The Last War (Book #9 of the Sage Saga) (10 page)

“And yet, there you lie. On the ground, waiting for execution.”

“My time is done,” Bastion said, glaring at him. “My purpose if fulfilled. It’s obvious that I can’t beat you in battle, and you’ve taken her away from me, so why not embrace what’s to come peacefully? At least now I can sit here and hope that I get to see her again. And if not, then at least I will be spared from the pain you plan on inflicting.”

“Bastion,” Casimir sighed. “It’s unfortunate that you couldn’t have more in life. You were designed for slavery from the start, and though you were never enslaved, in a sense, you were. Your whole life has been nothing but a struggle.”

“It is what it is. At least I got time to spend with her, and more years that I counted on too. Can I ask you something before I go?”

“Sure.”

“What’s the point of all this? You and your Sorcerers? What’s to gain? Really.”

“The Ancient Knights have built a machine capable of altering time. Though they are far from completing the project, such an invention could be beneficial to us. Well, whoever acquires it anyways. Each Sorcerer sees its vast potential.”

“You want to use it?”

“I do.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to be a part of a world too. Not just a god on the sidelines.”

“If you were a god, you’d have all the answers, wouldn’t you?”

“I guess it depends on your definition of god.”

“So, you get it. You use it. Then what? You alter history to your liking.”

“Why not? Isn’t that better than forcing everyone to obey? To alter the flow of history in such a way that they don’t know anything but subjugation? People only rise up against tyranny because they believe they have a chance. Hope is the disease that I aspire to eradicate. The time machine is my vaccine. Understand?”

“Clearly. One more thing.”

“Sure.”

“The stones. Were they real people? Or machines?”

“What does that matter? Will it change how you feel about Lily?”

“No, but I want to know. For her. It’s one of the things that bothered her when she was with me. She often thought that I should look to another girl for companionship. Someone more human.”

“They are both, if that helps. The consciousness or essence of who they are is human, but their shell is machine. The things the Delilah have achieved is astonishing. If the Sorcerers didn’t intervene in this war, I couldn’t imagine what machinations they could create, and especially if they somehow joined forces with the Knights. Scary, indeed.”

“A god experiencing fear. I’ve seen it all.”

“You’re stalling,” Casimir chuckled. “I can sense you slowly making your energy rise.”

“It was worth a shot.”

“Bastion, I hope that you find the peace you were looking for in death.”

Bastion leapt from where he sat with his hand outstretched toward Casimir’s throat—the tip of an eidolon already emerging from the middle of his palm. Casimir stepped aside and cut off the young Sage’s head with one swift blow with the side of his hand. Then he fired a beam of energy over Bastion’s lifeless body, burning and destroying each and every cell.

Bastion felt no pain.

For the second time in his life, he was no longer hurting.

Smoke blanketed the sky and blocked out the sun. Before they even reached the borders of the Altostratus, they knew that there would be few survivors. Whomever had attacked—Sorcerer, Cimmerian or Delilah—it had been swift and it had been brutal. The houses were reduced to ash and fires were still raging though it was clear by the debris that the attack had happened days ago. The main buildings had been cut in half and they were now black from all the soot, ashes and smoke. There was hardly a place to step without reaching over a corpse, burnt planks, or debris.

“Do you think there are any survivors?” James asked but Catherine said nothing. She walked over to one of the children lying face down in the streets and rubbed a hand through his hair.

“What kind of monsters do this?” she asked. “It doesn’t make sense.”

“We’ll make things right.”

“How?” she said, facing him.

“What do you mean? We’ll defeat them in battle.”

“I thought you were implying something else,” she said, turning her attention to one of the houses. Though there were fires everywhere, she found herself chilled. She rubbed her forearms vigorously as they continued walking through.

“What did you think I was referring to?” James asked curiously.

“It’s nothing,” she said, stepping over a dead body.

Now he was curious. “Katie, what were you referring to?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“If you have an idea of how we can make this right, I’d like to know.”

“If you have to know…” she trailed off, stopping in her tracks. “It’s…I was thinking of using the machine.”

“Seriously?” his eyes brows raised in shock. “I know we talked about different scenarios, but I didn’t know you were honestly considering it.”

“If we don’t, someone will.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Then what’s the point of building it.”

“You know how those inventors are. It’s like with the Delilah. They do it because they can. I don’t know what the true intentions of the Knights are, but I assume it’s to restore the balance.”

“What balance? At what point in our lives was there ever balance? They would have to go back to the very beginning of these worlds, and even then, there’s no guarantee that things would go their way.”

“So when would you go back? If you were able to?”

“The Sage Academy. There was conflict between the five Kingdoms, sure. But most of the rifts were caused by Thorn. If I could get back there, defeat Thorn and start an alliance, the peace will last.”

“Until Lakrymos and Orchid arrive.”

“By then, I’ll be waiting for them.”

“What about Bastion? Will you force him to keep the barriers going?”

“I’ll have volunteers for that. We can swap out as needed.”

“So, you’ll be deciding for the people of Paragon and Cimmerian what happens. I’m sure there are those on both sides that are quite content traveling across the three worlds.”

“Well, what would you have me do? I can’t account for everyone.”

“And that’s why we shouldn’t use it,” James said. “We’ll make one group happy but not the other, and part of the whole concept of freedom is allowing people to live their lives the way they want.”

“And you think the Ancient Knights will be so courteous? You think they have the best interests of everyone in mind?”

“I don’t know. I’m just not sure if us using it is the call to make.”

“So we let another group determine our fate.”

“Isn’t that what we were doing when we stopped in the cabin?”

“That’s what YOU wanted to do, not me!” she shouted. He was taken aback, but he didn’t try to soothe her. She apparently had a lot on her mind. “I didn’t want to stop. I want to resolve this and take care of the people.”

“What people?” he asked. “You’re not in charge of Allay anymore.”

“I know,” she replied. “Not Allay. I mean people in general. Those that are looking to us, and warriors like us for a better life. The ones who can’t fight for themselves.”

“You can’t help everyone. That’s not in your power, nor is it up to you to decide what’s best.”

“Then what are we doing here? What was the point of leaving the cabin?”

“First of all, I don’t want the children to be put in danger, and second, I want to assess where this war is going and then make an informed decision.”

“It’s war. There’s usually no time for an informed decision.”

“So what do you suggest? Finding the time machine?”

“Whether we use it or not, that machine is the end for all of us. Either a group gets and uses it, or all other groups will be vying for it. The machine is where we need to be.”

James looked at her suspiciously. “And that’s it? You’re not going to use it.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Catherine…”

“Hey, you don’t get to dictate what I can or cannot do!” She pushed him away.

“Where is this coming from?”

“Not you,” she said, clenching her jaw and fighting back tears.

“Wait,” he said, studying her face. “Is that was this is about? You want us to go back to a time before I absorbed those people?”

“You don’t realize it, but you’re different. It’s subtle, but I’m sure it will only get more prominent as the people inside you gain more strength. The way you looked at the children hungrily at times. The times you would stare off into space and your teeth started to become fangs. The quiver in your eyes when we would talk about battle. You probably haven’t even noticed.”

“I haven’t,” he admitted. “I didn’t know.”

“I…I can’t look at you the same way, and that disturbs me. James, you’re all I’ve got in this world. I know that I love people and helping them in any way I can, but it’s been comforting knowing that you were always there when the day was over, to make me laugh, to wipe my tears away, even just to hold me. You’re getting colder, and I don’t like it. I do want to use the time machine, but not just because I want to restore the balance or make things right. I want to make us whole again. It’s selfish, but it’s true.”

“Even if I change, that won’t change the way I feel about you.”

“But I can’t promise the same,” she said. “I think it won’t, but there’s no way I’ll know for sure. I wish I could know…”

“I’m sorry,” he said, reaching out to her. She lifted a hand up to signal him to stop.

“I don’t want a hug right now,” she sniffed. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I understand. I…just keep talking to me, okay? If we don’t communicate, then we’re definitely going to lose each other.”

“You’re right,” she said, wiping her eyes with her arm. “You’re right.”

“So where would we find this thing?” he asked. “I doubt it would be in the major cities unless they were trying to hide it in plain sight.”

“I might be of assistance,” someone said from behind them. They turned and James’ eyes lit up in recognition.

“Orson?” James said.

“Barely,” he muttered. His face was black from the ashes, and his long priestly robe matched in color. His hair was in tufts because some had burned away from being caught on fire, and his eyes were listless.

“What happened here? Who attacked?”

“We attacked ourselves,” he mumbled. “Anarchy.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Paragon imploded,” he sighed. “The people grew restless from the shortage of food, the inclement weather, and the incoming threat of Cimmerian. They wanted a change in leadership and the King and his court fought back. They decided to return the favor.”

“The King lost?” James asked in disbelief.

“He was hanged and replaced by one of the citizens in Cirrus. That lasted all of one day before the people realized they didn’t know how to reconstruct. The damage they caused was too great so they moved on to greener pastures. Joke’s on them. This is as green as it’s going to get.”

“A mass evacuation?” Catherine said. “What about the army?”

“There’s a great deal of soldiers still on the field on Terra, but most are unaware of current events, and I’d like it to stay that way. If they find out that Paragon has been abandoned, the enemy automatically wins. Cimmerian won’t stop until there’s only one man standing. What are the two of you doing here? I heard some shouting and I came out of hiding to investigate.”

“We’re trying to find a way to end all of this.”

“Good luck. I’d help if I could, but my skill lies in word not deed.”

“You may be of use. Do you know where we might find the Ancient Knights?”

“Depends on who you’re referring to. The legitimate ones or the exiles?”

“The legitimate ones.”

“I had to ask. It’s hard to tell what you Sages want sometimes. Well, if it’s the actual Knights, then you want to head to Terra. Last I heard, they had set up an encampment near Old Languor. You’ll have to keep heading south, closer to Cimmerian to reach it. I doubt you’ll find it unless they want you to though. You’ll need more than your eidolons to discover them.”

“Still, it’s a start. Thank you,” Catherine said.

“Why are you helping us?” James asked. “I thought you hated the Sages.”

“I am still Solon until the day I die, but that doesn’t mean we can’t ally together when the need arises. I am grateful for what you did back at the Academy despite its untimely demise. Placing a Solon in charge as well as revealing Gideon’s good health was exciting for all of us.”

“Where are the Solons now?”

“Scattered. Without proper leadership or heroes like Gideon, the youth have formed their own gangs and decided to implement their will on others. I swear, they’re worse that you were in your prime.”

“I doubt it,” James laughed. “But I have to ask, do you think they’ll help us if we need them?”

“It’s hard to say. It depends on who you come across, I guess.”

“And Gideon? Do you know if he survived the Academy’s destruction?”

“I have no idea. I…I’ve been here, trying to decide what to do next.”

“Try to find who you can and rebuild,” Catherine said. “That’s what I would do.”

“Yes, that would be nice,” Orson sighed. “Now if only I can find the will to do so.”

“Well, thank you, Orson,” James said. “This is a big help.”

“Mm-hmm.”

James and Catherine left him to his thoughts, and when they were about a mile away, Catherine grabbed James’ arm.

“Who was that?” she asked.

“A Solon, and once one of the King’s greatest supporters. We were in opposition against him for a little while but nothing too serious happened. Gideon did far worse things than he.”

“And what does he know of the Ancient Knights?”

“He’s been in Paragon for a long time. Why?”

“I’m just curious as to why he didn’t ask us what our mission is. He seems like the type of person who would want to know.”

“True,” James said, frowning and staring at the ground. “Why wouldn’t he ask?”

“Perhaps we’re heading exactly where he wants us to go.”

“I suppose we’ll find out.”

“Yeah, but of course, by then it will be too late.”