by Shakyra Dunn
“He never backs down from a challenge, and I guess that rubbed off on me. But he always looks so serious when he fights, which means he thinks before he acts. Not to mention that ribbon, man, how can so few people know how to be battle-ready?” He had a bounce in his step, and as Leilana continued down the hall together with him, she couldn’t help but grin.
The first four floors through Megalina were spent in careful pacing, the four trailing closely behind Amiria. Every now and again she would stop them in their tracks and instruct them to cover their ears while she played a calming melody on her flute, thrusting their opponents into a temporarily lapse of slumber. Leilana was keen on watching things unfold—many called her a prodigy due to her connection with the Lasette, but Amiria seemed to be the prolific Arcana. She had so many different skills, it was hard to figure out what she acquired on her travels.
“This way,” Amiria whispered, gesturing towards a flight of stairs in the distance. “Once we reach the fifth floor, there should be a way around to the back stairs and climbing them will lead up to the twelfth floor, where you can find the leader of the building.”
“How did you figure out the mechanics so easily?” Solus asked.
“I was observant when I first arrived here. The others were secretive about what paths they took in case that there were traitors in their midst. But for all their careful actions, it wasn’t enough for them to keep me out of the loop. I figured that it would come in handy.”
“Looking to replace me as the King’s attendant?” Solus joked, which caused Amiria to blush. “I’d say you’re on track, at least, not many plan too far in advance.” Sien blew some hair out of her face, resting a hand on her hip. Leilana was frazzled by the girl’s scorned expression, and Rem merely shrugged. Somehow, things always came back around to him, but it was better to adjust to it.
Seated in the middle of the winding stairs leading towards the fifth floor was a young man with long black hair pulled into a shaggy ponytail, his front bangs lined with red streaks. His eyes were closed, making him appear deeper in thought. Amiria froze—she was certain he hadn’t been there before, which meant that he was far more elusive than she recalled.
“Who’s the guy?” Rem whispered.
“His name is Sentora.” Leilana’s heart skipped a beat. That name was familiar. “He attended Magiten Academy and left to take his pilgrimage at the same time we did. He got all the way to Kinsley before he decided to quit looking for totems. He saw no point in going through with it, and he mentioned that he doesn’t believe in the Warlords’ plight, but I feel like there’s an underlying meaning behind his deceit towards Master Hinju.”
“Amiria,” Sentora acknowledged as they approached. “Good to see that you’ve returned. And I see that you’ve brought the prince and his entourage with you.” Wait, then he didn’t know that she was acting on opposing forces?
“Sorry that it took me so long,” she began. “I wanted to keep things a secret while I could. It seemed like they were trying to infiltrate and retrieve something.”
Rem folded his hands behind his head, looking off to the side casually. He stole a glance at Solus, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Solus responded by crossing his arms, looking at the ceiling to avoid any proper eye contact. Leilana was unsure of what was running through their minds, but after noticing Sien fiddle with her hair to distract herself, she realized that they were all trying to act unnatural to draw Sentora’s attention back to Amiria.
Sentora looked to Leilana. “Ah, yes. Your grimoire. I hear that many are interested in it, but it’s hard to say what would be in it. I’ve only ever seen you open it, and you always uttered the words to yourself.” Leilana rested a hand on her hip, staring up at him, not a single word passing through her lips. Sentora gave her a soft grin—he must have anticipated her silence.
“She is the last of the Minsura clan,” Amiria continued. “She is the only one with knowledge of the book and its secrets.”
Sentora stepped towards Leilana, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her away from the party towards the stairs, causing her to snarl back at him. “Why not just deliver her to the leader then? I’m sure that she holds more value at this moment than even Prince Remiel. Her knowledge could turn the tide in this war.”
Solus was about to charge into action and pursue him, but Rem and Sien snagged his arms to restrain him. Any actions he took would get Amiria into more trouble, Solus knew it, but the knowledge that Leilana could become so easily entangled in the ordeal drove him to pieces.
Amiria glanced back at the three, clearing her throat. “I wouldn’t say she’s of use, Sentora. She’s good for translating. He may not even find anything worth mentioning.”
“You say that, but he has confidence that there is more to the grimoire than meets the eye. The Minsura clan was centered in the art of knowledge and pulled themselves away from Adrylis to further expand their information. Without them, we wouldn’t have Sentience. What wouldn’t she know?” Amiria lowered her head.
Leilana kept darting between the two, her retorts becoming limited, but her expression darkening. There was so much that they didn’t understand, and even more that she herself couldn’t wrap her head around. Her time in Minsura was miniscule, and she couldn’t remember more than the words of her people, monks in a shrine, chimes, incense, and songs of the ancients.
“Whatever I know, I won’t talk,” Leilana hissed, trying to break from his constricting grip. “There’s nothing that I could say that wouldn’t cost my life or the lives of my friends. This knowledge will remain with me until my last breath. I will not allow anything useful to recklessly pass through my lips—the future of Adrylis depends on us.”
Sentora cupped her chin with his rather large hand, pulling her closer to him. Leilana nearly gasped. The scent of primroses engulfed her nose, his teal eyes soulless. “You listen to me. The only thing that you are capable of is extraction. I watched you often during our school days, even when you believed that I was unaware. I knew your origins, studied every aspect of your work, and I know what path you are treading down.” She pursed her lips shut as he spoke. He was nothing more than a wilted flower striving to grow under the sun, trapped in a hole.
“Without your grimoire, you are but an ordinary girl.” She closed her eyes, her chin slipping between his fingers. “You have always believed that, and it shows when you reflect that side of yourself to others. You are incapable of saving Adrylis. Not even Prince Remiel can stop the onslaught of chaos set for him if he pursues the kingdom.”
“Oh yeah?!” Rem snapped. “We’ll see how far I’ll go!”
Incapable. How many times had she heard that word? How long would it be before she felt more comfortable in her own skin without judgment creeping up on her?
“Take me to your leader,” she mumbled. Sentora raised an eyebrow, and she sighed, raising her voice, “I want you to take me to your leader. I’ll tell him what I can about the book.”
“What are you thinking?” Sien exclaimed. “That’s exactly what you said you weren’t going to do!” Leilana glanced back at the group.
Rem and Sien were both still holding on to Solus, and their expressions mirrored one another. Both stood in silence with narrowed eyes, as if the words she spoke were too distant to comprehend. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised—this decision wasn’t the most rational ones she had conjured in the past. Her eyes landed next on Amiria, who was struck with more confusion than any of her other team members, her eyebrows furrowing and her fingers twitching. But unlike Rem and Sien, there was a hint of poise and acceptance behind her somber eyes. Finally, she traced her eyes over Solus. He was biting his bottom lip, his boiling anger still in full swing despite his shifting mood. His eyes softened when she met his gaze, Sentora’s grasp on her barely pushing through. There were so many risks being taken, and she wasn’t sure where to turn. Hesitantly, Solus looked away, but after a moment of thought, he faced her again. A coy grin lined his lips.
“I trust
that you’re doing the right thing. Be careful.” His words were fine-tuned to his art of subtlety, just enough to piece together what he was expecting of her. He saw right through her plan. Amiria lowered herself into a slight bow.
“I trust that you will handle things, Sentora.”
“Never underestimate me, my dear.” He pulled Leilana along, and she stopped struggling.
This was the only chance she would have, so it was best to think on her feet, not off them.
“What brought you here?” Leilana asked Sentora, attempting to break the silence between them.
Sentora kept his eyes forward and didn’t bother to acknowledge her. Leilana almost groaned at his rather stalwart nature, but he was just following orders—talk, try not to be heard, and listen, but leave your opinions in check. She would have to try a different approach.
“You seemed so confident about becoming a Warlord,” she continued. “I think that we all were. We could never have imagined that there was so much outside of those walls…”
“Many people died because we weren’t taught enough,” Sentora responded coldly, taking Leilana by surprise. So, he was listening, even if his mind was in other places, which made the ordeal easier to take the reins on. “And not just people caught in the war. People like us, innocent children striving to change the world. Now look at us. We’re as war-torn as these adults are.”
“How many from our pilgrimage were lost?”
Sentora lowered his head, huffing. “I don’t know. I’ve only run into you and Amiria.”
“I see.”
The three of them plus Lancett hanging back in Linarus’ scattered remains. That accounted for four people from their pilgrimage, and she seemed to be the only one actively pursuing totems despite her newfound idealism. People fighting amongst one another… it was unfathomable even now, after all the traveling that she had done to play her role.
“Some were lost due to malnourishment,” he continued. “Others because they couldn’t fend for themselves. I heard that we lost four to circumstance on a radio broadcast. The school was attacked, and they were able to defend it because of all of the extra help, but some lives there were lost too.” He was knowledgeable about both the outside world and the school. She envied that she couldn’t keep better track of everything. Her radio signal could only carry so far, and time was slipping too far away from her to focus on life in the academy again.
Rather than acknowledge him, Leilana’s focus drifted to her current surroundings. Every hall looked no different from the first floor, but the lights seemed to get brighter the higher up that she went. The power source was increasing. “How far up are we going?”
“We have three more floors.”
She folded her hands in front of her, bouncing on her tiptoes to stretch her legs. “I’m glad to hear that. I’d like to get off my feet.”
Truthfully, all that ached was her anticipation. In three floors, she would be face to face with the leader of the Order of Helix, the one pulling the strings behind the war. All he wanted was translations, but there was so much opportunity that it made her heart twinge. What would the leader be like? Was he as cunning as the other members? Lunious was deceptive to a fault, and Sentora was a little gullible, but one wrong move, and she contemplated the idea that he could drop his persona on a dime.
More silence elapsed over the next few minutes, and Leilana wondered if Sentora had more to say on the subject matter, his attitude curious to witness. Was he happy that she was going to potentially bring their leader a step closer to his goal, or even hesitant?
“Did you stumble upon the guild like Amiria?”
“No,” he responded a bit too quickly for her liking.
“Oh. Well, did they find you?”
Sentora drew in a breath, stating, “You talk too much, and I don’t know if I like that.”
Leilana glared at him. First, she didn’t talk enough, and now she talked too much? Had she changed that much in six months? “I’m sorry. I’ll keep quiet.”
Keeping quiet proved to be the wiser option to leave Sentora in his place, but it made Leilana uncomfortable with walking through the hospital-like structure. The electrical wiring here was no better than they were on the first floor, the power surging in and out every so often. The sparks were crackling louder against the walls, but Sentora seemed unfazed by it, whereas Leilana couldn’t stop cringing at the sound. They were so fervent in friction that they could have ignited the walls on contact if one spark went in the wrong direction. The thought was terrifying.
She grasped the railing when they reached the stairs located in the back room. Two floors left. She looked up, the staircase far more winding than the previous ones, the walls shrouded in grey. Sentora’s footsteps were echoing as he trailed up the hollow steps, colliding with the walls to embody the emptiness of the area. There were no doors, no windows, no means of escape aside from turning back in the opposite direction to high-tail it back to her friends, but now that she had come this far, there were no other options. She had to keep moving forward.
Her footsteps were lighter than Sentora’s. His larger back was standing firm in front of her. Maybe he was anticipating that she’d try to run away, giving him the opportunity to either cut her down or ensure that she wouldn’t be able to leave with the knowledge willingly. Or maybe he knew that she wouldn’t dare escape. Her friends were still inside—abandoning her resolve to venture with him was no better than killing them outright.
“I, um…” Sentora held his breath as she started up yet another conversation. “I just wanted to say that I’m surprised you’re being so lenient. Most of the members of your group haven’t hesitated to attack us. What makes you different?”
He shrugged his shoulders lightly, hands in his pockets. “You haven’t done anything to me. Why would I go around hurting you for no good reason?” Leilana cleared her throat. That certainly wasn’t a response that she was expecting. Sentora pointed at a metal door at the foot of the stairs, a wave of sonic energy causing the door to slide upwards. Within half a minute, the door was open. Leilana’s eyes were darting between the new passage and Sentora, who kept his hand up to keep the route secure. The slightest displacement could send the door tumbling and having to repair that would be a pain.
“This is as far as I can take you,” he told Leilana. “Step through there and walk to the end of the hall. There’s no way but forward. You should be able to find the guild’s leader inside.”
He gestured to the door again when she remained silent and still, urging her on. She finished climbing the stairs on her own. Sentora was still watching her, probably to make sure that she didn’t make any last-minute decisions to run away.
“What will happen to my friends?”
“That depends on Amiria.” Leaving them with Amiria wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, given how close she was to Rem. Solus and Sien were bound to keep an eye on them anyway. There was no reason to put her concerns with them knowing that.
Once she had stepped through the door, it slammed down behind her, the bottom of the metal binding crumbling. She leaped back into the wall when the pounding contact was made, her nails digging into the cold plastering. Sentora cursed from the other side of the door; clearly, he had undermined his handiwork. Her discontent would be left at the entry point.
The hall leading down to the office was extended several meters, but the differences between this area and the lower floors had become far too significant. The walls were lined with lanterns that reflected off the crimson walls. She made out the scent of freshly burned peppermint incense, the aroma inviting. But in the back of her mind, nothing in the building was meant to be alluring. It was nothing more than a ruse set up by the leader of the Order of Helix.
This leader wanted Rem’s power, and once he had sucked him dry, had no further use for him. His life held no meaning in this person’s hands. This leader wanted to steal away any knowledge that Leilana possessed, using her grimoire as a lure. Anything tha
t she could tell him could be twisted around and thrown back at her.
It took Leilana several minutes to reach the end of the hall. She rested her fingertips on the wooden door. This was it. The moment of truth was right in front of her. All she had to do was knock. She shakily reached up to pound on the door, but dropped her hand, inhaling deeply. She started again, trying hard to bang on the door, but became unsure if that was the right approach. Why was this so hard? It was just requesting a meeting, and now she was struggling with even that. Rem would have broken the door in out of disrespect and his own sacred principles, and Solus would have calmly entered to make an impression that would keep him alive. There had to be some sort of balance that she could muster up.
“Don’t stand there thinking,” the muffled voice from the other side called, causing her to jump from the door with a hand over her racing heart. “Do you want to put a hole in the floor?” Somehow, that careless manner of speaking seemed familiar, and it only made her more nervous. “It’s simple. Hold up your hand, and you hit it once or twice. Or hell, you don’t even have to knock, allow me to help you. Stand back.”
She stepped away from the door and it flung open, nearly slamming into the wall, causing her to scream. In the center of the spacious room was a mahogany desk, and in its chair sat a man wearing a white robe, red rosaries hanging from the tassels. His face was shrouded in a white mask with red markings on each cheek. To her, that mask held a resemblance to a lone wolf bathed in snow—he was shielded behind blizzards that brought his body to frigid cold, and under the guise, no one would uncover his origins. Leilana could barely get a glimpse of what lied behind that mask before he flicked his finger forward, gesturing for her to come to him. She felt more of a tug rather than outright approach, and before she knew it, she was firmly planted in the chair across from the desk. The door shut, the lock snapping.
The Order of Helix had a fixation with keeping someone in their place, it seemed.