“But remember that every gift comes with a price. Though you are now free to stay here for as long as you live, we are slowly going to be transforming this village into an army. The classes will be more rigorous. The survival training more strenuous, and within the next couple of days, we’re going to start handing out assignments for upcoming scouting missions. I won’t lie to you. There will be a lot of people on those lists, and the primary objective is to get any information we can on this Choate. I don’t know how far we will have to travel, or how many we may lose. But in the end, if we are able to procure this artifact, we will be safe, and secure – forever.”
The crowd began clapping reluctantly. The villagers were both excited and apprehensive over Elder Thine’s words. Aidan’s mind couldn’t help but wander to the words Leah had uttered that morning. She had never called him baby or referred to him in that manner, so there was no doubt that she had not been speaking about him. She had been in a deep sleep, dreaming about the child they had lost.
Leah was so strong. How she was able to maintain a smile after such trauma was awe-inspiring, but still, it put a knot in Aidan’s chest to think of her suffering. She wouldn’t admit it to him, not without a great deal of coaxing, and even then, it would only be a superficial confession. Not even a dent in the great burden that weighted upon her.
Aidan looked around him and saw that Isaac too was deep in thought.
Lowsunn.
A village of unprepared children, led by the infallible Elders. It was not his place to say whether or not the Elders were corrupt. He didn’t have the evidence. Bailey seemed to think they were, but it was possible that she hadn’t come across any proof yet simply because there was nothing there. Either way, he certainly didn’t trust their grand mission of retrieving the Choate for the people. There had to be more to it than that.
The way they lived so luxuriously. The way they stuck their noses up at the commoners. Their private dinners and rich speech – they didn’t see themselves as villagers. So the question begged to be answered: if they found the Choate, could they resist the temptation to use it for themselves? They could wish for anything,anything,without the Judge’s approval, and while permanent shields for their people was admirable, Aidan doubted it would happen in the end. And if the Elders were going to go back on their promise, and the villagers weren’t willing to fight for their rights…then he sure was going to fight for his.
After all, he was curious to see what his child would have looked like.
“Classes will be in session today,” Elder Thine shouted, breaking thoughts across the grass. From her red face and stern eyes, it was apparent that she had said it a few times before the words had sunk in. “We can’t waste any time. We must begin preparations immediately. Please attend your sessions at the schoolhouse and in the Field of Visions as normal. At this time, the Elders will retire to their quarters in order to prepare the lists for the scouting missions. Given that we have already been up for over 24 hours, we will have to refrain from answering questions for today. Thank you.”
The Elders exited to the left and proceeded in a line off of the stage and towards their mansions, leaving the villagers to talk amongst themselves. Isaac sighed and patted his friend on the shoulder again.
“And I was hoping for classes to be cancelled.”
“Hey, kid,” Zorin interrupted, pointing at Aidan. “How long were you on the outside?”
“Nearly six years,” Aidan said, taken aback. Though there was no reason to fear Zorin, the big man’s impressive stature had always instilled a dose of healthy respect from others.
“There a lot of people like that Combustion fella out there?”
“Worse,” Aidan admitted. He noticed several people were openly eavesdropping on their conversation. “Especially since people start throwing out Yen like bombs once they feel they can no longer win a battle. Duncan felt in control most of the time last night so it didn’t get as bad as it could have. Not to mention that he had no Yen to spare.”
“You’re the one that killed him, right?” Zorin shoved a thick index finger into Isaac’s chest. The swordsman groaned and whimpered, his lips as flat as pancakes. “Well? Are ya?”
“I am,” Isaac whispered, closing his eyes. “But it was only because he was distracted.”
“I’m going to the Elders tonight and request I get signed up with you two.”
“What makes you think we’re going on missions?” Aidan asked. “Especially me.”
“Are you kidding?” Zorin guffawed. “You two and that Leah girl were the only ones to engage that fella. Wasn’t for you, we might all be kissing worms right now. You have to go! ‘Sides, there’s no strikes now.”
“True,” Aidan said, wondering what mission he would be sent on. Espionage? In order to work on his affinity for violence? Perhaps they would just throw him into battle because it’s what he was best at? Diplomacy? Cave exploration? Dungeon hunting? Excavation?
“Besides, somebody’s gotta watch your back,” Zorin laughed, patting Aidan hard on the spine.
“We don’t follow,” Isaac said.
“You kiddin me?” Zorin said, pointing to Aidan. “I saw what you did after Duncan had fallen. You think the Elders are just going to let a powerful spell caster like you go wild? No, you’re going to get a special assignment. One you might not come back from. Think on it.” He winked and began walking off towards his destroyed shop as Isaac and Aidan stared at one another. The eavesdroppers slinked away. As the crowd dispersed, a girl with pink pigtails emerged with fists on her hips.
“You lucky bastards,” Morrigan said, punching Isaac in the cheek. He fell in a crumple, clutching his face with both hands. She turned and cocked back a fist to hit Aidan, but he pointed a finger towards her right shoulder. A tiny flame rested on it, just swatting away at the ends of one of her pigtails like a kitten and a toy.
“Hit me and you lose all your hair,” Aidan said with a pleasant smile. She sneered and holstered her fists into her pant pockets.
“How come you get pants with nice pockets?” Isaac winced, a hand still on his cheek. “Is it because you’re the Elders’ watchdog?”
“Watch your mouth,” Morrigan snapped. “I’m not finished with you by a long shot.”
“What did I do?” he whined.
“Are you serious? Do you not remember last night?!”
“What happened last night?” Aidan asked with a raised eyebrow. “Oh I get it. You were in the middle of a date when Duncan appeared.”
“Are you really cracking a joke right now?” Morrigan scoffed. “People died!”
“And crying about it isn’t going to change anything. Geez. Lighten up.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if Leah had died.”
“HEY!” Isaac said, shooting to his feet between them. “I think this is the longest conversation the three of us have ever had together! How about we celebrate over a potion of strawberry nectar? I hear it’s only around for the rest of the month. Zorin set up a table! You think his shop getting destroyed is going to stop him?”
Morrigan punched him in the face again, sending him right back to the spot he had come from.
“I’m on to both of you,” she said to Aidan while pointing at Isaac. “Between this one’s horrible attempt at getting the Elder’s files, and your defiance of the rules, it’s only a matter of time before one of you makes a mistake that neither of you can wiggle your way out of.”
“This one has a name,” Isaac retorted. “And who’s wiggling?” Morrigan raised the back of her hand at him and he waved his hands in surrender.
“The reversal of the expulsion rules wasn’t our doing,” Aidan replied, opening and closing his fist. “Neither was giving everyone permanent residence. That was the Elders. We weren’t involved.”
“There’s more going on than what you’re telling me,” Morrigan snapped. “Even before today, you were bailed out –” Isaac snickered in the background. “– and you escaped the Discipline board.
You either have pull with the Elders and they haven’t told me about it, or you’re working something behind their backs and I have a mind to tell them!”
“What do you care? You’re not one of them.”
“I could be.”
“What? If you suck up to them long enough? Right. No villager of Lowsunn has ever become an Elder.”
“That’s because Lowsunn hasn’t been established long enough to need new management. In time, I will take my place by their side.”
“Not if they get the Choate,” Isaac said. “They’ll probably wish for immortality or something like that.”
“You can use a Yen for that now,” Morrigan retorted.
“Invincibility then,” Isaac said, climbing back to his feet. “Or maybe they’ll take the Judge’s place. Who knows? Either way, I’m sure their intentions aren’t pure.”
“I’ve never seen them do anything wrong.”
“You can’t be serious,” Aidan scoffed.
“Don’t get mad at me. I’m telling the truth.”
“You’re telling me you actually believe everything they’re saying?”
“Don’t you believe your boss, or whoever it is that’s pulling your strings?” Morrigan shook her head in amusement. “We’re just two sides of the same coin. Whether it’s one side or the other, we’re still serving masters that want the same thing.”
“Maybe neither side knows what they really want,” Aidan said to Isaac’s surprise. “Maybe it’s us three right here that could really make a difference.”
“What makes you say that?”
“You beat up Isaac.”
“Hey!” the swordsman retorted, but Morrigan was intrigued.
“You mean just now?”
“No, I mean last night,” he laughed. “Before he arrived to fight Duncan, his face was already bruised. Based on the dim aura radiating off his wounds like glitter, I figured it was you.”
“You know my power?” she asked, her face softening. A rare sight.
“I figured you out over a year ago. You’re a Summoner, aren’t you?” Isaac stared at Morrigan in awe as he went over their fight in his mind.
“That can’t be,” Isaac retorted. “I didn’t see anything besides her.”
“It’s a giant bird made of blue-colored energy,” Aidan said. Morrigan’s face confirmed it. “It lives within her, and she can use its power and channel it as if it were her own, or she can have it fight separately from her. I figure we haven’t seen it because it’s as big as a house, and letting it walk around the village is bound to bring unwanted attention, which of course, she absolutely hates.”
“How do you know all this?” Morrigan whispered, her eyes wet. “Who told you?”
“I frequent the Field of Visions often. Especially in the dead of night. Sometimes people don’t see me arrive.”
“We won’t tell anyone,” Isaac said in concern. Morrigan blinked suddenly as if she had just woken up from a dream.
“I don’t care,” she whispered, putting a hand absent-mindedly to her chest. “Just watch yourselves. And think about following the rules for once.” She sprinted past them and disappeared into a thicket.
“Why didn’t you tell me that sooner?” Isaac asked. Aidan turned to his friend.
“Because she values her privacy, and I respect that. These days, when someone can just rip open your whole life like a book, a secret or two is as valuable as lost treasure. Plus, she’ll leave us be in the meantime.”
“If only she understood that all we want is what’s best for Lowsunn, she might join us.”
“Isaac, can I ask you a question? A serious one.”
“Sure.”
“Do you think Bailey’s doing the right thing? Trying to uncover the Elder’s secrets? What if they’re private about everything so they don’t worry the people? Or make them panic unnecessarily? I’ll admit that it’s right for everyone to know what’s going on, but that doesn’t mean the present is always the right time to dish out the truth. Out there…I wish I could have taken back some of the things I’ve seen.”
“I think she knows what she’s doing.”
“Can I tell you a story?”
“If you’re in the mood,” he laughed. Aidan sat down in the grass and Isaac followed suit. There was no one in ear shot to overhear them as the villagers were going back to their usual business as best they could.
“There is a land, not too many miles from here, called Old Black. A reference to the era long gone I figure. It’s a small town, much like Lowsunn, but far less impressive. It’s barely held together but there’s a community there. Being in the middle of a massive valley, it’s mainly a town to pass through in your travels. The people welcome everyone that comes there with open arms and lavish gifts. I think most of the resources that could be spent on fixing their shacks and dusty huts are used for the tourists. The reason is because it’s a town of naturals. Not one resident to my knowledge has a Yen, and knowing that they could be wiped out in a moment’s notice, they decided to practically worship anyone who visits. I guess it works. A few times while I lived there in hiding, the town would be attacked by a psycho who had heard of them, but there was always a stranger with Yen to save the day and protect them all. I never had to get my hands dirty. Despite the humble shelters and plain food, it was a pretty peaceful life.”
“Then why didn’t you stay?”
“Because eventually I did put my hands in the dirt,” Aidan said, giving his friend a look that Isaac had never seen before. It was a glossed-over stare that had seen horrors.
“Many children passed through the town in the six months I was there. Most of them without a guardian. Just confused and wandering around Obsidian, looking for purpose and safety. It was very rare to find a lost child who hadn’t used up all of their Yen already, having defended themselves from others for so long. Anyways, there was a man who took them in named Ionin. Didn’t matter if they had abilities or not, he was like a father to each of them, and being that I had lost family myself, I was drawn to him as well. I decided to become a partner to him, and he was the only one I told my secret to – that I had the Fire Arts at my disposal.”
“Was he killed?”
“No. Worse. All the children were. One by one they began disappearing and Ionin was sure they were running away, but I saw the way they looked up to him. The way they were so eager to hold his hand in public or jump on his back playfully whenever he was engrossed in a book. They loved that man. And so I started keeping a watchful eye, waiting to see what was happening.” Aidan paused over what he was about to say next.
“What was it?”
“Ionin was eating them,” he said, bowing his head. “Being a natural, he thirsted for the power of the seals, of the Yen, but he didn’t come to the acceptance many of his kind did. He believed that he could somehow take the power from another, and so, he would devour the children one by one, like something out of a dark fairy tale, hoping to absorb either their abilities or their Yen. He told me all this when I caught him in the act…”
“That’s horrible,” Isaac said, a hand to his mouth. “What happened to him?”
“I killed him,” Aidan said, brushing his hand across the grass. “And the children came with me to travel across Obsidian. After seeing what he did…I didn’t want to stay in that town a moment longer. But the reason I tell you this story is because I was fooled. As great of a person as he appeared to be and as much as I loved who I thought he was – he was just as evil, if not more so, than anyone else I had met in my travels. I understand his need for power, but surely there had to be another way…”
“And so you think Bailey might be like Ionin?”
“My instincts say no, but then again, who am I to trust them? All I know is that when one pursues power, there is usually more to their cause than honor and nobility. Power and doing the right thing don’t seem to be able to exist together.”
“I would have to agree with you on that,” Isaac muttered. “If you like, I’l
l take a closer look at Bailey.”
“And get caught like you did with Morrigan? No. Don’t bother.”
“So what do we do? Just wait until things are too late?”
“I don’t know…perhaps we should just be careful.”
“I don’t get you sometimes,” Isaac laughed. “One moment you’re telling me this story to make my trust in Bailey waver, and the next, you’re saying we should just follow her commands.”
“Perhaps I’ve just realized that I’m tired of people getting hurt.”
“Is that what happened to the children?”
Aidan stood up suddenly and looked down at his friend, who was still waiting for the answer.
“What else happens to everyone around me?”
Chapter 11 – Substitute
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Samantha replied as they walked into the schoolhouse together. Aidan chuckled and walked her to her seat.
“Stranger things have happened.”
“Now that the expulsion rule has been lifted, you’re ready to become tame?”
“Perhaps I believe in what the Elders are doing for once.”
“If that’s true, then the apocalypse is upon us,” she laughed. “Advent II.” She put down her backpack and was about to start rummaging through it for a utensil when a strange sight in the front of the room caught her attention. She nodded towards the man by the teacher’s desk. “Do you recognize him?” Aidan glanced up.
“We will begin class shortly,” the sweaty man with the large paunch said aloud. His voice was airy and full of authority. Aidan didn’t like him already.
“Where is Bailey?” Aidan asked. The large man with the tussled hair smiled with his eyes.
“She’s not here.”
“Yes, I see that. Still doesn’t answer the question.”
“Aidan, sit down,” Samantha urged him. “If she’s out, there’s a good reason. Be patient and wait for the explanation.”
“Fine,” Aidan huffed, walking over to his seat and slamming his posterior into it. The desk slid over a few inches, scraping the floor loudly, and then settled. The large man was not amused and blinked at the class rapidly as the last of Bailey’s regulars took their spots.
The Works of Julius St. Clair - 2017 Edition (Includes 3 full novels and more) Page 41
