The Last of the Sages (Sage Trilogy, Book 1) (15 page)

The rest of the ride, James thought of all the possible ways a soul could be extracted from a body, but nothing came to mind. He was never a very spiritual person. He wasn’t an outright atheist, but his mind was just so involved in the distractions and cares of everyday life that he never bothered to think of spiritual things. Back when he was at the farm, with no motivation or goals on the mind, he remained linear, his thoughts only dwelling on what was needed at the moment: sleep, food, games, fun, play, food, sleep, more food, etc. He barely thought of the Kingdom’s politics, let alone religion. 

James sighed as the stage coach came to a halt. All his worrying and speculation would get him nowhere. Leaping off the steps of the stage coach he bounded through the courtyard doors, vaguely aware of the silhouette watching him up above, sitting comfortably on the cold granite wall. It was probably a guard, making sure no one was entering that didn’t belong. He couldn’t help but think of a Quietus.

As powerful as a Sage was, these Quietus nearly wiped out their entire livelihood with some careful planning. So what if the King of Quietus was known for his honesty? That didn’t mean he would always stick to it. People were unpredictable. All it would take is a fleeting thought to enter one’s mind and they would run with it as if it carried them on a leash. What if the King grew tired of the so called treaty and attacked on a whim? It’s not like the Quietus couldn’t wipe Allay out, especially now that their best were gone. Who was left to stop them? The pathetic Infantry? A Sage in training? Was there any contingency plans for the King changing his mind?

James made it a mental note to ask Arimus when he saw him but there was no time to consider it now. There was work to be done. He eventually made his way to the west wing where the recruits were congregating around their idol again. Dominic was of course in the middle of the crowd, basking in his glory with hearty laughter, his subjects beaming with envy and respect. James shook his head in disgust and smirked slightly when he noticed that Dominic’s hearty demeanor dropped at his sight. Surely the students had heard about the visible wound on Dominic’s cheek…and who caused it.

“And where have you been all day?” Dominic asked with authority.

“None of your business. You’re not in charge of me.”

“One could argue,” he said, moving his way through the crowd to James’ face. “A little birdy told me that you were out with Catherine.”

The crowd gasped in horror as Dominic remained stoic, waiting for an answer.

“Is it true?” he said flatly, as James glanced around the room.

“What’s the big deal? I know what you’re thinking. Relationships aren’t allowed at the academy. I know already, and besides, you don’t even have the facts straight. We’re just friends. That’s it. Not even great friends. We just talk to each other from time to time.”

“I’m sure she’ll be glad to hear you think so highly of her,” Dominic gritted between his teeth. “Tell me, James, why are you just friends? You sure you don’t have a thing for her? I mean, she is quite sexy.”

James scoffed.

“I wouldn’t say that. She’s cute alright, but that’s where it ends,” James trailed off as he realized he was talking about Catherine in front of most of the school. It didn’t feel right. He sighed and determined to start thinking before he spoke.

“Not that your opinion matters,” Dominic laughed. “You are just a grunt 10th class and you don’t seem to have a clue of how things go on around here. I know I’m giving you your preliminary tests right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat my girl with some respect.”

“
Your Girl?
!
”

“What’s so funny?”

“Why are you so bent out of shape over Catherine? I mean, she’s funny to be around and all, but it’s not like she’s the best catch of the day.”

So much for thinking first
…
James thought as he slapped his forehead.

“I would appreciate it if you didn’t refer to my lady as fish,” Dominic gritted as he balled up his right hand.

“Don’t look at me like that,” James spat, the adrenaline of taking Dominic down a notch raising his spirits. “I didn’t know she was your girl, but I gotta say, it’s pretty funny. You’re this big and powerful wannabe Sage and you got this plain looking -“

Dominic finished his insults with a sucker punch to the face as James went sprawling to the ground. James sprinted to his feet and charged Dominic as the upperclassman pushed people back to give them some room. James headed for him straight on and lunged only to come in contact with a blinding white light. James cringed as his vision blackened and he coughed violently as he belly-flopped onto the wooden floor from a punch to the stomach. He clutched his abdomen in pain and rolled over to see Dominic staring down at him like he was a crushed caterpillar.

“What was that?” James coughed as he struggled to his feet. The crowd of recruits behind him stayed back, refusing to help him to his feet.

“I activated the process of unleashing my eidolon, but I didn’t pull it out. All I needed was the bright light to throw you off. You’ll get to see enough of my eidolon in the morning.”

Dominic stepped powerfully over to James and pointed in his face. James tensed his jaw, waiting for the right moment to hit him.

“And another thing, 10th class. You don’t ever talk about my betrothed that way again, do you hear me?”

James coughed back a laugh.

“Betrothed. How medieval of you. Who says that anymore?”

“That’s what her father
,
the kin
g
, called me,” Dominic stated triumphantly as James scrunched his face in confusion.

“What?”

“Listen, dummy. Your head is too dense to comprehend this, but she’s the Princess of Allay. The sole remaining heir to the throne, Got it?”

James lowered his eyes as the information sunk in. Feeling like scum, he plopped back down on the floor, wondering how he could be so blind. Dominic snickered and waved the crowd off, leaving James to his thoughts as he walked off into the distance. James punched the floor in irritation. He didn’t know how to deal with this pain…

How could he not see it? Why couldn’t he understand why everyone was so fearful of her? Why everyone avoided her? It wasn’t because of anything she had done to them. Catherine was too sweet of a person to hurt people. It was because of her position - her status that drove them away. The Princess of Allay…that knowledge wasn’t what hurt him most. It was the memory of the looks she gave him. The smile on her lips and the glimmer of adoration in her eye.

In an instant, he became one of them.

Knowing full well she loved him, he realized that he could never love her back.

He refused. She didn’t deserve that.

Things hadn’t gone as planned at all. His princess was an angel of legendary beauty…not… his one and only friend. How? How could she be the Princess?

“I’m such a fool,” James muttered as he pounded the wall next to him. She was the princess and he barely showed her any respect, any reverence at all. Why didn’t she tell him? Why didn’t she stop him whenever he made a snide comment her way? Now he looked like he was being insubordinate, as if he had no respect for her all along. He didn’t know that she was a woman of status.

He thought it was because she smelled or people just didn’t like her feisty attitude, that was why people ignored her, but this made so much more sense. How could one offend the Princess, heir to the throne and not have their life affected? Arimus, Kyran, Scarlet - they knew all along and they warned him. Scarlet told him that he had to be careful how he interacted with her. Arimus told him there were no relationships in the Academy, but he didn’t listen. He was so naïve, so childish to believe that she was unimportant just because of how she looked and how she dressed. Just because she looked like everyone else, he assumed she didn’t matter.

How shallow
.
He thought bitterly, gritting his teeth, streams of tears flowing freely down his face
.
How pig-headed of you.

She had been just a follower to him, the one who would be first to witness his ascension into glory. The first to tell the tale of how she knew the mighty Sage, James. Was that all she was to him?

James leaned against the wall as he tried to justify his actions with her, that maybe he could make his mistakes right again. Maybe he didn’t say anything too bad to her.

I laughed at her when she asked if she could be a princess!

James felt like throwing up, coughing violently as he paced the hallway. Even she had given him clues to her identity, and he laughed, in the princess’ face! There was no way around it. His father’s farm was probably going to be taken away and his whole family would be banished to a life in the dark forest. He would spend his days in solitude, a hermit married to his love of frog fishing and telling tall tales of how he was an excommunicated Sage of the Allay Kingdom.

And even if she wasn’t the princess, there was no excuse for his actions and disrespect toward her. He was starting to get used to her coming to see him too. Well, that was gone now. He wasn’t that much of an idiot. It was obvious when a girl liked a boy and he saw that Catherine had her eyes on him, yet he shunned her away because she wasn’t the splitting image of his goddess.

She had probably went to Dominic and told him the story, and he probably expressed just how foolish she was for leaving him, for even thinking about being with someone else, that there was no way a princess could be with a commoner. Dominic would forgive her obviously, not really caring what she looked like since he knew from the beginning who she was. He had time to get over her beauty, and fall in love with her. Not her character, mind you, but her status. He was fully aware that he could handle it if she looked like a hunchback, as long as she was the princess. He didn’t care what she said or did as long as he would someday be King, to rule the land of Allay with his ego by his side.

James shuddered at the thought. He had to do something. Of course, he would not pursue a relationship with Catherine. That was wrong, and he was grateful that he had some kind of morals left. If he couldn’t accept her for who she was before she became the princess in his mind, he refused to fall for her now.

But that did not mean she should be with Dominic.

He wasn’t right for her either. All he cared about was the status. He would never give her attention, or laugh at her jokes, or give her a kiss on the forehead as she drifted off to sleep. He would place her in a tower somewhere like Rapunzel and ignore her cries for love. As long as he was King, his rule would succeed her own. Who knows? He may even stoop so low as to cast her away and get another wife.

James refused to stand by and watch Catherine get thrown to the wayside. At the very least, for all she did for him, he had to help her get out of Dominic’s reach. After all, if it wasn’t for her, he would have failed utterly on the second day of his test. He had to help her see the light, to show her what kind of a man Dominic was while maintaining his own distance between them. She deserved better than them both. James grit his teeth at the thought of realizing that at the heart of the matter, he was probably no different than Dominic was if the roles were reversed.

It sickened him to his core.

“I have to change,” James whispered to the dim lights as he hit the wall one last time. “But even if I do, I still can’t be with her. If she was still a recruit in my mind, I wouldn’t want to be with her. The fact that she’s a princess appeals to me but...”

“…not her,” James’ voice broke as he rubbed his eyes hard, refusing to let anyone beyond the thin doors hear him mourn.

With a clear of his throat, James made his way to his room as he made a silent vow to himself. A promise to never fall in love with the princess, and even if he did, he would never pursue it, never act upon it…

She deserved better than that…

Chapter 7 - Change

Dominic and Arimus had been waiting a long time. He could tell. Arimus’ usual patient and warm composure was one of annoyance as he harshly tapped his fingers against his left leg. Dominic was yawning and rubbing his right cheek as James solemnly entered the room. He had overslept, again skipping breakfast, but for once he didn’t care. He just wanted to shank Dominic and go back to bed.

The night before was a hectic one and his overactive imagination refused to let him sleep as he replayed his interactions with Catherine over and over. It wasn’t until he grounded his face into the pillow and refused to think that he slumbered. And he slept hard, for the next thing he knew, he heard a furious pounding on his door that made him leap to his feet. He had answered the door, half-expecting to see Catherine but found no one there. Whomever it was had ran off and he couldn’t help but think that if it was her, she sure didn’t want to speak with him.

That only soured his mood even more, and after he gave a half-hearted attempt to dress warmly, he grudgingly trekked to the east wing. Even the bitter morning cold that seeped from under his door nipped at his leg hairs, matching the sharp pricks of memories that stabbed the recesses of his mind. James walked over to where his proctors stood casually, taking note that Arimus was completely aware of the change in his usual “pressing” attitude. Dominic snickered.

“I guess I hit a nerve last night, even if it was the truth. She wanted to tell you obviously, but she was afraid you’d get weird on her.”

James was tired of hearing Dominic speak.

“Can’t we just get this over with?”

“Now I know something’s wrong,” Dominic said in surprise. “You just want me to end this now? All your hopes and dreams of becoming a Sage? Gone? Because say the word and I will gladly carry out your request.”

“You make me sick.”

“And you make Catherine sick. Thinking you’re above everyone else. It’s not like the ladies are dying to see your common face so where do you get off?”

“You’re right,” James muttered. Arimus’ eyes widened in surprise as Dominic put a hand to his chest in fake awe.

“What was that?”

“I said you’re right. I have been acting childish. I’m no better than anyone.”

“Wow. Where’s an audience when you need one?”

“But I will say one thing,” James declared, his voice growing. “I will not allow Catherine to marry you.”

James stared steadily into Dominic’s eyes. The upperclassman shook his head in disbelief.

“Arimus, are you hearing this? He’s going to forbid me to marry Catherine. The guy who called her ugly and barely gave her the time of day. Why, James? So you can abuse her some more?”

Arimus remained motionless, refusing to get between the two.

“I don’t know how you became her ‘betrothed’ but you can’t marry her. You won’t treat her the way she deserves to be treated and she shouldn’t have to settle for less.”

“This is so funny coming from you. I hope you don’t think you’re who she should settle for. It’s none of your business how I became her betrothed and I’ll treat my wife however I want.”

“She’s too good for you…and she’s not your wife yet.”

“Oh don’t give me that. All of a sudden because you know who she is, she deserves the moon and the stars? You need to cut out these wild notions and wake up. No one ends up with the ‘perfect’ man or woman. Everyone settles. Everyone. Settle for less…what a joke. She’s settling for the best around.”

“Enough,” Arimus spoke up, nearly barking the order. “You won’t get anywhere bickering over who deserves who and why. All that matters is what she wants. Isn’t it?”

“She has the Kingdom to watch over,” Dominic stated. “It’s more than what she wants. She has to do what’s best.”

Arimus glared at Dominic and unsheathed the sword James had been using for the past two days from his belt. After tossing it over to James who barely caught it, Arimus walked over to the far left wall and leaned against it.

“Yesterday was a long day. To come back to a squabble of this caliber is more than my ears will allow.”

Arimus yawned and lowered his head, muttering a “begin” between breaths.

Dominic backed up a step as James stood his ground, sword in hand still lowered.

“So, James, have you figured out how you’re going to pass today?”

“Not really,” he muttered as he looked over the sword in his hand. “I was thinking of maybe defeating you with my own eidolon.”

“Oh, really? And how are you going to manage that, considering you don’t have one.”

“I have a soul. That’s enough.”

“You can’t cut me with your soul while it’s on the inside of your body, idiot.”

“I don’t intend to. Once I release my eidolon, it’ll be all over.”

“And if you think you’re going to weasel out of me how to do it, you need another plan.”

James chuckled low and then lunged forward. Dominic barely dodged the tip of the sword as it brushed past his hair. Dominic, taken aback, tried leaping backwards to give them some distance. James continued lunging, swinging harder and harder as he gave no thought to the amount of energy he was exerting.

If he pulls out that eidolon, it’s all over. My only chance is to keep the distance between us short, hope that when he does pull it out, the sword will already be heading his way…and I hope he’s not quite that fast…

Arimus raised an eye as he heard Dominic grunt, James still on the attack. Dominic waited for the right moment before he leaned into James thrust, his back pressing just up against James’ stomach. Dominic grabbed James’ wrist and threw him forward making him lose his balance. It was the only reprieve Dominic needed as James watched in horror. The upperclassman placed his right fist on his left shoulder.

Beaten by a stupid judo flip
.
James thought bitterly as he heard Dominic celebrating.

“Well, it’s been fun,” he laughed as rays of white smothered the room. James shut his eyes and swung, remembering that Dominic needed a little time to pull out the eidolon. Feeling the blade pierce only the air, disappointment sunk in as he realized Dominic had already moved behind him, his beautifully carved eidolon in hand, already in motion to strike should James make a false move.

Arimus stood erect now, in awe at the rare sight he had the privilege to view two days in a row. Dominic didn’t bother swinging, instead choosing to lightly push James forward with his free hand. James took a few steps in surprise and turned around. Dominic put his blade forward, the tip barely touching James’ nose as the upperclassman closed his eyes in concentration.

“That’s what I wanted to feel,” Dominic swooned. “That fear. That sense of defeat. You know this is it. It’s all over you like a foul stench.”

James cringed, trying not to listen, trying to figure out his next move.

“You’re trying to think of something. Go ahead. Since this is all over. The grand finale… I’ll tell you your only way out. Unleash your eidolon. Right now. If you can’t, you won’t pass this test, and you’ll go back to being plain old James.”

Dominic opened his eyes to look at his opponent.

“That’s how I passed. It was as simple as that. I was naïve in the beginning like you. I tried thinking of all these different scenarios or hoping my teacher would screw up, but I was a fool because I didn’t know what an eidolon could do. I had no clue to what it felt like when your very soul is out in the open, absorbing everything like a sponge. I was so dumb to think I could weasel my way through the test. Cheat.  Change the system…don’t you get it, James? You can’t outsmart this. You can’t fight this with a normal sword. Only with your eidolon unsheathed will you be able to read my moves and act accordingly. Right now it’s as if you’re a newborn piglet, blind and unaware, and I’m the butcher with cleaver at the ready. It’s over now, 10
th
class. Do you hear me? And another thing -“

Too quick to see, Dominic grabbed James’ collar, lifted him up and threw him to the ground. James clamored to his feet and readied with his blade for Dominic to move.

I have to see him move next time. This is getting ridiculous!

“Hold out your sword and hold it tight. Keep it there for as long as you can.”

James obeyed, holding his sword out toward Dominic, not ready to accept his fate, but curious to see what other feats a Sage could accomplish. Before he could finish completing his grip on the hilt, the sword suddenly felt as if a ton of iron had been placed on its blade. James dropped the sword, and it fell hard, creating a slight imprint in the floor. Before James’ eyes, the imprint grew larger and it sank deeper and deeper down. James glanced up at Dominic who had once again closed his eyes.

“Another reason you would have lost, is my ability. Every eidolon has three innate abilities. An attack, a defense, and a support. This is my support ability. I call it Lock. I’m not sure of the mechanics, but I do know that when I concentrate on a specific enemy’s weapon, I can make it as heavy or light as I want it at will - which makes me very hard to hit. So basically, even if you had pulled out an eidolon, I would have locked it and you’d barely be able to lift it.”

James nodded with acceptance.

“So I probably wouldn’t have passed the test anyway,” he said. The words stung coming from his lips.

“Not necessarily,” Arimus spoke up, stepping forward. “Trying to cut Dominic was a means to an end. The focus of this examination was for you to unleash your eidolon. Dominic’s role in this was to be a catalyst, nothing more.”

“You’re telling me,” James snapped angrily, “that the whole test was to pull out my eidolon. That was it? I didn’t even have to cut him?”

“I don’t know why that infuriates you. Doing so would be the only way to cut him anyway, wouldn’t it? Besides, this test was a perfect way to see if you could release it, which you didn’t.”

“But I didn’t even know that was the purpose.”

“Irrelevant. Unleashing your eidolon comes in response to a need. A consequence to an action, but something greater than fear. This exam tests your character, to see if you have the proper determination and motivation to become a Sage. If you had this, the eidolon would have emerged on its own.”

“Well, then I guess that’s it…”

“I must say though, I was impressed. Believe it or not, I thought you were going to make it. You were so determined and confident.”

“Is that what it takes?” James asked, glancing at Dominic.

“No,” Arimus chuckled, “but you did give a great effort.”

“But I thought,” James said low, calming down, “that everyone in Allay had the…I don’t know - capacity to become a Sage, like, only Sages come from Allay. So, how could so
me little test determine if I’m going to become one? Are you actually telling me that I’ll never be a Sage?‟

Arimus stood motionless, looking for the right words to relay.

“James, I’m not saying it’s impossible, just highly improbable. You were tested as everyone is, but you lacked the necessary components to pass, which is nothing to sulk about. What I’m trying to say is that most people in Allay, recruits also, rarely face danger or fear. Most people are content where they are and even those that aren’t, are not willing to face the hardships and trials it takes to succeed. To get to a higher place in life could be a long and arduous journey that could take years. Most quit half way through or even right at the brink of their reward. No one enjoys pain, but few are willing to suffer through it, to continue pressing on even when they may have to change the very person they are to get ahead. This test places them in that danger. When they see the eidolon coming before them, they make a choice, whether to stand and fight, or to run away. And I will tell you this, ninety five percent of the recruits I see, run away. They quit and wallow in their fear. And even those that face it don’t always unleash their eidolon. Your eidolon is a manifestation of you, and sometimes one’s will or one’s soul just isn’t strong enough to take on a world outside its own shell. There’s nothing wrong with that, and you need to understand this. If one’s soul can barely stand a world outside its shell, how can it fight in grueling battles against others? A Sage is not all honor and glory. I have heard that even when a Sage kills a man, they feel their pain, their last emotions as they fade away. Few can handle such an endeavor. So when I say all of this, I need you to understand, that ultimately, it is okay you did not pass.”

James refused to look Arimus in the eye. He just couldn’t wrap his mind around what happened.

Was it true? Was he not cut out to be a Sage? Maybe his soul just couldn’t handle being outside his body…perhaps it wasn’t ready. If living things were so instinctively tied to survival, detaching one’s soul from their body seemed ludicrous. Still, he would’ve liked to experience it firsthand. Maybe there was more than glory to a Sage. Maybe there was a lot of suffering behind the legends, but still, even if only to feel what Dominic felt when his eidolon rang through the air, to suddenly be allowed to experience life through so many senses when for so long he had taken for granted his five.

He had been such a dead weight until he came to the academy and although it had only been a little while, he felt like he had grown so much, gotten so far - and for what? To become an infantryman? There had to be more…