by CY Jones
Meow, Mr. Meow whines and I glare down at my elusive cat. About time you showed up. Do you have any idea how long I have been walking around in circles out here? I could have been eaten by a bear. And then who would buy you that expensive cat food you like so much, huh?
Meow. No, Quinn would not. He’d likely attach a leash on you and use you like a bloodhound to track my body down.
Mr. Meow does what’s equivalent to a kitty eye roll and I fight back my urge to strangle the cat, but I refrain, biting down hard and clenching my jaw. He’s my way out of here. Besides, I like to think of myself as a responsible pet owner, even though my pet can be a major asshole. Do you know how to get back? I’m cold and hungry and I want to go home.
Meow.
Yes, I’m whining, damn it.
Without another word, he takes off, and with little choice, I follow. He’s the only shot I have to get out of here. We head deeper into the woods and it kind of reminds me of the swamp those two idjits tried to murder me in with the loud sounds of the forest life around me. It’s super dark too. Any light for the stars snuffed out from the thick foliage, making it hard to follow Mr. Meow’s dark coat. Fireflies dance around us and somewhere above me, an owl hoots. I can hear critters in the underbrush littered all over the ground and I try not to worry about the loud rustling noises coming from the bushes or its cause. Just like I don’t know where I am, I have no clue what predators use this forest as their hunting ground. Just so you know, if I get eaten, I’m coming back as a dog and hunting your furry behind down, I threaten Mr. Meow and he flicks his tail, letting me know he heard me, still trotting onward, sure of his destination.
After a while, I start to hear what sounds like water, but it's too strong to be just a stream. The further we walk, the louder it gets. Like a roar, until we break through a thick cover of trees and low and behold, in front of me is a rushing waterfall. “This is not the academy,” I tell the cat, but it is something. The headmaster did say there was a waterfall not that far from the academy with a hidden cave. I know I’m directionally challenged, but how far is not too far to him? I’m certain we’re many miles away from the academy.
There’s nowhere to go but backwards, but my trusty furry guide has other ideas as he plays leapfrog and hops across the rocks toward the falling water. Mr. Meow, where the duckery are you going? I’m trying to be nice here and steer away from cuss words or snatching the cat and chucking him in the water.
Following the furry asshole, because he’s definitely not listening to me, I hop from one rock easily on graceful feet to the other until I get to the base of the flow of water. The headmaster said with the full moon I should be able to pass through. Mr. Meow has already moved on and left me behind, disappearing somewhere in the water. I don’t see a furry lump floating and the moon is full, so it must be safe… Hopefully… Please, be safe. Closing my eyes, I make a jump for it, bracing to hit freezing cold water, but my feet land on hard ground and I’m completely dry.
Well, fuck me. Guess the old man was right, I murmur to myself, relieved. Behind the waterfall is a cave. A dark one, probably filled with bats and creepy crawly things. Not quite the enchanted site I was picturing in my head. Yes, I know it’s a cave, but I thought, with it being enchanted and all, it would be more like the library. So far, I’m not getting the enchanted vibe, but caveman, cave dweller. Now what? I ask Mr. Meow, but he has already trotted off and I nearly miss his furry butt turning the corner.
It’s completely dark, but I guess I should thank the magic filled in this place that I can see clearly like I have on a pair of night vision goggles. I have no trouble following Mr. Meow through every dip and bend of the cave, even at his fast pace. My senses are even sharper in here and more enhanced. I can smell the minerals in the rocks and the earth surrounding us. I can even feel the magic of this place, surrounding me in a thick cloud, causing the hair on my arms to stand on its ends like I’ve been executed.
There’s something to say about sacred grounds. It's like an unexplainable feeling that can never be repeated. I forget about the creepy crawlies, opening my eyes wide to be able to play witness to such an experience. Soon, I pick up the collective chant of voices and I follow the sound. All the things I was expecting to see, I did not think I’d run into Zion and friends. They’re all here. The five most powerful heirs all gathered in one place.
Summit yourself to my will and reason. Answer me and hear my call. Your mark empowers me. I am your chosen. Champions of the past, current, and future, hear me, yield to me, and accept me as your master.
I get there at the tail end of their little incantation, more confused as ever. From the corner of my eye, I spot Mr. Meow perched on the edge of a transition of boulders. Suddenly, he leaps off, flying through the air, and barrels right into me and digs his claws into my back. I yelp more from shock than the pain and am pushed forward into their binding sigil of their circle. I can’t move, not even when Zion’s blazing eyes land on mine with absolute fury. Whatever they’re doing here, it’s clear I was not invited, but it’s too late now as I can’t lift a foot to leave.
My voice is taken from me as the sigil under us starts to glow and I look around at the others, terrified. I’ve never, in my entire nineteen years, ever felt anything so powerful. The twins look at me in fear, Kirito amused, Milo’s face is the hardest to read because it’s void of expression, but unlike the others, he doesn’t seem surprised to see me here. Is he the one that dumped me in the forest?
The glowing gets brighter and brighter until I’m forced to close my eyes or risk going blind. Suddenly, like a volcano erupting from right under me, power, pure power, ancient and all consuming, lifts up from the sigil high in the air, illuminating the whole space. Like an uncontrollable whirlwind, it whips around each of us. My feet lift off the ground and my clothes ripple and flap like I’m free falling. My hair twists in a cone, blowing up in the air, caught in the whirlwind. A strong explosion goes off around us, making a futuristic noise like a warped machine, causing me to fear we’ll all fly off never to be seen again. The mark on my shoulder glows in response to the magic and sparkles of glittering gold alongside golden petals encase and circle me.
All around me, something similar happens to the others, but I can’t concentrate on them right now. They know what the hell is going on, I do not. Dark shadows seep out my body and mix with the sparkling petals as they circle each other in a dangerous, yet alluring dance. At this point, I should be cowering and crying in fear, but for some reason, I’m not afraid. Maybe it’s foolish of me, but some part of me deep inside knows this was meant to be. I did not end up here by accident. This was always my destiny.
Something unknown, maybe a spirit, whispers in my mind, ensuring me that everything will be alright and even though I do not know the source of it, I believe it. The shadows start to take form in front of me and transform into a silhouette of a man; broad and intimidating in size. A warrior, ancient like the magic that surrounds us. I watch on, engrossed as the silhouette takes form bit by bit until he’s a complete corporeal being.
I gasp amazed as his features take place. For a warrior, he’s absolutely breathtaking. Tall with skin so tan, it’s almost red. His beautiful raven hair is long like my brother’s, braided down his shoulder on his right side all the way to his hip. Around his forehead is a leather headband covered in colorful beads with bright red and white feathers secured to the back. His chest is naked, packed with muscles, even more than Goliath and that dude is ripped. His only clothing is a loin cloth with a colorful beaded belt in a Native American design. His thick thighs and legs bulge with muscles all the way down to his moccasin covered feet. In his left hand is a huge bow, longer than some regular man made weapon or some shit you’d see Katniss Everdeen running around with. Strapped to his back is an animal skin sheath full of arrows. He’s gorgeous, and when he opens his eyes, they glow golden, just like the marking on my shoulder.
As quick as it starts, it all stops and everything goes back to
normal. Well, as normal as you can get when you have some intimidating warrior dude standing in front of you that was just conjured out of thin air by some unknown magic you have never seen before. I’m a mage and even I’m still having trouble believing it.
“Hi,” I say dumbly, but he doesn’t acknowledge me, move or even blink. What the hell? “Is someone going to tell me what the fuck is going on?” I question, peeking around the warrior.
“Like you didn’t know. Don’t act dumb now,” Zion growls. He has his own warrior in front of him. A beautiful Asian woman dressed in those uniforms you see in old Japanese movies. Hers is a deep red with a golden tinted armor. On the breastplate is a huge unusual looking bird with its wings spread lifting in the air. Phoenix. Strapped to her side is a sword in a beautifully made sheath that glows a violent red. In fact, they all have a warrior in front of them, like we stepped into a pop-up history book.
“Okay, anyone but Zion explain to me what’s going on,” I try again. Apparently, you have to be specific with your questions if you want reasonable answers.
“You’ve stepped into a war that’s been going on since the beginning of the mage race. The warrior in front of you is your Champion. A being summoned from time and space,” Milo explains.
“Summon to do what exactly?” I’m so confused. War? Champions?
“Stop acting like you don’t know what’s going on. That little innocent act may work on these idiots, but I know better. You harlequins are all alike. You think you can just sneak around and trick your way into attaining power, breaking all the rules as you go. Do you actually expect me to believe you’re here now by accident?”
Okay, now he has done it. I’m so sick and tired of this jackass and his jackassery attitude. I didn’t ask to be here. This isn’t some elaborate stunt to gain power like he put it. I really am here by accident.
Pissed, I stomp over to him and side step his warrior since apparently they are nothing more than toy soldiers who haven’t been wound up yet and get right in the jackass’ face.
“Yes, I expect you to believe me because yes, I have no clue what the fuck is going on. One minute, I’m in the bathroom trying to find out why my shoulder felt like it’s on fire and the next, I’m waking up in the middle of the forest with no clue where I am or how the fuck I got there. I followed my cat here and the little bastard practically maimed me to get me into your little cult circle. Now, I have some dude who looks like an overgrown Indian badass in front of me and a shit ton of questions.” By the end of my little outburst, I feel lightheaded and I’m breathing hard. Zion really knows how to rile me up.
“You might as well explain what’s going on to her,” Kirito speaks up. “It’s clear she’s not faking. She really has no clue what is going on.”
“Of course you believe that. Just because you fucked her doesn’t mean you can start telling me what to do.” Oh wow, Kirito blabbed. A look of betrayal covers my face before I school my features back to anger. Betrayal can take a back seat for now. I’m good with holding onto my anger. That seems to be the only emotion Zion understands.
“Don’t be a jackass, Zion. You need to tell her the truth because if you haven’t noticed yet, she has the Archer,” Ryker or Oliver, whichever one it is, comments. The Archer? What the fuckery fuck is that?
“The Archer?” I repeat. “Wait, do you call him that because he has a bow and arrows or is it something else?”
“Your family really didn’t tell you shit before you came here? About the Mage Wars and our family history?” Zion questions grudgingly.
“Dude. No,” I grumble. “How many times do I have to tell you I’m lost? Floating down the Bermuda Triangle in a raft without a paddle lost.”
“Dude, whatever you do, you need to do it quickly. We have about five minutes, if that long,” Milo informs us.
“Five minutes?” I crinkle my brow. “Five minutes until what?” I question.
“What do you think, sweetheart? Five minutes until these toy soldiers start moving,” he answers stoically.
I seriously don’t want to know what happens when they start moving on their own or why Milo looks downright jolly. He’s the dark and dangerous type, where if you see him smiling, you should be very fucking afraid.
“Fine,” Zion growls. “The cliffnotes version then. After the Mage King was killed and the communes were established, no one got along. Big surprise there. Within each fraction, they all fought over power and who should be the leader of each clan. The conflict got so bad, the clans turned to the extreme to do something about it. Through blood and a great deal of magic, they were somehow able to carve through the atmosphere until an unlimited power source was found. That power source became a prize highly coveted, but it can only be accessed every hundred years, so the Mage Wars were established. To win that prize, each mage from the most powerful lines would use their power to summon Champions to fight on their behalf and use them to eliminate each other until the strongest faction was the only survivors. It’s a tradition carried down throughout the bloodlines. As descendants of the seven founding fathers, we carry that bloodline.”
“And the others? Who are we fighting?” I ask, interrupting him.
“I haven’t gotten to that part yet. Either listen or stay clueless,” he grumbles before continuing on. “The academies were founded for a reason, as well as their locations. This may be a war, but it has rules. There’s always seven descendants and seven Champions, but a descendant doesn’t always get chosen. When you’re marked, that means your Champion found you worthy of wielding him. The Champions are all classed by their abilities when they die. Saber, Lancer, Archer, Ryder, Caster, Assassin, and Berserker. Your warrior is the Archer, I have the Saber, Milo has Lancer, Ryker has Ryder, Oliver has Caster, and Kirito has the Assassin. They are all individually ranked except for Saber, Archer, and Lancer who are known to have extra abilities, which makes them the three most powerful.”
“I’m still lost. I’ve seen the complete Fate series. I’m an anime junkie and I have to say your little war is starting to sound a little plagiarized.” As he explains, I’m counting the minutes down in my head. By my calculations, we have two minutes if Milo’s time estimate is accurate. I may look like I’m an anxious mess pacing about, but in actuality, I’m preparing for the worst. As I move, I drag my foot into the dirt like I did that night I trapped those murdering raping bastards. I’ve never placed a spell on top of a sigil before, especially one this strong, but I have no choice but to see what happens because if I’m following his words correctly, and trust me, I’m being an A+ student right now, we are the ones who are supposed to be fighting to the death with each other.
One of the twins stares at me with a raised blonde eyebrow like he can see through my shit and knows exactly what I’m doing. When I move closer to him, he casually steps aside out of my path. Yep, he definitely knows what I’m doing, yet he hasn’t warned his friends. Interesting. Well, he did get the caster. Also a female wearing a dark purple, full body hooded cloak decorated with crescent moons and tiny jeweled stars. Her long white hair shines bright like each strand is bathed in the moonlight. In her hand is a thick spell book with glowing silver pages covered in jewels.
“Every story has to come from somewhere. If I had to guess, I’d say the creator of the series is a mage from one of the bloodlines,” Kirito offers as an explanation.
“So this war? We’re killing each other for the Holy Grail to make a wish,” I ask incredulously. The next thing they’ll tell me is that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy are real and like to hang out here on Thursdays for happy hour.
“The Grail no, that shit is made up, but there is a wish granted at the end, but we’re not clear as of its limitations,” Kirito answers.
“And we’re not killing each other,” one of the twins jumped in. “We summoned our Champions together for a reason. One of our ancestors learned long ago that rules can be broken, even those made in the Mage Wars,” he explains, looking pointedly at me. Leave it to
a harlequin to find a loophole. We’re really good at that shit. “If we summon our Champions in the same sigil, we form a pact with one another. We’ve all agreed to hunt the other mages from the other academies together.”
“So we’re all working together as a team?” I question.
“More or less,” Milo answers. What kind of answer is that? It’s either yes or no. Yay or nay. Not riddle me this, riddle me that.
“And the wish? Who gets it if we’re all supposedly working together? I’m assuming there’s only one and not one each.”
“It doesn’t matter who gets it because you are not part of our pact. You were never supposed to be here in the first place. If I knew you were marked beforehand, I would have killed you and saved us all the trouble. I don’t know why your parents decided to send you here now, knowing a mage war was brewing. They know they are no longer welcomed here. You’re lucky I didn’t slit yours and your brother’s throats the first day you stepped foot on campus. We answered your questions, now hit the road,” Zion, the ass, orders.
“I don’t think she can. Have you forgotten she has the Archer? We’re good, but our plans center around him. It’s bad enough we have no clue who summoned the Berserker or if he’s even summoned at all, so we don’t know if we need to be watching our backs or not,” one of the twins states.
“It doesn’t matter. We’ll have to work around it. Do you want history to repeat itself? I don’t know about you, but I like breathing. We can’t trust her, plus she’s weak. She’ll only get in the way. As it is now, neither of you can think straight when she’s around. I’m the only one with a clear head and not focused on her tits.”
“Obviously she’s not weak if Archer chose her over us.” Caster twin gets in his face, braced for a fight. Apparently, I’m not the only one tired of Zion’s shit, but now is not the time for anarchy to ensue. While they argue, the warriors around us start to twitch and I frantically finish my spell, murmuring the words to activate it in my head.
