The End of the Fantasy (Book #6 of the Sage Saga)

by Julius St. Clair

  “When a bridge controller is nearing death, another must be chosen…and the process is very delicate. This is why we were upset with Daisy earlier over leaving Bastion. She could have ruined all of our hard work. And that’s why I hope you will forgive us for all that we’ve done with the Yama. It’s all been for the greater good—to teach Bastion how to embrace his destiny. Again, we are sorry that you have lost some of your loved ones, but at least they are still alive and well in Paradise. In the end, nothing, not even the lives of others, matters when it comes to getting the next Emissary ready.”

  “And that bridge controller,” Catherine sighed. “It’s him, isn’t it?”

  “Of course,” Tillian said calmly. “Bastion is the heir. He will soon be placed in charge of the bridge, and he will in turn control the fate of us all.”

  Chapter 15 – Unlikely

  “Thank you,” Bastion said to the two Prattlians at his sides. Though they were escorting him to the King, Bastion could sense no ill-will coming toward him. For some reason they were at ease, and the young Sage was both relieved and surprised to feel it.

  “If you would wait here on this platform,” one of the Prattlian guards replied. “We will retrieve the King for you. Don’t worry. No one knew of your arrival. We’re all trying to remain quiet since the attack on Languor.”

  “Thank you,” Bastion replied with a nod. Though he had no reason to, he let his Sage robes dematerialize, and then he sat down and crossed his legs underneath him. He could hear Lily chuckling from deep within him.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked as he stared out over the horizon. It was still early morning, when half of the world was fast asleep and still dreaming of a brighter future.

  “Just still happy over how content you are.”

  “Hmm,” he replied, tapping a finger on the platform. His eidolon was struggling to understand its composition, but that didn’t surprise him. His eidolon was his soul, after all. And his soul only understood the things that he had experienced and perceived. Whatever the platforms were made of, it was a substance that was completely foreign to him. Bastion scanned the area and watched as the platforms around him hovered in the air, going up and down but barely moving beyond a couple inches in either direction. All the cabins in the distance were as dark as shadows, so silent and obscure that it was as if no one had ever inhabited them. Perhaps the guards had been right about no one seeing him come in. For Prattlians were not ones to pass up the opportunity to gain valuable information. If anyone knew he was in their Kingdom, he would have surely been bombarded with questions.

  But now he waited with only his love at his heart, hoping that the King wouldn’t be too long. After all, there was still so much work to be done.

  “I think I’m ready to come out now,” Lily replied from within him. He didn’t pry.

  “Sure,” he said, closing his eyes and visualizing her in stone form, leaving his body. When he opened them again, slowly, she was standing before him, as beautiful as the day they first met. She pulled up on her shoulder straps and gave him a smile that made his heart flutter. He couldn’t help himself. He had to kiss her. Here. Now. Before he didn’t have another chance.

  Taking her into his arms, she didn’t fight his embrace. He kissed her hard, and she threw her arms over his shoulders, bringing him in closer, pressing her body against his and smiling, kissing him again in bursts, reeling his head back from the sheer force of them all. He laughed and she laughed, and they didn’t care who awoke. They were just happy.

  A feeling that he didn’t get enough of.

  “Ahem,” Tyuin cleared his throat from behind. Without breaking their hold over each other, they both turned toward the King of Prattle and grinned, like two kids that had just been caught by their respective parents. Lily was the one who let go first, and it was good she did, for Bastion wasn’t sure if he would have ever done so. Tyuin smiled at them both warmly as Bastion surveyed the area behind him. The King had only brought the two guards with him. The ones that had escorted him into the Kingdom earlier.

  “I am happy to see you,” Tyuin said, giving them a curt bow individually. “I have heard of your fighting prowess.”

  “We weren’t sure you would have us,” Bastion replied, his face fallen in concern. “Surely you’ve heard about what happened in Languor.”

  “Prattlians don’t jump to conclusions. While we are cautious, we make sure to investigate a matter in its entirety before we define a belief. We know that you were not entirely to blame for what happened there. From what we’ve heard, Orchid was the one responsible.”

  “I still had a hand in what happened. I was tricked once. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen again.”

  “I assume you’ve learned from the experience?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then that ordeal is better left in the past where it belongs. You’ve taken all you can from it. Now…let us get to the matters at hand. I assume you’re here to procure our assistance in the upcoming conflict.”

  “You know about Seeker and the Yama?”

  “We’ve heard rumors. But we would love it if you could confirm them. Is Seeker aligned with them?”

  “Yes. Lily and I just came from there, and we barely made it out alive. Not only are the Yama being used as his own personal army, but former Sages as well. He slaughtered any warriors that wouldn’t join his cause. Most of the villagers are either in hiding or dead. Allay is a mess, and they won’t be helping you in any way.”

  “I thought as much,” Tyuin sighed, glancing at one of his guards. “And Languor? Is there anything left?”

  “Nothing worth salvaging,” Bastion winced. “Sad to say, it’s just going to be us.”

  “I see.”

  “But that’s if you’re willing to work with us,” Bastion spoke up before the King could go on. “We understand if you are wary. Especially considering my record. Any allegiance we would have together…it is completely up to you. The only one I care about is Lily here.”

  “No, I would love your help,” Tyuin said, his eyes brightening. “And not just because I have no choice. I think that your strength and our tactics combined could be a formidable force. I have heard many things about you. Some good, most bad, but either way, I’ve determined that the only reason you’ve made some mistakes is because of your youth and inexperience. Something that is easily fixed and redirected. I was in your shoes once.”

  “No offense, but not exactly,” Bastion laughed. “But, I get what you’re saying.”

  “I will inform my people of your arrival within the hour, and we will begin making preparations. I suspect that the only reason we haven’t been attacked by the Yama at this point is because they know that we have no army to shield ourselves with. A mistake, I hope, on their part.”

  “I’m sure,” Bastion said, stealing a glance at Lily. “But before we continue, I would like to make a deal with you.”

  “A deal?” Tyuin’s ears perked up.

  “A couple of things. First of all, I would love to have a permanent residence of our own here in Prattle. A cabin that we can call home for just the two of us.” Lily’s mouth fell open as Bastion tried not to smirk.

  “A cabin? Here? But aren’t you of Allay?”

  “I don’t consider myself an Allayan anymore. And I’m not saying that I’m defecting to Prattle either. I just want a place I can always come to. Even in Allay, I’ve never felt like I’ve belonged there.”

  “Done,” Tyuin said. “Anything else?”

  “I don’t want anyone laying a hand on Lily,” he said. “Ever.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, eyeing her with curiosity. “Why would anyone harm her?”

  “I might as well tell you the truth now. And after I tell you, I hope you’ll understand how much I’m deciding to trust you. Still, I think that it’s better for you to find out now rather than later.”

  “What is it?”

  “Lily is not an ordinary girl. She’s the five stones of power combi
ned into one. The full embodiment in human form.”

  Tyuin’s eyebrows shot up in alarm as the two guards lost their composure for the first time, their eyes darting back and forth as they thought about what Tyuin might order them to do.

  “It’s true,” Lily replied, her face suddenly cracking on her right cheek. Tyuin didn’t take his gaze off of her as the familiar blue marks began to reveal themselves from underneath the cracked and torn lines of her skin. After a few seconds had passed, she closed up the crevice and he began blinking rapidly, coming to.

  “How did you come by this?” Tyuin asked in shock. Bastion could tell by the way his fingers were twitching nervously at his sides that he was pouring through an endless amount of scenarios and possibilities. Bastion cleared his throat and once again gained the attention of the King. Tyuin looked directly into the young Sage’s eyes.

  “It doesn’t matter how she came into my life. All that matters is that she is not to be harmed. She is an individual. Like me. Like you. Nothing less. Nothing more. If you, or any one of your people can’t handle that notion, whether it’s today or any other day in the future…we will leave this place, and I promise you that Prattle won’t be the same after we do. You will wish that you had never aligned with me from the beginning. So you have to be honest with yourself…right now. Are you able to keep yourself and your people at bay? Can you have us living among you without trying to use her?”

  “I don’t even have to think about it,” Tyuin said quickly, trying not to sever the union he knew he and his people needed. “She is safe within our borders. However, I can’t promise that if a great conflict arises in the future, I won’t come to you both for consul, and if she’s willing, the use of her abilities.”

  “I understand that,” Bastion replied, looking over at Lily. She nodded at him. “That’s no different than if you needed me to fight on your behalf. As long as you come respectfully, as equals, and you understand that there may be times in which we refuse. We want a home here, but we are not Prattlians. We come and go as we please.”

  “Certainly,” Tyuin replied, his body relaxing. “And I thank you in advance for your help. I know full well that if you had not come here, Prattle would be destroyed.”

  “Thank you for the home,” Bastion said with a smile.

  “We will have your cabin picked out within the hour, but before you go to see it, we should discuss what will happen next, in case Seeker is feeling anxious and decides on a pre-emptive strike.”

  “Should we build up our defenses?” Bastion asked, and Tyuin sighed heavily.

  “That was my first thought, but considering that we don’t know what the Yama have in their arsenal, it might be a move made in vain.”

  “Go after them then?”

  “As foolish as it sounds…”

  “If we’re going to do that, then we have to determine who we should target first.”

  “As much I want to preserve my hide,” Tyuin said with a sigh, “I know that Seeker is not the end of our troubles. The Yama are. If the Yama are defeated, then Seeker is an easy fix. But in order to cut out the Yama army, we’ll have to leave Prattle defenseless.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “From the reports I’ve received, the Yama here are pawns. There aren’t many powerful warriors among them. Now, this could all be a ploy. They could be hiding their strongest in the shadows for when they need them most…but the Prattlians have always been very good at gathering information so I don’t think this is the case.”

  “You’re wondering why they didn’t send their best from the start…why not just end it all.”

  “Precisely. It makes me curious as to what they still have to protect. And I think the answer lies in their origin. If you can go to their homeland, and attack them there, not only might we find a great weakness, the army that is already here on our lands might leave.”

  “But if they don’t chase after me,” Bastion warned. “Prattle is doomed. And there’s no guarantee I’ll find anything valuable…not to mention that I don’t even know where their homeland is.”

  “We can try to keep a low profile as much as possible,” Tyuin said. “And I know the odds of survival is slim…but you know it’s the best course of action. In the meantime, I can start devising an attack against Seeker should the Yama army leave our borders. We’ll be able to divide but conquer.”

  “I can stay here if necessary,” Lily said. But Bastion couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “No,” he whispered to her. “That’s not even an option.”

  “I can handle myself,” she replied. “I’m not worried about them taking me. They have more to lose than I do.”

  “That’s not it…I…I just…”

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” Tyuin chimed in. “Bastion will need all the help he can get. If my hunch is right, their greatest warriors will be still on their homeland, and I know that Bastion has already had some difficulty here. He’ll need you to assist him. Between the two of you, I’m sure you’ll succeed.”

  “Then we shouldn’t delay this any longer,” Bastion said. “Lily and I will head for the Yama homeland immediately. I don’t know how long it will take for us to find it though. So please don’t do anything hasty until you’re sure the Yama are gone.”

  “Certainly,” Tyuin said, giving the young Sage a nod. “Good luck.”

  “Don’t need it,” Bastion replied, giving the King a wink. Then he stuck his right palm to the side and began concentrating. Spiraling from the edge of the platform, a miniature tornado formed, growing wider until it was big enough for Lily and Bastion to step into. Without questioning what it was, Lily stepped into the cyclone behind the young Sage, giggling as the winds lapped at her hair and tugged at her dress. Bastion’s robe materialized around him, and it too was flapping in the winds uncontrollably. Smiling and laughing together, the winds began to carry them off their feet, high up in the air, and to the point that Tyuin and his guards looked like specks of dirt.

  The last thing they saw as they floated away was a mass of Prattlians, sprinting out of their houses and staring up at the two of them. Bastion chuckled under his breath. He wasn’t surprised that they had been watched all along. The Prattlians sure were curious.

  Bastion and Lily waved down at them happily, and then the winds engulfed them in a sphere, shielding them from the mob below. The sphere shot forward like it had been thrown from a catapult, and it spiraled into the distance, over the land that Bastion had never felt comfortable in.

  “You gave me chills back there,” Lily said from inside the sphere. The winds around them were moving so fast, it was if the sphere was made up of solid circular walls of grey and brown from all the dirt the air had picked up. Bastion was staring straight ahead, searching the lands and vast bodies of ocean before him with his eidolon, but he smiled all the same.

  “Chills, huh?”

  “Yeah, threatening Tyuin. That scared me a bit.”

  “I didn’t mean to scare you. It was meant for him,” he chuckled.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” she laughed. “They were good chills. I didn’t know you could be such a bad ass.”

  “Yeah, that was my mother’s first choice in naming me,” he said, glancing at her for a moment. “But she felt like it wasn’t strong enough.”

  “Yep,” Lily said, putting a finger to her chin. “Bastion is definitely much scarier. In other lands you’re probably in scary stories and children’s nightmares.”

  “Wouldn’t be anything new,” he said, and she chuckled.

  “Guess you’re right.”

  “Hey, Lily.”

  “Yeah?”

  “You scared? Or nervous?”

  “Of finding the Yama homeland?”

  “Yeah…I mean…for all we know, they could have been the ones to create you. And if so, that means they could probably shut you down when we get there.”

  “Is that what you’re worried about?”

  “It’s crossed my
mind.”

  “Well, there’s an easy fix,” she said, putting her hand on his chest, right over his heart. “When we arrive, you place me right here, and even if they turn me off or shut me down, whatever we think they can do…it won’t matter. I’ll be right inside of you. At that point, all you have to do is kick some butt and get me turned back on. Simple, right?”

  “Yeah,” he laughed nervously. “You know me. Mr. Nightmares and all that.”

  “Right.”

  Bastion turned his attention back to his forefront as Lily kept her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beginning to pump faster, and she smiled when she saw a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. Without questioning why, she crouched down and slipped under his outstretched arm—the one holding his eidolon out—and then she stood up in front of him, until they were nose to nose. Bastion tried to keep his attention off of her, but she wouldn’t let him stray too far.

  She kissed him gently on the edge of his jawline, his cheek, his lips, and then she continued to do so, refusing to stop as she wondered what Bastion thought of it all.

  Naturally, he didn’t care.

  Chapter 16 – Unfinished

  “And so they just let you leave?” Marie asked, leaning back on the wicker chair. Sitting at a coffee table in the middle of Delahcourt city, Catherine bowed her head and sighed as Talia, Daisy and Wilheim shifted nervously in their seats. Catherine lifted her head and refused to look at Marie. Instead she glanced to her side and watched the crowds of people talking excitedly and walking together. None of them looked like warriors, yet she now knew that each and every one of them were. But she couldn’t dwell on that now. She had a grave decision to make.

  “Well?” Marie asked, breaking Catherine’s concentration. The former Queen turned her attention to the Prattlian and gave her a weak smile.

  “I wouldn’t say leave. More like…given us a reprieve. They want us to think over what we’ve talked about and give them an answer before dusk. They’ve allowed us the use of our manifestations to get back and forth between their headquarters for now.”