Page 21 of Cerulean Truth (Sapere #1)

"Our motives are twofold. First of all, not all magi have been questioned on their point of view…"

"Bullshit," I spat.

"No, it isn't. Leaders have been too hasty in proclaiming consensus because a consensus can only be proclaimed when there is no opposition, so instead of risking any opposition, they willfully ignored some magi with different points of view," George explained, throwing his arms in the air in a desperate attempt to make a dramatic point. And failed.

I threw an incredulous look at Maria. "You're not seriously entertaining this nonsense?"

She sighed. "I don't know, James. George tells me he witnessed it himself…"

"I can hardly believe what you're saying," I grounded out through clenched teeth. "It's unheard of. Plus, I have yet to see any proof of that."

"Yes, well, I have," George snapped back.

"Good for you. What's the second reason?" I muttered, impatient to end this whole charade.

"Well, even if you could get all magi on board, we don't trust the humans with said information," he muttered.

I remained silent for a moment, mulling over his words.

"You're scared of their reaction," I stated, grasping the source of his apprehension.

"But the gap between humans and magi has never been narrower, thanks to their advanced technology.

.. And seriously, we're on the brink of an international consensus.

Even the Japanese are finally considering!

" I shook my head in disbelief. "You honestly think all those magi to be wrong about human nature? "

George hesitated, carefully weighing his words. "Well, what you call this 'advanced technology,' we call 'weapons of mass destruction.' Can you imagine them turning those on us? Sending a nuclear warhead toward our Collectives? Gods forbid, using a biological agent to wipe us out?"

I fought a smile.

"I don't believe there's any merit in those hypotheses. Why would they meet us with hostility? And even if they did—if the humans launched a nuclear attack—we could simply portal away and return to hiding," Maria replied softly, hoping to ease the tension.

"Not if they know about the portals. Their technology is as advanced as you say. If we start sharing information, they’ll turn it against us.

What if they find a way to prevent us from portaling?

If we go back into hiding, as you suggest, but this time they know about us?

They’ll find us. Their technological progress is an argument for both sides.

You claim it bridges the gap between our species, but on the flip side, the risks for us are far greater than before," George concluded.

“Surely you must hear how absurd you sound. Humans are not interested in the mass destruction of magi!” Maria shook her head.

“No, not now they’re not, because they’re not aware of our existence. Why would you want to change that?” George responded calmly.

“Because we are tired of it! Tired of hiding! We have shared the same planet for over centuries! It’s ridiculous they don’t know about us, because we don’t pose any threat to them!

We could peacefully co-exist, there is no reason to assume otherwise!

” Maria and I practically shouted in unison, abandoning all decorum.

“Well, I disagree,” George replied dryly.

“Oh well, if George disagrees, let’s forget about the rest of the world finally agreeing on something,” I retorted sarcastically.

He turned toward me, his eyes narrowing into a glare that radiated anger. “You might be the next Leader of Cyclos, James, but I’m a war veteran of the Battle of ‘59, you’d do good to show me a little respect.”

“That’s exactly it, George,” I responded, entirely unfazed by his tone. “How can you of all people, knowing exactly what it was like to fight others of our own kind, resist something most of us want?” I refused to convey any more respect than he deserved.

“Ahem” someone coughed behind us, signaling we’d reached the border of the city. We stopped walking and I turned toward George.

“Look, as opposed as I am to the Great Exposure you all seem so keen on, I’m even more opposed to magi fighting other magi.

You might not believe me James, but I did ask Maria to come here with good intentions.

We came to Antwerp to see the Board of International Directors and inform the United Chiefs.

When you saw us at the station, we were on our way back from them, informing them of the Radicals.

“Radicals?”

“Yeah, you see, as good as our intentions are to resist the consensus peacefully, to not let the exposure happen, some of the Resistants felt a peaceful resistance would be too…weak.”

I clenched my jaw, bracing myself for what he was about to say.

“Radicals have taken up arms and are fighting their way into history. I’m sorry for the part I’ve played in creating them, but it’s not solely my responsibility.

” He shrugged. “Anyway, last I’ve heard, there are a few coming your way.

Some of them are trying to undo the consensus wherever they can and I think the Collective of Kanata C was next on their target list.”

“Let me get this straight,” I said through gritted teeth. “You’ve initiated a movement, which partly radicalized and is now planning to attack the Collective holding every maga and magus in Canada, and all you have to say about is, ‘I’m sorry’?”

At least George had the decency to look somewhat ashamed, his cheeks coloring slightly red. But apart from that, his shame was utterly useless.

Taking in a deep breath, I made a conscious effort not to punch out a war hero, no matter how cowardly he turned out to be.

"So, this is why you came to Antwerp?" I asked Maria, my tone sharp. "To ensure this intel about the Radicals got to the Board in time?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes, and to the United Chiefs, but we were almost ambushed by a few Radicals on the way, trying to prevent us from coming here..." Her words trailed off.

"Which is why I created the bubble around Antwerp to ensure no one could interfere with the intel reaching its destination," she finished with a smile.

“And where are those Radicals now?” I demanded angrily. They tried to attack my Leader, I was not letting any of them get away with it.

“Behind you,” George whispered.

I turned around quickly, noticing at least fifty angry looking magi crowding the border on the other side, clearly with every intent to attack us as soon as we left the bubble.

“You lured us here?” I hissed to George, furious with myself for trusting him.

“What? Are you crazy? No!”

“James, George and I escaped these Radicals together, they’ve probably been waiting for us to get back!” Maria shouted outraged.

“Well, that was a brilliant fucking plan,” I muttered under my breath, assuming a fighting stance.

“What do we do?” Maria asked nervously.

My mind raced; starting the fight from the safety of the bubble was a guaranteed failure seeing how our translation would backfire, and we’d all probably end up dead.

Lifting the bubble entirely would leave Antwerp wide open to attacks from these hostiles.

And if we crossed the border, we’d be immediately confronted by the Radicals, who outnumbered us by far.

Unless I could somehow wipe them all out before they had a chance to pounce.

The thought didn't bother me much; the image of Emma being attacked was stuck in my head, and I'd been itching to spill blood ever since. All I cared about now was getting Maria out of there alive.

With a sharp crack of my neck, I steeled myself for the impending bloodshed.

“Maria.” I lifted my chin. “You see that tree over there, across the border?”

She nodded almost imperceptibly.

“You fly toward it as soon as you cross the barrier. You do not run at it from this side, because they will see where you’re headed. You get out from under your bubble, you fly to the tree, I’ll translate you a green portal and you take it to Maurice, no questions asked, am I clear?”

“But—” She started to protest.

"Maria, you are my Leader and my commander, but you are not a trained Offensive like I am. Whatever your skills, I guarantee my interface is still ten times faster than yours. You get home. You get safe. You need to lead our Collective and keep it safe from attacks like this one. Got it?"

She nodded silently, and I sighed in relief, recognizing the exceptional nature of her compliance.

I murmured clear instructions to George on organizing his men, emphasizing the importance of doing absolutely nothing until I said otherwise.

Turning around, I now faced the Radicals with the sole barrier of the bubble standing between us.

I narrowed my eyes, surveying the scene before me.

Once I stepped out of the protective confines of the bubble, I would be entirely on my own.

While I could rely on the five crescent blades discharging from my Skindo to attack independently, it still meant facing the enemy from only six angles. Six against fifty.

Not the best of odds. Not the worst either.

They were arranged neatly in five rows of ten, as if they’d all collectively agreed it was a good idea. Suppressing a snort, I assessed the situation. Calculating my strategy, I resolved to take out the back rows furthest from me with the blades, reserving close combat for the front rows.

My eyes darted from one cluster to another, seeking out weaknesses, instantly noticing none of them had any Skindo tattoos on their forearms. At least no Offensive of Cyclos was involved. Plus, I was a little relieved to realize whatever weaponry they’d use, if any, it wouldn’t be a match for mine.

But they did have the numbers and if I was going to take them all at once, I would have to break them into smaller, more manageable groups. Luckily for me, they were clearly keen on holding formation. All I had to do, was take out one row at a time.

"Just another day at work." I muttered under my breath, while signaling Maria to cross the border with me simultaneously.