Tearha: The Number 139

Chapter Forty: Seed

Outside the walls of Everwind on the northern plains, the second golem came down to Tearha crashing. Chains dug into the earth tightened as Luce directed Misti and the other terramancers to lock the Titan down as a gentle rain of white sifted between them. The early snowfall of the next season did not stop them from moving in heated formation. The first Hulvark that was restrained had two pyromancers torching surgically through the giant stone arms to reached the control circuit implanted within. Only afterwards could the terramancers overwrite the magic that bound the creatures to their former masters' commands.

"Hold it down until we're done with Hully!" Misti yelled over the shifting Titan trying to kick up dust.

While walking backwards and reeling her grappling hook back into her rifle's launcher, Luce asked, "Hully?"

"Yes! I'm calling the other one Varky."

"We're not keeping them," Luce replied.

"Oh, come on!" Misti pouted. "I've been practising the swap-over spell for years!"

As they chatted over the work being done, a rider galloped in from the south. Josh's large build of a silhouette was clear and recognizable, even from a distance.

Misti noted, "You sent dad away so he wouldn't get caught up in the fighting, didn't you?"

"Don't tell him that," Luce defended.

"You're so squishy."

"Shut up."

She left Misti to work on converting the golems and approached Josh just as the latter got off his steed. The man unstrapped the spear-cannon from his back and pushed the weapon out towards Luce with a crooked smiled.

Luce gave a snide greeting. "You're late."

"Bah, I figured if you wanted me here you would have just asked." She snatched the spear away with a chuckle and a shake of her head.

Loud claps followed that, breaking the bustling work of the Titan Rangers on the field. Everyone turned to the source. In the middle of the group stood a man dressed in all white, glowing brighter than the Twins, with lines of silver etched into the seams of his bleached white suit.

"Bravo!" Light cheered on. Silence fell on all except the pyromancers, who continued their surgical job of slowly melting away the excess rock from the arms of the Titans. "I saw everything. Impressive. Like a bunch of nercrofants taking down a fox."

Misti joined her father and Luce in standing together, casually taking the spear-cannon away from the latter. She weighed the weapon in her hand.

Luce stepped forward and said, "Lord Light, I am Lucinda Baerrinska, and I'll represent the Titan Rangers in all official negotiations and discussions."

"Please, Miss Baerrinska," Light waved away the notion with a laugh. "There's no need for all that formal speech and pomp. I'm extremely grateful that you and your band of misfits stopped that possibly horrendous siege from happening."

"Well, we are glad to be of–"

"But that's not what I'm here for," Light interrupted, his tone unfitting of the grimness the words carried. "I want to know where The Watcher went."

Luce fluently lied, "Who?"

"You've never heard of The Watcher?"

"My apologies, Lord Light. But I've been a recluse until just recently. I don't receive much news."

The Lord began pacing in a circle, speaking more to himself than the people around him. "There's a chance that you are telling the truth. That you don't actually know who The Watcher is. And that by doing what I'm about to do, I'll be starting an inter-faction war." He stopped walking, scratching his luscious hair as he contemplated the situation. "That would be a crazy thing to do. Utterly mad. The Council might condemn me to the pits!" He then turned to Luce and held up a finger like a gun. "But his disappearance from my view corresponds too closely to the Titans' movements. So it's a good thing I'm insane and don't give two crap."