He huffed. "Lady is she? Huh." He smirked and said. "I am below your Mistress's husband."
He turned to the view. " I remember when your eyes were green. It's almost like you're a different person all together now. I'll pray for you."
The tiles were dark and shiny from what little light came in. She walked across them to stand close to him.
She smiled. "You're perceptive but stupid. So it doesn't matter. You'll always be below someone… once you're still alive."
She was the same height as him in her heels. Her eyes were purple now, like her Lady's. A moving purple.
"You should be careful how you speak to me. It's good just to give me what I want."
He nodded. "One of the three escaped, and your witch saw him heading south. I'll have someone grab him for me."
"You've got twenty days to complete the quota, Gavin." She turned and her steps sounded against the porcelain. "Get the job done or your daughter goes first. Does it count as a daughter at this stage?"
...…..
The service ended normally, and the members exited while smiling, and giving pleasantries.
Casey wiped the sweat from his brows. He had placed out portions of meat into separate silver pans; pork chops, chicken, and something he thought looked like a hybrid cut of loin. It probably was, since the members were rich.
There was macaroni, fresh buttery buns, and some pastries. He didn't like pastries, so he hadn't pinched those.
Kiana's father had actually left him to grill while he went into the church to fetch something from his wife.
The grill sat beneath a thin section of the rear left pink ponciana; sometimes the wind blew leaves onto the coals. Maybe pretty flowers would make the food taste better? Casey smiled at the thought, and turned the meat once more.
There were a lot more people attending the service than usual. Which was expected. Kiana had made it far in life, and it was just her first few steps.
Around the church were six poinciana trees. The pinks were at the front, yellows at the center of each side, and more pinks to complete the pattern.
Casey watched as a line formed. The meat had been cooked before grilling and he had mostly succeeded in placing the char and lines.
White chairs were placed in a haphazard way. They had to be, to catch the shaded areas.
The wind blew nicely as everyone sat and talked. Kiana had gotten a lot of handshakes, envelopes, gifts, and maybe other things Casey hadn't seen. He enjoyed watching her smile, he smiled himself.
A beautiful older lady came out of the side door of the church. She broke away from the awning, which covered a substantial section of the lawn. She looked like Kiana. Just a little taller and lighter skinned.
She walked up to Casey and pulled his ear. He scrunched his shoulders and said ah, ah.
"You deserve it. I haven't seen you in six months."
He held his ear. "I got kinda distracted ma'am, but I'm back."
"Yeah, I'll make sure of that. You seem alright despite the news thing. Kiana's lucky."
Casey's mouth dropped and he hung his head. A shy smile swelled his cheeks.
"I always tell her that."
She laughed really loudly, and a few people looked and looked away. They wouldn't stare at the first lady after all.
"Case keep the sense of humor. Too many sorcerers lose it when they get older. Keep it."
"Yes ma'am." He smiled. And she pulled his ear before leaving.
The day went by. Cars left one at a time and even his busy father had left him with the Humes's to help clean up the event.
He took that as a blessing. The truck was loaded with the tables and other items.
Casey suddenly felt a chill. He turned and saw that clear figure he hadn't seen in a week or more. It was a little more solid now. It pointed towards the direction of the Humes family. They were headed towards the bridge the led back to the western section of Old Providence.
He had watched them turn the left corner and exit his sight. The creature slowly faded away.
He rubbed his forehead and whispered no way. He thought of calling Kiana, but decided against it, he was in a panic and needed to stay close.
He called his father as he entered the truck and followed the Humes's. The bridge had a blue tint to the asphalt and dull silver poles ran along in a perfectly spaced and fashioned way. It was about three hundred feet, and it's height was about thirty feet. This bridge sat atop a stream of brackish water. The Altheian sea on the right and a rather large pond that ran about six miles. Grog pond. On its left.
Patches of land held sick white trees, and mangroves. His father hadn't answered and he had placed the phone in his lap. The Humes's drove not too far ahead.
They drove their red wine SUV at a brisk pace. Casey's eye calmed as he watched. He felt that whatever happened he'd do what he could for the people around him.
The light's shudderd awake and turned off again. Something heavy destroyed the left edge of the bridge. He stopped.
A man in black stood over what looked like a giant. He placed a leg on it, and pressed down. Small cracks spread out as the giant sank deeper.
The Humes's had stopped a little further up ahead. Adrian exited and walked over.
"I don't know where you're from but you're in Old Providence. You need to calm down."
Casey jumped out and came besides Humes. The air felt cold. The man ignored them and continued staring at the creature as it groaned.
"Mr Humes, I think you should get your family away from this bridge."
"Casey, are you sure about this?"
"Yes. Hey! Stop now!" The mana coming from the stranger felt about the same density as his, he could handle this. He had to.
"I came here to track him. I'm only here for John. You don't need to get involved. Go home."
"That's not gonna happen." Casey flooded his body with composite mana.
The man sighed and took his foot off. Suddenly he moved intensely. He gotten to Casey in what seemed like one step to him. Casey crossed both arms and a hook sent him flying off the bridge.
It took him a second to really understand what had happened. He twisted, and blew wind mana to soften his landing.
He got both feet onto the floor before sinking over an inch.
The other man had followed him. He landed much more violently.
Casey raised his head and tore a path through the pungent mud.
He threw blows for the mid section, and pressed forward with a heavy straight to his opponent's nose.
They were deflected or dodged.
The pale skinned man smiled. His hands turned white.
He came in with the same speed as before. Casey was ready this time and parried the right hook. He threw a upper cut, that was dodge, the man stepped back.
They circled each other.
"We should stop. I don't know if I can keep you… okay, if we keep going."
The pond had life. Mostly birds, that flew over the evening skies. Turtles that paddled in the muddy water. And even more things that hid from the danger.
"I'm going to kill you and throw your body into the ocean." He stood tall and locked eyes with Casey. "I am Crane. As a warrior, give me your name."
"It is, what it is, Casey Knowles."
The white on the man arms grew to his shoulders. The ground suddenly hardened and caught Casey's feet.
Crane rushed in and threw a heavy right.
Casey barely reacted in time. He blew a hard breath that tossed the man away to a patch of land.
Crane skidded for about fifteen feet.
Casey's breath raced. Crane had almost killed him.
His hands were shaking at first, and as they stopped, he lit them on fire. The tongs rolled from red to yellow. Small waves of heat made his clothing flow.
"Okay."
Crane stomped his foot onto the small cay, and it sank a few inches as the pond's floor rose under Casey.
He stumbled and Crane was upon him again. They clashed. Steam exploded out and fog rolled across the pond.
They fought for minutes, which felt like hours. Casey had completely lost himself in this. In surviving it. This was battle.
He had heard Kiana's crying, but that had faded.
Trees snapped on the cay. The hardened raised stone floor had grown ditches and chunks of dirt and plant life froze or burned away.
All life had become silent in the pond.