Chapter 10: Market Street and Crescent Road
[07/23/4517]
Emma and Sarina sat in a small infirmary. They saw the doctors, nurses, patients and visitors roaming the hallway outside. After Sarina removed the sling from Emma’s arm, she aimed her staff. “Escáner.”
A small magic circle appeared over Emma’s arm. It was colored blue. There was soothing feeling over skin as Sarina moved the staff along the injured area. “Okay Emma, I want you stretch your arm out and let me know if you feel any pain.”
As Emma moved her arm, she thought about the day she met Sarina. She limped up to the door, and kept her left arm close to her chest. Her right foot slid along the ground. It barely lifted up. It was very dark at this point and all she thought about was a hiding place. There was no sense of time. All she knew was that the lights were on, and she had a chance for help. A knock on the door was all she needed to get Sarina to open the door. Emma looked up to the doctor as she lifted her arm up and flex her fingers.
Sarina handed Emma a sheet of paper. “This is a list of exercises for your muscles since you had little movement in the sling. About one more week and you’ll be back to casting spells in no time.”
“Thank you Sarina.” Emma smiled. “For everything.”
“I’m just glad your arm healed well.”
“I mean, thank you for opening the door and giving me a place to hide.”
“Oh.” Sarina saw the relief in Emma’s face and she smiled. “You’re welcome Emma. Have you… told Mr. Yamamura yet about the telegraph you received?”
“I wanted to wait until my arm was healed. After all my train isn’t leaving until the twenty-sixth.”
“I see. Since he’s leaving on the twenty-fifth…”
“Yeah.” Emma nodded. Emma lowered her head staring at her left arm.
“Are you okay?”
“I feel different now.” Emma looked up at Sarina. “As if there was something pushing down on my shoulders and it let go. For sixteen years all I had were so many thoughts running through my mind. So many memories, and now…”
“Now what?”
“I don’t care about the past anymore. I can see only my future.”
Sarina took Emma’s hands. “I think the past is settled.”
“I think that was my only motivation in life,” Emma lifted her hands up. “to find these answers, and I got them.”
“Here’s my suggestion as your friend. Go home. After you finish your briefing with the guild, go home.”
“That’s it.”
“Well I’m not going to tell what to do. What I do know is that sometimes, going home is the best way to reset and ask one simple question… ‘Where do I want to go and want do I to do?’ and take your time.”
“That’s two questions.”
“It is?” Sarina said and Emma nodded. “Well I tried to make it sound like one question.”
They laughed and Emma stood up to her feet. “Gracias.”
As she left the room, Sarina took the sling and watched Emma turn into the hallway escorted by two guards. “Good luck Emma.”
***
Kenichi sat in a wheelchair in his room. Sarina arrived with Dr. Harrison as he was pushed by the nurse. Maddox stayed close to Kenichi while the guards cleared the hallway. They made their way outside where carriages await them. Kenichi saw one in the back where Emma waited by the opened door. She watched him stand on his two feet and smiled. Kenichi in her direction and bowed. Emma bowed as well and climbed aboard. Kenichi helped Sarina on board first and he climbed next followed by Maddox and Dr. Harrison. The entourage moved forward to return to the embassy.
Inside the carriage, Kenichi looked outside at all the guard around him. He rubbed his forehead as Dr. Harrison spoke. “The medicine will be ready soon enough and you will be rid of this oxygen poisoning in no time.”
“It’s getting annoying doctor. I didn’t even do anything excessive.”
“I know.”
Sarina spoke. “I’m sorry Mr. Yamamura, I really didn’t think of how far my clinic is from the embassy.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
Dr. Harrison spoke. “Still, I’m very concerned that you suffered an attack just for being at a café. I intend to come with you to Ironguard for further evaluation. I don’t want him climbing the mountain to Darius with that Earthworld level oxygen. He has to completely adjust his body to our level.”
“I will inform his majesty of your recommendation when we get back.” Maddox leaned out the window. “Right now, I’m concerned about this route.”
Kenichi looked out the window and noticed there was no one except the entourage. “Where are the people?”
Maddox stuck his head out and spoke to a guard. “Hey, what’s with this route? Did you clear the area?”
“No sir. The captain went ahead to find out what is going on.”
The carriage stopped. Maddox stepped outside. Ahead of the first carriage was blockade at an intersection. The guards ahead approached it with the captain. Maddox took out his gun and check his ammo. “Lock the doors.”
Maddox kept his gun aimed down. He looked in every direction while the guards tried to clear the blockade. When he looked up he saw Boss John taking aim with a fire spell. With his gun raised he had Boss John in his sight until a loud booming face from behind the entourage got everyone’s attention.
“By decree of the Grand Bishop of Bellamine,” The booming sent Boss John to take cover forcing Maddox to drop his aim in frustration. “the Paladins of Endira demand the custody of Emma Fumiko Rosado. She is charged with blasphemy, heresy, and sins against life.”
“Maddox.”
“Stay inside.” Maddox walked to back with his gun aimed the lone paladin, dressed in armor with white tunic followed by priests and more paladins. As he walked past the last carriage, he peeked inside where Emma sat leaning closer. “Stay. Don’t let them see you.”
“Yes.” Emma immediately laid on the floor of the carriage while Maddox signaled the guards to follow him.
He stood before the paladins and priests with his gun aimed at them and guards swords unsheathed. “So you’re the ones who made this blockade.”
“Blockade?” The head paladin looked further down the road and saw the guards trying to clear the road while others ran towards them. “We did not put that blockade. I am Sir Jonathan Hunter, First Arch-Herald of the Church of Endira. We only want Ms. Rosado. We will deal with the Earthworlder you have at a later time.”
Emma’s eyes grew wide and her tail shivered violently. She heard Maddox spoke. “She is under protection of the Kingdom of Ironguard. You will have to get permission to get custody over her.”
“If you do not turn the heretic over now, we will have no choice but to declare Ironguard an enemy of the church.”
“You really want to do this?”
As the standoff went silent, Boss John and the mysterious people watched on. They saw the blockade clearing up. One of the mysterious people spoke. “They’re going to run away. Cast your spell now or we won’t draw the main guards out of the embassy. Everyone is waiting.”
Boss John aimed his hand at the blockade and cast his spell. “Fuego!”
A burst of flame fell from the sky. The paladins and priests gasped getting Maddox and the guard’s attention. The fire struck the blockade turning into a fireball. The pillar of flames grew bigger as it flew into the air with embers spreading out onto the buildings. Kenichi followed the fire going into the sky without stopping and the screams of the guards burning alive caught everyone’s attention.
Jonathan looked back at the paladins. “Put out the fire and assist the injured!”
Without hesitation everyone hurried to the flames leaving the priests behind. The carriages were left alone catching Kenichi’s attention. Sarina and Dr. Harrison immediately opened the door. “Let’s hurry Sarina, we don’t have much time to help the injured.”
“Yes doctor.” As Sarina and Dr. Harrison hurried to the fire, Kenichi stepped outside.
Kenichi watched the top of the buildings get engulfed in flames. He noticed Boss John and people dress in black jumping over to the next roof. He tracked them down until they were out sight, and that was when he saw the priests open the door to Emma’s carriage. “Get away from her!”
A nearby priest held his hands up as if cupping water and chanted. “Operium restida nimada endero.”
A veil of light from the sky shined into Kenichi’s face. He shielded his eyes from its brightness. He took slow steps towards the spellcasting priest and his hand grip the priests shoulder. Kenichi threw a left punch knocking the priest down. He regained his sight and saw one of the priests covered Emma’s mouth while whispering a spell. “Donari sanusena potente inuminera.”
Light covered Emma’s body and her eyes closed. The priest carried her in his arms.
“Emma!” Kenichi he was ready to run but hesitated because of his breathing. His mind screamed for his body to move, but it was like he knew the danger if her did. He thought. “Why can’t I find a way to overcome this breathing issue? They’re taking her away.”
The sound of the gunshot cracked the sky and flew past Kenichi. One of the priests was struck in the shoulder and ice formed over it. Maddox ran past Kenichi to rescue Emma. Kenichi struggled to move his feet. He placed his hand over his chest as walked slowly in her direction as Maddox turned the corner firing another shot.
As Maddox ran down the street, he took another shot. The impact knocked another priest over, however a carriage pulled up. The priest carrying Emma placed her on board. Maddox was ready to fire but saw Emma was too close and he feared he would strike her. He then aimed his gun at the horse. When he pulled the trigger, her heard a click. The chambers were empty. “Not now!”
Maddox ran back to the entourage. He approached the driver and gabbed the horses reigns. “I’m taking this horse.”
Kenichi was ready to take another horse, but Maddox pushed him away. “No, Yamamura.”
“I can help.”
“Help them.” Maddox pointed to the fire that the paladins and guards are struggling to put out with their water spells. He and Kenichi watched Dr. Harrison and Sarina tend to the injured. The driver freed the horse. Maddox hopped on then rode off.
Sarina removed the armor from an injured guard. First she did chest compression as everyone watched. She counted to thirty. Next she opened his mouth. Sarina breathed into his mouth which everyone gasped. Next she did another round chest compression. Dr. Harrison approached her as she breathed into the guard again. “Is this what Ms. Rosado did to save Mr. Yamamura?”
Sarina began another round of compression. “Yes. This is my first attempt. I spent three hours learning this.”
The chest inhaled and the paladins watching immediately clasped their hands in prayer. Jonathan spoke. “It’s a miracle.”
Dr. Harrison hurried over and began checking on him as the sound of bells approaching the area grew louder. “I’ll take it from here. It sounds like the fire department is here.”
“I’ll go check on Mr. Yamamura.”
“I understand.” Dr. Harrison watched her walk away. He turned to the guards. “Help me get him to the triage.”
Sarina made her way to the intersection. She noticed a priest laid out on the ground and the carriage doors were opened. The driver’s were tending to the horses when she found Kenichi standing at the intersection. She looked up at the signs that read Market Street and Crescent Road. “What happened?”
“Those weird priests took Emma and Maddox went after them.”
“No way.”
“I was afraid to run, because of my chest… but… I know my heart wants me to rescue her.”
“Mr. Yamamura.” Sarina saw the priest shaking his head. She handed her staff to Kenichi and approached the injured man. When he looked up, he was covered in her shadow.
“Doctor?” Kenichi said.
Sarina grabbed the priest by the collar and lifted him up. His feet dangled above the ground. Her eyes looked innocent. However, the priest’s eyes trembled for he could feel a strange aura projecting out of her.
“You’re… you’re a barbarian?”
“Where–”
“St. Ivey’s Cathedral. Please don’t hurt me. Please. Please…”
Sarina lowered him and his feet touched the ground. He was still standing, but her towering over him with smile made him stumble back to the ground and crawl to the wall. “Thank you.”
He screamed and ran away.
Kenichi took out his smartphone and unlocked it. “Red… Chartmap.”
“Chartmap activated.”
“Red… Locate St. Ivey’s Cathedral.”
“Location confirmed.”
Kenichi and Sarina looked at the map. Sarina spoke. “It’s at the other side of the city. About forty-five minutes from here.”
“I need my equipment.” Kenichi approached the carriages. “Can you ride a horse?”
“Mr. Yamamura?”
“Get me to the embassy.” Kenichi held Sarina’s staff before. “Please… Sarina. For Emma.”
Sarina’s eyes grew wide and she understood what he wanted to do. With a smile she nodded. “Yes… Kenichi.”
To Be Continued.
