The Last of the Sages (Sage Trilogy, Book 1) (11 page)

James lunged and purposely missed once again, but he knew what was coming. Dominic was a bully. The type of person who would hurt you simply because he felt superior, and James anticipated this. Like yesterday, the last few minutes of his session with Dominic would be the most painful. See, Dominic loved that physical, personal gratification he got when he left a mark on you. He wanted visible confirmation of your defeat.

He would show no mercy, and James wanted him more than ever to be that way. 

Dominic swung a downward right hook toward James’s cheek. James weathered the blow, while calculating the exact direction of its continued swing: where it would land after it reached its destination.

The punch hurt, but he knew it would, and if he didn’t act now, he might never get another shot. James reached out and grabbed Dominic’s fist with his right hand, holding it with all he had. Already catching himself from his fake lunge, he thrust his body to the left into Dominic’s torso with a cry of rage. Dominic let out an “OH!” in surprise as they tumbled to the ground, but James wasn’t about to let go. James awkwardly tried positioning his left hand, which held the sword, to pretend like he was going for the cut. Dominic thought so too and responded accordingly. Dominic grabbed James’s wrist, holding the sword high above his body, but James didn’t want to cut him.

James head-butted Dominic in the nose as hard as he could, hearing him cry out in unfamiliar pain as James followed this moment of helplessness with a swift blow to his left cheek and a knee to his stomach. Dominic’s grip held onto his left wrist but James still didn’t want to cut him. Giving him a lesson in humility was satisfying enough.

Dominic angrily tried to turn the blade and pierce it through James. James let go of the sword which fell swiftly into James’s free right hand. James slammed his foot on Dominic’s right wrist to prevent him from going for it and quickly back-rolled off of Dominic. Dominic, fully enraged, clamored to his feet and ran toward James who threw the blade as hard as he could. Dominic pivoted to the side as he instinctively had done over and over throughout the day but it wasn’t fast enough.

His eyes widened in horror as the blade nicked his right cheek. An almost microscopic drop of blood emerged, and James stood still, calm, waiting for Dominic’s next move.

James made up his mind he wouldn’t throw a smile. It was something Dominic would do, and James could not - would not - be associated with a man like him. James instead looked to Arimus for approval. Arimus didn’t move, his arms still crossed in authority, but what Arimus couldn’t hide was the pride in his eyes as they glimmered for a second in awe. That was all James needed.

Dominic didn’t look at either of the other two men in the room, but instead picked up the sword that had clanged at the far end of the hall. He held it for a second, staring at the speck of red that stained the edge, and threw it in disgust to the side. He turned around and glared at James, his jaw struggling to keep his teeth from gnashing - he was so furious. Arimus chuckled lightly.

“
Well, I hope you’re happy.”

“I’d say so,” James mused
.

“Dominic won’t hold back anymore. He will be on guard for the rest of this test.”

“Haven’t I passed?”

“Have you? Do I really need to explain?
”

“
No…” James sighed, throwing his head down to the floor. “I get it. Even though I nicked him, it didn’t happen when his eidolon was out so…yeah, I’m not even sure I would count it myself. But…I figured that as long as I could make him release his eidolon, I’d at least dodge being the laughing stock of the academy. Guess I’ll have to come up with a plan for tomorrow on how to cut him.”

“So you’re really not counting this?
” Arimus asked curiously.

“Would you? His eidolon was nowhere to be found. How could I take the Sage classes when I haven’t even seen an eidolon?”

“Very noble of you. And you are right, of course. The purpose of this exam is to get past his eidolon. Which he has yet to engage you appropriately with.

“Sad thing is, I’m already so tired, and that was my only real attack.”

“You’ll be able to sleep soon enough. Dominic looks like he’s determined to make sure you become good friends with your pillow tonight.”

James gulped and watched as Dominic placed his fist onto his left shoulder.

“Okay, so that was my fault,” Dominic admitted.  “I should’ve known someone from the village would try some underhanded tactics. I’ll admit you fooled me, but that’s about as close to a compliment as you’re going to get. Arimus! Please don’t tell me he passed.”

“Don’t worry,” Arimus chuckled. “He must cut you with your eidolon unsheathed.”

“Good. Then we only have one day left together.”

“I still have today,
” James retorted. Dominic laughed like a mad man as he closed his eyes.

“Oh, today is already gone.”

James wanted to make it through the flash of light. He needed to. He had to see this eidolon edge for himself, so he swallowed his pride and looked away slightly, only managing to catch a glimpse of Dominic barely lifting his fist from his shoulder and unsheathing his soul’s edge.

The light that engulfed the room was brilliant - as if a million white magnolias had burst around them, each overlapping the other to create a soft and delicate array. James wanted to reach out and touch what he saw, this wallpaper of petals that dared to slow his adrenaline rush. The light lasted briefly, taken away in relatively an instant.

And James turned to see Dominic bearing his eidolon edge.

It was similar to a machete, though not exactly, and the grip was made of a rubber that was easy on the hands. The cross-guard was a bright gold, appearing to be more for show than actual worth. The blade itself was the most impressive. Considerably longer than a machete’s 2 feet,  this boasted at least five. The blade’s edge was outlined in blood red, its central ridge decorated with numerous gold symbols. It could’ve been mistaken for a normal, albeit colorful blade, if not for the aura emitting from it. The same eerie gold color that shaded the symbols glowed dangerously around the entire sword and slightly around Dominic’s hands and forearm. Dominic didn’t appear to change except for his demeanor. He was tranquil, at ease, as if meditating with open eyes. James moved forward cautiously, knowing that Dominic wouldn’t hand him the sword that was thrown to the side. Not yet.

Dominic remained undisturbed. His eyes fell softly to his feet as he sighed deeply. James waited for the eye of the storm to pass. The blade hummed a noticeable yet unheard tune that James struggled to hear. It was like hearing one’s own blood course through one’s veins in the dead of night. It didn’t get any louder.

“My only regret,” Dominic spoke calmly, totally out of character, “is that this is all I can manifest. A true sage would be able to transform his entire being in that flash of light. It’s so soothing yet causes so much anxiety, all at once. I have only a short time to release my eidolon before that light fades. I never get a chance to transform anything else. Only my eidolon…but I guess for now, this is all I can do. For now.”

James began sweating as he heard Dominic speak. He was more afraid of this new Dominic than the old one. Was this confidence, this peace, part of what it meant to be a Sage? It wasn’t what he said that scared James, but how he said it - as if James wasn’t even there, like Dominic was in solitude - his own world of tranquility. James could only imagine that the moment it was disturbed, the blade’s song would be heard, causing the world to go deaf.

James looked at Arimus for a response. He showed none, having no fear because he wasn’t the recipient of Dominic’s upcoming attack; but he was in awe over the vision that lay before him.

“It never gets old,” Arimus said. “Seeing an eidolon. It’s very aura makes me want to flee, as if I have more to fear than physical death from that blade.”

James didn’t respond. He knew exactly how Arimus felt. There was a terrible and beautiful sensation that inhabited the room, making him feel as if he had nothing to fear from this life any more. His very soul was about to be condemned.

“Are you sure he’s not a Sage?”

Arimus looked into James’s eyes and fought back a shudder.

“Yes. Believe it or not, he is not yet a Sage.”

“The Maker help us…” James prayed as Dominic inhaled a breath and stared directly into James.

“No - ” James squeaked, to call off the session before Dominic could move, but the Sage-in-training refused to hear him.

James hardly saw anything. It was like questioning if you saw a ghost or not. One moment Dominic was there and the next he wasn’t. All that lay before James’s eyes was a vague banner that hung on the back wall.

James felt the calf of his right leg raise to get ready to run…

And the eidolon cut him.

He held his breath in shock as his vision cleared and Dominic stood in front of him - face to face - staring down into his soul. The eidolon bore the weight of Dominic’s two hands as it rested - so to speak - on James’s left breast. The eidolon had barely scratched him, barely cutting through the first layer of skin, but still James couldn’t move. He waited for the pain.

“The moment you breathe, the pain will come,” Dominic said matter-of-factly. “With my eidolon unsheathed, it is easy to know the exact point where I should rest my blade on your body, at what depth of incision the vein underneath will burst and cause you unbearable pain. I can hear your every heartbeat. I can see your every muscle twitch. I don’t have to be able to read your thoughts to know what you are about to do, and this eidolon, able to perceive more than I could ever imagine - my very soul taking in inconceivable information through thousands of unknown senses…this eidolon, right here, knows how to take you out with the most minimal effort.”

James refused to breathe, barely able to hear Dominic’s words as the eidolon nuzzled him. He could feel his lungs coughing, reaching upward for precious oxygen.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, James,” Dominic whispered to his face. James’s lungs cried out in agony. He answered…and darkness clouded his vision.

Chapter 5 - The Siege

James woke up around nine the next morning with surprisingly little aching to burden him. Surprised, he jumped out of bed and began getting dressed as he wondered how he had gotten back to his room
.
If the eidolon is so powerful, why am I not feeling any pain right now?

James vaguely remembered the few seconds before he had passed out. Maybe it was the fear of the eidolon that had knocked him out. Whether the anguish Dominic had talked about was a lie or not, he had believed him whole-heartedly.

It didn’t matter in the end, however, whether it was a lie or not. He was sure that, even if he hadn’t passed out at that moment, he wouldn’t have been able to beat Dominic at that point. The cool and confident Sage-in-training he had seen yesterday would have been even more impressive if James hadn’t been at the receiving end of his fury. And no matter the outcome, James had to admit, the experience only made him want to be a Sage that much more.

He had one day left to prove his worth and he had already spent the night sleeping. What could he come up with that would beat Dominic’s Sage form, in the couple of short hours that he had lef
t?
James wobbled over to the door, realizing that his legs felt like lead, and saw the small note on the door
.
Heard you actually cut Dominic yesterday. Too bad it didn’t count. Love,
Ch
Kyran. P.S. No session for you today. Dominic and Arimus have business to attend to.

The “Ch” part of the note was scribbled out as best as it could be, but James still saw it underneath the pen marks. Who or what in the world was “Ch” and how Kyran had managed to leave notes right under James’s nose without him noticing it boggled his mind.  James stuck the note in his pocket, ready to ask Catherine why Kyran was so weird, when the “P.S.” came to mind. Dominic and Arimus had business to attend to? Not that it mattered - he now had the day off. Plenty of time to think of a strategy. Plus, he could train on his own and Catherine might have a couple of ideas on how to beat Dominic. After breakfast, finding her would become his priority.

He ran down the hall knowing that he’d surely make it in time for breakfast, but still fearing that Kyran would close up early for no reason. He couldn’t bear another day without eating. The test with Dominic usually extended past lunch and dinner so he was quite ravenous.

James barged through the cafeteria doors as if under an emergency, and bounded for the food. He barely took in his surroundings. It wasn’t a big room at all, maybe able to fit about a hundred people. Generic wooden tables and chairs were scattered throughout. The only redeeming quality about the room was the rack of trays that led the way to the food line. They looked no different than those of a regular school cafeteria, but to James, they looked like paradise. He bountifully loaded his tray with fruit before
he grabbed a paper plate and two bowls, ready to fill it with tasty goodness. He half expected Kyran to be the one serving the food, hair net and all, but he was surprised to see a beautiful woman standing there instead.

She wasn’t wearing the traditional “lunch lady” garb but instead had on a simple bright green shirt that extended into a wavy green sundress. Her wispy blond hair was lined with silver streaks that made her appear older than she actually was but not to the point that she lost her allure. Her big playful lightning blue eyes lit up when she saw James, though he had no clue why. For a second, he thought about how handsome he must be, for the ladies to take such a liking to him, but then he dismissed the idea. He wasn’t that special. There had to be a good explanation.

She scooped up a colossal serving of plain-flavored oatmeal, despite her thin arms, and plopped it happily into James’ bowls and plate, dividing it equally. He leaned over the counter, searching the contents for his beloved strawberry waffles, but alas, found none.

“Where are the waffles? And the sausages?” he asked hopefully, leaning over again, trying to look into the kitchen to see signs of their making.

“Gone, but not forgotten,” the server sighed as she patted her stomach. “Kyran truly outdoes himself.”

“Kyran’s the cook?”

“Oh yes, he loves cooking - oops,” she yelped, clutching her mouth. “Please don’t spread that around. He doesn’t want anyone to know.”

“Why? What’s the big deal?” James laughed as he thought of the serious Kyran wearing a tall chef’s hat and slurping a ladle full of soup. The image started to get weird at the end though as he thought of Kyran smiling in glee and he shuddered, dismissing the vision.

“It’s bad for his image,” the lunch lady replied. “Anyways, I’ve said too much. Hopefully you’ll have some waffles tomorrow.”

“Who made this goop?”

“I did,” she claimed proudly, pulling back a pretend lapel. “I’m not exactly a chef, but I can make a crazy bowl of oatmeal.”

“No kidding,” James replied, staring at the boring ensemble sloshing around in his bowl
s.

“Enjoy,” she said, waving him along despite there being only a couple of people behind him. James grunted as he complied, finding a table in the corner to sit at. He considered sitting with some new faces but he needed the solitude to strategize. The day would be over before he knew it and Dominic’s eidolon was no laughing matter. He had only begun to fathom how to combat Dominic’s speed when he heard the chair in front of him whine
in agony. He looked up from an empty bowl - which James didn’t even remember consuming its contents - to see Catherine, her lips pursed as if she wanted to talk but was, once again, refusing to talk first. James grinned awkwardly and spun his spoon around in the second bowl of oatmeal, trying to win the silent battle between them. Catherine hummed in response, but James pretended to ignore her. Finally, she reached over and stuck a finger in his bowl, scraped out a chunk of oatmeal, drew it back and semi-enjoyed its mushy consistency. James snapped his head back in appall.

“Oh, groos! That’s disgu -”

“Groos? Is that a new word?”

“You don’t stick your fingers in other people’s food!”

“Well I wasn’t about to secede to you. I had to think of something.”

“Yeah, but that’s – that’s unsanitary!” James exclaimed, pushing the bowl away.
Thank the Maker he had grabbed two.

“Like you were going to eat it.”

“I might have!”

“Yeah, right. Besides, I thought we were close.”

“Not that close! Who knows where your fingers have been?”

“Thankfully not where yours have been,” she pointed at the grime lining James’s hands and fingernails. “Speaking of sanitary, shouldn’t you have washed those before you ate?”

“I do what I want,” James stated childishly, running out of comebacks.

“I guess dirt is a delicacy where you’re from and - ”

James threw a spoonful of oatmeal at Catherine who dodged it easily but stood up in shock.

“You can’t throw food at me!”

“Why not? I only threw the part you stuck your finger in.”

“I’m a girl!”

“Touching my food isn’t exactly ladylike!”

“It’s not like I’m in the running to b
e
you
r
lad
y
so why are you so worried about it?”

“Maybe you were but now I’m thinking of looking elsewhere,” James replied slyly.

“Yeah right, who would you talk to if I left you alone?”

“Now that’s hitting below the belt,” James sulked and Catherine’s eyes widened.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Ha!” James yelled suddenly. “I just won this argument! You gave in!”

“After some deception on your part!” Catherine laughed as she threw a fork at James. James winced as it hit the back of his hand. Catherine put her chin in her hands and leaned on the table as if she was suddenly bored while James eyed her in alarm. Who threw forks?

“So how did it go yesterday?” she asked.

“Excellent, actually…well, more or less. A lot happened.”

“Do tell.”

“That idea of yours worked. I gave it my all after catching him by surprise and I managed to do some damage. When he pulled out his eidolon though, it was all over.”

“Got knocked out again by the light huh?”

“
Nooo
o
,” James replied. “I got hit with the eidolon itself.”

“Did it hurt?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t actually feel anything. I remember I couldn’t move, and Dominic was saying that as soon as I’d take a breath, I’d feel this excruciating pain. Then I just blacked out.”

“He was bluffing,” Catherine said with certainty. “There’s no ‘pain comes later’ stuff. He was scaring you.”

“Oh,” James replied, realizing that it was the fear that had knocked him unconscious. He glanced over to look at someone munching on a sausage, whom he had seen from the corner of his eye...or at least he thought he had. There was no one there. James frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Nothing. Go on.”

“If he cut you even a little with the eidolon, you would have felt it, I’m sure.”

“He was saying some stuff about being able to pinpoint the exact location in my vein that would render me useless for all time or something,” James exaggerated.

“That’s true. He could if he wanted to, from what I’ve heard. The fact that you got to see it, though, that’s impressive enough. He showed a bunch of the students once. I’ll never forget what it looked like.”

“Yeah, but I’m sure you never had to be on the receiving end of one.”

“True. True.”

“I have a question for you,” James said suddenly.

“Hopefully it’s not why do I go around sticking fingers in people’s food.”

“No, I - ” James looked around the cafeteria. Everyone was involved in their own food or conversation. No one was paying them any mind except for the strange server at the counter. She stared over at them with questioning eyes but immediately turned them away as her eyes met James’s. He didn’t think anything of it.

“How do you know so much about Kyran and Arimus? Are you friends with them or do you have some kind of history together?”

Catherine mulled over her answer.

“I guess one could say we do.”

“How so?”

“Not romantically or anything. They’re definitely older than I am.”

“I wasn’t thinking that at all,” James replied, disgusted at the image of Kyran being in love, filled with mushy thoughts and musing over flowery poetry.

“It’s complicated. I can’t really disclose everything right now, but, they do confide in me a lot.”

“Even Kyran?”

“Sometimes. I mainly hear about him through Scarlet. You know she’s my cousin?”

“Wow,” James said, suddenly seeing the resemblance in their fiery determination to fight for what they want.

“We talk a lot. Pretty much about everything. She’s like a sister to me and Kyran and Arimus are like my brothers.”

“How did you all get to that? I mean, you’re only a student here.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Arimus is protective of everyone, but so many people are afraid of him because he’s the authority figure that no one bothers talking to him like a human being. Kyran, like I said, you have to earn his trust before he’ll give you more than a grunt, and Scarlet is one of the sweetest people I know as long as you don’t make her mad or call her cute or short or pint-size or tiny or kid or - ”

“I got it,” James laughed, thinking of how even Arimus couldn’t weather Scarlet’s wrath. “I get the picture…so what do I have to do to get into this secret club?”

“Just pass all the tests and you’ll do fine.”

“That’s it huh?”

“Yep.”

“So how many students here are still taking these tests?”

“More than you think. Most likely all of them. They continue to the next test based on their readiness, and that’s determined by the proctors. The Academy isn’t your typical four-year program. We don’t have enough infantry to wait that long. Usually within a year, you’re in the infantry and being sent out. If you’re not, then you’re just continuing your training here.”

“And if you’re in the infantry, you technically graduated.”

“That’s right. Though it’s not as special of an honor as it seems. See, no one ever gets kicked out of the school because we have so few soldiers. And we even keep those that fool around for the same reason. Sure, it might take you longer to be placed into the infantry, but ultimately, you’ll end up in the infantry anyways. Only those who really need help stay longer for extra training.”

“So how long have you been here?”

“Like you, this is my first year, but I’ve already made it to my last test. I’m waiting for Arimus to be ready to proctor.”

“That’s great. Are you excited about - ” James gave up on trying to be secretive. “...the Sage classes?”

“What Sage classes?”

“You’re not in training?”