The Legendary Warrior (Book 5) (18 page)

“What are you talking about?”

“You…you lost your parents because of me. Kent lost his eyes…and now I’m forcing you to run around the woods, after all you’ve been through already.”

“You’re not forcing me to do anything,” she said angrily, her brow furrowing. “Kent’s my friend too.”

“I don’t even know if I should be here,” he said, looking at his hands. “I know Mason’s the one that did it…but it’s still because of me.”

“We knew the risks when we became friends with you,” Daisy said, her face softening. “You’re going to have enemies. That’s a given. But if we can stick it out, we’ll get stronger. We’ll become the warriors that Sages are known for.”

“I don’t know if I can take it.”

“If you must know…” Daisy began. She rubbed the back of her neck and took a deep breath. “It’s not even what happened to Kent and my parents that disturbed me most. It’s…it’s what you did back there to the Order. I…I don’t like that person I saw.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know what you did?”

“I made them pay for what they did to us,” Bastion said, staring at Daisy. “I wasn’t going to kill them. Definitely not. But I had to make them remember that if they hurt others, there are consequences. I guarantee they’ll think twice next time.”

“It’s not that they don’t deserve it. The problem is…the problem you’ve had from the beginning is that you can’t control yourself. It’s like you’re a pot of water, slowly coming to a boil, and now its spilling over the sides. Were you even aware of what you were doing back there?”

“Kind of,” he said, with no emotion in his voice. Daisy fidgeted where she stood and rubbed her hands together.

“I don’t know how to feel about that.”

“What should I have done?”

“Run away.”

“And what would that have taught them?”

“Who says you have to teach people anything?”

“I don’t know!” Bastion shouted in frustration. “But it seems like that’s what everyone is expecting! They think I’m the answer to all things. They act like I’m going to transform the world just because I’m a freak. I might be a mistake! Didn’t anyone think of that? Maybe instead of a third arm or two hearts, I was born with a massive pool of energy. How am I different from the rest of the world? What does everyone want? Tell me. Please tell me so I can do it. Because I’m sick of trying to figure it out for myself!” Bastion grit his teeth and punched the tree he had been leaning on, leaving a large hole in its side. He shut his eyes as tight as he could, but he couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down his face. He slammed his forehead against the tree and left it there, covering his mouth as he wept. Daisy wasn’t sure how to respond. She waited.

“
Lakrymos wanted me to be a god. James and Catherine wanted me to be a warrior. The Quietus saw me as a plaything and the whole world starts drooling the moment they see what I can do. They start thinking of ways they can use me for their own purposes and they never think about what I want. I don’t want much. You and Kent…you’re all I have. I have no other family and friends. And now Kent’s blind, and…and…you’re looking at me like one of them, and I can’t take it anymore. I’m done, Daisy. I’m done!”

“What are you going to do?”

“Not sure,” he said, wiping his nose on his sleeve. He sighed deeply and propelled himself off the tree lightly. He faced Daisy and refused to wipe the tear stains from his cheeks. “But we have to find Kent. And after we’re sure he’s okay, I’m going off alone.”

“We’re in this together.”

“Are we?” he asked. “Are you sure? Because no good will come of being with me. What have you learned since we’ve been friends? How in the world have you gotten stronger?”

“Damn you,” she said, clenching her jaw tight. “How dare you say that to me?”

“I didn’t mean how it sounded.”

“Whatever, friend,” she sneered. “We were leaving Allay
for you
, or have you forgotten already? I had a home. Kent was doing fine. We made the choice to become your friends, knowing the risks, and
you
accepted. We became close, and now that things aren’t going the way you dreamed, you’re going to throw us in the trough? How
dare you
?”

“I’m sorry,” Bastion said. “I just don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”

“And if we stick with each other, we won’t. The only reason Mason was able to get to us was because we were separated. That won’t happen again.”

“You’re right,”
Bastion said with a smile.

“Forget Mason and his lackeys. They’ll get theirs in time.”

“True,” Bastion said, deep in thought. Suddenly, he reached out and hugged Daisy, catching her off guard. “Thank you,” he said into her ear. She snickered and then hugged him back.

“As long as you don’t try to kiss me,” she said back. He laughed and let her go.

“What you saw back there…that won’t happen again. I promise. I guess I’m still learning how to deal with the power I have. I’ve already decided not to kill since the ordeal with Hakin. I don’t really think Lakrymos counts because I didn’t mean to. It got to the point of self-defense in a sense…but now I have to add torture to the list. I won’t hurt someone beyond what is necessary. Not anymore.”

“Good,” Daisy said. “And make sure the whole not kissing me thing is also on that list.”

“I might change your mind someday,” Bastion laughed, but she wasn’t smiling.

“No chance.”

“Aw, that’s cold,” he chuckled as he heard a cry in the distance. Daisy and Bastion craned their necks upwards and scanned the forest in front of them. They looked to each other and with a nod, they confirmed that they both heard the sound. Without a moment’s hesitation they began running toward the source. Bastion unsheathed his eidolon and donned his Sage robe as Daisy followed suit.

It only took them a few seconds to sprint to the location, in which two young
Langorans were running toward them at full speed, and neither of them were Kent.

“Whoa, stop!” Daisy shouted as one of the boys nearly ran into her. She grabbed his shoulders and tried to keep him still but he kept trying to wriggle out of her grip. The other bo
y continued running, leaving his friend behind. Bastion decided not to chase him down since they already had one of them.

“What’s going on?” Bastion asked him as Daisy tried to maintain his focus
by keeping her eyes level with his. “What are you running from?”

“Monsters!” he yelped, trying to duck under Daisy. His head bumped into her stomach and then she forced him to stand back up again. Bastion reached
out and held him in place by his forearms.

“Calm down,” Daisy said to him. “Calm down! Tell us what you’re talking about.”

“The monsters. The monsters. They’re killing people.”

“What do they look like?”

“No, I have to go,” he shouted, but this time when he tried to move, he couldn’t budge. Bastion and Daisy kept him still.

“Were they Quietus?” Bastion asked, but he shook his head no violently.

“No, not Quietus. I know Quietus. They were tall and ugly. Sharp teeth. They move so fast but strange. I’ve never seen them before. I have to go. Please!” He tried to head-butt Daisy in the face. She dodged it and backed off. Bastion let the Langoran go and he went sprinting off in the direction his friend had gone.

“You know what that sounds like,” Daisy said softly. Bastion nodded and pointed his eidolon toward Languor.

“I don’t sense anything,” Bastion said. “Not that it means anything. I can barely sense any Langorans. We’re still so far away.”

“You think the Yama are really here?”

“Might not be an invasion, just a scout. But…we should probably check it out.”

“What about Kent?”

“He might be in Languor for all we know. We’ve sure checked out every part of this forest except where the Quietus frequent.”

“Bastion…your hands.” Bastion looked down and saw his hands trembling. The grip on his eidolon loosened suddenly and his
Gladius fell out of his hands, hitting the forest floor and disappearing on impact. Bastion gulped and faced Daisy. It felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest.

“What’s wrong?” Daisy asked and he swallowed again, looking at the forest floor frantically.

“I’m scared,” he said finally, facing her once more. “Daisy, I think I’m scared!”

“Well, geez, don’t sound too excited.”

“I…I’ve never been this afraid in my life. I don’t…I don’t know what to do.”

“Do you still want to investigate?”

“We have to,” Bastion said with a deep breath. “Kent could be in trouble. At the least, Languor might. We could save some people if it’s true. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

“If this really is the Yama, they’ll be really strong. Especially if there’s more than one.”

“We’ll stick together,” he said. “We can stop them.”

“And if we do encounter one and fight it…what do we do at the end? What do we do with it?”

“We’ll have to figure that out when the moment comes…but we have to do this.”

“I know,” Daisy said with a weak smile. “Just making sure you were ready.”

“Let’s go,” he said, and they began sprinting toward the Kingdom of Languor. It’s true that he was afraid, but the fear was also mixed in with excitement. The description sure sounded a lot like the Yama and if they had finally arrived, then his time had come. Not to achieve his destiny or to become a legendary warrior, but for all expectations of him to be over.

Whether he was able to defeat the Yama or died trying, his time as a weapon and a tool would be over. He could have a normal life. He could live on his own terms. And there’s nothing he wanted more.

Yes. They had to investigate. He wanted everything to be over as soon as possible.

An explosion rocked the castle walls, shaking the very foundation. From their warm and secluded beach, James and Catherine felt the aftershock and they immediately jumped to their feet. James was shirtless, but he didn’t care for the clothes that laid in the sand. He closed his eyes and a white shirt wrapped tightly around his chest like armor. With another thought, his blazing hot white robe appeared over him. Catherine looked
over at him in envy. When James glanced over at her, silently inquiring why she wasn’t activating her enhanced Sage abilities, she tapped her chest. He sighed and nodded in understanding. The stone was once again hindering her power.

The beach disappeared and they were back in the dining room.
Arimus was just rushing in.

“Did you feel that?” he asked as Catherine adjusted her dress.

“A little,” she said, slightly embarrassed. “What’s happening?”

“We’re not sure,”
Arimus said. “It came from the north side where the potential Enforcers are being trained. You think something went wrong?”

“That was a pretty big explosion,” James said as
Arimus noticed his son-in-law in full Sage form. Arimus nodded and donned his blue robe immediately.

“Prattle?” Catherine wondered, but James shook his head.

“Doubtful,” he said as he unsheathed his eidolon and stretched it out toward the ceiling. He closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment. “There’s a couple dozen people out there that aren’t Langoran. Not sure what they are. They’re moving fast though. Shanelle would have a better understanding of their composition if we can get closer.”

“Then closer we will get,”
Arimus said. “Yama?”

“I hope not,” Catherine whispered, pursing her lips. “I’m not ready for this.”

“We have to be, my love,” James said, taking her hand and kissing it. “But at least we get to face whatever this is together.”

“I can’t ask for more,” she said with a grin.
Arimus laughed heartily and they headed out.

“You never know,” he said as they ran. “It might not be Yama at all. And besides, even if it is, how tough could a couple dozen of them be?”

*
              *              *

Daisy and Bastion leapt halfway up the Kingdom wall and used their eidolons to slowly climb up the rest of the way. They would both stand on Daisy’s eidolon while Bastion would cast his into the wall further up. They would jump up to his, Daisy’s would disappear, and then she would do the throwing. It took a minute to get up the wall, but it was necessary to gain a good vantage point. They noticed that there were no guards at the grand entrance below, but there was no way they were going to stroll through the front door regardless. They might be slaughtered on sight by the Langorans themselves for trespassing.

“And done,” Daisy sighed as they reached the top. They crouched low and stuck their heads out over the small trench of stone. Their eyes went wide the moment they looked out.

There were Langorans being slaughtered down below, and it wasn’t by anyone the two young Sages were familiar with. The Langoran in the woods hadn’t been lying. His descriptions were true. There were what looked to be like Yama running around, chasing after their victims with such unnerving speed that Bastion’s breath caught in his throat. The Yama would quickly slice through a victim with their curvy swords and then they would slowly turn around, so slow it was like they hadn’t moved at all. But once they were facing the way they wanted to go, they would suddenly take off again, sprinting down the street and obliterating anyone and anything in their path. The screams and cries of men, women and children below pierced their ears and echoed across the sky. There were no fires and little destruction to the buildings themselves, but it was unmistakable that Languor was now under siege.

The Yama had arrived.

And they weren’t taking prisoners.

“What do we do?” Daisy cried, looking to Bastion for answers. She shook his arm and he blinked his eyes, coming out of his trance.
From his count there were roughly twenty Yama, hardly enough to be considered an invasion, but it didn’t mean there weren’t more waiting in the shadows. He was worried about jumping down, taking out what was there and then finding himself ambushed by the real army, but at the same time, the longer he waited, the more the Langorans would suffer, and he didn’t want to see any more of that.

“Let’s go,” Bastion said. “Try to stay close to me, but if you see someone that needs saving, do what you have to do. Don’t worry about me. I trust you.”

“Don’t get killed down there,” she said, giving him a wink, and then she jumped first. Bastion followed right behind her and they both hit the ground running, heading toward the noises that begged them to stay away. The rusty and metallic smell of blood tainted the air and the shouts and cries were getting louder, yet they didn’t see a Yama right away. They ran past groups of Langorans, none of them looking back, none of them stopping to ask them questions. Bastion took a deep breath and pushed his legs further, taking the lead over Daisy, not to beat her to the battlefield, but to make sure that she was protected.

A Yama burst through the
brick building from their right and into the stone street, nearly tackling Daisy to the ground. She had ducked at the right moment and the Yama went flying over her back. It did a tuck and roll and then it jumped to its feet and turned toward her as Bastion skidded to a halt. The Yama smiled as it slowly crept toward them, its feet sliding like ice skates across the stone. It smiled wide, baring its sharp teeth, and then it vanished.

Bastion’s
Gladius clashed with the Yama’s blade, just as it was about to slice into Daisy’s forehead. Bastion pushed the Yama back and sped behind it but the Yama turned in sync and roundhouse kicked Bastion across the face. The Young Sage spiraled in the air but landed on his feet, just in time to see Daisy engage the enemy. Daisy swung a hook sword at the Yama’s head and he ducked, then he reached out, grabbed her extended forearm and pulled her toward him, his blade ready to thrust it into her.

But then his head was lobbed off. And his body went slack.

Bastion stood behind him, his body still at the end of its swinging motion as he grit his teeth in rage. Daisy breathed a sigh of relief as the Yama fell dead to the ground, its green blood spilling out onto the street. She leapt into Bastion’s arms and hugged him, but he didn’t return the embrace. The adrenaline of battle was keeping him on edge, and he didn’t like the feeling that he had broken a sweat facing just
one
Yama.

“I’m sorry, Daisy,” he said into her hair. “I had to kill him.”

“You saved my life,” she said. “You did nothing wrong.”

“We’ll see how you feel in a few minutes,” he said, pushing her off of him gently. “I can’t hold back against them. I tried. Daisy, I tried. But we both nearly died in the process.”

“I understand,” she said, looking directly into his eyes. “Do what you have to do. And I’ll do the same. I won’t hold back either. I…we can’t. If they win here, they’ll come after Allay, and they’re not ready. We’ll lose everything. I get that.”

“We’ll figure out how to deal with it later,” Bastion winced. “Now don’t hold back. We have a Kingdom to save.”

*
              *              *

“Stop!” James shouted, holding up a fist behind him. Arimus, Catherine, Shanelle, Krave, Talia, Zhou and Sway halted their running and waited to hear James’ concerns. But no words had to be spoken. They saw the concern in plain view. A Yama ran across the intersecting village streets in front of them, chasing a Langoran man who was yelling at the top of his lungs. They didn’t see what happened when the Yama caught up to him, but they heard it. Sounds of broken bone and spilled blood echoed into their ears, and each of them stood there in horror.

Arimus
, James and Catherine couldn’t help but think of the Quietus, when they had faced them in their own Kingdom. How terrible and terrifying the ordeal had been, resulting in the loss of both Chloe and Achan, two people they loved beyond words. Now the horror had been born anew, and from an enemy they knew little about. Sway, Krave and Shanelle were just as frightened, having heard of the battles of Sages past and still unseasoned in war. Now they were in the midst of one, and their lives were on the line.

“Was that a Yama?”
Arimus whispered, making everyone jump in their skins.

“It was,” James said. “I didn’t want to believe it.”

“So they’re destroying Languor first,” Catherine said. “They probably know that this is the strongest Kingdom as far as having an army. Zain’s doing all he can to get the word out but when he left my presence he said that something had killed his messengers.”

“If the Yama has such intimate knowledge of how Languor works, then I am deeply concerned,”
Arimus sighed. “How long have they been spying on us?”

“Where’s Marie?” James asked, clenching his fists. His
eyes darted over to a rooftop, where a Yama had just turned their way and noticed them. The Yama smiled in their direction.

“She’s not a fighter,” Catherine said. “Zain said he’s keeping her safe.”

“So it’s just us?”

“That’s it. Squads of
Langorans were sent out but I don’t know how successful they were.”

“I’m going alone,” James said. “I’ll be able to work better that way. Sorry guys.”

“I understand,” Catherine said. “But what about the rest of us?”

“Catherine, I want you to take Sway with you and try to evacuate as many civilians as you can. Your stone is blocking your Sage powers a
nd you should only use it as a last result. Sway’s capable as a bodyguard. Arimus, you can handle yourself, I’m sure. You’ll be going alone for the most part, but I want you to try bottlenecking the Yama in my direction with your winds. Get their attention and then let me handle the rest. Help me out if there’s trouble. Krave and Shanelle, you two are a pair. Same for Zhou and Talia. Take out as many Yama as you can.”

The group nodded at their respective instructions as the Yama on the rooft
op prepared to jump down to them. It bent its legs when all of a sudden, its torso split into two, both halves falling off the side and into the stone and dirt. Daisy stood where the fallen Yama was with a triumphant smile, her black and red Sage robe like a flag of hope before them.

“Daisy!” Catherine shouted, and the Young Sage jumped off to greet them.

“How did you do that?” James demanded, and Daisy wiped the sweat from her brow.

“Had to suppress a great deal of energy and then unleash it all at once,” she sighed. “It’s a lot easier than taking them on one by one. At least for me.”

“Good to know,” James smiled. “Also…where’s Bastion? I know that the two of you are friends.”

“He’s here to
o, but we got separated. I saw a family of Langorans in trouble in the distance and he was busy taking on a couple of Yama at the time. There was no time.”

“I’m glad he’s here,” James said, then he turned to the rest of the group. “Let’s get this done.” Everyone separated but Daisy remained with James.

“Is there anything you want me to do specifically?”

“Just keep doing what you’re d
oing. You’ve done well so far. No need to change anything.”

“Thanks,” she said as she ran past James. James didn’t bother turning around. He had his own work to accomplish, and ther
e wasn’t time to worry about what his friends and family were doing. He had to trust them, as much as they had put their faith in him.