The Sorcerer's Ring (Book 1) (9 page)

“What’s so funny?” Kace scoffed in disbelief. “This isn’t a laughing matter.”

“Just the irony of it all,” Scarlet said. “Before I died last time…I was in a cell, preparing to face my enemy. It’s just funny to me that even though I was given another chance at life, I would find myself in the same predicament.”

“You don’t know that they’ll kill you.”

“I would almost be offended if they didn’t.” Scarlet looked over to Olivia who had her head cast down towards the floor. Remi didn’t miss a beat. Was Scarlet trying to make Olivia her enemy? Though she was marked for death—once again—she was on the receiving end of her friend’s envy. It was a curse, but it was also a compliment. The mark said that she was important enough to be put onto a secret elite list. Olivia was simply another statistic.

“Who says it has to be Scarlet?” Eckard spoke up, but no one was eager to agree with him. “Scarlet’s a valuable ally to Paragon. Shouldn’t one of you take her place?”

“And who would that be?” Kace snapped. “Obviously it wouldn’t be Remi.”

Remi stared directly into Olivia’s eyes, waiting for her rebuttal, but she kept silent, instead keeping her gaze solely on Kace.

“It is an option,” she said finally. Scarlet shook her head no.

“I’m the one that killed him,” she said. “So it has to be me. Besides, there’s a better chance of me escaping. If I can break free, that’s not on Surmount. It would speak volumes to Cimmerian’s lack of security.”

“And what am I to do?” Eckard asked in exasperation.

“You’re to complete the mission,” Scarlet replied. “Get them to Paragon.”

“But I can’t do this without you.”

“Stop being a wuss. You already made it clear across Terra once. You can do it again.”

“I guess.”

“No one feels sorry for me,” she muttered. “I also want to do this. There’s someone I’ve been looking for…after I died I thought I would find my brother in Paradise, but I was wrong. So maybe he’s in Cimmerian. I have to find him…and make things right. My last words to him weren’t that pleasant.” She turned to Remi. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not strong. All that stuff I pulled earlier was to see how you would respond, and I still don’t know what to think, but I’ll let you in on a little secret that’s gotten me pretty far…don’t listen to anything people say about you. You know who you are. Just believe in that.

“Oh yeah, and one more thing…if you happen to run into someone named Catherine, please give her my thanks. She has curls in her hair, freckles on her cheeks…you’ll fall in love with her instantly, trust me.”

“Is she supposed to help us?” Eckard asked.

“I have no clue what she’s doing right now. But she’s definitely on Terra. Probably planning for the apocalypse.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Nah,” she said. “Just don’t cry for me. I’m not worth the tears.”

The door opened and Redder stepped back inside. “So?” he asked. “Have we reached a consensus?”

“It’s going to be me,” Scarlet declared. Redder nodded and rested his hands on his belly.

“It’s only fitting that the culprit pay for the crime.”

“I agree.”

“Then all of you come with me. When we reach the intersection, Miss Scarlet, you’ll be going to the right with me. The rest of you continue on to the left. You’re free to go.”

“Don’t worry,” Scarlet said to them as they proceeded on. “Cimmerian will try to get me to defect first. I’ll have ample time to escape. And Eckard, since Remi is marked, the longer you can keep her alive, the more you’ll be able to find out about Cimmerian’s future plans and possibly other marks that may be out there.”

“I’ll be observant,” he promised as they reached the intersection in the hallway.

“Farewell,” Scarlet said with a nod. “I’m not too good with good-byes.” She followed Redder to the right as Eckard gave off a heavy sigh.

“This isn’t good,” he muttered but Olivia wasn’t convinced.

“We’ll be fine,” she said. They continued walking down the hall until they eventually reached the exit. A guard was there to make sure they left, but otherwise, there was no one around. Remi started coughing the moment they went outside but she held up a hand to indicate that everything was okay. Kace patted her back and led her forward while Olivia hung back with Eckard.

“I hope she’s worth it,” Olivia said. “And that you’re right about her.”

“She’s worth it. Again, the fact that she released an eidolon in this atmosphere is very impressive.”

“Are you sure that’s an eidolon?”

“Of course it is. It looks like one.”

“But you don’t actually know.”

“Well, not 100% but I don’t know what else it could be.”

“Whatever you say.” Olivia picked up the pace as Eckard stood momentarily in the background, contemplating her words. A little doubt was all Olivia needed.

“She’s burning up,” Olivia said, taking her hand away from Remi’s forehead. “And I’m not surprised, considering the strain her body’s been in.”

“Maybe your hand’s just hot,” Remi said, batting her away. “Stop worrying about me.”

“Would your rather we leave you behind?”

“Yes!” she shouted. “For the thousandth time, YES!”

“No one’s going to do that,” Kace replied, glancing around the forest they traveled through. The canopy of the trees were so high up in the air that it was as if they made up the sky, turning it from a baby blue to a hazy green. “You know the Quietus used to live around here? At least that’s what my parents told me. There was—”

“—I don’t want to see you like this,” Olivia said to Remi.

Remi shook her head. “Then maybe I’ll go off on my own!” she shouted.

“You can’t be serious,” Olivia said. Remi faced her, fevered face and all.

“Don’t come for me for at least an hour. You’ll see. I can handle myself.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Kace began but Olivia grabbed his arm.

“No, let her prove herself.”

“Stay away, Kace,” Remi demanded as she stumbled on. She was tired of it all. The pity. The coddling. Most of all, her body. She had done so much training and yet, it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t used to walking for most of the day and barely sleeping most of the night. She had worked extensively on her combat skills but none of it prepared her for a punch to the face. The bruises were swelling and taking way too long to heal. But she fought against the pain. Her willpower was working past its limits, struggling every moment to keep one foot in front of the other, but that was all she needed to keep going. Just one foot. Then the next. One foot. Then the next.

Remi took a deep breath and tried to remove her friends from the equation. If she truly wanted to know what it felt like to be alone, then that meant she had to be alert, and be aware of the hidden dangers. She couldn’t just stumble along knowing that her friends could intervene on her behalf if she got into trouble.

Remi thought about taking out her eidolon to assess her surroundings, but she decided to preserve her energy. Instead, she just kept her focus as sharp as possible. And instead of dwelling on the pain coming from within, she distracted her mind with what was on the outside.

It had been over a year since she had seen the lights of Paragon across the night sky, and now she yearned for them more than ever, even if the sun had just come up a few short hours ago.

She turned her attention to the birds tweeting in the trees, the rustle of the grass in the breeze and the warmth on her face. Spring was upon them all, and she hoped a new transformation within her would come with it. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to fight the cold anymore.

She looked behind her and saw that no one was following.

That was okay.

It would have made her sadder if she saw them running at her frantically, yelling about how she was going to hurt herself. That would have been worse. That would have spoken volumes of how weak they saw her.

But then again, perhaps their absence said something troubling as well.

That she was better off gone.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued walking on, trying her best to remove them from the recesses of their mind.

Better off gone.

It sounded horrible, but at the same time, it was all the more reason to prove just how powerful she could be. How the girl that had looked in the mirror and saw a warrior before her didn’t change. She would show them the truth.

Now she just had to figure out how to do it.

*              *              *

“I’m going after her,” Kace said, preparing to run. “You know we can’t leave her.”

Olivia gave off a frustrated sigh. “If you must. But me and Eckard are going on ahead.”

“That’s fine. We’ll catch up to you.” Kace took off running and Olivia rolled her eyes.

“Let’s keep moving,” she said, pulling at Eckard’s arm. He obeyed reluctantly as Olivia veered off to the right, away from where Kace and Remi were headed.

“What are we going to do while they’re gone?” Eckard asked.

“What do you mean? We’re moving on.”

“We could forage for some food while we wait. We haven’t eaten since the prison.”

“No, we’re going to keep moving. If they can’t catch up, then too bad.”

“That’s kind of harsh.”

“No, it’s reality. Keep up.” Olivia began sprinting past the trees, trying to put as much distance between her and Remi as possible. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for her. She was just ready for someone to notice her for a change. Now that she and Eckard were alone, she could talk to him without his eyes being glazed over, either thinking of Remi’s potential or worrying about her condition. She could finally have a conversation with another human being that didn’t revolve around her friend.

“So, what do you do for fun in Paragon?” Olivia huffed, coming to a sudden stop. Eckard glanced around them.

“Did you leave any markers for them?” he asked. “In case they need to find us?”

“What do you do for fun in Paragon?” she practically shouted.

Eckard winced and rubbed his right ear. “Since I work with the Sages, there’s not too much time for fun. We’re mainly preparing for the war.”

“But it’s been twenty years already and there’s still preparation going on. What if the war never starts? Have you ever thought about what you would do if that happens?”

“Not much,” he admitted. “But sometimes. Before I fall asleep at night.”

“And what do you think about?” Olivia asked, folding her arms.

“Same things I’m sure everyone thinks about. A place they can call their own. Perhaps a wife. I know children are out of the picture since the atmospheric conditions no longer allow it, and I have no desire to live on Terra just to have children so…it’s all wishful thinking.”

“No one amongst the Sages that you’re interested in?”

“They’re mostly a lot older than I am, or they already have a significant other. I’ve met a few girls in the past, but most of them are Originals. And I’m a Deja so…”

“So what?”

He burst out laughing. “I’m so confused.”

“About what?” she asked, taking a step closer to him.

He cleared his throat. “I thought you didn’t like Dejas.”

“I don’t like Dejas that already lived a full life before the Collision. You’re different. From what I gather, you died pretty young. Who told you about me not liking Dejas?”

“I overheard a bit of your conversation with the others. Also, me and Kace talked about it a bit.”

“You and Kace talked about me?”

“A little. Nothing serious. Just while the rest of you were sleeping in the prison.”

“And what was said?”

“I was just being honest. I was saying how Remi wasn’t as strong as I originally thought and that you had a lot more potential.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Your stability,” he said, his eyes darting to the left. “Remi is more powerful in bursts, but you have stamina. You could surpass her with the proper training. I feel like Remi’s declining with all the stress.”

“But to bring up my preferences in people, you must have talked about more than how I fare in a fight. You were wondering if I would be interested in someone like you, weren’t you?”

“I’m not saying I’m in love with you,” he said, his eyes coming back to the forefront. “But I did ask. Like I said, there’s not a lot of time devoted to leisure, but I still wonder what’s waiting for me when I do get those breaks.”

“You don’t have to worry about how I feel,” she said, taking his hands into hers. “Not anymore.” Before he could reply, she stepped up onto her toes and kissed him hard. At first his head reeled back in surprise, but she kept her lips pressed against his, and when he didn’t pull away, she removed her hands from his and threw her arms around him.

She felt his hands travel down to her waist and she let him explore.

It was a small price to pay to get what she wanted.

And what she wanted was a follower. Not Remi.

Someone whose thoughts would dwell only on her. Not Remi.

Someone who could watch her back. And not that damn Remi.

“Ahem,” someone interrupted them and they pulled away from each other quickly. Olivia’s face burned as she thought about Remi and Kace catching them, but once they turned around, the source of the interruption was a lot more unsettling.

There were three of them. All had patches of red hair draped over their faces and hulking muscles that made their heads looked like a pea in comparison. Their muscles were rippling to the point that they looked like they were going to burst, and their faces were all scarred and worn out like leather. One of them took one step forward and scowled at them.

“Do not worry, little ones. We are not here for you. Olivia, correct? And…Eckard?”

“Who are you?” Eckard demanded, trying to be brave. Olivia could hear the trembling in his words.

“Langorans,” the apparent leader replied. “You’ve never seen one before?”

“I can’t say that I have. Though I’ve heard of your kind.”

“You must live a sheltered life. What have you heard about us?”

“That your homeland was destroyed. And now your kind has resorted to mercenary work.”

“That would be the truth. Which is why, Eckard, we are here.”

“How do you know my name?”

“It’s our business to know,” he said, looking back for a moment at his companions. “But you can feel safe in knowing that you are not our business. If you were, we wouldn’t be making these introductions. If you would but take a moment to breathe, and think, then you’ll realize why we’re here.”

“Remi,” Olivia said, and the leader gave her a curt nod.

“What do you want with her?” Eckard asked. The leader tapped the side of his head.

“Now I’m sure a bright fella like you can come up with a probable reason.”

“You’re to take her to Cimmerian…or worse.”

“That would be correct, sir.”

“And you expect us to just hand her over,” Olivia said. “It makes me sick.”

“Now, now,” the leader said, scratching the side of his face. “We all know that’s not entirely true. We’ve been watching you for days now. Even Scarlet didn’t sense us during your travels. That says a lot about our skill set. So please don’t insult us by saying you care about the girl when that couldn’t be farther from the truth. You’ve been looking for ways to ditch her since you began your journey. Listen, this doesn’t need to be an unpleasant conversation. My name is Leslie, and my companions here are Burt and Kettle. Not that they’ll say much. They’re the muscle of our little group. As you can tell, I’m a lot smaller than they are as I find myself wasting my energy talking.”

“So you think I would just betray her?” Olivia scoffed. “After all we’ve been through together?”

“I will break it down to you. We approached you so that you could live. If you separate yourselves from her willingly, then that tells us that you’re not a threat. You won’t entertain ideas of revenge. If you decide to defend her, that is up to you. I would understand, but you would lose. All of you. We’ve been doing this for a long time and we’ve even killed Sages. There’s a reason why Cimmerian contracts us out. We never fail to deliver. So by refusing to assist Remi in the upcoming battle, you’re not betraying her. You’re preserving yourselves. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“And I’m just supposed to live with the fact that you killed her?”

“Or you can watch her die as you choke in your own pool of blood. The result is the same for her either way. All that changes is how you’re involved. By staying out of our way, our job goes from four to two.”

“Kace will be killed too?”

“He likes the girl. He has to go. Plus Quietus are too stubborn. He won’t listen to us.”

“And what about me?” Eckard asked. “I work with Sages directly. What makes you think I’ll give in to your demands?”

“You’re easy,” Leslie snickered. “You’re weak of spirit. So it’s really up to Olivia. If she abstains from battle, so will you. That’s all that can be said on the matter.”

“I’m not weak,” he said, balling up his fists.

“You barely know what it’s like to be nicked by a blade,” Leslie scoffed. “Don’t you realize that the Sages sent you out to find potential recruits because you’re expendable? If you manage to make it back to Paragon in one piece, then they send out real evaluators, but they never take you at your word because they don’t trust you. I respect you both for trying to make your individual situations work, but in the end, you’re still at the bottom of the hierarchy. Tell you what…if you let me take Remi, not only will I leave you alone, but I’ll put in a good word for you in Cimmerian to my superiors. Our word means a lot to them.”

“But we’re going to Paragon,” Eckard seethed. His fists were clenched even tighter.

“I know, but plans change. You might get to Paragon and realize I’m right. There is no place for you there. And then where will you go? Cimmerian might not be all holding hands and singing, but at least we all respect each other there. You don’t have to make any decisions on that right now though. Just know that Cimmerian will gladly take you in when Paragon inevitably casts you aside.”