The Legendary Warrior (Book 5) (10 page)

Bastion
tested the intruder, reaching out to grab its shoulder but the creature grabbed his wrist and lifted him off the ground, twisting him in the air with insane strength. Before he knew what was happening, the creature kicked him in the chest and he went flying into the side wall. Daisy summoned her red and black robe and tried to punch him, but the creature spun around and elbowed her in the face.

Kent groaned
and tapped the side of his head, shaking off the vertigo. Facing the Alma, he bared his teeth and began puffing up his muscles. Bastion and Daisy both climbed to their feet in time to see Kent charging at their enemy, stretching his hands out wide so there was nowhere for the creature to go. But the creature didn’t try to escape. He had already proven that there was no need.

The creature sprinted forward and met Kent head-on, crossing its arms in front of his head and plowing into Kent’s chest. Flesh smashed against flesh, and Kent lost the exchange. He went flying into the far wall once more, and Bastion took action. With his black robe flashing over him, and his blue
Gladius in his hand, he sped behind the creature and plunged the blade into its side, but the creature didn’t even move. It just glanced back at him, and then a rectangular pillar of flesh the width of a fist came flying from its back, hitting Bastion in the nose. Bastion staggered back from the sudden pain that shot across his entire face like a web. The creature turned around, grabbed the young Sage by the neck and then stuck the tips of his fingers through his black robe and his skin. Bastion grimaced as he began flexing his muscles, trying to use his impressive strength to break free of the creature’s grip, but nothing happened. He slashed at the creature with his Gladius, kicked it, and watched as Kent and Daisy railed on its back, but the creature didn’t budge, and if there was any damage being inflicted, it didn’t act upon it. It just stared at Bastion…and kept on reaching into him.

Bastion grit his teeth and felt the fingertips of the creature piercing his breastplate, reaching ever so closer for his heart, when a shout reverberated throughout the room, demanding their attention.

“THAT’S ENOUGH!” Orchid shouted again, and the creature vanished into thin air. Bastion fell onto his back and clutched his chest as his friends rushed to his side.

“What was that?!” Kent shouted at the approaching Orchid, forgetting her authority. She clenched her jaw tight and glared at him as she walked from behind Bastion and in front of them. Kent swallowed and backed off, suddenly remembering that Orchid tended to stab those that irked her.

“It was a Yama,” she said boldly. Bastion felt his heart race.

“But it wasn’t really,” Kent replied, taking a step forward. “It disappeared when you yelled at it. Either it’s that fast, or you were in control of it.”

“It’s true that it was a manifestation,” she said, turning to the Langoran, “but that was a Yama in form. I was using it as target practice.”

“Why did you sic the thing on us?” Bastion asked calmly, climbing to his feet. Daisy nodded in agreement, letting her Sage robe disintegrate off her.

“I didn’t. I merely summoned it on this floor. I didn’t know you were here. It wasn’t until I leapt up that I saw what it was doing. Though I’ll admit, I was curious to see how you would handle it, so I watched for a bit.”

“It nearly killed me.”

“And that was just one!” she barked at him. “You think you’ll be able to take on a whole army by yourself! You shouldn’t have—” She stopped and glared at Daisy and Kent. Bastion took a deep breath.

“They already know,” he replied.

“Don’t tell her that!” Kent shouted at him, but Orchid shook her head.

“We’re ill-prepared,” she muttered to herself. “
Our greatest warrior…unable to defeat a fake Yama.”

“I’m still weakened from last night,” Bastion retorted, but Orchid kicked him in the chest, sending him back onto his butt. She leaned forward and grabbed the collar of his Sage robe.

“And you think the Yama will be so gracious? You think they’ll wait for your precious wounds to heal? They would come with their full power the moment they heard you so much as took a nap.”

“Then tell me more about them,” Bastion replied. “Prepare me for their arrival.”

“Lakrymos wasn’t telling you?”

“He was more focused on shaping me into his image. Something that wouldn’t matter if I didn’t even know what a Yama looked like. I know you’re scared that—“he stopped as Orchid’s eyes widened. “I mean…well, you’re not scared, but I’m sure you’re worried that the student body will just be flailing at shadows once the war starts. You’re going to have to start trusting us at some point. We are your soldiers, aren’t we?”

“You’re not even close,” she seethed. “You’re children that know nothing of war. And if I introduce it to you too soon, you’ll cower and hide.”

“Then at least teach
me
,” Bastion said, climbing to his feet once again. “If I’m going to fight the Yama, I need more training.”

“You want to spar so you can figure out my techniques, don’t you?”

“I thought we were in this together,” Bastion said as Kent raised an eyebrow from behind him.
Since when did Bastion get so clever?

“Killing
Lakrymos proved that we are not…though I should reveal a few things. Mind you, I have no intentions of sparring.”

“Of course,” Bastion smiled, and Kent crossed his arms.
Bastion being smug?

“Observe,” Orchid said as she stretched out her hand toward the center of the platform.

Suddenly, the figure that they had been fighting re-appeared, except this time, the creature didn’t move. Orchid winced as she kept her hand outstretched and Daisy looked at her in concern.

“Do not worry about me, young one,” Orchid replied. “It’s just that it’s hard to manifest beings that can actually fight and hurt others.”

“It’s difficult with inanimate objects,” Daisy said. “So I can’t even imagine manifestations that can move, fight and kind of think on their own.”

“
This creature doesn’t look intimidating,” Kent said, giving the “Yama” a look over. “But it’s obvious that it’s very strong, or was that your strength infused into it?”

“They’re stronger,” Orchid replied. “A lot stronger. I tried to infuse the manifestation you fought
…with as much energy as I could muster without losing consciousness, but it’s not even close to a Yama’s output.”

“What are they?” Daisy asked, and Orchid sighed.

“We’re not sure. All we know is what we saw in the couple of instances we fought them. Lakrymos, myself, and some other Sages were overseas, using flying manifestations to take us to their lands. We were there to survey uncharted territory when the Yama suddenly attacked from the ground, destroying our manifestations with strange energies and sending us to our intended deaths. We were able to land safely, but they were ruthless in their assault. No matter how much we explained our presence and discussed our well-intentions, they continued to attack like savages. We lost many Sages that day, and only a few of us were able to barely escape. Once we returned to Allay and told the King about what we discovered, he advised us to stay away from them. And we did, until we started receiving reports of non-combatant Sage missions going horribly wrong.

“
Sages were found dismembered and brutally murdered, and after much investigation we discovered that there were groups of Yama slowly coming over to our lands and killing us while learning of our weaknesses in the process. Through the capture and torture of one Yama, we were able to determine that the Yama were planning on an invasion at some point. We made sure to kill the messengers, ensuring that we would be bought more time. We actually began developing a counter attack on our own, but then the Siege happened. Priorities were shifted. Sages were lost. And now…we are once again at the cusp of war.”

“Keeping us in the dark won’t help,” Bastion said, examining the manifested Yama further. “If we’re to fight with you, you need to trust us.”

“Why is it so hard to understand that I need you to become hardened warriors first? Catherine and her Sages only took those that unleashed their eidolons on their journey. They didn’t take the entire student population because they knew they would be liabilities. I am simply doing the same.”

“You might not have that luxury,” Bastion said, suddenly punching through the Yama’s chest. The manifestation disintegrated on impact, vanishing like a ghost. Orchid winced and
rubbed her neck. “What else can we learn about them? You said you tortured one. That means they have weaknesses.”

“The ones we tortured were children. Scout Yama,” Orchid replied with no remorse. “Their power was weak. Still, they were on the level of adult Quietus even in adolescence.”

“What about the adults you faced in their homeland?”

“We were too busy dodging their
energy beams and swords. But if you must know, we didn’t kill a single one that day.”

“Are we related to the Yama?” Kent asked. “Do they get their abilities from the power of the stones?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about the Delilah
Lakrymos mentioned?” Bastion spoke up. Kent and Daisy gave him puzzled looks.
What was a Delilah?

“Where did you hear that word?”

“James told me about it. He said that Lakrymos was able to use an ability that belonged to another group of people over there. Who are the Delilah? If they live on the same continent as the Yama, they may be the answer to our survival.”

“They are a very secretive people,” Orchid said, glaring at him. “
Lakrymos was able to gain entrance into their society because of the great power he was able to display, but that is all. He was sworn to secrecy on revealing the details of their abilities and their society, less they come for his head. I wouldn’t waste our time requesting their assistance.”

“But the fact that
Lakrymos was able to use a Delilah ability at all means we may have the power within us.”

“Or
Lakrymos was able to touch their version of a power stone.”

“Still, it’s something worth looking into.”

“You look into it with James, if you like. I’m going to concentrate on making our army stronger.”

“Fine,” Bastion replied, as she glared at Kent and Daisy.

“It would best if you keep this entire conversation to yourselves. We’re already worried about the Yama. There is no need for the students to know about the Delilah too.”

“I have no clue what they are,” Kent replied, and Daisy nodded.

“Keep it that way,” Orchid said, and then she sprinted away from them and jumped off the platform. Bastion sighed and placed his hands on his hips, allowing his Sage robe to disappear. Kent rubbed his forearm.

“Delilah? Yama? More power stones? We have enough trouble among ourselves in this land. The last thing we need are more enemies.
If they are enemies.”

“What do you mean?” Daisy asked and Bastion turned to her.

“For all we know, the Sages could have been the ones invading the Yama,” Bastion said. “There could be a lot more to the story than she’s telling, and there’s no way to confirm the truth either.”

“So what do we do now?” Daisy asked. Bastion shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m not sure. We should definitely look into this whole Delilah ability, and at the very least, we need to stay on our toes. I feel like there are enemies on every side of us, just waiting for the right moment to strike.”

“The King will see you now,” Oliver said, landing with Talia on the platform. Catherine and Zhou yawned in unison and rose to their feet as Marie gave
them a curt smile. She had been the only one to stay with them through the evening, and the answers to their questions had given Catherine a lot to think about. The most disconcerting being the thought of taking the stone of power and allowing it to latch onto her heart once more. She was sure Marie would encourage it, as she was Prattlian, and Prattlians would almost kill for the answers to their greatest mysteries, but Catherine wasn’t sure if it was an entirely bad idea.

Thorn had acquired much by making some kind of pact with his stone. Surely she could do the same. But the thought of giving up more years of her already unknown life expectancy made her stomach feel queasy. And above all else, she didn’t want to leave James. Her passing would crush him.

“Had fun?” Catherine asked her bodyguard with a weak smile. Talia blushed and ran a couple fingers through her hair.

“I would hardly call it fun. All we did was request an audience with
Tyuin.”

“And it took you five hours to do it?” Zhou asked with a wary eye. Talia scowled at him and crossed her arms.

“It’s not my fault the King had a long line.”

“Uh-huh,” he muttered, climbing to his feet and wiping his hands on his pant legs. “And what do you have to say about it, Oliver? Did the King have a long line?”

“Measurements are so subjective,” Oliver said with a grin.

“No, they aren’t,” Zhou frowned. “How many people were in line?”

“We didn’t take the time to count,” Talia retorted.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Catherine giggled, stepping between them all. “We don’t want to keep the King waiting any longer than he already has, do we?”

“We came here right away,” Talia blushed again and all Catherine could do was purse her lips in a ‘yeah, right’ motion.

“Would you mind if I accompanied you?” Marie asked, and Catherine nodded toward her.

“Certainly. I think that I’ll be making a request for your services as well. I’ll need someone to advise me once we’re outside Prattle. That is, if you’re willing.”

“I wouldn’t be much of a fighter, Your Majesty, but I make a mean
Carlitan stew.”

“I haven’t had
Carlitan stew in
ages
,” Zhou sighed rapturously. “I hate how they look like snakes, but the meat…oh, could you make some tonight?”

“I might be able to manage,” Marie replied, stifling a laugh.

“I’ll make you an incredible hat in return,” he said with a wink, and Catherine snorted with laughter. When everyone glanced at her, she waved at hand at them and began walking to the edge of the platform.

“Come on, we need to go,” Catherine said, looking at Oliver. “Lead the way.” Oliver nodded and leaped to the left. After Catherine jumped after him, and he was sure that everyone was following in succession, he continued on
at a brisk pace. Catherine knew it would take a little bit of time to get there, for no matter how hard she squinted into the distance, she couldn’t make out the cottage in which Tyuin now lived. She hoped it wouldn’t take too long though. The sun was already a blood red and descending on the horizon. The sky was now pink, yellow and red, with the clouds melting into the heavens like sand into water. Night was upon them, and she was sure their conversation with the King wouldn’t be a short one. Still, she was grateful for the fact that she was no longer looking at a green canvas above her head.

“Catherine!” someone shouted from their right and she turned to see the King, waving at them from an empty platform in the distance.

“My King?” Oliver asked in confusion, signaling with his hands to the rest of the group that they should head toward Tyuin. Catherine broke formation and bounded toward her friend, feeling a skip in her heart and a bouncing ball in her stomach. Tyuin always made her smile whenever she thought of him. He had a very gentle and sweet soul—a rare thing to find between the four Kingdoms.

“I came looking for you,”
Tyuin said. “You’ve been away for so long.”

“Uh-huh,” Zhou muttered loudly. Talia covered her face with her hands.

“How are you?” Catherine said, taking his hands into hers. He blushed and took them away gently.

“I’ve been well. You like the c
onstruction?”

“Usually when I think of construction, there’s images of boulders, dirty men and enormous structures to haul materials in. I never expected polished platforms and clouds!”

“Our own piece of Paradise,” he said, his eyes smiling. “But considering recent events, I take it you’re not here to catch up. What do you need from me?”

“Two things. First, I would like a
Prattlian advisor to accompany me until at least Lakrymos’ reign is over in Allay. And second, I would like to further examine the stone of power.”

“Examine? You mean take it with you?”

“No, no. I don’t want to take it from you. But I would like to use it before we leave. We’ve always had the suspicion that the stones are alive, but we don’t have confirmation. The only one who’s spoken of it being alive is Thorn, and I want to find out for myself. It might have knowledge that no one else possesses.”

“And what do you need to know? If the Yama are coming?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand why the
Allayans have fallen for such an obvious scare tactic, and no offense, but I’m surprised that you’re giving it weight as well.”

“I just want confirmation. At some point, I will be fighting
Lakrymos, but I need to know if the Yama are real first. I don’t want my Kingdom to be crippled and all of a sudden they arrive. If they exist, they could be waiting for the opportunity at this very moment.”

“And so the stone…it could confirm their existence?”

“It might.”

“And at what cost? How many years of your life have you given up already?”

“I…” Catherine fidgeted and cast her gaze away from Tyuin’s. “I won’t grow to a ripe old age. Let’s just that.”

“And you
want to give up more? For what? Why can’t you take James and live happily in the wild, or here in Prattle?”

“Because we know what
Lakrymos is like.”

“No, we know what Zain is like. Hot headed but predictable. We know what the Quietus are like, and the
Allayans and Prattlians. We know next to nothing about Lakrymos, and from what I’ve heard, there has been no news of him seeking to decimate the Kingdom. Is it possible…that this is who he is? That he genuinely cares for Allay and seeks its safety above all else? I agree that we should be cautious, but if you are wrong about him, and he truly is looking out for Allay’s best interests, then you are going to cause more evil than good. You were wrong once, Catherine. You could be wrong again.”

“Goodness,” the former Queen said, putting a hand to her chest. “You have certainly come into your status.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Tyuin smiled. “Catherine, I will always see you as one of my dearest friends, but you might have to let this one go. You’ve been fighting and training your whole life. Isn’t it possible that there might not be a battle to go to this time?”

“What do you think?” Catherine said, turning to Marie. “Do you think that
Lakrymos is an upstanding guy and I should leave this alone?”

“Wait, why are you asking Marie?”
Tyuin said, glancing behind Catherine to look at the Prattlian. “That isn’t the one you chose to be your advisor, is it?”

“And what if it is?”

“Her views on things are…controversial.”

“I like that.”

“You can’t choose an advisor because they may say things you want to hear.”

“I’m sure she’ll give me her best unbiased answer,” Catherine said, folding her arms. She turned back to Marie. “Well?”

“Um,” Marie stammered, looking at the Prattlian King. “I think…that it’s too early to tell if he will make a good King or not, based on the fact that he has only been in power for about two months. However,” she said, gaining confidence. “His sudden takeover of Allay, and with an adequate amount of force I might add—this suggests that he will do anything to achieve
his
goals. This means that if his goals and that of the people’s best interests do not align, he will more than likely err on the side of his desires. Just my opinion though.”

“I would agree,” Catherine said, turning back to
Tyuin. “I think it’s only a matter of time before he does something we’re going to all regret, and I want to be prepared for it.”

“And you’re serious about using the stone for answers,”
Tyuin sighed, saying it like a statement and not a question.

“Yes, if you would allow it,” she replied. “I won’t need long.”

“I pray you won’t,” Tyuin sighed, closing his eyes. “Fine. Gather your resolve. I will retrieve the stone and meet you behind the cottage where it is more private. I hope you’re not making a mistake.”

*              *              *

A blood-curdling scream echoed down the hall and pierced through his thoughts. Bastion sat up quickly and listened for more, but there was no follow-up. Nearly bumping his bed on the top bunk, he stood up and glanced at the beds in the room. Daisy and Kent weren’t there.

He opened the door to his dorm room and stuck his head out into the hall. It was eerily quiet, and it was barely night outside. Still, the cafeterias and most of the training rooms were closed. Surely there would be someone ot
her than himself roaming around the dorms. He took out his eidolon and waved it in front of him.
There was no one in the dorms.
Not a single soul. Wait…there were three boys coming from the main lobby. They would reach the dorm hall in a few seconds. They were running…

“Hey!” Bastion shouted as they turned the corner. The three boys stopped in surprise and stared down at his eidolon. Bastion sheathed it quickly and stepped out into the hall as the boys looked at him warily. He didn’t recognize them from any of his classes. “Did you guys hear that scream?”

“Scream?” the tallest boy in the middle asked. “Someone was screaming?”

“It was just one,” Bastion said, “but it was loud enough to wake me up. Is there something going on around here? No one’s in the dorms.”

“The village is having its festival tonight. You forgot?”

“Oh,” Bastion said, not remembering a festival at all. “I guess I did.” The tall boy stepped forward.

“We were just coming back to grab some things and then we were heading over to it. You’re not going?”

“I have no clue,” Bastion replied with a yawn. So that’s where Daisy and Kent had gone off to. But why wouldn’t they tell him? Maybe he had been sleeping too hard.

“You could come with us if you want. I heard that you’re one of the strongest kids here. It would be cool if you could show us a move or two on the way.”

“Oh no,” Bastion laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not skilled like that. I would end up showing you something wrong.”

“Aw, c’mon,” the boy said, stopping in the hall. He was two doors away from Bastion, and he began reaching for a doorknob idly. “I’m sure there’s something that you could teach us. Didn’t you get lessons with the King? That’s pretty—”

The boy lunged forward with a dagger, aiming for Bastion’s throat, but he was still too far away to counter his opponent’s speed. Bastion
swatted the boy’s hand away, forcing him to stab the wall. Bastion punched the back of the boy’s elbow, and the boy’s entire arm, dagger and all, went flying through the wall and into the dorm room. The boy howled on impact as his two friends began running down the hall with their eidolons out—an emerald green and a purple/black respectively. Bastion ducked under their swings and gave them each a swift punch to the gut, sending them crumpling to the carpet while their eyes rolled in the back of their heads. Their eidolons disappeared the moment their faces hit the floor.

The ringleader groaned loudly and stepped out into the hall from the wreckage, nursing his arm with his free hand. Bastion scowled at him, but he didn’t move.

“What is this?” Bastion asked, pointing down at the unconscious boys.

“Mason,” the boy snickered, grimacing under his shaking arm. “It’s payback time. That’s the festival you’re going to be going to. Welcome to a night you’ll never forget.”

“Mason broke his eidolon on mine while I was on the defense. What hope does he have if I go on the offense?”

“Why don’t you go to the Old Sage Academy room and find out? I think he has presents for you.” The boy smiled wide, but Bastion ignored him. He began walking toward his destination when the boy began huffing and puffing, trying to build his confidence. Finally he ran forward, but the hilt of Bastion’s
Gladius suddenly smacked him square in the forehead. The boy fell down face first.

Bastion summoned his eidolon back to him and sheathed it. The nap had helped, but he still wasn’t at a hundred percent.
Still, Mason shouldn’t be much of a problem. Without another moment’s hesitation he took off running, wondering what horrible plans Mason had for him. As long as it didn’t involve Daisy and Kent, he didn’t care. Even if he was wounded somehow, he could bear the pain. He always could for the most part. It was the strikes to his heart and pride that paralyzed him most, and there was already enough scar tissue around both.