The band glanced at one another with sly looks in their eyes, gave an exchange of nods, and then bust out into a hard, blaring number. A great deal of wide eyes and lowered jaws were shot the band’s way, but then they were all replaced with excited, mischievous smiles. Where once the population had been doing their best to save face in front of the Elders, they now threw all propriety to the wind, along with their wine glasses which went flying back into the trays of the waiters. They all grabbed their partners and began gathering in the middle of the foyer, the dance having transformed from a ball into an all-out concert. The lights went off and now the only visibility came from the colors that were exploding from the instruments of the band. The crowd surrounded the wooden stage on which they played and simply danced. No rehearsed movement. No regard for the Elders. They just danced their troubles away, and within a minute, only Aidan and Leah remained behind, still in awe over the sudden transformation the village had taken on. They glanced at one another and Aidan gave her a smirk.
“Well, this is more my tempo,” he said. Leah smirked, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him into the swarm.
From the Elders’ stage, Frederick Ainsley watched the couple with interest, examining every movement, and evaluating every catch of their breath.
Chapter 6 – Knock Knock
Isaac staggered out of the grand hall as if he had consumed too much wine and was in desperate need of some rest. A couple of his classmates ran over to assist, but he waved them away, saying he just needed to go home. When they offered to escort him, he took out his dagger and started swinging like a madman. That was enough for them to back off.
Not long after he had cleared the steps, he heard the music pick up inside, and all of the villagers who had been outside rushed back in, eager to lose themselves in the band’s hypnotic trance. He quickly came alert and darted off into the bushes at the side. Once he was sure no one was coming to investigate his strange leap, he turned around and set off towards the Elders’ homes. They were located in the far north, and he wanted to make sure he had plenty of time to complete his mission and get back before the dance was over. Even after passing the girls’ cabins and the houses where the adults resided, Isaac still had to run five miles through the woods to reach them. Of course, those five miles included a thick wall of thorns, bristles, and hugging vines that he had to get through. He did his best not to leave a trail, though he was forced to cut through some of the organic barrier. One, if not all of the Elders, probably had the ability to part the wall with a simple utterance.
Once he hit the mansions, Isaac knew he had arrived. Bailey had told him that the Elders alternated who had the lists, so Isaac would have to do a trial and error and possibly search each of the homes to find them. However, one home in particular was the most likely place to search: the home of Serah Thine. The oldest of the Elders, she was an outspoken person with an abrasive personality that demanded, not suggested, that her opinions be taken with the utmost compliance. Anything short would mean defiance, variance, and an all-out declaration of personal war against her and all that she stood for. She was undeniably the leader, though in the public spotlight, she put on a good show, claiming that the board of Elders were equals. No matter what she truly believed, however, it was certain that she would be the first Elder to have the lists. No doubt her home would be arguably the most secure place in all of Lowsunn.
“To Serah we go,” Isaac whispered to himself as he evaluated his objective. The Elders’ mansions were all close to one another like a compound or a community of identical-looking houses, and they were all sitting in a massive crevice in the earth. He stood on the edge of the cliff above, sticking his head out just beyond the forest line to get a better view. He could enter the compound from a number of ways. It was surrounded by the forest, and all he had to do was navigate around the edge of the compound until he came upon the house he wanted. But once he stepped out into the open, there was no place to hide. No woods. A painfully bright full moon, lighting up their homes like a beacon. The reflective roofs on the houses only further illuminated the area. He would have to be quick as there were surely guards hidden around the compound.
Isaac sighed, removed his dagger from its sheath, and made it expand until it was the size of his arm. He glanced around for the largest tree in the vicinity and noticed a great red oak a few yards to his right. He squinted his eyes to see as far up it as he could and then aimed his blade toward the tree. Cocking his arm back, he threw the sword as hard and as high up as he could. Though it didn’t reach the top, it struck the tree about half-way up; it would do.
Being bound to the blade, Isaac closed his eyes, and suddenly he was able to see through its surface, facing the compound at a height he wouldn’t have been able to reach without a time-wasting climb. He studied what the blade saw, but even at the higher altitude, there was no new information he had not already received from his naked eyes. Sighing heavily, he willed the blade to return back to its dagger form. As it shrunk, it fell out of the tree and landed at its base. Isaac retrieved it and tried to gather the courage to leap into the fray. This wasn’t training anymore. This wasn’t simulation or a session in the Field of Visions. If he was caught, depending on where and how, he could be executed as a traitor. And Bailey would have to decide whether to save him or not. He was sure her decision wouldn’t be easy.
I really wish Aidan was here to help, Isaac sighed as he took a deep breath and then leapt forward into the air, willing his dagger’s surface and hilt to extend out as far as possible. Within milliseconds it had turned into a long vaulting pole of sorts, and its tip slammed into the roof of one of the mansions. He held on to the hilt, which was now four feet long, and his momentum propelled him and his makeshift pole forward until he was vertical, dangling directly above where his blade was protruding into the roof. Immediately, he willed the blade to slowly return to normal. Still hanging on to the hilt, Isaac was lowered safely onto the roof. When the pole returned back to dagger form, the hole in the roof began to make a crackling noise, the damage Isaac had caused beginning to repair itself. He sheathed his dagger and watched in awe as he crouched down on the roof.
“Interesting,” he whispered as he looked around him. If all their houses repaired themselves, then it would be an easier job than he had previously thought. He could make holes in the roofs, peer inside them until he found Elder Thine’s, and then be on his way.
“Isaac?” Morrigan inquired from behind. Isaac felt his flesh crawl as he swung around to face her. He was still in a crouching position, but she was standing tall and relaxed.
“What are you doing here?” they asked each other in unison. Morrigan’s eyes were fixed upon the hole Isaac had made in the roof, just seconds away from being completely repaired.
“You’re not here to break into an Elder’s house, are you?” she asked calmly. Her soft demeanor was scaring him far more than being caught had.
“Why would I do that?” Isaac asked nervously. He remained crouched. “Is that what you’re here for?”
“No, I’m here to make sure some imbecile doesn’t come to steal or alter the mission selection list.” She held up her index finger and pointed to her forehead. “Which I am.”
“No way,” Isaac groaned loudly, standing to his feet. “You’re the list? What does that even mean?”
“It means it’s all in my head,” she said. “It doesn’t go on paper until the day the assignments are actually handed out.” Isaac closed his eyes and thought about his options. He couldn’t just kidnap her. Would Bailey even approve of such an option?
“I take it you’re here to steal the list,” Morrigan sneered, her bright green lipstick standing out. “You’re that imbecile I was just talking about, aren’t you? What I don’t get is why.”
“I was just going to see if there was anything worth taking inside their homes.”
“Stop lying,” she spat. “It makes you look weak and I don’t want to feel bad when I have to wipe your remains off the roof.”
“You’re not going to hurt me.”
“Why not? I’m not just the list. I’m also the guard. What do you think is supposed to happen here? I let you go because of a delusion in your mind that we have some kind of camaraderie? You know nothing about me. We are not friends. We are not acquaintances.”
“But we’re also not enemies,” Isaac replied. “That much is for sure.”
“Off what basis?”
“I normally don’t want to kiss my enemies.”
Morrigan closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose like she had a migraine. “Please tell me you did not just say that right now.”
“What? I’m just telling you the truth.”
“I hate you so so much.”
“Are you sure that’s hate? Are you sure that’s not desire? They’re both such raw emotions. I can understand you mixing up the two.”
“I’m going to kill you now,” Morrigan sighed, placing the palms of her hands together. Isaac shot down his attempt at another joke and let his training with Bailey take over. His eyes darted past her pink tank top and rested briefly on her bare right arm. There were two seals on her skin. One light, the other dark. She used one, Isaac thought as he frantically searched his mind for the next step, the one that came after assessing how many wishes his opponent had used.
Be patient, but not docile, Bailey had said. He was to learn the particulars of Morrigan’s abilities in order to counter them, but he wasn’t to just stand there and let himself get killed while doing so. Be proactive, but not aggressive. Remember your endgame. Do you want to kill your opponent or simply maim them? If it’s killing, then it has to be quick, before they have a chance to counter you with their other wish. You must take them by surprise too, before they get a shot to talk with the Judge. After all, you can’t tell if they’re talking to him internally.
If it’s maiming, then be careful of how much pain you inflict. It is a fine balance. Make the opponent feel as if they are receiving damage that is equal to what they are already unleashing. Simply what they deserve. Keep them emotional. Keep them in the heat of the moment. Not thinking. Never thinking. Thinking means strategy. Hope. Wishes. Yen being used. Your death.
If you are not there to either kill or maim, it is best to run. Escape.
But what if you have to retrieve a list that’s in the head of the person? Isaac’s mind screamed as a thin blue aura washed over Morrigan’s body like a second skin. It hummed and pulsed as her eyes lost their pupils, turning completely white.
Do I have to fight her to get the list? Isaac wondered in horror. But how would that work? He unsheathed his dagger and in an instant, transformed it into a colossal long sword, bigger in width than length. If Morrigan was impressed, she did not show it.
She will chase me until the end, he thought bitterly, trying to calm his nerves. Deep down he hoped that her threat was a bluff, that it was all talk, but she had never shown him anything less than a serious demeanor. There was no evidence to suggest that what she said, she didn’t mean.
As if echoing his thoughts, her body pulsed once more, brighter than ever, and then a beam of blue energy, as crisp and clear in density as water, shot out towards him. It was as long and wide as her entire body, and it hit the surface of his sword with the force of a brick wall. He was immediately thrown off his feet and flung off the rooftop. The entire time he clutched his sword close to his chest.
In the middle of his fall, he willed his sword to extend into the pole once more, burrowing into the dirt below and saving him from impact. He wobbled back and forth as the sword/pole steadied. Forcing it to extend even further, it propelled him back upward, but then he stopped it just short of the rooftop’s edge to think.
She might think I’m dead, he thought, holding onto the hilt like he was balancing on top of a stilt. The best time to understand what hit me is now.
Isaac bowed his head and once again recalled the training of Bailey. She had hit him with some kind of energy. It definitely wasn’t water. Water had a weightlessness to it even at its most dense. The beam had been solid, more like rock. And it had come from Morrigan’s body. This was obviously different from the Water Arts he had studied.
His thoughts carried his eyes towards his right arm, and he snapped his head away as soon as he noticed what was happening. No, he thought harshly. I can’t use any of my wishes. I may have two left, but I’m hardly in a trouble of that magnitude. Bailey wouldn’t use them.
He thought of how the aura pulsed around Morrigan’s body. She had charged up that blast, he decided, re-establishing his balance on the pole-like sword.
It would hurt like crazy to be hit by it, he thought. But if she has to charge it, I can get around it…but won’t I have to cripple her in order to get her to cooperate? How am I going to force her to give up the information? I certainly can’t kill her…
Instinctively he thought of the third option: flight. He could escape now while she was still wondering where –
“You survived?!” Morrigan shrieked from above. Isaac didn’t waste time looking up to confirm her presence. He started to tell his blade to shrink when he felt a large blue hand made of energy wrap around his torso. It lifted him upwards and above the roof as he stared down at Morrigan in shock. Her right hand was the source of the energy holding him captive. With his hands still around his sword/pole, he began to retract it quickly before she decided to break it. Or him.
“How did you survive that blast?” she asked, but Isaac wasn’t ready to talk. He wiggled in her grip but she just scowled and made it tighter. “Fine. If you’re not going to answer my questions, I’ll force them out of you.”
***
The band had kept up the beat for nearly twenty minutes, but every ability borne from Yen had its limits, and after pushing for as long as they could, the band resorted back to a slow vibe. The crowd was a little disappointed, but ultimately grateful. Now an ensemble of exhausted men and women, covered in sweat, their clothes drooping, they resorted back to finding waiters and begging for refreshments. Leah nearly tripped over her own feet, she was laughing so hard. Aidan had warned her that he didn’t know how to dance, and he hadn’t disappointed. The moment she had turned her attention from the crowd back to Aidan, she had nearly collapsed with laughter. He was doing some kind of strange jig that involved his hips and upper torso remaining stationery while his legs swung out back and forth like they were trying to kick the shins of a little person. But even then, it wasn’t until she saw his face that she really lost it. His face! That sight alone made her feel like she was going to rupture internally. It was so deathly serious and stone solid that she couldn’t help herself. He was just too funny, and it was obvious he was trying so hard for her benefit. Even after he stopped and crossed his arms, glaring at her with a stern scowl, she hadn’t stopped laughing. Her stomach felt like she had just done a hundred abdominal exercises.
“Are you going to stop anytime soon?” he muttered, her voice still cackling over the slow rhythm of the violins and cellos.
“You might have to use a wish to force me,” she cracked up, covering her red face, wiping away the steady stream of tears.
“It’s called a Yen,” he said with a growl. She stopped for a second to glare at him, but upon seeing his serious face all over again, she was once again burdened with a fit of the giggles. Aidan sighed and motioned for a waiter to come to their side.
“I hope you’re having fun,” Bailey said in his ear. Aidan spun his head and raised an eyebrow in confusion. His mentor was dressed from head to toe in a waiter’s garb, complete with bowtie, dress shirt and all. Her hair was neatly wrapped into a tiny, tiny ponytail, and her lips were so wide that for the first time he could see her ivory-colored teeth.
“Why in the world are you dressed like that?” Aidan scoffed. “And please stop that smiling!” Bailey put the tray of miniature tacos in his face.
“I’m working. Unlike you.”
“But why?” he asked as Leah was just beginning to recove
r. She leaned on his shoulder with both hands, her forehead burrowed into them.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Leah groaned as Aidan kept his attention on Bailey.
“What?” Bailey asked. “I volunteered to be here. It’s less conspicuous. What? You think I would let class out early so all of you could have fun tonight? No. I had a job.”
“And so does Isaac from what I hear.”
“He’s taking a long time,” she said as a passing villager grabbed a taco from her outstretched tray. “I hope he’s okay.”
“This is what he’s trained for,” Aidan said, wrapping an arm around Leah. Bailey glanced down at the woman on his shoulder.
“So this is Leah?”
“That it is.”
“She’s very lovely. You know I was here to witness the exchange between Frederick and yourself.”
“Isn’t that all the more reason we shouldn’t be talking?”
“I only came over to see if you had heard from Isaac.”
“I haven’t.”
“Then farewell until tomorrow.” Bailey darted off to the left and was out of sight before Aidan could ask another question. She blended into the crowd so quickly, it was if she had gotten absorbed.
“Work?” Leah asked, lifting her gorgeous eyes to his. He leaned down to give her a quick peck on the lips.
“Unfortunately,” he said, staring at her cool blue hair. The color suddenly and unfortunately reminded him of Isaac - how he had not yet come back from his mission. How hard was it to find some files and cross out a few names?
“Do you have to go? I understand if you do. I’ve already had a wonderful evening.”
“I think I do,” he said with regret, hugging her tight. “Do you need someone to take you back home?”
“No, I’ll be fine. You go on ahead. I think I’ll go join a few people from my other classes. I’m sure they’ll want all the dirty little details about our relationship.”
“Tell them about how your snoring keeps me up at night,” Aidan said as he glanced over at the Elders’ stage. All but Leah’s father were enjoying the ambiance created by the band. Frederick Ainsley was not being coy. He was staring directly at them. “Your dad needs to get a life,” Aidan muttered, when he suddenly heard a crash come from his right. His eyes were immediately fixated on the situation. A young boy had run into one of the waitresses, resulting in a dropped tray and several shattered wine glasses. The black-haired boy was about to pick up the pieces when Aidan ran over to intervene.
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 35
