Chapter 11
The Legacy
Rico was a silent, inscrutable man. After her number of encounters with him, Meredith was more than aware of that fact. His eyes belied sadness; his stance hid strength. His soul appeared steadfast, so much so that Meredith dared not pierce it. He was resolute.
She didn’t expect him to answer her question.
For the better part of a minute, he had no intention to, either. Not even Brynn gripping a knife and stepping closer made his tongue loosen. His eyes did most of the speaking for him, narrowed in on Meredith and glinting with steel. Behind her, Eddie was moving closer, recognizing the situation for what it was. He was far from the only one joining the party, the three members of the Renegade team filling in.
Meredith spoke up again.
“Okay, guess you didn’t hear me.”
“I heard just fine,” Rico said. His hands shoved themselves into his pockets. “What would you like me to answer?”
“I want to know what you’re planning. You mentioned the stadium. So, what is it? Something to take us all out in the middle of a competition? Cheating? Or some other kind of interruption?” Every question was another step forward, though Rico didn’t take any back. His fellow teammates bolstered him.
“That’s beneath me,” the man answered.
“Beneath us,” Carlton emphasized. His voice boomed around the halls, slowly beginning to dull with the sounds of the exiting crowd elsewhere. “We seek nothing to impugn this tournament.”
“Why bother, when we’ll win the whole thing?” Maria said. She leaned on Rico’s shoulder, the same grin she’d been tossing around the field moments before leering from her face. Her leader brushed her off, but said no words to refute her claim.
Brynn didn’t like it very much.
“You claim to have an advantage for victory? With what? Last I checked, our teams were on near equal footing,” the girl spoke. Her knife was unsheathed, and was pressed against Rico’s throat before any could make a move. None of the Renegades looked particularly fazed. “Is it that you believe your skills outmatch our own, or did you stack the deck? Talk. Now.”
“I wouldn’t worry, Home Guard girl,” Rico said. He lifted his hand and pushed the small blade away. As he did so, the spear at his side glimmered in the lighting. Brynn withdrew. “I don’t plan to upset the order of this tournament. Not when there’s a message to send.”
“And what message is that?” Brynn shot back in kind. Meredith joined her, the two girls facing down against the group double their size. Eddie hung back. “I’ll have you know, as a leader in the Home Guard, I will not allow you to inflict any damage upon our Metropolis, nor its people. If you plan anything, speak now. If you don’t…”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Maria said, her every syllable joined with laughter. She was enjoying this, every movement of the smirk on her face betraying it. Meredith shot her a glare, but soon returned her focus to Rico, the man beginning to walk forward, pushing them aside.
“We’re doing nothing more than preserving life. That means ensuring our message reaches the greatest amount of people.” The girls stumbled to the side as Rico led his procession beyond them. The Renegades didn’t leave their sight, however, and pulled to a stop. Rico turned back, eyeing both of them with the same harshness he had once reserved for when he was on a mission. “How full do you think the stadium will grow every day? Each time we pass through this tournament, more and more people will watch, and soon all eyes will be on this place. That is what is most important.”
“Answer her question, Rico: what message?” Meredith asked. Her own tone was lower, demanding him to answer. He scoffed at that notion.
“A message about existence.”
“Cryptic.”
“Hah, not really.” Rico’s hands came out of his pockets, but his eyes remained on Meredith, the two of them staring with silence. Her Soul Vision flared, vacillating about her senses and vaguely revealing the souls around her. Brynn’s was the most obvious, tense and ready to spring into action. Rico’s was nigh impossible to glean, only that it was present, but his words cleared up the confusion surrounding his soul. “I’m tired of our existence continuing on ignored. Tired of the Corps and the Home Guard and Lacardia ignoring us for our lack of talents, or our lamentable situations. So focused on their own bubbles, afraid of them being broken. As if people don’t exist outside their perfect world. As if others’ pain isn’t relevant.”
“It really isn’t,” Brynn countered. Rico had no words for her.
“So, I’m going to send a message. Inform them. When the Renegades win the tournament, they’ll be aware of who the real enemy is, and the shell around their little world will break.”
“And just how do you intend to send that message?” This time, Rico didn’t ignore Brynn’s demands. He didn’t voice them, but the quirking of his lips told the two all they needed to know. Meredith gripped at her sword, and Brynn held her knives closer. Eddie stepped near them, his body radiating with caution. “Answer me, Renegade, or I will bring the full might of the Home Guard crashing down on you.”
Rico’s lips turned into a rather Cheshire smile, but he answered all the same. “By winning, and proving we’re more than just a footnote in the news, eclipsed by the Corps and all its ‘glory’.”
There was too much to unpack in the statement; so much that Meredith wasn’t sure what was relevant, and what was him messing with their heads. If that was a thing Rico did, of course. He’d been straightforward from almost the exact moment they met. Though, she had at least some solid idea of what the man was planning, and she held her sword out, threatening him. His supporters quickly blocked the path, with Carlton and Maria serving as shields.
We are the dregs.
The first conversation she’d ever had with Rico came to Meredith, and his intentions began to elucidate themselves.
“You plan to destroy us. In battle. On the field. For the whole world to see. Proof that the Corps is just a bunch of children,” she said. Her grip was tighter, and she inched forward. “Well, you’re wrong. Whatever it is you’re feeling, I don’t care. I’m in this to win this tournament, and that means kicking your ass. If you plan to interfere with that in any way that’s unsanctioned by the rules, go ahead and try. I’ll cut you down.”
“What tough talk for such a little girl.”
“Stand down, Maria. The trial girl means no harm.” Rico’s tone was amused now, his eyes dancing with humor for the first time. They never lost their intent, though. His lips turned to a snarl. “But let’s see whose message is given. I’d like to see you try and prove me wrong.”
“I intend to.” Hers wasn’t the only voice in the chorus challenging Rico. Brynn was just as adamant, along with Eddie, standing in full support.
The two sides faced off, each of their intents to clash rising. Maria’s fingers twitched, and Meredith was already searching ways to counter her. The Renegade scanned the two opposing females with licked lips and a catlike grin. It reminded her, rather unpleasantly, of the quarry that the Renegades had been after for so long before having their vengeance denied. She had to wonder if that was playing into Rico’s intentions.
Despite the grip on her sword and the willingness to jump into action, she was denied the ability to gain that answer via clash.
“There you two are! You guys ran off the field so fast, I was worried you had to, like, throw up or some…thing…” Emil’s typical interruptions were, for once, a welcome thing, and already Meredith felt her body relaxing. The others were a mix between doing the same and ratcheting further in tension. “Oh, seriously, guys? I leave you alone and you start getting in fights. You’re as bad as Viv, who, for the record, shot off like a dart.”
“Like you’re one to talk, Emil…” Eddie muttered from the corners of his mouth. It broke the tension enough.
Meredith’s hands began to lower, though neither Brynn nor Maria were backing away from the fight. Rico was more amiable about it, shooting Emil a look, taking into account the new arrival. The dirty-blond stared back, his likely pursed lips covered by his scarf, until the leader of the Renegades shrugged with little care.
“Yes, fighting here would do all of our teams little good. We’ll settle things in the arena. Maria, Carlton, drop the fight. Lovelia is waiting.” Rico’s hands were placed on his comrades’ shoulders. They didn’t entirely relax, but he was able to move them enough to pull them away from the otherwise bracing group. “See you tomorrow, trial girl. Try to keep up.”
Meredith’s fingers twitched, wanting to give pursuit, but Eddie mimicked Rico’s actions and she made sure to not take that course of action. Next to her, Brynn sheathed her knife.
“He’s a problem,” the girl said. She reached up and tousled her tied hair, bringing it down and letting it flow past her neck. “Renegades. They get a moment of airtime and they start thinking they can do whatever they want. Well, not in my city.”
“Slow down there, Brynn. Wouldn’t want you losing focus,” Meredith said, trying to restore some humor to the clearing air. Emil and Eddie were having none of it, with the former staring at the spot the Renegades had left, while the latter rolled his eyes. Brynn pulled her hair back up, shooting a grin in Meredith’s direction.
“Oh, believe me; I’m not. We need a rematch, you and I. If anyone’s taking down the Corps, it’ll be the Home Guard. You can count on that.” On instinct, the two reached forward and clasped hands, the look of challenge passing between their eyes. “Thanks for the heads up, though. These guys feel like a problem, so I’ll have Theodore and Gregory check out anything…untoward. They have connections I could never dream of having, and Edgar’s only good for muscle. Man has a brain when he wants to use it, but that’s rare.”
“Careful now. You’ll start to give us the advantage.”
“But I know everything there is to know about you guys. Not worried.” Brynn ended it on a wink, and the girls separated hands. She then waved to her rival team and began to head back for the stadium, where her teammates were waiting.
Meredith watched her go, disappearing into the dark corridor. When she had, the sounds of the stadium halls around them were raised in volume, reminding her that the day’s festivities were all but over, and they were still a team member short. “Emil, did you see where Viv headed off to?”
“Like I care.” His response was predictable, but drew a scowl from Meredith’s lips. “Probably meeting daddy somewhere at the front of the coliseum or something.”
“Then that’s where we’re heading.” Not caring for protests, she hooked her arms with the two boys next to her and began dragging them into the crowd that was filling the halls. Some of the people there, buying food for the journey back to the city or otherwise discussing the day’s events, noticed them and seemed to be excited. Other than a vague acknowledgement which involved nodding, Meredith ignored them, weaving their path to the exterior of the stadium. There was no sight of Vivian anywhere, and even Amelia hadn’t tried to pursue them in any capacity, making Meredith wonder just where their commander had gotten to.
By the time the trio had emerged outside and stepped to the side of the road, Meredith’s annoyance at Vivian’s departure had doubled, and the boys were recoiling from the scowl on her face. “Can she just stay with the team for even a second?”
“Uh, you know you were the one to run off, Mera, right?” Emil asked. Her glare caused him to flinch.
“I just had something to take care of. I was going to be right back.” Meredith folded her arms with a huff. Her foot began to tap, though it made no noise on the grass while she scanned the crowd, hoping for blonde hair or the robes that were indicative of their team, while trying to avoid the mob swelling past them. “Blame the Renegades. All their dumb talk about making the stadium full to crush the Corps. They just want to complain they didn’t get enough news time but are hiding behind some crap like ‘oh, how sad we are’. Give me a break.”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Mera, you’re a bit worked up.”
“Are they wrong?”
Emil’s question made Meredith and Eddie turn their heads, mouths parting just a little in shock. The boy tugged at his scarf, an uncomfortable expression on his face as he looked anywhere but at them. Whatever he saw replaced that expression with a scowl, and Meredith had a guess for what was approaching them. It didn’t stop her from addressing him before he could flee. “What are you saying, Emil? Are you saying the Renegades have a better sense of what’s needed to be done than the Corps?”
“The Corps isn’t exactly perfect, Mera. They turn their back on a lot of stuff,” Emil said, shrugging. “You saw the alchemic settlement and the Metropolis. They cared an awful lot for their own building while we had to do the dirty work.”
“That may be,” Eddie said, extricating himself fully from both Meredith and Emil. She looked away, back to scanning the crowd for someone she thought would never appear. “But the Corps is still the first line of defense in a lot of situations. They just can’t be everywhere at once, but I shudder to think what it would be like if they weren’t there at all. Though I don’t see what they stand to gain from beating us in battle. We’re hardly the Corps.”
“I don’t think it matters to Rico. We’re still ‘representatives’, after all,” Meredith said, her breath coming out in a labored sigh.
“It was just a thought to consider. I think he might be making a good point is all…”
“Is that the kind of drivel that’s been entering your head, Emil?” Emil’s groan confirmed who floated above their heads. Said woman took no time in descending to touch the grass with a withering glare and a terse tone. “It’s no wonder you feel no desire to come home.”
“I’ve got nothing to say to you. If you haven’t noticed, I’m with my teammates.”
“Yes, I’m busy, not blind. Thank you for your guidance of my son earlier today. It was almost an embarrassment. If you’d come home, those kinds of things would never-”
“And there the witch goes again!” Emil snapped, his arms throwing themselves up in the air. Meredith’s gaze slid to see him floating upwards, his departure imminent. With her Soul Vision, she could see how angry and volatile he was becoming, restraining it all as much as possible. “Sorry if I wrecked your sterling reputation. I’m only human.”
“Stop overreacting like a child.”
“Yeah, ‘cause I’m the one that’s overreacting. You and dad are such snakes.” Emil was too high now to prevent his imminent departure, but this time he had to decency to not dash off. “Mera, Eddie, I’m heading back. I can’t stand another minute with these appearance-conscious assholes.”
“Emil…” Eddie sighed out. Emil was long gone before he could. In his stead, Meredith’s best friend bowed to the unaffected mother left beside them. “Sorry. He can be rash.”
“Yes, I suppose he can…” Mrs. Baroné cleared her throat, pursing her lips as she did so. “Though I guess I have to accept some of the blame. We gave him a life wanting of nothing, with a few stipulations attached. Perhaps I expected too much.”
“You ever think of talking?” Meredith asked. The woman chuckled.
“If only he wanted to. No, I’m afraid until my son gets foolish notions out of his head, reasoning with him is like speaking to a toddler whose toy has been taken away. He needs to learn to grow up sometimes.” A beep sounded from the woman’s pocket, and she sighed laboriously. “I have work to do. Good luck, and knock some sense into Emil’s head, would you?”
Like her son before her, she floated into the air and disappeared. Meredith returned to watching the crowds, wondering if, perhaps, Vivian had already returned to the Metropolis proper.
“Some family, huh? Makes yours look normal.”
“What’s that mean, Eddie Montgomery?” He chuckled, dodging the blow that Meredith aimed at him with only halfhearted precision. She was too distracted, the crowd melding into one blob of many colors but no distinction.
Even if she wouldn’t blurt it aloud, her own soul was going crazy with emotion. From Rico’s clouded, unreadable emotions to Emil’s pain, and the regret that lingered inside his mother. It was staggering, so many things unsaid, waiting to boil to the surface, each and every one of them looking for an answer to the clear pain that rested inside them. Meredith’s fists clenched.
You can’t save everyone. Sometimes people don’t want to be saved.
Terrill, how did you…? Are you some kind of mind reader now?
Terrill was silent, but his soul was loud; an empathy that washed over her, letting her know that he understood. He eventually found the words. I know what it’s like. People have pain, hold on to it, and it eats them alive. But you can’t be responsible for all that pain. You can’t fix everyone’s problems.
Then what’s the point of a Guardian?
That’s an answer you need to find on your own. To know the kind of Guardian you want to be, Terrill said. He was firm on this one point. Just remember that you can’t do everything on your own, and that includes taking on the burdens of people’s souls.
That was something she knew all too well. Today’s competition had proven it, and she sought to redouble her efforts in finding Vivian, only to have Eddie tug on her sleeve.
“Isn’t that Max?” Eddie’s finger was pointing in the direction of the coliseum and its side. Meredith’s eyes narrowed, and her Soul Vision slipped on, identifying the two familiar souls that belonged to Vivian and her usual attendant. She nodded and took steps in tandem with Eddie, skirting the edges of the thinning crowd. The sun began to darken, though with the clouds above, Meredith wasn’t sure if it was from impending rain or the approach of nighttime. The procession to the Metropolis speeding up hinted at the former, however, and Meredith increased her own pace, finally getting into earshot of the trio, including Victor Lacroix.
“…an embarrassing performance, Viv. You disgrace the Lacroix name.” Victor’s voice was booming, but no one heard, or gave him a berth wide enough so as to ignore it. “I expected better, not worse. You needed another person to pull you up, and your enchantments were sloppy. That you need to rely on them at all is frankly nauseating.”
“As always, I’m sorry, father.” Vivian’s voice made Meredith sick inside. It wasn’t like her. At all. Demure and withdrawn.
Alone.
“Master Lacroix, you shouldn’t be so hard on her,” Max squeaked out. Vivian shot him a glare, though it appeared one more of warning than of remonstration. “She’s not yet where you were during your time in the Corps and she’s still made the Lacroix family name-”
“I wouldn’t utter another word, Max. Your useless coddling has been an eyesore since Viv was a small child.” Victor’s snap gave way to an audible whimper from the attendant, who tremulously bowed. “She doesn’t need coddling. She needs to be stronger. Be above others, and that includes you. Learn your place.”
“A-apologies, M-Master Lacroix.” Meredith slowed, nearly bumping into Max when he backed up. There was surprise in his eyes, a pleasant one, but neither Vivian nor her father paid any mind to the duo that had arrived.
“I’ll not have you tarnish the Lacroix name again. If you wish to prove yourself to the Corps, to have your name immortalized, you need to be stronger,” Victor insisted. The appearance of his face was strikingly similar to his progeny, staring down his nose with disdain at his own daughter. “That’s the only way you can do it. Continue the Lacroix legacy. You need to win without your magic. Need to prove yourself better than all others in every conceivable way. That’s what it means to be part of the Lacroix family. To be a Guardian. I’d have hoped you’d learn that by now.”
“Funny. I thought a Guardian was about the protection of the people, but I see where Viv’s been getting her dumb ideas now.” Meredith couldn’t help herself, the words tumbling. Vivian’s face flashed between anger and warning, while Eddie called her name in worry. Max gasped while Victor turned to her, but composed himself.
“Ahem, M-master Lacroix, this is Lady Meredith Childs, one of Lady Vivian’s teammates and a…friend, I suppose,” Max introduced her. Victor’s gaze was sharp, challenging. A pressure exuded from him that threatened to press her down, but she didn’t wither underneath it. “I do believe I may have mentioned…”
“I’m well aware of who she is, Max. Your comments are no longer necessary.” A rumbling rolled across the sky, and Meredith could feel the first drops of rain hit her face. She refused to relent. “So…you’re Childs. I recognize the name. You have a brother in the Corps, yes? From what I see, you lack his talents.”
Meredith felt her eye twitch, much as she hated it happening. The comparison to her brother was not one she wished to hear. Still, she swallowed it down and addressed the man without fear. Vivian remained silent. “Yeah, well, I’m not my brother.
“And your daughter isn’t you.”
“Shut. Up,” Vivian finally spoke, her words strained. The rain had turned to a drizzle now, and Meredith felt her bangs flattening, though refusing to cover her eyes, all so she could continue to stare into those of Victor Lacroix. He gave little notice of her defiance.
“You’re certainly right about that. But she is still my daughter, and she still has a duty to me. You’d best not interfere with that, Miss Childs.” Victor began to walk away, the conversation ended. He only paused to slap a hand on Vivian’s shoulders, the girl stiffening. Thunder crackled in the air. “I expect a flawless victory tomorrow, or else you’ll drag our family name further in the mud. Do you understand?”
“Mm.”
“I asked if you understand, Viv!”
“Yes, father.” Victor nodded, hardly looking pleased, and began to rejoin the crowd that was running to the Metropolis. He looked unfettered by the rain.
Meredith wasn’t sure what to say, or how to react, but when her Soul Vision activated, and was confronted with the cold steel of Victor and the quivering Vivian, she set her jaw and stepped forward, foot squelching in the mud.
“Give me a break. A victory is a victory. Who cares if it’s flawless? You’ve got some real high standards that I doubt even Marcus would match in a given fight. Who are you anyway? Just some big shot? Well, I’ve never heard of you!” Meredith kept taking steps forward, wanting to reach Victor, but being suddenly held back by the combined forces of Max and Eddie. It was a warning to not mess with Vivian’s father. She disregarded that. “Your daughter doesn’t belong to you! Her magic doesn’t belong to you! And you’re a pretty poor excuse for a father!”
Slap!
Meredith felt her head jerk to the side, the hand that hit her sliding off her face instantly. White sheets of rain separated Meredith from the dismissive Victor, and left her only to turn and look at Vivian, the girl’s hand shaking as she stood there. Her blonde tresses, matted with the rain, obscured the sight of her face and she didn’t look up.
“I…I never asked for your help, t-trash. I never wanted your help, and nor do I need it.”
“So, what, Viv? You’re just going to keep going until you break? Is that the plan? ‘Cause you were pathetic today!” With a heave of strength, Meredith pushed off both Max and Eddie, approaching Vivian and getting in her face. “You were so focused on what he thought of you, of impressing him, that you never stopped to think about anyone else. Not even yourself!”
“What does that matter? What I want is what he wants! To be the best-known Guardian in the world. To engrave the Lacroix name in history the only way I can!” She raised for another slap. Meredith didn’t move out of the way, ready to accept it, and it struck against her cheek. “You just don’t get it. You come from nothing and nobody! You think you can do whatever you want and it doesn’t matter, but some of us have responsibilities. Something to prove.”
“You think I don’t? I’ve always had something to prove, but I never let it control me. Your stupid pedigree means nothing to the people you’re trying to save. So why does engraving your name mean so much?!”
“Because otherwise the Lacroix family name will fade out of existence.” Vivian couldn’t have been the one to come up with that answer, and, indeed, Max was striding between them. His face was drawn, the rain dripping down it, while he gripped Vivian’s arm and lowered it. “Lady Vivian is Victor and Valerie’s only child. Forever will be. And to Master Lacroix, she is but someone who will never carry the Lacroix family name forward except through her own deeds. She does not have her whole life to do so.”
“That’s…”
“That’s insane!” Eddie’s growl resonated. His soul was furious. “What does a family name matter? You can’t force that kind of stuff on anyone!”
“He’s not forcing anything! It’s my choice!” Vivian argued back. She faced away from them, her body shaking. The cold of the rain seeped into their bones. “I…I want to be known. On my own. No one can stop me. I’ll prove I’m better than everyone, and then the Lacroix name will continue to be accepted.”
Meredith dug her nails into her hands, wanting to grab Vivian and slap some sense into the girl, herself, but couldn’t. She just reached forward, placing a hand on Vivian’s shoulder, and for the first time, the girl didn’t beat her away. “And why do you want that?”
No one there needed to know the answer to that question. They let the pouring rain answer for them.
After a moment, Vivian jerked her shoulders, removing Meredith’s hand. “I need to train. I won’t need your help tomorrow.”
“Like hell…Vivian, what did I…?” Meredith stomped forward, but Vivian chose that exact moment to turn, her hair parting from around her eyes for just a second. The rain obscured it, but the tears on her face were obvious. “Viv…I told you. You’re not alo-”
“Stop. Just stop calling me that.” Her hand was whirling around, preparing to land another slap, this one looking weaker than the last. “Stop trying to-”
The hand was caught, this time by Eddie. Stepping in between them, the boy stared Vivian down, and she squirmed under his light hold. Yet she didn’t break free, and Eddie brought her hand down to hold it tight under his own. The rain beat upon his hair, and almost drowned his voice, but Meredith still heard him.
“I…didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” he said. Vivian struggled against him, but soon found her eyes couldn’t leave Eddie’s, transfixed on his words. “I knew I owed it to so many people. My parents. Mera. In some way, my life belonged to them, for taking me from who I was, to who I am. So, I understand. I understand why you owe him. Why you want him to accept you.”
“You don’t-”
“But if there’s one thing that was always mine…it was my magic. My soul,” Eddie continued. He stepped closer. “Mine. You owe your life to everyone around you, and you work with them, but at the end of the day, the decisions in your life are yours to make. It’s your magic, not his. Your life, not his. And whatever you decide to do with it, Viv, whatever choice you make, I’ll support you in that as a friend, because you and your magic are amazing.
“You just need to figure out what that is.”
Vivian hesitated. Her lips trembled. For a second, she looked like she wanted to cry. Like she just wanted to scream and bury her face in Eddie’s chest, all of what she’d been feeling and repressing finally pouring out.
She did none of that.
Instead, she let her hands slip away and step back, letting her tears mix with the rain until she started to vanish into the fog. Max went with her, leaving the two best friends standing alone, unsure of their broken team and whether it could ever be whole.
Meredith watched where Vivian had disappeared, her nails now leaving an imprint on her palm, and she shook her head, the wet hair flying around. Her soul watched Vivian’s go, and before long, touched to Terrill’s. He sighed in accepted resignation.
Maybe I can’t save everyone, but… Meredith breathed out, her body shaking. It wasn’t cold, but rage; rage towards the man who had made the girl she’d hated so much into that very object of hatred. And for the first time, she came to realize just what Vivian was, no matter how she tried to deny it. But if I can save just one friend’s soul, then I’ll take those burdens on and burn them all away. That’s my promise, as a Guardian.