by Samuel Small
Sol Trilogy
Samuel Small
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This book is a work of fiction. Similarities to people, places, events, or things are entirely coincidental.
Sol Book One: Void
Samuel Small
Chapter 1
The wooden sword flashed back after Jake’s opponent blocked it, but he wasn’t worried. Her form was off, her legs too close together, meaning she wouldn’t have the mobility to dodge if he came in hard. With that in mind, Jake swung at her left side, which she managed to block. That was expected, however he took the opportunity to advance further then swung to her right. He was sure to make the move predictable enough to block because striking her with his training blade wasn’t his goal. Again she blocked, but it seemed this time he’d gotten closer than she’d like, as she took a step back.
Perfect, Jake thought then leapt forward. Sara gritted her teeth and pulled back, but the position of her feet was all off and she nearly tripped over herself. There was no way she’d be able to block Jake’s next attack with her hands wheeling to keep balance, so he committed fully to it.
That had been a mistake.
Maybe it was the smirk Jake had on his face when he sensed he’d secured a victory. Maybe Sara was just insecure about her sword fighting tactics. Whatever the reason, as Jake pulled back for that final blow he felt the temperature in the room plummet. He would have thought nothing of it but every muscle in his body seemed to scream that he shouldn’t finish the attack. Something clicked in his head and Jake tried to dodge. It was too late. He’d jumped into the air to secure the winning blow, which meant—
There was a loud pop as solid matter came into existence. Something freezing slammed into the front of Jake’s body and sent him flying back a few feet. He landed flat on his side, skidding across the floor. He winced at the pain then sat up, rubbing his head in an attempt to get his bearings back. The giant block of ice stood in the center of the room unapologetically. Sara made her way around it, her long silver hair trailing behind, her arms folded behind her back. She seemed genuinely sorry but the pain still humming in the back of Jake’s head left him less inclined to be forgiving.
“I thought we agreed no Sol!” he shouted.
She didn’t respond, only scanning the far wall of the training room as if there was something of importance there. Jake knew it was just a bid to stall for time as she thought of a response and he rose to his feet. After his judgmental gaze was fixed on her for longer than she liked Sara turned to him, her fists clenched at her sides.
“Yeah, well you said you’d go easy on me! You’re always in here practicing with a sword and I don’t even carry one when I’m on patrol!”
“That was easy,” he began, but Sara’s eyes narrowed and he thought he should just shut up before he became a human icicle. He ran a nervous hand through his unkempt hair. “Er, right. Sorry.”
“Good,” Sara puffed out then pivoted at an angle, crossed the room, and left through the side door. That one led to the changing room, which meant she was getting out of her guard uniform and into her civilian clothes. No more training, Jake guessed with a sigh. How was he supposed to—
A device on the weapons rack stuttered out indistinct syllables. Just what I need, Jake thought and made his way to it. As he got closer the words became more distinct, and he could finally make them out. “I repeat, rebels, Center City. Unregistered Sol user. All available units respond.”
Jake grabbed the comp, peeked at the glowing screen to ensure it was Major Miles who issued the order, then clipped it onto his belt. He fiddled with the wooden sword in his hand, his eyes focused on the very real sword hanging on the rack, as he thought of a reason to justify going. Well, Jake thought, he did say all available units, and I’m certainly available…
He went to the rack and pulled his sword off along with its sheath. He flung the sheath behind his back and secured it in place. Turning his head so that he could inspect it over his shoulder, Jake nodded. It looked cool. He looked cool.
As he fixed his blazer his eyes focused on the large block of ice that stood in the center of the room with chilled mist creeping off of it. Sara had created something with a flat surface so that she didn’t hurt him, but if she wanted she could have made the edges jagged, so jagged that it would’ve pierced right through him. His mind drifted to the alert on his comp: unregistered Sol user. Jake shook his head, hoping to dispel the empty feeling pulsing within his heart. He needed to prove himself to Major Miles and that wasn’t going to happen playing swords with Sara while no one was around. He went through the door and hit the hallway running.
As he made it to the winding city streets Jake unclipped his comp and looked through the map options. Major Miles indicated that they were in Center City but that didn’t narrow the scope of his search much. The map showed the streets of the Republic, a maze of perpendicular lines and a blue dot indicating Jake crawling up one boulevard. A pulsing pink circle indicated a closed-off area for citizens. That was where he should head.
The place was only a few streets away so Jake made it there in no time. Before he knew it he was faced with a crowd of guards in standoff with something, although he couldn’t get a clear view of what as they stood shoulder to shoulder with their backs to him. He tried to think of a way around then looked down at his own clothing. Perfect, he was wearing the same uniform as them so he could blend in. Jake placed his head down as he thought of the best way to go about his plan. Was it possible for him to just say, “Excuse me” and squeeze in? Unlikely, if he brought too much attention to himself they’d recognize him as a trainee…
It was at that point that Jake felt the dull sensation of being watched and turned his head quickly, hoping it wasn’t a guard that had noticed him. It wasn’t. A girl with blonde hair wearing a primary education uniform stood just outside an alleyway, staring at him. Almost as soon as he looked she jerked her head back at the crowd. There was something about her that left Jake so awestruck that he couldn’t think or do anything. She entranced him for a few seconds longer before she pivoted and faded into the shadows of the alleyway. Once she was out of sight whatever spell she’d placed on Jake seemed to be broken and he turned back to the line of guards.
Come on Jake, you can’t be a guard if you’re gonna stop and stare at every pretty girl you see, he thought while smacking some sense into himself by hitting his cheeks with his palms. He once again focused his attention on the line of guards, straightened his back, and stepped forward. He nudged himself in between two and thankfully they parted without looking. They seemed more concerned with whatever was in front of them.
There, a man in a ragged hoody riddled with holes held a primary education student by the waist. Several others cowered behind him, looking at the line of guards for help. The man’s free hand was pointed at one of the teenager’s neck, the boy unnaturally stiff yet trembling. Jake wanted to do something to stop him but all of the trained guards seemed helpless. What was he supposed to do? No, Jake thought and shook his head. He had to prove himself to Major Miles. He began to reach around his back for the hilt of his blade, hoping he’d know what to do once he grasped it, when someone yanked him back by the collar.
“Who the hell is that?!” The ragged man
shouted from beyond the line of guards, and Jake knew exactly who, just based on their firm back. Dressed in a uniform just like Jake’s, although the front was adorned with medals and stripes, Major Mile’s figure blocked out the sun, making his silhouette seem almost divine. The head of that silhouette titled to look at Jake over his shoulder. “This is no place for you, trainee. Get out of here.”
With those words Major Miles stepped forward. The illusion the sun cast on him broke and his figure was human once again, standing opposite the rebel without moving. Jake crept up to the crowd of guards so that he could get a better view of things, despite the Major’s orders. The other guards didn’t seem to notice, they were too entranced by Major Miles’ unshaking resolve.
Despite being faced with a powerful Sol user, Major Miles didn’t say a word. He stood still, those stone-cold eyes no doubt bearing into the rebel. You could tell just by the man’s reaction. With each passing second his features tensed and his posture slumped lower. Before long he glared up at Major Miles. The rebel shouted while pulling the student closer to him.
“Dissolve the government and hand power back to the royal family or I’ll fry this kid!” He held the kid in a headlock with one arm, his free hand pointing at his neck. Major Miles didn’t respond in the slightest. The man swiped his hand toward the group of students behind him, fire sparking from his fingertips. “…and I’ll fry all these damn kids, too!”
There was the sound of boot meeting pavement, loud enough for everyone to hear despite all of the commotion. That was Major Miles, who, despite only advancing a single step, seemed to terrify the rebel. “There are no surviving members of the royal family,” he said, “so even if your request was reasonable, it is in fact impossible.”
“That’s because you killed them!” the rebel shouted then thrust his hand toward the Major. A line of twisting flames shot out of it and headed straight for him, as well as Jake and the crowd. Jake dropped to his stomach along with the rest of the guards, feeling the intense heat as it passed above his head. Shadows danced on the concrete beneath him like mocking snakes.
As soon as the flames receded Jake jumped to his feet, just in time to see the moment Major Miles closed in on the rebel. He was already at a full run and plowed into the man, slamming him against the wall of a building. With the impact, the rebel let go of his grip on the student, who ran away along with his classmates to the safety the guards provided. Two brushed by Jake but he hardly even noticed. He took a few passive steps forward, fully entranced by Major Mile’s abilities.
The Major didn’t say a word. He merely left his blade pressed against the rebel’s throat and stared. Then he removed his cold eyes from the rebel and looked at the line of guards.
“Guards, ensure the students are safe. Trainee, I said get out of here.”
Major Miles stared at Jake. It seemed he wouldn’t stop until he saw Jake leave, so the boy lowered his head and started to turn around when he caught a look on the rebel’s face. The grin he had almost encompassed his entire face, his eyes locked on Jake.
“Major, look out!” Jake shouted, and the Major turned just in time to catch the rebel raising a hand upward. He jumped back as a wall of flame as high as the surrounding buildings rose up, cutting him off from the rebel. Impossibly close to the inferno, Major Miles covered his eyes with his forearm and stared as it flared up, sending gas-scented air in all directions. He was too close to see the silhouette of the rebel running behind those flames, and all the other guards seemed too caught up in the event to do anything. Jake gave chase to him without a second thought.
“Trainee, wait!” Major Miles called after him.
“He’s going this way, follow me,” Jake shouted over his shoulder then brought his attention forward. A crowd of anxious people clogged the street, likely trying to see what the heck the flames were about. Because of their presence, the ragged rebel had to move around them, scooting his body to the side, nudging between people, and outright shoving others out of his way. Jake didn’t have this disadvantage as upon seeing his uniform, people stepped back and gave him a clear path through.
The rebel glanced over his shoulder and when they locked on Jake his pupils dilated slightly. He grinned and turned completely around. Jake didn’t like it and skidded to a stop, but it seemed he was too late. Fire swirled in the rebel’s downcast palms, painting shadows on his face that made him look like a demon. Jake looked to either side, but there was nowhere to escape: the crowd was too compact and now that they were rushing to flee they were also panicked and unpredictable, like a box of marbles haplessly thrown onto the street.
With little options left, Jake crossed his hands over his eyes and winced.
Then he was suddenly swept up and turned, another person hugging him tightly with their body facing the rebel’s attack. A few seconds passed with this person holding him tight before their grip loosened. Jake took this as a sign to look up and saw Major Miles, awestruck for the first time he’d ever seen. He followed his gaze to where the rebel laid prone on the ground.
“He did it,” a citizen to Jake’s left said, pointing at Major Miles. “He took him out. He was so fast I didn’t even see it…”
“And that kid too. Don’t forget how he slowed the rebel down by confronting him,” another added at his side.
The crowd burst into applause as both Major Miles and Jake got to their feet. Jake shot Major Miles a confused glance. He knew he had dived in to protect him and likely didn’t issue a finishing blow, but the Major glared back as if to say, ‘I could’ve if you hadn’t run off like that.’ The trainee brought his eyes to the prone rebel and the crowd that was beginning to surround him. Through a gap that was slowly closing as more and more applauding spectators gathered, Jake could’ve sworn he saw a primary education student turning a corner.
A hand clasped Jake’s shoulder so tightly that it hurt. He looked up to see Major Miles with a grin even more evil than the rebel. His eyebrow twitched in frustration as Jake’s face drained of color.
***
Disobeying my orders twice, coming to a scene you shouldn’t have even been at, chasing a rebel despite your lack of experience…
Major Miles’ grilling looped in Jake’s head as he laid on his bed in the dark room. A long list of screw-ups, so many that he wondered if Major Miles had somehow recorded it on his comp and reviewed it prior to the lecture. The only light came through the window from streetlamps, keeping things from being pitch black, although there wasn’t much to see anyway. Jake’s books from the academy were neatly stacked on the dresser next to him and the far side had a desk with books he read for recreational purposes, mostly about combat strategies against different Sol users.
I suppose your performance wasn’t too horrible. I’ll let you know when there’s a low-level threat so that you can gain some experience, but that’s it. Unless I call for you specifically stay out of trouble.
Jake smirked at the final crumb Major Miles had given him. So if there was something low level he’d be able to go, eh? So far the only formal guard duty he’d been allowed to do was access control for the gate, where nobody tried to enter who shouldn’t, and loads of tedious paperwork. The thought of being able to handle a threat, even a low-level one, filled him with hope.
A light flashed on the desk by Jake’s bed along with a bell noise. The screen on his comp filled the dark room with strange light for a second, then fell flat. Jake sat up and grabbed the device off his dresser and checked his messages.
Sara’s face filled up the screen. “Hey Jake, I heard Major Miles pulled you from class to yell at you, sounds rough. I know you hate missing things so I’m going to record the lecture for you.” The camera spun quickly, rotating just as the frizzy-haired professor entered the room. He slapped his briefcase onto the desk and cleared his throat.
What followed was probably the most useless lecture Jake had ever received. Demons, dragons, ancient monuments, you name it, this guy talked about it. Jake could barely keep his atten
tion focused on the screen but he had to in case he was tested on any of this baloney. The worst part was that the lecturer made some half-assed attempt to make this all seem relevant: “Those who do not understand history are doomed to repeat it.”
“History my ass. That was nothing but fairy tales,” Jake said as he placed the comp back on his dresser. He rolled over to his side and shut his eyes, mumbling just before sleep overtook him. “Like I’ll ever see demons or monsters.”
***
The steady, happy tone of Jake’s alarm awakened him. It was a bright and cheerful beep, contrasting with his absolute hatred of getting up. What day was it again? He grabbed his comp off the dresser and glanced at the date at the top of the screen. Sunday. Meaning he’d get his schedule for the week today, the thought of which made his lips curl into a smile. Major Miles had mentioned something about letting him handle some low-level stuff, so hopefully his schedule for the week would reflect that.
The date and times were no good. All basic patrols around the city, which already had a reasonably low crime rate all things considered. Jake would have preferred to patrol at night, at least then he might be attacked by the rebel Vigilante or something, but his current schedule had him working mornings all week. Speaking of mornings…
Jake sat up in bed, his legs dangling over the end. He yawned while getting up, scratching his back as he made his way to the dresser. He looked at his comp out of the corner of his eye as pulled his shirt off his head, hoping that once the device came back into vision the schedule would be different. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.
After getting changed and double-checking that he was indeed working in half an hour, Jake descended the stairs and hit the streets.
After several hours of walking, Jake let out a long sigh. He was aware that his posture was slumped, bringing the attention of nearly every citizen he passed by, followed by a few mumbled whispers but he just didn’t care. He was bored out of his skull, tired, and in no mood to care what they had to say. How many times was he expected to walk along the same streets before he lost his mind? He’d probably done at least three laps around the area and was bound to do an insane amount more.