Chapter 26

Bad Blood

We don't have healers here! You could have killed him,” Albert said, he still didn't get up though, it could be seen that he was afraid.

“Maybe you shouldn't go around letting unruly children speak for you then brother, I probably saved you a headache in the future.”

“Oh no middle brother, if he dies, it is a big headache for you,” Albert was being purposefully cryptic.

“What the hell does that mean? You and this boot are testing my patience,” Gideon the hot head said.

“The boy was telling me that his grandma would come for him soon, he told me that she had spirit power and could even fly. If you hurt her grandson, she will likely hurt you just as bad, maybe worse even.” Albert smiled while saying this, he knew it was a lie, but his brother couldn't tell.

“That can't be true, you're making it up,” a false bravado appeared in Gideon’s voice.

“It might be false, but why would the boy lie to me, he even showed me that he too has spirit powers. You had better hope he is still safe or I will make sure that when his grandmother shows up she knees where you live. I won't take the blame for your rash actions.” Albert still hasn't moved from his seat, but Gideon began to worry.

“Enough of this younger brother. If an old wench does come for the boy then fate will decide. Until then, get someone to clean up this mess,” Gideon said, pointing at the seemingly lifeless body of Silent Black.

Sai laid limply while being carried out by a servant who Albert called for. Sai spread his consciousness out to still hear the conversation the two were having while he was placed in a side bedroom before cremation.

“Albert, what are you doing taking in children? You have no right,” Gideon returned to his stately manner, his fear of Silent’s grandmother had dissipated with the removal of the child. It seemed like he felt Grandma Black would show up immediately and the only way to remove blame from himself is by the boy's body being out of sight.

“I have every right to take care of anyone who lives in my tribe. What right do you have to bring hardship on our family? Do you have no shame to believe his grandmother will stop searching for the killer just because the boot well be cremated?” Albert asked.

“The boy isn't an issue, the issue is that you feel like taking in strays. Our family has rules against such a thing,” Gideon said. Sai noticed right away the error in his logic.

“Albert, right away say that all of your people would be strays, but you gave them a home and your family agreed to that. What is the difference if you take someone in from outside or a child is born from within. The only person that cares would be him.” Albert reiterated what Sai said. It must be said that spirit power speaking is much faster than oral speaking, since with your mind you can fire off words as fast as your brain can handle doing so.

“We both know the situation. If you want it this way then fine. Get me some food then I'll rest and we can spar. Brother, you have eyes but do not see your own shortcomings,” Gideon said, he was obviously mad but had no way of refuting Albert’s new logic.

“You know I cannot spar with you. You told me that if I leave this seat while you are here I will be dragged back home for abandoning the people our parents placed under my protection.” After hearing this, Sai grew angrier and angrier. Gideon was absolutely wicked, but Sai had no idea of how to deal with him, even in the future, his only option would be to help Albert become powerful so that Albert could deal with his problem in the way he wished.

“If you are such a coward to avoid even sparring that is your choice. You,” Gideon yelled at a servant, “bring me some food! Meat!” The servant bent his head and withdrew to the kitchen, leaving the two completely alone.

“Brother, why are you so unkind to me?” Gideon asked Albert as if Albert was going out of his way to be rude.

“I have done all you've asked. I left our home. I have all but given up my birthright, which isn't even as much as yours. Then you show up to my new home and kill my people. You winner why I'm unkind? Maybe it is you that is unkind.” Albert normally would never speak to his brother like this, but his brother wouldn't kill him, only make his life hard. This gave Albert the confidence to speak to his middle brother like this.

“You dare? Where do you get this confidence?” Accused Gideon.

“I don't dare. Take the taxes for father and mother and just leave. I will send a note saying you aren't welcome here anymore on the amount of killing a major power’s grandchild in my home.” Albert was visibly angry, Sai knew that it was a ruse, but it looked real.

“Remember who you have offended today brother, it would be a shame if it was forgotten, give me the damn money.” Gideon was no longer carefree, his eyes stared daggers into Albert’s Sai felt killing intent for the second time in this life by a human.

“Servant!” Albert called, the man who was supposed to make dinner returned quickly at Albert’s call.

“Yes?” The servant answered.

“I need the taxes for my brother.” Albert stated. As he did, the servant reached to his waistline and under his pants he untied a rope and held a coin purse. “Give it brother and we will have dinner after,” Albert said, remaining in his chair.

The servant walled over to Gideon and handed the coin purse to him. Gideon quickly grabbed the servant’s hand and yanked him into an awkward position. “You forced this Albert.” Gideon twisted his arm and moved like he was going to break the servant’s neck.

The servant however stood there stiffly. While Gideon tried to bend and break him. Sai did not enter anyone’s mind but Albert and Gideon, so he also realized that this servant was the reason his brother never attacked Albert directly.

“Run back to your parents boy, you might be hurt if you keep up this game.” The servant said. The shaken Gideon had thought Albert was lying about a random person in his tribe being strong enough to protect them from him. Gideon now found out that it was true.

Gideon looked like a beaten dog despite not having been hurt at all. He walked out of the house looking more angry than ever. “If you touch one of my people I will remember it when I become stronger than you,” Albert called loudly behind his brother.

When the door finally shut Sai made his way downstairs. The large bruise on his face a testament to how hard he was slapped. “Looks like we have a lot of training to get to Albert,” Sai said.

“First, we need to discuss something with my people, but we have to wait for my brother to be far enough away to not notice. In the morning would be best.”

“That works, I have a plan that will be good for our situation then.” Sai claimed happily. He used healing magic on his face when he felt that Gideon was far enough away to not detect a spell. It must be said that most everyone can feel spells in close proximity, this is because they draw on natural energy, if someone else feeds on that same energy then it is possible for them to also feel the spell for as far as they can draw on the energy away. For Sai, it is nearly twenty steps, for someone that is technically nine fold stronger than him, Sai waited until he should have been almost two hundred steps away. The issue is that Sai could only use his spirit power for about seventy five steps and he can only feel vibrations of the earth at just over one hundred steps. This meant that he had to hope Gideon was far away in case energy consumption worked as exponentially as strength.

What Sai thought of was in fact correct, but only partially, energy consumption area is exponential, but it is merely an area, so Gideon should not be capable of reaching two hundred steps, but actually only about one hundred twenty steps in each direction.

After healing, Sai immediately used his spirit power to gauge the weight and height of everyone in the tribe and added a bit of mass for personal belongings and food. Sai then formed stones with magic and set out in the opposite direction of his house. He used the stones to make footprints for each of the fifty-one people, not including himself. Sai walked with these stones for several miles, till nightfall. He made a makeshift camp for fifty people, and destroyed it like a beast would. He spread animal blood everywhere. Then Sai then walked back without making any tracks early in the morning.

When Sai had returned, he found that the entire tribe was packing their belongings. He headed toward Albert’s home. “Albert,” Sai called after entering the house.

“One moment,” Sai could see with his spirit power that Albert was deciding whether to keep or leave something. He quit intruding afterward, he merely searched to know where to meet Albert.

Albert came down, he looked confused, like he had just battled a personal demon and lost. “What is it?” Albert asked, he was irritated, but Sai knew it wasn't directed at him. Sai told him about the diversion and how they should be safe for at least one hundred days more.

“That was a good plan, I left all of my tribe’s wealth here with a note that said it was taxes. I know that my family will search, but they won't abandon me if I ever decide to come back.”

“That is probably for the best, even though you and your brother have bad blood, you shouldn't burn a bridge with your entire family because of it. Let's go, when we get back we can train especially hard. Maybe you will be stronger than my father soon.” Sai was hopeful. He was happy to have met a good friend like Albert. Although Silent didn't make friends easily, he felt that Albert was an honorable man and that Albert and himself were too similar to not become close.