Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) (11 page)

“It’s true,” Nadia nodded. “The Prattlians would never side with Langorans due to their lack of interest in debating, art and written works. They see them as lazy and worthless.”

“The Langorans hate their neighbors, the Allayans,” James said. “The Allayans hate the Quietus.”

“And the Quietus are kn
own to hate everyone - just bloodthirsty monsters.”

“Why did this man take Catherine?”

“Because he wanted her stone, he said.”

“No, I think it’s more than that,” James said, pacing around the room. “He could have taken that immediately…the only reason to keep her alive would be as leverage against us. If Zen-echelon is afraid of the Sages, then they have to ensure there’s none left before things
really heat up. But I don’t know how many of my group are still alive. I could be the only one.”

“Then that’s what he wants,” Nadia replied. “He wants to kill you first, then take the stone, and kill Catherine.”

“Catherine’s survival is key to our assault against Zen-echelon,” James sighed heavily. “If Zen-echelon is this powerful, then we’ll need more than just Allay to rise against them, and if anyone can unite the other Kingdoms, it’s her.”

“Then you’ll have to be careful. If you begin to win the battle against Jester, he
’ll probably kill her anyways.”

“Wait…what did you say his name was?”

“Jester. That’s what he called himself. Do you know him?”

“Your King mentioned him. And I heard about him from some Prattlians as well…I’ve heard he’s very strong.”

“He is,” Nadia agreed. “None of us were able to harm him.”

“Well, I have to get going
,” James said suddenly, walking over to his mother and giving her a quick hug. After the embrace, he grabbed her shoulders and gave her a weak smile. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to talk again, but if not, well…it was nice seeing you again.”

“And you too, my little man
,” Nadia said through a hoarse throat, trying to fight the tears welling up in her eyes. “Be careful.”

“Never been known to,” James chuckled as he headed towards the door.

“Wait! How will you find him?”

“I already did,” James replied, not turning around, but holding up the palm of his right hand towards her. The tip
of a blade was protruding from the center. “My eidolon was out the moment I woke up. Just because you claimed to be my mother, it didn’t mean I was just going to forget all my training.”

“You’ve grown into an impressive young man,” Nadia said in awe. James sighed and closed his eyes.

“I’ve proven nothing yet,” he said, and then he was gone…

*              *              *              *              *

“Kyran and Scarlet,” Thorn chuckled, waving a hand to the left. “I would like to introduce to you - your family.”

A curtain leaning up against the wall behind Thorn lifted, and out came exactly whom he claimed it to be.
Scarlet’s eyes widened as she abandoned all caution and leapt into her brother’s arms, burrowing her head into his lemon colored, curly hair.

But Kyran was hesitant. Sure, it looked like her, smelled like her. She even had the hideous green sundress on that she was so fond of, but there was no way this could be his wife. It was just impossible. She had given her all in the fight against the thousand Quietus warriors, and she wouldn’t be so cruel as to remain hidden afterwards. Unless…she had
been merely hurt. Maybe…no…it was just not possible.

Kyran
screamed abruptly, a sharp cry breaking from his lips. Thorn’s eyebrows raised in surprise at the sudden cringing of this tall man’s face, but then he realized the source of his outburst. He was trying to fight back the flood of conflicting emotion. A battle that even the cold hearted were prone to lose occasionally.

Kyran closed his eyes a
nd sighed heavily. He then straightened his coat collar and brushed his hair back over his eyes as he turned respectfully to the King of Zen-echelon.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to confirm her authenticity before we make any agreements.”

“If you needed time alone, you just had to say so,” Thorn smiled. “Of course, the two of you can use the private chambers in the lobby to the left. And room will do. Take the rest of the hour.”

Kyran nodded and grabbed Chloe’s hands, leading her away
as she silently watched her husband in concern. Lem laughed and pulled Scarlet away from him.

“Lem, it can’t be you!” Scarlet laughed
heartily. “It just can’t!”

“Afraid so, Sis,” he smiled. “But shouldn’t you be a little more on guard? This guy’s still bad news.”

“I resent that,” Thorn said playfully as Scarlet immediately calmed down and looked into her brother’s eyes.

“Lem, give it to me straight. How can this be?”

“May I?” Lem turned to ask the King. Thorn nodded. Lem turned back to his sister and took a breath. “The ether is the cause. Remember how souls are forbidden to enter into Paradise?”

“Yeah,
” Scarlet said. “They go straight to Oblivion instead. How could I forget? You died under the ether.”

“It’s all a lie. Our souls don’t go to either. Thorn has figured out a way to claim them for himself. He has everyone who’s died
under it in his clutches. We can’t be used to fight you, but we’re still held captive, and it’s getting quite crowded. He thinks himself a god that –“

“- alright, that’s quite enough,” Thorn interrupted, standing up and placing a hand on Lem’s shoulder. “Scarlet, what you need to know is that I have the power to bring them back. I have their souls, and that’s what’s important.
Flesh is a simple shell to encase it, as you can see.”

“So you brought Lem back to life?”

“For now. Though I can break his shell as easily as it was crafted. And even with this temporary resurrection, you must understand that his soul is still mine. It has my own signature on it in place of the Maker’s or the Dark One’s.”

“How is this possible?”

“I can show you, over time. But that kind of allegiance will require more than neutrality in the upcoming affair.”

“Lem,” Scarlet said, turning to him. “What’s your take on all this?”

“As it’s always been, Sis. Do the right thing. Don’t worry about me. If you fail in defeating him, then you’ll be with me. If you do beat him, our souls will be freed. Either way, do what’s right, and we’ll be reunited.”

“But Lem,” Scarlet lowered her head
. “It’s been so hard without you. You were my compass. When I lost you, I lost my way.”

“You have to devise your own compass when that happens, little sister. Compasses break, but your heart must be resilient
, enough to create another.”

“But…how can you say that? You didn’t leave me because you died in battle or…or, you had some terrible disease. You killed yourself, Lem. And you did it because of her.”

“You can’t blame her, Scarlet.”

“But you do!” Scarlet spat. “You blamed her for everything. She was the one who took your heart and ripp
ed it to shreds for…for…that thing in the lobby!”

“Scarlet, Chloe made her decision. We’ve had a lot of time to talk since she died in Quietus. She didn’t mean to hurt me when we broke up, but her heart belonged to another. Kyran can’t be blamed and neither can she. It’s not like she cheated on me. She br
oke it off out of respect for my feelings. I want her to be happy.”

“But you didn’t see it that way. Otherwise, you would’ve stayed with me!”

“Sis, you’re a mess,” Lem chuckled, grabbing her shoulders. “Calm down! You can’t go around feeling angry for the rest of your life. Chloe used to be your best friend!”

“And how was I supposed to look at her after seeing what she did to you? Huh? How was I supposed to just act like it was all okay? No, Lem, you’re wrong. She deserved to die for what she did to you. A life for a life.”

“But I killed myself. She didn’t –“

“- NO! She did plenty! And I’m glad she died!”

“So now what? Huh, Scarlet? Are you going to kill Kyran now? At some point your rage has to end and you have to face the truth: I’m gone, and I’m not coming back. You have to deal with it.”

“You know what,” Scarlet sneered. “You’re right. You are gone. Forever. Say your good-byes or whatever you feel like saying. We’re done here.”

“Scarlet –“

“ – no, we’re finished. You’re not my brother. My brother would have sided with me.”

“ – your mind is warped, Sis. Don’t go down this path.”

“Just think of this as dealing with your death…on my own terms.” Scarlet turned to Thorn. “Get him out of my presence.”

“As you wish,” Thorn replied, and with a wave of his hand, Lem disappeared, leaving only a small mound of ash where he once stood. Scarlet cracked her neck and then pointed at the King.

“Now, you…and me, are going to go outside and have a little sparring session. If you can make me yield, then I’ll gladly join your cause. If no
t, then at least you’ll know you died honorably, at the hands of a seasoned Sage.”

“Sure,” Thorn said with a laugh, beginning to walk toward the door. “This will be fun.”

Scarlet followed him, brushing her colored hair from her eyes as she glanced over at the private room in the lobby, where Kyran and Chloe were having a lively conversation. She huffed at the thought of them together and then slammed the door to the castle behind her.

*              *              *              *              *

“Well, well, well,” Jester laughed. “What do we have here?”

James leisurely climbed the mountain side, taking in the environment for any possible weapons or means of advantage. The Jes
ter had chosen well. Found west of Quietus, beyond their forest and on top of Quin Mountain is where he waited – a flat terrain where they could fight well enough but yet they still had to be aware of the violent weather conditions. The winds were vicious and had blinded James several times during the trek up. The top was flat, but it was still weathered and worn, signifying that there were bound to be brittle sections waiting to send someone taking a wrong step straight to their doom. There were no trees to hide behind, and a dense fog surrounded them like a wall. There would be no calls for help. This was a battle to the death.

“Could you have chosen a colder location?” James muttered as he took his final step on the topsoil. “And where is Catherine?”

“She’s…um…hanging out,” Jester giggled as he pointed diagonally behind him. James traced the finger to see Catherine expended high up in the air, nearly touching the clouds. She was hanging upside down and her eyes were closed. Her arms were bound tightly to her side and it appeared like she was held inside some type of invisible vise. From where they stood, James could see the stone of Allay glowing brightly from beneath her skin.

That can’t be good.
James thought as he turned his focus to Jester.

“Why is she up there?”

“So there’s no interference if she wakes up,” Jester said with a wide smile. “Or attempts to grab her and escape. In order to reach her at that height, you’ll have to leap quite high, leaving you pretty vulnerable. You don’t want that.”

“So, I take it this is the standard battle to the death, huh?” James asked, standing tall and on guard. “Winner takes all?”

“For someone who’s just become a Sage, you sound quite confident.”

“Not at all,” James assured him. “I’ve just learned that there’s no point
in being afraid or nervous when you’re about to fight.”

“Oh, the lessons you’ve learned,” Jester chuckled. “And yet so many more to acquire. Let me ask you a question. Do you think you can beat me?”

“Do you think you can win against me?” James shot back.