Emily's Saga

by Travis Bughi

  “My decision even had consequences I didn’t anticipate. My little brother, Nicholas, ran away from home to make it on his own. From what Abe gathered, he’s not doing so well either, and who knows where he is now. But I really shouldn’t be talking to you about my problems. You’ve already done more than I ever could have asked, and I owe you far more than I’ll ever be able to repay.

  “That won’t stop me from trying, though. I figured out why you want Heliena stopped. She’s a killer, a soulless murderer, and through her, a lot of good people are being harmed, including those I love most. I’m not the first one she’s hurt, and I won’t be the last if I do nothing. There are things in my life that I have, or had, that she would take from me. There’s a sister, for one, and a grandmother, for another. She already succeeded once, and I won’t let that happen again. I’ll stop her, I swear. I have to.

  “You know, oddly enough, I guess that makes me your champion of sorts, huh? In keeping me alive, you hope that I will do the right thing. Not just try, but actually do. I have to say, Quartus, the odds aren’t in your favor. You might want to do some more research the next time you do this, heh!”

  Emily choked back her laugh as she realized what she’d just said. She looked down, and a tear formed in her eye. She wiped it before it could drop.

  “There won’t be a next time,” she whispered.

  She looked at the rose and a sudden surge of loss overwhelmed her. It was as if she’d forgotten Quartus was gone and only now remembered. It hurt, and her tone reflected this as she spoke again.

  “I’ll make this right, Quartus,” she said. “I won’t let you down. I won’t.”

  She said no more. There seemed nothing else to say. She stood for a moment, quite still, just looking down at the flower. She knew Adelpha and Abe were waiting for her, watching her, but they could wait a few moments more. It didn’t seem right to leave just yet. Emily reached out a hand towards the colossus to give it a friendly pat, but as her skin touched the stone, her world exploded into white light.

  Everything around her turned blank, and she leapt back so fast she tripped on her own feet, tumbling onto the ground head over heels. The pure, white light faded just as quickly as it had come, and her world came back to her the moment her hand left the colossus.

  Her heart began to race. It’d been so calm before, unyielding in a slow, but constant and purposeful pace, yet now it was thundering in her chest, like it’d been locked down and finally freed. She shook her hand, though nothing hurt. She’d felt nothing except cold stone, yet she couldn’t resist snapping her hand back and forth as if it’d been burned. She looked up at the colossus. It hadn’t moved.

  Emily jumped up and ran to Adelpha and Abe at a full sprint. The two were already standing.

  “What happened?” Adelpha shouted.

  “Are you okay?” Abe called out.

  She said nothing as she caught up to them, breathing hard as if she’d just spent the whole night running from centaurs. Emily pushed a hand into her chest to calm the violent beating of her heart and bent over to rest a hand on her knees. She realized she was shaking.

  “What happened?” Adelpha repeated, somewhat frantically. “We saw you touch one and then fall back. Did it move or something?”

  “No, I. . .” Emily paused and panted. “I don’t know.”

  “You just fell back for no reason?” Abe raised an eyebrow. “Come on, Emily, what happened?”

  “I don’t know, okay?” she shouted.

  Adelpha and Abe, hovering over either side of her, took a step back at the burst of anger. They exchanged worried glances, but said nothing while Emily recovered. A few more short breaths and she could stand up straight again. She looked from her brother to her friend and knew she was going to have to say something. However, truth be told, she didn’t know what to say.

  “Let’s go,” Emily commanded. “I’ll explain as we walk, at least until we reach the city.”

  They’d have to go silent when they reached the buildings, but they had some time before that. The colossi had been out of their way, and now they had to double back so they could enter Lucifan from a less traveled route, taking any precaution they could to avoid detection. Thankfully, Abe had already removed his spurs, and so Emily only had to whisper above the sounds of crunching grass and wind.

  She told them what happened, how she’d found the rose, that she’d said a few words for Quartus, and that her vision went white as soon as she’d touched the colossus. Adelpha and Abe had seen no light, and as Emily expected, they were of no help in figuring out what had happened.

  “Maybe he heard you,” Abe suggested, “and that was him, uh, getting in contact with you?”

  “Quartus is dead,” Emily reminded her brother.

  “You don’t know that,” Abe accused. “You have no idea what angels are capable of. For all you know, he’s watching you right now.”

  “Oh please, Abe,” Emily scoffed. “I think Ephron made it very clear he’s the last one left. I don’t think there’s another realm of existence where the angels are just sitting around drinking tea.”

  “Is that so?” her brother mocked. “Then answer me this. Where did the angels come from?”

  Emily paused. She didn’t know that. She’d never thought of that. Why hadn’t she thought of that?

  “Okay,” she said, dropping the attitude, “even if Quartus was in some other realm, he wouldn’t contact me with bright light through a colossus. He’d enter my mind like he’s done before, or through a dream. I’m telling you this was something else. I know Quartus, and that wasn’t him. I didn’t feel like I was being pushed; it was more like I was being pulled.”

  There was a long pause as Emily’s companions took in her words.

  “I’m sorry.” Adelpha shook her head. “But you’re not making one word of sense, Emily. Actually, none of this makes sense. Are you sure you saw something?”

  “Yes. I’m sure,” Emily said defensively. “I know it sounds crazy. That’s why I don’t normally talk about it. I don’t expect you to understand.”

  Emily didn’t understand it either, but she had an idea. That flash of light brought to mind one recent memory. When she had almost died and Quartus had come to her, asking what she would do with her life, there had been a door made of pure, white light. He’d sent her through it, and it had been just as enveloping as when she’d touched the colossus.

  Maybe Abe was right. Maybe the angel had touched her. However, if that was true, then why hadn’t she felt him? If anything, it was as if the colossus had felt her. Had the woman felt it, too?

  Emily wanted to continue thinking about the subject, but as Lucifan loomed closer, the need for silence and concentration took priority. As the first outlying houses of Lucifan’s impoverished outer ring edged closer, Emily’s breathing changed, easier now that her heart was under control. Adelpha, raised as an amazon in the jungle, was in the lead. Despite her size, she was the better rogue. She slipped through the grass and onto the cobbled pathways with the remarkable grace that Emily had come to expect. Though the elves in the Forest of Angor had proven all humans inevitably clumsy, Emily hoped to one day be at least as careful as Adelpha. She could work up to elven ability later.

  Abe and Emily weren’t bad either, but between them, Abe was worse off. He seemed to find the driest weeds to crunch under his heavy boots, and his coattails dragged in the high grass. He did his best, though, and Emily assumed it was good enough. What other choice did they have? At least he avoided making the same mistake she had when she tried to sneak into Lucifan with Chara for the first time: openly asking silly questions.

  They passed the scattered homes and entered into the main city. They were headed towards Madam Sweeney’s, and with any luck, they’d reach it quickly. With better luck, the little gnome wouldn’t make a loud fuss when she opened the door for them.

  They were about halfway there when Adelpha stopped dead in her tracks. Both Emily and Abe came to an abrupt halt behind h
er, though Abe’s was marked by the clatter of his feet on the ground. He looked confused, but stopped just shy of voicing his thoughts.

  Emily listened, trying to detect the subtle noise that Adelpha might have caught, but she heard nothing and a moment later realized why. Adelpha had heard nothing at all. Just ahead, the shadowy figure of a human leaned against a building, shielded from the moonlight by the overhang of a roof.

  “Who’s there?” Adelpha challenged after a pause.

  The figure responded by stepping into the moonlight, and Emily heard Abe’s breath catch.

  “Hello, sister,” Heliena said.

  Chapter 17

  In a flash, both Emily and Adelpha reached for and gripped their bows. With their bows already strung, all they had to do was pull them free, but there was no time for even that. Heliena was prepared, and she fired an arrow at them.

  Adelpha dove to the left, Emily dove to the right, and Abe ducked. At this range, the arrow should have hit someone, but it passed harmlessly through the air, as if intentionally. Emily had no time to contemplate this, though, and the moment she hit the ground she rolled back up to a kneeling position and grabbed her bow once more. Immediately after, she heard the clip-clop of samurai shoes echoing overhead, and Takeo leapt into the air. His figure was outlined in the moonlight as he drew his sword mid leap and gripped it in both hands. Emily pulled her bow over her head as the samurai soared over her toward his intended target: her brother.

  Abe stood up and drew his six-shooters in the same motion, but as his arms came up, Takeo’s sword came down, and metal struck metal in a violent clash. The sword slammed down on the muzzle of each gun with enough force to rip the weapons from Abe’s hands. They clattered to the ground, and before Abe realized he was disarmed, Takeo’s sword was at his neck.

  “Move,” he warned the women, “and I slit his throat.”

  They froze. Emily and Adelpha both had their bows out and had pulled an arrow clear of their quivers. Adelpha was a step ahead and had nocked hers. Abe’s hands were still out with his guns lying directly beneath them, a dumbfounded look on his face. From beneath the edge of Takeo’s sword, a thin trail of blood crept down Abe’s neck.

  For a moment, they stood like that with nothing but total silence passing between them. And then Heliena began to laugh—loud and proud, free and clear—and her laughter brought from around the various corners of the dark alleyways three ogres and four humans. Painfully, Emily realized that the fight was already over. In the blink of an eye and without firing a single shot, they had been defeated.

  One of the ogres grabbed her and dragged her off the ground. She didn’t put up much of a struggle, but Adelpha tried to punch the ogre who grabbed her and received a thick, purple knee to the gut in response. It temporarily knocked the fight from her, and she didn’t resist the ogre’s next attempt. Takeo didn’t move a single muscle until Emily and Adelpha were properly restrained. He stood with his eyes locked on Abe, sword pressed to the gunslinger’s neck, with a rigidity that mocked the colossi outside the city. Once Emily and Adelpha were side-by-side and on their knees before Heliena, Takeo finally released his sword.

  Abe relaxed as the blade left his throat, but Takeo immediately struck him in the head with the sword’s pommel.

  “No!” Adelpha screamed.

  Abe collapsed to the ground like a sack of behemoth meat, and his forehead bruised where the metal had struck him. Takeo calmly sheathed his sword and nodded to one of the humans who came over to collect Abe’s guns. The man wrapped them up in a cloth and then tucked them into a brown leather satchel. Meanwhile, Heliena, with a wicked grin plastered to her face, had walked up to her two prisoners.

  “Well, well,” she cooed. “Is that affection I hear, sister?”

  Emily and Adelpha turned to look at their hated enemy. Heliena was a beacon of physical beauty exceeded only by the angels. Her hair was cut short, and she still wore the customary amazon clothing—a studded leather vest and skirt. Her feet, as well, still bore leather sandals, though these were clearly newer, and she had her bow—her actual, fighting bow. Emily guessed the bow she’d used as a basilisk cage was either with Ichiro Katsu or, more than likely, with Count Drowin. Indeed, she looked every bit as she did the last time they’d met; only now her face was different. All the time Emily had known Heliena, she’d appeared a sad and frail creature with the occasional burst of confidence and skill. She stayed in the back of the group, spoke softly, and interjected rarely. She’d always appeared quite content to let Adelpha lead, and now Emily knew why.

  There were times, rare times to be sure, when Heliena’s true personality had shined clear. In battle, Heliena had expressed a confidence that Emily once envied. In anger, she’d burst out suddenly with seemingly no explanation. And once, when Emily had looked upon her, Heliena had looked back with hatred in her eyes.

  This Heliena, the cruel one with confidence and arrogance blended with fury and entitlement, was no longer hiding. She looked at Adelpha’s pain with pleasure and seemed to enjoy it even more when Adelpha cringed at being called her sister.

  “Don’t call me that,” Adelpha spat.

  “Oh, I don’t like it any more than you,” Heliena continued. “To think of someone with my own blood conjoining with filth makes my skin crawl. Not to mention the company you keep.”

  Heliena’s eyes swept toward Emily as she said that last part. Emily kept her eyes down though. It was all she could do to keep her anger in check. Hearing Heliena’s voice again brought back the memory of Emily’s last moment with Chara, and the rage that burned within her made it difficult to form any cohesive thoughts beyond insults.

  “You’re a monster,” Emily seethed through gritted teeth.

  “No, that minotaur I sent to kill you was a monster. My husband will be amazed you’re still alive, but somehow I knew the beast would fail. I’m happy for it, though, because now I’ll get to kill you myself. I was right to wait for you to foolishly come back to this city. And are you still angry at me for delivering justice to your grandmother? You hold a grudge like a centaur, Emily. You knew Chara for how long exactly? A few weeks?”

  “Try a few months,” Emily replied, louder this time. “And that doesn’t change the fact that she was my grandmother. And you are not one to speak of grudges. You didn’t even know your mother and yet you will kill your own sister over her.”

  Heliena’s hand came across Emily’s cheek with lightning speed, slapping her so hard that her head turned and the echo bounced off the stone walls around them.

  “DON’T YOU SPEAK OF MY MOTHER!”

  Emily’s cheek stung, but she clenched her jaw to refuse Heliena the pleasure of seeing her wince. Heliena responded by reaching down and grabbing Emily’s chin. She violently jerked Emily’s head back to look at her.

  “I swear, if you hadn’t stolen that wretched little leprechaun’s gold, I’d cut you into tiny pieces and feed you to these ogres.”

  Emily stayed silent, her mouth clenched tight by Heliena’s hand. She held the gaze, though, channeling every bit of defiance that her mother had ever granted her.

  “But you did.” Heliena seemed amused at Emily’s expression. “Not that I care about some smelly leprechaun’s gold, but I know a vampire who does. And so, when given the chance to come here and apprehend my sister personally, I just couldn’t resist.”

  Adelpha laughed. “Not killing anyone tonight, huh? I guess that means you’ve adjusted to your new leash. It seems like you’ve traded one commander for another, sister. You always were too weak to lead. I would have told you myself, but you seemed happier in ignorance.”

  Adelpha barely got that last part in before Heliena’s fist connected with her jaw.

  “Shut up!” Heliena screeched.

  “Hey, you can’t blame her,” Emily said. “She’s just speaking the truth.”

  Heliena paused for a moment and then kicked Emily to the ground.

  “You two don’t get it, do you?” Heliena screamed,
placing a foot on Emily’s chest to stop her from rising back up. “You think this is funny? Your pathetic attempt to kill me is over! I WIN! You lose! Both of you are going to DIE!”

  Heliena pulled her foot back and kicked Emily sharply in the side and stomach again and again with vicious strikes. Emily grunted with each blow but did her best not to cry out. The pain was nothing compared to basilisk poison—the memory of which burned brightly in her mind.

  “Leave her alone, you gutless harpy!” Adelpha yelled and then grunted as an ogre gave her another swift jab to the face.

  Heliena ignored her and bent over Emily, placing a knee into her stomach and leaning down with her beautiful smile. Emily coughed and tried to suck in air, but she found her lungs couldn’t move with Heliena on top of her. Emily’s chest began to scream for air.

  Heliena’s straight black hair cascaded down like a curtain over Emily’s freckled cheeks, tickling them slightly. “I’m going to be honest with you,” she whispered, feigning a concerned voice and running a silky, smooth hand through Emily’s brown, wavy hair. “My sister is going to die, and so are you. Not tonight, that much you can be sure of, but you will both be dead very soon. I’m taking my sister now, and tomorrow you’re going to deliver the gold you took to the tower, personally. You’re going to place it in Count Drowin’s hands, and then he’s going to rip out your heart. If you do that like a good little plains farmer, maybe we’ll let your brother live. No promises on that one though, but hey, there’s hope, right? I hear farmers just love to hope.”

  Emily was gasping for air at this point. Heliena’s knee made it impossible to breathe, and Emily’s anger made it difficult to think. With her arms tied behind her back, she couldn’t even get enough leverage to twist away.