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Scarlet grabbed Talia by the shoulders, pulled her back inside the meeting room and shut the door. Fortunately, the door had not yet been pierced by the volley of bullets but they knew that it was only a matter of time.
“What was that?” Talia groaned as she applied pressure to the wound.
“Their technology,” Tyuin replied.
“Where did they get it from?” Marie asked. “That level of power wasn’t around last time I was there.”
“Perhaps they ramped up production, or they might have had it all along and didn’t see the point in revealing it. Either way, you won’t be leaving unless it’s dead or imprisoned.”
“We’ll see,” Talia said through grit teeth. She pressed her hand hard over the wound as she willed her body to begin the healing process. “Have you blocked off the hidden exit by the north wall?”
“They have that way covered too.”
“But it will still be more space,” Talia said. “We would have to go through a dungeon cell though, and I don’t feel like having the bars locked behind me.”
Marie strutted over to Tyuin and punched him in the face as hard as she could. The King of Allay made a strange spitting sound and his cheek slammed against the wooden table. He crumpled into a ball on the floor.
“What?” Marie asked, seeing the puzzled looks on her friends’ faces. “I got to do something physical for once. You should be proud.”
“I am,” Scarlet said.
“Let’s get out of here,” Talia ordered. She yanked open the door to the hall leading to the dungeon rooms and Daisy quickly took the lead. Unlike Talia, she hadn’t been shot.
The hallway was dark, not one torch or lantern was lit and Scarlet sucked her teeth.
“Tyuin truly is working for them,” she said, stretching her halberd eidolon forward. “Incinerate.” A spiral of fire erupted from the center of her eidolon, searing the stone walls, lighting up any torches it passed by, and killing anything that happened to be standing in wait. After the smoke had cleared, they saw that no one was there.
“Or they’re nothing but ash,” Scarlet replied once she saw Daisy sigh in relief. They continued down the now illuminated hall until they reached the cells. Daisy removed them from their path with a few quick strokes of her blade. She stepped inside first and noticed that the back wall, which usually had the hidden exit, was blocked up by fresh slabs of stones and thick wet mortar.
“It’s so they’ll know when we’ve emerged,” Scarlet muttered. “But this is our best shot. Everyone ready for this?”
“Marie,” Talia said, turning to her. “We’ll form a circle around you. You stay down and hidden as much as possible. If Tyuin’s told them everything about us, then they know that you’re our strategist. If they think that we have a great chance at escape, they’ll start using lethal force.”
“Thank you,” she said, her face turning pale.
“Go!” Talia ordered and Daisy slashed her eidolon across the new wall with all the strength she could muster. The shooting began immediately and Daisy had to start swinging her blade around in a circular motion in front of her to block as much as she could. Talia copied her motion and tried to deflect anything Daisy missed.
“Come on!” Talia roared behind her. Marie and Scarlet took up the rear and the shooting increased as the Delilah shot from the trees, high up above and hidden under the cover of darkness. The only lights that lit up the forest were the flashes and explosions of lights coming from their weapons.
“How are we supposed to get out of here?!” Daisy screamed. She noticed that she had barely taken a couple of steps forward, and although she could keep up the blocking for a considerable amount of time, she couldn’t last forever. At this rate, it would take them all night.
“We might not be able to!” Marie shouted. “They were ready for us. They know what we can do. Our best bet at this point might be to surrender.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!” Scarlet roared as she took a bullet in the shoulder. She growled and instinctively grabbed the wound but it was a big mistake. Marie was shot in the foot in the next second followed by Scarlet taking a hit to the gut. She fell over onto her back and Daisy glanced back in concern. A bullet grazed her cheek and then another hit her in the hip. Daisy went down as Talia leapt forward and tried to keep the bullets off of her friends.
She began sweating profusely and her body was shaking from the violent thrusts and slashes she performed in the air in front of her, swinging her eidolon so fast that her friends could barely see her move. It became a blur that seemed to blend in with the air itself and it became almost invisible. The only thing letting them know that she was still moving was the quickness in her hands and the snaps of her wrists.
But there was no way a human could keep up such a speed.
Daisy half-stood to her feet and began dragging Scarlet back into the dungeon cell when someone dropped down behind her. The mysterious figure, clothed in tight black clothing, grabbed her neck, pulled it back and then applied one of their terrible weapons to her throat. The steel from the circular chamber burned her skin but it wasn’t enough to divert her attention from the agony in her hip.
“Cease!” he shouted as the volley of bullets ceased. Talia swiped one last time at the air and then she fell down to one knee in exhaustion, drenched in sweat while gulping and gasping for air very loudly. Marie winced and squint her eyes at the trees, trying to identify their assailants but she saw nothing. A wind picked up and made the trees sway, but whoever was perched on their branches, they moved right along with the dance.
Talia finally caught her breath and looked at the man holding Daisy out of the corner of her eye. “What do you want?”
“Your surrender,” he said through his mask, black, with no slits or patches to reveal his eyes or mouth. How was he breathing?
“Never.”
“I want your guarantee that no one coming to apprehend you will be harmed. That is the only way you can assured that you won’t lose any limbs in the process. The bullets that we used were coated in poison. Although the amount is small, it is already working its way through the systems of your friends. Only we have the antidote, so I need to hear the words. I need to hear that you will surrender.”
“And then what happens? What happens to me and my friends?”
“You will be imprisoned and chained for our safety, but no harm will come to you.”
“That could be a long time. The war hasn’t even begun yet.”
“Not after our plan is implemented. It will all be over very fast. Now, I’m sorry, but we’re on a schedule. Will you comply with our wishes? Or will you be put down?”
“We surrender,” Talia seethed. “We don’t have a choice.”
Before she could say anything else, three people dropped down around her, also clothed in the same sleek black suit as the man holding Daisy. They pushed her head into the ground until he cheek was covered in dirt and they shackled her arms and legs. She watched as more dropped down from above, chaining Marie and Scarlet in gauntlets and boots around their arms and legs respectively. Each set was made of steel, chained together to prevent movement, and coated in a strange green substance.
“The poison on these restraints are to keep you weak for transport,” the mysterious man holding Daisy replied. “I promise that you will not be executed.”
“Not that we have a say in the matter if we are to be.”
“Thank you for your compliance,” he said, and someone kicked Talia in the back of the head. Her world went black.
***
THEY DECIDED TO GO for a walk together—Kyran, Chloe, Bastion and Lily. No one said much, and that was okay. The main thing was to strengthen to bond between them, and to show the world around them that they weren’t a threat. As they walked side by side through Delahcourt, the Delilah stared at them with a mix of contempt, respect and fear. No one knew how long it would take for those emotions to be alleviated, but at least the Delilah had to acknowledge that the Sages were making an effort.
The town had been restored quickly since the battle with Gideon, and it only showed Kyran just how efficient the Delilah were in accomplishing something they set their minds to. Delahcourt had gone through so many transformations according to the stories he had been told, but this was by far the most impressive. It still maintained its cozy small town feel, with a flair for culture, food and art, but all one had to do now was turn a corner and suddenly they were facing a street that focused on their impressive military.
They weren’t an army in the traditional sense. There were no identifying marks or uniforms that Kyran had noticed. There wasn’t a ledger listing names of those who belonged to it. It was simply a volunteering process. When a mission was planned, a high-ranking Delilah official would stand in the town’s center and declare that he or she needed soldiers to assist. People would volunteer without hesitation and there was always more than the official needed. The details of the mission weren’t even disclosed until one had already pledged their life for the greater good.
Kyran respected that.
One of the unnerving aspects of taking on missions for Allay had been the briefing. He knew from the beginning who he was going to kill or what needed to be destroyed. He was plagued with visions of the situation going wrong or being caught and tortured. Over time those fears were quieted as he was rarely seen, let alone caught, but it didn’t make the knowing any better.
Strangely, the unknown soothed him as he didn’t have a specific, defined thing to be afraid of. It was a little weird, though for most people it was the opposite, but then again, he had never been particularly normal.
He wondered how it was for Chloe.
He assumed she was like everyone else.
“Look at that,” Chloe said in awe, pointing at one of the tall buildings in the distance. Shining like a beacon in the sky, the polished metal sides reflected the sunlight’s rays as dawn rapidly progressed. The building was shaped like a rocket with a point at the top that looked as sharp as a sword’s. “What do you think that building is for?”
Kyran didn’t care for the topic, but he was more than happy to oblige. Anything to get Chloe talking about something other than the massacre.
“No idea,” he said. “I might be able to find out though.”
“What do you mean?” she asked. For a second, he saw a glimmer of her former self in her eyes, and it took his breath away. He didn’t respond to her question, and she searched his face in concern. But once she realized the cause of the wind being knocked out of him, she giggled and kissed him on the lips before he could protest.
He hated being kissed in public.
“Aw, so cute,” Bastion teased. Kyran blinked rapidly and resisted the urge to slit his throat.
“Where are we going?” Lily asked.
Kyran turned to her, ready to explain, and for a second, he felt like a father. As if he was about to crouch down and reveal the mysteries of the universe to his daughter. It was a strange sensation, but it wasn’t...unpleasant.
“It’s just a walk,” he said.
“But where are we going?”
“We’re exploring our new hometown.”
“Wouldn’t that look suspicious?” she asked. “All four Sages checking out all of their structures?”
“Only if we make it seem that way,” he said, looking up his head to lock eyes with a passing woman in a huge flowery sundress with only shoulder straps holding it up. He waved and tried to smile but the corners of his mouth quivered as if he was lifting a weight that was too heavy for him.
“What are you doing?” Chloe guffawed.
“I’m trying to smile.”
“You can smile.”
“I’m not sure.”
“No, you definitely can. Remember that time when you...hmm,” she paused to put her hand to her chin as she fell into deep thought. “I swear I’ve seen you smile before.”
“How do you do it?”
She looked at him like he had asked the most ridiculous question in the world. “You can’t be serious.”
“I told you Kyran wasn’t human,” Bastion mumbled to Lily.
“I want to know,” he said. His eyes smiled. “If I practice, I might be able to master it in time for your birthday. It could be your present.”
“This is so sad,” she giggled as the townspeople around them stared at them curiously. They went about their business, walking along the wide block streets, tending to their miniature gardens on their balconies and washing their shuttered windows, but all eyes were on the four Sages, and not their work. Lily couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
“What’s so funny?” Kyran asked. “I can’t smile. That’s not funny.”
“I wasn’t laughing at you.”
“I was,” Chloe said, shaking her head. She took her husband’s arm and pulled him close. “Don’t worry, I won’t deny you this very common and boringly average experience.”
“Boringly is not a word,” he retorted.
“This place is so beautiful,” Lily said as she looked to her left, watching the sun rise over the distant ocean. “Smiling should come naturally. If it wasn’t for the...hate. I could probably live here forever.”
“I need to talk to you,” someone said from behind them. They all jumped in unison except Kyran, who was still using his index fingers to push up on the corners of his mouth. When he turned around to see who had spoken, he let down his fingers slowly.
The man standing before them was clean cut and shaven, with dark brown hair, sun-kissed skin and small beady eyes. His clothing—a black three piece suit and long slick pants—were as clean and crisp as his visage.
“My name is Nathan,” he said, extending a hand forward. Bastion was the first to take it, and he was surprised that Nathan didn’t flinch at all.
“Bastion,” he said. Nathan smiled and shook the young Sage’s hand happily.
“Yes, I know all of you,” he said. “The four Sages.”
“I’m glad that someone here is willing to talk to us,” Lily said, folding her arms tight. “I know we haven’t been here long, but I thought we would receive a little more hospitality.”
“It is because you are not Delilah,” he said. “And that is part of what I would like to discuss with you. I am a representative of Delilah’s high court, the governing body of this place. But don’t worry about being formal with me or anyone else you may meet. In spite of the clothing, we’re not pompous. We just appreciate beauty wherever we can find it.”
“Aren’t the Sages beautiful?” Lily asked.
“What they can do is,” he replied. “What they tend to represent, isn’t. But that’s beside the point. I’m not worried about the Sage population as a whole and what they’re doing. I’m concerned about the four of you.”
“We’re not doing anything wrong,” Chloe said.
“I know. And that is why I am here to talk with you. I am here to offer you inclusion. Membership, if you will. We want you four to become Delilah.”
“We would be considered full-fledged citizens?”
“Exactly. Until you are Delilah through and through, the people will always be wary of you, and you will never be completely trusted. Let me explain further. You can continue to be regarded as Sages and live in our town, but you will never truly be accepted. Or, you can decide to become a Delilah and we will reveal everything we know, including our plans for the future of Delahcourt and what we want to accomplish with the three worlds. But be warned, after revealing all, if you decide to renege on your decision to become a Delilah after that, you will be imprisoned and killed in the case of escape.”
“So it’s all or nothing?” Bastion frowned. “Hardly fair considering we don’t know what the plans are.”
“Being imprisoned simply means that you would be confined to the island for the rest of your life. You can still buy, trade, work, and play as desired. All of your needs will be provided. But you will be marked to let others know that you denied the Delilah way. It’s one of our few precautions. But in our history, we have not had one person deny being a Delilah after being told of our vision. Not one. We are very selective about whom we offer membership.”
“I was offered membership once,” Bastion said. “And it didn’t go well.”
“That was under old management,” he replied. “And that was a special case. We didn’t want to offer you membership but we saw no other option due to your great power.”
“And now?”
“After you caused the Great Collision, we took necessary measures to ensure that we were never left weakened again. In the past, we were an utopia of sorts. We were a bunch of misfit warriors that came together to live in peace among ourselves while they trusted the powers that be to do what was best for them, their peace, and the world at large. Although the Yama invasion was undesirable for you, if you were living here in Delilah, you would have seen why we made that decision. Due to Allay’s track record, we were certain that negotiations would go sour, and we needed you to become the Emissary for the greater good. But since Allay would never give up one of their own, we had to take it by force. Know that this was a last resort.”
“And if I wanted to become the Emissary now?”
“We’re past that. We saw the error of our ways and now we understand that our strength should come from within. We shouldn’t have to rely on others to carry out our missions. That is when we started transforming Delahcourt as you see now. We want to preserve our culture and legacy, but we also want to look to the future. As a result, we are stronger than ever before, but that also means that privacy is of great concern. Gideon’s arrival, as well as your own, told us what precautions we need to take.”
“So how long do we have to make our decision?” Bastion asked.
“I’m afraid it would have to be right now. As it stands, you are the only outliers in our community, and we would like to rectify this problem in one way or the other before the war begins. We believe that will be start at any moment.”
“I don’t know,” Lily said, looking to Bastion. “I...I just don’t know. How would I be able to trust you?”
“Have you ever seen our volunteering process? And how ready the citizens are to help? It’s because they trust us. They are comforted in knowing that we want to minimize as many casualties as possible and we don’t leave anyone behind. No one is expendable. The reason the people trust us is our track record, not fear. Nine times out of ten, everyone comes back alive, and when we do lose people, it’s usually no more than a couple. We take great pains to plan out each of our missions before execution. And since the people themselves have seen how much we care for their lives, they are more willing to assist. They feel like they are a part of the community, they get a break from the monotony of their lives, and more importantly, the Delilah as a whole get stronger while the rest of the world divides.”
“So you’re saying that if we join, we truly will be treated like Delilah?”
“Through and through. We will see no difference between you and the rest of our citizens.”
“And what of our friends?”Kyran asked. “James and Catherine and Arimus and all the others that are fighting for Paragon? What about them?”
“We are currently aligned with Paragon, but...I will say this. Catherine and her Sages—including you—have always had the best of intentions. This is why we offered her membership long ago. It’s because we know that you were only acting based off of the information you had. We know that once we explain to you our vision, you will see what we’re trying to accomplish.”
“Just give us a few minutes,” Kyran said, turning away from Nathan and addressing the other three. “What do you think?”
“This is sudden,” Bastion said. “And there’s no guarantee they won’t pull something on us. I don’t know. May be we should just remain outliers.”
“But you said yourself that you hate how people have shunned you,” Chloe said, “and Lily said that if it wasn’t for the people, she would stay here. I think we should consider joining the Delilah.”
“Are you sure?” Kyran asked, trying to keep his face stoic as Chloe looked directly into his eyes. He wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he wasn’t quite ready to trust a group of strangers with his freedom.
“One of the reasons I came here,” Chloe said, her eyes wavering, “is because the Delilah have a history of keeping to themselves, and only intervening in other’s lives when they have to. I’ve...I’ve never loved fighting. I have a talent for it, but I never wanted to do it. After what happened...I think I would thrive better here.”
“But we don’t know these people,” Kyran stressed.
“We didn’t know James or Achan or Dominic,” she paused to chuckle. “Heck, we knew Scarlet wanted to outright kill me! But we still trusted them to focus on the bigger picture, and that they would put their personal differences aside.”
“And we saw how that turned out,” he said, narrowing his brow. “James and Dominic fighting on foreign land. Me killing Dominic in a fit of rage. You losing your life to save the young ones. It—”
“—all worked out,” she said, her face close to his. “This is our home. We chose to come here, not just for Bastion and Lily, but to create a peaceful existence for ourselves. I know that will be hard to do in times of war, but we can do our best. If we wanted to be soldiers, or warriors following the beat of our own drum, then we should have stayed at the Academy, or tried to find and join Catherine’s group of wanderers. We’re not Sages anymore. As much as we don’t want to admit it, it’s not who we are. The four of us are a family, and we decide what path we’ll be going down next.”
“I just...we have no idea what they’re going to tell us.”
“It’s a leap of faith,” she replied. “It’s the one thing I’ve lost over the years, and the one thing I desperately want back. Kyran, I want to put that day behind me. But I can’t do that if I don’t change how I see myself. And right now, that’s a murderer. And these people...” she waved her hand out to indicate the other Delilah walking around, “they may be murderers too. They may be thieves and warlords and soldiers and death-dealers, but you wouldn’t know it because they have discovered a new life. They have put the past behind them, and that’s what I want us to do.”
She reached out and grabbed his face.
“We are both seen as killers. I’ve just become one, and you have been one for a long time. If it was up to me, I would ensure that we never be put into that kind of position again. If we were still back at the Academy...even with what Gideon did to me...I would consider becoming a Solon, just because I can’t take what the Sages have done over the years. It weighed heavily on my heart...the things we’ve done, but I found myself feeling okay because I never had to participate in it. I can’t say that anymore. I can’t—”
“—stop,” Kyran whispered. “Please stop...I’ll do it.”
“Really?” she asked, her eyes lighting up. He never wanted to see that light vanish.
“For better or worse, I’m with you to the end.” He then turned to Bastion and Lily. “But that doesn’t mean you have to do this.”
“No,” Lily said with a smile. “We’re going to. Like Chloe said, we’re a family. The four of us.”
“And I’m ready for change,” Bastion replied. “Before we got this opportunity, I was going to ask to be the Emissary. I want to know what it’s like to be part of a society for once. I want to be long.”
Chloe turned happily to the official. “Nathan, we accept your invitation.”
“And you do this, knowing that you can’t turn back?”
“Yes,” Kyran replied. “We will be Delilah now, whatever that may entail.”
“Excellent,” Nathan said clapping his hands together once. “Then please come with me. There is much to tell, and I am sure that by the end, you will be even more on board.”
