by Kyle Prue
“Problem solved then,” Bianca said. “Set him free. He won’t be running to anyone for help.”
Barlow’s lips slid into a smug smirk. He opened his arms wide and looked to Darius. “What about you tough guy?” he asked. “Are you all right with letting this one run straight back to his boss?”
Darius realized it had been a bit since he’d spoken. “Rhys is in danger. We have to get this guy.”
“I won’t say a thing!” the spy yelled. “I’ll flee to Shipwreck Bay. Or further. I’ll sail from the mainland. No one you know will ever see this face again.”
“You’ve got nearly perfect aim,” Bianca said to Barlow. She approached the spy and slit the ropes binding his hands. “So you know what’s important when it comes to hitting a mark. You need to understand the weight of your knife… or card.” She grunted as she cut the binds on his feet. “You need to understand the air, the wind, the speed at which your target is moving…”
The guard, after realizing he was free, sprung up and fled on all fours until he reached the stairs. “But the most important thing, by far, is knowing when not to strike.”
Barlow tossed a card and it embedded itself into the Spy’s head. He hit the ground face first and twitched a few times before going still. “I like you guys,” Barlow said. “I really do, but I’m not willing to sacrifice the safety of Arkney for anything.” He collected his card and wiped it off before re-pocketing it. “If you want my honest opinion, you all don’t kill enough.”
“We try not to get into the habit,” Bianca said. She was clearly disappointed. She’d wanted him to live.
Barlow bowed his head slightly. Bianca sighed and lay back down on her cot to sleep. Darius found his own cot and winced as it creaked under his weight. Anastasia walked around him to her own bed. They made eye contact one last time before they shut their eyes. He felt his heart swell but he pushed the feeling away. Sure she’d been different since he’d met her outside the wall. How much of the old assassin was still in there? Would she cut him down now and claim it was just business? Despite the kiss, and the banter, and even the all-night reading session, he had trouble trusting her completely. No matter how much he wanted to.
Chapter Fifty-Five
BRIGHTBOW
LILLY CELERIUS
Lilly startled awake. In her confusion and fear she lashed out viciously. James Jacobson scrambled backwards with a new black eye and horror in his expression. Lilly blinked and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Apologies, James,” she sighed. “I didn’t know who you were. You shouldn’t sneak up on a fugitive.”
He was hyperventilating loudly, but she could hear him attempting to apologize. “It’s okay, James,” she said. “Calm down.”
The Wolf and Jack were there too. The Wolf watched with mild amusement. Jack was looking concerned for his fallen brother.
“Where did they all go?” Lilly asked referring to the revolutionaries.
“They’re went off to set the bombs,” the Wolf said. “We have ten minutes before we have to leave.”
“Is there anything else we have to do?” Lilly asked.
The Wolf loosened his collar. He seemed anxious. “What do you suspect Carlin thinks the Celerius move in this situation is?”
Lilly stared into space. “I bet he thinks it’s to approach him and challenge him to a duel one-on-one. Right?”
The Wolf removed his sword. Lilly looked at him quizzically. He then pulled a pair of goggles out of his pocket. No doubt it was one of the ones from earlier. “Remember when I told you that we need to abandon old honor?”
Lilly cocked her head. “Yes?”
“Well there’s one final thing we should do. You’re not going to like it, but it’s absolutely paramount to tricking Carlin.”
She looked at the sword, then back at the goggles. “Carlin’s going to invite us in…” she repeated slowly. Her eyes widened as she realized what the Wolf had been talking about earlier. “You’re being serious?”
One look into his eyes told her he was. “If he realizes who we are we’ll be killed before we can lay a hand on him. We need to do the last thing he’d ever expect from us.”
Lilly groaned and stood up. She unsheathed her sword and looked hard at her uncle. “I’m not happy about this.”
“I’m in the same boat,” he said.
He pulled a small tin from deep inside his coat and tossed it to her. “Boot polish,” he said. “In case you want to go the extra mile.”
“Boot polish? I hate you.”
“Don’t be dramatic. Do you want to put a sword through Carlin or not?”
“I want to,” Lilly said. “I really do.”
“Then let’s get to work.”
Chapter Fifty-Six
BRIGHTBOW
CARLIN FILUS
Carlin paced the atrium of the mayor’s home. His guards were clearly nervous he would throw a tantrum and kept a safe distance. “People in this village clearly don’t care about their citizens,” he said as he approached an older looking hostage. “What do you think, old man?”
The old man opened his mouth to express some sentiment, but was quickly dealt with before any words could leave his mouth. Carlin swiveled and faced his men. “That’s all right!” he yelled. “Because I don’t care about them either!”
He laughed loudly and his men nervously pretended to laugh as well. His position was well armed. He had five archers surrounding him and they were more than willing to turn any intruders or hostages into pincushions. He couldn’t see the Celerius getting in without having to face him directly. He was confident in his ability to defeat Lilly Celerius in a sword battle, but the Wolf was another story. Not only was he a lightning quick swordsman, but also news was spreading quickly of The Howl, his new advanced ability.
“You can’t do this,” said a weak murmur in the corner of the room.
Carlin laughed loudly at the mayor. “I can’t? And why is that?”
“This city has famously been supportive of the Empire in times of turmoil. We have done nothing to deserve this radical mistreatment. We are nothing but loyal to the Empire!” the mayor cried.
Carlin approached him. “What an interesting statement.” His voice was as calm as death. “You are nothing but loyal… However, four hours ago I requested that the Lightborns be brought to me. Have they been?”
The mayor was silent. Carlin gleefully kneeled in front of him and placed the mayor’s head between his hands. The mayor struggled, but Carlin held him in an iron grip. “Not only that, but no one has even spotted them. No one. So either they’ve adapted the ability to turn invisible… or…”
“Someone is hiding them,” the mayor whimpered.
Carlin glared at him without breaking eye contact. “Exactly. Someone is hiding them. So when you say your village has been nothing but loyal… Well that strikes me as a bold faced lie.”
He removed his hands from the mayor’s head. Before the mayor could respond, Carlin slapped him across the face savagely. The mayor fell onto his back, groaning in agony. A small guard entered the room from the kitchen. Presumably he’d come from the back door of the building. “Sir,” he said breathlessly. “The rebels are destroying supply carts!”
Carlin turned around and stared at him. “What? That’s… unusual. That’s unlike the Celerius.”
“Maybe they’re trying to break the occupation?” the small guard said.
Carlin clenched his fists. “Probably. Where is Virgil? He and his men haven’t checked back have they?”
“No sir,” the small guard said.
Carlin glared at the floor. “Send a few guards out to look for him.”
“Really?” the small guard asked. “We can’t spare many.”
“Send two then,” Carlin said.
The small guard saluted and then retreated back through the kitchen. Carlin faced his men who looked at him expectantly. “This strategy is tactically genius,” he said confidently. “It will be met with resistance, but the Lightborns
are merely prolonging their deaths. How pitiful that they don’t understand how many they will hurt in attempting to avoid their fate.”
His men stared at him. “Don’t look at me,” he hissed. “Look at the doors, morons.”
His men readjusted and he continued his pacing, silently trying to decide which hostage would be next. There was a young boy. Maybe he would be inspiration for the townspeople.
The small guard reentered from the kitchen and saluted again. “I told you to find Virgil!” Carlin said in his strictest general voice.
“I’ve sent two men, but we have good news!” the small guard said. “Two bounty hunters have collected the Celerius. They have them tied up and bagged outside the back door.”
Carlin’s heart leapt with glee. “Bring them in!” he yelled. “Bring them in this instant.”
He drew his sword and his entire body began to shake. This was it. It was finally about to be over. He wrapped both hands around his sword and tried to focus himself. There was nothing to worry about now, aside from where to pin his medals and where to hang Lilly’s sword on his wall.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
OCEAN’S JAW
NEIL VAPROS
“I never doubted you for a second,” Alex said as he finished off yet another drink.
“Really?” Neil asked.
“No,” he said. He and Serena shared a chuckle. “We were a few seconds away from preparing your rowboat.”
The dining hall had mostly emptied out by now. All of Haxon’s friends had refused to attend the celebration in solidarity and Mama Tridenti had left early to take care of some late-night errands. “Honestly, I thought he’d have a heart attack the second you two started fighting,” Alex said. “At least that’s what I was waiting for the whole time.”
Neil smiled. “You’re slurring your words pretty heavily.”
Alex scratched his head and grinned his snow-white smile. “Guess I’m sleepy.”
“Sleep it off then,” Serena said.
“Best idea of the night,” Alex said as he laid his head on the wooden dining table.
“It’s certainly a better idea than ‘Hey Mamba, fight the giant,’” Neil said.
After a few moments quiet snores drifted from Alex and it was clear that he was out for the night. Serena patted him on the head gingerly. She stood up and skipped through the door. “Follow me,” she sang.
Neil didn’t argue. He trotted after her and through the front doors of the mansion onto the beach. “You’re gonna learn how to swim tonight, Mamba,” she said and she waded out knee deep into the water.
“You’re serious?” Neil asked. “It’s been a long day.”
“Don’t be a guppy,” she said as she gestured for him to come closer. “You won’t drown, I promise.”
With a slow exhale, Neil pulled off his shirt and followed her into the warm ocean. It felt almost as warm as the bath he’d taken earlier. She waited patiently for him to approach. “Okay,” she said. “We’re gonna start with the easiest thing to do: Jellyfish.”
She lay on her back and slowly brought her extremities towards her head and then used them to propel herself forward, imitating a jellyfish. There was something surreal about the Tridenti when they made contact with the water. Serena was simply lying in the water and doing a leisurely stroke, but she naturally glided through the water faster than any fish Neil had ever seen. “If you can manage to drown doing this one then maybe you really are hopeless,” she said as she rejoined him.
He spent a few moments floating on his back and transitioned to actually moving. He paddled around her a few times and then stood. She clapped modestly. “Happy?” he asked.
“Very. You’re excellent at floating around aimlessly.”
“That’s what they tell me.”
“Are you ready to try something a little more difficult?” she asked.
“Absolutely. Bring it on.”
She glided over to him. “Okay,” she said as she grabbed his wrists. “You’re going to move them in big circles.”
She rotated his arms around in large circles. He looked down at her as she continued to mimic the motion he should make while swimming through the water. She stopped when she noticed how he was looking at her. She dropped his right wrist and placed her hand on the side of his neck. He stared into turquoise for a fraction of a second and then they were kissing. Neil’s heart swelled with happiness and adrenaline as he pulled her closer. However, guilt began to rise up in him and they parted.
She smiled at him. “You all right, Mamba?”
“I have a strange feeling that someone would be very upset with me for doing that,” he said despite how much he enjoyed it.
She cocked her head. “There’s someone else?”
“I have no idea,” Neil said with a vague gesture to his temple. “Can’t remember.”
She hummed to him softly and the feelings of guilt subsided. “Well, until you figure that one out, why don’t we just stick to swimming?” She beckoned him deeper into the ocean.
He followed and practiced his other strokes for a while. They swam around for almost an hour even though she was a million times faster. “This must feel like teaching a child to walk,” Neil said.
“It’s more like teaching a child to crawl. Walking comes later.”
They swam until Neil got tired and then he paddled himself to shore awkwardly. He watched as she dove in and out of the water effortlessly. He felt the forces of lust and confusion battling inside his chest. Serena had an unmatched beauty and Neil liked her as much as he could remember liking anyone. Still, a strong sense of guilt welled up in his chest. As if he should be kissing someone else instead.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
ARKNEY
DARIUS TAURLUM
Bianca wrapped Darius’s hands once with a roll of cloth. “I’m not gonna bother wrapping your hands twice. It’s not like you’re going to hurt your knuckles.”
Darius grinned. He threw a look over his shoulder. In Altryon places like these were underground and fiercely regulated by the Empire. Arkney, as always, was the exception. Their Boxing Parlor was well lit and on the ground floor. It appeared that every ruffian in town was in attendance. Darius actually loved Arkney. It reminded him of the chaos of a bar fight, but instead of being broken up it had consumed the entire village. There were no rules here and no authority to answer to. Especially in the ring.
His hair had been wrapped and it made him look like a ruffian. He could see the fear in the eyes of the man across from him. Darius lifted his fists and faced his opponent to the sound of uproarious cheering and screaming. They sure were passionate about their boxing. He pulled off his shirt and his opponent did the same. He wasn’t going to let anyone pull him to the ground or get an unfair hold. Barlow and Anastasia were in the crowd somewhere looking to see if anyone distinguished themselves as a leader to the poorly hidden guards.
Darius ended his first fight with one swing, much to the shock of the crowd. The cheering stopped instantly and Darius looked at his fist in surprise. The crowd cheered again as his opponent was pulled from the ring and a new fighter stepped in. He squared off against Darius and the match ended the exact same way: with one Taurlum swing. Darius raised his arms as the crowd showered him with praise. Darius caught a look at Anastasia. She looked proud of him and he winked at her. “Hey,” Bianca said from the side of the ring. Darius looked over. “Maybe you’re fighting a little too well.”
“Can’t help it.”
“I’m serious,” she said, careful not to alert anyone in the crowd. “He’s gonna figure out exactly who you are if you finish matches that fast. Also knocking people unconscious is super bad for them, if you didn’t know.”
“Really? Isn’t it like forced sleep?” Darius said as she rewrapped his hands.
“With brain damage.”
“Damn. I knock people out all the time.”
“Better stop doing that.”
Darius faced his next opponent. He raise
d his fists in a solid guard. The man swung at his flank and cracked his fist against Darius’s skin. He screamed in horror and pain. Darius kicked him over and he didn’t get up again. The crowd looked at him again and tried to think of an excuse as to why people were breaking their fists against his sides. “Guess he hit a bone?” Darius said.
The crowd, fickle as ever, burst into reinvigorated applause. “One more opponent!” one of the men working at the Parlor yelled.
Darius saw Anastasia at the edge of the ring and he walked over to her. “Enjoying the show?” he asked.
She smiled at him and for a moment he thought she looked down to glimpse his bare chest. “Yes. And so it seems are the men who work here. They’re running in and out of the back. If you win this fight, you’ll be sure to meet the boss.”
“Then wish me luck,” Darius started to say until he turned and came face-to-face with Victor Venator, the Marksman.
Victor never smiled. He had the power to portray all his smug confidence with a straight face. He raised his arms far apart and his muscles rippled. Darius tried not to worry. “You want a rematch?” Darius asked. “Last time we did this you had seven shots to finish me. I don’t think you’ll do as well with zero.”
The Marksman scanned his opponent. “I’ve been studying up on your kind. Your weak spots, in particular.”
Darius looked over at Bianca. She looked as afraid as he felt. Anastasia did as well. Before he could turn back around to attack, a newcomer jumped into the ring. It was Barlow. “Victor!” he said. “This man has had enough. Let him have a break.”
“I need an opponent,” the Marksman growled.
“You’ve got one,” Barlow said as he removed his holster and his shirt. “Come on, Victor. Haven’t you always wondered who would win between the two of us?”
“I don’t need to wonder,” Victor said. “You’re a drunk and you’ve slowed over the years.”