The Sage's Reign

by Shakyra Dunn

  Rem hunched his back, leaning over the table. “If I win, propose to Leilana. Tonight.”

  Solus was taken aback by the wager, but he kept a straight face as he poured the first cup for himself, then one for Rem. Now there really was something on the line. Even so, Solus’s guilt was eating him alive, especially after how things had gone down between them only moments ago, but he couldn’t imply that to Rem without potentially getting backhanded for how foolish he was for turning the tables in the worst way possible. Solus took the first sip to adjust to the taste a second time before chugging it down at a decent pace, setting the cup on the table.

  “Why suggest that I propose to a fifteen-year-old girl when neither of us are of age yet?”

  Rem was swishing the cup around in his hand, listening to the liquid splash against the plastic. “Well, it’s September now, so this month, you will be. You can plan ahead.” He put the cup to his lips and drank its contents, hiccupping afterward. “But you still have to do it tonight.”

  Solus poured the drink for round three, sliding his cup over to Rem. There weren’t any shot glasses around, and one mutual look determined that this would go more smoothly if they just shared a single cup instead of continuing haplessly on individual ones and getting drunk faster. “And what if we were to both lose?”

  “Then we’re both confessing our sins to our lovely ladies, obviously. Now shut up. Start drinking, get plastered, be bold.” Solus sighed. There was too much riding on this to hold back.

  Amiria and Sien were three tables down from their friends, watching them drink themselves into a frenzy. They weren’t sure of the context, nor how they had gotten this far gone, but gazing on from afar was becoming amusing. Leilana eventually rejoined them and didn’t bother to invoice any details about their behavior. By the time she arrived, Rem was getting sluggish after his third cup, and Solus was beginning to slump over the table. Clearly, neither of them were skilled at holding their liquor, but whatever was driving them, they were insistent on moving forward.

  “I don’t get why guys are so competitive,” Amiria mumbled.

  “I’ll never understand it either,” Sien replied. “Then again, I think it’s just natural for boys to act this way. Who can say.”

  Leilana folded her hands. “You know, this is the first time we’ve all really gotten to hang out since we started working on the same team. So, let’s talk.”

  Amiria was a bit shocked at how forward Leilana was being. “I-I guess that’ll be all right! If it’s okay with you, at least!” There was the old Amiria. Somehow, Leilana missed seeing this side of her.

  “Where do you want to start, Leidibug?” Sien asked, taking a swig of her strawberry cooler.

  “How have things been for you both?”

  “Random, but all right,” Sien said simply. “Things have been decent for me, I’m satisfied with being able to settle down and have a drink, let my troubles slip away.”

  “How about you, Amiria? Is everything better now that you’re with us, or did you prefer being in the Order of Helix? What were they like-?”

  Amiria held up both hands to silence her, her face reddening at her own abrasiveness. “This is a lot of questions, please hold on a moment!” Leilana giggled. “Please don’t laugh.”

  “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting you to react this way. I got so used to seeing you as the blunt and willing Amiria that it’s amusing to see you like this again. Take your time. We’ve got all night. Or at least until the guys pass out.”

  Amiria decided to address the questions in order. “I feel more in tune with myself around you all. It’s nice to not have a constant guard up. Though, I’ll admit there was more ‘order’ in the Order of Helix. Master Hinju always did have a heightened sense of prospect and adaptability. Um, what were they like…? I guess it’s fair to say that it wasn’t much different from being at the Academy, except we were allowed a little free rein. No one knew my intentions.”

  “You’re still calling him ‘Master’ even though he betrayed you,” Sien implied.

  Amiria folded her hands. “I don’t know what his motive is, but I respect him as the man that took us in. That is all that I can offer. He may have been malicious, and maybe he could win, but that sliver of respect draws me to the idea of stopping him. There’s a deep underline where his thoughts are, but we aren’t able to read them even though they’re right in our face.”

  “There’s something more to him, you mean,” Leilana concluded.

  “There’s always something more,” Sien agreed. “I was thinking about that too, and I couldn’t wrap my head around why someone as prosperous as Hinju would want Rem’s power. Surely, he’s strong enough, and he’s got no virtues on war.”

  “Maybe war isn’t his goal,” Leilana began. “Maybe he has a grudge against Rem’s family, just like most of the servants that worked under Rem’s parents and turned against him.”

  Amiria nodded in agreement. “We need to talk to Rem. He may know something.”

  The screech of a table being moved and metal tearing against the floor flung them from their conversation, and the three girls spotted Rem standing on one of the larger tables in the room with Solus attempting to pull him down. Rem was keeping him out of reach by pressing his foot against Solus’s head while the young servant yelled protestant slurs.

  With the brightest smile on his face and a bounce in his step, Rem tapped his foot and cheerfully said, “Goooood evening, Kinsley! How’s everyone tonight?!”

  People were flocking to him like a duck to water, gathering about his table, and none of his companions could imagine why they were so drawn to this impulsive gesture.

  Amiria blinked a few times. “What in the world is he doing?” Leilana shrugged before taking a sip of her now lukewarm fruit punch. Sien could smell the booze on the Prince’s tongue from a mile away, her nose scrunching in disapproval.

  Rem pointed a finger at the crowd. “I’ve got a nice announcement for you all, and you’re the first to hear it! Rev up those ears and roll on in!” He drew in a breath before resting his hands on his hips. “I’m Remiel Vesarus, Prince of Adrylis.”

  Some people were laughing in disbelief, but they were washed away when Rem pulled down his sleeve to reveal his birthmark. Leilana’s heart skipped a beat, the cup being crushed in her hand. Amiria covered her face with both hands and sunk into her seat. Sien pinched the bridge of her nose. Solus was sinking lower to the floor the more that Rem spoke, his mind jumping in several directions due to the fluctuation of voices whispering amongst themselves.

  Rem picked up the bottle of Moscato on the table next to his foot and poured himself a glass. “I know what you’re thinking. ‘How could I possibly be alive?’ Well, I’m going to put it to you this way—I’m returning to the throne. And it will be sooner than you think.” More whispers from the peanut gallery tugged Leilana’s focus back. They were all laced with concern. Anguish. Even relief that the last heir of Adrylis had finally made his return known.

  “Six and a half months ago, Linmus was attacked, but the assailants wear the same faces as us. They are still human. They are people with loved ones… and they carry the burden of strife, all because of something that my family has done to them. I don’t know all of the details yet, but I plan to find out.”

  “You might be making a mistake,” Solus’s hushed voice called from below.

  Rem set the empty glass down next to his foot and straightened his back after a slow ascension into a stand. His head was foggy from the alcohol intake, and he could barely keep focus on the actions that he was taking to prepare for this new development, but this was his chance to make his presence known. Kinsley was full of gossip, surrounded by people that would either make or break his return.

  “Adrylis has been seized by those that seek retribution towards the magic that supposedly poisons this world. Among our citizens are traitors, but I don’t see them as such—I see them in the form of people much like you, and much like me. They are afraid of what
is coming. They want to rise from the shadows and stop this world from crumbling. They want to fight, but they fear being struck down or being convinced that their efforts will come to nothing. I stand here today and tell no one in this country should have to resort to clinging to fear.”

  Leilana looked over at Amiria, the younger girl fully engrossed in the prince’s speech. The collective silence swept in from the partygoers, their curiosity on the ordeal overwhelming.

  “Mountains, trees, huts, skyscrapers, bright lights that fill the night sky, and open fields, all housing people that don’t know what foreboding fate awaits them. This is what Adrylis is and shall remain. I swear on my life that I will see this world prosper. It is my duty as this kingdom’s prodigal son.”

  “This kingdom you speak of is no more,” a gravelly, soulless voice cut in.

  Flames shot forward, knocking Rem from the table and onto his back when they impacted his chest. Solus scrambled to his feet to reach his friend to find that he was knocked unconscious. The attack brought screams to the surface as the partygoers began making a beeline for the doors on either side to escape. Standing in the doorway was Sentora clothed in crimson armor, stopping short of their line of sight. His long hair was resting past his shoulders. His shoulder plates were small, and the metal plating on his legs and chest were clanking as he stepped inside. After pulling Rem to a sit, Solus dragged him to safety and held him close as the table rattled from the impact of cowering people, slapping his cheeks to rouse him. Rem blinked a few times in response once his eyes opened.

  “Are you all right, Remiel?”

  “I’ll live,” Rem replied, prying his scorched shirt from his body and tossing it aside.

  “What are you doing here?” Sien hissed at Sentora. The sudden turn of events made her regret leaving her bow in the inn. “I thought that we ended things with you back in Ocula.”

  “The job was far from finished. You were wrong to leave me alive, and now because of your misguided trust, this land shall fall.” Sentora extended a finger towards the door. “In fact, you have yet to hear the screams of the people. From the docks, right to the city limits, this town is already crumbling away like dust to the wind. You were too hasty.”

  Amiria ran to the closest window. Sure enough, neon lights were rivaled by the blaze setting the buildings aglow just meters from where they stood. People were rushing from their homes, some consumed by the flames, others rushing for the docks, or so it seemed. They never got far before magic seized them, freedom snatched away. Sentora wasn’t alone. Amiria’s breaths trembled as much as her legs; Paluna was still fresh on the brain, and seeing the same fate befalling a city as prosperous as this one only brought her mind to ruin.

  “Now everyone in Kinsley will perish.”

  Amiria whirled around, a snarl escaping from her grit teeth, tears filling her eyes. Even his presence irked her, hatred reflecting in the young girl’s eyes. There was nothing she could pinpoint that the people of Kinsley did to harm any of Hinju’s plans, so why did they need to suffer for it? What was the point in involving innocent lives knowing that the end goal was right in front of him? He could have come right to Rem.

  “How could you do this, you…?!” Amiria roared. Sien approached the girl, resting her hands on her shoulders, calmly shushing her. Amiria curled her hands into tight fists, staring at the ground.

  Leilana rose from her seat, pressing her hands on the table. “Sentora. You don’t normally come forward. You always stand in the shadows and wait for an opportunity to act. Did Hinju send you directly, or are you acting of your own accord?”

  “That is for you to decide, princess.” Sentora brandished his sword from its sheath, the blade scraping against the metal slowly as he grasped the hilt. “Either way, the prince and his little errand boy are coming with me.” Solus narrowed his gaze in confusion. He could understand Hinju wanting Rem, but why was he a target?

  Rem waited for the civilians to file out, slamming his hand down. “Not on your life.”

  Leilana was eyeing Sentora’s sword. Swirling about the polished blade was a smoky haze with an emerald sheen. This energy, she recalled, was something that she had seen in Lancett’s blade when he channeled elemental spells. That was his own unique skill. In addition, the fireball that struck Rem was a skill that Amiria could conjure from her flute as an offensive magic in place of her sonic waves.

  Sentora swung, a gust of wind springing towards Rem, Leilana retrieved the Lasette from her bag and thrust out her hand upon opening the book while Solus stepped in front of Rem, knocking him to the ground and shielding him with his body. The wind that Sentora cast out was counteracted by another gale, directing it into the window. The glass shattered, and Solus covered his head with his free hand, listening to the shards break on impact. Sentora diverted his attention to Leilana, swinging out his sword at her. Leilana ducked, about to counterattack with a spell before Sentora slammed his hand against hers, popping her middle finger out of place. She cringed, but the adrenaline rush was too great for her to absorb the pain. The screech of Amiria’s sonic wail reached Sentora’s ears, leaving him temporarily vulnerable due to his aching ears, enough for Leilana to relinquish another gale. The impact threw him off guard, but he slid his right foot out upon regaining himself, his hand firmly on the floor.

  He was about to seize Leilana again when Rem outstretched his hands, the dark aura transcending into claws, grabbing Sentora by his shoulders and pinning him to the floor. Sentora inhaled sharply, releasing a sonic wave of his own. Rem didn’t have enough time to cover his ears, the sound piercing him directly, forcing him to retract. His ears were ringing, and his eyes watery. He popped his ears by pressing his hands to them, relieved to find no permanent damage.

  “That… that was my attack,” Amiria breathed.

  Leilana stepped back, scanning over the grimoire. “I had an inkling this was why Hinju sent him.”

  “Now I understand,” Solus stated, rolling up his sleeves. “Sentora steals his magic from others. An incubator.”

  “Perceptive insight, but it’s far too late for you to act,” Sentora warned, channeling energy into his blade. Solus and Leilana were keeping their eyes trained on him.

  “Anything that we try, he could use it against us,” Sien concluded.

  Rem looked to Solus. “Ideas?”

  “I don’t have magic,” he replied, though the lump in his throat was swelling at the proclamation. “Leilana’s magic stems from her grimoire and his magic may be limited against a Bloodlinch. The three of us could fare decently against him.”

  “Sien,” Rem ordered. “Take Amiria and go into town, try to help anyone that you can. Heal their wounds, take them to safety, anything.” Sien started to retort, but Rem’s calm expression silenced her immediately. “Trust me. Go, now.” Sien grabbed Amiria by the arm and pulled her away. Amiria glanced back as Sentora released a gust of wind, sending the three back a few feet, all in different directions.

  Solus took up his sword with a firm grip and his mind wavering over Hinju and Kinaju. Rem clenched his fists, his breaths slow and purposeful as he gazed upon Sentora, claws still swelling with dark energy. Leilana held the Lasette with steady hands, her fingertips grazing the thin paper. The outcome of the ordeal was going to be unpredictable, and suffrage was arising.

  They all knew it well.

  Solus threw himself into the fight when Sentora made the first move, their swords connecting, the screech of the metal blades engulfing the room as they collided over and over. Sentora’s swings were less graceful than Solus’s but he also moved at a more rapid pace, his footsteps gliding across the floor like a dancer on ice. Rem could barely keep up, but he still allowed his hands to act as the guide pulling him towards Sentora, shoving the young man. Leilana whisked a gale to knock him off balance only for Sentora to cut through with an array of flames, which propelled back at the girl. Leilana stepped aside, the cinders flying past her face.

  Sentora moved in close to Leilana,
the sword glistening under the guise of the flames, kicking her right knee as soon as her hands were no longer an issue, causing her to cry out in pain as she fumbled to the ground, blocking another of his strikes. He slammed his foot into her stomach, and Leilana whimpered at the overwhelming pain erupting near her ribs. Rem stabbed him in the back, but not deep enough to mortally wound him, and Sentora whirled around, screeching in his face using his acquired sonic wave, throwing Rem to his knees, covering his ears. When his guard fell, Sentora’s wind struck Rem, knocking him into a wall. Rem’s breath escaped him, his head having impacted first, and he slumped onto the floor, his aura dispersing.

  Solus rushed forward only for Sentora to merge wind and flames from his blade to form a tornado. Leilana mumbled incantations of the Minsuran text under her breath while Sentora was distracted, her fingers clasping around an icy blade concealed behind her back. Solus dodged the tornado, which connected with the crumbling wall. It didn’t take Rem long to become swept up in the realization that they would lose this building if things continued as they were. Sentora lifted his sword, hovering over the girl. Leilana was panting heavily, clutching her chest with her left hand.

  “Sorry, Princess Leilana. But you are no longer needed.”

  Leilana reached up her ice blade towards his neck as a last resort. Before she could connect, Sentora grabbed her by the wrist and slowly bent it out of place. Leilana tried to fight through the pain and strike him down, but he reigned superior, causing her to cry out. Sentora plunged his sword into her stomach. She shakily gasped. Solus went completely stiff, his lips parting. Sentora thrust the weapon from her body and kicked her to the floor. Leilana rolled onto her side, her right hand covered in blood. Rem lifted his head in time to see Solus rushing for Sentora, defending himself from every oncoming strike, all while cutting through Sentora’s body, every nick and piece of torn flesh granting him further satisfaction. There would never be enough. Rem turned to look at Leilana, slowly rising to a stand, resting his hands on his knees.