“So you’re really not counting this?” Arimus asked curiously.
“Would you? His eidolon was nowhere to be found. How could I take the Sage classes when I haven’t even seen an eidolon?”
“Very noble of you. And you are right, of course. The purpose of this exam is to get past his eidolon. Which he has yet to engage you appropriately with.
“Sad thing is, I’m already so tired, and that was my only real attack.”
“You’ll be able to sleep soon enough. Dominic looks like he’s determined to make sure you become good friends with your pillow tonight.”
James gulped and watched as Dominic placed his fist onto his left shoulder.
“Okay, so that was my fault,” Dominic admitted. “I should’ve known someone from the village would try some underhanded tactics. I’ll admit you fooled me, but that’s about as close to a compliment as you’re going to get. Arimus! Please don’t tell me he passed.”
“Don’t worry,” Arimus chuckled. “He must cut you with your eidolon unsheathed.”
“Good. Then we only have one day left together.”
“I still have today,” James retorted. Dominic laughed like a mad man as he closed his eyes.
“Oh, today is already gone.”
James wanted to make it through the flash of light. He needed to. He had to see this eidolon edge for himself, so he swallowed his pride and looked away slightly, only managing to catch a glimpse of Dominic barely lifting his fist from his shoulder and unsheathing his soul’s edge.
The light that engulfed the room was brilliant—as if a million white magnolias had burst around them, each overlapping the other to create a soft and delicate array. James wanted to reach out and touch what he saw, this wallpaper of petals that dared to slow his adrenaline rush. The light lasted briefly, taken away in an instant.
And James turned to see Dominic bearing his eidolon edge.
It was similar to a machete, though not exactly, and the grip was made of a rubber that was easy on the hands. The cross-guard was a bright gold, appearing to be more for show than actual worth. The blade itself was the most impressive. Considerably longer than a machete’s two feet, this boasted at least five. The blade’s edge was outlined in blood red, its central ridge decorated with numerous gold symbols. It could’ve been mistaken for a normal, albeit colorful blade, if not for the aura emanating from it. The same eerie gold color that shaded the symbols glowed dangerously around the entire sword and slightly around Dominic’s hands and forearm. Dominic didn’t appear to change except for his demeanor. He was tranquil and at ease, as if meditating with open eyes. James moved forward cautiously, knowing that Dominic wouldn’t hand him the sword that was thrown to the side. Not yet.
Dominic remained undisturbed. His eyes fell softly to his feet as he sighed deeply. James waited for the eye of the storm to pass. The blade hummed a noticeable yet unheard tune that James struggled to hear. It was like hearing one’s own blood course through one’s veins in the dead of night. It didn’t get any louder.
“My only regret,” Dominic spoke calmly, totally out of character, “is that this is all I can manifest. A true Sage would be able to transform his entire being in that flash of light. It’s so soothing yet causes so much anxiety, all at once. I have only a short time to release my eidolon before that light fades. I never get a chance to transform anything else. Only my eidolon…but I guess for now, this is all I can do. For now.”
James began sweating as he heard Dominic speak. He was more afraid of this new Dominic than the old one. Was this confidence and this peace part of what it meant to be a Sage? It wasn’t what he said that scared James, but how he said it—as if James wasn’t even there, like Dominic was in his own world of tranquility. James could only imagine that the moment it was disturbed, the blade’s song would be heard, causing the world to go deaf.
James looked at Arimus for a response. He showed none, having no fear because he wasn’t the recipient of Dominic’s upcoming attack; but he was in awe over the vision that lay before him.
“It never gets old,” Arimus said. “Seeing an eidolon. It’s very aura makes me want to flee, as if I have more to fear than physical death from that blade.”
James didn’t respond. He knew exactly how Arimus felt. There was a terrible and beautiful sensation that inhabited the room, making him feel as if he had nothing to fear from this life any more. His very soul was about to be condemned.
“Are you sure he’s not a Sage?”
Arimus looked into James’ eyes and fought back a shudder.
“Yes. Believe it or not, he is not yet a Sage.”
“The Maker help us…” James prayed as Dominic inhaled a breath and stared directly into James.
“No—” James squeaked, to call off the session before Dominic could move, but the Sage-in-training refused to hear him.
James hardly saw anything. It was like questioning if you saw a ghost or not. One moment Dominic was there and in the next he wasn’t. All that lay before James’ eyes was a vague banner that hung on the back wall.
James felt the calf of his right leg raise to get ready to run.
And the eidolon cut him.
He held his breath in shock as his vision cleared and Dominic stood in front of him—face to face—staring down into his soul. The eidolon bore the weight of Dominic’s two hands as it rested—so to speak—on James’ left breast. The eidolon had barely scratched him, barely cutting through the first layer of skin, but still James couldn’t move. He waited for the pain.
“The moment you breathe, the pain will come,” Dominic said matter-of-factly. “With my eidolon unsheathed, it is easy to know the exact point where I should rest my blade on your body, and at what depth I should make my incision. The vein underneath will burst and cause you unbearable pain. I can hear your every heartbeat. I can see your every muscle twitch. I don’t have to be able to read your thoughts to know what you are about to do. This eidolon is able to perceive more than I could ever imagine. It is my very soul taking in inconceivable information through thousands of unknown senses…this eidolon, right here, knows how to take you out with the most minimal effort.”
James refused to breathe, barely able to hear Dominic’s words as the eidolon nuzzled him. He could feel his lungs coughing, reaching upward for precious oxygen.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, James,” Dominic whispered to his face. James’ lungs cried out in agony. He answered…and darkness clouded his vision.
Chapter 5 - The Siege
James woke up around nine the next morning with surprisingly little aching to burden him. Surprised, he jumped out of bed and began getting dressed as he wondered how he had gotten back to his room.If the eidolon is so powerful, why am I not feeling any pain right now?
James vaguely remembered the few seconds before he had passed out. Maybe it was the fear of the eidolon that had knocked him out. Whether the anguish Dominic had talked about was a lie or not, he had believed him whole-heartedly.
It didn’t matter in the end, however, whether it was a lie or not. He was sure that, even if he hadn’t passed out at that moment, he wouldn’t have been able to beat Dominic. The cool and confident Sage-in-training he had seen yesterday would have been even more impressive if James hadn’t been at the receiving end of his fury. And no matter the outcome, James had to admit that the experience only made him want to be a Sage that much more.
He had one day left to prove his worth and he had already spent the night sleeping. What could he come up with that would beat Dominic’s Sage form, and in the couple of short hours that he had left?James wobbled over to the door, realizing that his legs felt like lead, and he saw the small note on the door.
Heard you actually cut Dominic yesterday. Too bad it didn’t count. Love, Ch Kyran. P.S. No session for you today. Dominic and Arimus have business to attend to.
The “Ch” part of the note was scribbled out as best as it could be, but James still saw it underneath the pen marks. Who or what in the world was “C
h” and how Kyran had managed to leave notes right under James’ nose without him noticing boggled his mind. James stuck the note in his pocket, ready to ask Catherine why Kyran was so weird, when the “P.S.” came to mind. Dominic and Arimus had business to attend to? Not that it mattered—he now had the day off. Plenty of time to think of a strategy. Plus, he could train on his own and Catherine might have a couple of ideas on how to beat Dominic. After breakfast, finding her would become his priority.
He ran down the hall knowing that he’d surely make it in time for breakfast, but still fearing that Kyran would close up early for no reason. He couldn’t bear another day without eating. The test with Dominic usually extended past lunch and dinner so he was quite ravenous.
James barged through the cafeteria doors as if under an emergency, and bounded for the food. He barely took in his surroundings. It wasn’t a big room at all, maybe able to fit about a hundred people. Generic wooden tables and chairs were scattered throughout. The only redeeming quality about the room was the rack of trays that led the way to the food line. They looked no different than those of a regular school cafeteria, but to James, they looked like paradise. He bountifully loaded his tray with fruit before he grabbed a clay plate and two bowls, ready to fill it with tasty goodness. He half expected Kyran to be the one serving the food, hair net and all, but he was surprised to see a beautiful woman standing there instead.
She wasn’t wearing the traditional “lunch lady” garb but instead she had on a simple bright green shirt that extended down into a wavy green dress. Her wispy blond hair was lined with silver streaks that made her appear older than she actually was but not to the point that she lost her allure. Her big playful lightning blue eyes lit up when she saw James, though he had no clue why. For a second, he thought about how handsome he must be, for the ladies to take such a liking to him, but then he dismissed the idea. He wasn’t that special. There had to be a good explanation to why she seemed happy to see him.
She scooped up a colossal serving of plain-flavored oatmeal—despite her thin arms—and plopped it happily into James’ bowls and plate, dividing it equally. He leaned over the counter, searching the contents for his beloved cakes, but alas, found none.
“Where are the cakes? And the sausages?” he asked hopefully, leaning over again and trying to look into the kitchen to see signs of their making.
“Gone, but not forgotten,” the server sighed as she patted her stomach. “Kyran truly outdoes himself.”
“Kyran’s the cook?”
“Oh yes, he loves cooking —oops,” she yelped, clutching her mouth. “Please don’t spread that around. He doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“Why? What’s the big deal?” James laughed as he thought of the serious Kyran slurping a ladle full of soup. The image started to get weird at the end though as he thought of Kyran smiling in glee and he shuddered, dismissing the vision.
“It’s bad for his image,” the lunch lady replied. “Anyways, I’ve said too much. Hopefully you’ll have some cakes tomorrow.”
“Who made this goop?”
“I did,” she claimed proudly, pulling back a pretend lapel. “I’m not exactly a chef, but I can make a crazy bowl of oatmeal.”
“No kidding,” James replied, staring at the boring ensemble sloshing around in his bowls.
“Enjoy,” she said, waving him along despite there being only a couple of people behind him. James grunted as he complied, finding a table in the corner to sit at. He considered sitting with some new faces but he needed the solitude to strategize. The day would be over before he knew it and Dominic’s eidolon was no laughing matter. He had only begun to fathom how to combat Dominic’s speed when he heard the chair in front of him whine in agony. He looked up from an empty bowl—which James didn’t even remember consuming its contents—to see Catherine, her lips pursed as if she wanted to talk. Once again, however, she was refusing to talk first. James grinned awkwardly and spun his spoon around in the second bowl of oatmeal, trying to win the silent battle between them. Catherine hummed in response, but James pretended to ignore her. Finally, she reached over and stuck a finger in his bowl, scraped out a chunk of oatmeal, drew it back and semi-enjoyed its mushy consistency. James snapped his head back in shock.
“Oh, groos! That’s disgu—”
“Groos? Is that a new word?”
“You don’t stick your fingers in other people’s food!”
“Well I wasn’t about to secede to you. I had to think of something.”
“Yeah, but that’s—that’s unsanitary!” James exclaimed, pushing the bowl away. Thank the Maker he had grabbed two.
“Like you were going to eat it.”
“I might have!”
“Yeah, right. Besides, I thought we were close.”
“Not that close! Who knows where your fingers have been?”
“Thankfully not where yours have been,” she pointed at the grime lining James’ hands and fingernails. “Speaking of sanitary, shouldn’t you have washed those before you ate?”
“I do what I want,” James stated childishly, running out of comebacks.
“I guess dirt is a delicacy where you’re from and—”
James threw a spoonful of oatmeal at Catherine who dodged it easily but still stood up in shock.
“You can’t throw food at me!”
“Why not? I only threw the part you stuck your finger in.”
“I’m a girl!”
“Touching my food isn’t exactly ladylike!”
“It’s not like I’m in the running to beyourlady so why are you so worried about it?”
“Maybe you were but now I’m thinking of looking elsewhere,” James replied slyly.
“Yeah right, who would you talk to if I left you alone?”
“Now that’s hitting below the belt,” James sulked and Catherine’s eyes widened.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Ha!” James yelled suddenly. “I just won this argument! You gave in!”
“After some deception on your part!” Catherine laughed as she threw a wooden fork at James. James winced as it hit the back of his hand. Catherine put her chin in her hands and leaned on the table as if she was suddenly bored while James eyed her in alarm. Who threw forks?
“So how did it go yesterday?” she asked.
“Excellent, actually…well, more or less. A lot happened.”
“Do tell.”
“That idea of yours worked. I gave it my all after catching him by surprise and I managed to do some damage. When he pulled out his eidolon though, it was all over.”
“Got knocked out again by the light huh?”
“Noooo,” James replied. “I got hit with the eidolon itself.”
“Did it hurt?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t actually feel anything. I remember I couldn’t move, and Dominic was saying that as soon as I’d take a breath, I’d feel this excruciating pain. Then I just blacked out.”
“He was bluffing,” Catherine said with certainty. “There’s no ‘pain comes later’ stuff. He was scaring you.”
“Oh,” James replied, realizing that it was the fear that had knocked him unconscious more than anything. James frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing. Go on.”
“If he cut you even a little with the eidolon, you would have felt it, I’m sure.”
“He was saying some stuff about being able to pinpoint the exact location in my vein that would render me useless for all time or something,” James exaggerated.
“That’s true. He could if he wanted to, from what I’ve heard. The fact that you got to see it though, that’s impressive enough. He showed a bunch of the students once. I’ll never forget what it looked like.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure you never had to be on the receiving end of one.”
“True. True.”
“I have a question for you,” James said suddenly.
“Hopefully it’s not
why do I go around sticking fingers in people’s food.”
“No, I—” James looked around the cafeteria. Everyone was involved in their own food or conversation. No one was paying them any mind except for the strange server at the counter. She stared over at them with questioning eyes but immediately turned them away as her eyes met James’. He didn’t think anything of it.
“How do you know so much about Kyran and Arimus? Are you friends with them or do you have some kind of history together?”
Catherine mulled over her answer.
“I guess one could say that we do.”
“How so?”
“Not romantically or anything. They’re definitely older than I am.”
“I wasn’t thinking that at all,” James replied, disgusted at the image of Kyran being in love, filled with mushy thoughts and musing over flowery poetry.
“It’s complicated. I can’t really disclose everything right now, but, they do confide in me a lot.”
“Even Kyran?”
“Sometimes. I mainly hear about him through Scarlet. You know she’s my cousin?”
“Wow,” James said, suddenly seeing the resemblance in their fiery determination to fight for what they want.
“We talk a lot. Pretty much about everything. She’s like a sister to me, and Kyran and Arimus are like my brothers.”
“How did you all get to that? I mean, you’re only a student here.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Arimus is protective of everyone, but so many people are afraid of him because he’s the authority figure that no one bothers talking to him like a human being. With Kyran, like I said, you have to earn his trust before he’ll give you more than a grunt, and Scarlet is one of the sweetest people I know as long as you don’t make her mad or call her cute or short or pint-size or tiny or kid or—”
“I got it,” James laughed, thinking of how even Arimus couldn’t weather Scarlet’s wrath. “I get the picture…so what do I have to do to get into this secret club?”
“Just pass all the tests and you’ll do fine.”
“That’s it, huh?”
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 10
