Of Heroes And Villains (Book 4)

by Julius St. Clair

  Catherine’s eyes wavered as she listened to his words, and she felt her heart drop. Suddenly, she found herself looking back at James and her parents. Her mother was on her knees, weeping uncontrollably into her hands, for she knew what was coming. Her father and her husband, were in full Sage form, with their eidolons at the ready. But as impressive as the sight was, she could see their bodies quivering. They were afraid. Even with all that power, they were afraid, for they also knew that it was the end. There was little they could do to escape this fate.

  Catherine turned back to Lakrymos slowly.

  “I want to make you a deal,” she said. Lakrymos raised an eyebrow.

  “I’m listening,” he said.

  “We know that you don’t want us to leave, but that doesn’t mean you can’t let us. You’ll be the King now. You can do what you want. I propose that we all fight you, and if we are able to wound you, you let us go free and clear. All of those who desire to leave. If you are able to render us all unconscious, then we will stay and become your subjects. We will follow your commands.”

  “That intrigues me,” he said, rubbing his chin. “But…I don’t want you to become my subjects. You’re just trying to make a deal that guarantees your safety. In this deal, no matter what the outcome is, you survive. I would never be able to trust you if you were my servant, and like I said, I don’t need any distractions. But…” he looked at the students watching, and Catherine bit her lip. She hoped he would take the bait. In front of his army-to-be, he couldn’t be completely ruthless. The 24 hours weren’t up yet, and if he killed all those who wanted to leave needlessly, the rest of the students could revolt. They might not leave, out of fear of their own lives, but they wouldn’t be completely on board with Lakrymos’ doctrine. Not if they witnessed a slaughter.

  “Then what’s your counter offer?” Catherine asked, and Lakrymos sneered at her.

  “If you can’t wound me, you will all be imprisoned until I can deem you trustworthy.”

  Catherine gave him a fake grin. It was as good of a deal as she was going to get. Imprisonment was basically death anyways. As King, Lakrymos would refuse access to the prisoners. In the background, he would either let them rot, or he would have them killed and tell the people that they continued to be in chains. But at least they had a chance now. They just had to wound him, and they were free…for now.

  “But I won’t be the one you have to wound,” Lakrymos said, pointing behind him to the shadow leaning up against the wall. “It will be her. She will take my place.”

  The shadow launched herself from her leaning position and began walking toward them, her face illuminated slowly as she approached. Catherine looked at Lakrymos for signs of trickery. Why was Orchid fighting? Lakrymos just smiled and strolled over to the side of the courtyard. He leaned up against a pillar, and waited for the battle to ensue. Catherine looked Orchid in her big, brown eyes and searched for a promise. The legendary Sage was wearing nothing but a shirt and pants, but Catherine still felt a great deal of danger emanating from her.

  “One wound, and we all go free, right?” Catherine asked.

  “Yes. But just from you and the members of your court. The students will not intervene, or else the deal is off, and you will be killed.”

  James glanced over at Bastion. Did they sense his power? Did they know that if Bastion helped out, they would almost have certain victory?

  “But they are part of our group,” Catherine pleaded, but Orchid just shook her head.

  “Take our conditions, or die where you stand.”

  “Fine,” Catherine whispered, looking back at her family. Bastion, Kent, Daisy, and the other students that were going with them backed away. Bastion wondered if he should jump in anyway, but he wasn’t sure if that was the right thing to do. He was indeed powerful, but he had never faced such enemies before. These Sages were not like the Quietus.

  “Whenever you’re ready,” Orchid said. Catherine nodded, and then a crack of thunder erupted across the sky. Orchid lifted her head, and watched as the dark clouds began to overshadow the moon above. Rain began to fall, and Orchid stretched out her hand to catch some of the raindrops. She let them drip through her fingers, and then she glanced back at Catherine.

  “Define a wound,” Orchid said. Catherine smiled slyly.

  “If I hit you—that counts. Blocks won’t. And cuts definitely count.”

  “I see,” she said, wiggling her fingers in the rain.

  Catherine launched herself at Orchid, her hands flat instead of into fists, like she was about to chop her opponent. Instead of chopping though, Catherine jabbed at Orchid, the middle finger of each hand becoming the point of every attack. Orchid dodged each blow easily, moving as little as possible and conserving her energy.

  Arimus and James joined the battle, trying to catch Orchid off guard from behind. Zhou and Talia, with their Sage robes on, went for the sides, attempting to grab and hold her down. Without hesitation, Orchid ran to the left and punched Talia as hard as she could across the face, then she sped to the right, and roundhouse kicked Zhou square in the face. She turned just in time to see James cocking his white eidolon behind him.

  Orchid didn’t show any signs of frustration as she bent her body backwards like she was playing limbo, dodging James’ swing at her chest. Arimus went for the legs and she dropped to the ground, her butt landing on the surface of his eidolon. As soon as the windmill blade hit the dirt, she rolled forward and kicked Arimus in the chest, sending him flying back. She blocked a couple of jabs from Catherine and then punched the former Queen across the face. The blow sent her face first to the ground. James picked up the assault, swinging both eidolons with great speed, but Orchid was unimpressed. She grabbed his white eidolon, just as one of his jabs passed by her head, and she punched off the top half. James retracted the black eidolon within himself and tried to punch her back.

  A gust of wind sent her flying toward James’ fist, but she grabbed his fist and his collar in mid-air, and they both went spiraling into a vortex. Orchid made sure to use the reprieve to punch James as hard as she could, dodging his flailing attempts in the process. Arimus stopped the winds he created, sending them both to the ground. James crashed, and she landed lightly on her feet. Zhou began to climb to his feet in the distance. Orchid sped over, and punted him in the chin, knocking out the warrior cold. She glanced over at Talia to make sure she was done as well.

  With that finished, she ran back to Arimus, who tried summoning the winds again, but before he could, it was like something propelled her forward, and her eidolon was now sticking into Arimus’ chest. Orchid reappeared in a jousting motion, her hands rematerializing at the end of her eidolon’s hilt. Her steel silver and purple eidolon was in the shape of a straight sword, but once she pulled it out of Arimus, and the Sage went sprawling into the gravel, the sword separated into two, producing two small, handheld daggers. Orchid flipped them upside down and waited for the next contender.

  Catherine came back, and this time, she brought a weapon with her. In her possession was a two-handed greatsword, as long as she was, but still the size of a normal blade in width. Her eidolon was a mix of bright purple, blue and green, in that order, from top to bottom. Orchid could see Catherine’s forearms increase slightly in size, as the former Queen wielded the large weapon. Catherine ran forward slowly, but then, suddenly, she was right in front of Orchid, the top of the sword just about to plunge through the legendary Sage’s skull. Orchid’s eyes widened, and she parried the greatsword away with the dagger in her right hand.

  Orchid spun around and backed off to recover, but then Catherine was right below her in a crouching position, the tip of the greatsword now getting ready to plunge through her navel. Orchid jumped high up in the air, using her daggers to push the surface of the blade down. Orchid leapfrogged over Catherine and looked back at her opponent.

  To Orchid’s surprise, Catherine’s lower half was no longer a dress. It was a purple Sage’s robe. But then it disappeared,
as if it had been a figment of her imagination. Suddenly, Catherine was above her, getting ready to plunge the sword into Orchid’s still leaping body. Orchid sensed the movement and somersaulted in the air, catching the blade between her feet and using the falling momentum to send Catherine crashing into the gravel. As Catherine fell, Orchid got another look. Catherine’s arms had been covered in Sage sleeves, but again, they abruptly vanished.

  “Ah I see,” Orchid said, as Catherine groaned and rubbed her cheek with her free hand. “You didn’t use the light to transform. This rain,” she said, stretching out her hands. “It’s your version of transformation. You can’t maintain the form, but you can activate parts of it at will. I’m willing to bet this rain is local only to this Academy’s general area. Clever girl.”

  “I can activate the light to cover me,” Catherine said, climbing to her feet. “But what’s the point? I only need the speed and strength at specific times, and I can dodge pretty well for the most part.”

  James, who had barely regained consciousness, was staring at Catherine in awe. He had been on so many away missions that he never thought about truly training with her. He had seen her greatsword, but not her Sage transformation. She had probably been able to do it ever since the stone of power was removed from her body.

  “It’s an impressive skill,” Orchid said, with her sweet, high pitched voice. “But all I have to do is transform too, and you’re finished.”

  “Then do it,” Catherine said, clutching her greatsword tight.

  “The next attack will kill you,” Orchid promised. “You’re all that stands between us and victory.”

  “So be it,” Catherine said, closing her eyes. Orchid gripped her daggers and waited. She knew Catherine was going to go as fast she could to get a desperate cut in. That was all she needed to know. As if on cue, Catherine disappeared, and Orchid sensed her presence from above—just like the last attack she had used.

  But as soon as Orchid began to move out the way, the rain stopped, and a pillar of light engulfed both her and the former Queen. Blinded by the sudden and unexpected flash, Orchid knew that all she had to do was move, but at that moment, Catherine was in her full Sage form. And her speed had just gotten a major boost. She was too fast.

  Catherine’s blade impaled Orchid’s chest from above and it kept going straight through her back. Her feet landed on Orchid’s stomach, and altogether, the force of her, and the sword, sent the legendary Sage hard into the ground.

  Catherine tried to pull the greatsword out of her opponent’s flesh, but suddenly, it was cut in two, and all she got was the half with the hilt. Orchid’s body disappeared beneath her, and she suddenly reappeared by Lakrymos’ side. Her black robe fell into place, after she had already sat down, cross legged in the gravel. There was no expression on the Sage’s face. Catherine was breathing heavily, trying to reform her blade as she waited for the verdict. There was no guarantee that Orchid wouldn’t attack, or both of them for that matter. Just because she had won her end of the deal, it didn’t mean they had to honor it.

  “You have earned your freedom,” Lakrymos said, glancing at Orchid for only a second. “You and your group may choose to go, or, if any member so chooses, they can stay. We won’t harm them while they prove their loyalty to us.”

  Catherine frantically looked at her fallen teammates. Zhou and Talia were still out cold, and Arimus was trying to heal a fatal wound. James was just climbing to his feet. She knew the moment he had transformed that he hadn’t been at full strength, not after fighting Lakrymos so recently.

  “Anyone that wants to stay, they can,” Catherine said. “But I’m going.” She closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself. Now that the adrenaline had all but died, the ache was beginning to settle in. Ashalynn and a couple of the Sages going with them helped Arimus to his feet as he healed. Kent threw Zhou over his shoulder, and Daisy did the same for Talia. Bastion took Catherine’s arm and threw it around his shoulders, helping her to walk.

  “Stop,” Orchid said suddenly, terrifying everyone who prepared to leave. “Not him,” she said, pointing to Bastion. “He stays.”

  “Why?” Catherine said. “He chose to go with us from the beginning.”

  “He had to be a part of our Kingdom,” Lakrymos said. “There is no negotiation.”

  “And what if we refuse!” James shouted. He nearly fell over when he said it, and Lakrymos laughed.

  “Then we do this all over again.” Catherine glared at Orchid, while Bastion looked to his friends. He could see them already beginning to put the Sages on their backs down to the ground, but he raised a hand in protest.

  “No,” he said to them. “Don’t come with me. You know what you need to do.”

  “Now get out of here before we change our mind,” Lakrymos muttered, crossing his arms. James shook his head and unleashed his white eidolon, making his way slowly to the legendary warriors.

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said, but then his eidolon disappeared, and his eyes rolled in the back of his head. Orchid and Lakrymos hadn’t even moved. He was just that exhausted. Catherine barely caught him before he fell, but she was already so tired from the battle that they both plopped down onto the gravel. As she struggled to pick him back up, Lakrymos walked over to the young Bastion and placed a hand on the top of his head. Bastion made no move to look up at the Sage.

  “Do you know why I refused your departure?”

  “Yes,” Bastion said, his eyes cast to the ground.

  “It’s because of the potential that lies within you. You could be even stronger than us someday. Surely you know this.”

  “I do,” he said, as emotionless as before.

  “You will be the greatest warrior that we have ever known. You will defeat the Yama. You will one day be my successor. When you are ready to take the throne, that’s when I will be able to rest in peace. You will resist my teachings at first. They will be hard, and in the beginning, you will wish you were dead. I will not let you take your own life. You will endure, and in time, you will see as I see. You will become a legend, and you will lead all Sages to their true, individual potential. You will end the Era of Peace, and usher in the Era of the Sage. I am not asking this of you. I am telling you. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” he said, finally looking into his new master’s eyes. Catherine and the others could barely watch. Lakrymos turned his head slowly toward the former Queen and looked her directly in the eyes. Without looking back at Bastion, he spoke.

  “If they are not gone within the next two minutes, my young protégé…you are to kill them all, starting with Catherine.”

  Bastion’s forlorn gaze was all Catherine needed to see.

  “Let’s go,” she whispered to the others. “Let’s not contribute to the damage already caused tonight.”

  Chapter 22 – For Your Soul, I’ll Die

  The road to Languor was long and dark. And though they had anticipated that, they didn’t realize how heavy the gloomy atmosphere over them would be. Weary and beaten, they walked through the forest, keeping their eidolons partly revealed, in case Lakrymos decided to change his mind. Not that knowing he was coming would matter. It felt like nothing they did mattered anymore.

  “Do you think Zain will take us in?” Talia asked, nursing her neck. She had strained it in the hit Orchid had given her. Catherine tried not to faint as she moved some brush out of her way.

  “He will,” she said wearily. “But I’m not sure for how long. Especially after we tell him what happened. The Langorans enjoy their way of life. They won’t want it disrupted. They might be neutral in this war.”

  “Is that what this is?” Talia scoffed. “Did you see what that lady did to us back there? And that was without her being transformed. She took it easy on us.”

  “We can’t give up,” Catherine said, swallowing hard. She was thirsty, but she knew they had to keep moving. They couldn’t camp out while it was still night, and they needed more distance between them and Allay. “We
can’t give up,” she repeated. “We’ve experienced worse.”

  “And what about the Quietus? What happens to them? We were supposed to free them before we left!”

  “No more questions for now, Talia,” Catherine whispered.

  “Why aren’t we going to Prattle instead?” Daisy asked to no one in particular. “It’s closer.”

  “Because it’s too close,” Kent replied. “We need some distance between us and Lakrymos. There’s that slim chance he might leave us alone. If at all possible, we want him to forget all about us.”

  “If only we could find that Ephai,” Catherine said. “That would end them both.”

  “It won’t be that simple,” Talia interjected. “Like I said, Ephai can’t be manifesting them both at all times. For example, this Ephai needs to sleep at some point. No, there is something else going on here. We can’t come up with a plan until we know what we’re dealing with.”

  “James?” Catherine bit her lip as she looked over at her husband. He hadn’t said a word since they left Allay.

  “Hmm?” he gave her a face that reminded her of death. He was pale, and he was so exhausted that she thought he was going to faint at any moment.

  “Are you okay?”

  “No,” he said flatly, facing forward. She reached out and caressed his arm. He didn’t acknowledge the touch.

  “James, talk to me. What are you thinking about?”

  “What will happen to Allay? Honestly. Tell me.”

  “What do I think will happen under Lakrymos’ rule?”

  “Yes. Give me the whole picture. I’ve thought about it, but I want to hear what you have to say. And don’t hold back. We all need to hear it.” The group stopped walking so that they could hear the worst of it.