“Thanks,” Remi muttered, glaring at her. Yes, she was sick, but Olivia didn’t have to put it so harshly. Where was the animosity coming from?
“So you think we should leave her behind?” Kace asked and Olivia’s eyes lost their luster, realizing just how harsh she had sounded.
“No, I just wanted you to know.”
“You don’t even know me,” he replied, and Olivia cast her eyes down. Remi smiled warmly at her and addressed Kace.
“Olivia’s just worried that I might get her killed because of my perceived weakness. I can take care of myself. And if either of you think otherwise, then just leave me behind. Seriously.”
“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” Kace smiled. “Quietus hold one’s word in very high regard.”
“Good.”
“Any other concerns?” Kace asked Olivia and she sighed.
“It’s just so sudden…and scary. I know we’ve talked about leaving, but now it’s real.”
“Both of you can feel free to leave my side at any time. We’re going to be moving fast.”
“Where are we headed?”
“To Paragon,” he replied, scanning the area for the right direction to head in. “That’s where you two wanted to go, right?”
“Isn’t that far away from where you live though?” Remi asked.
“It is. But our home lives are a lot similar than you think. My people are so focused on the war that they neglect everyone my age as well. If we’re not contributing to the village or the war in some way, we might as well be invisible.”
“Then let’s go make some memories,” Remi replied. Olivia laughed at that.
“I’ll take lead for now,” Kace ordered. “Nothing personal, but I would rather scout ahead for a while before I feel comfortable enough to drop my guard. Do you mind?”
“No, go ahead,” Olivia replied, and he began sprinting forward. The two girls continued walking forward in the same direction.
“You think we can trust him?” Olivia asked.
“I’m choosing to.”
“But why?”
“Because trust has to start somewhere. If everyone is paranoid in our day and time, that means trust is very valuable. If we can learn to trust each other, we’ll be friends for life. Same could be said about us.”
“What do you mean?” she chuckled. “We’re already friends.”
“I don’t know how to put this,” Remi swallowed. “But…I think our life from here on out will determine how strong our bond really is. Up to this point, we’ve stuck by each other out of necessity, but that doesn’t make us friends or family. Once the need is removed and the want remains, that’s when a true relationship begins.”
“You think too much.”
“It’s all I’ve ever had time to do.”
“So you’re saying that you’re not sure about us.”
“Oh, I am. You’re the one that’s not sure.”
“Don’t tell me you’re sore from that comment I made earlier. The guy had the right to know.”
“Not really. You said it yourself. He’s a stranger, and he might be a threat. Wouldn’t it have been better to keep that knowledge to yourself so that we were united? So that we could keep our weaknesses secret and only advertise our strengths? But you decided to choose to tell him…because you’re more scared of me killing you than him.”
“Like I said before, you think too much. If I had a problem with you, I would have left on my own.”
“No you wouldn’t have. You don’t want to admit it, I’ve gotten stronger than you in the past year.”
Olivia stopped moving and let Remi take a few steps forward before she noticed. Remi turned around and stared at her friend. The violet poncho she was wearing was blowing in the wind and her hair was covering up half of her face. But Remi could still see her hurt eyes from underneath the strands. Remi’s face softened as she noticed that her throat had become parched. She didn’t need to say what she did. She could have just kept it to herself, but she was just so pissed over what Olivia told Kace, she didn’t hold back like usual. Perhaps she had more soul searching to do than she thought.
“That wasn’t fair to you,” Remi said aloud. Olivia kept her face as still as stone. “It’s just that I get a clean slate out here. And even with Kace…whatever happens between the three of us, I don’t want anyone to look down on me like they did back at home. I want us to be equals. I don’t want him to worry about me, and I don’t want you to either.”
“Why? You like him or something?”
“Why do you keep saying that? Just because I want to talk with a guy, it doesn’t mean I want to fall in love with him. Olivia, we’ve been through a lot, and we’re going to be going through a lot more. I just want to make sure that we’re both together in this.”
“You shouldn’t even have to ask.”
“And I won’t again,” Remi promised. She reached out to give her a hug and Olivia accepted reluctantly. Olivia gave her a weak smile and then looked beyond Remi to where Kace was in the distance.
“Don’t worry about today,” Olivia said. “I’m okay.”
“I’m glad,” Remi replied, and together, they began catching up to Kace. They walked in silence but Remi’s thoughts were far from tranquil. She still couldn’t shake the feeling she got when Olivia had blurted out her condition. She had seen the technique used before amongst the townspeople. Calling out one’s weakness was a way of gaining superiority over them and she understood why her parents did it. But why would Olivia do that to her? They had been through everything together…maybe she had been right from the beginning.
And maybe Olivia was angry not because she was hurt…
But because Remi had seen right through her.
* * *
Kace called them Biulos, and they were one of the few animals that the Quietus didn’t hunt actively. They were gigantic four-legged beasts with beady eyes and large snouts that snorted whenever one of them got a little too close for comfort. They were seven feet tall and twice as wide with hulking shoulders and a large fluffy mane around their fuzzy faces. Remi respected them immediately. For despite their intimidating size, they still looked innocent and docile. To hear that the Quietus rarely hunted them awed her, and she wondered what other sights lay before them. They had traveled only a few hours out, and already she was experiencing things she hadn’t dreamed of.
“Why is that?” she asked, dying to pet one. They grazed together in herds by the dozens, eating the lush grass under the full moonlight. There were no trees visible from wherever they looked. There was no place to hide. No place to run. It seemed that the Biulos would be easy dinner.
“I know, they look delicious, don’t they?” he laughed as they continued walking past the herds. “But honestly, I’ve never seen more formidable creatures. If you attack one. Just one. Even if it’s the sickest one out of the bunch, they all converge on you. Due to their size, there’s no way someone can just grab one and dash away. The Quietus love the trees, and so open valleys and meadows are already far from our ideal hunting areas.”
“Converge?”
“If I hit one of these biulos, every single one from miles around would come to its aid. Their strength is in their numbers. Sure, one could do some damage, but together? They’re nearly invincible. Many Quietus have died trying to break up their collective. But not one has succeeded. Now…we respect them. We see them as kindred spirits. Warriors like us.”
“That’s what we need,” Remi muttered to herself.
“What do you mean?” Kace whispered, as if to respect the biulos’ privacy.
“As of right now we have no allegiances to Cimmerian or Paragon, and while that might change, for now we might want to start thinking about forming our own coalition. We could reach out to people who are in the same situation as us and see if we can get something started.”
“A team?”
“It’s something to think about.”
“It’s a little early for that,” Oli
via whispered as one of the biulos nearby snorted. “For now we should just concentrate on making it to Paragon safely.”
“I am.”
“How far is it to Paragon?” Olivia asked and Kace bent down to the grass, looking for a stick and some dirt to draw a diagram with. Finding none, he motioned for them to crouch down beside him so that they could talk a little quieter.
“There’s a lot of land between us. Particularly four groups of people that may pose a threat in their own way. There are the Langorans—brutes that have lost their Kingdom long ago. Don’t trust a single one you meet. There’s my people, the Quietus, who you should be just as wary of. The young ones aren’t bad, but the adults will try to exploit you in some way. The Allayans are the most established, but they have a history of causing trouble wherever they go, and last are the Delilah. They’re the ones closest to Paragon. They’ll leave you alone for the most part but if you attack them, you won’t find a more relentless enemy.”
“Like the biulos,” Olivia said.
Kace chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, like them.”
“Does anyone hear that?” Remi asked. She stood to her feet slowly as a low rumble gained momentum in the distance.
“It’s coming from behind us,” Olivia said, standing up as well. Kace soon followed suit.
“So you hear it too?”
“It’s a raid group,” Kace growled, narrowing his eyes. “Come on, we have to get away from this field. If we begin fighting, the biulos might think we’re with them.”
Remi and Olivia followed behind him as he sprinted away, the low thunder from behind gaining on them quickly.
“Don’t touch any of the biulos!” Kace warned as they weaved in and out of the sleeping and grazing beasts. Remi coughed as she nearly stumbled into one. Gaining her footing, she glanced back for a moment, and sure enough, recognizable faces were on the hunt. She couldn’t see her parents, but the townspeople giving them chase were sure to give them just as much of a beating as they would.
Remi faced forward and ran as fast as she could, but she was already losing speed. Kace and Olivia were getting further away, and for a moment, she considered transforming just to catch up. She knew it would be a mistake, but what was the alternative? What was the—
“GOT YA!” the outcry jumbled her thoughts, and she found herself in the open arms of one of their pursuers. The muscular man tackled her to the ground and pinned her arms down as the group behind her closed the gap.
They flanked us!
The raid group came to a halt and stood around her in a circle.
“Where’s the other two?” Anila asked, surveying the area. “They couldn’t have gotten far.”
“The other group will meet up with them,” Bertil sighed. “But in the meantime, this girl here should learn what betrayal gets you.”
“That’s right,” Anila breathed into Remi’s face. As hard as Remi struggled, she still couldn’t get the big man off of her. “And why would you go and do a thing like this anyways? It’s not like your parents gave you a home, a shelter and some food to eat. Huh? So what is it? Why’d you run away?”
Remi kept silent. She wasn’t going to give them a thing. Not a thing. Not a—
Anila kicked her in the face.
The blow hurt so bad that she gave out a sharp cry and the group started laughing around her. Anila stood up and crossed her arms.
“At least she did one thing right. We found some food by chasing her.”
“Don’t…” Remi tried to warn them, but all she got was another kick in the face. Remi clenched her jaw and waited. There was no point in reasoning with them. There never was. And though she could have easily transformed, broke free of her captors, and led them to safety in a chase—she stayed silent.
And waited.
“Someone want to take down one of these things and bring it back with us?”
The next sound Remi heard was the bellow of one of the beasts, screaming both in pain and for assistance. Remi wasted no more time. Gritting her teeth, she willed her body to transform. The bubble that formed around her threw off the man on top of her and he went flying several feet in the air. Her white robe manifested over her and she jumped to her feet. There were several people around her, but they weren’t as concerned about Remi anymore.
The biulos had heard the cry of their wounded.
Remi leapt into the air and landed on one of their backs as the biulos rammed into the townspeople relentlessly. As soon as one was finished, another in line would continue the job and so on. Remi tried to block out their cries for help as she ran across the biulos’ backs. She leapt into the air once more as one biulo tried to jump onto the back of another in order to get her. She nearly stumbled off, but miraculously she was able to maintain her footing.
“Where have you been?” Kace shouted as he ran toward her. Once they met up, he matched her stride and they continued running across the backs of the beasts.
“Crowd control,” she laughed. “Where’s Olivia?”
“Guiding builos to the poor excuse of a raid group up ahead.”
“You left her alone?”
“She said she could handle it all by herself.”
“How far along is she? Are they fighting past the builos?”
“About a mile away.”
“She’s going to need help,” Remi said assuredly as she sprinted forward. There was no way Olivia could take on a whole raid group by herself. It didn’t matter if the biulos were helping. It just wasn’t possible. If there were two teams sent out, the second raid group was always the strongest of the two.
Always.
Remi leapt off the last biulo as her white robe disintegrated into the air. She almost didn’t land on her feet from exhaustion and her knees buckled as a result. Kace landed right beside her and scooped her up before the biulo could stomp on her leg.
“Don’t exert yourself too much,” he shouted as he threw her onto his back.
“Don’t think this is going to become a habit,” she said as she burrowed her head into his shoulders. Though her pride had taken a hit, she had to admit that it felt good to get a short reprieve.
“Hey, I don’t see you as a damsel in distress. Just someone in need of a little help. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?”
“Yeah,” she muttered as they came upon a tree line. From within the woods, flashes of light and cries of agony bounced off the branches. Once they were under the thick canopy and surrounded by darkness, Remi was able to pinpoint Olivia’s location better.
She was standing in the middle of a large group, swinging her sword feverishly while it was blazing a dark red. Anything the blade touched—a leaf, branch, or tree—it sliced through as if it was cutting through water. Her attackers were staying back as a result, waiting for the right opportunity. Remi and Kace approached cautiously, looking for ways to intercept.
One of them made their move.
Olivia swung her blade toward the left and suddenly one of the women brought the palm of her hand to her face and blew out a gust of air from her lips. Olivia was hit with a wave of dust and dead skin that blinded her eyes and stifled her breath. She coughed and swung wildly but without the precision she once had, the raid group was able to take her down meticulously, tackling her at the legs and then jumping onto her back. Remi took a step forward but Kace grabbed her wrist.
“Hold on,” he whispered. “Let’s wait for our chance.”
“They’ll execute her,” Remi whispered.
“Why would they do that?”
“Because she’s a traitor. They’ll question her a little, but the moment will soon pass. They’ll grow impatient and it will be over before you know it. We have to move now!”
Remi jumped down from Kace’s back and sprinted forward, slowly unsheathing her eidolon from the palm of her right hand. Just as she jumped through the last line of trees between her and Olivia, the hilt shot out and she grabbed it. She bellowed out a war cry, startling the entire group, and then
she engaged—her dark purple Falchion slicing through the first man on her left.
She refused to look at their faces. There was only saving Olivia.
She swung her eidolon around her like it was a staff, blocking and parrying the raid group’s blows. They were stronger than her. And faster. But she didn’t have the strength to transform and besides, she had trained herself enough to know when to let their blades slide off the surface of hers, when to dodge, and when to strike. They were as predictable as ever, and she was anything but.
The weak sick girl had skills.
Of this, they couldn’t deny.
“Got your back!” Kace shouted as he jumped on the back of the woman who blew out dead skin and dust. Remi thanked him silently as she turned her attention to the big man in front of her—one who was known to increase the density of his skin. She didn’t want to risk her eidolon breaking, so she had ignored him for the most part. But he must have realized how much she avoided him, as now he was advancing at an alarming rate, trying to push his massive body against hers and swinging at her head whenever he felt ambitious. Soon, he would go all-out and that was the last thing she needed. She wasn’t sure if she could defeat him.
It’s all in my willpower, she thought to herself as she parried another man’s sword and kicked him in the chest. He barely fell back and he swung at her again with more vigor. She ducked down, causing him to miss, and then she thrust her eidolon forward into his heart. He fell onto her blade, and consequently, her as well. He fell down on top of her and she grunted as she fought against his weight.
She forced her eidolon to disappear so that his body slumped and she jumped out of the way in time. Unfortunately, she was vulnerable for a second, and a second was all the raid group needed. The big man punched her hard in the spine as one of the women punched her square in the face. Remi hit the leaves hard, already feeling the allure of unconsciousness, calling to her, singing to her, reminding her how good sleep felt.
The Sorcerer's Ring (Book 1) Page 6