by Aaron Oster
Closing his status, Morgan gave Sarah a grin and held out a hand.
“You ready to break into another palace?”
“What do you mean, another palace?” Sarah asked, taking his hand and moving around to clamber onto his back. “Unlike you, I’ve never broken into one!”
“Guess there’s a first time for everything,” he replied, getting a good grip under Sarah’s thighs. “Now hold on tight, this is gonna be fast.”
Sarah’s whoop lingered in the air behind them, as Morgan rocketed away toward the city’s exit.
16
High in the sky and veiled from sight, Loquin watched the two of them depart. She’d been there ever since they had entered the city, and had been quite impressed with the show Morgan had put on when fighting that disgusting beast.
She’d watched as Hint arrived and delivered her message. She was still annoyed at him for throwing that little tidbit in at the end. That was the main reason she hadn’t left yet and was keeping him waiting for her. At the moment, she would probably tear his arms off, then make him eat them…or something along those lines.
Her head turned fractionally as she became aware of a disturbance in the air around her and a moment later, Gold appeared about ten yards from her.
“Pleased to see you again, Locky,” he said with an easy grin.
“What do you want?” she asked, not bothering to hide her scowl.
The last time he’d shown up, she thought it had been to kill her. The fight wouldn’t have been an easy one for him, but his power was much more suited to combat than hers, so she didn’t like her chances of succeeding against him.
“Can’t I just drop in for a visit?” he asked, putting an all too familiar look of innocence on his face.
“Don’t bullshit me, Gold. You never just come to visit, so tell me what you want or get lost!”
“My, my, aren’t we touchy today? Aren’t you happy with the way Morgan is progressing? You are the one who’s been paying the closest attention to him, after all.”
Loquin just rolled her eyes, but otherwise ignored the man. She had no patience for his mind games today.
“Come on, you can tell me what’s really got your interest,” Gold coaxed, walking towards her, as though the air beneath his feet were solid ground.
“There’s no way you’re going through all this trouble just to screw with old Sammy, so tell me. Why? Why send Morgan off to the capital? You know that the tournament is about to start, and that he’ll most likely be swept up in it. Are you hoping he’ll win the Skyflare?”
Loquin’s jaw twitched, and Gold grinned in triumph.
“I knew it! But why do you want him to have the Skyflare? That will only make it more difficult for you to control him…” Gold trailed off, as though pondering on the matter.
Loquin ground her teeth together. She was normally the one who screwed with people, not the other way around. She was finding the experience to be less than pleasant.
Maybe I’ll stop teasing that man so much from now on… she thought, but after a moment, dismissed the idea. Nah, what fun would that be?
“Well, if that’s all, I’ll just be…” Loquin cut off mid-sentence as both she and Gold felt someone else coming.
A moment later, Samuel stepped from thin air, his face set in a grim line and glaring at the both of them.
“So, I finally found the two of you. Isn’t it enough that you’ve interfered with every step along Morgan’s path? Do you really have to go conspire with this filth as well? I’d thought better of you, Loquin,” he said, folding his arms over his chest, and turning his disapproving gaze on her.
Loquin’s lips quirked upward in a smirk and she sauntered over to Samuel, stopping just a few feet from him.
“Come on, Sammy, you know me better than that,” she said in a low, sultry voice. “Now, how about the two of us get out of here and have some fun, like the good old days?”
Samuel completely ignored her and stared over her shoulder at Gold, who was doing his best to suppress a grin.
“What have the two of you done this time, Gold? You know that this is a violation of the rules.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Gold replied, ignoring Loquin’s gasp of indignation at being turned down.
“We’re all still alive, so I believe that no rules have been broken. And besides,” he said with a grin, “I would never conspire with the likes of that dimwit. She doesn’t have the brain capacity to understand what I have planned.”
“Hey!” Loquin exclaimed, whirling to glare at him, but Gold once again ignored her.
“Someone’s sent our young supermage off to fight for the Skyflare. Better move fast, Sammy, otherwise, you’ll have nothing left to hold over him.”
Samuel opened his mouth preparing an angry retort, but Gold had already vanished.
“Damn it, Loquin! What did you do?” Samuel exploded, turning his anger on the other person who had been causing him so much grief.
“Don’t be like that, Sammy,” Loquin brushed him off.
Now that Gold was gone, she felt a lot more relaxed and reverted back to her normal teasing nature.
“Yes, I sent him after the Skyflare, but he was going to need it anyway.”
“I know he was going to need it,” Samuel replied, clenching his teeth in an attempt to keep himself from throttling the woman. “But, in case you’ve forgotten, a new Skyflare would have appeared in another twenty-five years!”
Loquin patted him lightly on the cheek, then winked.
“Looks like you’ll have to speed up your plans then. Otherwise, I’m going to win.”
She quickly hopped back, giggling loudly as Samuel’s hand lashed out in a punch.
“My, my. You always did have a nasty temper when things didn’t go your way,” she said, grin widening.
“Things would be going just fine if I didn’t have to deal with all this interference!” Samuel yelled back, hands balling into fists at his sides and black energy beginning to gather around them.
“Oh, Sammy,” Loquin said, shaking her head in disappointment. “Don’t go waving around a weapon you’re not prepared to use.”
Samuel glared at her for a few more seconds before the black energy dissipated and his fingers relaxed.
“There. Much better. Now we can talk like two civilized adults,” Loquin said, tucking her arms behind her head and leaning back in midair.
This action drew attention to her impressive bust and full-bodied figure, but she knew Samuel wouldn’t react, even if he did want her.
“Why are you doing this, Loquin? I don’t understand. You knew my plans for the boy, and have tried blocking me at every turn. Gold, I can understand. But it makes no sense for you. You have no stake in this world! Just go back to your own and leave me in peace.”
“Do you know what your problem is, Sammy?” Loquin said, completely ignoring the question.
“Do tell,” Samuel said, rolling his eyes.
“You’re too nice. You’ve been playing kiddy ball, while the rest of us have been playing in the majors. You’re such a stickler for the rules, that you’ve never even bothered testing the boundaries of what you can do. That little fight you had with Gold was probably the first time you ever even came close!”
She appeared before him suddenly and whispered something into his ear. Then she stepped back and smirked at his shocked expression.
“Until next time, Sammy,” she said with a wink, then vanished before he could say a word, leaving him alone, standing above the Ruined City.
***
The man, known in another lifetime as Hint, stood leaning against the wall of the Merchants Guild complex. He was standing in a rock garden, though he’d never seen one quite like it before. The ones in the South Kingdom were clearly worlds apart from the others he’d seen in his lifetime.
Loquin had been keeping him waiting for the better part of an hour now, but he didn’t mind. Any time free of that devilish woman was time wel
l spent in his mind. He let out a small sigh when just a moment later, he saw the disturbance in the air which marked her arrival.
Well, it was nice while it lasted, he thought, still not bothering to move as the goddess appeared before him.
He forced himself not to react to her state of dress, but did feel his heart skip a beat as she appeared from seemingly nowhere, dressed in an extremely revealing and low cut dress. Calling the tiny garment she wore a dress, would have been a gross overstatement, as the bottom barely covered the upper portion of her thighs.
“No cloak?” the man asked, trying to keep his tone neutral, and succeeding for the most part.
Loquin grinned at him, and in the blink of an eye, her appearance had shifted, along with her attire.
She now wore the face of the Executive head of the Merchants Guild, and the appropriate attire for her esteemed position: a long, flowing garment of layered colorful silks that clasped at the neck and flowed down to sweep across the ground when she walked.
“Don’t look too disappointed now,” she said with a wink.
The man rolled his eyes in response.
“Now that I’ve sent Morgan off on yet another wild goose chase, what do you want me to do?”
“An excellent question,” she said, walking forward and snatching his arm up in hers.
The man raised an eyebrow but didn’t otherwise attempt to pull away from her, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to if he tried.
“We are going to the capital. The Queen has yet to choose someone to represent the South in the upcoming tournament, and I happen to have the perfect candidate.”
“You mean me.”
“Of course not, silly,” she replied, swatting his arm. “You’re far too weak. We received a copy of the letter today with this tournament’s official rules and I’m sorry to say, that you just don’t meet the rank requirement to enter.”
The man was somewhat surprised by this piece of news.
“So why bring me along to the palace?”
“I need an escort, of course! Someone of my station can’t just show up alone. Now enough questions, Hint. We must be on our way.”
“I’ve decided on a new name and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use that one anymore. Hint was a different man, who had different goals.”
What he didn’t say was that his time as Hint was hazy at best. He’d worn many faces, and had many names in his lifetime, but each time he shed an old personality in favor of a new one, his memories would fade and his personality, disappear. The only one that he could remember with any clarity, was the one he’d adopted while teaching Morgan.
“Oh, very well,” Loquin replied, snapping him from his contemplation and preparing to teleport them both to the capital. “What do you want to be called?”
He’d already thought about this, so he had a ready answer to the question.
“The name I had back at the academy. Eric might not be the most desirable name, but I have grown quite fond of it.”
17
Morgan and Sarah raced over the dunes, sending up a plume of dust in their wake as they skimmed a few feet off the ground. They had been flying for the last eighteen hours without rest, as Morgan wanted to arrive in the capital by nightfall. This was the final day of their journey according to Sarah, and they were both very much looking forward to sleeping in a normal bed.
They had made the trip in record time, as Morgan had been able to keep going much longer than he had previously, and due to his new skill, at a much faster pace. They hadn’t had any trouble leaving the city, as the guards did not wait around for them to exit. Sarah had said that they probably assumed they were dead, so they didn’t bother.
She was asleep right now, slumped over his back with her arms wrapped around his shoulders, and her body pressed tightly to him. Every once in a while, she would shift around, and Morgan would have to act quickly to readjust his position so she didn’t fall off. They’d spent the majority of the trip discussing what Dabu had told him, and speculating as to what they’d find once they reached the capital.
They formulated plans on how they’d be able to break into the palace and where to look for the information they were seeking. Neither of them knew what the information was, and had Dabu not specifically vouched for the messenger, he would not be making this trip at all.
He’d considered calling for Samuel, but in the end, had decided against it. The man had plans for him, he knew, and had been one of the ones trying to control him for their various means. There was no way he was making another deal with that conniving god.
In fact, of all the people he’d met, the only ones who didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives were Sarah, Dabu, and now, Gwendolyn. And although he trusted Dabu and, to a certain extent, Gwendolyn, the only one he really put his faith in was Sarah. She had never steered him wrong and always had his best interests at heart.
He sighed, wishing, once again that he could return the affection she harbored for him, but no matter how hard he tried, he still felt nothing. He had strong feelings toward his friend, but they were feelings of loyalty and trust, not feelings of love or affection.
Sarah shifted against him, and Morgan quickly tilted his body to the left, raising his arm to stop her from rolling off his back. She settled back down after a few moments, and Morgan gently pulled her arms back over his shoulders, where she latched onto him once more.
He felt a sudden spark from his core, and sucked in a deep breath as the divine energy shot through his body, flooding him with equal parts pain and revitalizing energy. His fatigue melted away, leaving him feeling fresh, but distinctly uneasy. He’d tried many different ways of combining his divine energy and reiki, but the crackling golden energy just refused to be tamed, no matter what he tried. The pain over the last few days had gotten worse, meaning that his time was starting to run out.
His reiki remained consistent and under control, containing the raging storm that was the divine energy, but every once in a while, it would escape its bonds and leak into his body. He guessed that his reiki was what was keeping him going and knew that, had this been mana or chi, his body would have been overwhelmed by now.
He knew that he didn’t have much time left, but as of yet, he still couldn’t figure out how to save himself. He really wished that Dabu had given him something more to go on, rather than just telling him he was going to die. His awareness over his power had grown over the last few days, and he could feel his core without even trying. Right now, he could see it clearly in his mind’s eye- a large purple sphere where his heart used to be and inside, a crackling ball of golden energy.
His reiki thrummed in a rhythmic beat, sending light pulses throughout his body. Morgan knew that this was normal; it was how his body maintained its heightened strength and durability. As he watched, he saw the crackling gold power spark again, sending a jolt of power in eight different directions at once. He watched as the reiki in those areas seemed to solidify, effectively hemming the energy in, but it escaped in two places, and Morgan felt, as well as saw, two small flashes of gold traveling through his body.
One finally settled in his spine, and the other, in his right shoulder. A second later, Morgan felt tension he hadn’t even know was there, ease. This was, of course, accompanied by a flash of pain, but Morgan was too focused on his new discovery to notice the pain. He waited until the golden core flared again, but this time, attempted to will his reiki to allow it to pass, despite the obvious risk. It worked to an extent, as the reiki only blocked about half of the energy this time. He watched as they traveled to various parts of his body, relieving aches he hadn’t even noticed.
Can this divine energy be a new way for me to heal? Morgan mused. Or maybe, it’s a way for me to be able to keep going longer in a fight? And if it is, what else could it do?
Morgan formed a Storm blade on his hand, then focused on making it smaller. After a second or two, a knife sized blade of purple wind swirled around his hand. Clenching his teeth, Morgan qu
ickly slashed it across the back of his other hand, wincing as the whirling blade sliced through flesh and tendons.
He dismissed the blade, cursing silently at having cut too deep, as his fingers went slack and blood began pumping from the wound. His core pulsed again, and Morgan focused all his will on allowing the golden energy to pass. He watched as all the energy flowed up to his hand, and watched in fascination as the bleeding stopped. He winced a second later with the expected pain, but the new discovery overshadowed the looming threat of his imminent demise- for the time being, at least.
Golden energy leaked through the cut for a moment and when it vanished, so did the pain. Morgan attempted to flex his fingers, but nothing happened. Lifting his hand up, he grimaced as he saw a long, open gash along the back. He stared at it, waiting for the next pulse of divine energy. When it came, he focused on allowing it to pass and waited eagerly for it to come to finish fixing his damaged hand.
Instead of fixing him, however, the energy cycled through his body before returning to his core. They entered the field of reiki, and were sucked back in, rejoining the crackling golden ball. A flash of pain coursed through his body as the energy returned, this one much worse than the last, and Morgan winced as it did.
So, the divine energy definitely isn’t a cure-all, and will hurt a lot worse than it already did, if it didn’t accomplish any healing, Morgan thought with a grimace. It also seemed that his divine energy wouldn’t close open wounds, merely dull the pain, and stop blood loss.
He blew out a frustrated breath, annoyed with himself for being so careless. His left hand would now be completely useless for the next twenty hours until his recovery would kick in. He just hoped he could keep it hidden from Sarah once she woke up.
If I survive that long, he thought bitterly.
Morgan was about to retract his attention from his core, when something caught his attention. His core seemed to be acting strangely again. Looking closer, Morgan watched as the golden light seemed to solidify for just an instant, becoming as calm and serene as his reiki, before flaring out control again.
