The Sage's Reign

by Shakyra Dunn

  And then Solus’s face broke through the crowd, his delicate smile effervescent. His hair was resting on his shoulders, his glasses hanging from under his shirt. They always went to the market together to get a glimpse of life outside of the cramped castle, when no one was there to cut their adventure short. The days where he could no longer step outside would be approaching faster each year. There would be no more fun and games, and Linmus would be nothing more than an empty prison full of order and balance, all while doing his bidding. Of course, he would have Solus there to guide him, always, but their days were numbered.

  Even now, they were numbered.

  The flames were still rising, the smog of the castle’s burning walls constricting his lungs. Bodies were littering the floor, and everywhere that he turned, blood was splattered on the carpet. How could they have ever guessed that those days of peace would slip away in one night?

  “Rem.”

  A pair of faces emerged from the dark corners of his mind. Two middle-aged adults, both dressed prim and proper. The woman was clothed in a long white dress, her blonde hair tied into a bun at the top of her head spare a few loose strands hanging past her ears. Her brown eyes glimmered with hope despite the crumbling world, as though nothing else mattered. With a hand wrapped around her waist, the man at her side smiled at him. His dark hair was cut low, no longer framing his chiseled jaw like it had in Rem’s youth, emerald eyes breaking the mold between their common looks.

  Rem glanced down at his hands, holding them up to his face. The energy from his magic was still spiraling, and he had no way of knowing when it would take him. His parents must have feared what he would become, no longer aiding him after several meltdowns, his own declaration of loneliness, and their response was bringing Solus into his life by sheer coincidence. One friend gave him some light in this world. But it wasn’t the same. It never would be.

  “Why did you leave me alone?” he shouted at them. “I needed you! I needed you two, and you chose yourselves! You chose the kingdom! You didn’t bother with me!” They didn’t move, and their smiles never dimmed. His anger was spilling over, and his shoulders were trembling. His nails were clawing into his palms, and he was heaving slow breaths. “How can you just stand there and smile!?” He didn’t even know why he was yelling anymore. He couldn’t stand seeing their faces. He didn’t understand why they were here, what purpose they gave him now. “You always did keep your secrets. Why? Why did you abandon me? Is it because of what I am?! Is it because you’re scared of me?!”

  “We were never afraid of you,” Rira stated. “We wanted you to have your best chance, and we weren’t sure how to give it to you then. We wanted to prepare you for what was to come. We always knew that the day would come where you would need to approach a new threat.”

  “We always had people lurking down our backs, trying to cut us down because that is the path that we set for ourselves. We always knew that our relationship was bathed in turmoil,” Somano continued. “But walking that path together gave us you, our incredible son.”

  Rem shook out his hands, staring up at them. Where were these words before now? He opened his mouth several times, but he couldn’t figure out what he could say. He stomped his foot on the ground out of frustration, the echo of his shoe connecting the only sound filling the open area. The flames around them dispersed, and Rem allowed himself to breathe.

  “The love that you shared was forbidden, and you stayed together. I don’t know if that’s brave or foolish.”

  “We knew that it was forbidden,” Somano stated, wrapping an arm around Rira’s shoulders, allowing the woman to rest her head on his shoulder. “We were young, careless, and we didn’t allow responsibilities to overtake us. We never wanted you to suffer or for anyone to figure out the truth about your birth. There were many that heard rumors of a way to shape this world anew, and the stronger the potential, the more likely it could be carried out.”

  The Orb of Concord. Rem had never heard of it before meeting Leilana and uncovering the information from her grimoire, but others had, and if word got out about his origins, there would have been consequences.

  “But that Warlord…” Rira folded her hands, her eyes saddening. “He knew that you were carrying the right standards. He came looking for you under the guise of protecting us from others that learned the truth, and the moment that his chance came, war and ruin rained down on Linmus. We wanted to prepare you, but we were too naïve. We would never have imagined that so much could happen because of one mistake.”

  “How can I fix this now?” Rem asked. “There has to be something that I can do now, before the Order of Helix starts attacking more innocent people, or worse—I end up losing myself and do harm to others. There are so many lives in my hands, and I can’t keep slipping up like this. Where can I find the Orb of Concord? I know that you have ideas on its location.” Somano and Rira glanced at one another.

  “You already know,” Somano stated.

  Rem was baffled, sputtering in response before finally, “What? No, I don’t! D-Don’t play these mind games with me, old man! Tell me the truth!”

  “You already know,” Somano pressed. “You were near its location some time ago, and you didn’t even realize it because you had yet to tap into your full potential.” More mind games. These people just couldn’t be straight with him. He was going to have to sit back and think about it thoroughly once this meditation session was over. He shut his eyes.

  Smoke. White smoke, ashes raining from the castle grounds. He was stuck watching Linmus burn from the mining town of Nilu just beyond the mountaintops, where Olen resided. He had been on these grounds—it was the only haven that he could turn to.

  Power sleeps within the hidden passage, where ash rains from the heavens and bathes the fallen in cloaked shadow. It is there that reason and resonance reside as one.

  He’d heard Leilana utter the phrase several times over, racking her brain to uncover the meaning behind it. It was a location, one that she didn’t know. But now for him, it was clear. Ash that fell from the sky, the smoke from Linmus rising into the air, coating the clouds in grey. The land was already covered in soot due to mining work, citizens returning with tracks, but now the crisis of the land was holding more of an influence.

  Olen called the sensation foreboding, trekking through muddy waters and allowing the shadows of night to wash over the world. Rem didn’t understand what he meant at the time, but he was certain that the Orb of Concord was reacting to the chaos. The Order of Helix was rising with the death of his parents, the fall of Linmus… and his ascension.

  The Orb of Concord was crying out for a chance to right the wrongs. And it remained waiting somewhere in Nilu for him.

  Amiria’s singing drew him from the negativity surging through him, and the winds continued to caress him gently as if persuading him of mental solitude. His mind and body snapped back into place, and Rem gasped. Amiria pursed her lips together, silencing her song, opening his eyes to face him. “Did everything go all right?”

  “I-I spoke with my parents, and I found out-” He jumped to a stand. “I have to go back. I need to find the others, I have to talk to them.”

  “Whoa, wait!” She went chasing after him. He was already down the first few steps and was about to continue descending away from the spring. “Prince Remiel! Where are you going?”

  “To Ocula! I’ve got to find the others and tell them what happened! I’m back on track and doing better than ever!” He looked up at her, about to ask why she wasn’t responding, but he closed his mouth shut. Her eyes were narrowed in contempt, but the hint of sadness was unmistakable. He managed a smile, trekking back up the stairs, taking both of her hands in his own. “I would never have come this far without you. Thank you.”

  She couldn’t stop staring at him, her face reddening more and more each passing second until she whimpered, turning away to cover her burning cheeks with both hands. He stepped in front of her, and she turned away a second time. He laughed at ho
w modest she was being, this side of her hardly getting through to him. She always pretended to be strong, to cast away the girl that feared failure. She looked up to Leilana, and yet, she wanted to become her own person.

  “Amiria,” he began, grabbing her hand, forcing her to face him. “When I do end this war and become king, I want you to come visit me. You’ll be doing a lot of traveling, but I hope that you’ll settle down. We can do whatever you want in Linmus—I’ll take care of you.”

  In his own way, he uttered a vow. Wait, a vow. “D-Did you just imply something?”

  He smirked. “I don’t know, did I?” She lowered her head, and he pat her chin with the palm of his hand. “You don’t have to say anything. It was silly, but I do mean it. I want you to drop by now and again. It would be good to see you when we aren’t fighting on different sides.”

  As the words escaped his lips, Amiria rested her hands on his cheeks, standing on her tiptoes, pulling him closer to her before kissing him. A warmth filled Rem’s heart, and he was unsure of how to react at first. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her waist, slightly lifting her off the ground due to her rather diminutive stature working against her. They were almost fighting for dominance, but soon Rem backed out, his lips parting as he stared at her.

  The spring was still running. The leaves in the trees were still rustling, captured by the wind. The world was still turning, but neither of them would have been the wiser if it stopped.

  Rem covered his mouth with both hands to conceal his blush, his fingers gingerly caressing his lips. Never did he expect his first kiss to be so boldly stolen. Amiria swallowed, stepping away. In an instant, her confidence was reduced to guilt. He needed a way to follow up the moment to keep her content, his eyes darting in every direction. Finally, they rested on the flowers growing near the spring. Lavender-colored bellflowers bathed that rivaled her plush locks. He plucked one of the plants from the grass, tapping her on the shoulder before holding it out to her. He couldn’t look her directly in the eyes and his hands were unsteady, afraid to kiss her a second time if he did wind up facing her again. Enough time had already been wasted in solitude, and Solus was waiting for him. Amiria wrapped her hands around his, a smile spreading across her face. Once she had claimed it, he took off.

  Amiria tucked hair out of her face, braiding some loose strands. Once the braid was secure enough, she placed the flower in her hair. This memento would be their keepsake.

  Tension was becoming a normality among their numbers, but it was becoming more evident due to Sien’s aggressive nature swelling like a balloon any time that Rem was thought of. It was hard to get a word out, making the trek to Ocula difficult. She was far ahead of Solus and Leilana, carrying the map because she didn’t want to depend on words of guidance from Solus, the usual map-keeper. Leilana was certain that they’d passed the same section of trees twice now.

  “Sien, can we please talk?” she pleaded, reaching out to tug on the girl’s sleeve. “I’m starting to feel uncomfortable about-”

  “Oh, now I get it! We’re supposed to go to the left and then swing to the right, not the other way around!” Sien piped up. Leilana lowered her hand. She’d completely brushed her words under the rug. She really was angry at her.

  “You should have realized that after the first time,” Solus mumbled, past the point of no return in resolving the conflict.

  Sien waved her hand in dismissal. “Oh, please, mistakes can be made.” Well, that was progress. At least she didn’t outright ignore him this time.

  “And yet, you’re not having any of mine,” he retorted. She decided it better not to humor his budding anger, making a sharp left turn into the open fields. Leilana sighed, her eyes on the ground, and Solus rested a hand atop her head. “Don’t worry. I’m still sure that things are going to work out.”

  “I don’t understand why she’s acting this way.”

  “It’s because she carries a little trait in her heart that enables her to have strong feelings for our noble Prince. It is a feeling called ‘love.’ Bother him enough in front of her, that trait triggers into something called ‘rage.’”

  “Love,” she repeated, resting a hand on her chin. “That’s one of the totems I’m supposed to gather. I’m surprised that I got laughter from her instead. Maybe her love for Rem isn’t that strong.” Solus nearly laughed. She could be so naïve sometimes.

  “You know, if you want to make up with Sien right away and keep off her bad side, Rem told me that the best way is to make her laugh until she just can’t be angry. That’s what he discovered during our training.” He poked her nose with his index finger. “Just as you can draw someone closer through food or pleasurable conversation, that is the best way to her heart.”

  “I don’t know how to make her laugh,” she protested, holding up her hand to swat him away. “I’m not good at making jokes or pulling pranks like Rem.”

  Solus grinned softly. “But you can act on impulse. I’m sure you can think up something.”

  “Hurry it along, lovebirds!” Sien exclaimed, causing Leilana to jump and Solus to roll his eyes. “I want to reach Ocula by noon, and I’m hungry!”

  “At least she retained some humor in midst of her anger,” Solus mumbled. His ears perked at the sound of a branch snapping. It wasn’t loud, nor did it seem out of place for their location, but that swift noise threw his senses into a frenzy. He rested a hand on her shoulder after pretending to fiddle around with his pockets.

  “Something wrong?” she asked.

  “I think that I dropped something. Go on ahead after Sien, I’ll catch up. I can follow the trees if you leave a marking on the trail.”

  Leilana was hesitant to hear him out, but the look of concern on his face was more than enough to heed the subtle warning trapped under the guise of his actions. She laid a hand on his arm for a moment, silently assuring him that she would be there if he needed her, and then she went on her way. The hairs on Solus’s arms were still rising when he clenched his fist, examining the trees in the corner of his eye, pulling the ribbon from his free-flowing hair. He grasped the thick material in his right hand, the ribbon wrapped around his left wrist.

  “I told you if you showed up again, I wouldn’t be lenient.” Kinaju stepped from the trees, his formidable-sized broadsword held up in defense, seemingly unopen to attack him outright. Solus eyed his movements closely before he sighed, releasing the grip on his ribbon when he came to terms with the lack of a threat. “This isn’t like you. What are you thinking about?”

  “I wanted to talk normally. Fighting isn’t a good approach. I figured, you know, maybe this time I could get you to understand something if I didn’t go at it all gung-ho.”

  “That’s understandable. What do you have to say?”

  “What do you remember from five years ago?” Solus raised an eyebrow at the question. Five years ago. He was twelve back then. That was a rather particular time to dive back in to.

  “I don’t remember much from the time,” he admitted. As he spoke, Kinaju rested a hand under his chin, keeping his mind open about the ordeal, his eyes tracing over Solus’s body language for any opportunity to expose potential lies. “I was in Linmus, and I ran into Prince Remiel. He found me crying in the streets, and one day with him allowed me to become close to him.” He wasn’t lying. There was nothing that he could point out that seemed too outlandish.

  “What if I told you that I can help you remember something about yourself?”

  “There’s nothing that I want to remember,” Solus countered. “My life now is worth keeping. Anything that I could use from back then is unnecessary.”

  “Even if it means that you will go on to remember nothing about your mother, your father, or anyone else from back then?” Solus’s face went completely white, his stomach performing daring acrobatics. “I can give you what you want, Solus, something more that the prince and your traveling party can’t. You just need to trust me.”

  Rather than respond, Solus decided to
turn the other cheek and return to his companions. “I meant what I said. There’s nothing that I need to know.”

  “The offer stands until your last breath!” Kinaju called. “Realize that!”

  Solus lowered his head after Kinaju was out of his sight, wrapping the ribbon around his hair again to keep the loose strands from tickling the back of his neck. He knew something, and though it burned him to question what was so special about lost memories, it held no weight over his present and future. He couldn’t go biting for answers knowing that he still had a duty to the kingdom that gave him a home and a purpose. Rem gave him the ability to live, and by his side he would stand until the last gulp of air was extinguished from his body.

  No memories could change that.

  “You’ve been really quiet,” Leilana told Solus. They were walking side by side down the open trail with Sien a little further up, the broad forests with trees that stretched up to the heavens shifting between fields of flowers and dirt mounds that lined the path ahead. They would reach Ocula any minute now. “Did you not find what you were searching for?”

  Solus opened his mouth to speak, but instead smiled, his eyes riddled with sorrow. There was so much he wanted to tell her, words etched together from the bottom of his heart about how he felt, but they wouldn’t leave the crevices of his mind no matter how hard he tugged at them.

  “No,” he settled. “I wasn’t sure where to look, so I decided to leave it behind. Maybe someday I’ll be able to go searching again.”

  The city of Ocula was vast as the silver lining of a new haven opened to them, and Sien couldn’t bring herself to turn away, the map slipping from her hands. Leilana reached down to grab it as the girl started ahead, never tearing her eyes from the buildings.

  “We should try there first.” Sien pointed to the tallest building in the town, one cloaked in what appeared to be lengthy crimson-colored vines. “It looks too peculiar. I feel like that’s where we need to go if we want the right answers on how to stop this war once and for all.”