“What are you talking about?” the doctor exclaimed.
Remi’s face was emotionless. “Things that you’ll never know about. Not as long as you live in that awful place.”
“Well,” Ember said, coming from behind the doctor, “that was an interesting conversation.” Before the doctor could see her, she grabbed the back of his neck and squeezed lightly. He folded as if he was made of putty. He hit the ground in a heap.
“It’s about time you showed yourself,” Remi yawned. “Are we done for today?”
“I’m not done,” Ember chuckled. “I’m going to chuck you into the midst of the town this time. See what they’ll do to you then.”
“Doesn’t matter. Been there. Done that.”
Ember sucked her teeth. “You’re really annoying, you know that?”
“Are we done playing?” Remi asked, shifting where she lay so that she could better glance at Ember. “I’m ready to become a weapon—what I was designed to be. Not a plaything for your amusement. We’re wasting time.”
Ember didn’t say anything. She stood there in silence, looking down at Remi with contempt. But finally, she reached down, and grabbed the center of Remi’s shirt. Lifting her high up in the air, above her head, Ember glared at her, and then they both disappeared.
In the blink of an eye, they were back on the island, and Remi fought everything within her not to sigh in relief as Ember threw her onto the sand. Doing so would have revealed just how terrified she had been, and Ember would have started the torture game all over again.
Defeating Ember required a steel mind, for the Sorceress relished in seeing her crack. The longer she stayed still and showed no signs of breaking, the more Ember doubted herself, and her own intuition. No matter how powerful Ember the Sorceress was, she still had doubts.
This was a crack of her own.
This was a weakness.
It meant that the Sorcerers could be defeated. All Remi needed was time—to get to know each one of them in order to find out how they could be overcome.
“I’ll be back,” Ember muttered, and she disappeared just as Remi turned herself over in the sand. She buried her face beneath the fine grains, and then she screamed silently. The granules entered her mouth and coated her tongue. They nestled in the creases of her skin as her face trembled. She dared not to let any other part of her body shake, just in case Ember was watching.
If she had ended up in her hometown, she would have died.
Even if not by the hands of its citizens, then eventually, it may have been her own. All she knew was that staying there until she died of illness or old age was not an option. She would have rather have been a slave. At least then she would have taken in new experiences and seen new lands. Being stagnant wasn’t an option.
Soon, Remi told herself. Soon it will be over.
But even she knew that she was only trying to comfort herself. She had no idea what Ember had next in store for her, how traumatizing it may be, and who she may have to become in order to endure it.
Chapter 46 – No Time to Waste
Remi hadn’t realized that she had fallen asleep, and even though it had probably been no more than a few minutes, she already felt more refreshed.
“What are you doing?” Ember asked as she lifted her face from the miniature sand mound. “Trying to suffocate yourself?”
Remi mumbled to herself as she tried to rid herself of the lingering slumber feeling. She blinked and was surprised to see a familiar face standing before her, only a few insignificant feet away. She didn’t know how much she missed him.
“Hey,” Milo said nervously. “I see you lost some weight.”
Remi laughed despite herself.
“Good to see that someone’s in good spirits,” Ember muttered as she laid Remi on her back in the sand. She then turned to Milo who nearly peed in his pants at the glare he received. “Fix her, but hurry up.”
“I will,” he promised, rushing to Remi’s side.
“I’ll get some food for you,” Ember said, staring out over the ocean. “I’ll be back soon. Don’t waste my time.”
The Sorceress disappeared from their sight, and Remi took in a breath of fresh air as Milo plopped down an iron box by her head.
“These arms and legs won’t be the best, but you’ll have your mobility.”
“She’s a psycho,” Remi said, not caring who heard her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I don’t have much of a choice.”
“Well, how did she find you?”
“I was looking for you,” he said. “I told Alicia that she should hide somewhere without my knowledge, and then I would try to find you. If you needed repairs, I knew you would come looking for me. I didn’t know that I would end up meeting a Sorceress instead.”
“Did she hurt you?” Remi asked angrily.
“No, she was gentle, besides the couple of threats here and there. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“You really shouldn’t be here. The loss of my limbs are the least of my worries. She’s mentally unstable.”
“I have a job to do,” he said, opening the iron box after he had conducted his examination. “And I intend on doing it.”
“Did she say anything about what her plans are with me?”
“I think she means to train you.”
“I wanted that at first,” Remi sighed, staring up at the sky. “I’m not so sure now.”
“Isn’t it what you came for? Actually, isn’t this better? Getting training from a Sorcerer has to be more desirable than outright fighting one blindly.”
“I’m a little…I’m scared of what her training will entail.”
“I’m sure it’s going to suck,” Milo said flatly. “She gave me the impression that these won’t be the last pair of legs and arms I’ll be crafting. That’s why I made sure to give her a list of materials. While you’re training, I’ll be designing the next set.”
“Milo…you want this? To be here, I mean.”
“If I didn’t, I would have went home with Ian and Harlan.”
Those names already sounded foreign to her. It took her a moment to remember who they were. “I wonder what they’re doing right now.”
“Probably sitting in their houses, sipping tea and discussing the latest gossip.”
“You don’t think they’re concerned about what’s going on down there? The war started.”
“Doesn’t matter. The Paragon officials will keep the people in the dark for as long as possible.”
“But why? What’s the point? They’ll be unprepared.”
“There’s something special about being ignorant,” he said as he began cleaning the stump on her left leg with a wet rag, soaking in a solvent that made her nose wrinkle. “The more you learn about what’s really going on in the world, the sadder it all gets. In a way, I actually envy those in Paragon.”
“Aren’t you from Paragon though?”
“Yep,” he said, but he didn’t elaborate. Remi wasn’t sure if she should ask since he was trying to concentrate. “Listen, don’t worry about me,” he said. “Take care of yourself. Ember won’t hurt me unless you allow it, so all that means is that you have to get stronger than her, doesn’t it?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“This is what you wanted,” Milo said. “This is what we’ve been searching for. Don’t squander this opportunity. If there’s any hope of saving humanity from the Sorcerers, the time is now. You up for it?”
“Yeah,” Remi said. She didn’t hesitate. She had made it this far. She would see it through to the end.
***
“They look good,” Ember nodded as Milo secured the final screw. “You can really move in those things?”
“Yeah,” Remi winced, using her hands for support. She was on all fours, but suddenly she threw her left leg out and now she was on one knee. Slowly rising to her artificial feet, she took a deep breath and focused only on keeping her balance. Now she had to compensate for another leg gone, but it was nothin
g she wouldn’t be able to handle in time.
“I only attached one of your arms to your nerves,” Milo said. “You can only summon your eidolon through your right arm. Remember that. The reason I did that is because I’m assuming these limbs won’t be the final product.”
“That’s something you should definitely be working on though,” Ember said. “We might have to get moving in a second’s notice, and I don’t want her running around with only her right arm able to do anything.”
“I want to be able to do more than use my eidolon,” Remi declared, stretching her arms out and making little circles in the air. “It’s time I removed that crutch.”
“Good,” Ember replied, crossing her arms. “Because that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
“I have to get used to this,” Remi said, bending down to touch her toes with the tips of her wooden fingers.
“The final product will be steel,” Milo said. “Perhaps something better depending on what Ember brings me.”
“I’ll present you with the best the worlds have to offer,” Ember said. “As long as this training proves fruitful. Like I said, I don’t want to waste my time.”
“I’ll do my best,” Remi said. “When are you ready to begin?”
“Right now,” Ember said, unfolding her arms. “Get your weapon ready, or whatever you intend to use.”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for over a month,” Remi said.
Ember sighed. “Yes, Milo must really get faster at the repairs.”
“Sorry,” he blushed. “I’m improving though.”
“Let’s see,” Ember said. Her diamond gauntlets began to form around her fists as she clenched them. “How will you defend yourself? Especially if you won’t use an eidolon?”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“We don’t have time for you to figure things out. We need results. You can train without an eidolon on your own time. For now, give me what you’ve got.”
Remi nodded and unsheathed her eidolon, summoning it into her right hand. Ember immediately chopped it in half with a swipe of her hand.
“Pathetic,” she snapped. “Try harder.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Eidolons are tied to your will, right? Why isn’t it stronger?”
“You’re a Sorcerer.”
“And what does that mean to you? Really, I think this is the first time my title has ever given you pause, and that concerns me.”
“You’re right. My mistake,” Remi said as she shut her eyes and concentrated more on the density of her blade. Ember had nearly seen through her and her fear, and if the Sorceress deemed her worthless, she would be cast aside or worse. That crack in her armor could not appear again.
“Your will has to be stronger than a Sorcerer’s,” Ember replied, waiting for Remi to complete her concentration. “And that will be a hard thing to accomplish, considering that we’re so powerful that our confidence is nearly overflowing. You have to have the same level of trust in your abilities, and I’m not sure if you’ll be able to do that considering your history. Your health issues and all.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Remi said adamantly.
“Are you sure?” Ember scoffed. “Are you sure that you can make that same statement if someone locks you away on Terra for a few years and then thrusts you into battle?”
“Everyone would be weak in that scenario,” Remi said, snapping her eyes open. “And why does everyone keep talking about me and Terra? As if that place is my weakness. No, my weakness is my own doubts, nothing more.”
“Exactly,” Ember said calmly. “Now remember that.”
“Here,” Remi said. A flash of light erupted from the palm of her hand and spread across the horizon like a shockwave. Milo groaned as he fell to his knees, clutching his eyes. Remi’s gaze wasn’t affected as she was the summoner, but she noticed that Ember’s wasn’t either.
“Let’s see,” Ember said as she pointed at the Falchion blade. Slowly, she pressed the tip of her finger against it and pushed. Remi could feel the strain and she grit her teeth as Ember continued her small-scale assault. Remi didn’t pour more energy into it to pretend that it was stronger than it was. She just trusted that she had done her job.
“Hmmm,” Ember mused. “Well, it didn’t crack. That’s a good sign. Now hit me with it. Kill strike please.”
“What if it kills you though?”
“Wouldn’t you be so lucky. But trust me, it won’t. It’s a stronger blade by the Sage’s standards, but it’s far from completion.”
“Then how will I take down Sorcerers?”
“First of all, you’re to be my shadow, taking on more of a stealth role. I’m not training you to outright fight Sorcerers head on. That would be suicide, and a waste of my time. Second, you’re the one that said you won’t be using eidolons. This was just a test of your will, not an inspection of your arsenal. Put that thing away.”
“What about the kill strike?”
“I changed my mind. I want you to figure out how you’re going to be fighting our enemies first. Then we can train together.”
“Okay,” Remi said in disappointment.
“Just so you both know,” Ember said, looking at Milo. “I’ll be looking for Alicia in the meantime. I may be gone a few days, it might be no more than a couple hours. But either way, you need to be ready when I get back. In every session from here on out, I will break her spirit. That is my only goal,” she paused and turned to look at Remi. “It’s the only way you have any hope of surviving, and of being of any use to me.”
Ember disappeared and Milo sighed in relief.
“Ah, there’s my balls,” he said. “I didn’t know they could fold up inside of me like that.”
“Nice,” Remi replied, plopping down on her butt in the sand. Milo walked over and sat down next to her.
“Any ideas?” he asked her, but all she could do was shake her head.
“None that I can think of at the moment. But I’ll be prepared. I have to be. I have to think outside the box. The Sages…back when the Academy was first established on Terra, they would naturally gain a support, defense, and attack ability. That seems to have gone extinct as the years have gone by. Now, all one cares about is their eidolons. Perhaps I can start there. I can see what kind of abilities I might have gained just by allowing my soul to expose itself to the world.”
“Wouldn’t your armor be your defensive ability?”
“Maybe,” she said. “Milo, I want you to create weapons as well as new limbs for me. The best you can possibly make. It’s not just our lives on the line here. It’s the fate of humanity as we know it. We both have to do our part.”
Chapter 47 – We Can Rebuild Her
Remi put the thought of defeating Sorcerers out of her mind. After all, she had to walk before she could run, and so preparing her resolve and her body was the most important thing. She didn’t think about when Ember would return.
Even when she was exhausted, she would continue to run along her self-made track in the sand, punch and kick at the air, or hone her combative skills by thinking of ways she had seen others fight. She poured over the notes in her head—of all the advice she had received from James and Catherine and the others in the little time she was back at the Academy.
She decided not to try to invent new techniques, because she realized that it was a waste of time, and she was setting herself up for failure. Ember was the one that had a vast library of knowledge inside her mind—of techniques she had seen, used, and watched other Sorcerers implement. She could tell Remi what would work against the Sorcerers and by default, she would gain invaluable skills against those on the three worlds.
For now, pushing her body past its limits was most important. The higher her tolerance for pain, the more her body would be able to keep functioning, and the healthier she would become. She had to think of it as a relationship. The more attention she gave her body, the more it would give her back in return when she needed
it.
Ember was right. Once the battle between the Sorcerers truly kicked off, there would be no time for training.
“Push-ups?” Ember chuckled, appearing behind her. “Really? That’s your training?”
“I need to get ready,” Remi said, pushing herself down into the sand once again. “My body needs to be ready.”
“For what exactly?”
“For the techniques you’re going to teach me,” Remi said, climbing to her feet. She could hear Milo banging on something in the distance. Since he was far enough away, she could speak plainly to Ember without fear of her using him as leverage.
“I’m going to teach you?” Ember raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve been holding back. Those diamond gauntlets of yours? They’re more for show than anything. They’re strong and cool and all, but you’re a Sorcerer. You know a lot more than you’re letting on.”
“It seems I’ve given you too much time to think.”
“I’ve been preparing to receive the knowledge that you’ll be giving me.”
“Some techniques are far beyond any human.”
“I’m not talking about those…yet. But you have to give me something that will help stand out from the crowd. Listen,” Remi took a chance and reached out to grab Ember’s shoulder. The Sorcerer’s eyes went wide in rage, but she didn’t move. Remi tried not to make the situation too awkward. “Listen, Ember, I’ve forgiven you for the torture you put me through. I know it’s only because you’re desperate. It seems like you’re trying to catch up to the rest of the Sorcerers, and you’re not sure what the best path is. Well, I’m desperate too, and if there’s one thing you should remember about me, it’s to never, ever, bet against me. By working together, we’ll be a formidable force.”
The Complete Seven Sorcerers Trilogy Page 44
