The Dark Sorcerer

By Rapndash.

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ronin Warriors or any of its characters. Only Sapheem, Riona, and Riona’s pets are mine. The next chapter will start the first big battle between Sapheem and the Ronin Warriors. In the meantime, Riona is planning on how to rescue Rowen. The battle scene and rescue will take up the next two chapters.

Chapter 6: Final Preparations

Riona made her way nervously to Sapheem’s chambers. She had anticipated this meeting, and she knew she would have to convince Sapheem of her “loyalty” to him. The time had not yet come to reveal her true intentions. Riona braced herself for the possibility that Sapheem had all ready learned of her plans. She calmed down and reminded herself to keep her mind clear of all thoughts pertaining to her plans lest Sapheem use a mind-reading spell to test her. She put on a straight face and entered her master’s chambers. She found him waiting for her by his magic mirror. He wore a somber expression on his face, and Riona knew her suspicions were correct.

“You summoned me, master?” she asked with a low bow.

“Indeed, Riona,” Sapheem answered. “Please…come closer.”

Riona cautiously approached her master and cleared her mind to better focus on his words. She knelt before him respectfully, reminding herself of his power.

“My plans for conquering Earth are nearing completion, my apprentice,” Sapheem began. “Early tomorrow I plan to attack the Ronin Warriors and defeat them once and for all using the power of the Armor of Strata. However, there is one thing bothering me about our prisoner.”

“What troubles you, my lord?” Riona asked, though she all ready knew.

Sapheem leaned closer and frowned thoughtfully. “It seems that Rowen believes that you are not as cruel as you act. I am well aware of your conversation with him earlier. I know he suggested that you are wrong to follow me, and that cruelty is not in your nature. You were wise to scold him and leave immediately following the suggestion, but our “guest” seems unconvinced.”

He walked past her a little ways, studying her carefully. He continued, “I am well pleased by your faithful service these many years, but I fear that you are too prone to fall under suggestion. I do not wish for Rowen’s kindness to sway your loyalty to me. This mission is far too important for such delays. You are aware of this?”

Riona bowed her head and closed her eyes. “Yes, Lord Sapheem. I know how important it is for you to conquer Earth. I assure you that my views shall not be influenced by that fool’s suggestions. I cannot even fathom why he harbors such a fantasy. My only wish is to serve you, master.”

Sapheem was quiet for a moment, pondering her answer. He walked around her until he was once again facing her. He leaned forward to study her face. Riona dared not meet his gaze, but she turned her face toward his and opened her eyes—keeping her gaze chest-level. Sapheem had long stressed the importance of not making eye-contact with a superior.

Finally, Sapheem stood upright again and stepped back, satisfied. He smirked slightly. “See that you remember your words, Riona. Your loyalty is firm, but I would strongly advise against future such talks with the prisoner. All unnecessary contact is to be avoided. I do not wish to take the chance that Rowen’s kindness will have an influence on your views. I still trust you will his care, but you shall have no contact with him except for meals. Above all, you shall not have any further conversations with the prisoner unless needed to wake him from sleep. Are my orders clear?”

Riona bowed low with respect. “Yes, my master. I understand your request, and I will obey your every word.”

Sapheem gave a short nod. “Excellent. I will attack first thing tomorrow, so I need for you to remain here and watch over the affairs of the kingdom. Be sure to guard our prisoner well. I am depending on your cooperation for my plans to be a success. You are dismissed. Return to your studies at once.”

“As you wish, my lord,” Riona replied with a final bow. She rose slowly and left his chambers.

Sapheem watched her leave, pleased with his findings. His apprentice still appeared firm in her duties, and he was certain that she would obey him. He would know otherwise, of course. Banishing any further thoughts from his mind, Sapheem returned to his battle plans. He left his mirror and returned to his study. Everything had to go smoothly the next day.

Riona returned to her room quickly. Once she was safely inside, she gave a large sigh of relief. That had been a close call. She was almost certain that Sapheem had discovered her plans. Thankfully, he believed that she was truly loyal to him and dismissed her. She knew that it probably was a good idea to avoid talking to Rowen for now. He might learn of her intentions to rescue him, and then Sapheem would certainly put a stop to it.

Now Riona had a bigger concern. Sapheem had told her that he planned to attack the next day. She had promised to inform the Ronin Warriors when to expect Sapheem to reappear. She intended to keep her promise. Riona sat at her desk and pulled out some paper and a pen. She wrote a simple message that would warn the Ronins to be prepared. When she finished, Riona rolled up the message and tied it with a string.

“Sharpeyes, come quickly. I have an important task for you.” Within moments, the hawk was perching on her shoulder. Riona tied the message to the hawk’s leg and summoned a small portal to Earth.

“Take this note to the Ronin Warriors, my friend. Then return to me quickly. We don’t want Sapheem to find out.”

Sharpeyes screeched and flew through the portal. Riona closed it after him. It was dangerous to leave the portal open for a long time. She would know when to bring Sharpeyes back. Riona pulled out the spell book containing the counter spell and continued her studies. The time to strike was near…

Ryo wiped the sweat from his brow as he entered the mansion. They had just finished another tough training session to prepare for the upcoming battle. He still had no idea when the battle would be, but he was growing restless. It had been nearly a week since Rowen’s abduction, and there had been no word on his condition. Riona had promised to let them know when Sapheem planned to attack, but so far they had heard nothing. Ryo was still doubtful about the young woman’s motive for helping them. She seemed like a nice young woman, but she was Sapheem’s apprentice. Could she really be trusted?

Ryo walked into the living room and flopped on the couch. He sighed heavily. So much had happened in the past couple of weeks. It was a little overwhelming. Sage, Cye, and Kento soon joined him in the living room. Mia and Yulie came in, too. They were all anxious about their friend.

“Man, I hate waiting around like this,” Kento said. “We’ve been training for days now, and that Sapheem still hasn’t returned. How do we know he’s even comin’ at all?”

“Easy, Kento,” Sage told him. “I’m sure Sapheem will strike soon. He promised to come back after our armors—and since when has an enemy promised that and not followed through? Besides, he wouldn’t have kidnapped Rowen if he didn’t plan on returning.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kento mumbled. “I just hate not knowing what’s going on.”

“We all feel that way, Kento,” Cye spoke up, “but there’s nothing more we can do. That girl Riona said that she would let us know when Sapheem planned to attack. Until then, all we can do is prepare for the worst.”

“Do ya think that girl will really help Rowen?” Yulie asked. The warriors had all ready told him and Mia about the conversation with Riona.

“I don’t know, Yulie,” Mia answered. “We still don’t know if she was telling us the truth or not.”

A tapping noise at the window drew everyone’s attention. They all turned and were startled to see Sharpeyes sitting on the windowsill. He was tapping on the glass with his beak, wanting to come inside. He screeched at the group when he knew he had their attention.

“Hey, it’s that girl’s hawk,” Kento said.

“Maybe Riona sent us a message after all,” Sage added.

Mia walked over and opened the window. Sharpeyes instantly flew inside and landed on the table in the middle of the room. Ryo noticed a rather large roll of paper tied to its leg.

“Hey, he’s got a note,” Ryo told the group. Sharpeyes turned and flew up onto Ryo’s shoulder. He held out his leg to the surprised boy, offering the letter to him. Ryo quickly untied the note, and Sharpeyes left his shoulder. Almost as quickly as he had appeared, Sharpeyes flew back out the window and disappeared—his task complete.

“What’s it say, Ryo?” Yulie asked as Ryo unrolled the message.

The others all gathered around and Ryo began to read:

“Ronin Warriors, I apologize for the delay, but I have some very important news for you. I just learned that Sapheem plans to launch his attack early tomorrow. I promised to inform you of his movements, and I am keeping my promise. Remember not to let Sapheem know that I have been helping you. Just keep him busy and fight your hardest. Signed, Riona. P.S. Please don’t worry about Rowen. I promise to free him tomorrow and bring him back to his home.”

“Looks like she was telling us the truth after all,” Cye said.

“You’re right, Cye. She’s risking a lot to get us this information. I’d say that proves that she really wants to help. Be on guard tonight, team. If this note is correct, Sapheem plans to attack tomorrow. We need to be ready…but we can’t let the sorcerer know we’re expecting him. Otherwise, Riona won’t be able to rescue Rowen. Remember our promise. It’s time we took Sapheem down once and for all!”

The others nodded in agreement. They would be ready for Sapheem’s attack. They only hoped that Riona would be able to save Rowen in time. The battle they had been training for was finally near…

Riona put away her spell book and dabbed her face with a nearby cloth. She had finally finished it. The counter spell to free Rowen was finally committed to her memory. She opened another small portal, and Sharpeyes flew in. He landed on her shoulder as she dismissed the portal.

“Good work, Sharpeyes,” she told the bird as she stroked its feathers. “Our years of hard work under Sapheem is finally gonna pay off. Tomorrow, after Sapheem leaves, we can finally put our plans into motion.”

Sharpeyes screeched in agreement and flew off to rest. Riona put away her spell book and started packing. Once Sapheem was in battle, he would be too distracted to stop her. She smiled to herself. The time had finally come for her long-awaited revenge. Sapheem would never see it coming.

Sorry for the short chapters, but I like to break up the action to make it easier to understand.  Next chapter coming soon.

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