In a World without God

“Look at them! Look at their hideousness!” Dersh shouted.

“Don’t you see? They tried to kill you by controlling the rats. If we hadn’t come, this square would have been covered in blood— your blood!”

The children were dumbfounded. They didn’t understand why people were in the square or what Dersh was talking about. They looked around nervously, their hands gripping their swords.

“They’re not like the other witch’s children. They must be his minions, and we must kill them here and now for your safety!”

The children looked from the crowd to Dersh and the others. Enri scanned the crowd hurriedly, looking for Ed.

“We… we’re not the witch’s minions!”

Enri’s voice was drowned out. Though unsubstantiated, Dersh’s explanation was plausible. No one could stop the anxiety from spreading through the crowd.

“Are they really?”

“If they weren’t, why would they be carrying swords?”

“I almost died looking for my watch! Descendants of heroes, please save us!”

Usually, in a situation like this, the one who has the last word has the advantage. Ed couldn’t speak up, but Dersh could talk at will. He had more credibility and deliberately stirred up the crowd, using their fears to convince them.

Ed held his breath and tried to think of a solution.

What could he do? Set the square on fire? Steal a Velox and head for the desert or the mountains? Could he dye his hair and go into hiding?

But the children… they would die.

Ed couldn’t move. He was about to admit defeat when Ygraine’s words came back to him.

“It was because you had drawn a line between the children and yourself.”

He now understood what she meant. Ygraine’s words were always like that. They sounded like bullshit when you first heard them, but then they bloomed like flowers in your heart. Ed hadn’t drawn a line. He couldn’t draw any boundaries between him and the children.

“Aruru, listen to me.”

“What is it, Ed? Have you thought of a plan?”

“Tell the children. Marie and Shumi must lose the tournament tomorrow. As soon as the festival ends, run out of the arena and steal the oldest cart you can find. That’s their only chance. The Le Fay family won’t be able to catch up right away because of the ceremonies and the large crowds. Then, using Ishkur’s Magick, change their hair and eye color and run north toward the Kashiba Desert.”

Aruru looked up at Ed, wide-eyed.

“What does that have to do with this situation?”

“About half a day’s ride away, there’s an underground passage in the desert that only I know about. It looks like a cliff from the outside, but there’s a way in. I’ll tell you where it is and how to get in. Memorize it and lead the children there.”

“Edulis!”

Captain Bosha didn’t save the children. Captain Bosha saved himself.

Ygraine was right. Ed was trying to save himself. If he were to abandon the children and run away, Ed would die. His soul would perish. Even if he were to meet Ygraine again, he would be unable to look her in the eye.

“And when you have time, tell Murjana of Kaldura I am sorry.”

Aruru was lost for words.

Ed pushed forward through the crowd.

“Foolish children of Bosha!”

Edulis’s voice echoed through the square. Magick, the color of lapis lazuli, pulsed through his body. The crowd stirred. He wore a Magick stone ring, yet he was emitting Magick energy from his body!

Ed’s Magick spread out in concentric circles on the ground, freezing the plaza floor and everyone’s ankles.

Unable to move, the people went into a frenzy. They screamed and twisted in terror. Only Enri, the children, and the three members of the Le Fay family stared at Ed without speaking.

Ed spoke up.

“I, Granadilla, have been reborn once more with the blood of my descendants. You, the bearers of this hateful blood, will die tonight in endless agony!”

***

“Move, rats! Bite the bodies of the foolish humans!”

As Ed spoke, the rats scurried up the frozen ankles, and the people cried out.

“Ashur! Dersh! Dumuzi! Save us!”

Ashur turned his Magick into flames, melting the ice on his, Dumuzi’s, and Dersh’s ankles. They spoke together in low voices.

“A witch? That can’t be right.”

“Then what the hell is he? How can he use Magick of this magnitude when chained by a magic stone?”

“That’s not our biggest concern right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have no choice but to kill him now. The public wants it. We can’t torture him to get information out of him. We’ll never know what the hell happened to him.”

Dersh’s face was flushed red with rage. It was a rare sight.

“Don’t you get it? He’s not showing off his powers for nothing. He’s calling in the rats, freezing people’s ankles, and claiming he did it all alone! If it goes on like this, dealing with the remaining ones under the pretext of the kingdom’s constitution will become ambiguous. At least until the end of the Festival of Saints, we can’t touch them!”

“Then what are we to do?”

“We must be heroes. We must show the people what it’s like to drive a sword into his chest. We have no other choice now.”

Dersh nodded. The three of them moved toward Ed. A wall of earth and a ring of fire surrounded him. Ed did not flee. He just glared at the three, his sword flickering.

There was still one possibility left for Ed. He could fight all three at once and win. Then, he could accept Ishkur’s offer and travel to Ascidia.

“Strength alone does not make a mercenary captain.”

Bosha was very persistent and relentless. That’s why people feared him.

“Granadilla? Is it really you?”

Dersh knew it was a lie, but he used Ed’s play to his advantage. He knew defeating a ‘real’ reincarnation of the witch would win back their favor.

“That’s right,” Ed’s lips curved into a grimace. “I have returned to seek revenge.”

“Are these children your minions? Did you teach them the Black Fang swordsmanship to serve you?”

Ed bellowed a loud laugh.

“Minions? Those who can’t kill a human, my minions? To be my minions, they must kill their parents and siblings with their bare hands and enjoy it!”

“I knew you would say that,” Dersh muttered. He knew what Ed was up to, and there was no point in dragging the conversation out any longer. He nodded to Ashur and Dumuzi, and they all raised their weapons, pointing them toward Ed.

Aruru ran over to the children, who were still frozen in place. He climbed onto Enri’s shoulder.

“It was all for nothing,” Enri whispered.

“No! Don’t be sad; there is still hope. I believe in Ed!”

The children reached out to each other and held hands. They could only hope that Ed had another plan or that he was strong enough to defeat the Le Fay leaders alone.

Ed dragged the tip of his curved blade across the ground in front of him in a wide arc. He wished he had Bosha’s sword.

No. Mercenaries don’t choose their weapons. They fight with what they have, and they fight well.

Ed inhaled deeply and then stepped forward, suddenly disappearing from view.

Gasps erupted through the crowd who had been watching in anticipation.

“What?”

“How did he do that?”

“Dumuzi! Dodge!”

By the time Dersh called out, it was too late. Dumuzi’s side was gouged like a large wolf had taken a bite from him. Blood from the deep gash soaked his clothes.

“Do not let your guard down! He is a monster!

Dumuzi fell to the ground, clenching his wound as blood continued to flow through his fingers. Wails were heard in the crowd.

But Enri and the rest of the children looked on with a glimmer in their eyes. Maybe there was more hope than they realized.

“Lutea, please let this child, our friend, our teacher, return to us safely.”

Marie clasped her hands together and chanted quietly. Harsh and Methena followed suit. Soon, all the children began praying as if Ed’s life depended on it.

“May the light that gave us hope never go out and continue to burn.”

“Grant that we may be with him, even when the light of truth is obscured, and we are forced to crawl in the darkness.”

Ashur turned to Dersh.

“Did you see? He leaped once, slashed at Dumuzi seven paces before him, and then leaped again to return to his position. What a ridiculous move! One only a witch could pull off!”

“Now is not the time for such talk. We must prepare for the long haul. Stay ten paces away from him. We must wait for him to run out of steam with repeated ranged attacks.”

Ashur agreed with Dersh. They both gathered their Magick and, nodding to each other, summoned rock spikes from the ground beneath where Ed stood and a pillar of fire that roared straight towards him.

Ed had to give it to them. They were more structured and clever in their attack than he had thought they would be.

If only I were better trained with my Magick.

Ashur watched closely as Ed dodged the attack, assessing his moves and trying to anticipate how he might act next.

“He’s got a good head on his shoulders. He predicts where we will shoot our Magick and responds quickly.”

“Don’t rush. He’s probably waiting for us to get tired.”

The three of them continued like this. The crowd cheered when it seemed like Ashur and Dersh were gaining ground. When it seemed like Ed had the upper hand, they wailed. The longer they fought, the less the crowd responded, waiting in silence as they observed who might tire first.

Two hours passed. As the stalemate continued and the darkness grew even deeper, something happened. Ed lost his center of gravity, and his body staggered violently. Ashur took advantage, charging forward and slashing at Ed.

Even Dersh didn’t notice, but Ed’s stagger was a trick! The moment Ashur thrust his blade, Ed deftly sidestepped and swung his sword around. His body spun like a tilted pinwheel. The next moment, Ashar’s left arm flew off and slashed right through at the shoulder. Ed had sliced cleanly across his chest, exposing his ribs, and straight through his arm socket.

Ed clicked his tongue.

“I was aiming to slice you in two, but my height has betrayed me.

Dumuzi, though wounded, still had some strength left in him. From where he lay bleeding, he used his Magick to erect an earthen wall between Ashur and Ed. Realizing that he now had a window of opportunity, Ed turned all his attention to Dersh. He launched himself in his direction; curved blade raised high above his head.

Caught off guard by Ed’s quick thinking and swiftness, Dersh couldn’t react in time. He lifted his staff to block Ed’s strike, but he tricked him again, quickly landing on his feet in front of him and tucking the blade down, slicing sideways across Dersh’s leg and severing the lower part of his right leg at the knee. Dersh toppled to the floor.

Gasps erupted from around them. As the crowd watched, there wasn’t a single doubt among them. Ed was a witch incarnate. How else could a twelve-year-old have wounded three of the Le Fay family’s top fighters?

But the crowd had also underestimated the trio.

Ed raised his blade once more and made to strike down on Dersh’s head, but Dersh raised his left arm, and Ed sliced through it easily, severing the hand. Dersh gripped Ed’s leg with his other hand.

Ed sneered.

“You want me to sever your other hand too?”

Dersh looked up at Ed and returned his sneer with malice.

“No. I just needed to distract you. Now, Ashur!”

Thinking Ashur was too wounded to counterattack, Ed had failed to pay attention to the other fighter. While he was attacking Dersh, Ashur had crept up behind him. Ed spun around, but he wasn’t quick enough.

Ashur sank his sword deep into Ed’s chest.

Droplets of blood ran down the length of the blade. Ed dropped his sword. The fight was over. Ed had lost.

With his sword still embedded in Ed’s chest, Ashur leaned in close and whispered in Ed’s ear.

“I’ll ask you one last time. Who are you?”

Ed grinned. Blood covered his teeth and began to drool down the side of his mouth.

“I …” he grunted. “I am… Granadilla the Witch.”

“Very well. If you won’t answer me, you can die instead.”

Ashur pushed his blade forcefully further into Ed’s chest and twisted it, tearing a deep hole through Ed’s body. Blood flowed deeply from the wound, instantly soaking Ed.

Ashur slowly pulled out his blade and turned to Dersh and Dumuzi, who nodded at him. All three were wounded, beaten, and tired. They did not feel like celebrating but were content that they had won.

Ed’s body dropped to the floor like a dead weight.

The ice melted, and the lingering rats all ran for the mountain. As the crowd began to disperse, they gave Ed’s body a wide berth, afraid that the witch’s dead reincarnation might still have the power to curse them.

The children, including Enri, crouched on the ground, staring at the scene in disbelief.

“Lutea. Why didn’t you answer our prayers?”

“Were we too greedy? Shouldn’t we want our friend to survive?”

“Go! Ed said so! You must be the first ones to leave here!”

Aruru scuttled between the children, urging them to leave, telling them it was all over.

Edulis was dead.