Starbreak (Rise to Omniscience Book 2)

by Aaron Oster

  STARBREAK

  Rise To Omniscience

  Book Two

  Aaron Oster

  For my baby brother. You are an inspiration.

  Woof.

  Prologue

  A man sat on a rooftop overlooking the plaza where Morgan had just put on an impressive display of power. Despite the mid-afternoon sun shining high above, he was entirely cloaked in shadow. He had been there for the last half hour and had witnessed the entire fight from beginning to end. Even now, his keen eyes tracked the quickly fading specs that were Morgan and Sarah.

  He was about to sit up from his position propped against the chimney, when some commotion from the plaza below caught his attention. He felt a small smile curl the corner of one lip, as the prone body of one of the boys was carried off. Morgan had been careless. That would undoubtedly come back to bite him in the ass.

  A sudden whoosh of air made him turn his head. A woman now stood on the flat roof next to him, her entire form hidden by a heavy, hooded cloak.

  “You look ridiculous in that thing,” the man said, gesturing at the garment. “It must be nearly eighty degrees out.”

  “You’re just saying that because you have no sense of style!” The woman had a light, feminine voice that always got on the man’s nerves.

  The woman flipped her hood back, revealing long, silky black hair, striking green eyes and an unfamiliar face. She stuck her tongue out at him, giggling again, and leaned back in midair where she remained propped up, as though by an invisible wall.

  “Why the new face?” he asked, quirking a brow.

  “It’s best that the people around here don’t see me,” she replied with a shrug, bringing both arms up and tucking them behind her head.

  The movement shifted aside her cloak, revealing a full figured body, with curves in all the right places.

  The man just grunted in reply and turned his attention back to Morgan and Sarah, who were no longer visible.

  He knew better than to stare. She might be attractive to his eyes, but who knew what her real form looked like. Not that he thought anyone had ever seen her true form…

  “Aww, they look so cute together!”

  The man gritted his teeth as the woman spoke once again. Clearly, her eyes were better than his, not that it was a surprise.

  “You do realize that they’re not a couple,” he replied, inwardly berating himself the moment he opened his mouth.

  “And who’s fault is that?” the woman said in a sing-song voice, giving him a sidelong look.

  “Like I’ve already told you, several hundred times…” the man said between gritted teeth. “You can’t ask for the perfect warrior, and have me leave a glaring weakness- like an interest in women. You do realize that he wouldn’t be nearly this effective if he was just a regular, hormonal, teenage boy; don’t you?”

  The woman pouted at him, shoving off from her invisible wall and turning to face him. She placed her hands on her hips, widening her eyes, and leaning forward to give him a generous view down her top.

  The man didn’t so much as twitch at the display.

  He knew she only did this just to mess with him; and if he showed her how much her displays were affecting him, it would only get worse.

  “Can’t you fix that part? I know it’s a weakness, but I love a good romance, and the two of them would just work so well together!”

  The man just shook his head with a snort of derision.

  “Not unless you’d like me to fry his brain. Do you have any idea how many years of work went into getting him to this point?! How many months I worked on meticulously changing every aspect, every hormone, and every instinct, to craft the perfect warrior and all while suppressing his abilities? I’ve already taken the risk of wiping his mind once; if I go in there again, he’ll turn into a raging lunatic.”

  What the man didn’t mention, however, was that he wasn’t even sure if he could anymore.

  The woman puffed out her cheeks and turned to look at the area where the two of them had already disappeared from his view.

  “I know,” she said, still pouting. “But why does he seem so clueless? That poor girl is practically throwing herself at him and he doesn’t even seem to understand why.”

  The man shrugged.

  “The mind is a strange thing. How am I supposed to know what kind of damage has been done, due to all the modifications?”

  In fact, he was shocked that Morgan was even functioning as a normal human at all. With all the changes he’d done, he should have been as emotionless as a pile of rocks. He was sure that the woman standing next to him had something to do with that. Perhaps she’d been the one to instigate the meeting between him and the girl. What he couldn’t figure out, though, was how she’d managed to turn him into a mostly functional person.

  “So, what you’re saying is that you have no idea,” the woman said, smirking at him in a self-satisfied manner.

  The man scoffed at her, not willing to rise to the bait again.

  “If it’s so important to you, why don’t you fix him?”

  She turned to look at him, cocking her head to the side.

  “You know that I can’t interfere. That would be against the rules.”

  “But it’s fine to tell me to do it?”

  “Exactly!”

  The man growled.

  “You still haven’t told me why you need him, specifically. Why put all this time and effort into him, when you can just grab a far more powerful supermage? We know of one in the East Kingdom, in fact. I believe that he actually came into contact with her at a certain point, though he doesn’t seem to remember it.”

  She leaned forward, giving him an indulgent smile and patting him lightly on the head.

  “You just leave that up to me. Mortal minds cannot comprehend the thoughts of a god, now, can they?”

  She straightened then, pulling her hood up and turning away from him.

  “I can feel Sammy snooping, so I have to go. Keep a close eye on him for me, there are way too many interested parties involved for my liking. You’d better not fail me.”

  Her voice took on a bit of an edge at the end, causing the man to shiver involuntary; and he was very rudely reminded of the powerful, immoral being standing before him.

  “Of course,” he said, then the goddess abruptly vanished.

  The man blew out a long, shaky breath. He then stood and hopped off of the roof, eyes alighting on another group approaching the open square as he fell. After landing in a crouch, he took off at a sprint, following the path that Morgan had taken only minutes ago.

  His mind wandered back to the years that he’d spent with Morgan; teaching him, protecting him, and finally, leaving him. He hated to admit it, but he had a bit of a soft spot for the boy after all these years. He just hoped that whatever fate the fickle goddess had in mind for him wouldn’t be too horrible.

  ***

  Grub ran through the darkening forest on the outskirts of the Central Kingdom. It was silent, except for his ragged breathing and the rapid pounding of his heart; as well as the sound of crunching leaves underfoot.

  He stopped for a moment, pressing his back to a tree and taking in massive gulps of air, as he tried to calm his racing heart.

  This was bad! He knew what he’d overheard back at the academy was enough to get him killed. In fact, the Princess had outright ordered the man named Arnold to do so as soon as they left the city. He’d been smart though, pretending not to have heard anything and even going so far as to offer the man a handshake before he left.

  As soon as the man was gone he’d made run for it, not even taking the time to gather any of his possessions.

  Grub
straightened, closing his eyes and listening as hard as he could for any sound of pursuit. It was made difficult, as all he could hear was the pounding in his ears, and his still ragged breathing.

  He was pretty sure he’d gotten away clean, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. After all, he had some extremely sensitive information about Katherine’s plans to overthrow her father, as well as Morgan being a supermage.

  No wonder that little shit was so strong, he thought, taking deep, steadying breaths. It could hardly have been called a fight at all if he’d had to go up against someone like that alone.

  Grub smiled to himself as he pushed off the tree and took off running once more.

  He might be a fugitive for now, but as soon as he made it home, he would be a hero. His family would reward him handsomely for this information. Hell, they might even promote him early, now that Keldor and Frush were both dead.

  His good mood soured instantly at the thought of his two dead cousins.

  That bastard Morgan and his bitch girlfriend would pay for what they’d done to his family. No one messed with the Merchants Guild and got away with it!

  Grub’s fists clenched at his sides as his sour mood turned to outright anger, then on to rage.

  “I’ll kill you all for this! Mark my words!” he yelled into the surrounding forest.

  The moment he opened his mouth, he knew he’d made a mistake.

  “I think I head something over there!” A voice cried out from some distance off.

  Shit! They were following him and he’d just given his position away.

  Grub pumped his legs even faster as the sound of pursuit suddenly reached him.

  They must have been after him the entire time, but since he’d kept quiet, they hadn’t been sure of where he was. He was such an idiot!

  Grub heaved for air as the tree line thinned up ahead, then he was running across open ground and heading straight for the border wall.

  All he had to do was reach it. Then he’d be in the South, and safe from any of the North soldiers. At least, that’s what he hoped.

  The North had just declared war and attacked the Central Kingdom. Maybe the South was next?

  Grub took a quick look over his shoulder but didn’t see anything.

  That didn’t mean they weren’t following, though. All that meant was that he just couldn’t see them yet.

  His vision was beginning to swim as he approached the border guards and he could see them straightening up from their relaxed positions.

  This border outpost was quite remote, so they likely hadn’t heard about the war just yet.

  As he drew near, he heard the distinct sound of thudding hooves and snapping branches. Taking a quick peek over his shoulder, he saw five riders clad in red and white break through the tree line.

  “Shit!” Of course, they would have to have horses.

  Grub leaned forward, putting every ounce of strength he had into making it to the border guards, who by now were calling for help as they spotted the riders as well. Grub finally made it to the wall, coming to a stumbling halt before the guards, who both raised weapons at him.

  “Who are you?! State your name, and business. Otherwise, we’ll run you through!”

  Grub was too out of breath to speak, so instead, he held up his right hand; revealing a shining gold ring with the mark of the Merchants Guild stamped on it.

  The guard recognized the crest instantly and to his credit, didn’t ask any further questions. He moved to the side and motioned him to pass, stepping into the path of the oncoming horses and preparing an attack. As he stumbled up to the large border gates, a group of guards streamed out of a side door and ran to help the others fight off the riders.

  Grub reached the border gates and slumped to the ground in exhaustion. He concentrated on filling his lungs with air as he fought against the clutches of unconsciousness, watching through blurry vision as the gate guards fought against the men who were following him.

  He knew he really should get into better shape. At his rank, a run like that shouldn’t have cost him nearly this much effort.

  The guards made quick work of the soldiers, butchering them down to a man.

  They must not have been very strong if they’d been cut down that easily, Grub thought, not sure if he should be insulted that they’d sent a group of weaklings after him.

  The guards began cleaning their weapons and looting the corpses, as the Captain turned his attention to the still prone Grub.

  He groaned, forcing himself back up to his feet, despite the overwhelming urge to just lie there and let himself pass out.

  He had an image to maintain, after all.

  The captain gave his men a few terse orders, then stepped forward to speak with him.

  “Can you tell me why a group of soldiers from the North Kingdom were chasing someone from the Merchants Guild; and in the Central Kingdom of all places?” he asked, grounding his staff before him, and grinding the butt into the ground.

  “Haven’t you heard about the war?” Grub asked, doing his best to retain a sense of dignity, despite his sweat-streaked, and dirt-smeared face.

  This statement made the captain take a step back and an audible ripple ran through the other border guards, who by now, had finished what they’d been doing, and had come to join their captain.

  “What war?” the Captain asked, now looking quite worried.

  Grub quickly recounted the attack on the academy, making sure to emphasize the slaughter of innocent people and the imminent fall of the kingdom.

  “I thought I’d gotten away clean, but they apparently decided to send someone after me,” he finished.

  The border guards looked about ready run off and join the fight, but their captain held up a hand to forestall them.

  “If what you’re saying is true, then the North may be sending soldiers this way to launch an attack on the South as well.” He rubbed at his chin for a moment as if contemplating something, then nodded to himself.

  “We can’t leave this checkpoint. If more soldiers come this way, then we will be the only ones standing in their way. As a member of the Merchant’s Guild; can we count on you to deliver a message of our plight to the nearest outpost? We would gladly supply you with a horse and rations to hasten your journey.”

  Grub didn’t even need to think twice. The journey back home would have taken him several months had he been forced to go by foot. It would still take nearly a month by horseback, but it was far preferable to walking.

  “I will gladly carry your message,” Grub said, giving the man a formal bow.

  The captain smiled then and bowed back. His bow was a bit deeper than Grub’s, showing him the respect he was due, as a high ranking member of the Merchants Guild.

  In just a few minute’s time, Grub was riding through the open gates and into the South Kingdom. A small smirk played around the corner of his lips, as the wall behind him receded.

  He’d made it out alive. Now all he had to do was make it home and once he did, Morgan would pay.

  ***

  Lord Simon paced restlessly in his office, as he waited for his guest to arrive. It was nearing midnight and he was expecting them at any moment. His fists clenched and unclenched as he thought of the people responsible for making him take such drastic actions.

  That damn Morgan had to steal his daughter away, and the one person he thought he could count on to retrieve her, had failed him.

  He stopped his pacing and took a few deep, calming breaths.

  He needed to compose himself. Showing any fear in front of these people would be dangerous, to say the least. He would need to project an aura of confidence and self-assurance for this to go smoothly.

  A knock came at his door and he nearly lost his composure right then and there. Grumbling to himself, he quickly sat down behind his desk, making sure to clear it of anything he didn’t want to be seen. He ran his hand through his hair, smoothing it back into place before calling out.

  “Enter.”


  The door opened a moment later and a man dressed in black from head to toe walked in.

  At least he thought it was a man. It was hard to tell, as the only visible part of him were his eyes.

  The man stopped before the desk and placed his hands behind his back.

  “What’s the job?”

  His voice was quiet and smooth, with an accent that Simon couldn’t quite place.

  Southern maybe? This could, of course, be a ploy to make him think that the man was from the South when in reality he was from somewhere else entirely.

  Simon cleared his throat, then began speaking.

  “I need two jobs done. One will be a retrieval and, the other, an assassination.”

  “Retrievals are extra. Killing someone is easy, but capturing them alive is a lot more difficult. Especially if they are of high rank.”

  Simon inclined his head, and reaching into his desk drawer, removed a heavy leather pouch, which clinked audibly as he placed it on the table.

  The man swept up the heavy purse and peeked inside. The glint of platinum showed for a moment before the bag disappeared into the man’s clothes.

  The mask covering the man’s face shifted slightly and his eyes crinkled a bit at the corners. Simon took this to mean that the man was happy with the payment, so he laid out the mission.

  “My daughter Sarah was last spotted fleeing the academy. My sources believe she was heading to the East Kingdom. Traveling with her is a boy named Morgan. I want them both captured alive and brought back to me.”

  “And the assassination?” the man asked.

  “A man named Arnold. He was supposed to complete this mission over two months ago but has failed me miserably. You’ll have to be careful, as he currently holds favor with King Edmund.”

  “It shall be done as you say. You should expect to hear back from us within the week.” The man abruptly turned then and slunk out of his office.

  Simon waited a few minutes, until he was sure the man was gone, then let out a deep breath and slumped in his seat.

  He’d faced many dangerous men in his lifetime, but that man was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying he’d come up against. The man himself likely wasn’t all that powerful, but rather it was who he represented. The Assassins Guild didn’t bow to anyone, be they commoner or noble.