by J Clair
“Greetings travelers,” the woman said, her long hair nearly sticking to the sides of her face. “Looking for a room or two.”
“One will suffice,” Scarlet replied. “How do we pay?”
“What do you have that I may want?”
“This,” she said, quickly reaching out and latching onto Remi’s poncho. Before she could fight against the Sage, Scarlet had wrestled it from her and lifted it over her head. Kace stepped forward with a growl but Eckard stood between them.
“What are you doing?!” Kace yelled as Olivia looked at them all in surprise. Remi winced as she felt the cold envelop her. She nearly fell to her knees but she forced herself to stay upright. She couldn’t show weakness…not from something so simple as this. There would be a bed with blankets upstairs…she hoped there were.
“It’s fine,” Remi said weakly as Scarlet snickered and bunched up the poncho in her hand.
“You two are wearing them!” Kace yelled. “Give her yours!”
“But we’re not the ones that have to prove ourselves,” Scarlet replied. “It’s obvious that Remi is sick. It’s all over her. Are you blind?”
“I know she’s sick—”
“—and you trust her enough to keep her around. That’s absurd. She has to prove herself. All I did was take away her warmth. That’s nothing. Look.” Scarlet stopped to take off her poncho and then she snapped her fingers at Eckard, signaling for him to do the same. He obeyed and soon only their armor underneath was visible. Scarlet was wearing a dark purple breastplate with the symbol of a lion etched into it. She had steel covering her limbs as well but it only came to her knees and her elbows. She raised her head high as Kace glanced at Eckard who was wearing the same ensemble, except he had no colors or symbols over his armor. Olivia found herself taking off her poncho as well, revealing only her t-shirt and pants. Kace shook his head.
“What are you doing?” he asked Olivia, but all she did was stare at him.
“The point is made,” Scarlet said. “Look at her. She’s barely conscious.”
Kace winced as he saw Remi beginning to turn blue. Her eyes were listless and she was starting to sway back and forth. Kace hugged her tight and held her close to his chest. She shuddered under his embrace and he held her away from him only for a moment as he took off his dirty shirt and put it over her. He then grabbed her and pulled her back into his arms, her head resting on his bare shoulder as he nuzzled his cheek into her hair.
“I’m no damsel,” Remi muttered into his bare chest, “in distress.”
“We know,” he said, lifting his eyes to Scarlet. “Alright, she’s good. What now?”
“So you’re going to be by her side whenever she needs help? You might not always be there for her.”
“You don’t get it. She’s the one that saved me. I’m just repaying my debt. If it wasn’t for her, I would be cut up and distributed amongst her people by now. Not to mention that once she gets going, she’s a better fighter than I am. In battle she’s the strongest between the two of us, and if the only way I can show my thanks is to keep her warm outside of battle, then that’s what I’m going to do.”
“Hmph,” Scarlet said, not convinced. “Repaying a debt…well, as long as you don’t mind being her crutch.” She turned to the housekeeper. “I would like to offer this poncho of that young girl’s as payment.”
“What makes this so special?”
“This poncho is a specially made fabric designed by her townspeople. A people that live on the edge of Cimmerian.”
“The edge, you say?”
“Once you’ve inspected it, you’ll see that there is nothing like it in Terra. The materials were taken from Cimmerian itself, gathered over time in raids.”
“Ah,” she said, running the palms of her hands over it. “It’s true. This is different. A few different animals were slain in making this. Do you know what kinds?”
“It would take a trip to Cimmerian to find out. The girls have no clue as well.”
“Interesting. I’ll have to send out my son to investigate. Well, this certainly pays for a room. Take the large one upstairs at the end of the hall. In all honesty, I think the mystery you’ve provided is more compensation than the item itself.”
“Glad to be of help,” Scarlet said, glancing back at Remi for a second. She then headed towards the stairs and they all followed. Kace crouched down and put Remi into his arms, carrying her. She was barely aware of it.
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“How long do you think they’ll be?” Olivia asked Kace as the door to their room closed. They could hear Scarlet and Eckard walking across the floor and down the stairs.
“Who knows?” he muttered, sitting down up against the wall. Olivia followed suit as she looked around her. Eight different carpets made up the floor. There were six beds, three on one side of the room and three on the other with plenty of walking space in the middle. All there was in the middle was a small circular table with a vase that had no flowers in it. There were plenty of things all over the walls though. Paintings of people that used to stay in the inn, or of unknown places. Pictures drawn by children of lakes and animals and sunsets. Rusted pitchers and worn shoes. Beautiful necklaces and strange sculptures. Perhaps it was all put there as entertainment. It was certainly interesting to behold. Olivia found herself examining each painting and each item, inspecting every corner and surface, wondering how it was crafted and who the original owner was. She supposed that Remi’s poncho would be added to one of the rooms as another conversation piece, and it suddenly put a bad taste in her mouth. She turned back to Kace next to her.
“So it all worked out for Remi again,” she said. Kace scowled toward the center of the room.
“What are you talking about?”
“Her poncho was taken away, but it’s still going to be put up somewhere in the inn. No matter what happens from here on out, there’s a piece of her in this world. It’s like she’s left a part of her legacy.”
“It does her no good if she dies from the cold.” Kace peeked over at one of the beds where Remi was sound asleep and lightly snoring. He had taken the three blankets from the other beds and placed them over her.
“But people will still hear of who she is. And with that whole spectacle downstairs, the innkeeper will probably tell the story of what happened if someone asks.”
“What does it matter?” Kace snapped. “Why do you care so much?”
“I don’t,” she said in surprise.
“It’s obvious that you do. And it kind of pissed me off how you added to that ‘spectacle’ too. What’s your problem with Remi?”
“I don’t have a problem with her.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” he mumbled, facing the center of the room once more.
“Well, why are you so stricken with her? You’re like in love or something.”
“That’s not it,” he replied. “I meant what I said downstairs. I owe her. The Quietus may be ruthless at times, but we have some honor. For one, we always keep our word. And second, we repay our debts. Besides, I do want to see more of the world.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” she spat back at him.
He closed his eyes. “Jealous?”
“Fine. If you must know…I’m kind of sick of Remi getting all of the attention. I love her. I really do, but she’s still weak. I’m a lot stronger than she is, but everyone dotes on her. I don’t get it.”
“She needs the attention because she can’t handle it all on her own. Can’t you see that?”
“We’re not at home anymore. She should be treated just like anyone else. I thought that was how it was going to be, and that’s why I was fine with leaving with her. We could be equals. But we’re not. She’s still drawing all eyes on her while I remain in the background. No matter how hard I try, I’m still forgettable.”
“It’s because you try too hard. That crap you pulled downstairs? Taking off your poncho with Scarlet and Eckard? You looked like you were a puppet. Lik
e you didn’t have your own brain. It was pathetic. I could understand why you would tell me about Remi’s condition when we first met, but you could have still said it in private. You didn’t have to make that one of the first things you said. Again, it made you look pathetic. Why would I want to hang around someone that’s so desperate for attention that they’ll throw me in the mud to get it?”
“Glad you think so highly of me.”
“No, I don’t,” he said truthfully. “But that doesn’t mean that can’t change. I feel like this is the first real conversation we had. So maybe this can be a fresh start. How’s that sound?”
“Yeah,” she said with a grin. “Can we?”
“Sure,” he said, glancing back at Remi. She hadn’t moved.
“I just have to say one thing. Just so you know.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’m not protecting Remi anymore. If I’m going to be my own person, I really can’t. My life has been tied from her from the beginning, but it’s cut now. It’s fine if you’re there for her, but I’m moving on. Hope you understand.”
“I get that,” he said.
“UGH!” Remi yelled. Kace and Olivia jumped to their feet as she flung the blankets off of her and onto the floor. “I’m all sweaty.”
“Payback,” Kace laughed. “Now you know how it feels.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t have done that,” she groaned as she plopped her head back onto the pillow. “Okay, now I’m cold again.” She reached down to pick up them up when vomit spewed out from her mouth. Kace and Olivia jumped back and scrunched up their faces as she wiped the residue on her forearm. She glanced up at them with a weak smile. “Okay, that was gross.”
“Understatement,” Olivia said as she walked around the room, looking for a basin or bucket of water to access. Remi groaned and jumped out of bed, nearly falling onto her knees once her soles hit the floor. Kace rushed to her side and grabbed her clean arm, steadying her.
“Let’s go clean you up. There’s a bathroom at the far end of the hall. You think you can make it that far?”
“I’m going to have to,” she replied as Kace opened the door. He swung it open wide and looked down at her feet to make sure she could still walk while Remi stared straight ahead. Her eyes widened in horror as a man stood before her.
He had dark red eye-shadow around his eyes and thin lips. His hair was slicked back and greased heavily with a black, tar like substance. He wore a three piece dark blue suit and he was so lanky that his face was nearly as thin as a skeleton’s.
She could barely take in his features when he reached forward and wiped a strange, gooey substance onto the middle of her forehead. It burned on contact and Remi shouted in pain. Kace looked up to see the intruder cock back his fist and punch him square in the face. Kace went flying backwards into Remi’s bed. The intruder reached out for Remi’s throat when a blazing hot blade nearly stabbed his stomach. He moved to the side just as the tip cut into his suit’s fabric and then he turned around and ran down the hall.
“Are you okay?” Olivia asked her as she stared at Remi’s forehead. “Geez, that looks bad.”
“It feels terrible,” Remi said, looking back at the unconscious Kace. “But we don’t have time for this. We can’t let him escape.” Remi began running down the hall, still in her thin clothes as she prepared to unsheathe her eidolon. Olivia followed reluctantly, warming up her blade.
“Are you sure you’re up for this?” she asked as they sprinted down the stairs.
“No,” Remi replied, bursting through the inn door. “But whatever happens, you take care of you. Don’t let me hold you back. Even if I faint, you keep up the chase.”
“I’m not going to leave you behind,” she said as they saw the mysterious man running down the street to the right.
“Keep telling yourself that,” Remi said, giving her friend a wink. Olivia gave her a nod and then they both followed the lanky man. Remi grit her teeth as she tried to wipe the strange substance from her forehead. All it did was burn the tips of her fingers. She glanced at it for a second. It looked like a gel, but it had traces of little red squares inside.
What the heck was it? And why had the stranger marked her with it?
CHAPTER 8 – DISTURBANCE OF THE PEACE
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“HE’S FAST!” OLIVIA SHOUTED AS they weaved through the couples on the street. Each pair they passed were now giving them the attention they thought they were going to get earlier. Eyes went wide. Jaws dropped. Fingers started pointing. Shouts telling them to stop running or asking them what was happening. Olivia and Remi ignored them all as they kept their focus on the suited man in front of them, making wide strides and dodging the people he came across with such ease it was like they were stationary.
“What if this is a trap?” Olivia asked aloud as Remi took a deep breath and ignored the ache in her legs. At least she wasn’t cold anymore with all the running she was doing.
“I hope not,” she said. “But it could be. What are we going to do about it? Stop chasing?”
“No,” Olivia said adamantly. “That’s the one thing I don’t want.”
“He went that way!” Remi shouted as she took a quick right turn and followed him to what appeared to be a dead end. The stranger came to a halt as he faced the gigantic brick wall before him, still dripping with clay and mud.
“Looks fresh!” Olivia shouted as he turned to face them. “Didn’t know that was there, did you?”
“Looks trapped,” Remi replied, staying a few feet behind Olivia. She tried to slow her breath as Olivia’s blade now glowed a fiery red, lighting up the alleyway. The stranger squinted his eyes as he reached down and unbuttoned his suit. He whipped his arms to the left and right respectively and then shook them out, preparing for the battle before him.
“We don’t have to fight,” Olivia said, gripping her sword tight. “We just want to know what’s going on.”
“What did you do to me?” Remi asked, and he turned his attention solely to her.
His lips barely parted. “You’ve been marked,” he replied, his nasally voice bouncing off the walls.
“What does that mean?” Olivia demanded.
“It means you’re fair game,” he said. “Cimmerian can kill you without starting a war with Paragon. Don’t you know what marks are?”
“Obviously not!” Olivia yelled. “Why don’t you tell us?”
“No,” he scoffed. “No, I’ll choose to stay silent. You’ve been marked. There’s no use educating the dead.”
“Then we’ll have to force the information out of you.”
“You can’t do that. I’m not marked. That means you can’t touch me.”
“We’re not from Paragon.”
“It doesn’t matter. Cimmerian won’t believe that. Now let me through. I did my job. It was nothing personal.”
“Who told you to mark Remi?”
“I choose not to say. Now let me go before I choose to report this to my superiors.”
“You can’t do that if we won’t let you leave.”
He sighed and relaxed his arms. “Fine. We’ll do this your way…but my superiors won’t like this.” He sprinted forward with his arms straight behind him and Olivia stepped up to swing at him, but before she could even cock back her arm, he whipped both of his arms at her head, slapping her twice and knocking her off balance. She stumbled to the side and her head hit the brick wall. The stranger tried to follow up with a kick to her face but Remi grabbed his ankle at the last second.
He glared at her as her white robes materialized out of thin air and over her body. Her grip instantly got stronger as she felt a surge of energy coursing through her veins.
“You won’t hurt her anymore,” she growled as she threw him back into the alley. He fell onto his back and then rolled backwards to his feet. He studied Remi’s transformed state carefully as she examined her friend’s wounds. Olivia waved Remi away and she obeyed. Remi walked to the center of the alley and faced her
enemy. A white hood formed around her head, covering her eyes. She clenched her fists.
“So you are dangerous,” the stranger replied. “That’s why you’re marked. You can transform like the Sages…I thought you said you weren’t from Paragon.”
“I’m not. I was born on Terra.”
A look of horror went over his face. “No…that’s impossible! Since the worlds became one…there has been no more Sages. No one can release their eidolons in the new atmosphere, let alone transform. Only the Deja Sages can still do it.”
“Apparently, that’s not true.”
“Then I no longer want to leave this alley,” he said firmly, standing slowly to his feet. “I must kill you myself. Since you are marked, I’m allowed…and honestly…I will be revered once they find out about you. You shouldn’t have told me your secret. Once the world knows, you will never be safe. Never.”
Remi felt her body shudder.
No! her mind went off in alarm, I’ve been talking for too long in my transformed state! I don’t have too much time left.
“Let’s make this quick,” she said aloud, and the stranger grit his teeth, preparing for the worst. Remi made the first move, her Falchion eidolon erupting from her hand so violently that it lit up the entire alley in a flash of light. The stranger was momentarily blinded and Remi was able to slash him across the chest. Unfortunately, it was a shallow cut, and the stranger was able to regain his footing after being knocked back from the blow.
He punched Remi in the face so fast that she barely had time to recover when a second punch connected. She swung her eidolon but he stepped back and it narrowly missed his throat. She continued thrusting but he was dodging it easily and after each miss, he made sure to hit her again, no matter how weak the hit was. He wasn’t just breaking down her body, but her mind, letting her know that he was the superior fighter in every way.
She grunted and tried to punch him with her free hand but all he did was grab it. She tried to stab him but he leapt over the thrust at the last second and kicked her in the jaw. He let go of her fist as she went flying into the brick wall.