The Legendary Warrior (Book 5) (7 page)

“I’m sure you’ll have no problems doing that,” James muttered, remembering how Seeker had rallied the village into accepting
Lakrymos as their King over Catherine. “I’m sure you have little problem getting whatever you want.”

“Don’t be so bitter, Master Sage. At the end of the day, we’re all still
Allayans. We must be mindful not to hold grudges against our family members.”

“Whatever you say,” James grumbled, walking away from him and into the headquarters. The people were already seated and
Master Torill, the Order Master, was standing with hands folded before them in the front. He was scanning the crowd, making mental notes of who was there and what problems he may have to address. His eyes stopped for a second on James, but he tried not to draw too much attention to the Master Sage. He continued his scanning as James closed the fragile door behind him. The lights from the candles all around them cast shadows around the room, and the congregation was eerily silent as they sat on the wooden benches in the middle. Although there had only been a small group going inside earlier, it was obvious that many had arrived to the sermon early as it was a full house. James had no choice but to stand.

“The Sages of Old,” Master
Torill said, raising his voice for all to hear. “Or the Sages of Yesterday, if you prefer. Perhaps the Sages of Legend. They have many names, as you can surmise, but regardless of their titles, their mission is clear and unwavering. They desire to lead us all into a greater era in this life and the next. Lakrymos, our esteemed and honored King—he came like a messiah when we needed him most, to save us from the evil Yama, coming to take our souls like the dreadful Thorn. We can find peace and comfort in knowing that the wisdom of Lakrymos is upon us. That he has come back from the dead to lead—”

James zoned out and closed his eyes, deciding to take a quick rest. He was surprised by how quickly he nodded off, and he actually had to catch himself on the back of the bench in front of
him before he fell. The family in front of him turned back to chide him, but then they gasped once they saw who had interrupted their listening. James put a finger to his lips, asking them to be quiet, and they obeyed. The two little girls sitting next to their parents continued looking back at him, but they didn’t say another word.

“I hope that you
will all continue to hear the words of the King,” Master Torill continued. “For it will be good for your souls. Thank you. Please be safe as you depart.” The crowd got up from their seats and talked among themselves excitedly, whispering about how they’ve prepared for the Yama attack. James made his way to the front of the room.

“Why, Master James!” Master
Torill said extending out a hand for James to shake. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“That was quite the sermon,” James said, accepting the handshake.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it from the depths of the dream world.”

“I’ve been busy,” James chuckled and yawned at the same time. “Are you
r sermons always on Lakrymos and how blessed we are to have him here in Allay?”

“To be honest, I’ve been reciting that exact same message over and over for the past month. The villagers haven’t tired of yet. I haven’t seen this much excitement for war…ever.”

“I think too many people forgot about how many Sages we lost during the Siege alone. And those Sages were close to Lakrymos’ caliber. We’re a lot weaker now collectively, and the Yama are said to give the King nightmares.”

“So we’re all doomed?”

“Who knows? No point in worrying about it until the time comes.”

“So I take it you’re not here to discuss the Yama threat. And if not, why are you here?”

“The Orders were created to preserve the cultures of each Kingdom, and each Order is said to have insight into that particular Kingdom’s history. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it truly means to be a Sage. I figured the Order might have an answer for me.”

“Why don’t you ask
Lakrymos?”

“He’s busy,” James said quickly. “Besides, he’s not the talkative type. I imagine I wouldn’t get to ask any follow-up questions.”

“I agree with that statement,” Master Torill said, cupping his chin and thinking. “Hmm. Well, what do you think a Sage is?”

“I know that they are warriors, and they fight for the people when they can’t defend themselves. They’re supposed to be what others aspire toward, I guess. I’m not sure. My transformation into a Sage was under some extreme circumstances.”

“First of all, the fact that you’re dwelling on this matter at all is a good thing. A Sage must seek wisdom and understanding wherever they go. It’s part of the reason I plan on stepping down as the Order Master. I desire to travel and seek out other experiences.”

“No offense, Master
Torill, but your successor, Seeker, is hardly a shining beacon of wisdom.”

“He has many faults, but his potential is great. From what I hear, y
ou are in a similar predicament.”

James eyed him warily. “Perhaps.”

“And yet you don’t allow Bastion to be thrown to the wilderness, because you know that if that potential can be harnessed appropriately, he will accomplish things that we can’t even imagine. The same can be said of Seeker. Trust me. You may not see it, but if you would listen to his take on matters, you will eventually begin to understand that his beliefs are in line with the well-being of Allay.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” James chuckled.

“I probably shouldn’t say this,” Master Torill said, leaning in closer, “but any of the races can be a true Sage. It’s not about releasing one’s eidolon or the power that they emit. It’s all about the mastery and wisdom of what they seek after.”

“What they seek after?”

“Everyone has a…um, one would call it a talent, but I like to think of it as a calling. Though Sages are typically seen as warriors, that doesn’t mean they are mindless drones. Just as one may excel in manifestation and another in sword handling, the same could be said about one’s calling in life. Think of your love, Catherine.”

James clenched his jaw and nodded.

“No matter what the people may think of her, Catherine has a love for Allay like I have never seen. It almost defies logic. But it is undeniably her passion. No one can say otherwise. Even Seeker and the villagers that weren’t so sure about her reign say that she had a love for the people like they had never seen. Allay is her purpose and her calling. It will guide her for the rest of her life, and though she is gone for now, I have no doubts she will return. Even while she hides in Languor, I have no doubts that she is ensuring that Allay is kept on track.”

“That’s one of the reasons I’m here,” James replied. “Because I know how much she loves Allay. I’m her eyes to a degree.”

“So you are here for her…not for you?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Though you are husband and wife, you are still individual Sages, are you not?”

“Yes.”

“Then wouldn’t it be feasible that you have a different calling than her?”

“But I have no idea what that
is.”

“It doesn’t matter. Have you sought out your calling? Or have you merely followed hers? Perhaps you aren’t happy
, and torment has rested in your spirit because you feel lost. I think that you should search for your path as a Sage and travel upon it with every fiber of your being.”

“Even if that path doesn’t line up with Catherine’s?”

“I’m not saying that you have to abandon the mission you’ve decided to undertake on her behalf. But perhaps you should be walking with her hand in hand, and not in her place. If there’s one thing that I can say, based on what I’m sensing…Allay is not your calling. At least not concerning whatever you’re doing now.”

“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” James nodded, putting a hand on Master
Torill’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

“It is my honor,” he said with a smile. “Oh, and if you happen to see
Arimus again, please tell him that he is in my thoughts. He didn’t get to say goodbye before he left. That was quite sad.”

“I will,” James said, and then he turned to leave.

His calling, huh? What was that indeed? There was a time when he could barely be considered human, and that was before he transformed into a Quietus. The fact was that he was taking up everyone else’s oxygen, and he didn’t care at all about it. Becoming a Sage, joining the academy, meeting Catherine, fighting Thorn and Dominic and Alexander…he didn’t have time to think of what his daily mission would be as a Sage, and what he would do when there was no one to give him a mission to carry out.

But Master
Torill’s words had pricked his heart. Part of him questioned the old man’s words, and if it was all part of a deception, but it didn’t feel that way. Unfortunately, the notion of him having a calling or purpose greater than himself only brought forth more questions, not answers. He had to ask himself: did he believe in Bastion enough to stick around?

He knew that the young Sage was the only reason he was still in Allay. Since
Lakrymos and Orchid thought he would shape the future of the Kingdom, it made sense to try and take away their weapon. But was that the answer? No matter how much he talked to Bastion, it didn’t seem like anything was getting through, and since he had killed Hakin…he had a hard time going back to see him. Hakin’s execution didn’t mean that Bastion was going to turn into a cold-hearted weapon, but it certainly didn’t speak to the contrary.

If he did leave Bastion, and head to Languor, he could see Catherine again. That was a plus, but there was so much more than just their love for each other.
When they were together, they became stronger. Their thinking was clearer. Their ideas came to the surface quicker and sharper. He needed her more than she could know, and he felt as lost as Bastion when they went out on their missions. He wasn’t cut out to be the lonely warrior type.

At the same time though, leaving Bastion with
Lakrymos could be the worst decision. It was hard to tell what the right move was. All he knew was that time was short. If the Yama were a genuine threat, Lakrymos would begin barking out orders to the masses soon, and once that happened, it would be harder to fight against him.

I killed the King,
Bastion shuddered as he laid awake in his bed. Morning had come hours ago, but he couldn’t face his fellow students, especially since the weekend was over, and classes were beginning again. Bastion wasn’t sure whether he should be terrified or excited that he accomplished such an impossible feat. And he really hoped that Lakrymos wouldn’t find another body somehow. That would be the worst.

“Oh MY GOODNESS!” Daisy shrieked as she jumped down from the
damaged top bunk. She immediately kicked Bastion in the ribs, and he blinked at her rapidly. “Why are you making all that noise?!”

“What?
Wha—what noise?” he stammered, blinking rapidly. Daisy crossed her arms and huffed.

“You know that I get to sleep in on Mondays. Why are you trying to take that away from me?”

“I don’t get it. What did I do?”

“You keep on muttering something to yourself. You didn’t realize it? That’s why Kent stormed out the room. You didn’t hear us talking about you a half hour ago?”

“I didn’t even see Kent. Was he here the whole time?”

“What’s wrong with you?” she sighed. “And
ugh
, you stink! Were you training with Lakrymos last night and forgot to shower? So that’s what that smell was…I thought it was Kent’s massive pile of clothes over there.”

“We, uh…we…” Daisy threw the blanket off of him and grabbed his forearm, dragging him off the bed and onto the floor.

“Yep,” she said, pinching her nose. “It’s definitely you. You’re going to shower. NOW.”

“I have class in um, like ten minutes.”

“Don’t expect me to go for you. I hate Orchid’s lectures.”

“ORCHID!” he shouted, jumping up to his feet. “That’s what I have first?” He grabbed the sides of his head and squeezed while he grit his teeth. “This can’t be happening…”

“You’ve had the same class for the past month. What happened last night?”

“Nothing!” he shouted, and then he grabbed her hands. “Um, I mean…okay, this is going to sound crazy, but hear me out…okay, this is going to sound bad. I might be in some trouble.”

Daisy gave him a puzzled look, but then someone burst through the door of their room.

“Hey!” Ethan shouted. “H
ave you guys seen Training Room D? It’s a wreck!”

“No,” Daisy muttered, turning to her roommate. “Can’t say that I have.”

“You better take a look at this. Some students must have went all out last night. Goa is checking the rosters, trying to figure out who died.”

“That serious?”

“There’s no way it was a sparring session. That’s all I’m saying.” Ethan ran down the hall with a group of other students, and Daisy glared at Bastion.

“Spill it. Now.”

“I killed Lakrymos,” Bastion said quickly, then he sighed heavily. “Oh, that felt good to tell someone.”

“WHAT?!” Daisy shouted, shoving him away. She sprinted to the door and slammed it shut, then she turned back to him. “Please tell me I misheard you.”

“You heard correct,” Kent muttered, coming out from a mound of dirty clothes. Daisy wrinkled her nose at him and backed off.

“What were you doing under there?” she cried. “Is there no hygiene standards in this room?”

“It was the only way I could block out the noise of Bastion’s rambling.”

“
It’s appalling how fine you are with your own filth.”

“Well, it is
my
filth. But we’ve got bigger things to worry about.”

“I’m scared guys,” Bastion muttered and Kent let out a guffaw.

“Stop kidding around. You didn’t kill Lakyrmos, and if you did, why would you be scared? Of what?”

“Orchid,” Bastion said. “She might come after me, and I haven’t recovered yet. I didn’t even sleep last night.”

“Wait,” Kent said, frowning. “You’re serious? You killed the King?”

“He offered me my freedom if I was able to beat him. But I knew that if I hurt him bad enough he would come after me for keeps. I had to do it. I…I didn’t think I could actually beat him but I outsmarted him.”

“Maker in Paradise,” Daisy sighed. “You’re too strong for your own good.”

“That’s why the training room was so messed up,” Kent said, talking to himself. “I have no idea wh
at to do. Maybe you should go to class and see what happens. Did you leave a lot of evidence behind?”

“No. He…because he’s not technically alive, there wasn’t any blood. But I did see his soul disintegrate after I destroyed his physical form. It could be a trick…but I doubt it. It’s not like he had any strength left.”

“First of all, don’t say anything,” Daisy replied, shaking her head. “Second, I…I can’t deal with this right now. I’m going to class.” She began grabbing some clothes from the chair by her desk.

“But you don’t have class for a couple more hours,” Bastion said, his voice cracking. “You don’t have to go right now!”

“I do. I don’t know what’s going to happen to you. I can’t be murdered by association.”

“I thought we were in this together!” he shouted as Daisy shook her head and left the room, carrying her clothes with her to the communi
ty bathroom.

“We are,” Kent said, “but we have to play this smart too. Think about it. If Orchid is coming after your head and we’re there, she could kill us before we even begin fighting, or worse, we’ll get in your way. We should stay in the background until we figure out what’s going to happen next. I know that we kind of see
Lakrymos as the enemy here, but think about what just happened. Allay doesn’t have a leader now, and I have no idea what they’ll think if they find out you’re the one that did it. You still have that history with the Order Master’s son and no one knows yet that you killed Hakin. You might be making some powerful enemies.”

“Should I leave?” Bastion asked, beginning to sweat. He rubbed his clammy hands together. “I can run fast. And
Lakrymos did say I could leave…”

“Let’s ride this out for now. Who knows? Maybe Catherine will be brought back. She’ll surely pardon you.”

“But she answers to the people.”

“Then she might not.”

“You’re not helping, Kent,” Bastion cried, plopping back down onto his bed. “Ugh, this is horrible. You thought I would be happy with this accomplishment? You know what? I’m heading to class. At least I’ll find out if Orchid knows.”

“The moment you feel that you’re in danger, you run out of there. You think you’ll be able to outrun her?”

“I have no idea. I feel like I can barely stand as it is. Last night…I had to give it everything I had. Even at the end, I was digging deep to finish him off. A few more seconds and I’m sure I would have been killed.”

“You’ll have to give me more details in the future, but for now, get out of here. We’ve been talking
for a while as it is.”

“Okay, okay,” Bastion s
aid, looking down at his shirt. There was still dried blood and a large tear where Lakyrmos had sliced through his midsection. “I think I should change.”

“You think?” Kent chuckled, and Bastion threw on a new shirt, discarding the old one and kicking it under his bed. He sprinted out the door without another word and tried not to look at th
e students face to face as he walked by. The students were in a frenzy, whispering to each other over the possibilities of what attacks had destroyed the training room and who among them were unaccounted for. He was sure Orchid had caught wind of the rumor by now.

H
e walked briskly along the brightly lit halls, washed in gold and red. Furnished with a plush blue and gold carpet, small Allayan crafted tables and chairs sat on top of it. He wondered if classes would be cancelled. An investigation might be under way to search for the King, and he might receive more than enough time to run before they figured out it was him.

A firm hand grabbed his shoulder, and he looked down at the fingers out
of the corner of his eye. They were of a female’s, and they were thick and strong. He took a big gulp and turned around. Orchid glared at him with no expression on her face. His eyes darted to the left, but she grabbed his chin and forced him to look directly at her once more.

Why do girls like to grab my face and not kiss it?
He wondered as she studied him. After a few awkward seconds, and several glances from the passing student body, she grabbed his forearm and pulled him toward the west, where the training rooms were held. He didn’t fight against it. He wouldn’t even have the strength if he tried.

When they arrived, she yanked him in front of her and pushed him inside Training Room A, a still somewhat polished and bare room. She slammed the
oak door behind her and stared back at him like she was about to eat him. He backed away, increasing the distance between them slowly.

“Why are you afraid?” she called out to him once he had hit the far wall, and he wasn’t sure what to say. He took a deep breath.

“What are we doing in here? We’re not about to train, are we?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she snapped, then she suddenly vanished from view. She reemerged in front o
f him, only a foot away. He yelped in shock and winced as she clenched her fists at her sides. “It’s not cute to play dumb,” she said, clenching her jaw.

Bastion wasn’t one to be afraid. He had survived the Quietus kidnapping and torture. He had lived through his mother’s games, and James’ sparring sessions. He had defeated the great
Lakrymos in battle, and there was no reason he couldn’t defeat Orchid, but she had caught him in a rare moment of weakness. He was so
tired.
His energy was so low that he hadn’t even sensed Orchid moving from one end of the room to the other. He figured that he wouldn’t even be able to transform into his Sage robe if he needed to.

For the first time in his life, he was sure that he could be killed. There were no reserves left, and Orchid wasn’t an average Sage. He was utterly at her mercy.

“Why are we here?” she asked him, and he tried to calm down his breathing. He forced himself to look at her directly. She waited for him to answer as he pursed his lips and clenched his fists. He couldn’t break down now. Not when he was so close to freedom. All he had to do was survive Orchid. She was weaker than Lakrymos, and for all he knew she might be afraid too. He had killed her partner, after all. She wouldn’t take him lightly. She
couldn’t.

“Because I killed
Lakrymos,” he said boldly. Her eyes widened and she shoved him up against the wall. He didn’t move, but he kept on reading her the best he could. The moment he felt that he was in danger, he was going to draw his eidolon forth.

“You have no idea what you’ve just done,” she seethed, glaring at him.

“I’ve secured my freedom.”

“Have you?” sh
e scoffed, letting him go and taking a few steps back. “What happened last night?”

“It was to be a sparring session,” he said honestly. “But
Lakrymos said that if I won, he would allow me to leave Allay with Daisy and Kent. If he won, he planned on crushing me.”

“Well, he’s not here to confirm that, is he?” Orchid sighed, looking up to the ceiling. “Are you sure you killed him?”

“I destroyed the shell covering the two of you, and I saw his soul disintegrate in the air.”

“You fool, he’s probably in Oblivion at this very moment. We are now down a Sage
, and a vital one at that.”

“I thought there were more of you out there somewhere. James said that there might—”

“That was to keep him guessing,” she said, gritting her teeth. “It was only myself and Lakrymos, and now there’s just me and a bunch of unseasoned Sages. How did you do it?”

“I’m not going to tell you that.”

“You think I’m going to kill you?” she asked, shaking her head. “And what? Leave the future of Allay resting on the shoulders of
James
and myself? No. You are staying here in Allay to fight the incoming Yama.”

Bastion wanted to say,
and how are you going to stop me?
But he stayed silent. He just needed a day to put himself back together, then he was free.

“What’s the plan now?” he asked instead. Orchid shut her eyes.

“We can’t tell the people yet, and the students don’t know anything. I’m sure you’ve told your roommates though, haven’t you?”

“Maybe,” he said,
and her eyes came open, causing him to step further back into the wall.

“If they know, then they better keep their mouths shut until I figure out what to do next. I’m not supposed to be the one in charge here. Now there’s a mess on my hands. If Allay finds out what happened, not only will they try to hang you, they will be in a disarray. Confidence will be lost and the Kingdom will be paralyzed in fear. By the time our damage control is over, the Yama will be here to pick us off.”

“Then how do we keep this a secret?”

“I’ll assume the t
hrone in Lakrymos’ place for a season, saying that he went on a secret mission but that he will return soon. In the meantime, we will hone your abilities. Hmm. This might work in my favor after all. I can find out what James and Catherine are planning.”