"Is there something between you two?" I ask, hoping to calm her down.
The Guardian looks at me with teary eyes.
"It's not between me and Blade," she says softly. "It was between Azalea and him."
I freeze.
Wait—aren't Azalea and her the same person?
Before I can ask, she continues, "Their relationship is a matter of Temple concern. I can't speak about it. If anyone should, it's Azalea."
"No, no… it's okay," I mumble. I shouldn't have asked about someone else's relationship.
"But… how does it work? The blood thing."
Shit. I shouldn't have asked that either. That could be classified.
"You have to awaken it first in order to use its power," she says calmly.
"There's a sacred ritual in the Temple. We call it the Holy Dive. Even the royal family must undergo it to awaken their power. I'm the one who leads every ritual—it's part of the Guardian's duty."
"How many of you can use the blood's power?" I ask.
"Only a few. The ritual is dangerous for most people."
And just as she finishes—
BANG!
The door slams open. Doctor Raven rushes in, panic written all over his face.
He bows quickly. "Guardian! We tried to remove the spearhead lodged in his shoulder, but due to the lightning—"
He swallows. "The spear shattered inside him. Extracting the fragments caused enormous blood loss."
He takes a breath.
"He needs blood. Now. But his blood type is Steel—it's extremely rare. The hospital doesn't have any in stock. You'll need to find a donor yourself. We have two hours, or… we might lose him."
Azalea looks strangely calm. Almost… scary calm. She seems to be thinking.
Then, without a word, she pulls out her phone and dials a number.
"I assume you already know what happened," she says. "He needs blood. Save him—and I'll do what you asked."
...
I can't hear the other side of the call, but from the way her tone shifts, I can guess. Whoever's on the other line—
They're powerful. Powerful enough to find Steel blood in two hours.
"Child! Don't run!" nurses shout as a little girl sprints down the hallway toward us.
She stops just before me, catching her breath and staring up.
"I'm so sorry, Guardian, miss, and doctor," a nurse rushes after her, trying to explain. "We were contacting blood banks when she suddenly ran off."
The girl tugs on my shirt, her eyes wide and impossibly pure.
"My big brother Lua has Steel blood," she says clearly.
Azalea's eyes spark with sudden hope.
"Where is he? Can you call him for us?"
The girl shakes her head. "Guardian lady, my brother is working. I only get to see him at night. But I know where he works. I can take you there!"
Azalea looks at Doctor Raven. Her eyes burn with resolve.
"Two hours?"
He nods grimly.
Then she turns to me.
"Let's go save the Nation's Sword."
Damn. That line is so cool.
On the way—
"Hey, kid. What's your name?" I ask.
She looks up at me with sparkly eyes.
"My name is Poositt. Gold Poositt. But my big brother calls me P.S."
Wearing a yellow dress, her hair tied in twin ponytails with daisy hairbands, she's the definition of a pookie pie.
No wonder her brother works so hard for her.
"My name's Mingla Bamba. Call me Bamba, oki?" I pat her head gently.
"Then tell me, why are you in the hospital?" I ask, curiosity tugging at me. A sweet girl like her shouldn't be here. She should be out chasing butterflies or eating ice cream.
Her expression darkens.
"I don't know. But my brother says Gold bloods are usually weak. So it's normal for me to be sick when I'm little."
...He totally lied to her.
"We're here!" she says suddenly, pointing ahead. "Over there—chopping wood—that's my brother!"
She waves her hand enthusiastically.
BOOM.
...
God. Enough with the booms today.