“Why the north?” Iliad asked.
“Because,” Seeker said, “we don’t want them to arm themselves and only defend their borders. We want them to think that the Yama threat is formidable, but manageable. If we say that we were able to push you away, even temporary, it shows that your army is not as strong as we all thought. They will want to help us finish you off.”
“Excellent strategy. Let us hope that it works.”
* * *
“That was decent,” Arimus said as he tried to pick a piece of stem from between his teeth. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.”
“It’s a pain to grow,” Marie said as she stuck her stem into the fire before them. The plant, resembling a celery stalk in nature, was crisping under the flames. “Especially in these harsh conditions. But once they are fully mature, it’s like they stay fresh forever. Just a little heat and it’s like they were freshly picked.”
“Where do you have gardens around here?”
“Mostly underground. And it’s not really a garden. It’s hard to grow certain things because of the moisture so we tend to eat more fungi than we care to. This Alka root actually needs warm soil but cold oxygen. It’s strange.”
“But delicious,” Zhou said. “Better than what Allay offers.”
“Oh?” Marie asked. “What do you mean?”
“Allayans are horrible cooks,” Catherine laughed as she uncrossed her legs, so that she could get some of the heat on her feet. “You have no idea how bad.”
“It is actually better to burn the food,” Sway said, and they all started laughing.
“It seems a union of Sage and Prattlian would be mutually beneficial,” Marie said, and Catherine craned her neck in confusion.
“What do you mean? They are already in an alliance.”
“I was thinking more of an integration. A merge of the two Kingdoms. Prattlians could learn how to fight, which would be great for us. I mean, you saw Tyuin. If he was able to battle, and not just defend, he would be very powerful.”
“True,” Talia replied.
“And for the Sages, we can not only help you with the basics such as cooking, cleaning, and maybe add a little culture to the mix…but we can also increase your critical thinking and teach you to better improve your abilities. Prattlians can be thinkers that finally do, and Sages can be doers that finally think.”
“Thanks,” Zhou muttered, and Marie laughed and threw a piece of charred Alka at his forehead. Zhou picked it up and ate it eagerly.
“That’s not what I meant,” Marie said, “and if it’s taken as an insult, that means my people are insulted as well. You have no idea how horrible it is to have such fantastic ideas under the collaboration of your kin, but it is never brought to life because we’re too afraid to try. I see no point in even talking sometimes.”
“So do you feel the same way about us?” Sway asked. “How we do things but don’t think?”
“It is irritating,” Marie said with a chuckle, reaching down to cook another alka stem. “The things the Sages can do…I envy you. I can only imagine what a Sage with the mind of a Prattlian could accomplish. It gives me the chills.”
“That’s the weather,” Zhou said, “forgot its cold?” Marie lifted her head to make a remark, and she was met with a hard piece of Alka, hitting her square in the forehead.
“Hey!” she exclaimed and Zhou laughed heartily.
“Alright now give that back,” he said, making a ‘gimme’ motion, but Marie just licked it from top to bottom and then threw it at him. It landed in the dirt and snow by his feet and he picked it up and groaned. The stem was now covered in dirt, little pebbles, snow, and a number of other unidentifiable things.
“If I didn’t know any better,” Catherine said. “I would say you were flllllllllllirting.”
“Ew,” Marie said, and Zhou guffawed. Talia laughed and Zhou glared at her.
“Don’t laugh too hard. I’ll start teasing you about Oliver.”
“Oh, Oliver,” Marie said in a sing-song voice. “That stud of Talia’s.”
“It’s over,” she mumbled. “He’s kind of a wimp.”
“You didn’t think so at first,” he said. Talia shrugged her shoulders and took a big bite out of a piece of alka.
Catherine chuckled to herself and looked at them all. It was nice seeing them laughing with one another. Arimus and Ashalynn were leaning against one another, not saying anything but surely speaking in ways she couldn’t identify. Her mother still didn’t say much, even though many years had passed since they saved her from Thorn. She could only imagine the ordeal that she went through. Her own husband, just using her and imprisoning her like that. It was despicable, and she didn’t care to know just how horrible it had been. She never asked, she never would.
Sway was folding his hands together and meditating, as he tended to do when he was deep in thought. He didn’t say much either, but she didn’t question his loyalty. She stared at him for a moment, wondering when she would feel such peace. He lifted his head from his chest, and strangely, his dreadlocks stopped moving in mid-swing, as if it had hit up against an invisible wall. The dreads fell down and Catherine tried not to put an expression on her face. She slowly unsheathed her eidolon through the palm of her hand, letting the tip stick out from the middle—an old tactic of Achan’s.
She sensed nothing. But that didn’t mean nothing was there. She continued to search, digging as deeply as she could into her surroundings, breaking down the soil beneath her feet, the threads of her clothes, and the—
Something was there!
Catherine unsheathed her eidolon and lunged toward Sway, who seeing the motion, instinctively ducked out of the way. A Yama, nearly twice as tall as she, shimmered into view and dodged the blow, turning from the swing and running away at full sprint. Catherine pushed Sway to the side and gave chase, running as fast she could after it, even after it vanished from her sight by activating some kind of invisible cloak. Keeping her senses as sharp as possible, she followed after the energy “scent” of the Yama, paying no mind to the other Sages she left behind. Right before she hit Old Prattle’s entrance, an alarm sounded off in her head and she ducked without realizing why. A Yama appeared out of thin air, clawing at where her head used to be with long, sharp claws.
Catherine jumped back and held her multi-colored eidolon tight, pouring more energy into its blade. She didn’t know how the Yama had snuck up on them so easily, but she was eager to find out, and she wasn’t going to let the intruder go without a fight.
“Here to kill us?” she asked it, fully on guard. The Yama said nothing. He simply stood up straight, his thin body quivering with energy. He lifted one of his bone-thin arms, and pointed a finger out to his right. Catherine looked out of the corner of her eye and saw the enemy approaching in droves. She could hear the other Sages clamoring to their feet behind her, snapping to attention. Catherine sucked her teeth and kept her eyes on the Yama before her.
“What have we ever done to you?” she asked it. Its lips began to open, as if to tell her, but then it decided against it. So, Catherine thought, there is a reason they are here.
“We’re not even a part of Allay,” she pleaded with it. “We’re off on our own. We’re not the ones you want.”
“Doesn’t matter,” a Yama said from her right. Again, she looked out the corner of her eye to identify the source. A Yama in a long, grey, Sage-like robe was standing on one of the snow covered mounds with folded hands. His large, goggle like eyes were filled with contempt. Arimus and the other Sages took out their eidolons and prepared for battle, though each of them were filled with apprehension. Were they the legendary Yama, or could it all be a trick orchestrated by Orchid?
“What are you talking about?” Catherine shouted. “Why wouldn’t it matter? Unless you are working with Orchid…how do I even know you’re real? You could be an illusion.”
“I assure you that we are real.”
“That doesn’t mean you are.”
&n
bsp; “Orchid is dead,” the Yama replied flatly, and Catherine felt her palms beginning to sweat.
“Why? How?” she asked. The Yama made a gesture toward the warrior standing in front of her, and he backed away. Once he was out of striking range, he leapt to the talking Yama’s side. Catherine turned to face the speaker head on.
“One of my most trusted men killed her himself,” the Yama said calmly. “It was quick. Easy. The same as it will be with you.”
“Why threaten us?” Catherine asked. “We’ve done nothing to you. This is Lakrymos’ and Orchid’s crusade. Not ours. I would have sought peace.”
“And now? Do you still seek peace?”
“I do.”
“It is unfortunate that you have nothing to offer me for it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Considering that we are the superior entity, there must be something that will benefit us. You have nothing to offer but broken and lost Sages. And a handful at that.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to fight.”
“If you were still the Queen of Allay, we could have a meaningful conversation. But you lost your throne to a couple of dead warriors. Hardly impressive.”
“And now you’ve come here to kill us…but why? What do you gain from this?”
“More than you know,” the Yama replied. “But I am not ruthless. Give me something that will gain you a little more time and I will entertain a temporary reprieve. You have sixty seconds starting now.”
“I—” Catherine stopped and sighed as no valid reasons came to mind. What did she have indeed? They were a very small band and even now, they were exhausted. She had no power, and no more allies. She had lost their greatest warrior—James, and Bastion was nowhere to be found. There was nothing to barter with. Nothing to say.
She looked over at her family and friends, and her eyes grew weary when she saw their faces. They were gripping the hilts of their eidolons tight, waiting for her order to make a move, but even from where she stood, she could see them breathing heavily, perspiring, sighing, and longing for rest. They were supposed to start a new life together. How could it end before it even began?
She looked at each of them one by one, assessing, calculating and making a decision that made her stomach feel sick. Her eyes stayed on Arimus, and his gaze met hers. She nodded very slightly, and he smiled. He got her silent message.
Catherine turned back to the Yama.
“I have nothing more to say to you at the moment,” she sighed. “Perhaps when I am in a greater position of power, we can negotiate or reach an understanding then.”
“There is no next time,” he replied. “We are here to kill you.”
“Yeah,” she scoffed. “I’ve heard that before.”
Catherine shouted out into the air, a rallying war cry that cut through the atmosphere, and suddenly, a mighty wind began to rock the mountain, surrounding the old city of Prattle in an intimidating tornado. Yama began flying off the mountain, and Catherine kept herself stable, the blade of her eidolon slammed into the brick courtyard floor. Arimus moved his limp arm toward the advancing Yama army, and the tornado turned into a wave, crashing into their enemy as if they were a rock wall. The Yama were knocked off their feet, and Catherine began running.
“The tunnels!” she shouted. “Now!”
“We’ll be trapped,” Marie said as Catherine passed by her. All except Arimus began running toward the tunnel entrance behind the ruined Prattlian castle.
“We’ll have a greater advantage down there,” Catherine yelled. “They can’t send their whole army in after us. The space is too tight.”
“That goes for us as well,” Sway said. “The tunnels will restrict us too.”
“Not as much as they,” Catherine retorted. “Now all of us, head there now!” Her mother, Ashalynn, grabbed her arm as they ran. The movement was so surprising that Catherine stopped in her tracks. She looked into her mother’s tear-filled eyes, and she knew the question before it was even asked.
“What about Arimus?” she asked her daughter, her voice so low under the roaring of the winds that Catherine almost didn’t hear it.
“I’m sorry,” Catherine whispered, her lips trembling. Ashalynn released her grip from her daughter and immediately turned back toward the Yama army. Catherine grabbed her shoulder.
“NO!” Catherine shouted. “We have to let him go! We have to!”
“He is my all,” her mother said, turning to face her with fierce eyes. The scowl she gave her daughter was so terrifying that Catherine let go of her. “If he dies, then so do I.”
“I—,” Catherine began, but her mother leaped into her arms and gave her a hug of inhumane strength. It was so tight that Catherine could barely breathe, and when it was over, she longed to feel that warmth again. Ashalynn brushed the back of her hand against her daughter’s cheek.
“Go now,” she said softly. “I am proud of you.”
And before Catherine could reply, she was already gone, having ran away to be with her husband. Catherine grit her teeth and willed herself to turn around and keep on running. As much as it hurt, she fought the urge to look back. She had made her decision. She would have to live with it.
She hadn’t wanted to send Arimus, but she had no choice. He was the oldest, and he had lost his arms. Not to mention that he had long taken a background role when it came to battle. Though he had never said it, Catherine knew that he was done fighting. He had his Ashalynn now, and while it was sweet and wonderful to see, it had also removed any desire for violence and conflict from his heart.
He was a more loving and endearing Arimus. But he was also useless to her now. She needed raw strength and talent. Marie, Sway, Daisy, Talia and Zhou…they were all so valuable, and though she didn’t want to think of her father in a negative light, she knew that he was proud of her for doing so.
The thought hurt.
Catherine fought back tears as she leapt down the hole in the ground, figuring that the others were already inside. Marie would have known the way. As Catherine stumbled along the dirt floor after her landing, Sway and Zhou moved quickly to close the gap, but Talia had a more permanent approach. With a swing of her eidolon, she sliced at the roof just in front of the hole’s entrance, bringing down the tunnel in front of them in a pile of rocks, dirt clouds and debris. As they coughed and shut their eyes, Marie pried open the King’s chamber, leading into the room where Catherine, her Sages, and Tyuin had talked about Thorn in great detail.
They piled into the room and closed the door behind them, but Catherine was already trying to speak through her burning throat.
“We can’t stay here,” she said, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. “We have to keep moving. Arimus will only buy us a little bit of time.”
“And where do we go?” Marie asked. “Not Languor I hope.”
“We’ll figure it out as we go. All I know is that we have to move.”
Chapter 4 – It’s About Heart
It was a surreal feeling to think that death may be upon him. He thought he had first heard it whisper sweet nothings into his ear when he left Allay years ago. Upon arriving to Languor, there was nothing more terrifying than meeting an army of the enemy while declaring your name for all to hear.
Arimus.
Arimus grunted as he fought the fatigue that crawled up his legs and rubbed against his muscles. With another surge of energy flowing through his veins, he unleashed another wall of wind at the invading Yama army, sending them flying into the air, or off the mountain. He didn’t dare transform into his Sage form. He needed to preserve at much energy as he could for there was no questioning what his role now was: distraction.
The second time he thought death was upon him was after he saved Catherine’s life. Funny enough, he was there to kill the young Princess, but she had changed his mind. In a fit of betrayal, he turned on his own men, and in turn, secured his place firmly in Allay. Still, he had taken a considerable amount of wounds at the time. He was sure it would
be his end, but once again, he eluded death, waking to the soft whisper of his daughter’s lips.
Arimus.
He could hear the Yama army beginning to head down the mountain. No doubt to chase after Catherine and the others. That would not do.
A hand grabbed his sleeve and his eyes widened in alarm. He raised his mangled arm to strike his attacker, but then he saw who had grasped him. His wife and one true love. His Ashalynn, coming to die by his side.
He said nothing. He didn’t question her or told her to leave. To be honest, he was grateful she was there, as selfish as the notion was. And to be even more objective, she would have only held the Sages back. She was no warrior. There was not an ounce of violence in her body.
And yet…he saw a fury in her eyes. One that he had not seen since the day he had gazed upon her as one of the castle’s guards. Perhaps it was because she had no reason to. Or maybe Thorn had kindled the flame within her soul. It didn’t matter. He welcomed it now, and despite the circumstances, he found it quite sexy to behold.
She reached toward his hip and pulled out his standard-issued sword. A blade that would surely be useless against Yama hide, but a weapon nonetheless. Arimus smiled and nodded. She would do what she could.
So would he.
Arimus used a burst of wind to propel them off their feet, and over the ruined houses around them, landing on the other side of the mountain, where the path led down to the flatlands and where the Conun house used to be. The Yama were indeed heading down, and they continued running at them as they landed on their feet. He smiled and stuck out the palm of his deformed hand toward the incoming army. A tornado burst from his hand and pushed all that were in front of him off the mountain. He wasn’t sure if it would kill them, but it would certainly hurt.
As it once did to the Quietus, when he was in the middle of his third brush with death. A suicide mission that was made worse from Dominic’s bumbling. He had lost count over how many Quietus he had killed. He just kept cutting, and back then he was much more formidable, having two very capable hands. He had lost that day, but still, he survived. Scarlet had made sure of that.
The End of the Fantasy (Book #6 of the Sage Saga) Page 4