The Sorcerer's Ring (Book 1) (5 page)

“How can I trust you? What if you’re bringing me into a trap?”

“You’ll have to take that chance.”

“We leave tomorrow,” she said firmly and he scoffed at her demand.

“No, we’re leaving tonight.”

“I have to get some rest before we go, and besides, we have to bring my friend, Olivia. She comes too.”

“Another person?” he laughed. “I don’t even know who this Olivia is.”

“You don’t know me either. Adding one more person won’t make a difference in our travels. More protection if anything. Just stay one night.”

“You must be sheltered if you think I’m just going to stick around.”

“Maybe I am,” she admitted. “And that’s why I need to get out of here. The only things I know about the outside world is what the town talked about. But it’s all oral stories. There’s no history written down in text. There’s no relics, or heirlooms, or markings from old battles. I just have to take their word for it, and based on how they live their lives, I now have to be cautious with what I decide is fact. Even if I die out there while exploring the new world, at least I would have seen more than this dusty ghost town.”

Kace nodded and then turned to face the entrance. “I’ll be right outside the town gate. I’ll give you an hour. Take some time to talk to your friend and then decide what you want to do. If you show up in an hour, then we’ll go together. Otherwise, you’re on your own.”

Before Remi could try to convince him otherwise, he leapt from the roof to the ground below. He started taking off the moment the tips of his toes touched the dirt, and in seconds, he was gone. She sighed and closed her eyes. For all she knew, he was gone for good. But like she said before, how was she going to make friends if she didn’t put a little faith in others? She would trust that he was giving her that hour.

Either way, she was leaving.

“Well, that was quick,” Kace chuckled as Remi and Olivia walked past the gate. Kace had been leaning against the wall keeping his senses sharp in case the raid group returned early. What he didn’t expect was for the two girls to show up a mere ten minutes later. Was it because they thought he had escaped and they were investigating?

“We’re serious,” Remi replied, looking over to her friend. Olivia was a lot more cautious since it was the first time she had seen the Quietus awake. She kept her distance and eyed him warily, clutching the dagger in her right hand tight. Kace noticed it almost immediately.

“We’re in this together,” he said, and she barely moved her face.

“We’ll see. The only reason I’m here is to help Remi. She was ready to go with you no matter what I had to say, and so I’m making sure everything goes the way she wants it.”

“She’s a big girl,” Kace replied. “She can make her own decisions.”

“Did you tell him?” Olivia cried out, facing Remi’s sunken face. It was all the confirmation she needed. She turned back to Kace. “She’s sick. And I don’t mean a cold. She’s terminally ill. It’s only a matter of time before her body gives out and she dies. That’s why she’s so quick to see the world, because she knows her time is limited.”

“Thanks,” Remi muttered, glaring at her. Yes, she was sick, but Olivia didn’t have to put it so harshly. Where was the animosity coming from?

“So you think we should leave her behind?” Kace asked and Olivia’s eyes lost their luster, realizing just how harsh she had sounded.

“No, I just wanted you to know.”

“You don’t even know me,” he replied, and Olivia cast her eyes down. Remi smiled warmly at her and addressed Kace.

“Olivia’s just worried that I might get her killed because of my perceived weakness. I can take care of myself. And if either of you think otherwise, then just leave me behind. Seriously.”

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it,” Kace smiled. “Quietus hold one’s word in very high regard.”

“Good.”

“Any other concerns?” Kace asked Olivia and she sighed.

“It’s just so sudden…and scary. I know we’ve talked about leaving, but now it’s real.”

“Both of you can feel free to leave my side at any time. We’re going to be moving fast.”

“Where are we headed?”

“To Paragon,” he replied, scanning the area for the right direction to head in. “That’s where you two wanted to go, right?”

“Isn’t that far away from where you live though?” Remi asked.

“It is. But our home lives are a lot similar than you think. My people are so focused on the war that they neglect everyone my age as well. If we’re not contributing to the village or the war in some way, we might as well be invisible.”

“Then let’s go make some memories,” Remi replied. Olivia laughed at that.

“I’ll take lead for now,” Kace ordered. “Nothing personal, but I would rather scout ahead for a while before I feel comfortable enough to drop my guard. Do you mind?”

“No, go ahead,” Olivia replied, and he began sprinting forward. The two girls continued walking forward in the same direction.

“You think we can trust him?” Olivia asked.

“I’m choosing to.”

“But why?”

“Because trust has to start somewhere. If everyone is paranoid in our day and time, that means trust is very valuable. If we can learn to trust each other, we’ll be friends for life. Same could be said about us.”

“What do you mean?” she chuckled. “We’re already friends.”

“I don’t know how to put this,” Remi swallowed. “But…I think our life from here on out will determine how strong our bond really is. Up to this point, we’ve stuck by each other out of necessity, but that doesn’t make us friends or family. Once the need is removed and the want remains, that’s when a true relationship begins.”

“You think too much.”

“It’s all I’ve ever had time to do.”

“So you’re saying that you’re not sure about us.”

“Oh, I am. You’re the one that’s not sure.”

“Don’t tell me you’re sore from that comment I made earlier. The guy had the right to know.”

“Not really. You said it yourself. He’s a stranger, and he might be a threat. Wouldn’t it have been better to keep that knowledge to yourself so that we were united? So that we could keep our weaknesses secret and only advertise our strengths? But you decided to choose to tell him…because you’re more scared of me killing you than him.”

“Like I said before, you think too much. If I had a problem with you, I would have left on my own.”

“No you wouldn’t have. You don’t want to admit it, I’ve gotten stronger than you in the past year.”

Olivia stopped moving and let Remi take a few steps forward before she noticed. Remi turned around and stared at her friend. The violet poncho she was wearing was blowing in the wind and her hair was covering up half of her face. But Remi could still see her hurt eyes from underneath the strands. Remi’s face softened as she noticed that her throat had become parched. She didn’t need to say what she did. She could have just kept it to herself, but she was just so pissed over what Olivia told Kace, she didn’t hold back like usual. Perhaps she had more soul searching to do than she thought.

“That wasn’t fair to you,” Remi said aloud. Olivia kept her face as still as stone. “It’s just that I get a clean slate out here. And even with Kace…whatever happens between the three of us, I don’t want anyone to look down on me like they did back at home. I want us to be equals. I don’t want him to worry about me, and I don’t want you to either.”

“Why? You like him or something?”

“Why do you keep saying that? Just because I want to talk with a guy, it doesn’t mean I want to fall in love with him. Olivia, we’ve been through a lot, and we’re going to be going through a lot more. I just want to make sure that we’re both together in this.”

“You shouldn’t even have to ask.”

“And I won’t again,” Remi promised. She reached out to give her a hug and Olivia accepted reluctantly. Olivia gave her a weak smile and then looked beyond Remi to where Kace was in the distance.

“Don’t worry about today,” Olivia said. “I’m okay.”

“I’m glad,” Remi replied, and together, they began catching up to Kace. They walked in silence but Remi’s thoughts were far from tranquil. She still couldn’t shake the feeling she got when Olivia had blurted out her condition. She had seen the technique used before amongst the townspeople. Calling out one’s weakness was a way of gaining superiority over them and she understood why her parents did it. But why would Olivia do that to her? They had been through everything together…maybe she had been right from the beginning.

And maybe Olivia was angry not because she was hurt…

But because Remi had seen right through her.

*              *              *

Kace called them Biulos, and they were one of the few animals that the Quietus didn’t hunt actively. They were gigantic four-legged beasts with beady eyes and large snouts that snorted whenever one of them got a little too close for comfort. They were seven feet tall and twice as wide with hulking shoulders and a large fluffy mane around their fuzzy faces. Remi respected them immediately. For despite their intimidating size, they still looked innocent and docile. To hear that the Quietus rarely hunted them awed her, and she wondered what other sights lay before them. They had traveled only a few hours out, and already she was experiencing things she hadn’t dreamed of.

“Why is that?” she asked, dying to pet one. They grazed together in herds by the dozens, eating the lush grass under the full moonlight. There were no trees visible from wherever they looked. There was no place to hide. No place to run. It seemed that the Biulos would be easy dinner.

“I know, they look delicious, don’t they?” he laughed as they continued walking past the herds. “But honestly, I’ve never seen more formidable creatures. If you attack one. Just one. Even if it’s the sickest one out of the bunch, they all converge on you. Due to their size, there’s no way someone can just grab one and dash away. The Quietus love the trees, and so open valleys and meadows are already far from our ideal hunting areas.”

“Converge?”

“If I hit one of these biulos, every single one from miles around would come to its aid. Their strength is in their numbers. Sure, one could do some damage, but together? They’re nearly invincible. Many Quietus have died trying to break up their collective. But not one has succeeded. Now…we respect them. We see them as kindred spirits. Warriors like us.”

“That’s what we need,” Remi muttered to herself.

“What do you mean?” Kace whispered, as if to respect the biulos’ privacy.

“As of right now we have no allegiances to Cimmerian or Paragon, and while that might change, for now we might want to start thinking about forming our own coalition. We could reach out to people who are in the same situation as us and see if we can get something started.”

“A team?”

“It’s something to think about.”

“It’s a little early for that,” Olivia whispered as one of the biulos nearby snorted. “For now we should just concentrate on making it to Paragon safely.”

“I am.”

“How far is it to Paragon?” Olivia asked and Kace bent down to the grass, looking for a stick and some dirt to draw a diagram with. Finding none, he motioned for them to crouch down beside him so that they could talk a little quieter.

“There’s a lot of land between us. Particularly four groups of people that may pose a threat in their own way. There are the Langorans—brutes that have lost their Kingdom long ago. Don’t trust a single one you meet. There’s my people, the Quietus, who you should be just as wary of. The young ones aren’t bad, but the adults will try to exploit you in some way. The Allayans are the most established, but they have a history of causing trouble wherever they go, and last are the Delilah. They’re the ones closest to Paragon. They’ll leave you alone for the most part but if you attack them, you won’t find a more relentless enemy.”

“Like the biulos,” Olivia said.

Kace chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, like them.”

“Does anyone hear that?” Remi asked. She stood to her feet slowly as a low rumble gained momentum in the distance.

“It’s coming from behind us,” Olivia said, standing up as well. Kace soon followed suit.

“So you hear it too?”

“It’s a raid group,” Kace growled, narrowing his eyes. “Come on, we have to get away from this field. If we begin fighting, the biulos might think we’re with them.”

Remi and Olivia followed behind him as he sprinted away, the low thunder from behind gaining on them quickly.

“Don’t touch any of the biulos!” Kace warned as they weaved in and out of the sleeping and grazing beasts. Remi coughed as she nearly stumbled into one. Gaining her footing, she glanced back for a moment, and sure enough, recognizable faces were on the hunt. She couldn’t see her parents, but the townspeople giving them chase were sure to give them just as much of a beating as they would.

Remi faced forward and ran as fast as she could, but she was already losing speed. Kace and Olivia were getting further away, and for a moment, she considered transforming just to catch up. She knew it would be a mistake, but what was the alternative? What was the—

“GOT YA!” the outcry jumbled her thoughts, and she found herself in the open arms of one of their pursuers. The muscular man tackled her to the ground and pinned her arms down as the group behind her closed the gap.

They flanked us!

The raid group came to a halt and stood around her in a circle.

“Where’s the other two?” Anila asked, surveying the area. “They couldn’t have gotten far.”

“The other group will meet up with them,” Bertil sighed. “But in the meantime, this girl here should learn what betrayal gets you.”

“That’s right,” Anila breathed into Remi’s face. As hard as Remi struggled, she still couldn’t get the big man off of her. “And why would you go and do a thing like this anyways? It’s not like your parents gave you a home, a shelter and some food to eat. Huh? So what is it? Why’d you run away?”

Remi kept silent. She wasn’t going to give them a thing. Not a thing. Not a—

Anila kicked her in the face.

The blow hurt so bad that she gave out a sharp cry and the group started laughing around her. Anila stood up and crossed her arms.

“At least she did one thing right. We found some food by chasing her.”

“Don’t…” Remi tried to warn them, but all she got was another kick in the face. Remi clenched her jaw and waited. There was no point in reasoning with them. There never was. And though she could have easily transformed, broke free of her captors, and led them to safety in a chase—she stayed silent.

And waited.

“Someone want to take down one of these things and bring it back with us?”

The next sound Remi heard was the bellow of one of the beasts, screaming both in pain and for assistance. Remi wasted no more time. Gritting her teeth, she willed her body to transform. The bubble that formed around her threw off the man on top of her and he went flying several feet in the air. Her white robe manifested over her and she jumped to her feet. There were several people around her, but they weren’t as concerned about Remi anymore.