“I’m fine, Roen,” Arius said as he slightly twisted his head. “Stay where you are.”
As the battle went on, Arius’s injuries grew, but he remained adamant to his pact. The wounds he suffered weren’t fatal but the damage slowly began to accumulate. By the time Arius got to the final two thieves, he found himself on one knee with his sword planted into the earth, gasping for air. His attackers, festive for the sight of blood, were ready to pounce and land the finishing blow. Arius studied them as he gathered his breath. The fear he instilled in them slowly began to wane. Arius had killed their friends single-handedly but he could no longer hide the extent of his injuries. The two men that circled Arius drew closer, wary that their act of aggression would be met with an uncanny display of desperation. They knew Arius was fast and when faced at death’s door, anything was possible. “This is your last chance,” Arius said as he slowly rose to his feet. “Turn away or I’ll destroy you.”
“Tough shit coming from a boy about to die. After we’re done with you, we’ll be sure to come for your little friend, too. We were thinking about lettin’ him live, but you messed that up for the both of you.”
Arius didn’t flinch. His heart only grew darker. From the depths of his soul Arius felt an unruly fire ignite, its flames increasing his resolve. “You’ll do no such thing.” The bandit, enraged by Arius’s confidence, rushed him, swinging his sword downward from above his head. Arius dodged to the left and cut across his assailant’s hand in one swift motion. He then followed up with a stab that impaled the bandit through his ribs. The last bandit’s face turned pale as he watched his dying friend’s final moments on the dirt road. When he looked up, Arius was already moving towards him with a gait of confidence that reeked of reckoning. “Stay.” Arius’s eyes flickered a murky lilac hue as a malevolent smile arched across his face.
Instantly, they were connected. The demon, born anew.
The thief struggled to move his body but his feet remained still. “Who are you!?” The bandit’s terror magnified ten-fold as he realized he had lost control over his body at the young man’s command.
“Someone who gave you the option to walk away.” Arius flicked his sword downward, cleansing the device of the blood it carried before swiping it across the bandit’s neck.
The last of the bandits had fallen.
When Arius turned to meet Roen, his eyes met a face struck with both fear and awe. No longer did he appear to be victim of a failed robbery but a titan that walked humbly amongst men. A titan, but yet, mortal. The lilac hue faded from Arius’s eyes and his face grew pale. The savage that graced the battlefield had left in all of its glory.
“Are you okay?” Arius’s words were soft, barely above a whisper. Roen nodded silently as he examined Arius’s condition. “Good,” Arius said. His voice was stronger this time.
Just as Arius had finished his bout, Hugo finished his. Marred bodies lay at his feet while one remained—a wounded thief suspended in the air by Hugo’s grip. Arius walked past Roen as he studied the remains of Hugo’s lot and then the man who brought them to their deaths. Hugo’s body was almost without a scratch. It was nearly impossible to tell that he had just finished a deadly exchange. The brute’s forearm tensed as the bandit pounded down on it to no avail. Arius was hardly shocked by the manifestation of his strength.
“I’ll put you down once you speak,” Hugo growled. “If you’re quick about it, I just might let you live.”
“I don’t know anything!” the bandit protested as he pounded away at Hugo’s arm. Hugo clenched tighter on his neck, drawing a blood-curdling scream that grew distorted as he began to choke on his saliva. His grip faded, allowing him to breathe, but he was still adamant to adhere to the code of thieves.
“Let me try,” Arius said coldly as he walked towards Hugo. “Keep him still.”
Hugo nodded.
“Gahhh!!!” Arius sunk the tip blade into the man’s torso as he looked directly into his eyes, his face cold as stone. The thief’s body convulsed as Arius’s steel kissed his organs.
“Who sent you?” Arius slowly eased the blade deeper, deaf to his enemy’s screams.
“I-I don’t know! Please stop. I’m telling the truth. I don’t know anything!” Arius said nothing, his actions speaking for him as he pushed the sword deeper. “Ahhhh!!! P-Please, I swear!” Blood began to flow from his lips.
“Who takes a job without knowing the circumstances?” Hugo asked as he began to squeeze tighter.
“A hired murder,” Arius answered in the bandit’s place. “That alone should warrant your death.”
The bandit’s eyes sprang to life as he mustered up a weak laugh that only further progressed his internal bleeding. Puzzled by the action, Arius looked deeper, studying the glint in his eyes, and saw how they peered over their heads. The bandit’s laughing grew. “And fucking with us is as good as dying.”
He’s stalling. Arius whipped his head behind him and saw an archer peeping out from behind a set of bushes, his bow readied and pointed their way.
“Roen, look out!” Arius yelled but it was too late. As Roen turned, the first arrow penetrated his chest, the second one lagging only slightly behind. With a thud, Roen’s body hit the ground, his body writhing in pain.
“Hold on, Roen!” Arius pulled his sword from the bandit and raced to meet Roen who lay bleeding on the dirt road. “You’re okay...calm down,” Arius said as he gripped Roen’s hand. Arius shifted his gaze to the bushes where the archer watched pleased but aware that he had overstayed his visit. Arius scowled at the archer as their eyes met in the distance. His hand firmly gripped around the blade he would use to take the archer’s life.
In a panic, the archer turned to flee. Arius’s scowl grew deeper but he hesitated to leave Roen’s side. Damn it. As he watched the archer’s retreat, a blazing ball of fire flew past him and into the forest, causing a small patch to burst into flames. Arius’s eyes widened as he observed the dancing embers. Rather than spread uncontrollably, the fires seemed to be sentient, focused only on the archer who was now tangled in their flames. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. Hugo...? Bewildered, Arius turned to find Hugo’s left hand extended in front of him, his palm still smoldering.
“Damn it,” Hugo hissed. “Roen!” Hugo dropped the body and ran to Roen’s side.
“I—” Roen began.
“Don’t speak, buddy. Save your strength.” Hugo scanned Roen’s body, examining the individual shafts of the arrows and how far they had progressed. “Stay with me, kid.” Roen’s body continued to convulse as he struggled to breathe.
Hugo ripped open Roen’s shirt, uncovering the wounds while Arius remained paralyzed, unsure of what to do. “Shit, shit, SHIT! They’re razor-tipped. They’re cutting into him every time he breathes.”
Roen’s breaths grew shallow as he struggled to amass air into his lungs. “Sorry, buddy. I got no choice,” Hugo said as he gritted his teeth. “Arius, hold him down, okay? Try to keep him as still as possible.”
Arius nodded as Hugo grabbed the shaft of the wooden projectile, clenching it firmly between his hands. Hugo slowly pulled upwards, tugging the arrowhead that had burrowed into Roen’s flesh. Roen wailed but was restrained by Arius’s hold as his blood leaked out on his open chest.
“Almost done buddy,” Hugo said as his face contorted. Pulling on the shaft seemed to hurt him as much as it did Roen, but it had to be done if there was a chance of saving Roen’s life. With a grunt, the first arrow dislodged itself and Roen’s chest jerked towards the sky as his screams pierced the heavens. “I know it hurts, I know,” Hugo said, his voice comforting Roen in his agony.
Arius pressed firmly on Roen’s arms, stabilizing him as his body rocked through his throes. “Stay with me, Roen. Just one more to go.” Hugo glanced at the bloody arrow and was relieved to see that the arrow head hadn’t chipped during its extraction. In his silence, he hoped that luck would be in his favor a second time. “Okay, Arius. Hold ‘em still.”
“Yeah.” Arius and Roen’s eye met. It was hard to ignore the fear that projected from his shallow eyes.
Hugo tossed the arrow to the side and gripped the shaft of the second one. It was lower than the first, slightly above his abdomen. Hugo’s face twisted as he began to pull on the arrow, ignoring Roen’s cries that bellowed in his ear. Slowly but surely, the arrow moved, and in time, it emerged in full. Roen gasped as his body lurched and fell back to the ground. With the two arrows removed, he was breathing easier now but his open wounds allowed his blood to flow freely.
“Roen.” Hugo sighed as if allowing Roen to catch his breath. “It’s almost over. Just one more thing.” Hugo extended his pointer and middle fingers. “You’ll bleed out if I don’t do this. I promise it’ll be over quick.” Roen watched as the tips of Hugo’s fingers turned an orange-ish hue. As his fingers grew closer, Roen began to tremor at the sensation of the ominous heat inching closer to his skin.
“Roen, don’t look at him, look at me. Look at me, Roen,” Arius said as he hovered over Roen’s spastic body. Arius aligned his eyes with Roen’s as they darted around, unfocused, and wide with shock. “You’re stronger than this, you hear me? You’re going to live.” Roen weakly nodded and Arius glared at Hugo, signaling that he should proceed.
“GAHHHH!!!!!” Hugo’s finger tips pressed against Roen’s wound, searing it shut.
“One more, buddy. Here we go. You got this.”
“AHHHH!!!” Hugo pressed his fingers to the second wound and Roen’s body buckled as he fought through the pain, his hands clawing at the ground beneath him.
“All right, we’re done,” Hugo said as he rose to his feet. “Let him rest for a while.” Arius wiped the sweat from Roen’s brow and examined his cauterized wounds. “This mission is over,” Hugo growled as he marched to the door of the caravan and swung it open.
“Hey! What are you doing!?” Iver yelled as Hugo gripped him by his shirt and threw him out of the carriage.
“No one sends a small militia to rob a common merchant. What kind of shit did you sign me up for?” Hugo scowled as he raised his palm to Iver’s face. “And just so we’re clear, I’m not in the mood for lies.” A ball of fire blossomed in Hugo’s hand.
Iver backpedaled along the ground, stuttering, stopping only once a ball of fire landed beside him. “I’m not in a mood for a chase either.” Iver’s horse stirred from the sight of the spontaneous flame but Arius calmed it with his powers of suggestion, still sitting at Roen’s side. “Now, speak.”
“I-I got the goods from someone a couple months ago. I didn’t know—” Another fireball crashed beside Iver, its embers licking the side of his check before fading away.
“I said no more lies!” Hugo growled. “You must be really keen on dying here.” From the other side of the cart, Arius felt the heat of the short-lived flames as he monitored Roen’s condition. His breathing had slowed but it was evident that he was still in pain. Cauterizing the wound had prolonged his life, but without additional medical care, death would soon come to claim him.
This isn’t going anywhere. Every second we waste here, Roen... Arius’s eyes did a final pass over Roen before his mind was made up. “I’ll be back for you,” he said as he eased away from Roen’s side. Around the corner, Arius turned and saw Hugo above Iver, a ball of swirling flames dancing in the palm of his hand.
“Arius, stay with Roen! This doesn’t concern you!”
“The hell it doesn’t,” Arius said as he moved past Hugo, defying his commands. “I’m just like you. I can get us some answers.” A look of surprise ran across Hugo’s face but quickly fizzled as he refocused on the task at hand. “You can put that thing down, Hugo. Iver won’t be going anywhere.” Hugo grunted as he glanced at Arius. “If for some reason he tries to run, then you can torch him, but that won’t be needed, isn’t that right, Iver?”
Arius crouched to Iver’s level, his pupils faintly pulsing a lilac hue. “So, tell me, why were those men after us?” Arius said as he stood to his feet. “And is this attack in any way related to the missing shipment of materials that were set to be delivered to Everrmore?” Hugo watched in confusion as he saw Iver’s face scrunch and contort while he struggled to keep the secrets he had at bay.
“You can make people tell the truth?” Hugo asked as he lowered his hand.
“No, not quite...”
“They attacked us because of what we’re carrying,” Iver struggled. “The gold...the gold I hid in the pottery is from the carrier that went missing seven months ago.”
“What else do you know?”
“I didn’t kill Bishop. The others did. After that happened, I...we waited for the right time to get rid of the merchandise in intervals. John had the spices. Marcel, the jewelry. There were others too. It wasn’t just me. I—”
“I don’t care. Who hired you and where can I find him.” Iver paused as he wracked his brain, adamant to bring to mind the answer that Arius sought out.
“I...don’t know. No names, no face...he...he had a mask and someone else spoke for him. He offered us a share of the profits and paid us a percentage up front.”
“And you were that blinded by the coins thrown in your face that you overlooked the blood? This Bishop you spoke of died for your profit. Even when we were attacked you didn’t do so much as raise a finger, all for the sake of lining your pocket,” Arius scowled. “Hugo, can you load up Roen in the back of the carriage? Be gentle. We’re going soon.”
“Sure, kid,” Hugo said as he squinted before turning the corner.
“Iver,” Arius said as he crouched again. “I thought I already saw the worst of mankind but my ignorance seems to surprise me as I grow older. If Roen dies today it’ll be on your hands. Fortunately for you, you won’t live to bear the burden too long. You are to drive us to the nearest village and turn yourself in to the vanguard after we are properly situated. You will then tell them everything you know about the Everrmore incident, never once uttering a word about the nature of Hugo and I’s abnormalities. You paved your own path the moment you chose to do wrong. Profiting off of another’s despair is a sin reserved only for the scum of the earth, greedy pigs, and filthy swine. But what is sin to you when money is your god?”
The purple hue in Arius’s eyes became more pronounced as he looked into Iver’s. “I’ll show you just how painful greed can be.” Arius smiled. “Three days from now you’ll kill yourself by biting into your wrists, chewing until your death is imminent. Until that day you will remain silent until the moment you are to confess to your future captors.” Arius rose from the ground, his malevolent smile permeating through his unthreatening guise. “You were dead the moment you betrayed me.”
Chapter 10: A Twisted Fate
With his ears ringing and his body bleeding and bruised, Emil looked to Marona who lay limp between his arms. Using his aura and his body, Emil was able to shield her from the majority of the damage, but still, the impact from their flight had managed to take its toll. Her pulse was present and Emil could feel her heart faintly from his forearms that rested on her chest. Her breaths also came but were shallow and slow. As Emil rose his head from her, he witnessed the destruction of the new Abnormal’s attack. For as far as he could see, the forest had been destroyed. From Emil’s ears, a slender stream of blood ran down his face and dripped from his chin. Luna, Sage, and Grim weren’t far from him, only a couple yards away. Wounded worse and disoriented as well.
The once green forest turned light brown as the haze from the troubled soil mixed with the air. Emil was sure that he heard footsteps, a series of crinkling leaves and hesitant feet, but it was hard to tell. His sense of sound had been distorted; the pulsing pain that his ears emitted made his body sensitive to every noise the forest had to offer. He applied pressure to the base of his forehead, straining to orient himself to his newly found surroundings. In time, what was obvious became clear to him. The soldiers that attacked them earlier were originally nothing but a distraction. The Abnormal was the main thre
at and the effects of his surprise attack were evident.
Omari silently materialized next to Emil with Skye and Eric at his side. A trail of blood leaked from his ears and a gash that seeped blood ran from the top of his shoulder. Omari seemed to play the role of the martyr as well, but for a just cause. Emil glanced at Skye as she crouched beside him and placed her hand on Marona’s temple. Skye’s condition was more favorable. Dried blood and dirt caked her face but her injuries were virtually non-existent, as were Crane’s.
A pulse of energy ran from Skye’s fingertips and traversed through Marona’s body. “Skye?” Marona’s eyes fluttered open.
“Take her and Eric away from here.” There was urgency in Omari’s voice. “They’re closing in to assess the damage.” Skye turned back to her brother and nodded.
“Yeah, I can feel them coming closer. Emil, are you okay?” Skye asked as she placed her palm on the side of his face. “If I would have just been a little stronger...” Emil caught a glimpse of Skye’s eyes. They were heavy with guilt and worn from fatigue.
“Don’t think like that,” Omari said. “None of us can even do a fraction of what you do. Mistakes happen, how we react to them is what matters. Emil, can you fight?” Skye’s face slightly brightened, the sudden words of her brother reassured her.
“Yeah,” Emil said as he rose to his feet. Omari handed him his swords and Emil quickly grabbed them. “Look after the others, Skye, and if you can, heal Sage, Luna, and Grim in case we need backup...but don’t push yourself too far.” Omari tried his best to seem unmoved, but he was sure that his sister could sense his growing uncertainty.
“I’ll fight too,” Marona said.
Emil almost protested, but Omari was quick to cut him off.
“We need to act quickly,” Omari said, pulling Emil’s gaze away from Marona. “They don’t know our exact location.”
The Last Light Series Omnibus One: - The Dreamer and the Deceiver - All Things Eternal - Ode to the King: A Superhero Epic Fantasy Collection (The Last Light Collection Book 1) Page 30
