Seeker of Legends (Fate of Legends Book 2), page 26
“Still telegraphing everything, I see,” she observed, shaking her head. “Didn’t I teach you anything?”
“Who are you?” Hunter demanded.
“As I was saying,” she replied, “…my client lied to us. He wanted the Ironclad head because of what it could do for him.”
“And what was that?”
“The power to heal.”
Hunter stared at her uncomprehendingly.
“That big Ironclad with the glowing mane?” she continued. “The one I decapitated? Turns out it has the power to regenerate…to heal from almost any wound. My client had to have known this.”
“Dominus?”
She frowned, giving him a look.
“And how did you figure that one out?”
“From Traven,” he answered. “He told me before I killed him,” he added. “Right after he killed you.”
“Aww, how sweet,” she quipped. “I’d say you shouldn’t have, but the prick had it coming. Too bad,” she added wistfully. “Kinda wanted to kill him myself.”
Hunter wavered, crossing his arms over his chest. She looked and sounded just like Vi…and acted like her too. It could be her…or someone who found her body. Someone weak-willed who spent enough time with her body to transform into her.
“You were saying?” he prompted.
“The Ironclad leader – what we thought was the leader – could regenerate,” she explained. “And after I escaped from their cave, I got a whole mouthful of his glowing goo. Remember what happens when you swallow something with a powerful will?”
“You absorb it quickly,” Hunter answered grudgingly.
“Right,” she agreed. “So after I got my head smashed in, Traven – and you – left me for dead. Except I wasn’t.”
“You’re saying you regenerated.”
“Yup.”
Hunter eyed her suspiciously.
“How do I know you didn’t just find Vi’s body and become her?”
She smirked at him.
“Now aren’t you paranoid,” she replied. Then she nodded approvingly. “Good thought. Except if that were true, I’d be weak-willed, and you’d change me pretty quickly. Not to mention I’d be a pale imitation,” she added. “And I wouldn’t have my memories.”
He considered this, then nodded grudgingly.
“Granted.”
“Trust me,” she continued, gesturing at herself. “I’m the original.”
“Thought I was the Original,” Hunter countered, unable to keep himself from smiling.
“You’re an Original,” she retorted. Hunter stared at her, hardly believing what was happening.
“It really is you,” he realized. His heart soared suddenly, making him feel almost giddy. He rushed up to her, throwing his arms around her and squeezing her tight. To his amazement, she allowed this…and even hugged him back.
“You did miss me,” she said with a smirk. She pushed him away then, holding him at arms’ length. “Kinda missed you too.”
“Kinda?”
“Not gonna lie, you were a pain in the ass to keep alive,” she admitted. “Never would’ve gotten stabbed by that big bitch if it hadn’t been for you.”
“What?”
“You distracted me,” she explained. “Always having to make sure you weren’t doing something stupid to get yourself killed.”
“I saved you,” he retorted. “She would’ve killed you if I hadn’t blocked her.”
“Only had to intervene because you caused the situation in the first place.”
“Uh huh,” he replied. “Keep telling yourself that.”
She grinned at him, throwing an arm around his shoulders and steering him until they were walking together, toward Vi’s house in the distance. Her house. Hunter shook his head again, still unable to believe what was happening. That Vi was alive, that she was here, talking to him. It was surreal, like a dream come true.
“Aren’t you sentimental,” she observed, eyeing him sidelong. “Stop, you’re going to make me cry.”
“Do you even know how to cry?”
“They say I did when I was a baby,” she answered. “Bet you cried like one when you thought I was dead.”
“You’re an ass.”
“You did, didn’t you?” she pressed, ruffling his hair. “Aww, my poor little baby boy.”
“Kinda regretting you’re alive now.”
“Mm hmm,” she murmured. “Now, you never answered my question.”
“What?”
“Where’s my shit?” she asked. He frowned at her. “My sword,” she clarified. “And my mace.” He grimaced, slowing down.
“I uh,” he mumbled. “I lost them.”
Both eyebrows went up.
“It’s a long story,” he admitted.
“I got time,” she replied. “You do realize they’re saturated with my will, right?” He nodded. “Luckily I don’t radiate skills much,” she continued. “Still, I want them back.”
“Well, I can tell you who has them,” Hunter offered.
“Go on.”
“Lady Camilla,” he revealed.
Vi stopped in her tracks, turning to face him. She gripped his cheeks between her thumb and fingers, staring at him silently with those large green eyes, until he was forced to lower his gaze. She released him then, turning away.
“Well fuck,” she muttered under her breath.
* * *
Hunter stared at Vi’s back, his eyebrows furrowing. He was taken aback by just how strong she looked; she was impressively muscular, her arms well-defined, her legs thick and powerful. Whatever had happened to her in these last few weeks, she hadn’t changed a bit.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
She sighed, turning to face him.
“That,” she replied, “is a long story kiddo.” She smirked then. “She and I didn’t part on the best of terms.”
“Yeah, same here.”
“How’d you meet her?” Vi inquired.
“Got a letter from her,” he replied. “Addressed to you.”
“Pretty sure it didn’t come with a map,” she said, eyeing him critically. “Finally figured out you can absorb memories?”
Hunter’s mouth fell open.
“How…”
“Back at the carriage,” she interjected. “The one your buddy got disarmed at.”
“His name was Kris,” Hunter stated. “And you’re an asshole.” Kris had been disarmed quite literally; an Ironclad had torn his arm off.
“You picked up one of the Seeker’s memories there,” she continued, ignoring him. “You just didn’t know it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Had to teach you the difference between your elbow and your asshole first.”
“Ha ha.”
“So you met Camilla,” Vi stated, giving him a look he couldn’t read. “What happened?”
Hunter sighed, rubbing the back of his head.
“That’s a long story.”
“Like I said,” she replied, “…I got time.”
Hunter hesitated, then told her what had happened…how he’d found the Lady’s mansion, his mission to the Crypt of Zagamar. He tripped over the name, hearing the voices in his head starting their awful chanting, and shoved them away, focusing on telling the rest of the story. He described waking up in the Lady’s mansion, and then everything else that had happened. Almost everything, that is…he left out the part where they’d slept together voluntarily…and involuntarily. Vi’d given him plenty of flak about his problems with Trixie; he hardly wanted to give her yet another reason to talk shit about him. When he was done, Vi turned away from him, staring off into the distance for a long while.
“What?” he asked. She sighed.
“That’s…a lot,” she confessed. Then she turned to him. “You’re in deep shit, Hunter.”
“Tell me about it,” he grumbled. “That bitch is crazy.”
“Only about certain things,” Vi replied. “You’re lucky she didn’t decide to fuck you.”
Hunter grimaced, and Vi’s eyebrow rose.
“Or did she?” she continued. She broke out into a grin, punching him in the shoulder…and knocking him back a few steps. “Hunter got laid!”
“I don’t wanna talk about it,” he grumbled, rubbing his shoulder.
“Bet she blew your goddamn mind,” Vi ventured. Then her grin broadened. “And your…”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he interrupted, blushing furiously.
“Now I know why your ass is so sore.”
“Enough!” he blurted out angrily.
“Butt stuff can feel good you know,” she continued. “No shame in that.”
“That’s not what I…” he began, then grit his teeth, throwing up his hands. “You know what? Forget about it.”
“Anyway,” Vi stated, “I wasn’t talking about her. Camilla we can handle. But she screwed you over big time,” she added. “She knew you’d do anything to avenge me, and took advantage of that. You’re lucky you’re an Original…and that you haven’t been here that long.”
“Why’s that?”
“You’re still made of matter from your world,” she answered. “At least most of you is. If anyone else had drank from that skull, they would’ve already been turned into Zagamar himself.”
Hunter grimaced at the name, hearing the voices chanting again.
Za-ga-mar!
“I’m surprised you weren’t changed,” Vi continued. “Camilla was hoping you would, I guarantee you that. She probably wanted to keep you to see if you’d start to change once more of your body converted to this world.”
“Wait, what?”
“Zagamar’s will is inside of you,” she explained. “His very flesh is now incorporated into yours. It’s fine when you eat the flesh of weak-willed animals and plants, but if you consume a Legend…”
“You’re saying that when my…matter is converted to this world’s matter, his will might start changing me?” Hunter asked, a chill running down his spine. Vi hesitated, then nodded.
“Afraid so, kiddo.”
Hunter stared at her, swallowing in a suddenly dry throat. The thought of being corrupted from the inside, of having his soul taken from him bit by bit, until he was someone else entirely…
“The good news is,” Vi stated, breaking his train of thought, “…you haven’t seemed to change at all. It’s possible that none of Zagamar’s flesh was incorporated into yours…or that he wasn’t a Legend at all, and his will is too weak to conquer yours.”
Hunter grimaced.
“And what if I have changed?” he asked. Vi arched one eyebrow.
“Have you?”
He took a deep breath in, then let it out. Vi stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Tell me,” she insisted.
“It’s…hard to explain,” he confessed. “After I drank from Za…from his skull, I had these flashbacks. Except they weren’t my memories.”
“They were his.”
“Right,” he agreed. He described the visions he’d seen, the armies chanting the Legend’s name. Towns reduced to rubble.
“If that’s all, then you’ll gain more memories with time,” Vi reasoned. “But nothing else…and you’ll keep your own memories.”
“Yeah, well,” Hunter muttered. “About that.”
“Go on.”
He described everything he’d experienced in the crypt after drinking from the skull. The insatiable hunger, the slowing of time. The thoughts racing in his head, moving so quickly and precisely that it made his own thoughts seem vague and sluggish in comparison. Then he described how he’d escaped…how it’d happened to him again, allowing him to flee from the Lady’s mansion with ease. When he was done, he felt drained…and felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Vi listened the whole time without interrupting, and when he was done, she dropped her hand from his shoulder. She looked troubled.
“What’re you thinking?” Hunter asked. She shook her head, putting her hands on her hips.
“I need time to figure this out,” she admitted. “We need time. You’re saying this happened to you after you heard his name?”
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “The second time anyway. The Lady kept saying his name, and then I started to hear the chanting.”
“And then it was like you became him?”
“Sort of,” Hunter answered. “Not completely. I mean, I wasn’t exactly me, but I was aware of what was going on. It’s hard to explain.”
“Hmm,” Vi murmured, rubbing her chin with one hand. “That might explain the seizures.”
“How’s that?”
“If Zagamar’s will is only affecting parts of your brain – those that have been replaced by the matter of this world, or that are weak-willed enough to be changed – then it’s no wonder your brain would malfunction.”
“Causing the seizures,” Hunter realized. She nodded.
“Right.”
“But I didn’t have any seizures after the second time,” he countered. After he’d relaxed in the river by the mansion, he’d returned to his normal self. Starved and exhausted, but otherwise himself.
“So your two minds – his and yours – have learned to co-exist,” she deduced. “Or maybe you just didn’t push it as far this time.”
“Maybe.”
“The question is,” she continued, “…what will happen as more of your Original matter is gradually replaced by this world’s.” She sighed. “If this guy’s will is Legendary, then he’s going to take over, day by day.”
“I don’t want to become anyone else,” he protested. She sighed again.
“I know Hunter,” she replied. “Believe me, I don’t want you to be anyone but you either.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’m probably the first person to tell you this, but I kinda like you the way you are.”
“Can’t I stop it?” Hunter pressed, ignoring her remark.
“That depends,” she answered. “If this guy’s a Legend, maybe not.”
“There has to be a way,” Hunter pressed, his heart pounding in his chest. Panic rose within him, the thought of slowly losing who he was…his very soul…terrifying him.
“Calm down,” Vi stated, putting a hand on his shoulder. And despite himself, he did calm down, more from her influence than his own will. “We don’t even know if this guy’s really a Legend,” she added. “Maybe he’s not, and you’ll be fine.”
“But what if he is?” Hunter asked. Vi sighed.
“Then the only way you’ll stop him from taking over,” she replied, “…is if your will is Legendary, like your mother’s.”
Chapter 22
Hunter sat by the campfire near Vi’s house, tearing into the bird Vi had shot down not a half-hour ago. It was a bit gamey, like duck, but after days of barely eating he was hardly going to complain. Hunger did indeed make the best spice. He glanced up, realizing that Vi was staring at him.
“Damn kid,” she said, shaking her head. “When’s the last time you ate something?”
“Couple days ago,” Hunter answered. He glanced at the rest of the bird’s roasted carcass, eyeing it greedily.
“Take the whole thing,” Vi offered. “Can’t have you bitching about how hungry you are during our trip.”
Hunter obliged, chowing down until there was nothing left. Then he sighed contently, stifling a yawn. It was early afternoon, the sun still shining overhead, but he was exhausted. He hadn’t slept much since escaping the Lady’s mansion, after all. Then he frowned.
“Wait, what trip?” he asked.
“Through the Fringe,” she answered. “Then into the deep forest.”
“Why?” he pressed. “I just got here.”
“Yeah, well,” Vi replied, standing up. “Much as I’d like to relive old times, I’ve got a new job to do.”
“A job?”
“Yep,” Vi confirmed. “Got a new client now.”
“Didn’t you like, die a few weeks ago?” Hunter retorted. “How could you have gotten a new client?” She smirked.
“You got one,” she reminded him. He grimaced.
“Touché.”
“We should get going soon,” she opined. “I’ll get you some weapons and a bow. And some armor”
“Thanks,” Hunter replied, standing up, then watching as she went into her house, then returned with a longsword and a bow. She handed these to him, then retrieved a quiver filled with arrows for him, and a pack. Then she went back inside, retrieving a metal breastplate. He took these, putting them on. “You got a helmet?” he asked.
“Probably,” Vi answered. “Why?”
“Might protect me from absorbing memories,” Hunter ventured. Vi shrugged, going back into her house, then returning with a simple metal helmet. He put it on. “How do I look?” he asked.
“Scrawny,” she replied. “And ugly. You haven’t changed a bit.”
“So what’s this job, anyway?” he asked, ignoring her. She pointed at him.
“You are.”
Hunter stared at her.
“Excuse me?”
“You’re the job,” Vi repeated. When he continued to stare at her uncomprehendingly, she smirked. “My client wants you, so I’m going to bring you to them.”
“Who wants me?”
“A Seeker doesn’t reveal their clients,” Vi reminded him. “Come on,” she added, walking toward the long wooden bridge leading to the shore of the lake. Hunter hesitated, then followed behind her.
“What does this client want with me?”
“Can’t say,” she answered. Hunter fought down a surge of annoyance.
“Because you don’t know, or won’t say?” he pressed.
“Maybe I just like keeping you in suspense,” she replied. And though he couldn’t see her face – she was walking single-file ahead of him on the bridge – he knew she was smirking. And that she wasn’t going to tell him, no matter how many times he asked.
“What about those Seekers?” he asked. “The Lady’s Seekers. There could be more of them out there.”
“Ooo, scary,” she replied, her boots thumping on the wooden planks of the bridge. Hunter sighed, following her to the end of it, then starting up the long spiraling path along the canyon wall. He yawned, feeling utterly exhausted.
