by J Clair
“We’ll have plenty of time to catch up when this is all over.”
“How…how’s James?”
“He wishes he could be here, more than anything. But he’s dealing with something terrible at the moment.”
“That’s surprising,” she said solemnly. “He would usually drop everything to see me.”
“He would,” Achan reassured her. “Trust me, what he’s dealing with now…it’s as bad as it gets.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice starting to crack at the end. “Well, we certainly have plenty to do. We can help the wall reconstruction for one.”
“Let’s not be too hasty on that,” Tyuin said. “With such a gaping hole, at least we know where the enemy will be coming from. I doubt they will take the extra time to find another route if they are confident in their army’s abilities.”
“We’re here to help however you need us,” Zhou declared, just as a booming sound erupted from outside. They all ducked instinctively except Tyuin who leapt to his feet.
“It’s too soon,” he said in horror. “We can’t do this now.”
“We have no choice,” Zhou said. “Don’t worry. We’ll handle this.”
“We’re going to spread out,” Catherine ordered. “A pair for each main wall. Achan and Zhou, you take the west. Daisy and two of the young Sages to the north. Talia and another young one to the south.”
“You’re going at it alone?” Talia asked with a scowl.
Catherine smiled. “I’m taking Remi and Kace with me to the east.”
A silence fell over the room.
“No offense,” Talia began. “But I hardly think that—”
“—we’ll be just fine,” she said. “Now head out. I’ll be there in a moment. I have to discuss something with my team.” The others left as Catherine addressed Kace and Remi. Only Tyuin remained to watch. “Any objections to running with me?”
“I haven’t gotten my strength back,” Remi said. “I won’t be much help.”
“Oh come on now. That doesn’t sound like the fired up girl I saw only a few minutes ago. The way I see it…you have plenty of strength inside of you, if only you would stop doubting yourself.”
“I can’t guarantee your safety,” Remi said, trying to keep the tears back. “It’s not that I don’t believe in myself. I do. But I’m also aware of my limits. And rushing into battle so soon…it’s not going to be good.”
“This battle could be it for all of us. As Tyuin stated earlier, the odds are that Cimmerian is sending their best to fight us, and we need every Sage we’ve got to help. If you can’t even go from one battle to the next, how will your survive when both Cimmerian and the Sorcerers are after you? Or when you’ll barely get any sleep or rest? Forget your limits and just do it. Stop thinking about it and just do it.”
“I’ll try my best,” she whispered and Catherine seemed pleased with herself.
“Great. Watch my back and I’ll watch yours. We’re together in this.”
“Think of it as training,” Kace said, putting a hand on Remi’s back. “But if you want, I can carry you to the location.”
“No,” Remi said adamantly. “I can walk. If we’re going to be engaging the enemy, I want to show them that I won’t let anything hold me back.”
“That’s the spirit,” Catherine said, turning to Tyuin. He nodded in her direction and then the three of them left the room.
Remi was feeling more confident than before, but that didn’t mean she was completely prepared. If only she could get her hands to stop shaking…
CHAPTER 19 – OVERWHELMED
..................
“DO YOU SEE ANYTHING?” KACE asked as they sat upon the wall, high over the village. The citizens were inside, waiting for the worse to be over as their guardians watched from above. Kace shifted his weight as Catherine and Remi dangled their legs over the edge, their feet kicking up against the white stone.
“Nothing,” Catherine replied, scanning the area. “Which doesn’t make any sense. What was that sound then?”
Remi didn’t say anything as she tried to warm her arms. She nervously looked over the tiny huts and houses but her vision wasn’t focused. She was staring right at the roads and the few stragglers that sprinted towards their home, but it was like she barely saw them. She felt short of breath. Faint. Unsure. Her heart was beating out of her chest.
Catherine slapped a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” she asked. Remi nodded slightly and Catherine didn’t believe her. She sat down and looked out across the village with her. “You’ll do fine.”
“I’m not so sure,” Remi sighed. “It’s different when I’m forced into battle, but waiting for it is killing me.”
“I have to say I’m the opposite,” Catherine laughed. “I’m not looking forward to be thrown into it at all.”
“How long have you been doing this? Fighting?”
“Ever since I was a little girl so…somewhere in the ball park of thirty five years.”
“You don’t get weary of it?”
“I’ve come to terms with the fact that there will always be violence and conflict, but that temporary peace is achievable. And that peace alone, trust me, it’s worth it. There’s nothing like going to sleep at night with a clear mind and no obligations in the morning. But even the peace isn’t the best thing about moving forward. It’s seeing yourself grow. Whether it’s physical or psychological, there’s nothing like it. It feels like someone put wings on your feet.”
“It just takes time,” Remi said for her.
Catherine nodded. “That’s it.”
“I’m trying, but sometimes my mind starts reverting back to who I used to be. It’s only recently that I started having confidence in myself so it’s a still a foreign feeling.”
“Most times people feel the way they do because they’re worried about how others perceive them. But you have to try your best not to let their image of you matter. If you think you have the strength, then you have it. It’s as simple as that. For example, say you were feeling weak and tired, but you still showed determination, no matter the odds. People will see that, and they’ll feel inspired, even though on the inside you’re crying and you want to curl up into a ball and go to sleep until the pain is numb. Still, stay determined, and people will admire you. They’ll follow you. They’ll ask how you got to be so powerful and the truth is that nothing’s changed. You’re just projecting an image of strength. But now, because the people are calling you strong, you start to believe it, and consequently, you become it. It’s an interesting cycle, but it doesn’t get going without your say.
“I was going to bring this up earlier, but if you ever wanted to, you’re more than welcome to join my small band. You and Kace could train with us, and we would show you what we know. You don’t have to answer now. It’s just something that’s on the table.”
“Thank you,” Remi said while she blushed. “I’m honored.”
“Whenever you like,” Catherine said, kicking her legs playfully. “Oh and one more piece of advice, if you don’t mind.”
“Yeah?”
“Give Kace a little more of your attention,” she whispered. Remi glanced over at Kace who was walking along the wall’s edge, examining the village with a scowl on his face. “It’s not about you all the time, and the boy is in love with you. I don’t know if you’ve noticed.”
“I’ve noticed,” she giggled.
“I haven’t seen devotion like that in a long time,” Catherine sighed.
“That man you mentioned earlier…James. Is he someone special to you?”
“He’s my husband,” Catherine replied. “But he died right before the Great Collision. So I haven’t seen him in twenty years.”
“All this time?” Remi nearly shouted. “But why? What’s keeping you two apart? Couldn’t he have made a special trek out here or something?”
“I don’t know what’s going on in Paragon. I haven’t been there yet, but I’m sure he has his
reasons for staying there. I know him. He would pursue me and abandon all other responsibilities in the process. If he’s stuck in Paragon, something serious is going on.”
“And why won’t you go to Paragon?”
“Because I’m scared,” she laughed. A tear trickled down her freckled cheek as she threw her hands in the air. “Isn’t that ridiculous? I’m scared of what he’ll think of me after all this time. Like if he’s met someone else up there or if we look too different. I don’t know. I know it’s all in my head and none of it makes sense. He loves me. I know it. But it’s hard sometimes.”
“You should go see him,” Remi said. “Maybe he’s just as afraid as you are. That could be holding him back.”
“Goodness,” she chuckled, wiping the tears away with her forearm. “What a mess I’m in.”
“It’s okay,” Remi replied, rubbing Catherine’s back. “Why don’t we finish things up here and then we head to Paragon. We can reunite with your husband while you show me a few things.”
“That sounds good,” she sighed.
“HEY!” Kace shouted, drawing their attention. He pointed out over the village. “Over there! Who’s that?”
Catherine squinted her eyes and then slowly climbed to her feet. “Yep. He’s from Cimmerian alright.”
“How can you tell?” Remi asked. Catherine held the palm of her right hand up to Remi. There was the tip of Catherine’s eidolon sticking out of the center.
“I’ve been using it to sense changes in the environment. Now that I’ve focused on him, I can tell that he’s from Allay. The way he’s walking, his smell, just the…the freaking power coming off of him.”
“Power?” Remi asked nervously.
Catherine winced. “This won’t be easy. I didn’t think Cimmerian would send someone that strong so soon…I was careless earlier. This one guy alone could tear down the Kingdom.”
“You’re being serious right now?” Remi asked frantically and Catherine nodded.
“Stay back,” Catherine replied. “Both of you.”
“Don’t you need our—”
“I have to do this alone!” she shouted, screaming in Remi’s face. Seeing her reaction, Catherine immediately softened. “I’m sorry…it’s just…he’s so strong, and I haven’t gotten to see James yet. And if I die, not only will we never be reunited, but it will crush him…I just gave you a pep talk on not being afraid and here I am…terrified.”
“We can help,” Kace said but Catherine threw up a hand to silence him.
“No,” she said. “I’ll fight him. But I do want you to watch carefully. You might have to intervene. For now, come with me. We’ll see what he does.”
The three of them dropped off the wall, using their eidolons and claws respectively to slow their descent. Once they were level with the houses, they leapt off the wall and onto the roofs, crouching down low and slowly coming upon their enemy.
Once they were able to see him, Catherine whispered out a “no.”
The hulking monster had one of the young Sages by the throat and carrying him from behind like a rag doll. Remi put a hand to her mouth as she trembled at the sight. The warrior from Cimmerian was enormous. It had a small head, but its neck was as wide and thick as a tree trunk. Its arms and legs were like miniature pillars and there was so much energy emanating from his body that it ran across his veins like little lightning bolts.
“The head is probably his weak spot,” Catherine sighed, preparing to leap. “It always is…remember, stay back for now.”
Catherine clenched her fists and she suddenly transformed. Like Remi, a hooded robe fell over her, except that it was colored purple. In her right hand was her eidolon, a multicolored great sword possessing splashes of blue, green and purple all around it. Remi couldn’t stop staring at it, inspecting it for meaning—when it abruptly left her sight.
Catherine leapt into the air without a sound, looking to end the monster with one swift blow. But just before the moment of impact, the monster whipped his left arm back and threw the young Sage’s lifeless body into hers. The two of them went flying into a nearby shop, crashing through the beams holding up the front.
Catherine grit her teeth and nearly screamed when she saw that the young Sage’s body was in her lap, long dead from the monster’s grip. She pushed the young Sage aside slowly and carefully, then she used her eidolon to cut a way through the debris. The monster was waiting for her return.
As soon as she stepped out into the open air, he punched her square in the face. Catherine staggered back but he grabbed her hair and brought her to him. With a chop of his hand, the monster smashed his meaty palm through her eidolon, slicing it into two halves. It disappeared a second later.
Catherine instinctively kicked up at the monster’s chin, but it he stretched his neck back and she missed. He grabbed her leg with his free hand and then let go of her hair. He began swinging her around and around in a circle, chuckling lightly to himself as she fought against his grip. But just as she was starting to gain some leverage on one of his fingers, he let her go.
She went flying high up into the air and in the distance, flailing her arms and legs as she was thrust nearly a half mile away. Unable to summon her eidolon quickly, she crashed into someone’s home, causing it to collapse around her on impact.
Remi and Kace were horrified.
“We have to help her,” Kace’s lips trembled as he took a few reluctant steps forward.
“I…I…” Remi stopped talking and leapt to the ground. The sound of her feet hitting the dirt was enough to gain the monster’s attention. He turned around and looked at her with hungry, longing eyes. She gulped and tried to summon her eidolon, but it wasn’t coming forth. She tried again, and nothing happened. The monster began walking towards her and Kace roared as he leapt onto him. The monster barely registered him. He reached up, grabbed Kace by the back of the head and then held him there, keeping the Quietus on his shoulder. The monster then used his free hand to continuously punch Kace in the face, until the boy’s body was nice and limp. Then the monster discarded him, pushing him off his shoulder and into the dirt below.
Remi’s hands began trembling as the monster approached.
Do something, she screamed at herself. Please do something.
But she was so scared. Images of Catherine’s fight ran through her mind. She feared the worse for Kace, and comforting visions of her bed clouded her mind. She couldn’t believe it. She was actually thinking of home of all places. And wasn’t it better? Better than death? Than torture?
“Please,” Remi found herself saying as the monster was only a few yards away. He began stretching out one of his meaty hands, and Remi felt her heart skip a beat. Her breath caught in her throat, and her legs lost their strength.
She fainted.
..................
“Again,” she heard someone saying.
And then she felt warm air being pumped into her lungs. She opened her eyes and saw Kace’s mouth over hers, his hand on her chest as he prepared to press down hard on her ribcage.
“No,” she mumbled and he stopped the pressure. Her eyes fluttered and he smiled through black eyes and swollen mounds of flesh. His lips were puffy and there were cuts on his forehead, but she was glad he was smiling. Not everything was terrible.
“What?” she asked, as a pair of hands sat her up from behind. She craned her neck slightly to see Catherine, also weary and beaten. It was like half of Catherine’s face had been smashed in and the other half had been left alone. The way she wobbled, even as she crouched, it was as if she was going to faint herself at any moment.
“Give her time,” Kace said, but Remi lightly pushed him away. She began standing to her feet and Catherine snickered.
“So stubborn,” she muttered, her voice sounding hoarse. Remi made it onto her feet and looked to them for answers.
“What happened?” she asked, afraid of what she might hear. Kace was the first to speak.
“We got our asses kicked toge
ther,” he said with a half-smile.
Remi was not amused. “Seriously, what happened?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is that you’re unharmed.”
“I fainted,” she whispered, casting her gaze to the dirt. “I remember now.”
“More than that,” Catherine sighed, still sitting on the ground. “You were died.”
“I what?”
“Died,” Kace said, nodding his head. “When I found you, you weren’t breathing…and I couldn’t find a pulse.”
“But how?” Remi asked, trying to keep her voice from breaking. She hadn’t even fought the monster and she nearly died. How pathetic was that?
“It doesn’t matter,” Catherine groaned, rocking backwards and then jumping to her feet. “It happened. But now we have to let it go. There’s work to be done.”
“Let it go?” Remi scoffed. “Are you hearing yourself? I died! I was so scared that I fainted and stopped breathing. He didn’t even have to touch me to—”
Catherine slapped her.
Remi cocked her arm back instinctively and punched Catherine in the face. She staggered back and groaned as she rubbed her cheek vigorously.
“See?” Catherine moaned. “You’ve got plenty of fight left in you.”
“You’re not concerned at all that I’m a liability?”
“The opposite actually,” Catherine sighed, patting her wound one last time. “You’re an asset, and the way I look at it, you’ve just gained some invaluable battle experience against a formidable enemy. It was bound to happen at some point. Now cut the pity party and let’s keep moving. He could be fighting my friends right now, and I’m not going to just let them die.”
Catherine took off running as Kace reluctantly followed. Remi felt like she was losing her mind. What was the point of her being a part of the fight? What could she do?
“Shut up,” she told herself suddenly. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing. “Just shut up. I’ve got this.”
She opened her eyes, took a deep breath, and then focused on where Catherine and Kace had gone. She chased after them, and she didn’t allow her thoughts to get in the way of what she had to do.