Stoneheart (Rise To Omniscience Book 11), page 38
“My father is Morgan,” Gwen sighed.
Antonio was outside the Academy, so word likely hadn’t reached him yet and she hadn’t gone around bragging about it.
The man’s eyes went wide, the mug slipping from his fingers as his body stiffened. He stared at her for several seconds, like she’d grown a second head, before finally managing to find his tongue.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, quickly moving to stand. “I…I didn’t realize who you were. Please forgive me!” he said, beginning to bow.
“Woah, chill!” Gwen said, her face flushing red. “I’m just a regular girl. My father might be strong, but he’s not royalty or anything!”
Antonio stopped halfway into his bow, looking fearful and nervous.
“I fed you my greasy slop,” he said, more to himself than anyone else. “Oh, I’m so sorry. Please, forgive me.”
“Look, dude, your food was good, and I’m not some princess or something,” Gwen said, feeling her face burning. “I’m just a girl who wants to know what happened to her father.”
Antonio looked uncertain, but something about her beet-red face and the look of sheer mortification must have told him he was overdoing it. Slowly, he straightened, then took a seat.
“I don’t know where your father is, and the head combat instructor hasn’t been seen since this all started. I won’t pretend to know anything else. I’m just a normal guy, trying to provide for my daughter. If you want me to guess, I can say that they’re holding everyone at the Academy hostage, including you, as far as they know. Do you know any parent that would come barreling in if it meant their children could potentially be killed?”
Gwen shook her head. Antonio had a good point. Though her father was strong, she didn’t think he could enter the city and track her down before someone slit her throat. She was strong for her age, but even someone at rank 18 could mop the floor with her with little to no effort, and this place was full of powerful people.
“Now, can you please tell me what happened to you?” Antonio asked. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been burning with curiosity ever since I dragged you back to my house, which, by the way, was not easy. You’re much heavier than you look. Like, much heavier.”
“Gee, thanks,” Gwen deadpanned, feeling a small twinge of annoyance, although she knew why she weighed so much.
She’d need to get on a scale and figure it out once this whole mess was over. But for the time being, she launched into the story, explaining the ambush and her subsequent imprisonment in the Beast Zone, as well as how she’d fought her way through on her own and finally busted out.
Antonio was a good listener, exclaiming in all the right places and expressing pure disbelief in others. Now that she had told it over, Gwen could see how insane it sounded and what she’d accomplished in the time she’d spent in there.
“Well, that would explain why you looked like a blood-drenched hobo when you found me,” Antonio said. “We didn’t have much in the way of bandages or medicine. We don’t even have any clothes that fit, but my daughter cleaned you up the best she could. You’ll have to excuse her if she did a bad job. She’s only eleven and doesn’t have any abilities yet, so moving you around wasn’t easy.”
Though she was grateful, she’d been a bit worried that Antonio had cleaned her up himself and was relieved to hear he hadn’t. He was very kind to take her in and hide her like this, but the idea of a strange man’s hands on her while she was unconscious made her shiver internally.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” Gwen said, giving him a smile. “I’ll definitely repay you once things are a little less hectic.”
“I would appreciate that, but you don’t need to worry about it. Anyone would have done the same.”
“No, they wouldn’t have,” Gwen said. “You saved me, and I owe you big time. I’m sorry to ask, but would it be okay if I stayed with you for another couple of days?”
“Of course,” Antonio said. “You can stay with us as long as you like.”
“Since I can’t risk going out, would you be able to buy me some new clothes and maybe some other supplies?”
“Humans are being treated as second-class at the moment,” Antonio said. “I would be able to buy most items you want, but I don’t have any money to spare I’m afraid.”
“That’s fine,” Gwen said. “Did you bring my pack along when you brought me here?”
As she asked, she looked around the room, spotting the crumpled-looking pack leaning against one of the walls. It looked untouched.
She crouched by the pack, removing two of the bear’s fangs, then went back to the table and set them both before a shocked Antonio.
“Would you be able to sell these without looking suspicious?”
Antonio nodded dumbly.
“Would these be enough for a couple of sets of combat clothes, boots, a spatial ring, some camping supplies, and rations?”
“More than enough,” Antonio said. “If I’m not mistaken, you could probably get all of that for only one of the fangs.”
“Good,” Gwen said. “Then whatever you don’t spend, you can keep.”
The man looked like he’d been punched in the gut, his eyes widening in obvious shock.
“But that would be a fortune,” he whispered.
“I’m rich, remember?” Gwen said. “Whatever it is, it’s pocket change to me. Besides, I have two more of those in my pack. I said I’d pay you back, and I think that this is the least I could do.”
She had no clue how much money these fangs were worth, nor how much the supplies she’d asked for would run him. She was just bluffing in the hopes that he would accept it, though she would make sure to ask him how much they’d sold for when he returned.
“Okay,” Antonio finally said, after staring for several moments. “But if I’m selling these, I should go now. It’ll start getting light out soon, and the person I’d sell these to is also under heavy scrutiny. Keep an eye on my daughter while I’m away. I’d normally drop her at school, but with the way things are…”
“I understand,” Gwen said. “And thank you again.”
Antonio nodded, then rose, grabbed his cap, and quickly headed out the door, leaving Gwen on her own. It only hit her then that he’d said the group overthrew the Council six days ago, which meant she’d been out for an entire day.
Another day lost.
Gwen sighed, then rose from the table and began rummaging through the cupboards. She knew it was rude, but she was ravenous. She didn’t find much, just a few half-stale slices of bread inside the bread box, a couple of bags of beans, and some old meat that she didn’t feel like testing.
It was better than nothing, and digging into her pack, she retrieved the onions and radishes she’d brought back with her. They were still good, so after finding some cooking implements, she filled a pot with water, then began boiling the beans, chopping one of the onions and tossing them in as well. She wasn’t a very good cook. Her mother had tried teaching her, but she’d always been abysmal at it. Boiled beans, onions, and radishes may have sounded disgusting, but to someone who’d not eaten a normal meal in days, it was a feast.
Gwen did her best not to gorge herself, eating slowly as she watched the dark sky grow slowly brighter. As she sat, she began to formulate a plan. If it was indeed true that her parents couldn’t come for them because their children were being held hostage, she would need to do something about it.
She’d need to sneak into the Academy and find some way of getting Hint and all of her other friends out of New Faeland. She was sure there was a reason this group had decided to act now instead of previously, as this was the year when all the monarchs of the human kingdoms had shipped their children off to the Academy. So long as they held them, no one would be able to do anything. The only question was how she’d manage to sneak in when the place was locked down so tight.
A light creak sounded to her left, and Gwen whipped her head around to see a thin girl with big brown eyes staring at her.
“Hi,” Gwen said, giving an awkward wave.
“Hi,” the girl said sleepily. “You woke up.”
“Yes,” Gwen said, unsure of how to act. “Thank you for cleaning me up,” she said, gesturing to herself.
“You were very messy,” the girl said, wrinkling her nose. “You also weren’t easy to move around.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Gwen replied, giving her a tight smile.
This girl was very blunt. She wasn’t sure she liked that.
“What are you eating?”
Gwen showed her the plate, and the girl wrinkled her nose in obvious disgust.
“I haven’t eaten much all week,” Gwen said defensively, taking another bite.
It wasn’t the tastiest. If anything, it was quite a bland mush, but she didn’t care. It was filling, and that was all that mattered.
The girl didn’t say anything, taking the seat opposite her and staring. It was extremely awkward.
“You’re really pretty,” the girl finally said. “I like your hair.”
“Thank you,” Gwen said. “What’s your name? I don’t think your father told me.”
“Lucia,” she replied. “I liked watching you fight. You’re really strong.”
“Thank you,” Gwen said again.
Silence followed as the girl continued to stare. Gwen was just about to say something when there was a knock at the door. Lucia was up in a flash, and Gwen breathed a silent sigh of relief when Antonio stepped into the house.
“You’re back!” Lucia said, hugging him tightly.
“Yes, I’m back,” Antonio said, extricating himself from his daughter and approaching the table. “I managed to get everything you asked for. The sizing might be a little off since you didn’t get to try it on beforehand.”
“That’s fine,” she replied, taking the proffered ring. “I’m sure I’ll manage. How much did you get for the fangs, by the way?”
Antonio smiled at that.
“Sixteen gold coins each,” he said. “My friend said he’d normally be able to give me more, but the non-humans are forcing him to sell at half-price, so he couldn’t give me more for them.”
“How much did everything cost?”
“I got you the best he had as far as gear, boots, and the like, but the main expense was the ring. It was ten gold coins, but from what I understand, you should be able to store a lot in there. In total, everything came out to just over fourteen gold coins.”
Antonio hesitated for a moment, then drew a small leather pouch, jangling with the gold.
“I don’t feel right about taking all of this,” he said as Lucia’s eyes widened.
“Well, I do,” Gwen said. “I owe you at least that much, if not more. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to change and wash up. Do you have somewhere I can do that?”
“Over there,” Lucia said, pointing to a small door set into the nook behind the counter.
“You’ll have to climb under to access it,” Antonio said. “Sorry. This place was all I could afford.”
“No need to apologize,” Gwen said, slipping the spatial storage ring onto her finger, right next to the ring Katherine had given her.
Gwen had been tempted to use it more than once, but she had no way of knowing if it was a one-time use item or not and wanted to save it for a real emergency.
Antonio averted his gaze when she dropped the blanket, shivering lightly as she crawled under the counter to access the door. It only opened partway, but she didn’t have any trouble slipping in. The inside of the bathroom was just like the rest of the space – old and simple.
A wooden tub with a single spout took up most of the room, and a small toilet sat against the far wall. Gwen could have cried as she turned on the water, steam soon filling the room. It didn’t take her long to strip out of the filthy rags and torn-up swimsuit, and when she sank into the steaming water, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven.
There wasn’t much in the way of fancy soaps, but there was a bottle that she used liberally, scrubbing every nook and cranny free of grime. Then she sat there, allowing the steaming water to soothe her still-aching body.
Her mind turned back to her family, and an ache began forming in her chest that had nothing to do with the injury the bear had inflicted. She suddenly missed her parents terribly and wanted nothing more than to run, to find some way to escape New Faeland on her own, so she could be reunited with them. But she knew she couldn’t, not yet.
Her brother was trapped in the Academy, along with her friends. She was the only one on the outside, and no one would assume she was coming after how long she’d been trapped in the Beast Zone.
Gwen pulled up her status, looking it over and seeing how far she’d come in such a short period of time, though she knew she’d need to be infinitely stronger if she wanted to be able to fight on a scale that made an actual difference.
Name: Gwendolyn
Super: Rank - 11
Energy to Next Rank - 6,204/18,000
Ability - Greater Gravi-Frost
CP - 690/690 (Regen - 3.9 per second)
Strength - 69
Agility - 70
Constitution - 61
Intelligence - 32
Wisdom - 39
Traits - Aura Sense (inherited), Internal Heater
Skills - Internal Gravity II, Ice Wheel II, Frost Strobe, Hard Knock+, Rotate, Quardon
Superior - Alternate Rush
Closing her status, Gwen leaned her head against the lip of the tub and closed her eyes. Now that she knew what she had to do, she had to figure out how. She was just a girl, barely fifteen. She felt way out of her depth but remembered that her parents had barely been older than she was now when they’d set out on their own.
She might be scared, but for the sake of her entire family, she was going to have to step up, because without her intervention, who knew what would happen?
***
Sarah sat out on the beach, staring up at the twinkling stars, her arms wrapped around her knees. It was two in the morning and her children were sound asleep, but she found herself unable to get so much as a wink of it. She hadn’t slept all week.
She clutched at the communicator around her neck. It had given her nothing but buzzing feedback in all that time.
Morgan still hadn’t returned. Something was terribly wrong. She knew it deep down in her bones. The worst part of it all was that she couldn’t just leave to go look for him, nor had she had any communication with the outside world.
She’d tried, and she’d failed.
Sarah wanted to take off, to fly to the mainland at top speed and find someone who could give her answers, but she had a responsibility as a parent that would not allow her off this island unless she was confident someone would be here with her children and keep them safe.
She continued staring up into the sky, hearing the lapping waves as they pulled in and out. She shifted in place, her bare feet sliding through the sand and worry keeping her from relaxing. Sarah was mentally exhausted and needed a break, but no matter how hard she tried, it never worked.
A warm breeze wafted over the island, tickling her skin as her hair waved about her face. Then came the sound of splashing.
Sarah was instantly alert, the sound different enough to stand out like a sore thumb after the amount of time she’d spent there. Climbing to her feet, she readied herself for an attack, icy tendrils peeling off her skin in wisps of glowing blue and red.
“Wait, don’t attack, it’s me! Katherine!”
Sarah relaxed as she recognized the voice, though her worry only grew as the woman appeared in the water. She was dressed in a tight-fitting swimsuit, her hair tied back in a bun, and the fabric clung to her as she stepped from the water. This only served to make Sarah more nervous.
“Did you swim all the way here?” Sarah asked as Katherine stepped from the water and out onto the beach.
Katherine nodded, her chest heaving. For her to be breathing hard, it meant she must have swum very quickly.
“Why?” Sarah asked.
“Spatial transport isn’t working,” Katherine said, straightening to her full height. “I can still access my portals, but anything more than a few feet is impossible for me to traverse. Is Morgan here?”
Sarah shook her head.
“I haven’t seen him since he left for that exhibition match at the Academy.”
“I was afraid of that,” she said grimly, pulling the tie from her hair and allowing it to fall free. “Communications have been knocked out across the entire continent as far as I can tell,” she continued. “We’ve been unable to reach anyone in any of the kingdoms, and scouting parties sent to New Faeland have vanished without a trace. Something big is happening, and the scale of it only seems to be growing larger. We’re completely in the dark here, Sarah. No one knows what’s going on.”
“Have you heard from Grace?” Sarah asked, already knowing the answer.
“The last communication I had from her was regarding the construction of the new Academy,” Katherine said grimly. “That was over a week ago.”
Sarah felt her unease grow at that. Both Morgan and Grace were missing. Communications were down. Scouting parties were vanishing.
“You don’t think…You don’t think they’re dead, do you?” Katherine asked, the question coming out as a near-whisper.
“No,” Sarah said. “I’m sure they’re still alive. Someone must have found a way to detain them. There’s no other explanation. Any battle that would have pushed Grace, and especially Morgan, hard enough to result in his death would have been seen across the entire continent. Did you see or hear anything over the past few days? Anything at all?”
Katherine shook her head.
“I know nothing, and right now, there are very few people I can trust. I need your help, Sarah. We need to figure out what’s going on, and fast. Our kids are in New Faeland, and the strongest people I know are nowhere to be found.”
“I want to help,” Sarah said, frustrated. “But I have other kids, Katherine. I can’t just leave them here on their own.”
