The Complete Seven Sorcerers Trilogy

by Julius St. Clair

  “And how are we going to do that?” Milo asked.

  “I’m going to get close to Casimir,” Remi whispered, staring at him hard. “And we’re going to pay attention closely to everything he has to say.”

  “Still, it could be a long time before we’re even smart enough to take down a Sorcerer.”

  “Won’t know until we try,” Remi said, rising to her feet.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “I’ll be back,” she said as Kace came walking toward her.

  “What are you up to?” he said with a smile. She ignored his attempts at small talk.

  “What’s Casimir up to?”

  “He’s practicing with barriers. A main part of it is illusion, but he also employs pain to keep out the wandering stranger.”

  “Is it around him now?”

  “Yeah, I wouldn’t get too close. It really hurts.”

  “No worries,” she said as she continued on. Kace grabbed her free arm and she swiveled her head around to glare at him. “You don’t get to touch me like that again,” she said firmly. He let go as his eyes softened.

  “Sorry,” he said. “I was just protecting you.”

  “No more,” she said. “Like I’ve been saying since the beginning, I don’t need you to keep me safe. You need me. Listen, we have a lot to talk about, but now’s not the time. I need to talk to Casimir, and—”

  “—but he’s—”

  “—you don’t tell me what to do,” she snapped. “As of right now we don’t have a relationship. We’re not dating. We’re barely friends, and if you want to keep it that way, you’ll let me be.”

  “Fine,” he said, shaking his head. “But just so you know, I never meant to hurt you.”

  “I know,” she said. “And that’s the only reason we’re still talking. Now let me go talk to Casimir.”

  Kace walked off and she continued forward.

  Hitting the barrier was a strange sensation at first. Her mind was almost humming, telling her that danger was near and she should turn back. It was that feeling of being watched by a sinister force—unknown and full of terrible intentions. She knew it was lie, for she could see Casimir with his eyes closed and hands clasped, muttering inaudibly as the invisible barrier around him expanded.

  Without even taking a step forward, she found herself further inside, and it felt like her blood was beginning to boil. She was hit with vertigo. Her body began to sway against its will, but her will was still sharp. She told her body to stop. She commanded it to take a step forward. To defy all warnings and proceed, because it was the only way to get stronger.

  And it wasn’t out of pride. No, she had lost her pride a long time ago. It had died when she was still little and she had given up all hopes of ever finding peace in her life. This was different. She kept moving forward out of duty. Out of a sense of justice that extended beyond herself.

  To still be alive at this point was a miracle.

  And if she had a purpose out there that was deeper and more powerful than she had ever dreamed of, she was going to reach it. It didn’t matter what the Sorcerers could do. They could bleed just like her. She just had to find the right blade to break through their skin. And even if they did manage to kill her, at least they would think twice next time before they messed with lives that weren’t their own.

  They were stupid to write her off.

  They were blind if they didn’t fear her.

  She wasn’t strong at all by their standards, but that would change.

  Eventually she would gain their attention, but by then it would be too late. Like a plague, she would spread her influence, encouraging others to join in the fight. She would increase in number and overcome their strongholds with their collective might. She couldn’t be broken down physically for she had already been there. Her spirit couldn’t die for she knew who she was. Every death they forced upon her that contained the face of her friends—she would use it as fuel. She wouldn’t give up. She wouldn’t stop.

  For unlike the Mistress Dragon, she was able to sift through the voices of the dead.

  She had plenty of practice.

  The little boys that cried until they starved to death. The little girls that were preyed upon. The elderly that were treated like animals. She had seen people turn into ash and vanish right next to her. In the dead of night, when her illness kept her awake, she would hear their shrieks, and she would weep, knowing that there was little she could do in her current condition.

  But she was stronger now.

  And they would all recognize it.

  As she took another step forward, she could see Casimir’s eyes widen. He screamed for her to get back—she could see his lips moving. But she could not hear him. She refused to, for they only served to hold her back from increasing her potential.

  She bit her lip and tried to crush the pain surging up within her. She accepted it, for she knew that if she survived, she would already be one step closer to her goal.

  She lifted her head and glared at Casimir as she took another step. She was now only a few yards away.

  And he finally gave up warning her.

  He just watched.

  As she slowly made it through the barrier and out the other side.

  She collapsed at his feet and he stared at her in amazement, wondering who this creature before him was. And to his surprise, she didn’t faint. Instead, she climbed to her feet. She took a deep breath and then held it in her lungs until she was on both feet and eye level with him.

  Casimir didn’t say anything. He was in awe.

  There was absolutely no reason for her to go through the barrier like that, and yet, she had just done it, before his very eyes, and for a reason that he could only begin to fathom.

  Was she crazy?

  Remi didn’t say anything either. She looked into his eyes and waited for him to speak first.

  He searched her gaze, still trying to get over the feat she had just accomplished.

  He was beginning to see now.

  It was not the Dragon that the Sorcerers should have been trying to retrieve.

  It was her…the woman standing in front of him.

  Remi was dangerous.

  The Sorcerer’s Blade

  Book 3

  By

  Julius St. Clair

  Prologue

  Her name is Remi Fonteyn.

  Battling a life threatening sickness and a boring life, she now seeks purpose.

  And so, she ventures out into a beautiful yet dangerous world.

  During her journey,

  She has fought mercenaries, traitorous Sages, giants and mystical creatures.

  She acquired new friends, respect and found internal strength.

  But nothing was more shocking than learning the truth.

  She is not just a person.

  She is a weapon,

  Crafted by one of the Seven Sorcerers of Legend.

  And there are six others out there, just like her.

  Each weapon is powerful enough to have an effect on the upcoming war.

  A war between the three worlds: Paragon, Oblivion, and Terra.

  She is unsure if she can make a difference.

  But she won’t know until she tries.

  Accompanying her on her journey is:

  Kace, ex-boyfriend and puppet of the Sorcerers,

  Alicia, one of the Sorcerer weapons, full of fire and heart,

  Milo, inventor and friend,

  And Casimir, one of the seven all-powerful Sorcerers she sought to find.

  The war between the worlds has begun,

  And Remi’s time is short.

  But if she has any hope of saving the lives of those she loves

  She has to find the strength to persevere.

  The story continues on the edge of Paragon

  In a field hidden from the eyes of their enemies.

  Chapter 41 – Someone’s Memories

  Remi watched them with her undivided attention. Although s
he could hear what they were talking about clearly, she still wanted to learn all she could about Casimir—a young thirteen year old looking boy that had revealed himself to be one of the Seven Sorcerers. And not only that, he had also proven it as well. His power was beyond her comprehension, and she would do everything in her ability to glean from him. After all, there was no guarantee that he would be around for long.

  In the couple off days that they had been together, Casimir had spent nearly all of his time with Alicia, sorting through the memories of the dead to figure out if there were any clues to the other Sorcerers’ plans.

  “I don’t know if I want to do this anymore,” Alicia said as she swallowed and fidgeted on the grass. She sat cross-legged with her eyes closed, concentrating on the whispers in her head. It was a curse that Remi was grateful she didn’t have. Whenever Alicia killed someone, she absorbed their memories, and although the voices became whispers overtime, it still took its toll on her. For a woman that could transform into a dragon, it was disconcerting to see her so vulnerable. Casimir wasn’t just asking her to sort through those she killed, he was also asking her to give their voices more volume.

  “And what did he look like?” Casimir asked as he leaned in closer. Alicia raised her eyebrows and opened one eye.

  “Can you not be so close?” she asked as she leaned backwards in the grass. Her legs uncrossed and she stood to her feet, looking down at the young Sorcerer as if she was preparing to give him a scolding. “Listen, I’m tired. I think I’m done for today.”

  “Time is short,” he said matter-of-factly. “And I can guarantee that the Sorcerers are working just as hard as we are to locate you.”

  “I don’t even know if I can trust you,” she spat. “I don’t know anything about you.”

  “I saved your lives,” he said calmly. “Doesn’t that count for something?”

  “You’re the one that attracted Ember to our location. We were doing fine on our own.”

  “You were sitting in prison.”

  “That’s irrelevant,” Remi said, speaking up as she stood up from the grass. “The thing is, we have something you want, but we shouldn’t just give it to you for free.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Information,” Remi said. “I want you to tell us all you know about the Sorcerers.”

  “I can’t do that,” he said. “I mean, I wish I could…but if I tell you too much, it will jeopardize everything I’ve worked for. Imagine if you’re captured? They will extract the information they want out of you. That is a certainty. But I’m not evil. I want you to reveal what you know to me willingly, so that I can best use it to our advantage.”

  “I don’t even know for sure if you’re one of the good ones,” Remi replied, crossing her arms.

  “What must I do to prove it?”

  “You already know.”

  “Then we are at an impasse,” he sighed, standing with the rest of them. He was considerably shorter than them though, and Alicia looked like a giant by comparison.

  “Please,” Remi said, putting her arms back at her sides. She noticed that Milo appeared behind her. She didn’t know what he had been up to, but she was happy to see him there for support.

  “I can’t,” Casimir said with a blank face.

  Remi wasn’t ready to give up though. It wasn’t that she was done trusting people, but the fact that more often than not, they weren’t who they said they were. Back in the village, the adults would profess to know what was best for her—what food she should eat and what clothes to wear. They mapped out her path in life before she even knew how to dream, and she believed them wholeheartedly. She assumed they knew what was best for her as they were still alive in a harsh and unforgiving world, but as she got older, she began to see that many of them were in denial.

  They thought they had the answers but their lives weren’t proof of it. They still cried and struggled and cursed at the skies for their plight, all while telling each other that they shouldn’t be questioned. They should be trusted simply because they were old and she was young. How could she know any better than they?

  But even then, she didn’t resent them. She just recognized that she should take their advice with a grain of salt while she forged her own path. The moment they laid down the rocks, she would begin chipping away at them like wind, performing her own form of erosion until she saw the lit up path underneath. It had served her well, and so when she was old enough to outright challenge the notions that plagued their minds, she realized the truth.

  Most, not all, but most…didn’t have her best interests in mind at all. They enjoyed seeing her subjected to them. They liked the control. They relished in the pain that she felt and how sick she was because someone depended on them. They felt important.

  She did everything she could to take that away from them. And she had gotten this far on her own, so why rely on them now? Why put her fate in the hands of others?

  Even when Olivia betrayed her, she never fully trusted her again. Though it hurt to be attacked by her in Cimmerian, she had to admit that she should have seen it coming. Olivia was different than many in her village, but she was still able to integrate within the people in a way that Remi couldn’t. She knew how to play the game. The only difference was that she had learned how to wait—in order to position herself properly. Now she was with Cimmerian’s forces, promoted to who knows what position.

  Remi wouldn’t put her life into the hands of another again.

  She glared at Casimir. “You’re going to tell me what you know.”

  “Or what?” he said. He didn’t scoff or laugh, but the glint in his eye told her that he was skeptical.

  “I’m tired of people who think they’re so great and powerful, doing what they like with the rest of us like we’re pawns. I’m done. You either tell us what we want to know or take us back to Terra.”

  “I’m not doing that,” he said firmly.

  “Then we’re leaving.”

  “You can’t,” he said. “This whole area is barricaded by invisible barriers, and they are stronger than the kind you walked through a couple of days ago. It will surely kill you. But even if you do manage to get through, your friends might not be so lucky. Are you willing to leave them behind?”

  “You know I’m not.”

  “Then I don’t see how you can win this argument. On the other hand, by determining the other Sorcerers’ plans, you have a chance of success.”

  “Or you’re one step closer to becoming the most powerful one. For all I know, you’re all corrupt.”

  “That’s a chance that you’ll have to take.”

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, I won’t.”

  “I don’t see—” his voice cut short as he started blinking rapidly. Remi had reached over to Milo and grabbed one of his swords, hanging from his belt. Before he could protest, she placed the blade to her own throat.

  “Tell me what I want to know or I take my life.”

  “You won’t do it,” he said. “Your spirit is too strong.”

  “It shows how well we know each other,” she said, applying enough pressure to her throat to cause a thin line of blood to drip off the edge. “If I die, at least the pain will be over.”

  “You don’t know that. There might be more worlds beyond these three.”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised, but at this point, I think I’d rather be there than here.”

  “I am willing to call your bluff, but it doesn’t have to come to that.”

  “I see you’re worried. It’s because you know I’m the key to bringing all of this together. I’ve been searching for the Sorcerers the moment I heard about them and I even found one. You know that there’s a good chance that I can find the others, as well as where the other Sorcerers are hiding. If I die, you lose your shot. Alicia won’t tell you a thing, and you won’t be able to torture the information out of her either. She’s too strong for that. She has the uncanny ability to interact with her body in ways that you can
’t even imagine. She can kill herself at a moment’s notice if she wanted to.”

  “It’s true,” Alicia said from behind Casimir. “You can’t touch me. If you want to know what the dead are saying, you’ll have to listen to us first.”

  “I could grab that blade from your hands,” Casimir said flatly. “Before your muscles even twitch in the right direction.”

  “I’ll find a way. Even if it’s not today, it could be tomorrow. There’s no way that you can watch me all the time.”

  “You won’t do it.”

  Remi stared into his eyes. He was confident that she wouldn’t, but then again, he knew absolutely nothing about her. When people thought of her, they often thought of themselves and how they would do things. That was usually their biggest mistake.

  Remi slid the blade across her neck.

  Casimir’s eyes went wide and it was the most emotion she had ever seen coming from the young Sorcerer. But then the thought vanished as quickly as it appeared. She was already beginning to grow faint. Alicia rushed to her side and began rubbing some kind of salve over the wound. Remi tried to say how gross it was but she couldn’t speak.

  “This isn’t worth it,” Casimir said, stepping backwards slowly. “You’re insane.”

  “Where are you going?” Alicia barked at him and his eyes went even wider.

  “I thought I wanted to be involved, but not if this level of barbarianism is present. You’re getting part of your wish. I will leave you.”

  “Good riddance,” Alicia muttered as Casimir disappeared from view. What no one expected to see was a Cimmerian army appearing in the distance, just coming over the crest of a hill. “Where did they come from?” Alicia exclaimed. Although they were only tiny dots from where they stood, the enormous catapults that had taken down the Sage Academy were all too visible.

  “The invisible barriers might have hidden us and them, but either way, all I know is that we can’t stay here,” Milo said, reiterating what they were all thinking. “What’s the plan at this point? It’s not like we can catch Casimir if we want to go after him.”