The Sage's Reign

by Shakyra Dunn

  Was returning to her original plan even worth it anymore? There were few that she could turn to knowing that most of her totems were set in motion. There was still three left unknown, and one of them was her own. What trait was hers? She had thought it over so many times, but she could never piece together which of the remaining ones suited her.

  “Leilana?” Sien called, causing her to glance up. “Did you hear him?”

  “O-Oh, no, I was distracted,” she admitted. “What did I miss?”

  “Solus said that we could scope out the first floor individually and try not to make noise, taking out as many of the Order of Helix members down here as we can. Then we could all meet up again once we’ve handled the situation or found a way up to some of the higher floors.”

  “That’s not too risky?”

  “I think it could work,” Solus replied. “We’re all quite capable.” Somehow, she was begging to differ. It didn’t feel like sound logic, running in headfirst. Solus wasn’t usually this reckless with his decision making, especially when it was a matter of life or death. Maybe not having Rem around made things more complicated for him to process. “Well? Shall we?”

  Leilana bit her tongue to seal away an aggravated sigh before nodding. “I suppose.”

  Rem ran through the empty halls of what appeared to be a hospital, assuming that his friends had to be inside of the largest building in Ocula. It was a simplified deduction, but hopefully, it was the right one. He’d have to be mindful of his movements. Amiria stepped up beside him, resting a hand on his arm. Chills ran down his spine at the contact, the hairs on the back of his neck rising. He looked down at her, and she gestured towards a flight of stairs at the end of the hall.

  “I don’t know if they figured their way around so quickly,” she admitted, “But we could start on the next floor and work our way up.” If anyone here could be a proper guide, it was her.

  The two made their way up to the second floor.

  Sien nocked an arrow carefully, her weapon still grasped in her hand as she trekked down the corridor furthest left from the entrance. Her mouth and tongue were dry, her breaths shallow. Being inside of this stronghold made her feel uneasy enough already, and the foul stench of the medicine filling the are did nothing to help alleviate her nerves. The creak of a nearby door alerted her, causing her to turn her back with her weapon ready to fire, only to find that there was nothing in her path. Maybe it was the wind from an open window. She lowered her bow again, sighing in relief.

  The idea of being so close to terrorists that destroyed her home was overwhelming. They were willing to stop at nothing to have Rem’s power, likely to hold him for ransom and have his lineage act as a catalyst for the Orb of Concord. If his untapped power was used for malice, there would be no country left to defend, let alone no war to draw out the end.

  “Playing adventure, are we?”

  Sien jumped at the new voice. It was real, no doubt about it. They were hidden, beyond well for what skills she possessed. She squinted her eyes, and every half second, a silhouette swept through the halls before meeting head-on. Centimeters from her face, touching her nose, grazing Sien’s parted lips to close them shut again, stood a girl with long blonde hair tied with red bows into two ponytails cascading down her back. She was clothed in a black cloak, red rosaries on either side.

  “We’ve never had strange visitors in Megalina before.” The girl’s voice was rather seductive, and Sien felt more confused than aroused. “Hi, I’m Faris! You’re a real cutie.”

  “Megalina?” Sien cut in, deciding not to acknowledge her obvious advances in favor of answers. “Is that the name of this place?”

  “Right!” Faris beamed, not seeming to mind the cold shoulder. “It’s a name with many meanings—sanctuary, understanding, resolve. But we call it ‘home.’ It’s torn and desolate, much like the rest of us. We have no place in this world as isolated magic-users.” The girl ran her fingers along Sien’s exposed shoulder, her scarlet locks becoming entangled in her aquamarine-coated nails. Sien swallowed, her head spinning from her overwhelming anxiety in tandem with the antiseptic odor, but she didn’t allow herself to drop her guard. “But you… you’re different. You’re a drifter, I can tell. You don’t act like the others.”

  “I use my gift to help others,” Sien retorted, prying herself free from the girl, pointing an arrow at her. “I don’t kill without reason.” The girl folded her arms behind her back, cocking her head to the left, a soft grin on her delicate features. Not a single line on her face went out of place; there was no fear resonating in her. That made her dangerous.

  “That makes you brave. Not a lot of people can keep their cool.” Sien eyed the girl’s movements closely. Her fingers were twitching, but hardly enough to peak Sien’s attention. Still, something about her calm demeanor was unnerving. “Why don’t you stay a while longer? We can play together!”

  Faris swept her hand out, a stream of needles conjuring from her fingertips. Sien barely gasped when the needles pierced through every fragment of skin, pinning her to a wall. Her bow and arrow fell in front of her, blood seeping from the miniscule cuts on her body. They were multiplying each passing second, and the pain erupted all at once. She couldn’t close every wound no matter how fast she could channel her energy. There would be more to take its place.

  “Your aura interests me. It’s rare to find people blessed with the art of healing, and those that possess it lose themselves along the way because people become so ungrateful. But the way that you carry yourself is dull.” Sien’s heart skipped a beat, and her struggle to escape her prickly prison had ceased. Faris sat on top of a nearby pillar, kicking her feet, her hands resting under her chin. “You don’t provide much entertainment. It’s going to be hard to remember you if all that you can do is act serious.”

  Sien lowered her head, ignoring her budding tears. This girl was a mastermind at manipulation, and she knew it well, but the words still cut to the core. There was little that she had to offer besides some laughs now and again, bottling her pain in favor of spreading more joy to others. If she could make one person smile, it was worth a little more pain, but for what? Compared to such magnificent people in her group like a wayward prince, a future Warlord, and a jack-of-all-trades servant, where did she stand? She wasn’t strong and could fight at a distance. Her magic was minimal, good for healing wounds. She was nothing but a walking burden.

  All she could do was laugh now to mask her agony.

  Faris raised an eyebrow. “Did I say something funny, darling?”

  As much as Sien wanted to scream at her for annulled criticism, or even curl up in a corner to resolve the issue right away, she couldn’t help laughing at herself. Her face probably looked so horrible. She always scrunched up her nose when she was fighting tears, and her eyes always got puffy and red even when she wasn’t letting it all out. Crying was the most terrible feeling in the world. Letting go of the burdens and weeping made it seem like all hope was lost the moment they started to fall.

  Faris scoffed, stomping her foot, the sound of her heel clanking against the metal floor echoing. “Stop laughing! For a cute girl, you’re really not dignified at all!”

  “I-I’m sorry,” she responded, continuing to laugh. “It’s just, you’re judging someone that you don’t even know. I mean, not that I don’t think I’m boring too, but you can’t go around saying things like that. It makes you look as undignified as me.”

  Faris’s mouth fell open. “I-I-” Her lips curved into a scowl, and she flung a finger forward, pointing at the girl. The action sent a few needles flying, grazing the side of Sien’s face before sticking into the wall next to her. “You are unbelievable! How dare you say something so outlandish!”

  “I’m not too wise, but idiocy is easy to read,” Sien pointed out. “I get nothing but backlash from Solus every time that I try to come up with ideas. Leilana can be so focused on her goals sometimes that I fear breaking her from her thoughts. Rem is so conflicted that it’s
hard to tell when his head shifts from left to right. Even my little sister criticizes me. You wanna tear me down, you’ve got to do better than that. I’ve gotten a lot better at getting my head out of my ass when it counts.” Faris’s shoulders were trembling. “So, what’s your insecurity? Do you go the typical route of tearing people down because you’re lonely and unaccepted, or do you just like causing mayhem for no reason at all?”

  “Don’t belittle me!” Faris plunged needles into the girl’s stomach, and Sien shrieked.

  Leilana was hovering above an unconscious Maester with staff in hand when Sien’s scream emerged from a hall further away. She didn’t hesitate to pursue her friend’s cry.

  Solus was seated on the stairs leading to higher ground no more than twenty seconds when the audible scream reached his ears. He jumped to a stand, looking towards the top of the stairs, making a mental map of the area so that they could return here. By the time that he reached the hall where he believed that the scream came from, he found Leilana already on the scene, shakily pointing her staff at a young girl with blonde hair. Sien was pinned to the wall by an array of needles, slipping in and out of consciousness. Solus quickly drew his sword from its sheath.

  “More guests for the party.”

  “What did you do?” Leilana asked slowly.

  “I only hurt her because she was being a nuisance,” the girl proclaimed, her words cold and unnerving. It sent chills down Solus’s spine. “You must know how that feels.”

  “I can’t say that I do,” Leilana retorted. “I don’t think of dissenting harm as anything more than foul play.” Solus nodded in agreement.

  “Oh, so you’ve got morality pumping through your veins. How fortunate. Then again, you are an Arcana traveling with Prince Remiel.” Leilana grit her teeth. “I know you, Leilana Erovina.” She curtsied. “Nice to meet you at last. I’m Faris, keeper of the first floor.”

  “I never knew that I was so infamous.”

  Faris tapped her chin with her index finger. “Our master is very intrigued by your book. He wonders what secrets lie beyond its pages, but he can’t seem to wield its power.” So, he couldn’t open the book? That was a good sign.

  “He’ll never know,” Leilana said proudly. “Only I can unlock the book. And there is no reason for me to do so before him. It is useless to him, so I will be taking it back.”

  “Admirable, but this is only the first floor.” She pointed down the hall, beaming. “You have many more to go, and there are far worse than me waiting for you. We waited specifically for you, and for His Majesty. And now, destiny has brought both of you together. The last of the Minsura clan, and the heir to Adrylis’s crown, heralding wit and valor to ensure your world’s flourishing. Between you and Remiel Vesarus, there is much that can be achieved if your forces are brought together as one. Your powers will bring Adrylis to a new era. Your deaths will usher in salvation that can restore the might of the Warlords, just as they did several generations ago, and a powerful ruler can rise to his potential.”

  Leilana and Solus glanced at one another, and they both came to similar conclusions: these words meant little to either of them, and there was no point in hearing it. Sien pried her eyes open to peer down at the girl, flexing her fingers to regain a sense of feeling through the numbness that blood loss conveniently provided. With a slight scoff, she shut her eyes, a teal glow overshadowing her body, the cuts mending closed before each of the tiny metallic pins fell to the floor, taking her along with them. She groaned, shaking her head as she rose to a stand.

  Faris held up her hand, the pins from Sien’s body afloat behind her. “It’ll be an honor to eradicate you, Leilana Erovina! Shame though, I would love to have your pretty head unscathed! Try not to move around too much so I can have a clean cut!”

  Now that Sien was out of immediate danger, Leilana felt confident enough to actively pursue their opponent, preparing to parry the needles flying at them with her staff, only for a barrier to emerge from thin air, blocking them from the impact. Solus swallowed, the streaks of lightning spewing from the barrier all too familiar. The needles fell to the ground, and a sword cut through the barrier, the hilt of the blade striking the girl in the skull, knocking her onto her back. She didn’t stir, but the attack didn’t appear blunt enough to mortally wound her. Sien confirmed this after crawling over to her and pressing two fingers to her neck, explaining briefly that the girl was just unconscious and would recover. She picked up the sword by their fallen opponent, the weight of the blade nearly dragging her down.

  Solus allowed his eyes to trace over Rem after he appeared from the end of the hall, and the young prince acknowledged him, a coy grin lining his lips. He barely acknowledged Amiria at his side, the realization that their group was coming together again too fresh in his mind.

  “You’re back sooner than I thought,” Solus settled with.

  Rem rested a hand on his hip. “You know that I couldn’t stay away from you forever. It gets boring not having my best friend to push me around.”

  Sparks were flying between Amiria and Leilana, neither of them sure how to deal with being in one another’s presence again. Every time they had encountered thus far, it was always on opposite sides, and now she was working with Rem. Amiria’s mind was too conflicting for Leilana to keep up with, and Leilana was still too closed-minded for Amiria to endure.

  Their tension was sliced in half when Sien raced over to Rem, dropping his sword on the floor next to their feet, her arms wrapped around his neck. The blade clanking against the ground cut through the silence. She buried his face in his shoulder, and although Rem appeared conflicted by her actions, even turning his attention to Solus and Amiria, he pulled her into a hug, resting a hand atop her head.

  “Nice to see you too, Sien.”

  “I was worried about you,” she whispered. “You were so broken down, and I didn’t know what I could do to help…”

  “Well, no worries there anymore.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, his grip firm and comforting to her. A smile spread across his face at the sight of her warm expression. “I’m back now. And there’s a lot that I need to tell you all about.”

  “It can wait,” Solus suggested. “We’ve got moves to make.”

  “What’s the plan?” Rem asked without hesitation.

  “We are going to find the leader of this building, and once we reach the top, we are going to reclaim Leilana’s grimoire.”

  Amiria raised an eyebrow. “You let the Order of Helix take your book? So those were the whispers I’d heard about months ago.”

  Leilana responded with a cold left shoulder, her arms crossed over her chest. “I didn’t let them take it, it was stolen from me by Lunious.”

  Amiria narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Lunious. You allowed Lunious to be the one to take it. He’s not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, you know. Poor sap was bent on revenge from the start.” Rem’s head snapped back to her, and Sien rested a hand on his arm to quell his concerns. There were so many questions about what else she could have known about the Order, but they were best left for another time.

  “It was a rough time for me, all right?” Leilana snarled.

  “Fair enough.” Amiria stepped past Leilana, her long hair lightly brushing against the girl’s cheek. Leilana scoffed at the gesture, even if it wasn’t intentional. “I’ll be joining you from here on to guide you through the building if that’s all right. I’ve been in here twice, but the layout isn’t that difficult to follow when you look through the cracks. I can help you avoid any major confrontations.”

  “I think it sounds like a good idea,” Rem replied. “Don’t you?” Solus and Sien glanced at one another, both with less than coveted expressions towards their new ally. On multiple occasions, she had turned against them, and there was little reason for them to uproot any trust. Solus knew that she was bad news from the start, and Sien only sought to look after Rem.

  “Maybe we should just give it a chance,” Leilana piped up. “
Amiria could be a good asset based on her strengths alone.” Amiria’s eyes darted to the floor. Rem considered retaliating to her statement, knowing that Amiria’s magic was in a state of fluctuation, but decided against it.

  “We will give you one chance,” Solus stated. “Just keep on your toes about your actions.”

  “Very well.”

  Leilana waited for Solus, Amiria, and Sien to trail ahead before tugging on the corner of Rem’s sleeve to stop him in his tracks. Rem didn’t turn around, but he did stop walking. “I take it that you want to talk about what happened.”

  “I wasn’t very clear,” Leilana began. “Rem, you’re a close friend of mine. I may not be as good to you as Solus and Sien, and maybe you do deserve better, but I was never intending to hurt you. I ran off at the mouth because I was angry about you wanting to rush to Amiria, but looking at her now, I can see sincerity in her eyes. She seems to have humbled around you, and if she’s capable of that, maybe she’s already begun to change since the last time we met.”

  “I can understand that you’re looking out for me, all of you. But I think it’s time that you started trusting me. She’s not a bad person. In fact, she guided me towards what I want to tell you about the Orb of Concord, about my parents, about…” Rem concealed a chuckle, running a hand through his shaggy locks. “There’s so much that I want to tell you about what I’ve seen and what I discovered about myself. I want to fight without losing my head, like Solus does.”

  Rem shifted his hand to grab hers, and she laced her fingers in his. There was security in his grasp, one that she hadn’t felt since Ennis was around. Leilana admired the sense of justice on his face but was more drawn to the serene look in his eyes as he spoke of his closest friend.

  “Losing his head?” she repeated.