yanked free. "That was the deal. Half." "The deal was I help you reach Earth." He set his hammer against the wall. "These are the relics of my house. I need them to raise an army and take back my throne. Every ring buys a soldier." "And every ring buys me a way off this swamp planet." Her chin lifted. "You don't get to decide alone." They glared at each other across the torchlight. The bargain hung by a thread. If she grabbed what she could and ran, he lost the wealth that made his claim real. If he forced her out, he lost the one ally who found this place. A scratching came from the dark stairs above. Both of them turned. A small creature trotted down into the light. It had gray fur marked with pale blue lines that seemed to glow, and bright curious eyes. It looked like a dog, but not quite. It sniffed the floor, then sat at Kaelor's feet and looked up. Ruby froze. "What is that." "I do not know." Kaelor knelt. The little animal pressed its head to his palm, the same way the panther had bowed to his mark. His chest went tight. "It knows my blood. Same as the great cat." He looked at Ruby. "These creatures vanished when the warlord took power. They are coming back. To me." Ruby watched the small beast lean into his hand. Her grip on the gold chain loosened. "So the animals think you're the real king." "They remember what the warlord tried to erase." Kaelor stood. He picked one thing from the rack, a heavy silver band, and pressed it into her palm. "Take this. One piece. Enough to trade for what you need. The rest raises my army. When the throne is mine, I command the portals. I send you home myself. That is worth more than a fistful of rings you cannot spend on this world." Ruby weighed the band. She weighed the glowing pup at his feet, and the room full of proof that his claim was true. "Fine," she said. "But when you win, you owe me a door back. And I'm holding you to it." "Agreed." He clasped her hand. The trust held. The relics were his to spend now, and the road to war lay open.