by Shakyra Dunn
Solus stepped from the shadows, his arms folded behind his back. “I worried. I assumed that you were thinking about the Orb of Concord.”
“And what gave you that idea?”
“I’ve mentioned it before—you are an epic, Remiel.”
“Sounds like you’re back to normal.”
“I never changed,” Solus told him. “If anything, you certainly have. The boy longing for freedom has long since grown up. So, now that we’ve come to this point, are you ready to change a little more?”
“Got no choice but to be, of course.”
“Hey, don’t go leaving without us!” Both whirled around to find Sien, Amiria, and Leilana. Amiria was rubbing sleep residue from her eyes with a hint of annoyance, contrasting the rather peppy Sien and the mild-mannered Leilana. Sien rested her hands on her hips, pouting. “Weren’t we all in this together? You can’t expect us to wait while you’re having all the fun.”
Rem playfully rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, we weren’t going to actually leave you behind. In fact, I was hoping that you’d show up.”
“You were strategically planning for us to meet?” Amiria guessed.
“Nope. Just had hope. So, I’m glad it worked out.” Rem climbed over some of the remaining rubble, nearly stumbling when his feet touched the ground again. “Come on, into the depths we go! We’re burning night-light!”
Amiria’s skin was crawling at how dark and damp that the caves were due to their lack of use, though the others didn’t seem to mind, far too focused on their goal. The mining carts were disabled and wouldn’t run no matter how much Solus fiddled with the mechanics, which left them walking down the rails with Leilana leading, using her grimoire to conjure a spell that would illuminate their path forward. They were left to kill any marauding rats or bugs along the way, possessed by Hinju’s goons. Maybe they had already seized the Orb and never got far before the tunnels collapsed.
“How far down do you think the shafts run?” Sien asked, running her fingers along a nearby wall to keep her pace with the rest of the group.
“There’s no telling,” Rem responded. “But Olen said this was one of the larger mines in Nilu, so we could be walking for a while. I just hope we reach the Orb of Concord before he realizes we’re gone.”
“If anything, we should reach the end of the line if we keep following these tracks. They could lead us to the bottom of the mining corridors, and I feel that we’ll find it there,” Solus stated. Leilana’s eyes narrowed, her focus on maintaining the spell wavering due to the idle conversation behind her, and she cleared her throat, ushering silence from her peers.
The wordless trek through the mining shafts left them all wondering what lied ahead. The Orb of Concord was finally in their reach, and once it was secured, they could begin their journey to Linmus to take down Hinju once and for all. With any luck, he hadn’t caught on fully to their plans. The strenuous walk was increasingly worrisome for Leilana. She was used to peril, but the thought of being close to the end of their journey was unnerving. The grimoire’s power flickered out for a few seconds before regaining its energy, causing her to raise an eyebrow. That wasn’t how it worked, was it?
“Are you thinking a lot?” Amiria asked. “It can influence your power. It doesn’t hurt to let someone else take over.”
“No, it’s fine, I can handle it,” she insisted. Amiria didn’t look convinced, which caused Leilana to sigh before conjuring up a torch from the pages of the grimoire, setting it aglow with a minor fire spell. She handed it off to Solus, who led the team forward with a smile.
Their path soon became littered with cracks in the ceiling and several fallen chunks of stone. The early light of dawn was beaming through just enough to brighten the way, but Solus continued to keep the torch handy. Several possible outcomes danced through Rem’s mind about what would occur when they stumbled upon the Orb of Concord. At best, they would have a clean run and leave with it in tow, then head for Linmus. In the middle ground, there would be a lot of effort put in for him to ascertain its power. At worst, the Orb was already seized by the Order of Helix and the whole ordeal was nothing but a wild goose chase from the start.
At the end of the tracks, they found two paths, and when Solus held up the torch to peer down each one, he found that the distance was too great to determine what lied at the end.
“Should we split up?” Leilana suggested.
“That’s never smart in unknown territory,” Solus stated. “Let’s pick a path and steer down it. If we find nothing at one end, then surely, we will down the other. Your choice, Remiel, left or right?”
“I’m right-handed, so I vote that we go left.”
“Working in an opposite venture, I like it,” Sien joked.
Solus held up a hand to shield the burning torch from the faint gust of wind at the end of the cavern. “Everyone, stick together as closely as you can. There’s no telling how long this trek will be, and the flame is dimming.”
Amiria looked to Rem, reaching out to take his hand. He laced his fingers around hers. Leilana took Solus’s hand, and Sien took her free one, extending her left hand to Rem, who responded by interlocking his fingers between hers. The caverns rumbled ferociously, and stone came tumbling down behind them, the torch’s flame blowing out when the impact sent a sweep of wind forward. Everyone decided unconsciously to remain completely still in case that the boulders came crashing in front of them. Once the noises ceased, Leilana quickly opened the grimoire and channeled another illumination spell.
“Is everyone all right?” Solus called.
“Fine, no trouble over here!” Leilana replied, igniting the tip of the torch in Solus’s hands with a fire spell. “Everyone else?” A collection of three replies eased their concerns.
Rem whirled around in time to find their exit blocked off by several large boulders, scoffing at the timing. “How convenient. Looks like we won’t be going back that way.”
“Well, if that’s the case, best keep moving ahead,” Sien beamed. More and more, Leilana’s thoughts were continuing to waver on what was set to befall them.
At the end of the corridor, a stone pedestal with a glass casing rested centerfold. In every direction, gears whirred within the mechanical electric blue walls, a brilliant contrast to the gloomy browns and greys throughout the mines. Everything inside of the area appeared untouched. The glass didn’t have a single scratch on it, or even a fingerprint or dust-mite. Leilana closed the Lasette, the light and fire spell no longer required. Solus blew out the flame on the torch and set it on the ground.
“Do you think that’s it?” Sien whispered.
“There’s nothing else that could be in a place like this,” Amiria implied. “But why would something as fabled as the Orb of Concord be out in the open?”
“I don’t think it is in the open,” Leilana stated. “Look closely. The glass on the pedestal, it’s empty. It’s probably a trick of the eyes meant to think that it’s here.” As she spoke, Rem was already moving towards the pedestal, his eyes fixated on the glass. His expression was void, but his legs were carrying him at a paced speed as if he were in a mobile trance.
Solus grabbed his arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I can feel it,” Rem breathed. “I can feel the Orb’s power calling out to me.” The reaction only caused Solus to tighten his grip, his uncertainty growing.
“Solus, let him go,” Leilana told him. “It’s his connection to the Warlords, they may be pulling him to the Orb. We have to accept it, or they could become angered.”
Solus loosened his grip on Rem and allowed him to step towards the pedestal. Rem outstretched his hands, laying them on the glass, a barrier forming through the interior. Amiria folded her hands and averted her eyes. A sudden thrust from afar knocked the remaining four from their thoughts, followed by crumbling rocks and rapid footsteps. Sien immediately took up her bow and launched an arrow at the entrance, which struck an emerging Arcana in the chest.
“They’ve found us,”
Amiria choked out. Leilana held up both hands and thrust them forward, an energetic force pushing the invading Order of Helix members back. One by one, they rose again, backup in tow. Sien fired arrows left and right in attempts to slow their movements.
Solus brandished his sword, stabbing one of the members in the chest before kicking him off the blade, onto the ground. “There isn’t much we can do to halt them! For now, we protect Rem, and we draw out time as much as we can!”
“I’ll help Rem! My magic may be able to speed up the process!” Leilana exclaimed, rushing towards the young prince. Amiria played a tune on her flute, casting a manifestation of a physical wall around Sien and Solus as they continued to fend off their opponents.
Rem’s hands were trembling, his eyes darting between his normal shade of brown and the Bloodlinch’s lustful amber. Leilana laid her hands over his, and for a moment, his uneasy mind quelled. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. The Warlords, they’re guiding you, just like us.”
“I want to try,” Rem replied hesitantly. “There’s so much that I have to do…”
Leilana wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his back. “You may not think that you’re ready to be king, to save Adrylis, but we believe in you. So many people believe that you’re capable of it. You need to believe in you now. That’s how the Orb of Concord will correspond with you. You were given the gift of controlling your birthright, and your powers were given to you to change this world. You’ve come so far. You’re almost there. Please, Rem.”
He pressed his claws so hard against the glass that it shattered. When the shards fell to the ground, a sphere began taking shape atop the pedestal. Basked in magenta and onyx blends that rivaled the darkest forms of sunset, the Orb of Concord was forging anew. The power of the Warlords of Old that merged their souls into a single force, reborn after several generations. Leilana was marveling at the fabled weapon, surprised to find that such power was housed in a sphere no bigger than the palm of her hand. Rem was taken by the Orb of Concord’s aura, steadily enlightening his spirit. For months now, he sought the opportunity to restore Adrylis to glory, and now his time had come.
Solus and Sien stood their ground as the Order of Helix continued to swoop in, but the three were getting backed into a corner. Elemental spells were being thrown at them from all directions, and none of them were truly able to keep up with where they were set to strike. Solus extended his sword forward, panting, the ribbon in his hair beginning to slide off. Sien’s grip on her bow was loosening, though she continued to prep for another blow to their offenses. Leilana reached for her staff, but a lightning spell burst between Leilana and Rem just before she could succeed, Rem grabbing the Orb of Concord with both hands before an impact came, holding it close to his chest as he hit the ground, shielding it from further harm. Leilana had jumped out of the way, conjuring a pillar of ice from the grimoire to tear the Order of Helix away from the group. Within seconds, cinders began drifting from the other side, the ice slowly shrinking away.
“Oh, that’s not good,” she mumbled.
The Orb of Concord was resonating with the young prince’s emotions, the hue within the sphere beginning to darken. Rem’s bloodlust was circulating, the onslaught of commotion becoming unbearable to control. All this time, the Order of Helix was following him, keeping close tabs on every step he took. And now they knew the truth about what his plans were, feeding the information to Hinju. That was why Kinaju was able to track him down in Kinsley—they were so close without being conspicuous. How could they have been so blind?
“Any plans, Solus?” Sien exclaimed. “We’re running out of options here!”
Solus lowered his head. For the first time, he was uncertain about what direction that they could take. The ice wall wasn’t going to hold for more than a minute or two. The numbers against them were increasing, and they could only fend them off for so long before it became too much to handle. Any amount of magic used could be counteracted by another spell. The physical force had the chance of becoming a fatal gesture when pinned against several other actions.
There was nothing that could turn the tides.
Leilana was baffled by Solus’s silence, already steadying her grimoire for another attack as the ice continued to melt. Amiria rested a hand on hers before stepping past the girl, inhaling slowly before folding her hands, pressing them against her chest with shut eyes.
“W-What are you doing?” Leilana’s words were lost on the younger girl, her focus already secured. Rem rose to a sit, watching from afar.
As the ice pillar fell, Amiria unleashed a winding sonic wave, her pitch rising, her voice carrying throughout the isolated room. Leilana, Solus, and Sien covered their ears as tight as they could manage, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from feeling the effects of the girl’s strength. Rem couldn’t bring himself to ignore the sound, his eyes widening.
One by one, the Order of Helix members lost their grip on reality. Ears were shattered. Blood was pouring from their eyes and mouths. Amiria didn’t let up at all in the extended span that she cried out. Her special technique at its finest. That was her plan, conserving her energy to relinquish it all at once. Amiria dropped to her knees after two minutes of constant streams of her sonic voice, her lungs caving under the pressure. Once her voice broke, she was left coughing. A Maester of the Order of Helix stepped forward, sword in hand, completely unaffected by the power. Rem froze, gripping the Orb of Concord tighter.
How was he still standing?
The man grabbed Amiria by the throat, lifting her off the ground. Amiria had no strength to fight back, dangling in his grasp, kicking her legs, trying to claw at his arms, but nothing seemed to overwhelm him. “I heard the vibrations from your voice. It was the first time that I’d ever come close to regaining sound.” His voice was almost muffled as if he could barely process his own words.
He was deaf, Solus realized. That was why he wasn’t affected by Amiria’s powers—there was no chance of affliction under the pressures of the sonic wave. Even it had its limitations.
The man stabbed Amiria through the chest, piercing her heart; she couldn’t even gasp before she was thrown to the ground. Her frail body slammed against the metallic plating, leaving behind a wilted flower. She slid off the nearby edge after she bounced, the bun in her hair coming undone. Within seconds, an audible crunch reached their ears.
Rem couldn’t breathe. The world was spinning. Solus sat in silence, his mind empty of thoughts. Leilana scrambled to the edge and tried to look over, but found only darkness below the metallic barrier, her fingertips grazing the dry petals on Amiria’s cherished lily. The dying plant emanated a faint glow.
Gratitude acts as an escape from wonder and reason. Cherish it well
All this time, Amiria was a totem, and she didn’t have the chance to truly express it in return. Now it was too late to ascertain a deeper connection with her and grow with the only person that shared her past experiences. Ennis was long gone. Kindall was gone too. Lancett left to start his life anew. The other students that left with them were no longer alive. Hinju was a traitor, becoming the acting force against the kingdom. The Warlords were merely spirits that shielded those worthy of their protection. So much that she thought she knew was built on slander, lies, and deceit.
There was nothing left to remind her of better days.
Sien stumbled as she approached Leilana, resting her hands on the girl’s shoulders, though she couldn’t stop her body from shaking. Everything had happened so fast, and none of them were able to escape the numbness that followed. The Order of Helix mages were beginning to recover from the siege. Rem was clutching the Orb of Concord so tightly that it could have shattered in his hands like the glass that lost its resistance under his barriers.
The Order of Helix was to blame for everything. They had stolen so much from him in so little time. In the blink of an eye, he had lost his kingdom, his family, the people that trusted him to make a change… and now, her.
A
miria was dead, and he couldn’t save her. More than once, something had to be sacrificed to bring him closer to his crown. But now it was too much.
Solus noticed a faint glow covering Rem’s body when he forced himself out of his stupor, the young Prince embroiled in a crimson aura. He was snarling, his eyes embodying the same shade as his overwhelming power. Rem held up his left hand, a miasma rushing through the area, the air becoming so condensed that Solus’s vision and lungs were succumbing. The miasma consumed the Order of Helix, their bodies disintegrating.
Leilana stood up slowly, still holding Amiria’s lily, trying to break past the blazing heat stemming from the miasma, but before she could manage a few steps, she broke down due to her lack of energy, dropping to her knees. Sien jumped to a stand and raced to the girl’s side, burying Leilana’s face in her chest to shield her from further harm, helplessly watching one of her closest friends slip past the progression he’d made, all in a matter of seconds.
Rem screeched in agony, tears rolling down his face as he held his throbbing skull. The Orb of Concord was besieging his broken heart, tearing him asunder.
“You’re not destructive,” Sien whispered. Leilana buried herself away further, fighting back her own tears. “You’re better than this, Rem. You have to pull free.”
“Remiel!” Solus shouted, shielding his face from the miasma but keeping his eyes trained on his best friend. “You must get ahold of yourself!”
Solus pushed forward one step at a time. Rem’s aura was fading quickly, as was the Orb of Concord’s massive energy link to his body. The closer that he came to reaching Rem, Solus could feel death’s cold hand surging through his fingertips, each prick of the miasma tugging at him—the blood of the Necromancers, seeping through his veins.
Kill the King.
Free your people.
His best friend was dying right in front of him and would surely perish if he couldn’t stop the Orb of Concord from overtaking him. This was the goal that Hinju sought for him, and his new life, his second chance let him deny that. Who would he be to betray his king? What kind of knight turned his back on the one person that they sought to protect? Hinju was a traitor, Kinaju a messenger. Solus was different; he was never a Leerus, even in conception. The man that gave him a purpose left him with a final task on his deathbed, and this was his last chance to uphold his rewritten destiny. He couldn’t betray Cyril Brenner the way that Hinju Leerus betrayed him.