Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) (23 page)

“But I already told you,” the King whispered over the crackling sound of his skin. “The stone is yours. There is a secret passage, to the right, underneath the gazebo. Go there, and you will find my wife. As we speak, she is going into surgery so you may have it.”

“We all thought you were a bachelor.”

“If I was,” he smiled. “How would I be capable of such power? Remember, a King can only accomplish such feats when he has a partner carrying the stone within them. Alone, the stone is almost useless to him. You know what this means, don’t you?”

“Yes,” Catherine nodded. “The King of
Zen-echelon also has a carrier.”

“Find her,” he said. “And you can end this. Of course, I’m sure he has her well hidden, and going to his Kingdom may be suicide…
but…you are fortunate, Catherine. Being a female, you can use the stone’s full power since it is only you that possesses it. You can fight him directly, without worrying that he will find your partner and cut your power out from under you…”

“No, I’m still afraid,” Catherine sighed as she heard the sounds of battle coming from the
distant courtyard. “Even if James’ death won’t take away my power, it will undoubtedly break my spirit…I put on a good face, that my people are all I care about…but my heart tells me differently. Is that wrong of me?”

“You’re talking to the man that hid his wife for over eight years,” he tried to laugh. “I know much about secret love…but, time is short, Catherine. You must go, and do not interrupt the Sages’ battle. They can handle themselves. Trust them to take care of things.”

“Thank you for your advice,” Catherine said, standing up. “But I have one last question. All this power you’ve displayed…if in fact you do have a carrier…a wife…that means you haven’t been using your life…you’ve been using hers. If you love her so much, why would you do that?”

“Don’t worry,” he winced. “We both agree
d to this, should our Kingdom ever be in grave danger. I am to use her life to the fullest, and I am to give my body in executing it. I probably could have deflected the small dragon’s attacks…but I knew my survival meant loneliness. That’s why I didn’t care what they did to me. I knew my attack on the large dragon was my last, and undoubtedly hers…”

“Sorry to question you,” Catherine said. “Or disobey. I will retrieve the stone of Prattle, but only after I’ve helped my friends. I have to do this.”

“I understand,” the King whispered as he closed his eyes. “I wouldn’t have listened…to me…either.” King Nathaniel yawned, rested his head on his chest, and stopped moving. Catherine watched him for a second and then looked around at the damaged castle, crumbling and falling into itself. The mountainside that it rested on was cracking, and the sky was somehow turning red amidst the green of the ether.

This is the end of Prattle.
She realized as she focused on the stone within her. No matter how sad it was to witness a Kingdom’s fall, she had to hurry, or else the death of her Sages could very well lead to the fall of her own…

*              *              *              *              *             

Dominic had transformed.

And not just a little bit. This wasn’t a simple change of c
lothes or a color alteration of his sword. No, it felt like he had become an entirely different being altogether. He still looked like himself in physical form, but the uncanny power surging through him nearly kicked James and Arimus off their feet. The difference in their strength was ridiculous and instantly James knew the harsh truth: his power was nothing compared to Dominic’s.

When he transformed his body, his clothes changed and to a degree, his body as well
, but not much else. Yes, he was given an increase in strength, speed, agility and so forth, but it wasn’t even close to what his rival now boasted. If the King of Zen-echelon was powerful enough to give Dominic such a boost, just how strong was he?

“Jealous?” Dominic laughed as his
dark red robe rustled in the wind. His eyes were pitch black and his skin was covered in tiny flames. James put on his best façade.

“Why should I be? I already have what I want: Catherine.”

Dominic sneered and pointed his unchanged eidolon at them.

“You won’t be so smug in a moment.”

“Watch yourself, James,” Arimus shouted as Dominic disappeared from view. James barely had a chance to react as Dominic’s eidolon aimed straight for his spine. He parried it and retaliated, but Dominic simply pivoted to the right and dodged, swinging his sword up at the same time.

James’ arm went flying…
eidolon and all.

“Crap!” James shouted as he leapt up and grabbed it
, bringing it close to his chest. Arimus instantly released several tornadoes around the courtyard, shredding everything in their path for distraction. Dominic laughed as he sprinted out of the way of each one.

Arimus kept up the assault, sending the cyclones straight toward the Sage, but Dominic just jumped upward into a tree and then high up into the sky,
right over the tornadoes themselves. Arimus sucked his teeth as James placed his detached arm to his shoulder and concentrated on his Quietus regeneration. Thankfully, the limb took hold and began to connect itself to its former tissues and muscles.

“He’s playing with us,” Arimus stated, letting the tornadoes die away. “He could have killed us both by now.”

“That’s his mistake,” James muttered as he tried moving his now attached right arm. “Especially since we should retreat while he’s off soaring like an eagle.”

“That doesn’t sound like you. Running away?”

“Are you serious?” James snapped. “Look, I’m pissed he’s stronger than us. I’m sure he loves every moment, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. We need to fight him again when we’ve gotten stronger.”

“He’s coming down,” Arimus stated. “If you have an escape plan to implement, now’s the time.”

“Nothing comes to mind,” James mumbled as his right arm flailed up and down. “But I’ll think of something.”

Dominic hit the courtyard floor on one knee, the impact of his landing cracking the ground underneath them all. Arimus sighed. No point in worryin
g about the Kingdom’s structure now. Prattle was finished.

He readied his blade along with James while they waited for their foe to attack.

“So,” Dominic snickered. “What other tricks do you have up your –“

Dominic’s words were cut short as a fireball slammed into his side, sending him flying past the Kingdom entrance and off the side of the mountain. James and Arimus’ jaws dropped at the sight, and they looked over to the source. An exhausted Catherine was stooped over, holding her knees and laughing hysterically.

“That couldn’t have felt good,” she laughed. “Hey guys!”

“Catherine!” James shouted. “What are you doing
here?”

“Well, I figured I would lend a hand. Doesn’t look like you two have this under control.”

“We need to leave now while he’s recovering,” Arimus said. “He’s overpowered us.”

“Then follow me,” Catherine huffed as she stood up straight. “There’s an escape route behind the castle. We can meet up with the other Prattlians there.”

“Let’s go,” James ordered, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the back. Arimus followed quickly, giving only one last glance at the destruction of Prattle. No more than an hour had passed since the first attack, and a whole Kingdom had been destroyed, its people displaced, and the enemy…no weaker than when they had first arrived. All the creatures they had faced had lacked a life force so how much had they actually accomplished? What hope did the other Kingdoms actually have against such an enemy?

“You go on ahead,” Arimus called out to them. James turned around in rage.

“NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“Just go. I’ll catch up,” the old Sage replied. “I have to learn more about our enemy.”

“And we will! Just not now! Dominic will kill you!”

“I’ve made up mind,” Arimus said adamantly. “Look at Catherine’s face. She knows me well. She knows that I speak with conviction.”

“Or stubbornness,” James sighed as soon as he looked at the Princess. Catherine was worried, but she remained speechless. She only stared at Arimus, and prayed for his safe return.

“Protect the Princess,” Arimus said. “And you
rself. You’re the strongest now. We need you for when Zen-echelon makes its final move. This is just the appetizer to the main course.”

“If you’re not with us within an hour, I’m coming after you,” James said with a firm tone. “So don’t force my hand.”

“Agreed,” Arimus said as he began walking toward the Kingdom entrance, pulling up the little armor he had left, the winds brushing through his hair and beard. James shook his head and continued to watch as Catherine patted his back.

“Let’s go, James
,” she said. “There’s work to be done.”

*              *              *              *              *

“Hello,” Arimus said in a friendly tone as he approached the King of Zen-echelon, sitting on the edge of a cliff face, dangling his legs over the edge as he looked out into the winter mix.

“Arimus,” he said with a pleasant tone, motioning for the Sage to sit down next to him. “I assume you’re here to talk?”

“You could say that,” the old Sage replied, taking a seat.

“And you’re not afraid of me?”

“I know that you could have killed me whenever you pleased. Strangely enough, it’s not fear that I possess, but respect.”

“A wise man you are,” the King chuckled. “I so wish we could have talked sooner. I’ve been in the company of idiots lately…my name is Thorn.” The King extended a hand out and Arimus shook it firmly. “You know Dominic’s going to be peeved when he sees you all next, and I’ve promised
that I wouldn’t get in the way of his vengeance.”

“How did you manage to get him to join you
anyways?”

“Well, he was pretty angry when
Catherine fell for James, but the real kicker was when Kyran murdered him. Dying by the hand of a friend tends to get your blood boiling.”

“Kyran…killed him?”

“Yep. The assassin blamed the kid for the death of Chloe. He’s got some real anger issues.”

“So where are they now? Kyran and Scarlet?”

“They’ll be joining us in a minute. They’re coming up the mountain as we speak.”

“Why did you leave them alive?”

“Why don’t we skip all the questions you don’t care about and go to the ones you actually do?”

“Fine then,” Arimus sighed. “Is there any way we can negotiate with you? Stop this?”

“Not really,” Thorn laughed. “Whether it’s now or later, whether you give me the stones or not, I intend you annihilate you all. Nothing personal…I actually like some of you.”

“Why Prattle first?”

“You have a tactical mind, Arimus,” Thorn chuckled and looked at him. “Although your chances of defeating me are practically non-existent, it doesn’t mean I should be an idiot and think I’m completely invincible. Cutting the head off the snake was obviously my first move, and I’m willing to bet you already know where I’m headed next. Go ahead…you can say it.”

“I’d…rather not.”

“Of course not. No one wants to give the enemy ideas. But since we both already know, I’ll just say it out loud: Quietus. They’re next. First I kill the brain, and then the body. If there was to be any kind of uprising against me, they would surely comprise most of your soldiers. They are great warriors after all, and they love fighting.”

“Why are you telling me this? Expecting me to head there in a hurry? Save the population?”

“Oh, I’m not your typical villain,” Thorn laughed. “I don’t reveal anything that I haven’t already taken care of. My creatures were already en route before the attack on Prattle. By the time you get there, nothing will be left. Better to focus your efforts on the personality and the heart, while they’re still standing…”