The Art of Rebellion

The Gangs of Shura

I spend two full hours running around Memphis like a headless idiot. I go from tent to tent, check every single one of the town's many abandoned buildings, and even go through all the brothels. I don't find the smirking asshole until I reach the cathedral on the opposite side of the town from the well. There are two royal knights guarding the front, which can only mean someone important - like a royal sorcerer - is inside. Leonidas didn't strike me as particularly religious, but I know better than to judge a book by its cover. The red sun painted on the giant doors lets me know they worship Anesh in this place, and I've met enough of his moronic followers to know what their customs are like. I walk up to the guards and greet them. "Malio Anesh." Loosely translated, it means 'praise Anesh'.

"Malio Anesh," the older of the two replies, then takes out a white moonstone. It's the only power stone anyone is capable of using, regardless of whether they're a sorcerer or not. It has no use in combat, but it's useful for situations like this, as the stone can be used to sense whether there's magic in someone or not. "Clear," the guard says, then points to the door with his thumb, and his partner opens it for me.

Shadow magic is the only exception to the sensory rule. For whatever reason, the stone doesn't work against umbramancers. This is one of the reasons I'm so important to the Rebellion; The palace where the king and Aro live is filled with guards, each of whom has a moonstone of his own. The only one of us who can get close enough to Aro to strike is me, which is why the boss hates sending me on dangerous missions. In fact, he probably put me on training duty just to keep me away from anything too dangerous. I can't wait to tell him how safe this whole thing is.

I walk into the cathedral and see Leonidas kneeling in front of the altar at the far end. It's just the two of us in here. Under any other circumstances, I'd already be attacking him, but I've never encountered an ability like his before, so I decide to play it carefully. His head perks up when he hears the doors close, and he turns around to smile at me. "Oh, it's the hottie." Honestly, I've had worse than him. "Had a change of heart after learning I'm a knight?"

"Not at all," I reply, walking toward him. "I wasn't aware you would be here." I'm so full of shit. "I'm just here to say my daily prayers."

"What a coincidence," he says, his stupid smile widening. "So am I." He's so full of shit. He might've acted like a clumsy idiot back at the tent, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. I can't shake the feeling of him merely presenting himself as a silly bumblebee, hiding the wasp beneath. "Care to join me?"

"You remember my previous answer, right?" I kneel down when I reach the altar.

"Oh, it's nothin' like that," he defends, raising his hands, which must be something of a quirk to him. "I wouldn't dream of defiling the place of our lord and savior, Anesh."

I give him a side glance. "Aren't you a bit too thin to be a knight?"

He chuckles softly, then holds up a glove covered hand. I try to sense what he wants from me, but get nothing from his mind. It's like both physical and mental attacks go through him. The glove falls through his hand and lands on the floor, followed by his black coat, revealing a black t-shirt. "Pretty cool, right?"

I nod, trying to lower his guard. "But... isn't sorcery forbidden to the people of Anesh?" He's either stupid enough to show it in public, or there's a good reason to not be scared.

"Quite so," he says. "Good thing I'm not a man of god." His smile widens. "And neither are you, Raven." I jump back instantly, avoiding the knife he tried to slit my throat with. I take out my own and throw it at him, an action he mimics. The two weapons meet each other mid-air and clatter away, landing on the floor. I take out my last blade, and a look of panic crawls unto his face.