Questing Sucks (Book 1) (36 page)

Shina looked at her. “I am an acolyte of The Order now, and he can’t just disrespect me like I’m seven again. I should fry him right here and now.”

Cah’lia needed to calm everyone down before things turned violent. “All right, I know you’re upset, but let’s just calm down, okay? No one needs to attack anyone, all right?”

The lightning faded a little, and Shina nodded. “All right, fine. But from here on out I wanna be treated with civility! I’m here to take Sehn with me, and that’s that.”

“Can we talk about this?”

“Well, okay, but I don’t want Sehn to make fun of me.”

Cah’lia gave Sehn a warning glance. “Sehn, behave yourself…or else.”

Nero’s ears wobbled. “Hey,” he said to Shina. “Are you here to take Sehn away?”

“Of course I am,” she said grinning.

“I won’t let you,” Nero insisted.

Shina smirked. “And how is it you’re going to stop me?”

“Like this. Remmos Salas!” It happened too fast to stop. The fireball left Nero’s hand before Cah’lia’s mind registered the words, and Shina yelped as she jumped to the side, barely managing to avoid it. Nero danced around blowing on his hand, yelling at Sehn how much it hurt.

Shina’s face twisted into an expression of shock. “Y-you can use magic too? There are two of you here? No wonder the signal was so strong. Okay, you’re
both
coming with me. Oh, and you’re gonna pay for attacking me!”

Sehn laughed at Shina, patting Nero on the back. “Well done,” he said.

Cah’lia grabbed the dagger at her side. She didn’t want to hurt Shina, but if the girl attacked her brother she’d be forced to intervene. “Shina, there are things here you don’t understand. If you don’t at least give me a chance to explain, very bad things will happen.”

“I’m trying to listen,” Shina growled. “And I know why you’re worried. Don’t worry, I don’t want to hurt the little guy, but your brother just threw a fireball at me, and let me tell you, attacking a Mage of The Order is in direct violation of section—”

She yelped as more headed her way. “Remmos Salas!” Nero shouted. Over and over he sent them at her.

Even Sehn was angry at him now, pointing a finger at Nero and shouting at him. “Gods, Nero, what are you doing? One time is enough. Cease this at once!”

The fireballs continued to soar at her. Shina ducked under one, and then jumped over another. One came close enough to singe her sleeve. “Make him stop, Cah’lia! Or I’m gonna have to zap him.”

“Nero!” Cah’lia called. “Stop attacking Shina or you’re getting a beating.”

Nero ignored her, crying out in pain each time another ball of flame left his fingertips. Shina jumped, landing into a roll as another fireball passed harmlessly over her shoulder. She threw a lightning bolt at another, and the two forces disappeared in a flash of light. “Stupid brat. Hey, cut it out!”

Cah’lia ran to her brother’s side, and grabbed him by his legs. She pulled on them, and sent Nero to the ground with an “
ooph
.”

One final fireball flew off into the distance, and the situation calmed down. Nero writhed on the ground, wailing and screaming that his hand hurt. Shina came running over, and knelt down next to the boy. “He’s been hanging around Sehn, hasn’t he?”

Cah’lia nodded, holding Nero down before he hurt himself further. Nero clutched his hands together, screaming in agony.

“Let me see,” Shina said.

“No!”

“Quit being stubborn.” Shina grabbed Nero’s hands, pulling them apart. She held the scorched palm in her left hand, and with her right, she hovered over it. Lightning danced off of her fingertips, spiraling down into Nero’s burned hand. He stopped crying at once.

“Huh? How come it doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“I’m stimulating the nerves,” Shina said. “It’s a way of killing pain. You need to bandage and dress this, but it shouldn’t sting too badly anymore.”

“T-thank you,” Nero whimpered. “I’m sorry I shot fireballs at you.”

Shina ruffled his hair. “It’s all right. I’ve done worse to my Mistress.”

“Shina,” Cah’lia said. “I don’t understand. Why are you here?”

For the next few minutes Shina explained to them about her order, it was similar to what Saerina had said. All Mages that have both casted a spell, and left their home cities—beyond a certain distance—became subjects of The Order.

“So you see,” Shina finished. “Sehn and Nero have to come with me, or they’ll send someone even worse.”

“B-but, I don’t wanna go to Magia,” Nero cried. “I just w-wanna go back home after we get the treasure.”

“Hmm? Treasure?” Shina asked.

Cah’lia didn’t answer. “You should know I’d never let my brother be taken from home,” Cah’lia said. “And there’s no way we can go with you right now anyway. Something has come up, something that we can’t ignore.”

Shina didn’t seem convinced. “What could be more important than answering the call to The Order?”

Cah’lia took a deep breath. “Shina, there’s something you need to know. Can you come over here and speak with me privately?”

“All right, fine, but I doubt you can convince me.”

 

 

Ghell trembled before the man with the Hawk-mask. “Are my orders understood?”

Ghell nodded. “Absolutely, sir. I shall organize the troops. We’re going to forgo the Pillar of Therril, and head straight for Hahl. We can be there in a few days if we divert from our current course.”

Tactically speaking, the order made no sense, but Ghell knew better than to question the man. Ghell had once seen the man torture one of his soldiers for requesting leave to visit his family. No one disobeyed their leader, to do so was beyond thought. Being in the command tent was unnerving, no one entered assured they would leave amongst the living. Many had entered the tent, only to be overheard screaming in agony by those that awaited their turn to speak with their leader.

“Good,” he said, his fierce eyes glowing behind the Hawk-mask. “And Ghell,” he said.

“Yes?”

“Make sure that none survive. None. Am I understood?”

“Y-yes, my Lord.”

 

 

 

“Just one drink, c’mon,” Alan begged.

“No,” Rebecca said firmly. “We’re finding Prince Patrick, and then you can drink all you want.”

They’d arrive in the city of Hahl by the afternoon, and Rebecca wouldn’t let commander Marshall out of her sight. Something big was coming, and the Kingdom needed its greatest tactician. Then, after they’d fended off the mammoth-sized army that marched on her people, commander Alan Marshall could get as drunk as he wished, and shake his rump for as many Elven princesses as he wanted. Until then, Rebecca was keeping him sober and orderly.

Chapter 36: Truth and Lie

 

Orellia kept a stone face while she listened to the Elven princess speak, but inside she was buried under the rising torrent of emotion. Saerina had no reason to lie, no one with the mark did.

“That’s quite a story,” Orellia said, forcing calm into her voice.

The four Saerina traveled with offered them some privacy. Kellar went with them to help repair the wagon Shina destroyed—something she’d be disciplined for later.

My poor Shina,
Orellia thought.
She’s such a wonderful girl, but I’ve still got my work cut out for me with that one.

Kellar jumped at the opportunity to spend some with not only the Kingdom’s prince, but the Elven one as well. It was clear neither princess Saerina nor the men she traveled with had any intention of harming Kellar or herself, but there was something more going on here, something she wasn’t being told.

The princess made Orellia feel uneasy. There always seemed to be a great deal of mischief hidden behind her eyes. “I know how powerful you are, Saerina. If you wanted to, you could’ve knocked Shina out of the sky with the snap of a finger. Why did you allow her to flee? You screamed after her, you ordered her down, but now I get the feeling it was all for show. You wanted her to go off after Sehn, didn’t you?”

It was small, but noticeable. The lower corner of Saerina’s lip lifted ever so slightly, forming into an unsettling, crooked smile. “She’s his sister, after all. If there are two of them, then it’s all for the better.”

Orellia knew how foolish it was to raise her voice to the princess, but anger jolted through her spine as if zapped by Shina. “You do
not
have the right! Shina is an acolyte of The Order of Magia. You’ll not be using her in any of your convoluted plots, Saerina!”

Orellia waited for Saerina’s backfire, yet none came. The princess only shrugged, and then placed her hands gracefully at her sides. “Shina is like Sehn, my good Mage. You know what that means. I’d like her to travel with them for a while, without either of us interfering. Don’t worry, that other Elven woman, Cah’lia, she will take care of them. I have seen into her heart—she’ll make sure they continue on the right path, and eventually we’ll catch up to them and follow from out of sight. For now, however, they must be allowed to go off on their own, we cannot hold them back.”

“Words cannot express how much I care about Shina,” Orellia whispered. “Is she really a Cursed?”

Orellia was sure the sympathy in Saerina’s eyes was genuine. “I’m afraid so. Know that I am truly sorry for the loss you will face.”

Orellia held back the sadness attempting to overwhelm her, and forced her words out in a detached calm. “So then, she’ll…she’ll…”

“Die by her twenty-first season, yes. Still, that is the least of your problems. If either one of them fails to grab the item, or worse, if that man gets to them first, well—Shina, along with you and I, will be dead inside of a month, the rest of the world following soon after. If we should succeed, then at least Shina will have a good ten years of life, and you can ensure they are special, and that she is loved. If we fail, then you’ll join her and be united in death. The choice is yours.”

Orellia tried to make sense of things, but the unexpected revelations were becoming too much to take in.

“How can The Order not know? The whole reason The Order even exists is to settle problems like these. Had they the slightest idea what Sehn was, or even Shina, a score of Mages would be swooping in on him as we speak. We make it a point not to involve ourselves in political wars, but if what you’re saying is true, we’d have bombed this army from the skies. Every Mage of The Order would be offering up their lives to stop them.”

“Oh, they know about the army, rest assured.”

Orellia rubbed a soothing hand over her eyes, both to stop her arms from trembling and to keep her grounded in reality. Somehow she knew that nothing the princess said was a lie, yet her words were causing Orellia’s world to shatter around her. “How…how can they know? Why would they send us after Sehn if they knew what he was? Why are we not halting this army?”

“They don’t know about Sehn or Shina,” Saerina answered. “Like you said, were such the case they’d be hauling Shina back to Magia, and you along with her. They don’t know, and I intend to keep it that way. Your silence would be appreciated.”

“You’re asking me to lie?”

“Lie? No, I’m asking you to say nothing. Speaking of which, I need you to do a few things for me.”

The nerve of this woman,
Orellia thought.
Attempting to order around me, a Mage of The Order!

Orellia did not voice her protest. “At least tell me this, princess. Why then, will The Order not act? If what you have told me is the truth—and I believe it to be—then why are the Mages not being informed?”

A look of contempt crossed Saerina’s face, her lips wrinkling in disgust, or perhaps distaste. “Because they cannot win, and they know it. Not even all the Mages of The Order combined can stop this army. Your
Archmages
, High-Mages, even your Magus, they all plan on hiding in the clouds, believing themselves to be safe. They plan to sit back and allow the world to be destroyed, if it would only mean their continued survival.”

Orellia spat on the ground near Saerina’s feet. “You’re a liar! My order would never behave that way!”

At once she regretted her show of disrespect, remembering who it was she’d just insulted. Saerina’s posture tensed and her eyes darkened with the look of anger. With unexpected haste, Saerina dashed forward, and placed a tight grip on Orellia’s shoulders.

Orellia let out a cry. “F-forgive me!” Orellia pleaded. “I-I just—”

Saerina pulled at her shoulders, and before Orellia realized what was happening, she ended up neck-in-neck with the Elven princess, her head resting on the woman’s shoulder.

She’s hugging me?
Orellia thought, bewildered.

“This anger is not for you,” she cooed. “I do not judge beings on words, only on heart. This anger is for yours, which in the coming days you shall find broken.”

Saerina pushed her back, and gazed into her eyes. Orellia was confused by what she saw. There were so many facets to the Elven princess, a net of millions of intertwined dreams. For a brief moment she wondered if she was staring into the very eyes of a Goddess.

“I want you to do something for me.”

Orellia didn’t know why, but staring into those haunting, yet beautiful eyes, she felt compelled to obey. Somehow innately she knew that to do otherwise would result in tragedy. “What do you want?”

“Mages, lots of Mages. I need you to return to Magia, and collect fifty of your most trusted colleagues, people you know are likeminded, and capable of keeping quiet. Bring them to Hahl as fast as you can. We must hold this army off, at least long enough to give Sehn more time. What we need now is time. Oh, how desperately we need it.”

“If what you said is true, and I am discovered—”

“Then don’t be!” She released Orellia’s shoulders, and the slight warmth in her eyes returned to their sharpest, piercing gaze. “Right now all that matters is time. Time, time, time. Find me Mages, and bring them to Hahl. I have a very strong feeling that man will invade Hahl next, even if Patrick believes him to be heading north.”

“You mean you don’t know?” Orellia asked.

“Know what?”

Orellia explained what she, Kellar, and Shina, had seen several miles away on their way to the Valley of Hahl, of the black armored soldiers that terrorized nearby villages. Saerina tensed, and her features tightened, taking on a look of deep worry.

“Then we have less time than we thought. So, I was right. Patrick! Saerith! To me, at once!”

The two princes came running, and in detached fascination, Orellia watched them dash to her side. It amazed her. Two of the most powerful men in the world—one even belonging to a different race—and yet both of them obeyed her without a second thought. They were completely and utterly under her control.

What a powerful, commanding woman,
Orellia thought.

“What is it?” Patrick asked.

“Is everything all right, sister?” Saerith shot in.

Saerina spun around, and pointed a warning finger at Patrick. “I’ll not have you freaking out,” she said. She proceeded to do the same to Saerith. “Or you, either.”

“What I’m about to say will disturb you both, and I ask you to please keep your composures. This Mage, Orellia, has spotted advancing armies along the Hahl border. This can mean only one thing. The army has changed course, and they’re heading to Hahl.”

The shouting started at once. Both princes hammered Orellia with questions, and she felt pity for them. They stood to each side of her, tugging on her clothing, pleading for her to answer questions to which she didn’t have the answer.

“Boys!” Saerina shouted. “What did I just say?”

Patrick and Saerith released Orellia, and each took labored breaths. The men were not calm, however—the two only appeared to be on the outside. One look at their jittering postures, their burning eyes, or their shaking legs, and it’d be enough to see the unrest boiling within them.

“If they’re attacking Hahl,” Saerith said in a forced, uneasy whisper. “Then that means they’re not heading to the Kingdom’s capital after all. Which means,” the Elven prince tried—and failed—to keep his voice conversational, rising instead into a shout, “they’re heading to Elvadin! Patrick, we have to find Sehn, he has to go to Elvadin immediately! Oh, oh Gods, my people. No, no, no! This time It’s going to be my people that are burned, and my children that—”

Saerith was silenced as his sister’s whirling palm slapped him across the face. “Brother, mind your hysterics. No problem has ever been solved with loud voices and demands.”

Patrick took a deep, audible breath. “Mistress Orellia,” he began formally. “You are certain you spotted this army heading towards Hahl?”

Orellia nodded. “Yes. In fact, Kellar over there,” she pointed. The boy was practicing swords with Rillith. “Put an end to quite a few of them. Several were attacking a village a few miles back, but we made quick work of them.”

There were many things expected of a prince, but what Patrick did next shocked Orellia. He went down on one knee, and grabbed her hand, kissing it without shame. Orellia had been with The Order for many years, but she had still been born in Kingdom land. There was a part of her that was flattered, and she blushed as the prince to her race knelt before her.

“Thank you,” he said, his eyes growing moist with gratitude. He stood to his feet, and placed a reassuring arm on Saerith’s back.

“I won’t abandon you, friend,” he said. “You kept your promise back in Koringrath, and allowed me to take Sehn, and lose one of your nation’s most precious assets. I will do the same. We’ll catch up to Sehn, and we’ll change course and bring him to Elvadin.”