The Sorcerer's Dragon (Book 2) (5 page)

“Yeah…but sometimes, even the sacrifice is not worth the reward.”

“Well, what is your mission? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“I…I want to find the Seven Sorcerers.”

“Any particular reason why?” His response caught her off guard. He didn’t think she was insane? He wasn’t going to immediately scoff and raise his eyebrows in judgement?

“I…I think that I can persuade them to help in the war with Cimmerian. From what I’ve seen, the Sages, and even Paragon aren’t ready. We’re going to be slaughtered once Cimmerian gets serious. What they did to the Sorcerer weapons…that was just a test, to see what the response would be. Of course there was none.”

“The Paragons are a proud, stubborn, stuck-up and self-centered people. They are also terrified of change, diversity, alternate ways of thinking and their own shadows. Yet, once they stop worrying about what others think, they start remembering why they arrived at Paradise in the first place. Deep down, they’re good people that mean well. The problem is when you get a bunch of them gathered together. They start feeding off each other instead of spreading out and expanding their horizons.”

“Do you think they’ll fight back against Cimmerian?”

“In the end they will, but they won’t fight well. They’re out of practice. And the Sages—there’s not enough of them. I don’t care how strong the Sages are. I’ve seen warriors that are stronger than them.”

“The Sorcerers?”

“Not even. Just warriors from the past. They’ve all gone their separate ways by now, as I assume the Sages will in a few more decades. Everyone hits a point in which they start looking out for themselves rather than each other.”

“Not me,” she said, trying to keep her head still. She could feel him combing the back. “I don’t care if I die. I don’t care what it takes. I’ve lived this long—it can’t be for no reason. I can make a difference.”

“Because of how sick you used to be?”

“Exactly,” she said. “I should be dead right now, but I’m still here.”

“I knew there was something special about you,” he said, and once again, she was shocked by how casually she was opening up to him. It was strange. It felt like they were already old friends, even though she had just met him.

“So you’re going on this trip to see the Sorcerers all by yourself?” he asked after a minute of silence went by, only the sounds of snipping and combing to entertain them.

“I hope not,” she laughed. “I want someone to come with me, but…I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

“Your boyfriend, uh—”

“—Kace.”

“Yeah, Kace. He’s not going with you?”

“He said he was, but…I’m not as naïve as people may think. I’m pretty confident he’s not.”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“Back on Terra, there was a fight in which I was involved. That was when I lost my arms and leg actually. I was out for two months as I recovered, and in that time, Kace found new friends and a new life. I’m happy for him, but things are a little different for both of us. Like me, he grew up sheltered, so he doesn’t know a whole lot about the outside world. He’s a Quietus, and in their culture, it’s all about being a warrior and being tough, and if you met Kace, you would know that he’s not any of those things. He tries well enough, but he gets his behind kicked all the time. He’s not really cut out to be a warrior, and I think he’s realizing it.

“There’s a lot of Sages at the Academy that aren’t ready for battle. I don’t know if it’s because James never taught them properly, or they don’t really want to fight. Maybe they thought becoming a Sage was cool and so they struggled to release their eidolons with all they had. But once they achieved it, they weren’t ready to go beyond it. Kind of like here in Paragon, they suddenly had a great reputation. They were seen as better than others and they were praised for what they achieved so why aspire for more? They’ll fight when it’s time, but just like those in Paragon…they’re not preparing for the worst.”

“And you are?”

“I’m not that powerful, but I don’t give up. That counts for something.”

“Definitely,” he said, applying some gel to her hair and running his fingers through her strands. It almost felt like a massage on her scalp, and she found herself closing her eyes. Thoughts of Kace watching her came to mind, but she quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn’t about him.

It just wasn’t right now.

“I would go with you,” Ian said and she opened her eyes slowly.

“I bet you would,” she chuckled. “As long as I was your girl, right?”

“No,” he said adamantly. “I would go with you even if we didn’t care for each other personally. It would be a business arrangement. I already go to Terra on my own, so I’m not talking for the sake of talking.”

“What kind of business arrangement?”

“I keep you company, and you keep me protected. There’s parts of Terra that I would venture into if I didn’t know that they were hotspots. I’m not much of a fighter. Not saying I wouldn’t learn, but I know that it would take a while.”

“That would be fine, but…I’m looking for the Sorcerers. That might be as dangerous as it gets. They could kill us on sight.”

“Like a moth to the flame,” he laughed. “If I died on such an adventure, at least I would go out in style. Not to mention that depending on where they live, I might find the rarest of materials for the shop. If we survive the trek, I would basically have no competition.”

“I see.”

“But that’s up to you,” he said, pulling at a clump of her hair with a brush. “No pressure.”

“I might not be able to protect you as well as you think. Going back to Terra…I might get sick again.”

“So?”

“So, it’s a problem.”

“Not really. You made it this far while being sick. That’s pretty impressive.”

“I had help.”

“And what would I be?”

“A liability.”

“But a handsome one,” he quipped.

Remi sucked her teeth. “You’re a mess.”

“No, that would be your hair.”

“Seriously though. My illness could flare up.”

“You know when I’m hungry, I turn into a jerk? Really. I’m all out of sorts. I’m intolerable. I hope that won’t be a problem for you.”

“I get it,” she laughed. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop complaining.”

“Just let me know whenever you want to leave and I’m there.”

“I still don’t know if I’m taking you. I don’t associate with creeps.”

“Hey, I thought we started over.”

“You said that. I didn’t agree.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I don’t get it,” she sighed, rubbing the palm of her hand down her face. “I really don’t.”

“What?”

“Why a guy would be attracted to me. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Does it have to make sense? As long as you know the suitor isn’t just looking for pleasure, isn’t it enough knowing that you’re desired?”

“I would like to know for myself.”

“A lot of women want to know why, but when they’re given the answer, it never sticks. Not to be chauvinistic. Men do the same thing. Tell a fit man that he’s ugly and he’ll never believe you. Tell a fat man he’s handsome and he’ll never believe you. Tell a woman she’s beautiful and she’ll never truly believe it. Not until time has gone by and she catches a glimpse of what her loved one sees. It’s usually not much more than that, but it’s enough to begin the healing process.”

“Healing process?”

“Yeah, in realizing that their previous doubts were merely fail-safes put in place to ensure that they don’t become too egotistical. If women realized their true potential then they would rule the world.”

“And what’s their true potential?”

“They become goddesses,” he said, reaching down and picking up the mirror. He handed it to Remi and she audibly gasped.

“This is me?” she asked, running two fingers through the hair hanging off the side. It had all been straightened and trimmed. Her hair was practically glowing and it had never looked so radiant. The strands were vital and rich. The color was vibrant and full. She had never seen it so gorgeous. “Wow,” she whispered. “This is me?”

“No,” Ian declared, grabbing a clump of her hair and cutting it down. Moving so fast that she could barely keep up, he strategically cut it down. He dipped his hand into another substance found in a jar and rubbed it into her hair. He combed furiously. He brushed with purpose, and after a few minutes had passed, he tapped her on the shoulder.

“Now,” he said.

She raised the mirror again, and she did not gasp this time.

Her hair had been cut short on one side and left long behind the ear of the other.

“It’s called a rose cut,” he said as he stepped back from the chair, allowing her to take herself in.

It was attractive, but not boisterous. Loud but quiet at the same time, like an elevated whisper. The last style had put her in league with all the girls she had envied in childhood. The ones that got the compliments and the love. But this hairstyle…this one made her an individual. No less strong. No less majestic.

She was a magnificent and mysterious creature that garnered attention but did not demand it.

“This is me,” she whispered, nodding into the mirror.

“This is who I see,” Ian declared. She swiveled around in her chair and looked at him. It was then that she felt most at ease in his presence. There were so many conflicting emotions that had bombarded her upon meeting him.

That he was weird.

A little dorky.

A creep.

Egotistical.

Just another guy trying to win over a girl.

But he was all and yet none of these things. His personality changed with the situation, for now, standing before her with scissors and brush in hand, he was masculine and appealing. It was then that she noticed how toned he was, and so he had to care to some degree about his appearance. She realized then that he probably did like the clothes and hairstyle he had sported earlier, but he had only gotten dirty for her amusement.

Most of all, she was impressed with how he had understood her so intimately with very little to go off of.

He was a lot more mature than she had previously thought.

“We leave in a week,” she said, and he simply nodded.

They stared at each other for a full minute. And when staring into one’s eyes, a minute can feel as if eternity has passed.

“You never asked for my name,” Remi said as Ian stood in the doorway. He smiled and leaned up against the frame.

“I wanted to wait until I was worthy enough to have it.”

“It’s not like I’m giving you my heart.”

“No, but you have mine. And it’s rude not to reciprocate.”

“I can already tell I’m going to sick of you,” she replied.

“That’s what I’m aiming for,” he winked.

“It’s Remi,” she said.

“Not bad,” he said.

“You don’t think it’s beautiful?” she asked, assuming he was going to say so.

“No, but it’s cute.”

She frowned. “You do know that you may never see me again, don’t you?”

“I’m hoping I made a good enough impression,” he said, pushing himself off the frame. “But even if you don’t want to see me again, your hair sure will.”

She patted the side of her head.

“You’re not twenty,” she said.

“Do some research on me,” he said. “And find out for yourself. I’m being truthful. The thing is…because I grew up in Paragon, I didn’t have to spend all my time trying to survive like I would’ve on Terra. Instead, I was able to learn more about the human condition and what people are like. It has its perks and its downfalls.”

“Such as?”

“I’m a terrible fighter,” he admitted.

“So is Kace.”

“No clue why,” he said. “Especially if he’s a Quietus.”

“I didn’t think people aged in Paragon,” she said.

“Yeah, you would think I would be stuck as a baby forever, right? Man, that would have sucked, especially if my mind had continued to grow. But thankfully, here in Paragon the atmosphere allows everyone to reach their maximum potential physically. So I was able to grow and mature like I would have been able to on Terra, except I never got sick, and to my knowledge, I don’t have any health deficiencies.”

“And that’s why I’m not sick.”

“Right.”

“So if the atmosphere changes, so will our bodies.”

“I might start catching colds,” he said. “But I can’t think about that now. I have no control over what the Great Collision did.”

“But the Sorcerers might be able to change things.”

“Maybe,” he said. “But I’m sure it will take a great deal of persuasion for them to break their vow on interfering.”

“I’m willing to take the chance,” she said. “It was nice talking to you, Ian.”

“So a week from now?” he asked, and she nodded. “If you leave without me, I’ll understand.”

“I’m sure you would,” she said, then she turned and left him standing there. As she walked down the street alone, she suddenly realized how cold the air had gotten. The rain had stopped, but there were strong gusts of wind in its place, and her clothes had not completely dried. Did Ian realize it and not offer her clothes because she had refused measurement for the dress? Or the thought never entered his mind in the first place? The rain in Paragon was normally so light that even if someone had stood under it the entire time, they wouldn’t get that wet.

How long had it taken her and Olivia to get to Virga? Now that she was alone, she realized how lonely and cold the trek back would be. Since she had gone with Olivia, their conversation had taken her mind off of the walking, but now, all she could think about was getting warm.

Thankfully, her body was strong enough to weather the temperature change.

Remi walked with her arms folded, walking past the vacant entrance to Virga. Gill was nowhere to be found, and by now, the people of Paragon were probably cozy at home.

She strolled past the bouquets of flowers and realized that their fragrance was now masked by the smell of wet soil and tree branches. The air was starting to get muggy, and there was still an overcast in the sky, causing the already dense forest to become that much darker. She found herself squinting to see, and she hoped that she would be able to find her way back home.

She didn’t want to unsheathe her eidolon for fear that some small creature might be attracted to it and fly at it. She didn’t want to hurt anything unnecessarily. But it was getting so hard to see.

A creaking of the tree branches above her head caught her attention. Though she wasn’t sure what the forest was like after a torrential downpour, it sounded unnatural.

“Is someone there!” she called out, and another creak came from the bushes in front of her. “If you don’t come out now, I’m going to start cutting down trees!”

It was a bluff, but if her pursuer cared about the forest at all, they would reveal themselves.

A silhouette jumped down from the canopy and onto one knee. Her eidolon wasn’t unsheathed, but she still sensed no danger or ill-will from the stranger.

“Who are you?” she asked, when she realized the shape of the stranger’s body. He had been on all fours, but now he was slowly standing up to two feet. Hair grew from what once seemed like a bald head. Its arms and legs gained more girth and her face softened in recognition.

“Kace?” she asked.

The stranger cleared his throat a couple times until his voice was clear. “Hey, Remi.”

“You following me?” she asked. Her mind started zipping all over, wondering what he saw and overheard. He didn’t have an eidolon, but she knew that in his Quietus form, his senses increased exponentially. It was possible that he heard her entire conversation with Ian, even from outside.

But the more she thought about it, what did she care if he did?

It’s not like she did anything wrong.

It’s not like she asked for the hair stylist to burst into her life like that.

“Not following,” he said. “I was looking for you. The Sage Academy didn’t get the storm, but we could see it in the distance, and then when Olivia came back without you, I knew I had to see if you were okay.”

“She didn’t tell you what I was up to?”

“Oh c’mon, she doesn’t really talk to me much. I think she still has this weird notion that I kept the two of you apart even though she’s the one that betrayed you.”

“I can take care of myself,” she said. “I’ve been saying that for…I don’t know. Since we’ve met.”

“I know, but we both know that you didn’t get this far by yourself either. And you shouldn’t be alone. Cimmerian is after you.”

“If they can get as far as Virga, then there’s nothing we can do to stop them from getting me.”

“You’re right. They’ve gotten as far as Cirrus. They’ve gotten even further.”

“Doesn’t that kind of annul your argument?”

“What I’m trying to say is that we should stick together.”

“Now that you’re done hanging out. Right.”

“What’s gotten into you?”

“Why aren’t you excited about going with me on my journey?”

“I…Remi, you know it’s crazy.”

“It wasn’t crazy a few months ago when I was your only friend and you were so in love with me that you couldn’t think straight.”

“I don’t think I realized what I was saying,” he admitted. “Since we’ve been at the Academy, I was able to hear a lot more stories about the Sorcerers, and…it doesn’t sound like we can do anything to change their mind, if we even get a chance to talk to them.”

“Then I’ll go by myself.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Who said that?” she asked, looking around her. “I could have sworn I heard someone telling me what to do when last time I checked, I was no one’s property.”

“I’m not trying to control you.”

“Yes you are. And I’m not even sure why. When was the last time the two of us hung out? Just the two of us?”

“I don’t know.”

“And yet, I’m willing to bet that you can count on one hand how many times you hung out with your friends since yesterday.”

“So that’s what this is? You’re jealous?”

“No, not at all,” she replied. “It’s the fact that I made up my mind to go on this mission, and I’ve been waiting for you to be ready. And then I learn that you’re not even seriously thinking of going, and yet, I still wait and give you time. I went to the parties you liked. I hung out with you and your friends without bringing it up, and when I got impatient, I asked them to come along. Now that they’ve refused, and you’re telling me that you’re not coming, what am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to do? I have to choose now. To stay with you, or go.”

“I don’t see how it’s a choice,” Kace said. “One is death, and the other is life.”

“To you it is, but not me. Sitting around and laughing as a very real threat comes to take away everything we hold dear bothers me. I’m not judging you. I love that you made friends, and I really want to see you be happy. I don’t want to control you either, and  so…if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to. You really don’t.”

“But…Remi, you’ll die.”

“Or I won’t.”

“Remi, c’mon…”

“I won’t die.”

“If you’re going, then I’m going too.”

Kace couldn’t even hide the tears welling up in his eyes. “Then we’re going now,” Remi said.

“What?” he said, his voice breaking. He reached out for her instinctively but she dodged the attempt.

“We’re leaving right now.”

“We don’t have any supplies, and your clothes are wet, and we didn’t say goodbye to anyone!”

“So?”

“So? So? Remi, you have to prepare for something like this.”

“No we don’t,” she said, pulling back the part of her shirt that was covering her right shoulder. The tip of her eidolon was poking out. “And I would rather leave now because my eidolon is telling me that you’re being deceptive. What’s your plan, huh? Lead me back with promises of preparation and woo me into falling in love with the good life? Smother me with fun and excitement until I forget all about this?”

“It was worth a try,” he muttered.

Remi couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I’m leaving.”

“No, you’re not,” he scoffed, which only made her more furious.

“Watch me,” she said, knowing full well how ridiculous it was to go on a quest without so much as a loaf of bread to eat.

“You’re not serious,” Kace said, but she kept her vision stubbornly focused on the task at hand. He followed her without a word, as she left the forest, walked across the country side and arrived at the borders of Paragon. She stopped for a second and questioned her sanity, but then she heard Kace breathing behind her and that kept her going.

She clenched her fists tight and kept moving, through Paragon’s open gates and toward the bridge between Paragon and Terra.

“They could be waiting for you,” Kace said to her.

“Doubt it,” she said. “The gates wouldn’t be open if there was any Cimmerians nearby.”

“There’s more than one way to get inside a house than the front door.”

“You’re spouting off ancient proverbs now?”

“Remi, stop,” he said and for some reason she did. She faced him angrily and his face softened. “You don’t have to throw your life away because you’re mad at me. Okay?”

“I’m starting to think that this is the best move for me. At least I’ll be out there, doing what I wanted all along.”

“Can we at least go back to the Academy? Gather a few things?”

“Are you coming with me?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Then I’m leaving now.”

“Remi,” he said, grabbing her arm. “I love you.”

A few months ago, she would have believed him, because she wouldn’t have known any better. But now she had plenty of time to observe. She had seen other students spend time together. She had seen the way James and Catherine looked at each other, and most of all, she had seen how Kace preferred his time with others over her. It wasn’t that he had to spend more time with her than them. She didn’t even need it to be equal in her favor. But at the very least, when they did enjoy each other’s company, she preferred not to talk about what new jokes Chad had come up with, or how cool Berto was, or all the great things he was going to do with them the next day.

She wasn’t a part of his life, as much as he would say to the contrary. The actions were speaking louder than words, and at the end of the day, she was only a nice person that was willing to kiss him on the lips from time to time. Nothing more.

Well, no more.

“I want to break up,” she declared, and Kace’s face nearly cracked.

“No, Remi,” he cried, squeezing her artificial arm harder. She yanked her arm away from him and rubbed it. She didn’t want him leaving an impression.

“I’m not trying to be mean,” she said softly. Now that the deed had been done, there was no reason to make him feel any worse. She still wanted to be friends.

“Then why are you doing this?” he growled, covering his face with one hand.

“Because it’s what’s best for both of us. It may not feel like it right now, but it’s true. I can’t force you to come with me, and neither would I want to. I just…I thought we both wanted this. I guess I was wrong and I placed expectations on you that weren’t fair. For that, I’m sorry. But hey,” she paused to take his hand away from his face. The tears she saw rolling down his face nearly broke her heart. “We’re still friends…and I’m still there for you when you need me. Okay?”