“Is that such a bad thing? It means they’re having fun.”
“Guess it depends on what you like the most.”
“Okay,” Olivia said as they reached the cafeteria doors. Located in the eastern hovering tower, the cafeteria was the second largest room in the entire Sage Academy. It had once been a gigantic living room, but through many travels for supplies and a great deal of reconstruction, the room had been transformed into a place where the warriors could find sustenance. The carpets had been pulled up. The walls had been splashed with a fresh new coat of paint and the paintings and furniture had been replaced with soil and fresh grass.
It was strange to see a field in what once was a living room, but somehow it worked, and even the most skeptical were swayed once they sat down on the floor. Being that the grass in Paragon grew back almost as soon as it was hewn, it wasn’t ridiculous to think that it could be brought up to the Sage Academy and allowed to grow in the sky. Remi had been quite impressed with the imagination that had gone into the room’s creation.
“It’s so much better without tables and chairs,” Remi heard someone say in the distance as they walked through the open arched doorway. There were several groups of students sitting in circles all around the field, talking excitedly and munching on sandwiches and pieces of fruit.
“Spirits are high,” Remi said with surprise. “What’s going on?”
“Elections are over from what I hear,” Olivia said. “At least that’s the rumor. There will be a new leader at the Sage Academy before the week’s out.”
“Anyone have any idea who won?”
“No. It’s just rumors right now,” Olivia replied. “But it doesn’t matter to me either way. Nothing will change for me.”
“Me neither,” Remi said as she watched Kace leave them and go off searching for his friends. “I’m going to be leaving soon.”
“Really?” Olivia asked in surprise. “I didn’t think you were serious.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. You haven’t been training much. I saw you at the party last night.”
“I’m scouting.”
“What for? For people to come with you?”
“Exactly.”
“No one’s going to go on that suicide mission.”
“You’re saying you wouldn’t if I asked,” Remi said in false hope.
Olivia laughed. “I would consider it.”
“Well, that’s not going to happen.”
Olivia chuckled again. “I figured. Still, I’m dead serious. No one’s going with you on your mission. No one even knows if the Seven Sorcerers are still alive.”
“If they’re as powerful as people say, I’m sure they are,” she replied, watching Kace burst out laughing at a joke someone said. “Come on, let’s go join him,” Remi said before she realized it. Why was she asking Olivia to come with her in the first place?
They navigated through the circles, slowly approaching Kace as they became lost in the collective conversations. It was so loud that it felt like it made the air itself thick, and Remi felt a pang in her stomach from not being involved. Maybe Kace was right. A little more socializing could do her some good. She was so used to being alone growing up that she didn’t fully realize that she didn’t have to be anymore. And how was she going to get anyone to come with her on her journey if they didn’t even know who she was? Or if they weren’t even sure if they could trust her with their lives?
“HEY!” Chad shouted as they approached. Kace was busy trying to stop his laughing fit. Lexi, Berto and Reynold all perked up once they saw the two girls arrive. “Look who it is!”
“Remi,” Lexi cried out, climbing to her feet and giving Remi a hug. “I was wondering if we would ever see you again.”
“And the warrior Princess herself!” Reynold said, scooting over to give Olivia a seat. She sat down and wrapped her arms around him and Berto. They both started grinning like idiots as Chad shook his head.
“You two are hopeless.”
“Silence!” Olivia shouted in a joking manner. “Your Princess demands attention.”
Chad bowed his head up and down. “So sorry, your grace.”
“The warrior Princess?” Remi asked him. Chad turned to her and laughed.
“Yeah, she’s practically royalty around here with how popular she is. Figured we might as well start referring to her as a Princess.”
“I was the one to demand that the title ‘warrior’ be put in front of it,” Olivia replied.
“How do I get that title?” Remi asked.
Chad shrugged his shoulders. “Hang out with us more and show us what you can do.”
“I just might,” she said, and she noticed that Kace beamed at that.
“So how’s the scouting going?” Lexi asked, sitting back down. Remi slowly sat down with her with a puzzled look on her face.
“Kace told you about that?”
“Yeah, he was wondering if we were interested in going.”
“And what does everyone think about it?” Remi asked, looking around to evaluate the group. Chad burst out laughing first.
“I didn’t think you were serious,” he chuckled. “I was sure Kace was joking.”
“We’ll I’m not,” Remi pouted. “Did he tell you what I am?”
“No,” Kace interjected nervously. “I don’t think—”
“We might as well,” she said, staring directly at him. “I mean, you already told them about the mission. They might as well know what’s at stake.”
“What?” Berto asked. “That you’re marked? We can see that. It’s not a big deal. All it says is that Cimmerian thinks you’re important. It happens.”
“No, the fact that I’m one of the Sorcerers’ seven weapons.”
“Huh?” Berto asked, looking at Kace and then back to Remi. “The weapons were destroyed.”
“Those weren’t the real things. I’m one of the weapons.”
“What is she talking about?” Lexi scoffed, catching Remi off guard. Usually Lexi was the one to take her side, but apparently not when the conversation took a turn to the unbelievable.
“There are six others out there like me,” Remi said. “And if we find them, it could really help us in the war.”
“But it’s crazy,” Berto replied. “What are we going to do? How does having us by your side help the mission?”
“It’s because she’s desperate,” Chad said. “That’s why she’s asking anyone that will listen to her. But Remi, I’m telling you, no one here is going to be joining you. It’s like you want this so bad but no one can see why. The Sorcerers would probably kill us in a second.”
“How is that any different than when the war against Cimmerian starts?”
“Cimmerians are on a more equal playing field with us. I’m sure there are people over there that I’ve even met in my lifetime. But these Sorcerers…they’ve been around for centuries. I know when I’m outmatched.”
“You have to expand your wardrobe,” Lexi said, nodding at her own statement.
“I don’t follow,” Remi replied.
“I’m not much of a fighter,” Lexi said, putting her thumbs behind her jacket lapel and stretching it slightly. “But I do know clothing. I don’t know how much that will help me on the battlefield. I might be able to develop some new armor. That might help…still, one thing I never forgot was something my mother told me before she died.
“She said that so many people on Terra cared too much about what they were wearing and who made it when they should have been more worried about who’s affecting them. She used to ask me, ‘Who are you wearing?’ and I would get so confused. I would show her my new shirt and tell her how it got sewed together or from what merchant I purchased it from. She would shake her head and sigh.
“’Not that,’ she would say. ‘Who are you wearing on your heart?’” Lexi paused to tap her chest. “She would ask me who I was wearing over my shoulders and keeping me down. Who was clinging to my legs like a chain and keeping m
e from running toward my next goal. Eventually I understood what she was trying to say, and so…whenever she asked me who I was wearing, I started taking a look at myself.”
“You’re saying I should be more introspective,” Remi said solemnly, “but I don’t think anyone’s holding me back.”
“You’re afraid, love,” Lexi replied, standing up to give her a hug. “And that’s okay. But you still have to acknowledge it. I don’t know who you’re wearing right now. Who’s making you afraid and unable to go on this grand and important mission on your own, but you have to face whatever it is.”
“I’m not afraid,” Remi said into Lexi’s shoulder.
“Then go alone.”
“But why should I have to?” she said, lightly pushing Lexi away.
“Because you’re the only one that believes in this, and I’m willing to bet that truth extends even beyond this Academy. If what you say is true, and there are six others like you, then that’s your team. That’s your support. I doubt you’ll find any here—not with a mission this insane. Because you’re so valuable, the Cimmerians might not touch you. You might get captured. But us? Oh, they’ll make things permanent.”
“Okay, I’ll admit it,” Remi huffed, trying to keep her emotions in check. “I don’t want to go by myself. I…so you’re saying I’m alone in this?”
“I’ll go,” Olivia spoke up, removing her arms from around the two guys’ shoulders. “If you’ll have me.”
Remi genuinely didn’t know what to say. Whenever she saw Olivia, it wasn’t the popular warrior Princess that everyone had fallen in love with. It was the traitor. Or the deceiver that had spoken to her in Allay, describing in detail how she was going to gain the acceptance of the people.
Remi swallowed hard and finally answered. “I need to go to Virga to get my hair done. You can come with me if you want.”
“Alright,” she said, rising to her feet.
“Oh c’mon,” Chad expressed his disappointment. “You just got here.”
“Remi has to go change her clothes,” Lexi said, winking toward the boys.
“I wish you could stay,” Kace said. Remi noticed that he made no motion to go with them, but that was okay. If she pushed, and he ended up going with her, she knew that he wouldn’t have a good time.
“We’ll be back,” Olivia said in her small, sweet voice, blowing kisses to everyone. Remi rolled her eyes and started heading toward the exit of the cafeteria, forcing Olivia to catch up.
“You don’t want to grab some food before we go?” she asked.
Remi shook her head. “I’m not really hungry, and besides, I’m curious to see what Virga has to offer.”
“Why are you being nice to me?”
“You want me to be cruel?”
“No,” Olivia chuckled. “But you’ve been distant ever since we got here.”
“It’s because you almost had me killed. Or did that slip your mind?”
“I was terrified. Everything was new to me. How many times do I have to say that I’m sorry?”
“You’ve been trying to ditch me from the very beginning.”
“Because I thought you were a liability. I’m sorry, but I finally had my chance to see the outside world and I wasn’t sure if you could handle it. You’ve been through a lot worse than I have. I could go through the town and stay hidden at times, but you were painfully visible. When you weren’t sick, you were given so much attention that—”
“—that’s the past,” Remi interrupted. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“But is that why you don’t want to go alone? Because you never really had to be?”
Remi sighed heavily. “After all this time, you just don’t get it. I never wanted the attention…while you’ll do anything you can to get it. That’s the difference between us.”
“Then why don’t you want to go alone?”
“Because…I still don’t have complete faith in myself. I’ve never felt better, but that doesn’t mean my illness can’t flare up. If I’m out there alone, I—”
“—careful, Remi,” Olivia said. “Your mask is slipping. You almost admitted to me that you need help, and not because you’re just used to having people around.”
“Yeah,” Remi replied, beginning to blush.
“Hey, I get it,” Olivia said, waving her arms in the air casually. “This is different than before. You’ll be coming up against warriors that are stronger than just about everyone in existence, and it would be nice to have someone fight by your side. Well, you’ve found your girl.”
“Olivia, you know I can’t trust you.”
“So? What does that even mean? Why do we have to be best friends in order to get the job done?”
“Then I have to ask—what’s in it for you?”
“You could probably guess,” she said, flashing Remi a mischievous grin.
“You want more power.”
“Exactly.”
“But why? To have more attention? So more people love you? I know you enjoy it, but it doesn’t seem like you wallow in it.”
“I want more control,” she said as they came upon the first floating platform. They had reached the main walkway between the two towers and while there were a few students sparring under the bright blue sky, most had retired to their rooms or gone to the cafeteria for lunch.
“Control of what exactly?” Remi asked, afraid of the answer.
“As much as possible,” Olivia replied. “But I don’t want to be a dictator or anything. I just want to make sure places like the town we grew up in doesn’t exist. Ever since we got to Paragon, I’ve been loving it, and I’m kind of pissed off that we couldn’t have something like this in childhood.”
“If it wasn’t for our upbringing, we wouldn’t be who we are today. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“Depends on how you look at it. I’m not thinking about us. I’m thinking about all the people that died because they weren’t strong enough.”
“Isn’t that on them?”
“Again, it depends on how you look at it. You know, you put on a great stone face. People don’t see how fragile you are on the inside.”
“Right,” Remi scoffed, stopping herself from playfully punching Olivia in the arm. “I hope you mean physically not mentally. Being strong mentally is what got me this far. It’s all I’ve ever had.”
“No, I mean both,” Olivia replied. “You keep forgetting how close we were. I can tell what you’re thinking. That’s what makes me qualified to go with you on your journey.”
“You want to go so bad that it scares me,” Remi admitted. “I don’t know how you plan on achieving this control of yours, but I’m sure it’s not through completely good intentions.”
“You’ll just have to see,” Olivia said. “You’ll have to weigh the pros and cons of taking me or leaving me behind and then decide. Would you rather have a former traitor in your midst? Or go at it all alone? That’s your decision. But to further help you make it, I want to show you one more thing.”
Olivia motioned for Remi to follow her to one of the empty brick platforms. Remi knew where this was headed.
“Olivia, you don’t have to prove anything to me,” Remi said. “I know you’ve improved. You’re at the top of the class around here.”
“No, that’s not it,” she replied, craning her neck to the side to crack it. “I’ve surpassed you.”
“Who cares?” Remi said. “Congratulations.”
“No, this is important,” she said, pointing a finger at Remi’s right hand. “Take out that eidolon of yours.”
“Fine,” Remi sighed, unsheathing it from her left hip. Her dark purple Falchion hummed as she pointed it toward her friend’s chest, waiting for it to assess and render a report worth reading.
It didn’t disappoint.
Remi’s eyes widened as she scanned her friend and her eyebrows furrowed as the report became more and more detailed.
“Don’t you see?” Olivia said proudly. “There’s no way I w
ould betray you because I’ll never be put in a position like that ever again. I felt sick to my stomach after what I did, and I don’t ever expect for us to have what we once had, but I can still be an invaluable ally.”
“Geez,” Remi replied. “What? You just jump out of bed and do push-ups all day?”
“I’ve been working harder than anyone here, and doing my best to evaluate our classmates and understand their weaknesses. I’ve gained more confidence. I’ve pushed past my limits. But I don’t want you to just stand there and sense it. I want you to experience it. Come on. Activate that armor of yours. You know. The one that no one can break through.”
Remi didn’t reply. She activated it, and Olivia watched with glee as it slowly covered her from head to toe, grafting onto her skin as if it was a permanent part of her. Olivia rubbed her hands together and raised her right hand. She pressed her fingers together tightly and closed her eyes. The tips of her fingers began to glow red and Remi raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Before, Olivia could only incorporate her heat abilities into other objects, but now she was able to affect her body. Sure, she could raise her temperature and fight off a cold or make the food in her hand warmer than it was, but nothing like this. Now she was turning her body into a weapon, and in theory, had developed her own type of armor. What binds could hold her if she could burn them away at the touch? Who could capture her? What steel could cut her?
Remi remained still as Olivia took a few steps forward and then stretched her hand forward, slowly piercing through Remi’s makeshift armor. Olivia didn’t cut too deep, but the message had gotten across.
Remi sucked her teeth and deactivated the armor once Olivia backed up, and she summoned her eidolon once more from her hip. Olivia squinted her eyes, evaluating her former friend’s intentions. When she figured it out, she unsheathed the steel blade at her hip. Being that it was just a normal sword, an eidolon would surely obliterate it on impact…unless Olivia fused heat into it of course.
But she didn’t. She just waited for Remi to approach.
Remi wasn’t sure what she was trying to prove. All it would take was one blow to destroy her sword, and she knew that Olivia had crafted it herself. Why wasn’t she taking the necessary precautions?
The Complete Seven Sorcerers Trilogy Page 22