Chapter 87: Challenged Authority

"Erik, come on." I said as I lightly grabbed his arm and dragged him away before anyone could try and stop me. "We'll be back at the inn." I said to the Kestler brothers.

"Hey, Kai, stop!" He said as I dragged him outside. "What's going on?" He finally grabbed my wrist and shook me off. I could see the anger in his eyes.

"Relax, Erik." I said as I pulled my hand away. "She's no danger to them. Let them talk privately."

Erik flinched. "What?" He whispered. I glanced around us – we were standing right outside the coliseum.

"Come on, I'll tell you all about it." I said as I tilted my head towards the street. "Let's go back to the inn." I didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of the city and the matter was somewhat private.

Erik relented after a few seconds. "We should wait for Alina and Samantha though." He said, glancing at the coliseum entrance. I nodded; this was something they had to know as well.

We didn't have to wait long as the two girls soon stepped out of the coliseum gates. As soon as they saw us, Alina's expression lighted up. She showed us a beautiful smile as she ran towards us.

"Oh my god, Kai!" She said taking my hand in hers. "That was amazing! You were so fast; they didn't stand a chance against you!"

"Thanks, Alina. But they were fairly strong in their own right." I said with a smile.

"Let's go." Erik's cold voice sounded.

I flinched. His demeanour had changed so suddenly. I had noticed it happen before too, but today it was a lot more obvious. I considered asking if something was wrong for a moment, but then decided otherwise.

"Where are Vincent and Joshua?" Samantha asked as we walked back to the inn. "Are they ok? They were both wounded a little. Vincent even more so." She said with a worried expression.

"They're fine." I said with a faint smile. "They're meeting someone."

Despite my words, I couldn't help but worry. Honestly, I hadn't expected Victoria to take my words seriously. I didn't think she'd actually come to meet them. And now that she had, I couldn't help but wonder – did she have another agenda?

Before I even noticed, we had arrived at the inn. We stepped inside and took our place around a table in the back. Erik ordered us some drinks, though I chose to not have anything alcoholic.

"So," He said leaning forward on the table. "Who was she?"

As soon as he said that Alina and Samantha's ears perked up as soon as the words left Erik's mouth.

I took a deep breath. "She's Victoria Kestler. Their cousin." I had to pause as a young local brought our drinks. We thanked him, and once he was out of earshot distance, I continued.

"She owns a rather well-known store here in the city," I started to explain. Naturally, I left out all the parts involving Asher, instead saying that I stumbled upon her shop while exploring the city. Erik, Samantha, and Alina listened to me with varying expressions.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Erik asked after I finished. I flinched as I noticed his expression – his eyes were filled with anger. "You should have told me, Kai." He hissed through his clenched teeth.

I felt my body tense up as I met his glare. "Because this is about their family, first and foremost." I replied. "I have no right to interfere, and neither do you. Let them have their reunion in peace."

Erik clenched his fists. "No, I do have the right to interfere. I am the leader of our group; I am trying to keep each and every one of you alive. I need to know what's going on if I am to do my job!"

I drew a sharp breath. "What?" I asked quietly. "You're not-" I stopped myself before I said something too hurtful. "Erik, just let them have a little bit of time alone with their family. If I thought she'd harm them, I wouldn't have let them meet her alone."

"I'm so happy for them." Alina said with a soft voice. She glanced at Erik with a somewhat confused expression. "Why are you so hung up on this?"

"I'm not." The young paladin said through his clenched teeth. "Kai, there's something I need to take care of. Why don't you come with?"

I sighed. "Sure," I glanced at Samantha and Alina. "Can you let the others know when they come back?" The girls nodded.

I followed an impatient Erik outside. "So," I said after a moment of silence. "Where are we going?"

With clenched fists, he walked down the street, towards the city gates. I knew what was coming – I could even name a few things he was probably going to shout at me in the coming minutes. As we silently passed through the gates, I couldn't help but sigh a breath of relief. Seeing the green grass on the ground, the colourful flowers and the massive forest stretching before me was relaxing, despite the situation I was in.

We walked amongst the woods for a while. Eventually, once we were out of view and a ways away from the city gates, Erik stopped in his tracks.

"What are you trying to accomplish, Kai?" He asked with clenched fists. "Why are you trying to undermine my authority?" He was shouting.

I forced myself to stay calm, though it was proving to be challenging. "I am not trying to undermine your authority. I told you everything, haven't I?"

"Stop lying!" He shouted. His face twisted with an ugly expression. "What the hell do you want from me? Why can't you just let me do what I always do?"

I flinched. "Erik, what on earth are you talking about?" I asked. His stupid assumptions and insecurities were clouding his judgement. "I don't want anything from you! All I care about is getting the hell out of this place. Getting all of us out of this place!" I realised that I was shouting after the fact.

For short while, we stared at each other in heavy silence. Eventually, it was Erik who spoke through his gritted teeth. "Then why are you always in the spotlight?"

I shrugged. "Maybe it's because I get stuff done." While I didn't intend to hurt him, I didn't regret saying what I said.

His eyes flared up as he summoned his sword and shield from his inventory.

"Does that mean that I don't?" He shouted, pointing his sword to me.