Of Heroes And Villains (Book 4) (12 page)

“I’m sorry,” he replied, grabbing an apple and taking a bite.

“I don’t understand you,” she chuckled. “What happened to the boy that defended my life today?”

“He’s enjoying an apple.”

“You know that I’m grateful for what you did. Just so you know though, I had it covered.”

“Didn’t seem like it.”

“I knew he was going to try to hit me.”

“Based on what I was sensing, you had no idea.”

“Is that true?” she asked curiously. She hit Kent in the arm, telling him to pay attention. He lifted his head and kept his eyes on Bastion, but he continued eating just the same.

“Is what true?”

“That you could sense someone’s intentions to that level? That’s some Master Sage abilities!”

“All Sages can do it.”

“But you’re definitely stronger than most, no, just about everyone. I bet you could even give the elders a run if you wanted.”

“Maybe, but where would that get me?”

“You could be the strongest warrior here. Already people are talking about what happened in the meadow, and how Queen Catherine’s taken you under her tutelage. This is some exciting stuff! She’ll be able to groom you to become a real warrior for the Kingdom.”

“Wait, what does that mean?” he said, raising his head and putting down the apple. “Catherine took me in because my parents want nothing to do with me, and I hurt the Order’s son. I needed a place to live.”

“You think that’s all?” Kent laughed. “The Queen is keeping you close. You got a lot of power within you. The kind that begs to be watched.”

“No, she cares about me,” Bastion retorted. “I mean, she knows what I can do, but it’s not all about that.”

“Keep deluding yourself,” Kent chuckled, going back to his meat. Daisy shook her head.

“We could be wrong,” she said, her eyes softening. “Who really knows? I mean, the Queen definitely loves her people. No doubt about that.” Bastion’s eyes wandered over to the Queen. She was using the backs of her hands as shields, blocking the barrage of food flying at her with lightning speed. The kids had all amassed across from her, joining together in their attempt to take down the Queen. They would run out of food before that happened.

“So why are you here?” he sighed. “Like…at the table.”

“We’re here to help you,” she smiled.

“Right,” he sighed, picking up the apple and taking another bite. “You probably want to use me as a weapon too. That whole thing about Catherine not caring for who I am as a person—it doesn’t make sense. But thinking she’s using me? That came from your mouth.
Your thoughts.
Because you’re thinking of doing exactly that. Using me.”

“You make it sound horrible,” Daisy retorted. “That’s not how I would put it.”

“Then how would you?”

“Sage Academy opens in a couple days,” Kent coughed, pounding his chest. “It’s not like the old days, where there were only a few Sages, and they all had to go on that journey. This is different. There is no epic quest to train for. No danger. And there are going to be hundreds of Sages. You know what happens when people don’t have a focus? Drama.”

“Drama?” Bastion scoffed. “What does that have to do with me?”

“You’re the talk of the village right now. That means people are going to be either looking to your for guidance, or trying to take you down. Belittle you. Ridicule you. Destroy you any way they can.”

“And I’m sorry, love,” Daisy said, placing a hand on Bastion’s. “But you got an anger problem.”

“Who’s angry?” he snapped, whipping his hand away.

“Come on, take your nutrients,” she said, handing him a carrot. Bastion swatted it out of her hand. “Don’t make a fuss now.”

“Daisy, stop playing,” Kent said, reaching over and pushing her back into her seat. “This is serious.”

“You could of fooled me a moment ago. I think there’s still some Terr in your cinderblock teeth.”

“Who cares if people come after me?” Bastion said. “They can’t hurt me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Daisy said, shaking her head. “There’s more to demolishing a person than physical pain and death.”

“Daisy’s right,” Kent replied. “They might not be able to harm your body, because of how strong you are. But your mind? Your emotions? Even the weakest among them can do that if they know how. What we want to do is join forces. We would help you with the attacks on your mind, and you help us with the assaults on our body.”

“So I’m your bodyguard now?” Bastion scoffed.

“No, you’ll be our friend,” Daisy said. “Whatever happens, we’re there for you. We just hope that you’ll be there in return.”

“You’re making it sound like we’re joining a military. These are times of peace. Everyone has unity on the mind. No one’s going to hurt me, especially with the Master Sages around.”

“I hear you,” Kent replied, nodding his head. “And you know, that’s how we should look at things. We should stay positive, but what are we going to do if something
does
happen. We won’t be prepared.”

“Here’s some food for thought,” Daisy said, leaning in. “I’m sure you remember our boy, Mason, don’t you?”

“How could I forget?” Bastion winced.

“I’ll have you know that there are others in the village just like him. Same mindset and everything. And you think those gentlemen and ladies aren’t already forming factions and alliances? After what you did to Mason today, at the very least, you’ll be facing him again once he’s healed up. So yeah, the battles might be different, but make no mistake. This is war.”

Chapter 9 – Letting Go

Bastion knew she was speaking the truth. He had hoped that Mason wouldn’t retaliate. Perhaps he would be too scared, or he wouldn’t think that anymore fighting was worth it. But it was a dreamer’s hope. He was the son of an Order Master. Short of the Queen’s court and his father, he arguably had the most power in the entire Kingdom of Allay. Why would he back down? Why would he stay away once school had begun? There was too much pressure from the student body. They expected retribution, and every one of them were already talking about it, sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the battle to unfold. Already, the armies were being formed, whether he liked it or not. No matter how powerful he was, the sting of Daisy’s truth had pricked his heart. He knew that as strong as he was, his will was just as weak.

“Just tell me something,” Bastion said, his eyes cast down to the table. “This whole thing and what’s about to happen—this looming war between me and Mason…is that the only reason you’re coming to me right now?”

“What do you mean?” Kent asked, but Daisy put a hand to the Langoran’s mouth.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Daisy said. “I don’t know you. That’s the truth. You might have some impressive abilities underneath, but I’ve barely seen them. Yeah, I’m coming here first for myself. I want some protection of my own, and yeah, if Mason really brings the heat, we’re looking at a long conflict. With no enemies on the horizon, this will be as close to making a name for myself as I can get. This is as epic a war as I can hope for. But with that being said, that don’t mean I want to see you get slaughtered either. You saved my life today, and you’re a sweet kid. Even if I didn’t get something out of it, and we went our separate ways, I would have at least defended you in word.”

“I wasn’t sure whether to admit it or not,” Kent replied. “But I feel the same way.”

“Not to say we can’t become friends for real,” Daisy said. “Isn’t that how life works out anyways? You start talking to someone based on common interests and then things bloom from there. You don’t start out friends the first second.”

“Yeah, but you don’t have to be so brutally honest,” Kent laughed. “Geez. I wasn’t going to say all that.”

“Bastion should know where we stand,” Daisy said, looking across the table. “And we should know where his mind is at too.”

“I’ll take you up on your offer,” Bastion smiled, looking to each of them. “Who knows what will happen?”

“That’s the spirit!” Daisy shouted. The elderly woman next to her grunted in annoyance.

“So what happens now?” Bastion asked. “Do we just hang out? Do we prepare for opening day? I’m completely clueless when it comes to social war.”

“We’ll take care of all that,” Kent smiled. Daisy’s attention was drawn to the left as the sound of benches and tables being moved reverberated throughout the hall. The music was picking up, and castle staff was already beginning to clean up the mess from the isolated food fight. Based on the smile on her face, Bastion figured that she enjoyed whatever was coming next.

“Ah, our training begins now!” she cackled like a mad woman. Bastion looked over at Kent with wide eyes, and the Langoran just chuckled to himself.

“What do you mean?” Bastion asked, when Daisy grabbed his hand.

“WE DANCE!”

“Oh no,” he laughed. “That’s not happening. And you can’t fool me. That has nothing to do with training.”

“Says you!”

“You might as well go,” Kent laughed. “She won’t take no for an answer. Besides, it’s a lot more fun than you think.”

“So what are you going to do? Just sit here at the table and watch?” Bastion asked, his heart beating fast.

“Oh no, I’m going to join in the singing. You’ll see. I’ll be up in front with the other musicians and singers.”

“I didn’t know you could sing.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but that will come in time.”

“What do you sing?”

“Stop stalling!” Daisy shrieked, to which Kent placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Just a moment, Daisy,” he said, turning back to Bastion. “I usually make up lyrics to go with the music that is being played at the moment. It was actually an old pastime that Langorans used to enjoy, before we built our plazas and golden streets. As of right now, our people are quite divided, between those who still enjoy the rubies, gold and flair, and those who search deep within ourselves for hidden treasures.”

“Make up songs?” Bastion chuckled, to which Daisy joined in. Kent scowled and muttered something under his breath.

“Sorry,” Bastion calmed down. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kent smiled slyly. “Just be careful. I might just make a song about you. One that will withstand the test of time. I can already hear the tune. Ah, I think the lyrics are coming to me now…

Bastion, whose strength is beyond measure

Thinks he can withstand the conflict like a tanner to leather

His enemies laugh as if tickled by a feather

His eidolon wilts as a rose gets redder

Together, I conjecture that we can endure any weather

But whether he can do better alone, I can’t gather

Alone he is short, he’ll be swallowed by tides, he’ll get wetter

And only then he’ll find that Daisy and Kent are his true treasures.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to rhyme some more?” Bastion asked him, rubbing his ear. “Because I really think you do. You seem to
really
enjoy it.”

“You should have danced,” Daisy said, shaking her head.

“Ah, oooo, what is that?” Kent said, as he placed the palms of his hands on his temples. “I think another song is emerging from the depths of my soul. This will be a good one.”

“FINE!” Bastion shouted, grabbing Daisy’s hand and pulling her from her seat. “We’ll dance until our feet bleed!”

“That’s all I ask,” Daisy giggled, giving Kent a wink. Kent laughed heartily and went back to eating. Bastion groaned as he watched the people on the dance floor. They were all doing their own thing, flailing their arms and kicking up their legs. Toes were crushed, but laughs were in abundance, so the howls were often drowned out. He noticed that Talia and Zhou had left this portion of the evening, but Catherine was still going strong. She was dancing with one of the merchants, each one trying to outdo the other in their own interpretative jig. Bastion nearly smiled, but he fought it, turning to Daisy for help.

“Do we have to?” he pleaded. “I’ll probably end up breaking someone’s leg.”

“Hmmm, that is true,” she said, just thinking about his strength for the first time. “Perhaps we should wait for a more structured atmosphere.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right,” Bastion said, trying to sound disappointed the best he could. Daisy gave him a ‘yeah, right’ smirk and clutched his hand tight.

“Come on. We can do something else.”

“Like what?” Bastion whined, but Daisy barely paid attention to his reaction.

“Just wait and see,” she laughed, taking him past Kent and his meat, out the dining hall, and the rest of the castle.

*              *              *

They were to reach the Kingdom border in record time, and for that, James was grateful. If all went well, he might have a little time for rest before he had to teach at the Academy. With only two more days before then, he was already dreading the trips he would have to make between Allay and Prattle. Since he was a Master Sage, there was no use delegating the task to another, and especially since Talia and Zhou didn’t have the background knowledge of the Quietus like he did. All they remembered was the Siege, and the little bit he had told them about himself.

He looked back at the Quietus he was escorting—a man named Oltain. He was keeping up very well despite his lack of nourishment. He was in his full transformative state, running on all fours while James maintained his Sage form. He didn’t want to reveal his second nature just yet. After the battle with Thorn, he realized all too well how keeping one’s arsenal hidden was very valuable.

“How much longer?” Oltain rasped.

“A few more hours at most,” James shouted, his voice cracking for a moment. “Day or night, it doesn’t matter. The Queen will want to speak with you.”

“If you are lying about this, you will die.”

“It won’t come to that,” James promised. “We’re not lying.”

“If you are not lying, then who were the Sages who came to us earlier?”

“I don’t know,” James replied, slowing down a little for the Quietus to better maintain his pace. “But we will find out.”