Rebirth of the Heroes

by NAK Baldron

  "They're nice people."

  "Shaya's nice-looking perhaps," he said off-handedly. "But they're not nobility like you and I. They can't be trusted."

  He stepped forward, and she took a step backward to keep the same distance between them. Anger still burned behind his eyes, and she couldn't be sure that anger wasn't directed toward her.

  "We're learning telepathy so we can work together," she said. "I'm going to teach them how to send their thoughts to multiple people all at once."

  "That's an advance technique and—"

  "I know," she said, "But they're sorcerers like us. They're allowed to know."

  "Are you sure we're supposed to know?" he asked.

  Nadia was walking toward them. "Maybe we ask her if it's okay?" Abaze teased.

  Don't be an ass, Adaku transmitted. If you would've read the required reading for this test, you'd be aware that it is what we are supposed to learn to pass, but I guess you need me to do that for you still, huh?

  "Is there a problem?" Nadia asked, as she stopped before them.

  "No," Adaku lied before her brother could make things worse. She reached inside a small leather purse she wore around her shorts and produced three letters. "Could you deliver these for me?"

  Nadia took them from her. "Of course. And you? Do you have letters to send?"

  Abaze reached into the front pocket of his leather pants and pulled out a crumpled parchment. "This goes to my father, but I didn't address it. The court will know if this seal has been broken."

  "No one here would read your letter Abaze Okonkwo." She took the letter adding it to the stack she had gathered.

  Abaze met her glare and didn't flinch.

  Don't do it, Adaku transmitted.

  "Apologies." Abaze bowed his head. "Back home, court intrigue requires us to always be on guard. There are many spies inside court life. I forget we're no longer in such company."

  Adaku picked up on the implied insult, but she didn't think Nadia did. Or she didn't care.

  "None needed," Nadia said. "Enjoy the warm weather. I must attend to the other apprentices."

  They all bowed their heads slightly to one another.

  You should be teaming up with me, not these losers, Abaze transmitted.

  They're not losers. It is a team test. You had a chance to join us. You chose to place yourself apart from us. Now face the consequences.

  Adaku saw Shaya sitting alone on the grass and walked toward her, hoping her brother wouldn't follow.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

  Texas, Earth

  Monday, November 7th

  Lance drove Kandice to the funeral. Slava stayed behind to finish packing up what little they owned to leave town.

  "Are you ready?" he asked, once they parked in front of the funeral home.

  "No," she said. "But I have to do this."

  There was a small turn out for Blake's funeral. All of his friends had been online, and their only relative was Jackie. Pastor Gerlock was there along with eight adults Kandice didn't recognize, but assumed went to church with Jackie. She struggled to imagine Jackie having friends outside of her congregation.

  Lance held Kandice's arm as they walked across the lawn to the fresh hole dug for Blake.

  Dr. Gerlock took Kandice's free hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "I'm truly sorry. He's in a better place now. If you want to talk, I'm always here."

  "Thank you," she said, and meant it.

  She didn't believe in much, but trusted that her family was in a better place.

  Everyone else came over one by one to offer their condolences. Lance was her rock. He stood beside her the whole time, holding her arm and often keeping her upright. She loved him for it. If he hadn't been with her through her brother's death, she would never have made it.

  Kandice lost track of all the movement as everyone got into position. Pastor Gerlock walked to the head of the casket behind Blake's grave marker.

  Pastor Gerlock spoke for several minutes, but lost in her own head she only heard muffled words as her mind replayed Blake dying over and over. Her crying became crippling, and Lance had to hold her up.

  Strength radiated out of him keeping her standing. She looked over and he smiled a little. Not in a way to show happiness, but as a reassurance he was there for her.

  It was comforting to know Lance was there. The thought of him and Slava leaving rushed into her mind with a new wave of tears.

  As Blake's casket made the slow descent into the ground, Kandice's legs gave out. She sank to the ground before Lance could catch her. She was crying harder than ever before in her life. She'd watched her mother be lowered and kept a stoic posture as expected. When her father was lowered, there wasn't a tear on her face.

  Losing Blake was too much. Her body screamed in pain but she suppressed the urge to do it aloud. Her vision was red with rage. Her only thought was killing the next Aether Walker that crossed her path. They needed to get out of there. Seeing him lowered was killing her with each inch he descended. When the sound of the winches stopped, Kandice looked up at Lance trying to pull her back to her feet. She gave in and stood next to him.

  She wiped the tears from her eyes and hid her emotions behind a mask of a blank expression. Jackie's church companions offered their condolences again. Dr. Gerlock offered to talk with Kandice after the reception, but Kandice said she was fine.

  Lance stood next to her, and they stared at Blake's casket at the bottom of a hole that seemed to go on forever.

  Jackie walked over to her.

  "I'm not sure what happened," she said. "But I know you know more than you're telling."

  "Why do you think that?" Kandice asked, trying to force her mind to think straight and come up with new lies while remembering the old ones.

  "You know why Blake was killed," Jackie said. "I know you do. He was spending all his time with you."

  She looked at Lance. "Is he involved? He looks like trouble. Kandice, what have you gotten yourself into?"

  "Fuck you," Kandice said. "Fuck You!"

  Jackie slapped her. It was sudden and unexpected. Kandice's cheek stung, and her skin swelled.

  Before Kandice could punch back, Lance stepped between her and Jackie. "You'll never do that again. Do you understand?"

  "How dare—" Jackie started.

  "Never again!" He pointed to the parking lot, "Leave."

  Jackie's face was red with anger, but she stormed off, leaving Lance and Kandice alone at the grave.

  "I'm sorry," Lance said. "This is all my fault."

  "No, it's mine," she said.

  She stepped closer to the grave and stood teetering on the edge.

  "It should have been me," she said.

  Lance pulled her back as she slipped forward. "I'm glad it wasn't."

  She didn't think, but pushed up onto her toes and kissed him. He pulled her in tight by the small of her back and kissed her back with a passion she only knew of from the movies. She could feel her teeth cut the front of her lips from the force of his kiss.

  "I want to come with you," she said, once they separated.

  "You do?" he asked.

  "When you leave. I want to come with you and Slava. I can't stay here. Not anymore."

  "Yes. I'd love that."

  "Me too," she said.

  They walked back to the parking lot. They could see cars pulling out on their way to the reception.

  "I'm going to skip it," Kandice said.

  "Skip what?" he asked.

  "The reception," she said. "I can't stand to listen to people who never knew Blake talk about him."

  It was time for her to leave. Not just the funeral, but the whole damn city. There was nothing left for her here but negative memories. It was time to start fresh, in a new city with new people.

  "Fuck." She stopped walking.

  "What is it?" Lance asked.

  "I'll have to sell everything and break my lease."

  "It'll be fine. Slava and I will help."

  She
looked up into his eyes and smiled for the first time since Blake's death. She hugged him, and Lance squeezed her back.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

  Amethyst Nation, Fencura

  "Did you see that?"

  Ren looked at where Goban was pointing—Adaku marched away from her brother, who stood like a statue watching, and Nadia headed straight in their direction.

  Not a good sign.

  Moments earlier they'd been discussing Ren's progress while both agreeing he still had a ways to go before the team test. Ren didn't mind. Working with Goban was better than he had expected. Despite being overly excitable and downright distracted at times. When it came to studies, Goban became a different person.

  Goban's focus was as strong as steel, to the point that more than once Ren had been forced to tap him on the shoulder while he read, to gain his attention. The mystery of how Goban managed to read their assigned books and more, had been solved. With an unbreakable focus, Goban could devour a book in one sitting. What's more, when questioned about it he could recall the vast majority of what he read. Even days later.

  "Do you have letters?" Nadia held out the stack of letters in her right hand.

  Ren hadn't bothered to write. Brandon knew they admitted him as an apprentice, and until he had more good news, there was no reason to bother him. Telling him of his struggles wouldn't help either of them.

  "Just two." Goban produced them from his inner vest pocket. "Do we pay postage?"

  "No, Nadia said. "That has already been taken care of."

  She looked at Ren who said, "I don't have any."

  If she found this odd, she didn't show it. "Very well. Come with me."

  They walked toward Shaya and Adaku who were tanning in the light. The light made Adaku's skin glisten and Ren noted she was as lovely as Shaya. Before he could get carried away by his thoughts, Nadia called their attention. Abaze walked closer, but kept a significant distance between himself and the other apprentices.

  "Your test date has been set," Nadia announced. "The Archamethyst has decided we will hold it three days from now at first light."

  None of the apprentices spoke, but they quickly glanced at one another. Were they ready to test?

  "I have high expectations for you, and will be disappointed if you fail."

  Great, no pressure then.

  "Enjoy the next two days, and use your time wisely."

  As usual, Nadia didn't hang around to see if they would have obvious questions. Instead she quickly crossed the line between the apprentice's courtyard, and that of the rest of the city. A small group of sorcerers surrounded her upon her crossing. They engulfed her in conversation as she strolled toward the main tower.

  "We should go to the library," Goban said.

  You're right, Ren transmitted. It would be best if we practiced our telepathy from now until the test.

  Agreed.

  Two days. Ren thought to himself. I'm so fucked!

  CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

  Texas, Earth

  Tuesday, November 8th

  Kandice dodged every one of Jackie's calls. There was no point trying to explain her departure, and they'd never gotten along anyway so they shouldn't miss each other or need a long goodbye.

  After the first six voicemails, she quit listening and deleted them. The only person she contacted was Mr. Goldsmith to explain her departure. Since it was unclear where they were going, she let him know the city was too painful to live in and a friend would accompany her on a cross-country adventure. She promised to check in with him, and Mr. Goldsmith agreed to watch after her assets.

  Kandice also informed him that her apartment would be empty by the end of the week because she was selling her belongings. Breaking a lease would look bad on her renter's history, but there was no avoiding it as paying for it throughout the year wasn't an option.

  Mr. Goldsmith said he would pay the cancellation fee and next month's rent out of Kandice's bank account, and that he could smooth it over with the apartment complex on her behalf.

  He also agreed to sell her moped for her and didn't want compensation for it. He considered it a favor to Kandice and her parents. She had thanked him and asked one last favor: that he not discuss any of it with Jackie. He explained that it would violate client privilege to tell Jackie anything.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

  Amethyst Nation, Fencura

  They'd studied late into the night, but Goban needed to make sure Ren was up at the first sign of light. Requiring less sleep than his brothers was one of Goban's unique qualities. While the rest of his family would be in a deep slumber, he had snuck out their house to explore the city. By the time he was ten, he knew it like the layout of their forge, and began to explore outside the city walls.

  He liked to imagine himself as Brogan Ironfist as he explored the tunnels.

  There were no tunnels here, but the library was a close substitute. Despite weeks of exploring, Goban wasn't convinced he'd uncovered all the secrets the room had to offer. Part of him knew . . .

  With no windows he couldn't be sure—his internal clock was rarely wrong—if it was time to wake Ren. The windows in the hallways outside the library showed a faint red glow on the gray horizon. The source-light would be fully visible within the hour. There was no more time to waste.

  They were down to just two days!

  Two days in which they expected them to become a flawless team, working together as one unit. Goban feared they'd never be able to pull it off. Not because of Ren, but all of them. He knew he lacked the telepathic skills needed to pull off the attack spells they read about. Nadia hadn't given them any hints as to what they'd be expected to do, other than the books she had them read. Also, the constant reminder that they would be judged individually and as a whole.

  Goban knocked on Ren's door, but there was no answer. He knocked again, and again silence. Goban turned the metal ring, which released the latch inside, and tried to push the door open, but it didn't budge.

  Dragon fire!

  Ren had locked his door. Goban banged harder, but there was still no sound on the other side.

  Clearing his mind as Adaku taught them, Goban found his mental image of Ren.

  Get up, Goban transmitted. Get up, Get up, GET UP!

  A loud crashing sound came from behind the door. Goban calmly knocked again, and this time the sound of footsteps quickly followed by the latch being pulled back, and Ren opened the door.

  "Yes?" Ren rubbed sleep from his eyes.

  "Morning," Goban said. "It's time for us to start the day."

  Ren looked over his shoulder toward the window. "The source-light is still below the horizon."

  "Yes, but first light is here."

  Ren pushed to close the door, but Goban was too quick for him, slipping his foot at the base. The door didn't budge a hair.

  "I need more sleep," Ren complained.

  "You can sleep after the team test."

  "We won't pass the team test, if I don't get sleep!"

  "No." Goban emphasized the word. "We won't pass if you don't get in the library and study. There are still several spells we need to practice, and I'm not convinced you've really mastered the clearing of your mind technique."

  "Nor will I if I, don't, get, some, SLEEP!"

  Goban sprung out his right palm and cupped Ren's ear.

  "Fuck!"

  His father did it to him and his brothers any time they weren't paying attention. It didn't leave any lasting damage, but it caused a sharp pain in the ear for a split second.

  "Library. Now."

  For a second it looked like Ren would attack him, but instead he walked back to his trunk and pulled out a fresh shirt, dark blue like the ocean.

  * * *

  Goban pointed to the page Ren should have been reading. "Focus! We're supposed to be studying for the test."

  "Maybe if you'd allowed us to eat before we began, I'd be able to focus."

  "Food is a reward."

  Ren knocked his head
against the book page.

  "Unless you're planning to press the knowledge into your head, I don't think that's the best strategy."

  Ren began to laugh—Goban joined—Ren's laughter was contagious.

  "Where are you two?" Shaya called out—her voice muffled by the sea of books.

  Use your thoughts, Adaku transmitted. We need to get used to finding one another with thoughts only.

  Good point, Ren transmitted. We're at the large table near the back wall, two rights and a left from the front doors.

  Goban found it hard to concentrate with so many speaking inside his mind, and put up a barrier to block the noise. A technique Adaku had taught them the day before.

  * * *

  Ren stood up to meet the girls—thankful for a reason to leave the boring books behind.

  I was reading that it's possible to send images to one another, Shaya transmitted.

  That would be great, Ren transmitted. I'm coming to you.

  "Where are you going?" Goban asked.

  To meet the girls, Ren Transmitted.

  Goban stared at him blankly.

  "To meet the girls. Did you not hear me?"

  "I had to block it out," Goban said. "It was giving me a headache."

  "Oh. Let's talk to Adaku about that."

  "No," Goban said. "It's fine. I don't want to be a burden."

  "Nonsense."

  Thought you were meeting us? Shaya stepped from around the corner.

  Talking to Goban. He's having a hard time with the team thought.

  Adaku joined them, and Ren urged Goban to share with the girls. Goban gave in and shared how he kept having headaches when they were all in his head at once, and how he couldn't mass send his thoughts. He was compensating by sending his thought multiple times to each of them in turn.

  "That's not going to work in the test," Adaku said. "We might need to react quickly, and even with the increased speed of thought, repeating yourself four times is too slow."

  Goban hung his head.

  "I'm not trying to be mean." Adaku touched his shoulder. "It's important that we all work together."