Chaser of Faith

“Do you hear that?” Remy asked, yelling over the crowd on the streets of Beythas. I barely heard him as I concentrated on where I was leading him, just past the bridge in the wall.

I had gotten a couple of hours of sleep. My body was so over-tired by that point that I slipped into a welcome dreamless sleep that did not last long. My fear of Gage did not keep me up for long. When I woke up the sun was directly above the field outside my window. I spent my days so disoriented- I lacked any time-keeping devices or methods, and I had not yet become entirely used to using the sun as my clock. When I sat up my body ached with exhaustion and I could barely remembered where I was. I found Remy staring out the window, sitting on the couch in the living room. He looked like he had gotten about as much sleep as I had.

He and I immediately left for the city together, right after I strapped my sword and holster to my hip, pocketed my one-page dictionary, and grabbed another healthy handful of coins from Adriel’s pocket. We made sure to keep our steady pace quick. We didn’t want to linger on the path, open to another attack from his brother. Remy spent the entire walk, chanting lowly to himself, zoning out into the space in front of him. He stopped when we were in sight of others. I asked him what he was saying and he explained to me that he was making sure that he would not be put under the influence of another illusionist. He told me that he would try to teach it to me, but that it would probably take a while for me to get the hang of it. And, me being a non-illusionist meant that it would be far less effective- but he would give it a shot nonetheless.

“Claire, you hear that?” I looked back at him finally, shaking my head. I had been trying to remember the way to get to Cal’s shop. The only other time I had been there was when I was looking behind Adriel’s shoulder as we flew over the city, and I had not been paying the closest attention at the time. Combined with my sleep-deprived mind I was having plenty of self-doubt as I led us against the crowd towards the darker part of the city.

“Hear-” I cut myself off as the sound of thunder started to creep up on the city. One by one, the Saniats around us turned their heads back towards the bridge. Rapidly, the beings darted out of the road, into the surrounding shops and up against the wall- the streets were a panicked frenzy over the nearing thunder. Remy and I whipped our heads to follow their paths, and looked back at each other again to figure our next move. My heart picked up speed and pounded in my ears with sudden fear. Remy’s eyes suddenly glinted and he grabbed my hand, dragging me with part of the crowd towards the wall. “Are we in danger?” I asked with panic, gripping onto my sword underneath my cloak.

“San Ymet is coming,” he yelled back at me. I couldn’t hide the bewildered look on my face.

“Ymet? The King?” He grabbed my arms, pulling me close to him. My back was pressed up against his chest as he tried to shield me from the piles of men and women shoving to get as close to the wall as they could. I kept a hand on my sword and a hand on my pocket where my money and dictionary were kept. We stumbled against the crowd but Remy kept me protected. I turned my head to look behind us just as the thunder reached its peak and the sound of wild animals assaulted my ears.

Black and dark blue six-legged horses sped through the arch of the wall, over the bridge, and stirred up dust and dirt as they halted all at once en masse. The horses were ridden by men with bald heads and red capes. There was a man in the center of the group with large white wings. His face was pale and wrinkled, and his hair was bleach white. He wore a blue and gold cape and rode a white six-legged horse. One of the red caped-men lifted a large silver horn and blew into it, creating an excruciatingly loud tone. I winced, turning away. A hush fell over the entire city; once the horn was silenced I felt deaf. I didn’t even breathe- I could tell that the others around me were just as alert, though they probably were better prepared for an event such as this.

I noticed the people that pinned us against the wall started to move towards the King. There were crowds moving silently and carefully down the street from both directions. No one spoke. No foot shuffled. It was completely silent. Remy took my hand again, bringing me with the crowd- our only option, really. I looked behind me, wanting to keep moving towards Cal’s, maybe even hoping to see him in the sea of alien faces. It was minutes before the people around the two of us settled and stood patiently. Remy didn’t let go of my hand, and I felt my face flush with embarrassment. I looked up at the men on their horses, who were about fifty yards away from us. The men all stared blankly above the people, sitting stiffly and obediently on their horses.

I wanted to ask Remy so many things, but I knew that I should stay quiet.

“Ko ato,” one of the men in red shouted suddenly, startling me. I snapped my attention “Ko ato bet Beythas,” he continued. I panicked, looking up at Remy for help. He flicked his eyes between me and the speaker.

“My people of Beythas,” he whispered. He was so silent I could barely hear him, even though he had leaned in so close that his breath blew my hair against my neck. The man continued to speak, and Remy continued to translate. “This is my decree… as your king… The portals to the worlds outside of our own have been closed… There is… a criminal from another world… in my kingdom. You… my people… are victims of this criminal’s thoughtless and uncaring conscience....

“A grand... deity… is forcing our hand.” I frowned as Remy paused. His tone had become questioning. “A deity… matching the strength, intellect, and ultimate power… as my father, the All-Seeing King… This criminal entered my kingdom with the help of angels.” My stomach dropped with this comment. “The grand deity… has directed that… the criminal has… hidden wings… hair like the night… eyes like the stars... and was born of… fire.” My face twisted with confusion. I put a hand to my head as flashes of information hit me. The wings in my dream. I smell like fire. The angels brought me here. I looked down at my free hand; it shook with adrenaline.

“Remy…” My voice barely made any noise at all, I said it so quietly. I wanted to escape, but I didn’t dare move an inch. The man continued to shout at us in Sanen. I could vaguely hear Remy translating for me still. I scrunched my eyes tightly; my head began to ache.

“-is found… alert my enforcers…”

You’re being ridiculous, I thought to myself. Why would the king think you’re a criminal?

The king’s lackie ended his speech. I watched the king scan the crowd, staring us all down. I couldn’t stand the intimidation. When his eyes finally settled on my own I felt a cold chill wash over me. His gaze lingered for a moment but moved on to the others around me. It was silent until the king and his horse finally moved, slowly, to the front of his men. The king’s expression was hard and serious.

“Zet ondeth dit beaav ve doset...”

“To those who hide the fugitive,” Remy began again. King Ymet’s voice was gravely and deep. He spoke slowly, dangerously. His wings flapped once, sending a gust of dust flying towards the crowd. No one moved to shield themselves from the dirt that hit them.

“Jo ness ta deaet zet ron drac…”

“You have two days to come forward.”

“O... jo ha sheth co goe danthet ie tivi,” he spat venomously.

“Or you will suffer a fate worse than death.” I looked up at Remy slowly with horrified confusion. He looked back at me solemnly, finally tearing himself away from the king. “This place… it’s different from Earth, Claire,” he rushed silently. He looked back up quickly. I followed suit, trying to rid my face of my worrisome expression. Ymet took a tighter hold of his reigns.

“Jo ness ta deaet,” he shouted again, turning his horse’s head forcefully around.

“Pent gon ve san,” the crowd chanted forcefully as he left.

“Long live the king,” Remy sighed to me.

He gallopped back to the bridge and past the wall, followed closely by his men. The wild screeches from the horses rung through the air again. No one moved or spoke until they were well out of sight. The men and women in front immediately moved to dust the dirt off of themselves, spitting on the ground with disgust and coughing. Everyone around us broke off, continuing on their way silently. I finally let go of my tight death-grip on my sword, stretching my now sore fingers.

“Remy,” I whispered again. I stared at the spot where Ymet had stood, even as the empty space was filled once more by people.

“Don’t let him scare you,” he said, speaking normally again. “He’s a bully. This ‘criminal’ probably looked him in the eye at the wrong time, or didn’t bow low enough to him.” I closed my eyes, rubbing them as exhaustion started to seep in.

Cal could help me. He could help us with Gage and he could help me with Ymet. Maybe he could point me in the right direction for answers.

“Let’s keep moving,” I said slowly after a moment of silence. I looked up at him with a small smile. He nodded, walking next to me. “What were those animals they were riding?” I questioned, changing the subject.

“Corsks,” he answered. I hummed thoughtfully.

“How old is Ymet?”

“Something like 830 years old.” I raised my eyebrows impressed.

“And he’s half angel?” He nodded, looking down at me.

“Him and his brothers are the only ones of their kind- half Nythiat and half Saniat. The Saniat people are forbidden to procreate with angels. It’d be like competition with the three kings.” I squinted, making a sour face.

“Yikes,” I mused. He nodded.

“It’s a different world, Claire. But you can’t let the people here intimidate you.” We weaved through the crowd. Some buildings started to look familiar. I assumed we were getting closer. A thought occurred to me.

“Was Rahmiel still asleep this morning?”

“The angel? Ah, I’m not sure. Why?” I let out a breath.

“He works for the king.” Remy frowned.

“That’s what he meant last night… He’s a healer... isn’t he? For the king?” I nodded.

“An empathic healer,” I confirmed. I watched the gears turn in Remy’s head.

“How awful. He’s a brave man.” I tightened my jaw, raising my eyebrows with scepticism.

“Uh, yeah, pretty brave.” I remembered Nicholas’s story from when he was turned; their heroism and friendship; Rahmiel’s deep love for Namina…

“So who is this Cal guy that we’re meeting with?” I let out a breath.

“He’s an artificer. He’s an expert with charms. I’m hoping he can help us with your brother,” I said, looking at him timidly. Remy nodded, wincing subtly.

“How do you know him?” I shrugged.

“I only met him the other day. He’s not a friend or anything.” I put a hand on my necklace, playing with it between my fingers underneath my cloak, without thinking. “We probably can’t trust him as far as we can throw him, but it’s worth a shot.” I looked at the shops around us for a moment before looking back up at him. “Do you know much about charms?” He shook his head.

“Not really, no. Illusionists don’t have much need for charms.” He tapped his temple with his index finger twice flashing me a grin. “Any protection we need comes from here.” I gave him a half smile.

“Must be nice. Do you have to be born with that kind of power?” His grin faltered.

“Well, it runs in bloodlines. But you have to be taught how to perform illusions. My family was one of a handful that stayed behind after the Witch Trials in the 1690’s. The left-behind Roniats had children with Sintragoniats but the gene and the craft passed down through the generations. Our illusions are one part magic and one part genetic mutation.” I tried to make sense of this information.

“So you’re like a witch?” He let out a breathy laugh.

“Well, like an evolved warlock, sure,” he teased. I shook my head, chuckling. I felt lighter with him. I didn’t feel vulnerable or helpless. He was just a man. It took a little longer for the shops to become more run-down and for the crowd to thin down a bit into more shady characters.

“Cal’s artifacts and charms? Is that it?” I snapped my head to look where Remy was pointing.

“That’s it,” I said eagerly. The large red sign above the door stuck out to me. I crossed the traffic, followed closely by Remy. I crossed the threshold and was met with sweet silence. I looked behind at Remy, who looked surprisingly impressed.

“I’ll admit that’s pretty cool.” I chuckled, looking back to the shop.

“Cal?” I called out. “Cal, it’s Claire.” I waited to hear his response. Something felt off.

“Do you think he’s in the back?” I rested my hand on my sword again, my stomach twisting with worry. The silence was deafening. I swallowed hard, nervousness choking me.

“Maybe,” I said. I walked towards the door in the back corner of the shop. “Cal?” I called again. I knocked on the door, waiting for a response. I looked back at Remy quickly before cracking the door open and poking my head in. The first thing that hit me was the smell.

A wave of nausea struck me, making me dizzy. The smell of blood and death was overwhelming. And when my eyes scanned the back room, I was immediately caught off guard by the gore that covered the room. Cal’s body lay in the center of the room. His stomach had been sliced into through his clothing and foreign organs were forced from his body, scattered near his body. His face was twisted in gruesome terror- blood had dripped from the peeled back skin from his hairline and down into his open eyes. I stumbled back, making a strangled groan of horror and pushing away from the door frame. I tripped over my feet and fell back into Remy, who caught me.

“Claire,” he gasped. I got onto my knees, pushing away from him and clawing my way across the floor and back towards the middle of the shop.

“Illusion,” I breathed hysterically. “Illusion, stop, stay away,” I got up on my feet only to have my knees give out again. I stumbled towards the door until Remy grabbed my arm tightly, pulling me back to him.

“Claire, hey, Claire, it’s not. It’s not an illusion, Claire.” He held onto my shoulders. I felt dizzy and had to close my eyes. I saw his face. My stomach churned and I fought the vomit that threatened to creep up.

“Remy,” I groaned, unable to make sense of what was happening.

“Claire, we have to go,” I shook my head, moaning pathetically. “Claire, Claire, hey, focus. We gotta go,” I opened my eyes again standing up fast.

Gotta go. Go. Get out.

The world suddenly span and darkness flooded my vision. I took one step towards the door and the whole world went black.