Presence- The Marked

by L J Branch

  “Fool, I win either way. Even if you can somehow last, I’ll just wait until next year. Look at you all, you can barely stand while I have more than enough power to spare,” August said with a dark grin. “Still before you all die, take satisfaction that you fell before me, August Gladius the Invincible! The Champion of Light!”

  “Invincible? Query, why does he keep saying that?” Minerva asked as Alice tried her best to sit up. Quickly, Alice reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Alice was relieved to see that despite the destruction the upload had completed. “You said nothing was invincible. If an external attack doesn’t work why not try attacking internally?”

  “Not sure that…applies…here…” Alice trailed off slowly. Alice’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up at the gloating August in disbelief. “Oh my God,” Alice whispered incredulously as she pocketed her phone. The lights in her contacts shifted and flickered as she spotted an electronic signal from the pocket of August’s pants. Pants which he wore beneath his apparently unbreakable shield. She felt her jaw go slack as she identified that the signal came from his phone. It was then she did something that caught everyone off guard.

  She laughed.

  She laughed loudly.

  “Are you serious!? It can’t be that simple!” Alice said as she laughed despite the seriousness of the situation. Alice couldn’t help it even as August turned to face the civilian as if she had lost her mind. “Fuck it, this is gonna be a hell of a gamble,” Alice said tiredly after she calmed down and forced herself to her feet. That rebellious fire she came to love, coursed through her veins as the skull on her mask seemed to grin at the Arch-Mage. “I’ll take you on, darlin’,” Alice said as she pointed at him, and made an “L” with her thumb and pointer finger. Alice then aimed at him as if she had a gun.

  “Stone?” Diamond asked with a confused frown as Jack shut his eyes tightly.

  “Bloody hell, she’s done it, she’s finally lost her damn mind,” Jack said as even Kat looked at Alice as if a screw had come loose.

  “Babe, what are you doing?” Kat asked nervously as Alice just grinned at the Arch-Mage who didn’t look the slightest bit amused by the civilian.

  “If you’re that eager to die,” August began before he turned his staff into a spear of light. “Then so be it!” August said as he raised his spear but before he could throw it, Alice just winked at him.

  “Boom,” Alice said before his hip suddenly exploded. August screamed in agony as the spear he threw missed her head by mere inches. His indestructible shield shattered like glass as he simply collapsed much to everyone’s surprise. Alice blew the tip of her finger as if it were a pistol as the now charred remnants of his phone fell from the gaping hole in his waist.

  “Holy shit, what the fuck!?” Kat asked incredulously as Band 13 looked at their hacker in shock. Hell, even the mages looked at her as if she had two heads as Alice just smirked at the downed Arch-Mage.

  “His shield was unbreakable,” Alice began tiredly while a small smirk graced her lips. “But only from the outside. His shield did have a weak spot, he just moved it out of your reach. In the end, his greatest strength wasn’t nothin’ but an illusion. Not that his weak spot is even a factor here. A bomb in anyone’s pants will take them down.”

  “Not like this…not at the hands of a civilian!” August raged as he tried to summon his staff back to his hand only to scream in pain when he felt his palm sliced. August felt the blood drain from his face when instead of his staff he saw a single electrum coated card that had the word “Steal” on it. He glared up at Kat who now held his staff. Kat tossed it to Jack who froze it in his grip before snapping it over his knee. Now more desperate than ever, August tried to crawl his way toward Excalibur. August smiled more and more the closer he got, his magic left him as he sacrificed it once more. Not once did August wonder why they let him get so close to the powerful blade. He soon found his answer, however, when he looked up. His smile dropped when he saw that Lilia stood on the opposite side of the blade. August trembled when he saw her magic leave her body, given up to the Equinox as she tightened her grip on the blade’s hilt.

  “Do it,” the Lady said tiredly as she watched Lilia grip the blade tightly as her broken father tried desperately to grab on to it. August’s hands bled as he gripped Excalibur’s burning edge. “Take away from him, everything.”

  “No! Don’t you dare!” August snarled as Lilia, with a visible show of effort, pulled the blade from the ground and out of her father’s grasp before she held it high into the air. Light engulfed her as a wave of gold flaming energy fired from the blade and shot up into the night sky. “No!” August roared as Lilia felt her body become engulfed with power. “What do you think you are doing!?”

  “Getting even,” Lilia said quietly, a slight edge to her voice as he froze with fear, “You took away my dreams so I’ll take yours,” Lilia said as she gazed down at her father sadly before she turned away. “Curse my bleeding heart. I can’t bring myself to kill you. Despite everything you’ve done to me, to my family, even at your worst you are still my father.”

  “But you aren’t mine,” Diamond said darkly as she kicked him over. “Tell me again how you’re unaffected by my skill set,” Diamond said as he looked at the barrel of her gun fearfully.

  “Wait!”

  “Did you wait when you murdered my mother?” Diamond questioned before she pulled the trigger. Diamond’s aim was true and August’s terrified expression was frozen on his face even as the life left his eyes. Diamond closed her eyes and raised her head up toward the night sky as she dropped her gun. “Finally, it’s over,” Diamond said quietly as the group of misfits simply stood together in a comforting silence. The war, their bad relationships, everything that divided them simply forgotten for a moment as their common source of suffering had finally been removed. At that moment, she could imagine her mother smiling down upon her and allowed a single tear to slide down her cheek. “Your honor has been restored. Now, you may rest in peace.”

  EPILOGUE: Presence

  Thieves’ Guild, Dorado, Council Chambers

  “And that’s everything that happened,” Diamond said as she stood before the council with her band and Alice. The council members either looked at her incredulously or appeared pensive about the information she had just given them. “After that, my father’s band found us as the Arch-Mage Enero appeared,” Diamond said as she gestured across the room where her father and his band sat on their thrones that overlooked the proceedings.

  * * *

  Silicon Valley, Prosperity Industries, Three Hours Earlier

  The clouds darkened and lighting flashed violently before a bolt slammed into the ground a few feet away from them. When the dust settled, the gathered individuals looked on with wide eyes as all three members of Roderick’s band stepped out from the smoke.

  “What the hell happened here!?” Vivi asked before she paused when she saw Band 13. Roderick appeared just as perplexed as she was while Julia simply whistled in appreciation.

  “Not bad, I give the carnage a seven out of ten,” Julia said as she looked at the destruction. Julia then turned to face Band 13 and winked at Jack. “I’m proud.”

  “Julia!?” Jack asked incredulously while Xavier instinctively grabbed his staff. A storm of conflicting emotions raged inside the young man. Before Xavier could do anything, he was blinded by a blue flash of light. When the light faded a tall man with tanned skin, black hair, and hazel eyes stood in front of him.

  “What happened to my building!?” Enero questioned as Xavier, Faith, and Lilia looked at the Arch-Mage in surprise before they realized that with the building gone, August’s wards had vanished as well. At that moment, Arch-Mage Enero and Roderick’s band spotted each other. Stars filled Enero’s now black eyes as the force of his magic exploded from his body and forced everyone but Roderick’s band down to their knees. Unlike when they faced August, Band 13 felt genuine fear as a black staff appeared in Enero’s hand. T
he end of the staff was sculpted into what appeared to be a black goat that held a blue gem in its mouth. Enero cursed something in Italian before he made his way to Roderick’s band. “This was bound to happen eventually.”

  “Agreed,” Roderick said as purple bolts of lightning continuously struck the soon to be battlefield. “We’ll make it quick.”

  “Oh, it will be quick my old friend, of that I have no doubt,” Enero sneered. However, before the two sides could potentially lay waste to each other, Diamond and Xavier forced themselves up and got between Roderick and Enero respectively.

  “Uncle, stop!”

  “Father, calm down!” Diamond said as she and Xavier stood back to back. They hoped beyond hope that the situation didn’t escalate any further. “They’re not our enemies…well…not anymore,” Diamond corrected as she presumed Xavier said something similar to his uncle in Italian. For a moment, no one said a thing as they watched the encounter with baited breaths. Roderick’s frown deepened when he looked up from his daughter and made eye contact with Enero. When Roderick returned his attention to his daughter, Diamond realized that it wasn’t her father that now stood before her but rather her King.

  “Explain.”

  * * *

  Thieves Guild, Dorado, Council Chambers

  “As I told you after my first encounter with August, everything, from my mother’s death to every single life lost in this war was not the fault of the Mages’ Circle. It was the fault of one twisted man jealous of power he was too lazy to earn for himself. The Circle is now also aware of this. There is no reason to continue this farce,” Diamond said firmly as she addressed the council. “He turned ally against ally, destroying the alliance and endangering the lives of every civilian on this planet. That man is now gone, I’ve made sure that he can never return. I’ve done my job not only as an assassin of this Guild but as the rightful heir to the throne,” Diamond declared. “Now it’s time for you to do yours. Right now, the Mage’s Circle is discussing the possibility of a cease-fire. It’s a long way from the alliance we once had, war is not easily forgotten, but it is a step in the right direction. A chance to end this bloodshed and focus on protecting the civilians. Make the right decision.”

  “And you honestly think the Circle will uphold that ceasefire, girl?” Heathcliff asked skeptically.

  “It’s not easy having the cause for this war come from your own faction. Especially when you preached about being in the right for as long as the Circle has,” Diamond explained. “Their members will notice August’s disappearance, this simply can’t be covered up. They’ll need to save face to maintain order within their faction. Their inner circle will probably change the tale a bit to save face, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that this fighting stops,” Diamond said as she gazed at the council. “So yes, I believe they will uphold it. They have no choice with the loss of not only August but June as well,” Diamond said making the council whisper amongst themselves.

  “And what of the sword?” an older heavy-set man asked quietly, his eyes cold as he sat garbed in a black pin-stripe suit. This man was Antonio Insegnare, Head of the Insegnare Familia.

  * * *

  Silicon Valley, Prosperity Industries, Three Hours Earlier

  “There,” Lilia said after she used Excalibur to cut the chains that sealed the Lady’s power. Now free, the Goddess’ body began to glow blue as she felt her power return to her. “How do you feel?”

  “Exhausted, but better,” the Lady answered tiredly. “It will take a bit of time for me to regain my strength.”

  “I am so sorry,” Enero said as he bowed before her. “For you to have been harmed by the Circle, and inside my own property, causes me no small amount of shame. If you need anything, I will get it for you if it’s within my power.”

  “Anything?” the Lady questioned as she looked at the remorseful form of Enero. “Two things. One, twenty percent of the Circle’s current wealth, give it to me so that I may restart rebuilding my Order.”

  “Consider it done. When we bring an end to this war, we should have more than enough to spare. Though we would do it anyway to see our closest ally return to its former glory,” Enero said passionately. “What else?”

  “The second thing is, I need you to turn a blind eye,” the Lady said which confused all that heard her.

  “A blind eye?”

  “One of your members has impressed me with their strength, I would like to take them for myself to rebuild my Order with them heading the next generation of knights,” the Lady said and it was this request that seemed to give Enero pause.

  “My Lady, with all due respect, Xavier is important to not just myself but the Circle as well. He’s the heir of Merlin and head of House Magnus. We simply can’t afford to lose him, August, and June all at once,” Enero explained, his eyes pleaded for the Lady to understand.

  “I understand that. The boy does his blood justice, but it is not him I was referring to,” the Lady reassured Enero. “It’s her,” the Lady said as she gestured toward Lilia who looked at her in surprise. “She has shown a level of compassion I have thought impossible from blood as twisted as hers. That said, in that twisted blood she has the blood of a dragon and a virtuous heart to match. I cannot allow my biases of the past to negatively impact the future of my Order,” the Lady said pointedly. Enero averted his eyes as he thought about the situation between the Circle and the Thieves’ Guild. “She is a light in the darkness that I wish to cultivate,” the Lady said before she turned to Lilia along with Enero and the others. “Every action she makes is with another’s well-being in mind. Such compassion is most humbling to me,” the Lady explained and she smirked a bit when she saw Enero look at her a bit skeptically. “Girl, no, Lilia…you can have one thing as a reward for the kindness you have shown me. Whatever it is, when I regain my power I will give it to you. What do you desire?” the Lady questioned as Lilia frowned in thought. After a moment, Lilia approached her with the burning blade in her hand and handed it to the Lady.

  “Fix her, she had a life before my father destroyed it,” this request made the Lady beam proudly at Lilia as even her own siblings and Enero looked at her in surprise.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Lilia said without hesitation.

  “Very well,” the Lady said as she raised a hand over the blade. A bright blue liquid formed around it before it shot toward the blade and doused its flames. They watched, stunned, as the blade transformed back into an exhausted Haylen who barely looked conscious.

  “You!” Alice said angrily as she made her way toward Haylen only to get held back by both Jack and Kat.

  “Relax! She’s barely holding on as it is!” Kat said urgently. Alice struggled against them as they did their best to stop her before she committed fratricide.

  “Listen to Kat, love, for once she’s right,” Jack said before he glanced at Xavier. “And I thought we were bad,” Jack said as Xavier just shook his head in wonder at the civilian’s blatant hostility. Then again, after he got to know Haylen as he had he couldn’t really blame the younger Stone sibling.

  “I want Lilia as the next leader for my Order and I will train this one,” the Lady trailed off as she gestured toward Haylen. “To control her power. I do believe the two of them can do great things together if led in the right direction.”

  “If…if that’s what she wants,” Enero said eventually as he turned to Lilia. “With your magic gone, you have a year to wait. You can use that time to see if this is a good fit for you.”

  “I think I will,” Lilia said after a moment which made the Lady smile.

  “Good, now you two will be gone for a while and we will be leaving here soon so that I may rest and recuperate in my Lake. Say your goodbyes.”

  “Wait, what!? Do you really have to go now?” Faith asked Lilia, sad that her sister would leave so soon. “I’ve just gotten better, there are so many things I wanted to do with you and our brothers!”

  “It won’t be forever,
” Lilia said with a small smile. “We’ll see each other again, and when we do, I will have some exciting stories to tell you. Stories, that will make Xavier’s look like nothing,” Lilia said as Xavier rolled his eyes. “Look after her.”

  “I will,” Xavier said before he hugged her tightly. “You just look after yourself. You were a terrible mage, let’s pray you’re a better knight.”

  “Ass,” Lilia said with a laugh as she separated herself from him and turned to face Jack. “Keep beating him up for me.”

  “Will do,” Jack said before he winked at her. “Be safe, we bastards have to stick together,” Jack said. Lilia smiled at him brightly before she turned to make her way toward the Lady who manipulated the strange blue liquid once more and transformed it into a portal.

  “You have anything to say?” the Lady asked Alice while Haylen passed out in her arms. Alice gritted her teeth as she looked over at Haylen.

  “When she wakes up tell her…” Alice trailed off before her expression hardened. “…to stay the hell away from me,” Alice said coldly. The Lady just sighed sadly in response.

  “If that is what you wish,” the Lady said before she picked up Haylen and stepped through the portal with Lilia right behind her.

  * * *

  Thieves’ Guild, Dorado, Council Chambers

  “The sword is with its rightful owner. The Lady of the Lake will rebuild the Knights’ Order when she recovers her strength and they will be a neutral party when it comes to matters between the Guild and Circle much like the Tribe is currently,” Diamond explained and Antonio appeared satisfied with that decision.

  “Hmph, well better than the Circle having control over it I suppose. Even if we don’t,” Heathcliff admitted. His eyes then narrowed as he gazed down upon Band 13, or more specifically Alice. “Now let’s talk about the number of rules you’ve broken which include the number of unregulated jobs you’ve taken as first years that have surrounded this whole mess and the exposure of the Guild to a civilian, who may I remind everyone is still not unmarked?” Heathcliff said while the council talked amongst themselves. “You claim to be heir to the throne, a position you’ve given up willingly. That said, let’s pretend that you didn’t do that. Would we really want a Queen, or even a thief, this reckless? Is this the leadership we want for our children? The leadership that nearly got her own band killed?”