“You told him?” Scarlet asked Remi in disbelief. Remi could barely respond as her white Sage robes and her eidolon vanished. Eckard came to her side as Olivia rubbed her head.
“She told me enough,” the stranger said. “And if you think only having one leg will stop me…” he rubbed his hands together. “You don’t even know what I can do yet!”
He pressed the palms of his hands on the bricks and the ground began to shake violently. Scarlet used her halberd to keep her upright as Eckard crouched low to maintain his balance. The buildings around them began to shake and in the distance cries of horror were heard.
“I’ll bring it all down!” he cackled as Scarlet sneered.
“Screw this,” she said. “I’ve survived through worse.”
Using her halberd for balance, she darted across the alley, and in one swift strike—she removed the head of the stranger.
The moment his head was severed, the quaking stopped.
“Scarlet,” Eckard began, but she held up a hand to shush him.
“I know,” she said, staring down at the decapitated stranger. “I know.” The halberd vanished and she sighed heavily.
“What do we do now?” he asked. She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes.
“We wait.”
“You don’t want to run? The Corps will be here any moment. With all of these witnesses, they’re sure to know who’s involved in this.”
“All the more reason to hold our ground.”
“This can’t end well.”
“Neither do I expect it too.”
“Scarlet, you can’t—”
“STOP RIGHT THERE!!!” a stocky man with an impressive paunch boomed as he appeared in the alley. A dozen men were behind him, dressed the same as he. They wore the same attire as any other citizen in Surmount, but the difference was the sash hanging from their shoulder down to their hip with the word “CORPS” emblazoned in red.
“We surrender,” Scarlet replied, holding up her hands.
“Damn right, you do,” he said, turning to his men. “Apprehend them all.”
***
Remi woke up in a hot dimly lit room. It was bare. There were no windows and there was only one door that had no doorknob. It was made entirely of bricks like the town, but she didn’t feel comfortable here. Not even when her eyes adjusted and she saw that everyone else was with her. She wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Kace was sitting up against the wall to her left, hunched over his knees. Olivia stood in the center of the room with her arms crossed. Eckard and Scarlet sat side by side to her right, cross-legged and patient. They had to have known what was going on more than anyone.
“She’s awake,” Olivia said, noticing movement coming from Remi. “Now can you tell us what’s going on?”
“We’re prisoners,” Scarlet said. “Because we broke a universal rule.”
“Which was?”
“We killed someone that wasn’t marked.”
“What does that mean?” Remi asked. Her voice was raspy.
“The war is going to happen, but not yet. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t moves to be made and preparation going on in the background. We live in a time where death means utter annihilation and so everyone’s scared. To ensure that there isn’t all-out chaos, the marking system has been implemented and agreed upon by both Paragon and Cimmerian. Every year, a hundred individuals may be targeted. Cimmerian may target a hundred people from Paragon and vice versa. These hundred are ‘marked,’ and what that means is that they can be killed without repercussions. Usually important people for each side are the ones targeted.”
“Why doesn’t someone just target the King of Paragon?” Kace asked.
“Because someone has to mark you, and no one’s going to make it to the King easily. I’m sure many have tried, but you would have to navigate through all of Paragon to get there. You can be assured that the King of Cimmerian has the same protections.”
“What did they put on me?” Remi asked.
“It’s the equivalent to being branded. The gel is mostly harmless but once it’s applied to skin, it sears it instantly, leaving a permanent mark. It was crafted by a Sage in Paragon so that others couldn’t heal and remove it, no matter how hard they tried.”
“So I’m stuck like this?”
“Afraid so. No one’s going to harm you here in the Corps station. But once you go outside…if anyone from Cimmerian sees you, they might go after you.”
“Special once again,” Olivia muttered. Kace sucked his teeth.
“If I was marked…that means Cimmerian or at least someone from Cimmerian knows about me.”
“I did say that us being watched was possible,” Scarlet said.
“There’s really no way to remove this?”
“Not that I know of. But you never know.”
“So what happens now?” Kace asked. “Now that someone without a mark has been killed?”
The door to the room opened wide with a creak and the man who had first addressed them earlier appeared. He wasn’t wearing his sash anymore, but they recognized him immediately. The large scar running across his face was identification enough.
“This doesn’t look good for you all,” he said truthfully, letting the door close behind him. “Everyone…please sit on the far wall.”
They all stood up and adjusted, sitting next to each other on the far wall so that the Corpsman could face them while maintaining some distance. He cleared his throat.
“My name is Redder, and I’m the chief of Surmount’s Corps. I’ve been part of this squad since the beginning…and I have never had to deal with a case like this. Do you understand what will happen if Cimmerian determines that Surmount was a part of this? If they believe that we’re trying to cover something up?”
“The war begins,” Scarlet said.
He nodded. “Yes. It will be the beginning of the end. And I’m especially cross because Surmount had nothing to do with this incident. It would be different if we had decided on this collectively, but that just isn’t the case. Do you know what this means?”
“There will have to be an exchange,” Scarlet said straight-faced. “Retribution.”
“That’s right. A trade. A life for a life. Nothing less will do. Now, I’m sorry to put you in this predicament, but a decision has to be made, and quickly. I’ll leave you be for a few minutes while you sort out who. I’ll be right back.”
Redder left the room, and once the door closed behind him, Scarlet started chuckling under her breath.
“What’s so funny?” Kace scoffed in disbelief. “This isn’t a laughing matter.”
“Just the irony of it all,” Scarlet said. “Before I died last time…I was in a cell, preparing to face my enemy. It’s just funny to me that even though I was given another chance at life, I would find myself in the same predicament.”
“You don’t know that they’ll kill you.”
“I would almost be offended if they didn’t.” Scarlet looked over to Olivia who had her head cast down towards the floor. Remi didn’t miss a beat. Was Scarlet trying to make Olivia her enemy? Though she was marked for death—once again—she was on the receiving end of her friend’s envy. It was a curse, but it was also a compliment. The mark said that she was important enough to be put onto a secret elite list. Olivia was simply another statistic.
“Who says it has to be Scarlet?” Eckard spoke up, but no one was eager to agree with him. “Scarlet’s a valuable ally to Paragon. Shouldn’t one of you take her place?”
“And who would that be?” Kace snapped. “Obviously it wouldn’t be Remi.”
Remi stared directly into Olivia’s eyes, waiting for her rebuttal, but she kept silent, instead keeping her gaze solely on Kace.
“It is an option,” she said finally. Scarlet shook her head no.
“I’m the one that killed him,” she said. “So it has to be me. Besides, there’s a better chance of me escaping. If I can break free, that’s not on Surm
ount. It would speak volumes to Cimmerian’s lack of security.”
“And what am I to do?” Eckard asked in exasperation.
“You’re to complete the mission,” Scarlet replied. “Get them to Paragon.”
“But I can’t do this without you.”
“Stop being a wuss. You already made it clear across Terra once. You can do it again.”
“I guess.”
“No one feels sorry for me,” she muttered. “I also want to do this. There’s someone I’ve been looking for…after I died I thought I would find my brother in Paradise, but I was wrong. So maybe he’s in Cimmerian. I have to find him…and make things right. My last words to him weren’t that pleasant.” She turned to Remi. “Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not strong. All that stuff I pulled earlier was to see how you would respond, and I still don’t know what to think, but I’ll let you in on a little secret that’s gotten me pretty far…don’t listen to anything people say about you. You know who you are. Just believe in that.
“Oh yeah, and one more thing…if you happen to run into someone named Catherine, please give her my thanks. She has curls in her hair, freckles on her cheeks…you’ll fall in love with her instantly, trust me.”
“Is she supposed to help us?” Eckard asked.
“I have no clue what she’s doing right now. But she’s definitely on Terra. Probably planning for the apocalypse.”
“Is there anything else?”
“Nah,” she said. “Just don’t cry for me. I’m not worth the tears.”
The door opened and Redder stepped back inside. “So?” he asked. “Have we reached a consensus?”
“It’s going to be me,” Scarlet declared. Redder nodded and rested his hands on his belly.
“It’s only fitting that the culprit pay for the crime.”
“I agree.”
“Then all of you come with me. When we reach the intersection, Miss Scarlet, you’ll be going to the right with me. The rest of you continue on to the left. You’re free to go.”
“Don’t worry,” Scarlet said to them as they proceeded on. “Cimmerian will try to get me to defect first. I’ll have ample time to escape. And Eckard, since Remi is marked, the longer you can keep her alive, the more you’ll be able to find out about Cimmerian’s future plans and possibly other marks that may be out there.”
“I’ll be observant,” he promised as they reached the intersection in the hallway.
“Farewell,” Scarlet said with a nod. “I’m not too good with good-byes.” She followed Redder to the right as Eckard gave off a heavy sigh.
“This isn’t good,” he muttered but Olivia wasn’t convinced.
“We’ll be fine,” she said. They continued walking down the hall until they eventually reached the exit. A guard was there to make sure they left, but otherwise, there was no one around. Remi started coughing the moment they went outside but she held up a hand to indicate that everything was okay. Kace patted her back and led her forward while Olivia hung back with Eckard.
“I hope she’s worth it,” Olivia said. “And that you’re right about her.”
“She’s worth it. Again, the fact that she released an eidolon in this atmosphere is very impressive.”
“Are you sure that’s an eidolon?”
“Of course it is. It looks like one.”
“But you don’t actually know.”
“Well, not 100% but I don’t know what else it could be.”
“Whatever you say.” Olivia picked up the pace as Eckard stood momentarily in the background, contemplating her words. A little doubt was all Olivia needed.
Chapter 9 – Who’s the Predator and Who’s the Prey?
“She’s burning up,” Olivia said, taking her hand away from Remi’s forehead. “And I’m not surprised, considering the strain her body’s been in.”
“Maybe your hand’s just hot,” Remi said, batting her away. “Stop worrying about me.”
“Would your rather we leave you behind?”
“Yes!” she shouted. “For the thousandth time, YES!”
“No one’s going to do that,” Kace replied, glancing around the forest they traveled through. The canopy of the trees were so high up in the air that it was as if they made up the sky, turning it from a baby blue to a hazy green. “You know the Quietus used to live around here? At least that’s what my parents told me. There was—”
“—I don’t want to see you like this,” Olivia said to Remi.
Remi shook her head. “Then maybe I’ll go off on my own!” she shouted.
“You can’t be serious,” Olivia said. Remi faced her, fevered face and all.
“Don’t come for me for at least an hour. You’ll see. I can handle myself.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Kace began but Olivia grabbed his arm.
“No, let her prove herself.”
“Stay away, Kace,” Remi demanded as she stumbled on. She was tired of it all. The pity. The coddling. Most of all, her body. She had done so much training and yet, it wasn’t enough. She wasn’t used to walking for most of the day and barely sleeping most of the night. She had worked extensively on her combat skills but none of it prepared her for a punch to the face. The bruises were swelling and taking way too long to heal. But she fought against the pain. Her willpower was working past its limits, struggling every moment to keep one foot in front of the other, but that was all she needed to keep going. Just one foot. Then the next. One foot. Then the next.
Remi took a deep breath and tried to remove her friends from the equation. If she truly wanted to know what it felt like to be alone, then that meant she had to be alert, and be aware of the hidden dangers. She couldn’t just stumble along knowing that her friends could intervene on her behalf if she got into trouble.
Remi thought about taking out her eidolon to assess her surroundings, but she decided to preserve her energy. Instead, she just kept her focus as sharp as possible. And instead of dwelling on the pain coming from within, she distracted her mind with what was on the outside.
It had been over a year since she had seen the lights of Paragon across the night sky, and now she yearned for them more than ever, even if the sun had just come up a few short hours ago.
She turned her attention to the birds tweeting in the trees, the rustle of the grass in the breeze and the warmth on her face. Spring was upon them all, and she hoped a new transformation within her would come with it. At the very least, she wouldn’t have to fight the cold anymore.
She looked behind her and saw that no one was following.
That was okay.
It would have made her sadder if she saw them running at her frantically, yelling about how she was going to hurt herself. That would have been worse. That would have spoken volumes of how weak they saw her.
But then again, perhaps their absence said something troubling as well.
That she was better off gone.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and continued walking on, trying her best to remove them from the recesses of their mind.
Better off gone.
It sounded horrible, but at the same time, it was all the more reason to prove just how powerful she could be. How the girl that had looked in the mirror and saw a warrior before her didn’t change. She would show them the truth.
Now she just had to figure out how to do it.
***
“I’m going after her,” Kace said, preparing to run. “You know we can’t leave her.”
Olivia gave off a frustrated sigh. “If you must. But me and Eckard are going on ahead.”
“That’s fine. We’ll catch up to you.” Kace took off running and Olivia rolled her eyes.
“Let’s keep moving,” she said, pulling at Eckard’s arm. He obeyed reluctantly as Olivia veered off to the right, away from where Kace and Remi were headed.
“What are we going to do while they’re gone?” Eckard asked.
“What do you mean? We’re moving on.”
“We could f
orage for some food while we wait. We haven’t eaten since the prison.”
“No, we’re going to keep moving. If they can’t catch up, then too bad.”
“That’s kind of harsh.”
“No, it’s reality. Keep up.” Olivia began sprinting past the trees, trying to put as much distance between her and Remi as possible. It wasn’t that she didn’t care for her. She was just ready for someone to notice her for a change. Now that she and Eckard were alone, she could talk to him without his eyes being glazed over, either thinking of Remi’s potential or worrying about her condition. She could finally have a conversation with another human being that didn’t revolve around her friend.
“So, what do you do for fun in Paragon?” Olivia huffed, coming to a sudden stop. Eckard glanced around them.
“Did you leave any markers for them?” he asked. “In case they need to find us?”
“What do you do for fun in Paragon?” she practically shouted.
Eckard winced and rubbed his right ear. “Since I work with the Sages, there’s not too much time for fun. We’re mainly preparing for the war.”
“But it’s been twenty years already and there’s still preparation going on. What if the war never starts? Have you ever thought about what you would do if that happens?”
“Not much,” he admitted. “But sometimes. Before I fall asleep at night.”
“And what do you think about?” Olivia asked, folding her arms.
“Same things I’m sure everyone thinks about. A place they can call their own. Perhaps a wife. I know children are out of the picture since the atmospheric conditions no longer allow it, and I have no desire to live on Terra just to have children so…it’s all wishful thinking.”
“No one amongst the Sages that you’re interested in?”
“They’re mostly a lot older than I am, or they already have a significant other. I’ve met a few girls in the past, but most of them are Originals. And I’m a Deja so…”
“So what?”
He burst out laughing. “I’m so confused.”
“About what?” she asked, taking a step closer to him.
The Complete Seven Sorcerers Trilogy Page 9
