Of Heroes And Villains (Book 4) (3 page)

“But can you handle me?” she said, leaning forward in her chair. Her lips were dangerously close to his, but he refused to look at them. He waited for his moment to strike.

“What’s so dangerous about you?” he said, leaning in even closer.

“I bite,” she said, a smirk escaping from her steel resolve. “You mess with me, and you’ll get hurt.”

“You wouldn’t like the taste,” James said, parting his lips. “Besides, what is a woman like yourself doing biting people? That’s not what your mouth or lips are for. You’re doing it all wrong.”

“And you would know how to do it right?”

“I’ll have you know that I have it down to an art.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I could show you.”

“You have one chance to convince me. If you can do that, I’m yours.”

James struck just as a cough interrupted the moment. He ended up catching the turning cheek of Catherine’s face instead.

“I apologize,” Catherine said to the visitor, as James sulked back into his plush seat. The man standing before them was husky and middle-aged, with a wool poncho hanging over his shoulders. He rubbed his throat as his gaze went back and forth between James and Catherine.

“I apologize if I am intruding,” he said in a raspy voice. “The guards told me to enter.”

“No, I’m at fault,” Catherine replied. “My husband and I don’t get much time alone, so we take advantage of it whenever we can.”

“I see,” he said, rubbing his hands together and glancing over to the left to avoid eye contact.

“What is your query?”

“It’s the Prattlians,” he sighed nervously. “I understand that they have free reign in our Kingdom, as the Langorans do, but surely they would be more comfortable debating in their own streets and not ours.”

“Are you saying that their speech is offensive?”

“No, it’s just that they debate far too much in public. I’ve recently opened an experimental shop in which I sell meals composed of Terr. People are already wary of the product. I don’t need a host of Prattlians screaming at each other in front of my building. They’re scaring everyone away.”

“Or maybe it’s the Terr,” James muttered under his breath. Catherine did her best not to snicker. Who would want to eat a creature with the body of a lion, the neck of a snake and the face of a bear?

“I will have my men look into it,” Catherine said, as serious as she could.

“That’s it? You’ll look into it?” the husky man raised his eyebrows.

“The Queen has spoken,” James retorted. “You don’t get to question—“

“—it’s okay, James,” Catherine said. “He can speak freely. What do you suppose I do, sir?”

“Kick them out,” he said flatly.

“You do understand why I won’t do that, don’t you?”

“But it’s our kingdom.”

“Exactly,” she said, standing to her feet, and beginning to address more than just the man before her. “It is
our
kingdom. This is not just Allay, Langour or Prattle. It is all three. This particular area is just called Allay to avoid confusion. When we go next door to the rebuilt kingdom of Prattle, it is not just Prattle. It is all of ours. We do not create barriers between us. That was the Stone Era, that was how war was born, and that was how the ether came to be. So now you ask me to get rid of the Prattlians. I will not. I may build a designated debating area to encourage them to move there. I may ask them politely to take their talking elsewhere, but I will not force them.”

“When the people of Allay elected you,” he scoffed. “We thought you would keep us safe from the other Kingdoms, not excuse them.”

“I have said my peace. Guards, please excuse this man from the castle.”

“I’ll excuse myself,” he snapped, turning around and heading out. James rose from his seat to give chase, but Catherine patted his chest, holding him back.

“He shouldn’t speak to you like that. And imagine if he starts talking bad about you to the people.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Catherine said, staring off into space. “Even if the people decide they want someone else to rule, I can’t say that I didn’t have a comfortable reign of five years. I knew these days would begin to come regardless. They are used to me. Someone new would be more exciting.”

“But you’re the best one for the job,” James retorted.

“If the people are discontent, I certainly can’t make that claim.”

“Queen Catherine,” Talia said, approaching the throne. “There are a couple more that want you to hear them out. If you are willing.”

“Send them in,” Catherine replied wearily. “But just these two.”

James didn’t bother trying to cheer her up this time. All he could think about was the husky man. From what it sounded like, he would be happier in the Stone Era, where there were nothing but Allayans on the streets. But then where would he be? No one would even think about going to his shop because they would be too afraid of the entrees. The Kingdom had been on constant alert, everyone was an enemy, and Allayans were on the Terrs’ plate, not the other way around. How had they forgotten the good times so quickly?

“Your Highness,” Seeker bowed, his long priestly robe, bathed in purple, flowed behind him like a bride’s veil. “I seek your counsel.” He lifted his head, covered in long white hair, and smiled with his vibrant blue eyes.

“You seek it every day,” Catherine laughed. “What brings you here this afternoon?”

“As you may have heard, I have recently been appointed next in line for Order Master.”

“Congratulations.”

“It’s a heavy burden, but the reward is far more than I could have ever dreamed. The people that I could assist and lead to the way of righteousness—it gives me goose bumps.”

“So is that why you’re here? To discuss whether you should accept the position?”

“No, I’m sorry,” he said, bowing again. “My presence in your court is because I currently have a quarrel with the Langoran Order. Ever since the creation of the Orders three years ago, they have been trying to alter our creed, and our current Order Master, bless his soul, has been very cordial in accommodating the ‘brutes,’ his words, not mine. I am here to say that if I take the position of Order Master, I will not be as kind. However, I also do not want to upset our reverent Queen. I seek your wisdom. Personally, I believe wholeheartedly that each Order should maintain and uphold their beliefs and the culture of their respective people, but they should not seek to change the ideals of others. The Langoran Order should stay in Languor. Am I wrong?”

James burst out laughing, and Seeker’s alarmed eyes fixed upon him.

“What is so funny, Master Sage, if I may ask?”

“Just that we hear this kind of complaint every day. The Orders—always at each other’s throats. Did you already talk to Master Torill about your intentions?”

“I am here to speak with the Queen, good sir.”

“This is the one point in which I get to have my say,” James said, leaning forward in his throne chair. Catherine nodded in approval. “The Queen has asked me and Arimus to keep a taut leash on the Orders, so that there is still peace among us. A little conflict and opposition is healthy, especially so we don’t end up thinking too highly of ourselves, but it’s supposed to stay at exactly that: a little conflict. The individual Orders were created to promote alternative thought, not pigeonhole the people into one way of thinking.”

“You assume much, Master Sage,” he smiled. “The Allayan Order—“

“—is just like the other two Orders. The only underlying theme is that each of you think that you have the solution to how we should handle the United Kingdoms. The world is far more complicated than you can claim to know. I’m sure you’ve read of Thorn?”

“Who hasn’t?” Seeker muttered.

“That man—that Allayan—nearly destroyed us all, and took our souls in the process. The former King of Allay nearly brought everyone to ruin for his own selfish goals. Now, did anyone question his motives in the beginning? No. Everyone believed that because he was the King, he knew what was best, and we were wrong. The people of Allay placed their faith in the wrong person, and many lives were lost as a result. So you can talk all you like, but what I’m saying is, in order to convince the people that your Order speaks the truth, not a truth, but
the
truth? You are going to have to fight for their trust as well as ours. We were fooled once. Not again.”

“If the Langorans are to stay in Allay, then I will say this. I will not be merciful when it comes to what I have to say. My denouncement of their Order will be harsh and sharp. I am sure they will respond in kind. Is that a more desirable solution than a separation?”

“As long as you remember who holds the end of the leash,” James said. Seeker smiled and nodded at him, then at Catherine. He left of his own accord.

“Perhaps we should speak with the Order Master,” James grumbled, but Catherine shook her head.

“We promised not to thrust ourselves unnecessarily into their affairs. If Seeker is to be the next in line, then it is not just what their Order wanted, it is the people’s choice as well.”

“It’s starting to sound like it’s all getting out of hand. The unrest. Meanwhile, we’re here in the castle, just waiting for all of it to boil over.”

“Not exactly,” she said, turning to James. “The Sage Academy opens in three days. Once it is well underway, it will help exponentially.”

“How? I thought we were just organizing all the Sages that have been born. You know, giving them a place to practice and stuff.”

“It’s more than that,” she replied, and James raised an eyebrow. “I was uncertain about re-opening it for a while…so many were already learning to release eidolons on their own, without the direction of the Order or myself…but there’s too many of us. Yes, organization was a part of it, but I think that it will also remind us of what we should be striving toward.”

“And what’s that?”

“Just enjoying our lives together. I don’t get it. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why do we need Orders and governments and rulers when the people were able to sustain themselves at one time? Don’t you remember what happened when we left Allay to get the stones of power? The people flourished! They survived without their leaders. All they needed was a little push to strive for greater. They did more in a few days than we’ve accomplished in whole decades. I want that again. No bickering, no discontent. Just being happy and enjoying each other’s company again.”

“Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,” James said, shaking his head.

“But why isn’t it? We can choose to make it simple.”

“I don’t know.”

“The final matter of the day,” Talia shouted, approaching the platform from the middle of the throne room. Behind her was a group of Langorans and Allayans, six in number. Catherine nodded for them to step forward. Talia allowed the young group to step in front of her. They whispered among themselves for a moment, before one of the Langorans decided to step out in front. He approached the thrones.

“Queen Catherine…Master James…I, um…I—“

“Just speak freely,” she said, curious as to what he had to say.

“My friends and I were scouting the lands, you know, just looking for some fun. Something interesting. We kind of got lost, and we ended up in a land covered in snow. But um…well, there used to be seven of us. Jillian, she…she…” He covered his trembling mouth and bowed his head. After a moment, he realized that he couldn’t speak any longer. He turned and went to the back of their group, hiding behind his friends.

“Jillian was killed,” one of the Allayan girls spoke up, her voice cracking under the declaration. “It was a Quietus.”

Chapter 3 – Say That One More Time

“What?” James sat up to attention. “A Quietus? Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I mean…I’m pretty sure. I’ve never seen one in real life, but I remember the descriptions from the stories. I don’t know what else it could be. It was hideous.”

James glanced over at Catherine. She had the same grimace he had.

“You do know,” Catherine said slowly, “that most of the Quietus people were murdered by Thorn and his manifestations. The stones of power did give all of us Quietus, Langoran, Prattlian and Allayan abilities. Perhaps you just saw someone that moved like a Quietus. Someone who had tapped into the power we all have. Not a Quietus as we know them to be—those that were genetically altered.”

“The thing had black, tar-like skin,” the girl said adamantly. “It moved…like it was made of dark water.” James took a deep breath. What were the odds that Thorn hadn’t been thorough when he laid waste to the Quietus Kingdom? And where would they have hid themselves all this time? He and Arimus had both gone out searching for the Quietus people, and his mother in particular. They had always come up empty.

Since his mother had already been genetically altered by Thorn when she gave birth to him, he had some of the native Quietus’ abilities—abilities that no one else had. The genetics of his altered mother flowed through him, and as a result, he could transform his body so that he appeared as one of them, and his power increased exponentially. He of all people should have been able to find any survivors, and yet, these youth had stumbled upon one so casually—as if the Quietus had simply been going for a stroll.

“Tell me more,” James said, leaning back in his chair. “What happened exactly? Did it say anything?”

“We didn’t see it at first. We only heard it. It muttered something about the Langorans and Allayans being together, and then it attacked Jillian. Before we could unsheathe our eidolons, it had ripped her apart with the scythes on its forearms. Lani here was able to stab it once, and it just ran off. We decided not to chase after it. We knew that we had to come back here, to report what we found. It was so scary.”

“So strange,” Catherine muttered, putting her hand to her chin.

“If it really was a Quietus,” James thought carefully, “then it might not know what happened with Thorn, or the Alliance of the Kingdoms. Still, I don’t even know how it’s possible there’s one alive, and still hiding in the dark after all these years.”

“Maybe it was badly wounded,” Catherine offered. “And it took that long to recover?”