Chapter 10 - Pain
James woke up feeling as if his head had split in two. His leg, on the other hand, wasn’t bothering him one bit. In fact, it felt like it had miraculously fixed itself. Besides some minor soreness, he could somehow walk, maybe even run if he needed to. But what was causing the headache? It was hard to recall what had happened in those last few minutes.
James remembered being beaten by Alexander and his thugs in the underground hallway. What he didn’t remember was why the hallway around him was now buried in rubble. James sat where he was, trying not to breathe in the dirt in the air, as he searched for some evidence of what had occurred. It took only a moment for him to see his cellmate sitting at his feet, leaning awkwardly on a fallen rock. The Langoran laughed shallowly at their predicament and shook his head.
“You never cease to amaze me,” the Langoran said.
“Why do you say that?” James groaned, shifting his weight to a more comfortable position. He wasn’t crushed by any rubble, but he sure was surrounded by it.
“You have no clue what you did, do you?”
“Can’t say that I do. I was about to ask you if you did all this.”
“It was all you, James. Scared Alexander and everything.”
“What did I do?”
“Alexander and the others are gone. That’s the important thing. As far as what happened, I couldn’t hear what Alexander called you, but I know he was afraid. You turned into some kind of a monster.”
“A monster?” James echoed skeptically.
“I’m serious. Alexander was so terrified that he knocked down a pillar on his way out. Started a chain reaction.”
“That makes no sense. What really happened?”
“If you make it back to Allay, ask your teachers. I’m sure they’ll know more about it than I do.”
James didn’t know what to think. It made no sense. What did this guy mean, he turned into a monster? Did he really get that angry? Did he black out in rage and actually manage to hurt Alexander? Even if he had, how did he escape the wrath of the Langorans? He obviously didn’t release his eidolon. His cellmate would’ve said so. Did he lose consciousness from the torture, and while he was out his Langoran cellmate went on a rampage? And if so, why hide it?
“So how do we get out of here?” James asked, changing the subject.
“I’m not sure where the entrance is located with all of this debris around me, but if we keep digging, I’m sure we’ll find it eventually. Like I said, I’m not as strong as those other brutes, but I have some energy within me.”
That only furthered James’ suspicions. Maybe he was some type of Langoran that could hide his true strength; maybe his power didn’t come forth easily like with the others. After all, he had to have been chained for a reason…
“Will you still go back to Languor? I mean, what will you say about all the prisoners down here when they don’t show up?”
“I’ll have to tell them the truth. After all, it’s not like we’re heading to the same place.”
“True.”
“C’mon, help me with these rocks.”
James reluctantly lifted a small rock and threw it to the side, wishing he had some clue as to how deep the debris went. As soon as he began to work, a low scraping sound was heard from beyond the wall. A fear welled up in his chest, fearing that the Langorans from the scouting trip had come back. James prepared to call out, when his cellmate covered his mouth, and grunted some words at whoever was on the other side of the rubble. James immediately understood. His friend and the other Langorans had been separated for a while. Maybe they were unaware of his mutiny. There was no call back though, so James removed the hand from his mouth and screamed out a help. His cellmate scowled at him, but he explained himself.
“If there are Allayans up there, it’s better they hear from me. If they think there’s only Langorans, they won’t even bother coming down.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“It’s me, James! I’m down here! It’s safe!”
After some mumbling from beyond the wall, the rocks began shuffling away. James motioned for his cellmate to stand behind him, just in case. He hurriedly agreed.
“If it is your friends, they will kill me, James.”
“No they won’t. I’ll explain everything, just don’t move.”
“I’m telling you, James. I will die this day, especially if it’s a Sage.”
“Highly doubtful. Just stand there. You will be fine. I promise.”
“I hope you’re right. I didn’t come all this way to be cut down like an animal.”
“You spared my life. It’s only fair that I return the favor.”
The Langoran nodded, breathing a little easier now with James’ promise. A cornerstone to the wall of rubble was rolled away and a large section of the debris fell away, kicking up a cloud of ancient dirt. As the dust cleared, James tried to see through his squinted eyes. There was a figure standing before them, and he could see a hand reaching for the sword at its hip. James coughed from the dust and the hand relaxed as its owner saw James standing there.
“Now,” Achan said. “You must tell me your secret. Surviving a group of Langorans and a cave-in is no small feat.”
“Achan, you’re alive!” James exclaimed with relief. “I can’t say I didn’t have some help,” he added quickly as his friend stepped from behind him, holding both hands up in surrender. Achan frowned, but remained still.
“What is a Langoran doing behind you, James?”
“Long story, but he’s a good guy. Trust me.”
“I think you need to convince me with more than that.”
“He saved my life.”
“To gain your trust.”
“He was an outcast of the group from the beginning. He’s not part of the brutes we faced. Look at him. He’s not a threat.”
“He could be a spy. Because of his stature, he could manipulate us into a more comfortable position, in order to betray us all.”
“I take full responsibility for him. He’s not even trying to go to Allay. He simply wants to go home where he belongs.”
“Which I’m still not all that comfortable with. Even though we’re not Sages, he’ll know how the test is operated, and tell his people. Valuable information will be given about the Kingdom.”
“Trust me. He and every other Langoran knows about this test. I don’t know for how long but they do. A Prattlian told them of it. Also, there are more Langorans out there, scouting the Kingdom as we speak. The Langoran behind me isn’t the threat. They are.”
Achan winced at the thought of letting a Langoran go.
“Only because there’s a bigger problem at hand, will I let you go…let’s go outside. We can discuss what will happen next.”
The Langoran watched with cautious eyes, unsure of whether or not Achan would keep his word and not kill him. He seemed like the type that would take a life without hesitation if he felt he had to.
“You’re fortunate we were in the area when the cave collapsed,” Achan said, looking behind his shoulder at the Langoran. James was a little miffed that Achan wasn’t even checking to make sure he was all right. The three of them walked up the stairs slowly, giving Achan plenty of time to consider his options.
“It was so loud, there was no way we couldn’t investigate,” a familiar voice muttered from the side.
“Elder!” James exclaimed. “It is good to see you!”
James drew back immediately at his friend’s appearance. He had seen better days. His glasses were gone, and his hair was matted with blood and grime. His clothes were tattered and torn. There were others from their team with him. James glanced around at what was left of them. Chrillian and Rahima stood quietly to the side, both of them a little dirty, but neither of them wounded. London was sulking in the corner, sitting on a boulder with his chin in his hands. James almost snickered at the thought of how much ruckus he must’ve made while investigating the cave-in.
“I see you’re admiring my new wardrobe,” Elder tried to joke. “It’s a little dark for my taste, but it gets a powerful message across.”
“What’s that? Wounded animal?”
Elder laughed despite himself.
“Are you faring well, James?” Elder asked seriously. “I see that your face has endured quite a bit of trauma.”
“It was…something. Something I don’t want to think about for a long time,” James admitted.
“At least it’s definitely something you can add to your infantry resume: ‘torture and suffering in the midst of the enemy.’”
“Sounds wordy.”
Achan maintained a watchful eye over the Langoran while listening to the conversation. Seeing that the Langoran was studying his team as well, he cleared his throat loudly, signaling the troop to pay attention.
“That’s enough reunion for now. We have to figure out what to do with the Langoran.”
“Achan,” James began. “Don’t let your prejudices get in the way. I can understand your apprehension. I was skeptical at first, too, but his actions spoke for themselves.”
“I think it’s funny how they put you through so much torture, yet he is unharmed. How was he able to save your life, and receive no repercussions?”
James looked toward his cellmate who pleaded with his eyes. There had to be an explanation. Surely it was because Alexander had only been interested in the chance to study an Allayan…yet when they were done with James, and threw him in the cell, couldn’t they have grabbed the Langoran and questioned him then?
“James, tell them,” the Langoran pleaded. “Tell them about how they ignored me. How they wanted you to show your eidolon.” It was like his cellmate had been reading his mind.
“What were they after, James?” Achan asked.
“They thought they could make me turn into a Sage through torture. The Prattlian I mentioned, the one named Alexander. He knew about Sages from his Kingdom’s history, but he wanted the chance to study one in person. To learn their weaknesses.”
“Is this Alexander still around?”
“I think so. I’m not sure if he made it out of the cave in time, but then again, if he hadn’t, we would’ve seen his body on the way out.”
“He sounds dangerous. Okay, he’s our target then, since he sounds like the brains of the operation. If we find him before he gets to the scouts, we can greatly weaken their plan.”
“What about the test? We probably failed by now.”
“All the more reason to do what we can while we’re out here. I’d rather do some good before I get my punishment.”
“You could’ve passed. You had the time to make it back.”
“I was unconscious for a long time. When that Langoran smacked me, the impact didn’t break any of my bones, but it was enough to take me out for an entire day. Elder spent a lot of time nursing the wounded the best he could. After we came to, and realized that the Langorans were gone, the test was practically over. Even if we had tried to run back at full speed, we wouldn’t have made the three day mark. London managed to hold onto the stone, thankfully, and we figured that we should try to find the Langorans and assess their plan before we headed back to Allay. That way we wouldn’t be completely useless. That’s when we heard the cave-in.”
“So what do we do now?”
“Do you remember anything that could tell us where the Langorans are?”
“Only that they are scouting the Kingdom.”
“At least they aren’t Quietus,” Achan sighed, turning his head toward the Langoran. James couldn’t help feeling somewhat strange at the mention of the word. “You wouldn’t happen to know specifically where they are, would you?” Achan asked James’ cellmate.
“I wish I had that knowledge. Then I could prove myself more trustworthy.”
“Then that’s a no.”
“So are you going to let him go now?” James inquired.
“Not sure, yet.”
“We can’t take him back to Allay. He’ll be killed for sure. Letting him go is the only option. We can watch him until he crosses the border.”
“Maybe,” Achan trailed off, and then he looked to London. “London, you need some courage in you, why don’t you do me a favor and search him?”
“Why?!” the Langoran gruffed toward Achan. Achan smiled and placed a calm but firm hand on the hilt of his blade.
“Why so defensive? It’s a simple search. If you were their prisoner like you claim, you would’ve already been searched once.”
“Don’t I have rights?”
“Not when I’m in charge.”
“Allayan filth, acting so righteous.”
That struck a nerve with Achan.
“Let me tell you about righteousness. We Allayans are so harsh in our dealings with other Kingdoms and their inhabitants because we’ve gotten the short end of the stick on numerous occasions. Sure, we were strong enough to bounce back, but it’s not like we’ve forgotten what happened. We’re more than willing to give second chances, even third and fourth chances, but we’re not foolish. So you shouldn’t get in my face about a simple shakedown. All you’re doing is making me suspicious.”
“Whatever happened to treating others like yourself? Isn’t that part of your code or something?” the Langoran spat back.
“You’re not like us. We’re just Allayan filth, remember? Now London, search him before I do it.”
London muttered some word under his breath and shuffled toward the Langoran who stared at him in contempt. London started patting his shoulders half-heartedly and Achan growled at him.
“Do it right!”
“Fine,” London retorted, and he went back to the shoulders and patted harder this time. The Langoran glanced over at James who stood idly by. It was apparent he wasn’t going to say a word until the search was over. That was all the answer he needed.
London began loosening the shirt of the Langoran, glancing under the collar. His eyes widened suddenly and he opened his mouth to speak when the Langoran’s right hand moved quickly, a blur speeding toward London’s sword which remained sheathed at his side.
Before the group could even blink, the sword was taken and plunged through London’s abdomen. The Langoran grit his teeth and pulled it out immediately, looking around to see who would make a move. Achan could only glance at London’s fallen body, which was quickly becoming covered by more and more of its own spilled blood. James could hear the anger growling in Achan’s throat. Achan had already been furious at having lost so many of his team, furious at himself for failing them, their lives haunting his decisions for the rest of his life. His sense of guilt had only been softened by the knowledge that at least he had some experience under his belt now. Experience that would ensure his ability to prevent other lives from being so easily sacrificed under his watch again.
Now he had made another error. He had expected the Langoran to grow with strength if he had truly wanted to attack, giving Achan time to order his team’s retreat or surround the Langoran in attack formation. He hadn’t expected a fast Langoran. He should’ve been more careful, should’ve had someone put a blade to the Langoran’s throat before London approached him. Now London was severely wounded or worse because of a simple shakedown. A gross oversight.
Achan had to rectify the problem immediately.
“Stand down!” Achan bellowed at the Langoran as he unsheathed his sword, having no intention of letting him go. The Langoran shook his head no and charged Achan at full speed. Achan swung toward his head but missed as the Langoran rolled behind him and stabbed him through the ribs from behind. Achan cried out, swinging behind him, only to barely miss again.
The Langoran came in close and stuck his blade through another of Achan’s ribs. Achan fell to his knees involuntarily from the pain, his sword nearly dropping from his hand. The Langoran just laughed as he grabbed Achan’s dominant hand and bent it back. Achan’s forearm cracked under the pressure
with a sickening pop. He screamed for all the world to hear, his precious sword falling to the ground, still unused. He nursed his arm with his other hand and fell sideways to the ground, curled up in agony, crippled with pain.
James stood motionless, knowing that his fate would be the same. Still, he couldn’t just stand there. He knew now the Langoran had been lying. That he was a spy. And James had vouched for him. It was his fault that someone had gotten hurt. James reached for his sword and then remembered it was still back in the cave. But even without a weapon, he had to help Achan. He couldn’t watch another person die…
He was just about to rush in when Chrillian knocked him to the side. He looked up, questioning the action. Chrillian didn’t look back, continuing to run towards the enemy as he gave his explanation.
“You’re in too deep! I can make the kill!”
James understood. Despite what the Langoran had showed himself to be, there were still too many emotions involved between James’ torture and the kindness his cellmate had shown. It was possible that when the moment of the kill arrived, James might still let his cellmate go. James let Chrillian take his place in saving Achan.
Rahima and Elder kept their distance with James, knowing they were not part of the team because of their excellent combat skills. Elder was undeniably a librarian, while Rahima was supposedly a tactician. And James could see her now, staring intensely at how the Langoran moved, assessing what he could do, and what her own limitations were. If he came after the two of them, she would have a plan of some kind…hopefully.
Chrillian and the Langoran were fighting each other off to the side now as Achan, who was still on the ground, tried crawling toward his sword. London lay motionless, still breathing, but barely. James made his way to him, hoping that he could help in some capacity. James had just shuffled over to London’s side when he heard Chrillian cry out in pain. He fought to keep his attention on London, who was struggling to keep his eyes open.
“London, is there anything I can do?”
“I just...”
“What is it London? No, actually, you really shouldn’t be speaking.”
“I just saw…his shirt…Allayan shirt.”
“He had an Allayan shirt on?”
London said nothing more. James got the message. The Langoran was planning on passing off as an Allayan.
“I’m so sorry, London. I didn’t know…”
James turned his head suddenly as another sharp cry rang through the air. He saw Chrillian fall to the side. The Langoran was just coming out of the stance that had killed his teammate. James’ eyes welled up with tears as he saw his cellmate turn toward Elder and Rahima. James reached out to grab the Langoran’s heel, anything to stop him, but he ignored James and kept walking toward the only two left that still had a weapon. Elder and Rahima pulled out their swords and stood side by side, ready for the attack.
Rahima was whispering battle tactics to Elder as he fought to hold onto his shaking blade. James screamed toward his cellmate, hoping to get through, but the Langoran ignored every word, focused only on his goal. James got to his feet as quick as he could and charged him, hoping that he could at least give Elder and Rahima some time to run, but all he got was a powerful backhand to the face. The force was so incredible that when James opened his eyes next, he was on his side, barely able to keep his swelling eyes open.
His cellmate continued his march toward his friends.
By this time Achan had had enough.
He thought he had grabbed his sword, but suddenly he realized that the object was further than he had anticipated, his own eyes playing tricks on him. As his vision blurred from the loss of blood, he pounded the ground once, then immediately wished he hadn’t as it only made him woozier. His mind was in a spiral and it took everything he had to stay awake. Crawling up against a tree, he was able to move himself into a seated position. His legs were like bricks as he barely sat up, able to see the Langoran move closer and closer to Rahima and Elder.
He quickly scanned the field, his despair growing when he saw Chrillian on the forest floor, dead. Achan’s vision blurred through tears of anger and frustration. He barely had the strength to even wipe them away. He put his head back against the trunk, staring upward as he couldn’t believe he had lost another friend. Why had he even been chosen to lead? Surely there were others better suited, and where were the proctors? Even if they had sworn not to intercede, shouldn’t they have made an exception just this once? Since it was such extreme circumstances? Since the very Kingdom of Allay was in danger of another attack?
The Kingdom couldn’t survive another one, even if it was by Languor. There was hardly anyone to defend the Kingdom. For only a moment, Achan could see what the recruits saw in the Sages, how they could deal so much damage to the enemy. Here were ten fine recruits, ready and able for battle, unable to take down a couple Langorans, let alone an army. Ten were now four, and all within a couple of days.
Achan glanced over at the sword that cruelly eluded him. He pumped himself up to reach out with his hand once more toward it, as if his very will might bring it to him. It didn’t, naturally, but he hoped for it nonetheless. The sword mocked him and he hated it not only for its silent taunts, but for its weakness as well. Why put so much faith into an object that could so easily be taken away? Why put so much faith into something that could do nothing without your own will imposed upon it? His dominant arm was broken now…even if he got to the sword, he wouldn’t be able to use it, not well - and even earlier, when he had been able to use his dominant hand, he had done nothing to the Langoran. Still, there had to be something he could do. Was he now useless because of the loss of an arm and a sword? Was that all he was worth? An arm and a sword?
Achan muttered a low prayer as he continued reaching for the sword, his head turned away. Please Maker, just give me the sword. Please, he uttered desperately. He didn’t expect the sword to magically appear in his hand, but his prayer still had meaning. He didn’t necessarily need the sword, but a miracle of some sort, a way out of the situation, an answer. Why wouldn’t the Maker answer? Were they just going to be slaughtered? Please Maker, give me the sword.
“Just grab it already,” a sweet, pleasant, female voice said from behind him. Achan’s eyes opened wide in surprise. A voice!
“Maker?”
“No, dummy,” it answered, losing its sweetness.
Achan sat against the tree, confused, searching for answers, when he eventually realized he knew the voice all too well.
“Master Chloe?”
“Of course. Did you think I would leave my favorite student?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Sometimes the Maker gives you what you need, not what you want. Are you willing to accept that?”
“Teacher, I don’t understand.”
“Achan, you are my favorite student, but you are stubborn. You can’t let your past get in the way of what you can become. You can go as high as you want in this world. The glass ceiling is the one you made. You limit yourself.”
“Teacher, have you come to help us?”
“Look down.”
Achan dropped his head, and gasped at what he saw. For a moment he thought he was dead, but no, it was not his soul sticking out of his body…but a sword - the end of the hilt sticking out through the center of his chest. The knob was glowing an eerie red, not vibrant, but enough to look like a sort of cloudy aura. He stared at the area around the knob which seemed to shimmer between transparent and solid, as if his chest were fading in and out of reality at that spot.
“Is that -”
“What else would it be?”
“Why me?”
“You asked for it.”
“Not this.”
“Like I told you once…our lives are not our own anymore. Let’s be honest. Our lives never were. We want to believe that if someone becomes a Sage, they’re a puppet, but we are too blind to see that we are never in real control o
f our lives. We are either bound to a job, or family, or school, or debt. We are forever linked to something that will take our very life and soul to work at. Why don’t you choose to bind yourself to this one for a change? A worthy cause?”
“I never wanted to become a -”
“Or your friends could die.”
Achan closed his eyes, trying desperately to come up with a way other than this one.
“It’s the only way. But you better hurry. I hear you only get one chance at unleashing your eidolon. Deny it, and it may never come again.”
Achan placed his hand on the knob.
“The others will thank you.”
Achan sighed, wishing she would stop talking.
“Whatever,” he stated as he gripped the hilt and pulled with all his might…
The Last of the Sages (Sage Saga, Book 1) Page 19
