“Unless he plans on killing everyone there,” Ember said.
The entire group stared at her in awe.
“Why would he do that?” Remi asked. “He would jeopardize all the planning and infiltration he put into his plans.”
“This might be the end of the plan. Think about it. The Sorcerers are all people that want to stay in the background. If they are down there mingling with the three worlds, then they are in positions of authority—generals, kings, queens. They’re not going to turn themselves into foot soldiers and stay that way. It’s a waste of time. I’m telling you. If there is a Sorcerer down there fighting, he plans on destroying everyone there. It might be a battle between high officials or something. Who knows? Either way, it’s a massacre.”
“Then take us down right now!” Remi shouted.
Chapter 50 – What We Fear
She didn’t ask where they were going to be dropped off, only that it be done, and already that was her first mistake. Remi found herself in a tree with Ember, with the Sorcerer’s hand leaving the back of her collar. She hadn’t even realized that Ember had grabbed her.
“Where are the others?” Remi whispered but Ember put a finger up to her lips and shook her head. Remi nodded and reached out to slowly part some of the thick tree branches in front of her. What was going on with the environment? Wasn’t it winter on Terra now? Or had she lost count of the days and seasons? The air certainly had that crisp chill. And she could see snow on the ground down below, yet the trees still had all of their leaves.
Remi kept her breathing at a minimum, trying to determine how the silent, abandoned landscape below counted as a battle when she heard a sloshing sound several yards away. A rustling in the trees echoed throughout the forest, and then a limp body fell out of the canopy—a trail of free-falling blood right behind him. The mysterious man’s back hit the ground and the wind was knocked out of him as he held his bleeding stomach. He groaned only for a second, and then his head was lobbed off, rolling to the side of his body. Snowflakes began to descend from the skies.
Remi swallowed hard. She hadn’t even seen who had decapitated him. This was no ordinary battle. There could be hundreds of enemies nearby, all of them in the trees, waiting for signs of movement. She dared not give away her position.
She craned her neck to the left and tried to look through the leaves to see who was next to her on the other side. She was shocked to see that it was a Cimmerian soldier, so nervous that his entire body was shaking. Before she could decide what to do, a blade exploded from his chest. Her eyes followed the owner of the sword and saw that it was a Delilah, evident by the goggles that he wore—large, round ovals that were tinted blue. The Delilah vanished from her sight and the Cimmerian soldier fell to the snow below, rocking the branch they had both been sitting on.
Remi took a chance. She used the branch’s movement to move on her own, adjusting her crouching stance and getting a better lookout position. Ember shook her head.
“Without Pedro,” Remi whispered—barely audible. “We can’t find out who’s the Sorcerer and who’s not.”
“Why are you—” Ember was interrupted as another body fell from the forest canopy. “Why are you talking? We’ll be found out.”
“As long as it’s a Delilah, I’ll be fine. I have an idea.”
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
“We’re not going to accomplish anything by waiting. Nothing is happening. They’re just playing a game of assassins. I used to watch the kids in my town play it when we were young. If someone finds me, it’s not like I have to stay still and take it.”
“For our sakes, I hope you do.”
“Don’t be scared. One way or another, we’ll have to fight the Sorcerer here. I’ll be bait…HEY!” she shouted so loudly that she scared a couple birds. They flew up to the sky in a frenzy, but not a human soul answered her call. For her to be so bold, and give her position away so readily—she couldn’t be scared. They were all wondering who the culprit was.
And she was ready to give them a face.
Remi leapt down from her branch, leaving Ember behind. Her feet hit the snow which was up to her ankles, and she took a deep breath of the clean air. She placed her right hand on her sword and glanced down for a second to confirm that she had a hold. Given that her limbs were all artificial, she couldn’t go by touch anymore.
The silence ensued. No one wanted to make a move, yet all had their eyes fixed upon her. She was sure this would give the Blade the time he needed to pinpoint where the Sorcerer was. Remi cleared her throat and began pacing in the snow, taking out her sword and tapping it against the trees she walked past. Still no sounds. No movement.
“Come on!” she shouted. “This is getting boring.”
She felt the hairs go up on the back of her neck, and she spun around just in time to cut through the blade of a Cimmerian soldier’s with her own. With his sword cut in half, he turned around and began running. She let him go. A second later, another soldier tried to take her out by leaping down on top of her. She side-stepped his attempt and then hacked off one of his arms. He howled and nursed his gaping wound, deciding to retreat as well.
Though they were nothing but fodder trying to take her life, at least the rest of those watching from the treetops would know that she meant business.
She felt her confidence begin to swell, but it didn’t last long. The forest around her suddenly shook to the left, and to the right, as if a giant had slammed its meaty palm on the treetops. It sounded like an explosion had gone off, and memories of the Sage Academy falling came to mind. Remi began to sweat as the forest became eerily quiet again, and then the bodies began to fall around her.
Bodies and a downpour of blood, covering the snow at her feet. Remi stepped around the human debris as they fell in groups around her—all of them possessing the same wounds from their chests. There were hundreds of them coming down and it seemed like there was no end in sight.
Death literally rained down upon her and she felt it coming ever so closer to her.
Whatever had caused such an atrocity could only be a Sorcerer, and one that was much stronger than Ember. How had he killed so many so quickly? So cold?
Remi readied her blade and tried to keep her focus and senses sharp as she summoned her white Sage robe. There was no time to play. She needed every ounce of extra energy she could muster.
Her eyes darted back and forth between the bodies, wondering if any of them were Alicia, Pedro or Ember. She hoped that Pedro had been smart enough to take Alicia to a further location, and that Ember had seen the attack coming so that she moved.
But would she though? Would she see the attack coming before it was too late?
The bodies stopped falling.
The rain of blood ceased.
Silence once again descended across the land.
Until a voice broke the tranquility.
“Remi,” the voice said. Calm, confident, smug. Before she even turned around, she didn’t like the guy.
“Hello,” he said as she looked at the man in front of her. He was handsome and suave. He wore a black vest over a black dress shirt and his pants were no less vibrant. His hair was cut short and patted to the side. His eyes were large and full of life and his lips were thin. He wore a pair of Delilah goggles that hung from his neck, and in his hands were two scimitar shaped swords. There was still fresh blood on them, dripping along the edges.
“Do I know you?” she asked, though she already knew the answer.
“Afraid not. But I know you.” He was speaking in a friendly manner, but she could sense the danger emanating off of him…if the blood on his swords weren’t a dead giveaway.
“I’m just a simple girl.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” he replied, his eyes getting wider and filling up with curiosity. “You’ve been running around looking for the weapons. I even heard that you found one. The elusive Dragon.”
“You can’t always believe what you hear,” she wi
nked at him.
“You’re not scared of me?” he asked, not blinking.
“Do I have a reason to be? You seem nice enough.”
“Then why is your hand clutching your sword so tight?”
“Because it’s artificial,” she said quickly. “I don’t even know if I’m touching it.”
“But why go for the sword at all,” he asked, still not blinking.
“Because a girl can’t be too careful in these parts.”
“Yes, yes,” he said, with a nod. “And what is a girl like you doing in these parts? You know that there’s a battle here, right?”
“Seems like that battle ended to me. Was…was that you?”
“It was,” he said, smiling slightly. “I’m glad you noticed my handiwork. I’m quite fast.”
“Where’d you learn such skills,” she said playfully.
He wasn’t amused. “Why are you here, Remi?” he said, his face contorting into a scowl. “You’re not here for me, are you?”
“I don’t even know who you are.”
“I’m Brace,” he replied. “And…why are we playing around. You know who I am. I’m one of the seven Sorcerers.”
Remi was shocked by how easily he gave up the information. It was like his demeanor had completely changed. Why was he so serious now?
“What does that mean to me?” she asked.
He grunted and she could see his jaw visibly clenching. “You could only be here for two reasons. To kill me or to try to get me to join you, and you wouldn’t do either without help. I heard you aligned yourself with Ember.”
“If you can call it that. She tortured me, and she’s the one that cut off my last leg.”
“But somewhere along the line, you made an agreement. Found some common ground. I don’t like that.”
“So you wouldn’t join me if I asked?”
“Of course not,” he spat. “I work alone. I don’t need anyone else.”
“Then I’m sorry I bothered you,” she said, beginning to turn. “I’ll just be on my way.”
“Hold up,” he said, pointing the tip of his blade toward her. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re going to tell me what I want to know, and then I’m going to kill you. That’s how this ends.”
Remi sighed and faced him. “I can’t die. Not today. There’s still so much I have to do.”
“That doesn’t matter. Where’s Ember?”
“She’s not here,” Remi lied. “But I am.”
“What does that mean?” he asked in disgust.
Remi smiled. It was the last thing she should have done in the presence of a Sorcerer, but she was beginning to feel it now.
The changes.
The fruits of her training were beginning to manifest as time caught up with her.
She could feel her muscles beginning to expand. Her hair was growing longer. She could feel her heart begin to race as adrenaline surged through her like a dam that had just been obliterated. She was feeling so good that she even considered the unthinkable.
Could she take on a Sorcerer?
“Are you my Sorcerer?” she asked suddenly. The question caught him off guard, and she didn’t care for the answer. She unsheathed her sword in the blink of an eye and summoned her eidolon at the same time through the same hand. The eidolon fused with the sword and the two became one. Twice as powerful than if they were alone.
As she swung her sword with all her speed and strength, she poured her will and energy into the blade, making it thick and dense.
Brace held up a hand instinctively to block it entirely with his sword, but Remi’s blade sliced clean through his hand, severing half of it and casting it with one of his swords into the snow below. He roared in pain and attempted to stab her, but she parried the blow and elbowed him in the face with her free hand. He cried out and clutched his nose with his once severed hand—now complete. It had healed so fast it was as if nothing had happened.
Remi continued her attack, but Brace was furious now. He had been humiliated and caught off guard. He had underestimated her as many tended to do, but unlike the others, he would rectify the problem. There was no cutting him without consequences.
“DIE!” he shrieked as he slashed at her with his sword. She narrowly dodged it with a step back, and she didn’t see his counter.
His blade nicked her on her right side on his back swing and she leapt backwards as far as possible. She prepared to engage him again when she heard shouts amongst the trees.
“What now?” she muttered as Brace glared at her. He sucked his teeth and sheathed his sword, then he walked over to his other sword that had been taken from him earlier, picked it up, and sheathed that too.
“Giving up?” she said to him as her arm expanded a little more size, pushing the limits of her sleeves. Just how strong had she gotten?
“Not at all,” he replied. “If I were you, I would use this chance to escape. It’s not often that someone superior to you will let you live. Someday, you will face someone stronger than you to the bitter end.”
“Why? What’s happening here? Who’s coming?”
“That’s not for you to worry about.”
“They’re your people, aren’t they?” she asked, pointing to the goggles around his neck. “The Delilah are coming.”
“Paragon and Cimmerian backup as well. The assassins often act as scouting parties. Now the real battle begins, and I don’t want to see your face when it does.”
“And if I refuse?” she said defiantly. Her sword/eidolon hybrid still shone brightly in her hand.
“Then I will be forced to kill everyone,” he declared. The statement sent a shudder down Remi’s spine. He wasn’t bluffing. He had already killed hundreds. What’s a hundred more?
“Then I’ll stop you.”
“No, you won’t,” he said. “You may deter me for a bit, but that is all. Know this. The only reason I curbed my strength against you is because I wasn’t completely sure of who else was watching us, whether it was your allies or mine. But if you force my hand, I will do what I have to do.”
“You’ll kill them anyways.”
“Do you really want to stay and take the chance?”
“General!” a young man shouted, rushing to his side. The Delilah had arrived first, but she could already hear the stampede of Cimmerian and Paragon armies heading their way. Time was short.
“General! What happened here?!” the young man asked as his men came to a halt behind him.
“Still your heart, Ron,” the Sorcerer said. “I think the worst is past. I came after the massacre, but I surmised that this is the work of a great warrior. Perhaps a Sage.”
“A Sage couldn’t do this…not this much damage so quickly. We were barely ten minutes out.”
“There might be more Sages on the level of James out there that we don’t know about.”
“Is she the one?” Ron asked, pointing at Remi. The men behind him reached down to their sides and produced a weapon that Remi had never seen before. It wasn’t a sword in design. It looked more like a miniature cannon or perhaps a harpoon launcher. Something of that nature. She could see that something was nestled deep inside the tunnel of each weapon, ready to fire at her at will. Projectiles? Arrows?
“I believe she is,” Brace said with a sly smile. “I was interrogating her, and it appears that she was the only survivor of this tragedy.”
“Put your hands up!” Ron ordered, but Remi didn’t budge.
“He’s a Sorcerer!” Remi shouted. “And he’s the one that killed everyone here!”
“Why would be believe you?” Ron spat. “There’s not even proof that the Sorcerers exist.”
“It’s true,” Ember said from behind them all. Brace’s smug expression immediately fell the moment he saw her.
“What are you—”
“I’m here to take your portion of the power,” Ember said with a grin. “It’s up to you how that happens.”
“You’ve given away your position,” he said. “That’
s stupid of you.”
“You’ve been waiting for me to show myself since you saw Remi. I’m not stupid. It’s better this way. We have more allies. Once the Delilah see what you are, they’ll be on our side.”
Brace growled as more Delilah began backing up Ron and his company. At his order, they raised their guns, although no one was sure who to shoot.
“Go ahead,” Ember goaded him. “Show them what you are. What you can do.”
“Damn you,” he said. And then he disappeared in a second. Ron’s head was gone in the next, and his men started shooting blindly. Remi leapt to the snow and crawled as the bullets hailed around them. Ember had vanished as well, and Remi was sure that the two of them were fighting at lightning speed. She could hear the sounds of trees being crashing down in the distance.
“STOP THAT!” Remi shouted when the volley of bullets continued. The weapons ceased and Remi leapt to her feet. “They’re distracted with each other for now, but we have to get out of here. Maybe warn the other armies.”
“The other armies?!” another young man cried. The gun in his hand was trembling so profusely that it looked like it was about to pop out of his grip.
“What’s your name?” Remi demanded.
“Adam.”
“Well, Adam, I want you and your men to do what I say.”
“But I’m supposed to be in charge next,” another boy said.
“IT DOESN’T MATTER!” Remi shouted at him. She turned back to Adam. “Listen, you’re going to help me warn the other armies, or what happened here is going to repeat if my friend loses.”
“You’re friends with a Sorcerer?”
“For now,” she sighed, removing the energy from around her eidolon and then sheathing the blade itself. “But what matters most is that we save everyone else. It doesn’t matter if they’re your enemy. The Sorcerers are the real threat. Nothing else matters. Even this war…it’s all being orchestrated by them.”
“But how can I trust you? You could be one of them.”
“I’m the one not killing you,” she said. “How’s that?”
The Complete Seven Sorcerers Trilogy Page 48
