The Last War (Book #9 of the Sage Saga) (13 page)

For Catherine, it was exactly as she had remembered it, but for James, it was strange. A wave of nostalgia hit him hard as he walked past the courtyard gates and stepped in front of what used to be the old Sage Academy. It had not been kept up. The roof was showing signs of wear and the paint was beginning to chip, but it still had that aura about it—of strength, comradery and nobility. It was a testament to the soldiers it once produced.

“You said there’s no more Sages under Tyuin?”

“No,” Catherine replied. “There is no more Prattlian. They are all Allayan, and mostly non-fighters. There is an army, but it wouldn’t be able to hold back Cimmerian or Paragon, let alone something as terrifying as a Sorcerer.”

“It feels so bizarre being back. It’s like…I’m reminded of unfinished business.”

“Well, you are a ghost,” she teased.

“Ha. Ha,” he muttered. “I’m saying that I wish I had more time here. My fondest memories lie within these walls.”

“Yes,” Scarlet said, interrupting them. “But we’re not here to reminisce. We have a job to do. Let’s head for the castle.”

“Yes,” Catherine said, as she took off running out of the courtyard and along the eastern wall toward the village. James and Scarlet followed right behind her, wondering if the people would even remember who they were when they arrived.

*              *              *

“No,” Chloe whispered. Kyran reached out to grab her shoulder but she had already took off running. “NO!” he heard his wife scream. He sighed and followed her into the wreckage, of what was once their home. Whomever had attacked Delahcourt had been thorough. Every building had been leveled to the ground, and the fires still raged on, burning all that was beautiful and pure. Not a single citizen could be found amongst the streets.

“Only the non-fighters had been left behind,” Kyran seethed. “We should have left someone behind to defend them.”

“We did,” Chloe reminded him as she cupped her hand over her mouth. “Bastion and Lily should have been able to stop anyone that threatened the town. Where are they?”

“I can’t sense them,” Kyran sighed. “I don’t know if they’re here.”

“Or worse.”

“Don’t say that,” he snapped at her. “We don’t know what happened yet.”

They walked along the debris the best they could, having to step over burning beams and singed corpses. Chloe and Kyran kept their eidolons outstretched the entire time, assessing the environment and trying to piece together what had occurred.

“There were strangers here,” Chloe said, as they stopped by their destroyed home. “But the signature is strange. Other eidolons?”

“Why would a Sage be here?” Kyran said, crouching down and running his fingers along the cobblestone. A stream of blood flowed past the tips as it ran along the grooves of the street. He yanked his hand back in alarm.

“It might have been Solon,” Chloe said. He could tell that she was trying to hold back her concern.

“What do the Solons have to do with Delilah?”

“They know that Delilah was aligned with Paragon. Retaliation?”

“No. No. You’ve heard that a Solon is partly in charge at what was the Academy. Why would they do this?”

“Maybe he wanted to be completely in charge.”

“I don’t know. If—hey,” he stopped to point at the tallest building in Allay. The skyscraper in which they had first met Elian, and they had pledged their allegiance to the Delilah people. It was still standing. “Why is that still there?” he asked.

“They might not have had time.”

“They had plenty of time,” Kyran said. “Perhaps the culprits are still here in the city, watching us from above.”

“Let’s get them before they escape!” Chloe shouted, rushing the building with blinding speed. Kyran tried to keep up, but she was gone before he could take a breath. He stayed the course though, leaping over the wreckage as he slowly made his way to the entrance. He hoped Chloe wouldn’t do anything rash.

Surprisingly, he found Chloe at the entrance, staring down at the ground as she paced back and forth. Kyran raised an eyebrow and approached her cautiously.

“What is it?” he asked.

“It’s him,” she muttered. “I…I can’t go up there.”

“Who? Th—oh,” he said. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me? I could use some backup.”

“I’d rather not, if you don’t mind. I…if you get in trouble, I’ll be there.”

Kyran nodded as he burst through the closed double doors. He didn’t look back at Chloe because he had to concentrate on what was up above, but he was still shocked by how paralyzed she was. She was the strongest Sage of them all, and here she was, cowering before the might of another, who had not shown that he was more powerful through brute strength, but by the simplicity of his strategy. It was the kind of power that Kyran would respect if it hadn’t been done on his wife.

Kyran took the platform up, and he stilled his thoughts as he was cast into utter darkness. He could hear nothing. Feel nothing. There were no signs that anyone was up there, and the fact that Chloe had sensed him before he walked into the building was unnerving. Or had his senses dulled since they last met?

Kyran reached the top and his eyes were flooded with light. Instinctively, he clutched his invisible dagger and crouched low, knowing that if he was attacked, they would aim high first.

But no attack came.

And then he sensed him.

Kyran’s eyes adjusted and he saw the lone man standing in front of the gigantic windows with his hands crossed behind his back, as if he was ready to be taken away to prison. Kyran stood up slowly to his feet as to not cause an alarm, and he took a few steps toward the man.

Gideon turned his head toward Kyran and smiled.

“Kyran,” he said, in a friendly, casual manner.

Kyran nodded, but didn’t say a word. He had thought about what he would do if he ever got his hands on Gideon. None of those thoughts could be explained in front of children. The trauma that Chloe had experienced from his hands had nearly been crippling, and it was a miracle that she was still functioning. He wouldn’t risk that again.

“I don’t want to fight,” Gideon said, sensing the Sage’s bloodlust.

“No,” Kyran said. “You want to subdue me through trickery.”

“I’m all alone, Sage. Do a sweep of the surroundings with the eidolon if necessary. You will see that we are alone, besides your wife down below. Why didn’t she come up?”

“You know why.”

“I’m surprised. I thought she was stronger than that. She knows that the people she killed wasn’t her fault, right?”

“She knows, but that doesn’t mean the memories aren’t there. And besides, it’s not like the real killer has truly paid for those crimes.”

“Yes,” Gideon sighed, turning back to the windows. “One could certainly say that. Though I assure you. I am suffering.”

“No one cares,” Kyran said. “You’re here. Roaming free while your victims no longer exist. Their families have to go through life without them, and you want to complain about suffering? You will get no sympathy from me.”

“I wasn’t looking for it. I was merely stating a fact. Now, what I can do for the great assassin?”

“Why are you here?”

“I learned that some of my students had gone through here so I came to investigate. I’m not fond of their handiwork.”

“It seems right up your alley. Murder. Destruction. You’re saying that you didn’t sanction this?”

“Not at all. I am a pariah once again searching for a place to call home. It would seem that in my absence, the Solon movement has evolved in something more sinister. Without proper guidance, the impressionable youth that I once inspired are now seeing violence as the one and only answer.”

“What do they want?”

“I’m not sure. All I know is that it’s based in anarchy. Delilah isn’t the only place that has been affected. Cities in Paragon have as well.”

“You should be proud.”

“No,” he lamented, turning to face Kyran for a moment before glancing back out the window. “I don’t want any of this, and I take it upon myself to stop it.”

“You’re planning on killing them?”

“I’ll try talking with them, but I don’t know if I can persuade them from their taste of blood.”

“They are only following your example. You should have thought of this before you tried to make your mark on the world.”

“It is my fault, and I realize that I was a fool. But I no longer see brute force as the answer. When you’re in a cell, all you have time to do is think—about your shortcomings, what you should have done differently, or how your life could have gone. Perhaps if I had opted for a peaceful life in the countryside, I would be happier. But this is just conjecture. Would it have really brought me happiness? Or would I be screaming as I watched my home burn and my family be slaughtered? We all make grave decisions in the wars of our lives, and it’s not always our fault that we can’t see the forest before the trees. We do what we can with the little knowledge we acquire along the way. We hungrily lap up the bread crumbs in our path without wondering about the origin of the sustenance or who dropped it in the first place.”

“You talk a lot.”

“I do,” Gideon laughed. “That might be my problem.”

“So you didn’t fully answer my question. Why are you here? In this building?”

“I’m searching for the youth, but I can’t find them. I’m lost. I was wondering…if you might be able to help me.”

“I don’t know if you still use your eidolon or not, but if you did, you would notice that there are more important matters to take care of.”

“Ah, yes. The Sorcerers. Frightening creatures. They make the Sages look like pups.”

“We could use your help.”

“You would partner with me? After all I’ve done.”

“No, I would use you. There’s a difference.”

“And what would your wife say?”

“It doesn’t matter. Feelings have no place in war. There is only victory.”

“In another life, we would have gotten along handsomely.”

“I would have killed you in another life.”

“Then I guess it’s good things went the way they did.”

“Do you know where Elian is? He’s one of the leaders of the Delilah.”

“I don’t know who that is.”

“What about Harry and Lucy? The current leaders of the Sage Academy.”

“Haven’t you heard? The Academy has been destroyed.”

“I’m aware,” Kyran huffed. “Answer the question. Where are they? They wouldn’t just fade off in the background.”

“Last I heard, they were heading to Cimmerian. I don’t know why though. I’ve been busy.”

“Two more questions and I’m done with you. Answer me truthfully and you might live to see tomorrow.”

“Go ahead,” Gideon said, facing him directly.

“Do you know what happened to Bastion and Lily? They were here protecting the city but it’s apparent that they failed.”

“My youth…they…they took the boy away. I didn’t see the girl, so she could either still be hiding or she’s inside of him. Though, if she had seen him in danger, I doubt she would have stayed still with her brash attitude. Also, she wouldn’t stay hidden after seeing me wander the streets, so I have to surmise that she’s with him. I didn’t get to the city in time, but from what I could sense, a great battle was taken place. It would seem that my youth defeated him.”

“You said that they carried him off. Where?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. The trail went cold quickly, as if someone knew that I was watching and they were making sure to cover their tracks.”

“Then I have to ask: if you can’t find them, what will you do next?”

“I’m sure I’ll come across the Solons again at some point, but until then, I would like to atone for my sins in any way possible. I know that I can’t make up for the lives I’ve taken or marred, but I can try, beginning with this city. I can help you rebuild, and I would very much like to apologize to your wife.”

“That might not be a good idea,” Kyran said.

“No!” they heard Chloe shout from behind Kyran. “No, it’s not.”

“Chloe,” Kyran began, but she growled at him through clenched teeth. He got the message and shut up for the moment.

“You were taking too long,” she said to him, her face softening. “I thought that he had gotten a hold of you, so I took the long way up. I scaled the inside of the platform shaft with my eidolon until I reached the top. As I got closer…I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Why are you talking to him? Kyran, I don’t understand.”

“In times of war, even enemies can become allies,” he replied.

She glared at Gideon and clenched her fists tight. “I don’t care what’s going on. I’m not going to work with that monster.”

“Chloe, I’m sorry,” Gideon said, raising his hands in surrender. “I think that—”

“Don’t you say my name!” Chloe shouted, her voice so loud that the windows vibrated. “The last time I heard you say my name, you were giving me the order to kill. I still see their faces. I still hear their screams. You think I’m going to just side with you after what you’ve done.”