Chapter 26
"Yuuri!? Why didn't you stay back there?" Wolfram hissed angrily under his breath. His emerald eyes were glued to the face that he loved so well. You were safe at the festival with my brother! How could you risk yourself like this?
"Oh….uh…don't forget about me," Murata chimed in, intentionally standing a few paces behind Yuuri so that the blond's full anger could be directed at him first. The sage was now rewarded with a glare that could melt solid rock.
"Leave this place," Wolfram hissed again. He was scanning the darkness for movement out of the corner of his eye. Instinct told him that they were not alone. And logic dictated it. One man probably did not bring this many lanterns to this place to light up the road. And, from looking at the way that the elder was grinning at them with brownish teeth, his fears were confirmed.
"We're in this together," Yuuri stated flatly.
"Even though violence really isn't our style," Murata added, which wasn't helpful in the least. Now, he got a glare from Yuuri. Dark eyes narrowed into overly wide and falsely innocent ones.
"What are you doing?" Yuuri said in an undertone.
"Buying time."
"I don't think that's going to help," Yuuri complained.
Murata briefly glanced at the waxing moon and the position of the stars. "You'd be surprised."
"So, is this what you'd call a 'noble' man to man duel?" the elder complained in a voice dripping with honey while tightening the grip on his new sword.
"Well, since I'm a noble and you're not…" Wolfram said in an arrogant tone, flipping his blond locks back. He did his best to come across as nonchalant, too, by forcing his posture to look relaxed. He needed to distract the oaf while he analyzed the situation. Wolfram eyed the enemy's sword carefully. Even in the shifting lamplight, he could see the details quite clearly. It had a leaf shaped hammered steel blade with a ten centimeter cross guard. The handle was ebony, he guessed, because it blended nicely into the background. The leather scabbard was at his side. Too nice and too new for this guy. Something was up.
Another thing bothered Wolfram, too. Unlike Yuuri, when he practiced with Morgif, the elder held his sword like he meant business. His stance alone commanded respect even if the rest of him looked shabby and unkept. And, when the wind blew in the right direction, Wolfram could smell him—a pungent mixture of grime, sweat, and alcohol. Booze? Had this guy been drinking? It could make some of his movements unpredictable but, maybe, slower than usual.
"Any honorable duel allows seconds to attend," Wolfram continued, drawing his own sword out smoothly with a slick, metallic sound. "Surely, you didn't mean that I couldn't bring them."
The blond felt his heart beating hard. Of course, they wanted him to come alone. And foolishly, he'd done it because he prided himself on being an excellent swordsman who was far better than any stinking human or humans, for that matter. And, deep down, he wanted another shot at them. But, now that he was in this situation, Wolfram wanted nothing more than to have all three of them escape. The blond didn't need to debate whether or not Yuuri was worth more than his honor, his code of ethics, and his dignity. Yes, he was. The wimp was his life. They could call Wolfram a coward until the day they planted him into the earth, but he would always put Yuuri's wellbeing ahead of his own. Silently, he prayed that his dead forefathers would understand this decision. It was selfish. He knew it. But he'd been called "selfish" his whole life. The ancestors could curse his name and abandon his spirit after death for all he cared because, in this moment, Yuuri was everything to him.
Wolfram tightened his grip around his sword and began tracing steps in his mind for a safe retreat. All he needed was for everyone to be in the right place at the right time.
I know this looks like cowardice, but… He shook his head at that. It wasn't. His heart was bound to Yuuri. There was nothing else to call it.
"No, you were to come alone," the elder said, grinning with a full set of darkish teeth. "But, now that they're here…and I believe that's the maou with you… Pretty boy, that maou…" He raised his sword up in a motion that spoke of victory.
The blond's eyes widened. It was a signal. Oh, hell!
"WOLFRAM, GET THEM OUT OF HERE!" Conrad shouted from somewhere behind the elder. There was the sound of hooves on dirt and a sword making a slicing noise in the air only to be met with another piece of sharp steel.
"Conrad?!" Yuuri and Wolfram cried together as the elder ran off. His dark green, shabby clothing made excellent camouflage—blending in with the background perfectly.
Chaos. Horses whinnied and reared. Some of the men in the trees were screaming over each other's orders, their tones edged with fear. An unknown voice shouted "Die!"
"On the horse, now!" Wolfram ordered.
"Not without you!" Yuuri countered.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Murata muttered sheepishly. He got on.
The double black stood before Wolfram—refusing to budge. "We're together, remember?" There was something in Yuuri's eyes that spoke of the way they were wrapped around each other before the message from Jacob arrived. "You do want that, don't you?"
In the darkness, Wolfram's ears picked up the sound of Conrad shouting, "You over there! Drop that sword or….!"
Green eyes narrowed in Yuuri's direction. Almost roughly, he gripped his fiancé's arm and dragged him four strides to the side of the horse. "That was low, Yuuri, and unbecoming." Wolfram took hold of Yuuri's shoulders, faced the maou towards the horse, and yelled "Murata, give him a hand up."
Murata extended a hand just as the first arrow flew at them.
"Get on!" And with one shove to the butt, Yuuri was on the back of the horse, absolutely smoldering with fury.
Another arrow flew, almost striking the horse this time.
The brown steed reared up, terrified of the projectile. Murata had to work hard to steady the beast before they fell off. Yuuri gripped on.
One of the things that Conrad had taught Wolfram early on in cadet training was that the arrow always betrayed (pointed at) the person who fired it. Looking at the angle of the shafts in the earth, Wolfram had a pretty good guess about the general location of the archer. The blond placed two fingers up to his temple and said, "All the beings that make up the element of fire, obey this brave Mazoku who summons you!" He made a sweeping motion with ribbons of flame following his hands, casting off vicious sparks. Then, he placed his two hands parallel. A red ball of fire appeared between them. He smoothed over the flames into a single orb, gave it a spin, and launched it—lighting up the night as it burned a molten stream of radiant fire into the trees.
Breathing hard now as though he'd been running, the blond looked up irritably. "I said, 'GO'! Now, do it!"
"What about Conrad?!" Yuuri shouted down. Reality had sunk in now, and he was at the point of breaking.
Wolfram bit his lip. Yuuri was truly no soldier. And there was no place for him here.
"Wimp, Conrad is the best there is. His reflexes are better than mine!"
The double black's eyes widened at that. Wolfram had complemented Conrad without a shred of sibling jealousy or resentment—only acknowledging the simple fact that he was the better soldier. Something cold ran through him.
A third arrow landed in the dirt by Wolfram's left boot. He jerked back and studied the angle of the shaft again.
Damn! I missed him with the fireball. But he's still in the same place as before...
"Wolfram!" Yuuri wailed. "Those are painted arrows! You have to come, too!"
"Go!" the blond shouted as he put up a wall of flame nine feet high. He needed a barrier between them and the men. It would delay things, but it also drained magic. There would be no way he could summon a fire lion now. He'd have to stay with smaller fireballs.
"Not without you and Conrad!" Yuuri's eyes were shut tight. He cringed deeply at the thought of losing either one.
Another arrow pierced the wall and almost struck them. The soldier's body instinctively told him to find shelter—hide and ride this thing out until an opportunity to counter opened up. But, the trainer and analyst in Wolfram blinked back in shock. This wasn't supposed to happen with his fire magic. "It didn't even catch on fire. It was as though the wall made a hole for it to pass through."
Murata said his thoughts out loud, pushing his glasses up on his nose a little. "What it means is that the magic that the arrows have makes them impervious to fire." Then, his dark eyes caught the fear in Yuuri's face. So, he added quickly, "But, of course, once an archer fires the arrow, he's defenseless until he can ready another one."
Wolfram looked up to Yuuri on the horse. "Then, my fire cannot protect you…" Or me… The blond forced air into his lungs. His heart was hardening. His soldier training and instincts were taking over. Then, I can't let you watch what will happen next.
"Back to the castle!"
"No!" Yuuri was panicking. He could feel tears pricking at the corners of his onyx eyes. He was going to get off now. They would be together and share the same fate.
The blond looked up at him sincerely, smoke and flame filling the background behind him. "If I ever meant anything to you…"
"Now, who's… playing dirty…?" Yuuri used all of his willpower to hold back a sob.
"I am…" With regret, Wolfram smacked the horse on the rear and it bolted. Yuuri whipped his head behind him only to see that the wall of flame had opened a small corridor wide enough for Wolfram to enter with his sword drawn. Then, the flames melded into a single wall.
Now, it was there, Yuuri knew, to keep him out.
The air sliced. Another arrow struck the dirt behind them. The rainbow arrowhead was buried deep into the ground. The shaft and fletchings stood out against the fiery backdrop.
"An arrow?" Yuuri said shakily. "That means…Wolfram wasn't the target this time. I was…"
"My second guess," Murata said in an undertone. "It's always been easier to kill than capture. Hostages are too much work."
"Wait! They won't take hostages? What about Conrad? Wolfram?"
Murata's memory flashed to the penumbra and Shinou. He could see himself looking into the water-mirror. "My guess is that they want Wolfram. But, what they'll do to him…once they have him… Beyond all that…I mean…" Murata didn't want to finish. Yuuri wasn't strong enough for it.
"What will they do to him?" the double black demanded, leaning over Murata's shoulder to get a better look at his face.
Murata's answer was a shake of the head. He couldn't tell what he saw in the water-mirror. And, even if he did, he had no proof that it would come to pass like that.
"Turn the horse around," Yuuri ordered.
"Not a good idea," Murata mumbled. He was still struggling with the frightened animal. It reared again. Yuuri grasped his friend around the waist and held on. "Stop!" he shouted and, after a few more steps, Murata managed to get things under control. Reluctantly, he obeyed and turned the horse to face the flames.
From behind the blazing wall, someone shouted in anger. It sounded like Conrad.
The sage could feel the weight of the double black leaning weakly against his back—warm tears and sobs, that weren't Murata's, coming to him. He remembered. In all of his past lives, probably the worst thing he had to accept was losing the people who mattered. It was that sad little promise of "tomorrow will be better," which never comes. Holding onto hope, but letting go of that person one finger at a time. The final abandonment when you cradle their body in your arms and beg them not to leave you.
Making a deal with God for one more day. But God doesn't make deals. And fate is cruel.
Alone. I always end up alone, no matter how many lives I lead.
Murata saw the fires and watched them grow. Some of the surrounding trees were on fire now, curling black and falling to bits in flaming rain. He could hear men grunting and shouting orders. Steel clashing against steel. Murata could feel his memory flashing back to a fire he'd seen in a past life as the Original Sage. People died then, too. But he had Shinou to cling to when they were alone in the tent that night. The king wrapped him up in his arms and kept the nightmares away. There was no one to do that now.
Alone again.
Murata could feel Yuuri's hand on his shoulder—the double black's grip shaking hard. "C-Conrad, don't leave me," he sobbed under his breath. "I can't do this on my own."
There was nothing Murata could say to comfort him, but he wanted to. He truly did.
There was a sudden explosion of fire raging up like a volcano on the other side of the wall of flame.
Another scream.
Shocked, both Murata and Yuuri's faces shined with a sickening yellow-orange light.
"Wolfram…?" the double black sobbed. "It can't be…won't allow it… Not when I realize…now that I know… We have our whole lives together…" Then, he shut his onyx eyes, tilting his head to the sky with tears sliding back. "WOLFRAM!" Yuuri shouted into the endless night. His voice echoed, but no one called out to him.
"Lord von Christ, did you hear that?!" Gerard said, turning to the man next to him. Dressed in his dark blue uniform with the braids and regalia that signified him as a member of Wolfram's elite private guard, the man with strawberry blond hair and strong, noble features turned to the king's advisor who gave him a nod.
Both handsome men led the way with a troop of twelve volunteer soldiers from the castle who insisted that they be given the honor to assist in the rescue of their commander and idol, Conrad Weller.
"I did indeed," Günter said in a tone uncharacteristically serious. "This way!" he said over his shoulder to the troops behind them. They took off at a gallop.
Gerard's horse easily kept up with Günter's as they raced on through the night. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see flashes of the advisor's white cape billowing with a ghostly wave. But the soldier's mind kept racing back to the voice he heard in the darkness. He cringed at the thought of it. It was the voice of Yuuri Heika and he sounded panicked. He was calling out in agony for Wolfram. And there were very few situations where he'd do that.
For Gerard, it was now more than Conrad Weller. It was more than Yuuri Heika. It was Wolfram. And he swore his life and loyalty to him long ago. Tonight, he would fulfill his vow.
The road curved and the soldier could hear Günter curse worriedly under his breath followed by a loud declaration of: "That means we have more than one person to rescue. Please wait for us! We are coming, Heika." He blew his nose hard into the hankie—which worried the soldiers around him. They thought he'd given up hope.
The beautiful sound of horse hooves galloping behind them reached Murata's ears. They came. They really did. So, Shinou wasn't lying after all. All he needed to do was stall for time as much as he could without endangering Yuuri or Wolfram. As usual, keeping them talking—or, rather, "arguing"—did the trick. Somewhere in his heart, he thought he could forgive Shinou a little for the past wrongs he'd done him—including that whole "in the shrine maiden's toilet" fiasco.
"Yuuri Heika!" Günter shouted, long before he was near his king.
The double black turned his tear-stained face towards his royal advisor. His eyes were distant, vague. He was shaking hard now, arms folded across his chest with stubby nails digging in. "Of all times, why can't I become the maou right now?" he whispered to himself. "Why?"
"Y-u-u-r-i Heika!" Günter called again—stretching out the syllables dramatically as his horse slowed to a halt.
"Heika!" Gerard called, too.
Yuuri blinked hard at the soldier, bringing his vision back. The double black focused on Gerard but his mind filtered out the rest of the men behind him. Yes, this was a member of Wolfram's private guard. Why do I feel…? His heart tightened in his chest at the sight. Yes, some jealous part of his soul, he finally acknowledged, knew that this man fancied Wolfram. All of the men in Wolfram's private guard secretly did—or so reputation had it. Truthfully, he'd seen the looks himself, especially with this particular soldier. The man's grey eyes held a desire that, not too long ago, Yuuri didn't want to acknowledge and didn't care about. But, regardless, Wolfram stayed by a certain "wimp's side" anyway.
Now, I know how Wolfram feels. It hurts. It really does. But, right now, I can't think about that. And if this man can help me get Wolfram back, I'll gladly owe him.
Yuuri jumped down from Murata's horse. "Wolfram and Conrad are behind that wall," he said loudly enough for the soldiers to hear. He pointed a finger to the wall of fire that was still burning. "And we are going to rescue them!" His tone was commanding and in control, almost reflecting his maou voice.
The sudden decisiveness and drive made Günter inspired. "Yes, Heika! He clasped his hands together almost in prayer.
"Heika, may I ask…?" Gerard's voice trailed off. He was more than eager to get started, but needed to know something.
Yuuri cocked a stern, black eyebrow at him.
"I'm a fire wielder, like my lord and commander. So, I need to know…" He took a quick breath before asking, but he knew from the pattern of the fire his answer already. "Who created the wall?" Gerard asked pointing a finger at it.
"Wolfram."
Then Gerard broke out into a smile.
Yuuri watched the noble features spread out into a beautiful grin that would win any girl over at first sight. Handsome. Mature, broad shouldered, and handsome…and a fire wielder just like Wolfram…his Wolfram. But, in his heart, the smile made Yuuri want to seethe with rage. He could feel his energy building inside and the desire to suddenly lash out.
"And what's so great about it?" Yuuri said, his voice lowering. His stance, suddenly imposing.
Knowing the hidden power of their maou, the soldiers behind Gerard cowered, Günter was speechless, and Murata grinned knowingly on the back of the horse.
"Well…umm…Yuuri Heika," Gerard stammered, not understanding everything. How did he just insult his king in this time of crisis? "If the wall is there, it means he's still alive and fighting."
"What?" Yuuri suddenly forgot his anger.
"Shibuya," Murata said, pushing his glasses up on his nose a little. "I think it's time to kick some butt."
The soldiers cheered at that and Yuuri climbed back on behind Murata.
"We go!" Yuuri shouted to the men behind them.
With the soldiers' swords raised up high, they galloped toward the wall of flame—shouting battle cries as they approached.