Humayre: The Chronicles of Ronin Wilder
Chapter 42

Beads of water sweat from the joints in the walls slithered down the rough stone and pooled in small puddles on the uneven stone floor. Dark green moss or mold, Ronin couldn’t be sure of which, splotched the walls. Like black bony fingers reaching to the heavens, soot stained the walls above the torches. Smoke crept along the ceiling and vanished through rusted metal vents. Adjusting the blue sling cradling his injured shoulder, Ronin tried to sniff the air but quickly remembered his nose was still plugged with gauze. He stared down the tunnel and wondered how much further it went and how far underground he was.

Ronin tried to swallow but his mouth was dry, probably due to all the painkillers he was on. Sitting on a red plastic chair, which seemed horribly out of place in the dank medieval like tunnel, he waited for his de-briefing, or at least that’s what they told him when they escorted him into the bowels of BrightWood. Glancing at his shoulder he wondered why they let him leave the hospital after only a few days. The wound still hurt as though it just happened. The memory of Ravens sword piercing into him like a needle through cloth haunted his thoughts. Raised voices crept from under the wooden door just to Ronin’s left. Turning his head and focusing he was able to pick out the words.

“If he’s not here in ten minutes, I vote that we start,” said a man with a deep, hoarse voice.

“He’ll be here,” said a man with an English accent, or what Ronin thought sounded like an English accent.

“What about the boy?” asked the man with the hoarse voice. “We gonna just make him sit out there?”

The sound of footsteps echoed down the tunnel and pulled Ronin’s attention from the door. Mr. Wetstone appeared from around a bend in the tunnel. The muscles in his cheeks were flexed and his eyes were focused down. Each step brought a cringe but was quickly replaced by a look of determination. Without so much as giving Ronin a glance Mr. Wetstone opened the door, hobbled into the room and slammed the door behind him.

Reaching into his pocket Ronin pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. Two weeks ago he never would have dared do such a thing. If anyone saw the paper, questions could be asked and he would have no reasonable excuse. Automatic expulsion and tried for treason, that would have been his punishment. But now he didn’t care. He was getting kicked out anyway. He unfolded the paper and stared at his parent’s names, or those who he thought were his parents. Just below their names was the word Donor and below that Master Kita and a marked out name. Something dawned on him that he hadn’t thought of before. Was Master Kita a donor? If so that would mean he was his father. Thinking about what that meant, he quickly dismissed the thought as impossible. Maybe Master Kita was a witness and had to sign as such? As Ronin stared at the names on the paper he wondered who his real parents were. The need to know ignited his resolve and any doubts he may have had about his plan vanished. Once he got in that room he was going to confront them. If he was going to be kicked out, the least they could do was tell him who his real parents were.

Raised voices broke his concentration. Ronin turned his ear to the door. The whispers grew into words.

“The Mayrestone has been destroyed,” said Mr. Wetstone.

“That’s wonderful news,” said the man with the English accent.

“There’s more,” said Mr. Wetstone.

“Go on,” said Master Kita, in an impatient tone.

“The energy protecting the grounds did not dissipate like we had initially anticipated.”

“That’s impossible,” said the man with the English accent.

“We thought so too,” said Mr. Wetstone. A momentary pause, then he continued, “You’ve never heard of this happening?”

“No one has ever destroyed a stone,” said Master Kita.

“There’s something else I can’t quite figure out. Even though the energy is still there, the BTMF’s no longer work.”

“Well. We knew the weapons would stop working without the Mayrestone,” said the man with the hoarse voice. “This business with the Techno Suppression is very strange though. I have no idea how it could remain without the stone. Perhaps the energy will fade with time?”

“Perhaps,” said Mr. Wetstone. “But I don’t see why it would. Mayre does not simply dissipate.”

“All of this is irrelevant,” said the man with the English accent. “This is not why we traveled half way across the world. Tell us about the girl and boy and what we are going to do about Raven.”

“Raven refuses to speak,” said Mr. Wetstone. “Well. Refuses to speak to anyone but Ronin.” The room fell silent for a moment. “It’s like he is obsessed with the boy.”

“Considering who Raven is, it’s not surprising,” said Master Kita. “As far as I know he’s never been defeated in combat. Ronin might have been the first to do it, or at least the closest to do it. That fact alone is probably driving him mad.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Mr. Wetstone. “He has nothing we need and he is too dangerous to let live. He’s been scheduled for execution.”

The room all murmured their agreement in unison.

“What about the girl?” asked the man with the hoarse voice. “I want to know about the girl. Are the rumors true?”

“Yes,” said Mr. Wetstone. “Her Mayre is able to regenerate itself. As you all know, this an unprecedented occurrence.”

“I hear she is your best young swordsman,” said the man with the English accent. “She must be wondering why you haven’t let her go through with the Awakening Ceremony. Are you going to let her go through with it?”

“I’m tired of this,” said the man with the hoarse voice. “Would someone bring the boy in already? I want to see this boy.”

Ronin’s heart jumped. He folded the paper in two and grasped it tight. Staring at the door he waited and wondered why they wanted to see him so badly.

The door opened. Mr. Wetstone motioned for Ronin to follow him in. A massive round table made of a dark cherry wood sat at the center of the room. An iron chandelier decorated with fleur de lis hung over the table bathing the shiny wood in candlelight. Ten throne-like chairs surrounded the table. Paintings covered almost every inch of stone wall. In the corner a fireplace blazed. Under the table and chairs lay an enormous black fur. It looked like bear fur to Ronin’s eye. Three men sat at the round table. Master Kita and two men Ronin had never seen before. Both men were bald with thick brown beards. They wore black leather armor, or what looked like leather armor.

“You are a very lucky boy,” said Mr. Wetstone. He put his hand on Ronin’s shoulder. “You are the first non-council member to ever be allowed in this room.” He turned Ronin so that he was facing the man sitting just to his left. “This is Master Orion.”

Stepping forward Ronin held his hand out to shake Master Orion’s hand but quickly pulled back when he remembered his claws.

Master Orion let out a thunderous laugh. “Don’t be shy boy,” he said with a thick English accent. “Nothin we ain’t already been privy too.” He motioned for Ronin to come to him. “Let’s see them, shall we?”

“The boy looks as though he is destined for the executioner’s axe,” said Master Kita looking to Mr. Wetstone. “What does he think he’s here for?”

Something swelled up inside of Ronin, giving him courage. He unfolded the paper in his hand and was just about to demand some answers when Master Kita spoke up once more.

“Did you not tell him?” Master Kita glared at Mr. Wetstone.

“Not yet,” said Mr. Wetstone.

“Well get on with it already,” said Master Kita. “No need to torture the boy. He probably thinks we are debriefing him to be sent home.”

Ronin crumpled the paper in his fist. Hope grabbed ahold of him and excited his heart into a flurry of thuds. He held onto the silence. Could it be? Was it possible? His mind pleaded for what he so desperately wanted to hear.

Mr. Wetstone nodded and looked to Ronin with a smile. “You are no longer being expelled. Your bravery and honor have earned you a permanent place at BrightWood.”

Numbness overtook Ronin’s legs. They felt wobbly. Tingles shot up his spine. Tears welled up in his eyes but he fought back the urge to cry. Never had he been so happy in his life. A smile stretched from ear to ear revealing his four pearlescent fangs.

“Now that’s what I came here to see,” said Master Orion. “Those rumors were also true I see. The boy has fangs and claws. Simply magnificent!”

Ronin was stunned into a happy silence. All he could do was stand and smile. He was going to get to stay. He’d never have to see Dick again. And his friends, they would remain just that. Grace. Her beautiful green eyes. Her long blonde hair. He would get to see her every day.

Mr. Wetstone looked to Master Orion and shook his head. He turned his focus back to Ronin “And that’s not all of it, my friend.” A smile even bigger than Ronin’s overcame his face. “Master Kita is retiring so that he can dedicate all of his time to training you. We have another Master flying in today from Russia. No one is better with daggers. He will be your full time training partner. No one in the history of BrightWood has ever received such an honor.” He nodded to Ronin. “The school would like to offer its sincerest apologies for not recognizing your true talents and building on those. We should have been teaching you how to use your natural gifts, rather than forcing the sword on you.”

Master Kita walked up to Ronin and bowed. Ronin returned the gesture.

“You saved my life, therefore my sword is yours. I will dedicate myself to making you the greatest warrior you can possibly be,” said Master Kita. He bowed once more. “I was a fool for not recognizing your gifts. It will be my honor to take you as my sole student.”

“Yes sir,” said Ronin. “I won’t let you down.” Never could he have imagined being excited about being taught by Master Kita. But there he was, barely able to contain his enthusiasm over the prospect of it.

“No you wont,” said Master Kita. His voice was sure and almost threatening. He flashed Ronin a sly smile and took a seat at the table.

“One more thing before I forget,” said Mr. Wetstone. “Because we have yet to apprehend Dr. Grey, we feel it is necessary to move Mrs. Kinney to BrightWood. Which is obviously being done for her protection. She has agreed and construction of her new home has already begun. Her cottage is being built in the east side village just behind your House.”

Before Ronin could give thanks Master Orion interrupted. “Something just occurred to me, gents. Maybe you already thought of this but aren’t there more Mayrestone’s floating about in the world? With Dr. Grey on the run what’s to keep him from seeking those out and bringing his plan to fruition?”

“There is nothing to stop him from doing just as you speak,” said Master Kita. “That’s why it is imperative that we catch him.”

“Yes, Master Kita is correct.” Mr. Wetstone looked to Master Kita. “But, as Master Kita and myself agreed last night, the odds of him finding a stone is next to impossible. And even if he did find a stone he would have to take it from an Ancient, a feat I doubt even Raven himself could manage.”

A weapons rack holding two Mayreblade’s and a Bloodblade rested against the back wall. It reminded Ronin of what Master Kita was. Curiosity picked at his mind. If Raven knew about Ronin’s parents, maybe Master Kita did as well. Before he would risk asking about such things he first wanted to gauge Master Kita’s willingness to offer answers.

Swallowing hard, Ronin hoped what he was about to say wouldn’t cause suspicion. “You called Raven Achilles, and he called you Hec...” His voice cracked as he attempted to say Hector. Once again he tried to swallow but his throat was too dry, nothing would go down. He rubbed his hands together. “Raven said he last saw you three thousand years ago. Is that true?”

The room went silent, all that could be heard was the crackling of burning wood. The three council members all looked at each other and then to Ronin.

Master Orion broke the silence. “When’s the boss due?”

“Dr. Storm will not be coming today,” said Mr. Wetstone. “He has become…” He cleared his throat. “Preoccupied.”

“Well that’s thrown a spanner in the works,” said Master Orion.

All eyes were back on Ronin. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and nervously picked at his thumb claw. Did he say something wrong? What were they waiting for? Why were they all staring at him with those blank expressions?

“Okay,” said Mr. Wetstone. “I will escort the boy back to the library. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He put his hand on Ronin’s shoulder and directed him out of the room.

As the door was closing behind Ronin, he glanced back. The three council members all nodded their heads in respect. The door shut. Ronin looked up to Mr. Wetstone.

“Did I say something wrong? Am I in trouble or something?”

With a smile Mr. Wetstone said, “No no. Nothing like that. You just don’t have clearance for such questions. Forget about all that. Or don’t.” He chuckled as he playfully slapped Ronin’s back. “It makes no difference. You made it. This is your home now. Let go. Enjoy your victory.” He stopped and faced Ronin, his smile disappeared. “Train hard, study hard, and last but not least enjoy your new home. You’ve earned it my friend.”

Sitting on a burgundy velvet couch, facing the door that lead to the council chamber tunnel, was Grace. Ronin had not seen her since the tournament. In the hospital he wasn’t allowed visitors because he was deemed a risk for infection. A smile erupted on her face when she saw Ronin step into the library. She jumped off the couch and ran to Ronin. He cringed as she pummeled him with a hug. Pulling back to get a better look at him, she shook her head. Without warning she lunged forward and hugged him again. Sharp pain fired through his shoulder but he didn’t care. He’d take any amount of pain to be that close to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she took a step back. “What happened? What did they say?”

“I get to stay.” His heart quickened as he stared into her green eyes.

Her face lit up. She grabbed his cheeks with both of her hands and pulled him forward. Leaning in and closing her eyes, she pressed her soft lips against his. It was his first kiss. The strength sapped from his good arm causing it to dangle at his side like a limp vine. This was the best day of his life, no doubt about it. The kiss seemed to last forever. He didn’t know if he was the one who was supposed to end it or her. An electrical shock stung into his lips. Both he and Grace jerked back. A stream of glowing goo connected their lips. It looked like a really long drool streamer, but instead of being clear it glowed green, like one of those glow sticks you crack in two and it lights up. The green stream instantly vanished leaving Ronin to wonder if he was seeing things. Maybe the pain killers were causing him to hallucinate?

Grace’s eyes instantly gave it away though. She stepped back and touched her mouth as she stared at Ronin with a look of disbelief. “What was that? Did you just see that? Did you feel that too?” She rubbed her lips once more.

“Yeah.” It was all Ronin could think to say.

“I think that was Mayre energy.” She stared right through Ronin. “But that’s not supposed to be possible.”

The stinging on Ronin’s lips intensified. It felt like he bit into a really hot pepper and the juice saturated his lips. Rubbing his mouth, trying to alleviate the sting, he said, “Do you think that’s bad? Like there could be something wrong with one of us?”

“I don’t think so. It’s just weird is all. It’s probably nothing.” She looked into Ronin eyes, this time she looked more confused and almost scared. “It’s probably nothing, let’s just forget about it.” She forced out a nervous laugh. “I’ll just make sure I don’t kiss you again.”

The thought of never kissing her again crushed Ronin’s heart. He desperately hoped she was joking.

A sand clock hung over the fireplace just to the left of the couch, Grace fired her eyes to it. “Shoot!” she said.

“What? What is it?”

“Kevin and Mike are still waiting at the east side entrance. We didn’t know which side you would come out of and we all wanted to get you as soon as you came out.” She rushed to the couch and grabbed her back pack. “We thought they might escort you straight to a carriage after your meeting. We wanted to say goodbye.”

The realization that he was going to get to stay hit him once more. It all felt like a dream.

Grace rushed to the door. “Hurry up.” She smiled. “I’ll never hear the end of it from Kevin if we don’t hurry.” She disappeared into the hall while waving for him to follow.

Just as he was about to join her a burning sensation attacked his entire body from the inside. It felt like his heart was pumping boiling water through his veins. The undersides of both his wrists started to throb. He flipped his hands over. The veins in his wrists and forearms glowed a bright green and the muscles in his legs and arms started to tremor. Violent shaking over took his body and he felt he might collapse. Then, just as quick as it started, it stopped. The pain instantly vanished, his veins no longer glowed. A euphoria overcame him. Never had he felt so alive, so refreshed, so good. And then he noticed his shoulder, or perhaps a better way of putting it, he didn’t notice his shoulder. The pain was gone. If it wasn’t for the earlier incident with Grace he would have sworn his mind was playing tricks on him. For a second his thoughts went to worry, what if he was sick? What if something was wrong with him? No one could feel this good if something was wrong with them he reasoned.

“What’s up?” asked Grace.

The sound of her voice caused him to almost jump out of his skin. He had no idea she was standing right in front of him. Not wanting to freak her out, he decided to keep what had just happened to himself. “Sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

She giggled. “That’s an understatement. I was standing right in front of you for at least ten seconds. You were staring at the ground. Looked like you were in a daze or something.” She raised a slender brown eyebrow. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good. Sorry.” He rubbed his hand through his hair and almost forgot to lift his fingers. He jerked his hand away from his scalp. No pain. He didn’t accidentally scalp himself.

“Okay…,” she said with a tinge of sarcasm. She stared into his eyes for a moment, like she was trying to figure him out. “Well, let’s get going so we can give Kevin and Mike the good news. Plus, we got four months of free time with those two. Let’s not get started on the wrong foot. You know how Kevin is. We will never hear the end of it.”

“Four months of free time?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you hear?” She twisted a strand of glowing blonde hair around her index finger.

“Hear what?”

“They canceled the rest of the year. Summer break just started today.”

“I don’t understand.” He squinted in confusion.

“All the teachers have been sent to search for Dr. Grey. No teachers means no class. Four months of summer break. I’m so excited.” She lifted her right pant leg to expose her perfect calf muscle. “See how pale my legs are. Now I have four months to put on a nice tan.” She giggled as she pulled her pant leg back down. “So let’s go.” She grabbed Ronin’s hand and led him out of the library.

As Ronin followed all he could think about was how lucky he was. In one years time he found a new home, new friends and a new purpose. Just as Mrs. Kinney would always say to him “Things will work themselves out. You just have to be positive and do the right thing.” No words could have rang truer. Raven was captured, Ryan was gone and he’d never have to see Dick again, not to mention Mrs. Kinney would be living right next to him. If he wanted he could visit her every day. Glancing to his left he couldn’t help but to smile. The hottest girl he had ever seen and she just kissed him. Life was good. The future was bright. And Ronin was home.

He

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