“I know,” she said, walking over to her and bending down to her level. Remi rubbed her back as Alicia continued to weep.
“I’m sorry,” Alicia growled. “I’m trying to stop crying…I hate crying.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” Remi said, putting her head on Alicia’s shoulder. “We’re here for you.”
“They won’t stop talking,” she said, scratching her hair. “They keep talking.”
“Who is?”
“The dead,” she whispered. “My dead.”
“Loved ones?”
“No…the soldiers. The ones I killed out there. I hear them. They…” Alicia paused to punch her forehead and then she leaned back up against the wall. “They become a part of me. Or something. I don’t know. They won’t stop talking.”
“That’s why you didn’t kill us in the forest,” Remi whispered in realization.
“I don’t know why this happens…I’m sick of it.”
“I get it,” Remi whispered, hugging Alicia tight. “It’s how the Sorcerers designed you. It’s your weakness. We all need one so we don’t get too strong. Yours is hearing the dead. Mine is my illness. I didn’t want to mention it earlier, but I’ve felt my health declining for months. It’s not even close to how bad it used to be, but I’m sure that over time, I would end up back where I started.”
“Do the voices go away?” Milo asked.
“They never do,” Alicia muttered. “But they become whispers. I can tolerate them.”
“How long does that take?”
“A few days,” she said and Milo looked to Remi for answers.
She sighed heavily. “Then we’ll wait.”
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? They might not feed us in that time.”
“We’re no good without her. We’d have to carry her on our backs and run out of here if we left now, and I doubt we’d make it far.”
“Yeah,” he said, looking at her. “In the meantime, I’ll do some thinking. Maybe I can come up with a device that can help with the voices.”
“You can make something like that?”
“No,” he laughed. “But I have nothing better to do. I might as well put my mind to good use. Of course, even if I do come up with some theories, there’s no way to implement them without my tools. But oh well, we’ll keep a lookout for some new equipment on our travels.”
“Thank you,” Remi said, giving him a weak smile. “I’m really glad you came with us.”
“No problem,” he said, looking back at Alicia. “Is there any chance that Olivia’s coming back to us?”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Remi sighed as she leaned into Alicia’s ear. “From here on out, I don’t want you killing anyone you don’t have to. We need you. So from now on, you wound, and I will finish them off.”
Alicia nodded and Remi rose to her feet, preparing her mind for the escape in the next few days.
***
They didn’t feed them, but that didn’t break Remi’s spirits. Her mind just went back to the early days when she was still weak, sick and hungry. Learning how to deal with little had made her stronger than she thought, and it was in times like this that her horrible upbringing had been a positive contribution to who she was.
Milo had started to panic after the first day but Remi had sat him down and broke it all down to him: how the body would use itself for energy and therefore, without sustenance, it was best to exert as little energy as possible until it was time for them to act. She began to explain to him that the world was something that couldn’t be changed, but the way he reacted to it was the one thing he could do. While Alicia writhed in the corner and slowly became herself again, Remi breathed and waited. Breathed and waited.
She wondered how Kace was doing and if he still had hope that they were coming for them. She thought of Olivia and her inevitable betrayal. Strangely, it didn’t make her mad like it should have. She wasn’t sure if it was because she knew it was coming and that had prepared her for the worst, or if she had grown herself. Olivia did what Olivia had to do. Remi knew this was who she was, and yet she still took her along on the journey.
And why was that?
It wasn’t her friendship. It wasn’t because she felt like she would change who she was by spending time together. No…the more she thought about it, she realized that it was because she could use Olivia’s talents to further her mission. Olivia was talented, and although she was a traitor, she was also valuable.
Remi had used her.
And she wasn’t sure if she was a terrible person for doing so.
Was it bad to use someone when they would betray you at a moment’s notice? Was there commonality to be found even amongst enemies? Although they had opposing views, they had both used each other to get closer to their goals. Was that wrong?
Was that what the Sorcerers did?
Remi’s eyes opened as her thoughts came back to Kace. The Cimmerian had said he was one of the Sorcerer’s creations. If he was, then that meant there was a good chance he had not arrived at her town by accident. Not likely.
But…he had a childhood. A Quietus family…or did he? She had found it strange how weak he was considering his heritage. Maybe he wasn’t a Quietus at all.
And it was convenient that he happened to be captured, and she had set off to find him. If it had been Olivia, Eckard, Catherine or anyone else, would she have found herself in Cimmerian so soon? Not likely…
But if he wasn’t a Quietus, and the Sorcerers had created him…who else did they make? Who were their pawns and who were genuine?
“It’s a lie,” Remi said aloud, awakening Alicia and Milo from their thoughts. She looked at them both one by one. “The Sorcerers really are involved in all of this. All that posturing…saying that they wouldn’t participate in the war, and that they won’t be bothered…it’s a lie. They’re using us as pawns.”
“Why?” Alicia said, clearing her throat. She rubbed her forehead from where she had repeatedly pounded against it. “What’s their endgame?”
“No clue,” Remi admitted. “But if we keep on pushing, we’ll find out more.”
“Or get killed trying,” Milo said.
“True,” Remi said. “But I don’t think we’re going to die just yet.” She stood to her feet. “All of my actions up to this point have been controlled.”
“What do you mean?” Alicia scowled.
“Tell me something, Alicia. If you never had your weakness—hearing the dead…would you be traveling around Terra and the other worlds, looking for your creators?”
“Of course,” she said. “I want to know why I was made to be a dragon and others like you weren’t. I want to know what my purpose is.”
“And it’s possible that you might be the only Sorcerer weapon that can fly. If that’s true, it means that the Sorcerers would want you grounded as much as possible until you’re needed. What better way to do that than give you your weakness? Think about it. You are built to be an ultimate killing machine. You can fly. You’re virtually indestructible. You can take down whole cities all by yourself. But your weakness cripples you. You’re not going to kill anyone if they plague your mind like that.”
“True,” she said, deep in thought. “The only reason the Cimmerians were able to take me down was because I was trying to shut out the voices of the soldiers I killed.”
“My situation was a little different but also similar. While you had a strong body and a relatively weak mind, I had the opposite. My sickness kept me stationary until at least one of the Sorcerers decided it was time for me to move on and begin carrying out their wishes. That was when Kace suddenly appeared in the town. One of the men I fought told me that the reason they have Kace is not because they wanted to bait me to Cimmerian. It’s because he has a Sorcerer’s signature within him. He was created by the Sorcerers although he’s not one of the weapons.”
“You’re kidding,” Milo said. “So…he was just a catalyst to get you moving?”
“That’s it,” Remi sa
id, shaking her head. “He was my way out, and so I left with him, and he stuck with me the whole way, keeping me safe as much as possible. He was a friend to lean on when Olivia turned against me. And he couldn’t be too strong because I still had to be in control of my destiny, or at least, that was the illusion that had to be kept up.”
“So Kace being captured…that was to get you here.”
“Exactly.”
“But why? What happens next?”
“I’m not sure, but we have to tread carefully from here on out. It’s obviously that me and Alicia are important to their plans, whatever they may be. We have to think about how we would act in certain situations and then do the opposite.”
“Or not,” Milo replied. “So far, it seems like they want to keep you safe.”
“They’re using us though,” Remi said. “And that means that whenever we reach the end of our usefulness, we’ll be discarded, and no one’s going to leave weapons like us lying around for someone else to pick up. We’ll be destroyed just like the non-human weapons Cimmerian got to in Paragon.”
“We’ll have to pick our battles,” Milo said. “Because we want knowledge as to what they’re doing, but we don’t want to fight so much that keeping you around isn’t worth it anymore.”
“You were the one to get me out of my fortress,” Alicia said, groaning as she climbed to her feet. “Your compassion and talks of destiny. You appealed to what I wanted most. But…why do the Sorcerers want me out here now?”
“With you at my side,” Remi said, “we have a better chance of retrieving the others.”
“Yeah, and I know our reason is to fight against the Sorcerers, but what if it’s bigger than that? What if once we’re together, one of the Sorcerers swoops in to take us all and use us against the others.”
“You think the Sorcerers are at war with each other?”
“There’s deception going on. No one does that unless they have something to gain.”
“Even with we stand still though, the Sorcerers will find a way around us.”
“Not necessarily. For plans this elaborate, there must be rules involved. I think the Sorcerers might not be as powerful as everything thinks they are.”
“We won’t know for sure until we meet one.”
“Hey,” Milo said, pointing over their heads. They looked up to see the grate slowly being removed.
“What would you do right now normally?” Alicia asked Remi.
“I would get out of here,” Remi sighed. “Thinking Olivia had a change of heart or Kace came to our rescue somehow.”
“Could be a trap.”
“They won’t kill us,” she said. “Well, at least you and me. Milo’s expendable to them.”
“Wonderful,” he mumbled.
“So what do we do?” Alicia asked.
“Let’s see where this leads,” Remi said. “It’s pretty quiet out there.”
“Ladies first,” Milo said, and Remi launched herself upwards with a burst of energy pumping through her legs. She landed outside and landed in a crouch, surveying the area around her. The winds were still blowing the dust around, but otherwise, there was no sign of life, including who had removed the grate.
“Come on,” she whispered loudly. She moved out of the way and allowed Alicia to come through the hole with Milo over her shoulders.
“Okay, I’m good,” he said, wiggling in her arms. She let him down on the ground and he brushed his shoulders off. “That’s so embarrassing.”
“It’s dead,” Alicia said as Remi unsheathed her eidolon from her hip and held it out in front of her.
“It’s like the army moved out completely,” she said. “But…why?”
“There’s no one here?”
“Well…there is…I think it’s Kace.”
“I don’t know why hearing that just scared me,” Milo said.
“No, it’s justified,” Remi replied. “Knowing what he is now…this can’t be chance. But if we want any kind of answers, we should see what he wants.”
They traveled through the streets slowly, keeping their arms up high to shield their eyes against the gusts of wind and clouds of dirt that flew at them. Once they were close to the energy signature, they decided to take some stairs up a clay house nearby. They would end up on the roof a couple houses away, giving them the space to see if he was in his right mind.
Remi stopped a few steps from the top, her eyes peering over the top of the roof. Kace was standing tall in the distance with no expression on his face. Remi kept moving forward and Alicia and Milo stayed close behind her.
“If you sense any danger,” Remi said. “Turn into a dragon and get out of here.”
“I’m not leaving you,” Alicia said. “We need each other.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” Remi chuckled nervously.
Kace still didn’t move a muscle.
“Alright,” Remi sighed. “Let’s see what he wants.”
Chapter 39 – What We Are
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you,” he said as Remi approached cautiously. She noticed that Alicia and Milo stayed back by the stairs, ready to make their escape if necessary. Though she was sure that Alicia wouldn’t leave her behind, she wouldn’t blame her if she did.
“So you know that I know,” she replied.
“Yes.”
“So what are you?”
“A person. Just like you. We’re no different than anyone else except in how we were created.”
“You were designed to protect me?”
“Yes and no. I pretty much do what I’m told, but it’s not because I lack free will. I believe in my master’s vision.”
“Your master is one of the Sorcerers?”
“He is. But I don’t want to speak on his behalf. I would rather he tell you everything himself.”
A pillar of light shot out from the skies behind Kace, and Remi was shocked not at how bright it was, but how she recognized it. She had seen Sages do something similar, in order to summon their Sage robes while intimidating the enemy. Did the Sages get their abilities from the Sorcerers? And what would that mean if they did? What battles and events throughout history were crafted and guided by their hands? And for what purpose? To what end?
When the light faded, a teenage boy appeared with dark green hair that fell over his face in long strands. His frame was thin but he wore a dark green cloak that similar to the Sages but the material was a lot more durable. Instead of it flowing around when he moved, it hugged his body. The fabric was stiff and starched. There were buttons and belts strapped all around the uniform and various symbols were emblazoned into it. His eyes were dark and distant and his face was angular. He looked serious, but due to his age, not that intimidating. He had to be no older than thirteen.
But what concerned her most was what her eidolon was telling her.
Even when she pointed it straight at him, caring little if it was seen as an act of aggression.
It told her nothing.
“Are we to fight?” he asked, his accent thick and throaty. She lowered her eidolon.
“I had to see if I could sense how powerful you are.”
“You eidolon is an extension of yourself. It won’t tell you anything that you can’t understand yourself, and I am nothing that you can begin to comprehend.”
“You’re trying to scare me.”
“No,” he said, putting up his hands in surrender. Kace stepped to the side so that his master was the one standing in front of her. “That is not my intention. All I want to do is talk. I have many questions.”
“Why would you ask questions?” she asked. “Aren’t you one of the Sorcerers?” She couldn’t be sure if he was or wasn’t, but she saw no harm in asking.
“I am,” he said, folding his hands together. Her eyes widened as she felt a wave of fear shudder from her head down to her toes. Though he gave her no reason to be nervous, the anxiety was there all the same. She fought against it, but she was sure her internal struggle was more than
visible.
“What is your name?”
“I want my answers first, and then we will see if giving you my name is worth it. I’m sure you will be inquiring about me in the outside world if I let you go.”
“Have something to hide?”
He laughed. “You don’t scare easily. That’s what I like about you. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things out there that you shouldn’t be afraid of. No matter how harsh your childhood was, there are those that have been through worse.”
“I’m sure, but I’m not going to act any different than how I feel. If I’m not scared of you, then that’s what it is.”
“I’m sorry, this conversation has gone along a path we have little time for. I’m here because I’m curious. I’m intrigued on how you’ve gotten this far considering the odds against you.”
“My journey has been controlled,” she said. “So I wouldn’t say it’s all been on my own.”
“I see,” he said. “So you believe that someone is manipulating your path.”
“I don’t believe it. I know it, and I don’t appreciate it.”
“I’ll have you know that I’m not the one that’s been guiding you.”
“I know,” she said. “I’ve felt my Sorcerer. He doesn’t seem nice.”
“I’m sure he’s not.”
“You don’t know who created me?”
“I have my suspicions, but that is another conversation.”
“What’s your involvement in all this?”
“Like you, I’ve been looking for my time to intervene. I think that time is now.”
“Why?”
“Because I see potential in you and your friend, Alicia. After all these years, I think that I may be able to make a difference in the status quo, but unfortunately, if I put my hand into their games, it will set off a chain of events that will be detrimental to everyone. And I fear that any safety nets hovering above you will be lifted. You will be hunted and executed posthaste.”
“Then why get involved?”
“Because the reward could be phenomenal, should it all go according to plan.”
“And what is that end?”
“We don’t have time to discuss that here,” he said, looking out to his left. “I cast a spell that transported the entire city’s population far away from here so that we wouldn’t be interrupted, but as a result, I have gained the attention of my colleagues. One is on her way right now.”
The Complete Seven Sorcerers Trilogy Page 37