Post by wsxedcr08 on Jul 24, 2008 21:52:47 GMT -5
Pirates
[/b][/i]Danger
[/i]________________________
We arrived in another burst of light in front of a small office. Without a word, he ushered me inside. At his desk was a very important looking man. He wore a long black cloak, which ended in a hood that shaded his eyes from view. On both sides of the desk were guards armored so heavily I'm surprised they could stand up. Hans pushed me up to the desk and stood right beside me. I got the feeling I was way out of my league, so I waited to speak until I was spoken to. I suppose that was the correct thing to do, because the hooded man began to talk almost immediately.
“I'm glad you could make it on time. However, this is not a casual visit. Do you know where you are?”
I waited for a minute. None one moved, so I assumed he was addressing me.
“No...”
“This is Victorian Superior Court. I am the sentencer. There is no need for a trial since the is overwhelming evidence against you.”
“Wait a minute, what have I done?”
“You have been charged for the murder of Kiel Denmari.”
“Now wait a minute, that was an accident!”
“It really doesn't matter at this point. Standard procedure dictates that you are given one week before your execution. Now if you'll excuse me.”
The man gestured over towards the door, and the two guards jumped into action.
“By the way, don't even think about escaping, we will find you.”
One stood in back of me and one in front as the headed out of the room. I shot one cursory glance over to Hans as I walked out of the room. I could have sworn he wore a blatant smirk on his face. I didn't bother resisting. There was no point. I was defeated, and confused all at the same time.
The guards lead me down several flights of stairs and out into the sunlight. Everything looked dark to me. We came up to a naval airship, just like the one that attacked the school. The guards put their hands on their weapons defensively. I suppose they were used to criminals resisting. I walked up the ramp and down into the cabin peacefully. In my mind, I saw the guards look at each other quizzically before shrugging and heading back into the Court.
Four other criminals were in the cabin waiting for departure. One got up, I don't know if it was to challenge me or just to adjust his position. I didn't care. I punched him in the face without looking, and kept on moving to the far edge of the cabin. He went flying into a stack of boxes in the corner and laid there, obviously out cold. I sat down and rested my head in my hands, lost in my thoughts.
It took two days to get back to the school. I didn't move an inch the whole time, and I wasn't bothered either. I don't know if that was because they were afraid of me, or because I wasn't worth it, or if there was a mutiny. Frankly I didn't care.
The airship landed expertly in the docks, not even jarring the smaller vessels tethered along side it. Two new soldiers entered the cabin to remove me from the ship. Like before, I didn't resist. Now that I was back at the school, I slowly began to slip out of my daze. It was a warm day outside, breezy but not humid. Under any other circumstances I might have enjoyed myself, but it was not to be. As we walked, a peculiar sight caught my eye. A wisp of gray disappeared behind one of the docked ships. It interested me enough to search out with my mind again, something I hadn't done in days. My consciousness washed over the gravely terrain, passed over ships and water, it made me feel good all over. I soon found a person in the docks, a woman, with long grayish white hair. It didn't take me long to realize that it was Reina.
I broke away from the guards at top speed. They tried to chase after me, but I easily lost them in the maze of ships. Having lost their charge they slinked back over to their ship and took off. I intercepted Reina as she passed the stern of the ship I saw her near earlier.
“Reina!” She instantly froze. The box she was carrying dropped to the floor.
“Echo.” She gasped softly. The ship she was next too was relatively small, but big enough for at least three people to live on comfortably for a while. On deck were several boxes, like the one Reina was carrying, all full of stuff, her stuff. I ran in front of her and grabbed her hand, trying to look into her eyes. She turned her head.
“What's going on?” My voice got surprisingly low. She refused to look me in the eye.
“I can't stay here.”
“What? Why not?!”
“Hans says my spending time with you has corrupted my training. He's taking me away...” A single tear fell down her cheek.
“No! Don't go...”
“I have to... I'm sor-” She stopped mid statement.
I held her cheek gently in my hand, bushing away her tear. Now she looked up into my eyes, gasping almost inaudibly. I pulled her close and pressed my lips firmly against hers. At first she stood motionless, but then her lips began to move as she leaned into me. Her hand found mine, and our fingers intertwined. For 30 seconds I was in heaven; I was finally with the person I cared about most in the world.
Without warning she pulled her body away from me. Looming above us was the imposing figure of Hans Heal.
“It’s time to go Reina.” His voice seemed oddly distorted to me. His face was twisted into a slight sneer, definitely directed at me. Reina stepped back from me, keeping her head down.
“I love you, Reina.” A tear fell to the ground. She turned her head, and followed Hans onto the ship.
________________________
I stood at the dock for at least an hour watching Reina's ship disappear beyond the horizon. While I was devastated, my head was clear enough to realize something was wrong with this situation, more specifically with Hans. That creepy smirk he gave me when I was sentenced to death in a week, and now this. I didn't know what exactly was going on, but I intended to find out.
I hadn't gotten two steps into the building before I was cut off by Demitri.
“You're late.” He said accusingly.
“What do you mean I'm late. How can I be late if- Look I don't have time for this. I have to go-” He cut me off.
“Follow me, this is important.” He said it in a very grave tone which took all the fight out of me. It reminded me of when I first awoke after loosing control of my pendant. I followed him without protesting.
He led me outside and around to the side of the building. Waiting for us there was Raeken. Without a word he raised his wand, instantly freezing a straight path in the water before him. Demitri ushered me along, Raeken behind us. Yian must have sensed something was amiss, because he pulled himself from my shadow and let me mount him, something he rarely did.
What's wrong?
<I don't know... I'm trying to read Demitri's thoughts but he's got them like... safeguarded, I can't get anything out of him. He's never done that before.>
We walked along for a few miles, before a silhouette appeared in the distance. It didn't take me long to realize that we were heading towards the isle I found myself on after I first lost control of my Adept stone. Yian took off to the skies, flying ahead of Raeken and Demitri. We reached the small island in seconds, to find several people were already there. When I looked closer, it seemed as if all my friends from school were assembled, Charles, Fye, Repty, and Jin. Yian didn't break stride, trotting right over to Fye. He looked happy to see us.
“Hey Echo.”
“Hey. Do you know what's goin' on here?”
He scratched his head. “Nope. I just got a message on my desk to go outside. Raeken was waiting for me there, with the rest of us. You're the last to get here.”
“Interesting.”
Demitri and Raeken walked up as soon as we finished speaking. Everyone instantly quieted down and Raeken took his place with the rest of us. Darius was perched oh his shadow just off the coast of the isle.
“So why did you call us here again?” Jin yelled out from behind me.
“Well if you'd shut up maybe I would tell you.” Demitri wasn't in the mood for games. Something was clearly disturbing him. Jin hushed and sat down with his leg outstretched.
“Thank you. Now I wasn't planning on doing this till you all got a bit stronger. But recent circumstances have forced me to act early.”
Demitri was looking at me during his introduction. I had a feeling he was addressing my recent sentencing to death. I looked at the floor awkwardly.
“I called you all here because this is the only area with no school surveillance. I discovered this place accidentally. . . a while ago.” Again he looked at me. “What I am about to tell you has dire consequences and cannot leave this group. Hans Heal, the administrator of this school, is none other than Eris.”
Instantly my body went numb. Yian felt it too, He growled ferociously in his head.
<That bastard took Reina!> He was right... it was something I couldn't even comprehend at the moment.
“But why would she want to be Hans? Does that mean she's gay?” It was Jin's stupid question. Fye and Repty snickered softly.
“Didn't I tell you to shut up? There once was a real Hans Heal, but he was actually killed after the war in a combat exercise with Grendel. Eris took advantage of the situation and assumed his form. We all know the millennium anniversary of the first monster attack is coming up. What we don't know is why she had to wait 1000 years, but whatever that reason may be we planned to prepare for it. The supposed reason for forming the War Training Institutions was to train soldiers to defend against the eminent attack. In reality, these schools are just discrete monitors for any noticeable talent. Eris planned to kill anyone she thought could be a serious threat to her plans. The death four years ago in The Mind was the result of one of her planned assassinations. She plans on killing all of you too.”
Something inside of me snapped. It suddenly occurred to me that Kiel's murder had been a set up. I had just given Hans the Light, and then I get attacked by Kiel who mysteriously is under the influence of Light Poisoning. The whole murder was instigated by Eris... and now she's taken Reina, to do who knows what. My whole spirit was flooded by a new determination.
“So what do we do?”
Demitri's eyes flashed fiery red. I stared back at him, unwavering. He smiled.
“I thought you'd never ask. You all are going to have to escape, preferably together. There are several ways to do this, but the best would be-” I interrupted him mid-sentence.
“We're going to steal an airship.”
________________________
We spent the next half an hour working out the logistics of our plan. I really took charge during the deliberation, and no one seemed to mind my leadership except for Jin, but we were able to work past that. We finally came up with a solid plan, but it would take precise timing and cooperation from everyone. When that was done, everyone started filing off the isle, behind Raeken.
“Echo you wait here.” Demitri called after me as I was walking. I stopped and turned around. “We need to talk.”
I walked over to him and sat down, Yian next to me.
“About what exactly?”
“I was trying to get in touch with Reina, do you have any idea where she would be?”
I didn't exactly know how to tell him, so I lied. “How should I know?”
“If you know where she is you're going to have to tell her what's happened here yourself. Hans is after her too you know.”
It was as I had feared, she was in danger. But oddly I wasn't mortified. I was determined, determined to get out of here and rescue her from the fallen goddess.
“You know this isn't easy for me, right?” Demitri's voice sounded distant.
“What's not easy?”
“I can't just. . . let you leave. I'm going to have to fight you, eventually. And when that time comes there can be no holding back.”
I stepped back a bit, and Yian bared his teeth.
“Calm down. I don't want it to be this way. It's just that Eris is going to be watching us, well . . . me. If I don't fight you with everything I've got then she'll figure out I had something to do with your escape.”
“And why would that be so terrible?”
“Think about it. She's obviously much stronger than I am, or else I'd have killed her by now. If she finds out I'm a traitor, she'll kill me. And how can I be any help to you dead?”
What he was saying made sense, but it was still hard for me to accept.
“And it wont be as simple as just getting around me. Eris secretly has her hand dipped in practically every operation on this planet. You'll be hunted down constantly. . . and in your current state, if Eris came after you herself you'd be killed.”
“But I'm just one kid, why does it matter so much what happens to me?”
Demitri stared at me for a while.
“You'll learn who you are, Echo, in time. But it is not possible for you to stay here. You're going to have to seek out the Shadows. Once you find them, and you'll understand your destiny.”
“The Shadows?”
“They're an ancient organization, formed at the same time our world was taking shape. I can't tell you much about them, or where to find them, but when you were put in my care they sent me a message via your friend here.” He gestured towards Yian. “It said that when you were ready you should seek them out. I don't know what they want, but I'd assume you're as ready as you'll ever be.”
There was an awkward pause. “Look, Demitri, thank you, for everything. I know you've helped me a lot, and I know that whatever happens after this is out of your control. I don't blame you.”
“That means a lot to me Echo. Really.” I extended my hand, and he grasped it firmly.
“Good luck, master.”
“No, don't call me that. As of this moment, we are equals.”
I nodded. With that I mounted Yian and took off for the school. When I landed, Jin approached me.
“Echo.”
I nodded in his direction.
“Jin.” He had an awfully serious face on.
"I know you don't like me...but I just wanna let you know...that I'm okay with you being my captain.. because... I respect you..."
I placed my hand on his shoulder.
“It's okay man. We're cool. And I will beat you fairly one day.”
He smiled his perverse grin as I headed down the hall to Reina's old room.
________________________
A flashing light woke me up in the middle of the night. Groggily I got out of the bed, rubbing my eyes. Irritated, I walked over to the source of the light, my desk. I had received a new message, from an unknown sender. I pressed the flashing green button with my finger. The screen went completely black. In the center appeared the lone word: “Now.”
I snapped to attention. The escape was about to begin.
