The necrein bellowed and slashed into the chest of its opponent and then they went blow for blow. The second beast leaped and pressed its claws into Roth’s skull. Wildly, Roth swung the sword, and the second beast disarmed him and hovered over the air, coming behind Roth.
With the fire sword in its hand, it pierced through Roth’s back, and the blazing tip came bursting from his chest. At last, a victor.
The second beast glided backward, creating distance, and landing remotely. A stunning transformation ensued as it evanesced in green light. When its brilliance faded, a man stood cut and bruised with a heaving chest. Long, dark, wavy hair fell upon his shoulders.
“Sergio!” I shouted through the wall of smoke. Kneeling and clenching his wounded chest, he called back to me. “Winn, finish it!”
I was exhausted. I could barely move. With the help of Rahginor, I climbed onto a knee both dizzy and weak. Come on. Get up.
“Your strength is nearly expended,” warned the Amethyst.
Roth staggered frantically, stumbling over debris. As it stumbled, Nova was holding our mother on the ground not ten feet from the beast. No. It was my rising motivation. I was on my feet, sprinting by the time Roth noticed her. “Nova!” I called with a long, full-throated bellow.
Roth pierced the air with yet another diabolical cry, a pennant of flame blustering from its mouth.
Nova screamed at the peak of her lungs.
I ran, somehow gaining speed with nothing left in me. “Hold on, Nova!”
Suddenly an invisible force burst across the courtyard, knocking me on my back. This time, I couldn’t get up. I had only strength enough to lift my head and look forward. “Nova. No,” I whispered. Then something unfathomable happened. A white light erupted around her, disintegrating Roth, and engulfing the outskirts of Lucreris in a radiant dome.
It swallowed me as it grew, and I saw nothing but pure brightness. And then, only a moment later, darkness.
Before King Dimicus
Thecelia was as the hearsay claimed it to be: an island town of premier exoticness. I stood at the edge of a rooftop, looking out into the distance where arch windows of homes glowed with florescent pink and gold. Behind me was an outdoor café rumbling with the beat of an invigorating tempo.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the loner over here doing what he does best,” Cassidy teased. My shirtless friend gleamed lucidly in the moonlight. “You can’t stand the thought of company for too long, can you?”
I spat a humph and laughed. “It’s funny to see a party’s got your shirt off and not Sergio’s this time.” Sergio was dancing between tables with two women, growling like an old agitated lion.
Cassidy leaned into a swig from the bottle of booze in his hand and looked at him.
“That ol’ boy’s just getting started.”
I shook my head. “That’s the scary part.”
Cassidy came beside me. We looked forward. “Who would’ve thought these were the lives we’d end up having? They’re good ones, huh?"
“That’s what you think? We’re losing the war. Soon all of this will be as flat as Rohm and Navar.”
“Hey... One battle at a time, remember. The last one was a tremendous victory for us. We’ve got plenty of reason to celebrate. We pushed much of the Horde back toward Amania, and they won’t be regrouping anytime soon.”
I grimaced. “Whatever you say, Captain.” Cassidy tossed his arm around me squeezing my neck in the crease of his elbow and leaned back into another swig.
“Listen, my young, spry lieutenant—we can talk about war all you want to tomorrow morning at the briefing. For now, just focus on this perfect weather and the buffet of boozy broads. Listen... I’m not much of a tail-chaser like Sergio, but we might want to take his advice tonight. These women are...” His face tightened as if it pained him to complete his sentence. He downed the last of the booze and chucked the bottle from the roof. “They all seem to want you. You’re the brave hero of Thecelia. Your name comes from every mouth in town. You could get anything you want from this place.”
“I’m good.”
“Aren’t you always?” Cassidy mocked. “It’s gonna’ be hard to dodge that next promotion after this esteemed talk of you gets back, you know that. You’ll be a captain yet. If the general asks for my recommendation again, this time, I’m not holding back like you asked me to before. We need you out there commanding one of the Tails.”
“Leadership’s not for me, Cassidy. I’m a ground-pounder.”
“You mean responsibility isn’t for you, you’re already a leader. You own the loyalty of the most skilled Foxes in the 9th Tail. Everyone knows that.” There was a moment of silence.
“Yeah, well, maybe I enjoy fighting for my captain. Maybe it just works out better.”
“I don’t have a problem with you making me look good. The 9th Tail’s leading the victories because the three of us are unstoppable. I’ d never want that to change. But I can’t overlook the facts in the end. Friend to friend, you’re too good to remain a lieutenant—especially when some of the captains are out there getting our men killed with stupid decisions.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of...”
Cassidy winced. “Getting people killed?” I didn’t answer him. “It’s war, Winn. Casualties are inevitable.”
“I’d prefer not to keep that guilt on my conscience.”
“You’ve kept me alive all this time.”
There was a pause. He grabbed me behind the neck, pressed his forehead to mine, and then knocked me on the shoulder. “I’ve got the utmost confidence in you, my brother.” He started back for the café and whirled around with last words. “Worry about it later. Come over and reap some of the spoils of the night.” The women, he meant. I crossed my arms.
“Women—they’re trouble.”
“C’mon,” he said, waving a hand. “Hasn’t been too long since you ended things with your home sweetheart. These women are exactly what you need to start moving on.” His arms stretched at either side of him. Women flocked to him instantly, clutching him as they flirted lasciviously.
For a moment, I thought Sergio was talking to me. I smiled.
When I woke, the air was still soiled with smoke; the sky cloudless and gray. Everything to the far north until the land of the nobles was smoldered in ash and ruin. I lay in the rubble of a house once of stone. Nova cradled our listless mother in front of me. The blade Rahginor had vanished.
With crossed arms, the half-satyr, half-man, Sergio, stood towering over me. A deep green object flickered within the V-cut collar of his vest: an orb. Taller and larger than me, Sergio wore a long-tailed, dark-leather, high-collared vest with a large insignia wrought in gold on the back.
Armlets and belts covered his arms, and a bandana dressed his head. A neat goatee hung from his square chin, and a long, shimmering, and curled ponytail waved loosely behind him. From his haunches swung a calf-length tail of brown hair like that of a horse. He had been my friend since I was fifteen years old and enlisted in the Militia. Only two years older than I, we both grew into manhood together and learned many of the same life lessons from our general, whom we considered a father figure.
I climbed to my feet completely rejuvenated as if I'd slept for days and eaten the lion's share. I was certainly fit for the day’s arduous tasks. Looking across the town, the battered Lucrein Guard plodded about, aiding the sickly and nobles who dug beneath rubble in hopes of finding their loved ones. Irvina stared at me from nearby, her eyes daunting. “What have you become?” she inquired.
“I’ll explain later.”
I went and knelt beside Nova and touched our mother’s head. It was still warm; her face was plain. She looked free—free of suffering. If only I would’ve arrived sooner. I looked at Nova, who was looking forward in a cold, dead stare. A range of terrible emotions flooded me. I couldn’t bring myself to console her. I trembled with anger and sadness and then stood up and walked off nausea that nearly made me vomit. It was surreal
, all of it—the orb; the magic; mother’s death.
Nova stared into the ash that covered the ground, stone-faced and breathless. Irvina went to her, sorrow softening her mien. Nova’s unblinking eyes, which gleamed with tears, rose to the naiad’s face. “She has gone to the Ambiance now,” said Irvina. “She is with Ultima.” The Ambiance—the paradise of the afterlife, at least in Ambic belief. They didn’t believe in Ezilum the same as the Superions.
Nova was quiet.
“I’m sorry, Winn,” said Sergio.
I wiped my wet eyes before tears could fall. “I never should have left.”
A gloved hand landed on my shoulder. “There’s always something we could’ve done different, but, in the end, fate becomes a thing of cruelty to us all. You can’t blame yourself, this time, not like you did with Cassidy. It’ll eat you alive.”
His words stung, bringing back the one horrible memory tucked in the deepest corner of my mind. He was the third of our trio that had once shared our upbringing. A lump came in my throat. I looked away, quickly changing the subject. “I saw you in a dream,” I said. “You were running from sifters, in a forest, and then you disappeared in a green light—the same one you appeared from yesterday.”
Sergio scratched the back of his head and told me of the events leading to that moment. I set a hand over my mouth averting my sights, unable to speak for a moment. All the foxes, gone. They were the very same men we set off with from the Vanik Isles. “Oshia was a good soldier,” I said. “And Rola’s going to be devastated when he finds out about Masters. We were supposed to protect him.” Guilt struck me.
Sergio averted his eyes, looking at his boots. “I know. If he shoots me when we get back, I will have deserved it.”
I changed the subject again, questioning him of what happened after he disappeared in the woods.
“The light took me to a bizarre chamber where I found this, sitting on a pillar of stone.” He spread the center of the vest, opening it to reveal an orb larger than the Amethyst, implanted in a good breadth of his chest. The Emerald. I brought my orbed hand before it. The two blinked in unison. Irvina came forward in wonder.
“What happened after?” I questioned him.
“Winn, the place was indescribable. There were weird symbols, lights, and magic all over, like the kind in the early Doctrine. I heard a voice say that the stone had chosen me, that I was one of many called the Orbed Ones, and that I would come across them soon, and...” He said things that the hooded man, Guardian had told me. “When I woke up back in the forest, I transformed— turned into a strange creature—the one you saw yesterday. It took over me, leaping into flight... and now, here I am.”
“You have been chosen by Ultima,” Irvina chimed in, “gifted to wield powers that only Angels once could.”
Sergio flinched as he laid eyes on her exquisite beauty, nearly hopping back. Her presence enthralled him, casting him into a daze. His tail leaped and swung.
Pick your mouth up from the ground.
“Miss, I don’t believe we’ve met,” he murmured as if the encounter had deeply stirred him. She found him with a cold, glowing stare.
“I am Irvina.”
“Sergio Makull. You smell divine, my dear; the very definition of mesmerizing,” he returned, grabbing her by the hand and kissing it. She snatched away with a hiss and scowled. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “Most women take to my flattering chivalry, but I can see why it wouldn’t be the appropriate moment.” Her eyes rolled.
Nova was beginning to unsettle me. She hadn’t moved or made a sound. I took a deep breath, hoping it would give me the boost I needed to be strong for her. I kneeled beside her once more.
“Nova.” She was silent. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me when you both needed me.” She didn’t even look at me, only forward as if she were asleep with her eyes open. “Nova,” I said, reaching for her. She pulled away, clinging to our mother tightly.
Soldiers approached from the north. Hooves thumped on the soot-covered ivory stone. Four armored horsemen came before us. The blond, long-haired guard spoke, “We are here for the one who wrought destruction within the walls of the city.” I knew they would come for me, but I didn’t think it would be that soon. I stood up. I couldn’t tell them about the orb. But how was I to hide it?
“If you’re looking for the horde of flesh-eating monsters, I’m afraid you’re a few hours too late,” Sergio quipped. The haughty guards sneered at the remark.
“I’m the one you’re looking for,” I announced.
The soldiers exchanged glances. The longhaired one spoke again. “No, sir. I believe we are here for her.” He gestured a gnarled finger toward Nova.
I grunted. “What do you want with her?”
“The king requests her presence at the castle. If she comes willingly, it will make matters easy and,” he scanned us, “she won’t have to come alone.”
I looked at her and nodded. The last thing we needed was a conflict with the king’s men. Three horses trotted through a line of soldiers. Getting Nova to let go of mother was going to be a challenging task. “This woman is my mother. We won’t leave her in this rubble.”
“We are sorry for your loss, but I’m afraid the king—”
Two commoners—a man and a woman—came beside us. “We will look after her,” the woman said.
“We’ve been gathering the dead on our farmyard where their loved ones can say goodbye and give them a proper burial,” added the man. “We will wait as long as we can for your return. It’s the least we could do. But, we will bury her if we must. The dead should not be left above ground.”
I thanked them.
We mounted the men’s horses, following northward to the castle behind the brown tails of two stallions in front and the long faces of two behind us. The inner-city citizens kept to their business as our procession passed. Cries and coughing echoed along the way.
After two-and-a-half miles, the rubble ended, and we came to the faces of nobles and a city still intact. The king’s elaborate fountain marked its center. The Inner Lucreris proper crawled with gems and jewels. Men flaunted long capes, large hats, and fur scarves wrapped around their collars as they moved along. They were completely oblivious to last night’s event. This part of the city was unscathed.
It was noon, and the sun was beaming. We came upon the wrought-iron enclosure of a thrusting ivory building against the foothills of the Valtec Mountains—the castle. “Remove your weapons,” the blond soldier ordered us before we went on. We did as he asked, though Irvina was smolderingly reluctant in parting ways with her chakram. A simple nod was enough to convince her not to incite a riot. With a bitter snarl, she handed over the blade rings, and I the dagger strapped to my belt. But, the hidden knives I concealed beneath my jacket camouflaged well enough to remain—sly as a fox.
The king’s armored guards opened the barred, rough-hewn gates, welcoming us into the heavily patrolled courtyard. They took our horses and escorted us inside, leading us between jeweled double doors into a long corridor rolled with lavender carpet. The king’s lords and scurrying politicians were everywhere. The air smelled of metal and new stone.
“Remember to mind your manners when we come to the king’s quarters,” warned one of the soldiers ahead.
Sergio leaned toward me. “I don’t have a good feeling about this one, Winn.” In the next bright, empty room, the path went up a spiraling staircase along the left wall. At the top was a hallway lit with wall candles and lined with jeweled doors.
“Beyond this point is the royal chamber. Be sure to mind your manners in the presence of His Majesty. Surely, you’re all familiar with proper royal etiquette. Render every courtesy you can muster. The more, the merrier. Otherwise, you should find your visit most unpleasant.” The soldiers opened the doors and brought us before Lucreris’ young king, his throne room an elegant and regal composition of crystal, silver, and lavender.
“As requested, Your Royal Highness, we bring to you
the girl from Lucreris and her companions.
“A rather large party, isn’t it? I seem to remember requesting a singular presence,” said the king.
“Yes, sire, but you see, with the tragic death of her mother occurring just yesterday, we thought it suitable for them to accompany her—lest she perish in sorrow along the journey.”
King Dimicus II, a young, dark-haired man dressed in a black, high-collared robe stood to his feet. Two knights stood at his flanks. We bowed, as he grew tall.
I grabbed Irvina, who stood beside me, by the hand and yanked her down in kind. “Follow our lead. This king may look like a mere prince, but he’s ruthless and springs at the chance to boast his strength.”
“He is no king of mine,” she retorted in a snappy whisper.
“Ahem, rise,” the king commanded. “Soldier, I take it these people have been searched and stripped before their admittance into the castle, correct?”
The soldiered cleared his throat nervously. “Yes. They gave us their weapons, sire.”
There was a cold pause. Dimicus moved across his throne with a smirk. “I see. They gave them to you. And then you searched them?”
The soldier’s face paled as he swallowed, etching a menacing expression on the king’s face easily mistaken for amusement. “My liege...we did not physically—”
“I see,” the king interrupted softly. “Let me remind you that a knife can easily be concealed in the unlikeliest of places. For a man, there are many places, and for a woman,” he eyed Irvina, “there are twice as many.”
The soldier took a breath. “Right you are, my liege. Such perpetual wisdom, I couldn’t—”
The king lifted a silencing hand and grimaced. Calmly he spoke again. “Save your apology, soldier. I’m sure your family will entertain it when you return home without your sword, your armor, or your knighthood. Go at once—or return to them with a knife where your heart should be.” The soldier let out a sounding exhale and a second later bowed. “My liege.” And he was gone.
King Dimicus faced us, his eyes scanning each one of us at a time. “Ah, so you’re the girl responsible for destroying the wall of my city,” he said as his sight fell upon Nova.
Enigma: Awakening Page 15