Read The Sorcerer's Ring (Book #1 of the Seven Sorcerers Saga) Page 6
Chapter 5 – Goodbye to the Old Life
“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…