“Perhaps yours are,” Nadia said. “But what of your Sages? It sounds like the perfect plan to me. Let them do all the dirty work so you can remain clean. You can throw up your polished hands in the air towards each of the Kingdoms and say you had no part. Try to keep them at bay while you master their stones in private.”
“Listen, Nadia. He’s trying to turn you against me. One of my Sages already has the Quietus stone so what reason would I have to go into your village? With the Allayan stone I could have easily escaped you and the forest. But I didn’t. Because at some point we really do have to stop killing one another and focus on what you’ve said: the true enemy. He’s right here before us. You can sense his power, and yet somehow, I’m the one being questioned.”
“Did you know about the Langoran King and Queen? Their deaths?”
“I…suspected,” Catherine sighed. “But I didn’t want to believe it…my Sages…they’re all my friends and mentors…it’s hard to think of them in a negative light. But whatever damage they’ve done for the good of this mission, I will make it right. I promise that.”
“The murderer’s good,” Jester chuckled. Catherine faced him once more.
“The Quietus have always been an enemy to me,” Catherine declared loudly. “But not anymore. Against my better judgment, I trusted one, and now we’re in a position that no one could see coming. An Allayan and a Quietus, working together. This terrifies you, doesn’t it? That’s the reason you’re trying to poison us with your words.”
“You don’t scare me at all,” Jester said smugly, smiling wide as he squint his eyes. “And neither would an alliance of such weak individuals.”
“Would you call this weak?” Catherine said as she let the stone’s energy surge into her fist. Jester was not fazed.
“I know you won’t hit me,” he said, eyeing her fist. “Not someone who’s defenseless. But, if you happen to surprise me and decide to go through with it…” His eyes narrowed. “I’ll kill you, James, and every Quietus in this Kingdom within the next fifteen minutes.”
Catherine’s eyes widened as she felt an alarm go off throughout her body. When he said those words, she immediately believed him, and suddenly she felt weak – as if the stone’s power at maximum wasn’t enough to take him down. Nadia felt it too, and she hugged herself in response, rubbing her shoulders absent-mindedly.
“Ah, there we are,” Jester said, leaning back in his chair. “All is as it should be. The fear is back in you all. Now, since you’re all humbled, I’ll give you a little snack for being such good little kiddies. You were right in your suspicions. I am from Zen-echelon. I serve a master so powerful, it would make me a dust mite by comparison, and as for what I’m doing here in Quietus…well…” Jester paused and smiled warmly at Catherine. “I aim to rip the stone of Allay from your chest and watch you choke on your own rich, royal blood.”
Chapter 3 – Rebirth
Arimus’ eyes snapped open to see a familiar ceiling above him but he gave it no further attention. Moving his fingers gently he could feel the soft cotton bed sheets underneath him and he grunted in frustration. This was not the familiar grass he last felt as he lay dying next to the Quietus forest…
He turned and noticed the pillow under his head was so large that it gave him a crick in his neck so he decided to raise it. Familiar indeed. The polished wooden walls, the homemade mirrors and the smell of fresh tea seeping into the room from under the door. He was undoubtedly back at the Conun Lodge, located at the base of the mountain where the Kingdom of Prattle resided. But how did he get there? He had been in Quietus when he went unconscious and was surrounded by warriors. One in particular was even gnawing at his…
Arimus glanced at his dominant, right arm and found it hard to look away. It had been cut in half, from the elbow on and cauterized at the stump - no doubt Scarlet’s handiwork. He reached out with his left hand and pulled up his sleeve, revealing his burned and mangled flesh. So she had been the one to save him. At least they had survived…but what of the others? What of the mission?
Arimus jumped out of the bed and immediately regretted it, cringing under the ache that nearly knocked him off his feet. He stumbled and held onto the bed post as Scarlet burst into the room. Arimus squinted through the pain to see a pained expression on her face, but it passed just as quickly as she grabbed one of his arms to assist him. Arimus chuckled to himself. If Scarlet was worried about him then he truly was in bad shape.
“What’s the situation?” Arimus groaned as Scarlet sat him down gently onto the bed.
“Straight to business?” Scarlet snickered. “Even though you can barely stand?”
“Apparently I have you to thank for that.” Arimus said. “And for saving my life.”
“It all just fell apart,” Scarlet muttered as she looked to the cabin floor.
“Just tell it to me straight.”
“You were going to die out there,” Scarlet said solemnly. “I had to bring you back.”
Arimus studied her face.
“So you left the others in the Kingdom of Quietus?”
“Kyran told me he’d take care of the others. I…I was already pretty wounded…we would have been useless staying behind.”
“Scarlet…” Arimus chose his words carefully. “No matter what happens to me, or anyone else in the group, the mission must go on…if you were still mobile, then you could have assisted them. Now we have no idea of what to do next. What if the stones are still in Quietus? We would have to go back before they’re found, or worse yet, mastered by a new King or Queen.”
Scarlet remained silent as she walked over to the mirror on the far wall. She took a deep breath, and then smashed a fist into its center. Glass shot out in all directions as her hand blew through the wooden wall and into the next room. Dislodging it from the wall, she turned to face Arimus - her jaw clenched and her eyes enraged.
“If we lose our leader, then what hope do we have?”
“Catherine is our leader,” Arimus replied as he looked steadily into her eyes.
“Then I should have left you for dead.”
“Well,” Arimus sighed, seeing the conversation wasn’t going the way he intended. “We can’t change anything now. We’ll have to go back though, as soon as possible. And in my current condition, I doubt I’ll be much good. I don’t even think I can handle a sword properly.”
“It’s part of your soul,” Scarlet snapped. “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you, Scarlet…I’m just…distraught that we may be back to where we started, and with less numbers…”
“Do you think we should go back to the Academy? See if we can gather reinforcements?”
“No time. We have to get those stones.”
“Already have them,” a voice grunted from behind them. Arimus and Scarlet glanced at the doorway to see a beaten Kyran shuffle through. Scarlet’s eyes widened in shock but Arimus could only give a smirk.
“Out of everyone there, I knew you would survive,” Arimus said. “Our invisible warrior.”
“This is not the time for compliments,” Kyran muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the stones of Quietus and Languor.
“Where is Catherine’s?” Arimus asked, afraid of the answer.
“Still with her,” Kyran replied. “And James. Do you remember the manifestations James was playing around with on our journey?”
“Of course.”
“They are in the midst of one right now.”
“They’re in the middle of Quietus? Right now?!” Arimus tried to stand to attention but his burns reeled him back, pulling him back like an anchor to the bed. “This isn’t good. Why didn’t they come with you?”
“Too chaotic,” he said flatly, no emotion whatsoever coating his words. “Chloe and Dominic are dead.”
“Chloe…” Scarlet began to inquire further, but Kyran her an intense glare.
“Not now,” he said as Arimus studied their interaction.
“If you have the stone of Quietus,” Arimus cut in. “then I presume the King is dead. Furthermore, this means we should be able to procure the stone of Prattle easily since we’ve taken out their enemy. All that remains is Zen-echelon. And if Catherine is willingly staying in Quietus, that must mean she’s expecting us to either save them, or bring the stones to her location. I assume it’s the latter.”
“Then Zen-echelon is our next stop,” Scarlet said, still staring at Kyran curiously with folded arms. “But Arimus, you are in no condition to go there. You have to stay behind.”
“Unfortunately, I would have to agree,” he sighed. “I would simply be a hindrance. But, you can place the stones in my care before you leave. The Conun lodge is known for its neutrality and if Zen-echelon ends up being our greatest threat, there is no point in bringing so much power to their doorstep.”
“So you’re saying that Scarlet and I should go there alone?” Kyran asked.
“Is that a problem?”
“Can I speak to you in private?” Kyran said as he cleared his throat. Scarlet snickered and walked out the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Kyran waited until he heard her footsteps became more distant.
“What is it, old friend?” Arimus winced as he shifted in his seating position. Kyran didn’t move a muscle.
“Should we all survive this, and we return to Allay…I want you to know…I’m leaving forever.”
“What are you talking about, Kyran?” Arimus said as he rubbed his right shoulder.
“Your composure bothers me,” Kyran growled as Arimus shot his eyes toward his friend’s. The two of them locked their gaze as Arimus gave a nod.
“Don’t hold back your words on my account. Speak freely.”
“I consider you a friend,” Kyran said flatly. “I always have. But one thing has never stopped irritating me…the fact that you see me more as a weapon than a comrade.”
“Kyran, it’s just because you’re the only one I can trust to get the job done.”
“And that’s what’s wrong. It’s always about the mission, regardless of what it does to the people involved. I really have no place saying these things. I feel less than you all…but I do know this. Catherine is right. We cannot just treat every situation with logic. Not when we as human beings possess emotion as well.”
“Kyran…” Arimus trailed off. “I’m sorry about Chloe. She –“
“- no, you’re not,” Kyran snapped. “You’re not sorry that I lost my wife. You’re sorry that you lost our greatest weapon. That’s what disgusts me about you.”
“And what do you want me to do about it?” Arimus barked before sighing and forcing himself to calm down. “I…can’t even imagine what you must be going through, but there’s no time for this. I need you still, and the mission’s success rides on your ability to overcome your emotions. We can deal with this later.”
“And that’s why I will be leaving. I cannot carry out the missions you’ve given to me anymore. Once we get to Allay, we are done.”
“Would you rather I go to Zen-echelon in your stead?”
“No, you’re too weak physically to make the trek, let alone fight. But from now on, I will not follow your orders like a ravenous dog. Know this.”
Kyran turned to leave as Arimus chuckled and shook his head.
“You really did love her after all.” Kyran turned to face his friend violently.
“You have no place discussing our love,” he spat at him. “If I was in your shoes, I would be scorching the earth with my vengeance over what’s been done to her. Yet you are so calm.”
“Why do you think I’m here?” Arimus asked casually. “Apparently, you don’t know me as well as you believe. When a man works towards a goal, there are really only three motivations that could drive him to the bitter end: power, vengeance and love. I’m not so cold and logical that I don’t remember that she is out there somewhere and trust me, I have been searching for her in our travels.”
“Well,” Kyran said. “If there are only three things that motivate a man to the end, the next few days will be very interesting.” Kyran began walking out the bedroom and held the door open for a second. “Because for me, Arimus, only one of those still remain.”
Kyran threw the stones at Arimus, and then walked away.
* * * * *
“All set?” Scarlet asked as Kyran slammed the lodge entrance behind him. He glared at her for only a second and then began walking. Scarlet rushed to catch up.
“Do you even know where you’re going?”
“Yes,” he stated flatly. Scarlet waited to hear more, but seeing that Kyran wasn’t going to continue, she asked for more.
“And would you like to tell me where that is?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Kyran, we have to put our personal feelings aside for now. There’s only two of us, and we could be facing a Kingdom worse than Quietus.”
“That doesn’t sound like you,” he replied. “Normally you would scream and cry out how the enemy was going to fall on your sword.”
“Maybe I’m not so ready to rush into battle anymore.”
“Because you’ve lost your drive?”
“What drive?”
“The only reason you’ve been so eager to finish this mission is so you could proceed with your true goal. A goal that has been accomplished without you having to lift a finger personally.”
“As much as I hate to say it, we need her right now,” Scarlet said with a scowl. “What are you saying? I’m such a psycho that I didn’t care when Chloe died? Even if it jeopardized the mission? Kyran, if I didn’t at least respect her fighting prowess, I would have fought and killed her a long time ago…before we set out.”
“So you are not happy at all that my wife is dead?”
“I know what you’re trying to do,” Scarlet chuckled. “You’re looking for a reason to strike me down. Well, you won’t get it. I’m sorry, but as much as I hated her guts, Chloe was vital to our success.”
“Whatever,” Kyran grunted as he picked up the pace. Scarlet laughed heartily and left him alone to sulk or whatever it was men like him did.
Of course she was happy Chloe had died. She was absolutely thrilled. Ecstatic. Elated. Break out a thesaurus and take your pick for any synonym related to the word: joy. As soon as Kyran has mentioned her name on the death list, she had to fight every twitch, every muscle, every bone in her body from leaping into the air.
She wasn’t stupid. If she didn’t keep her real feelings hidden, Kyran would have attacked and Arimus wouldn’t have been able to do much in his condition. But the situation was a lot worse now that there was just the two of them. Even if they managed to refrain from battling one another, they would have to work together once they came to Zen-echelon, and their teamwork at best was non-existent, if not detrimental. Odds were, one of them was going to end up stabbing the other in the thick of it, but she wasn’t worried. She had been in worse predicaments, and the fact that her sworn enemy was dead was more than enough to give her newfound strength. It was all she wanted for years, and she never thought the day would arrive.
Now that it had…what was next?
Scarlet frowned at the sky as she walked, the black of night spreading out above her. What was next? Of course, she had to learn to keep her joy from bursting out. It was similar to anger in its explosive capacity, but much different…that was something to work on. But otherwise, what did she have to look forward to?
Scarlet looked at Kyran striding forward with his tense shoulders, his black trench coat blending into the shadows and his fists clenched, ready to remain in that state. Suddenly she realized that she no longer had that to look forward to. No purpose. No goals. Nothing. And that’s when the emptiness hit her in the stomach. Was it because she didn’t slay Chloe herself? Or was this an omen of something far worse?
Scarlet shuddered as she saw Kyran look back at her, and then continue moving forward. What she had felt towards Chloe, he was feeling towards her. And n
ow that she was on the receiving end, she definitely didn’t like how that felt. She felt defenseless. Where was her fighting spirit? Her rage? Her anger?
Up ahead, Kyran’s eyes smiled as he sensed the change in the air. It was indistinguishable.
Scarlet was afraid...
Of him…
* * * * *
His eyes shot open and immediately his retinas cowered under the flood of light piercing through. His breathing became erratic as he scurried to his feet in terror, stumbling three times before he was able to plant them firmly into the mud without falling. He studied the view around him and brushed his hands across his forearms. He was warm.
He touched his forehead and winced at the touch. The sun had been beating down upon him for…several hours it felt like. Especially for his sunburn to be that advanced. His clothes were baking, and he felt lethargic. It was silent. Not an insect or bird in sight.
But despite the lack of noise, he was confident this wasn’t Paradise.
After all, he died under the ether, and he knew that meant his soul couldn’t be freed. But…didn’t that also mean he should be in Oblivion?
He looked around for a familiar sight and felt a wave of relief and dread upon seeing a distinct marker in the distance: the Quietus forest.
Yes, he was still in the meadow. But how? Kyran was an assassin. He wouldn’t have missed unless he wanted to…
“He didn’t miss at all, if that is what you’re thinking,” a voice said. Dominic blinked in surprise and nearly tripped again. One second no one was in front of him and in the next, a stranger had appeared. He wasn’t very tall, and he didn’t appear very strong though he was not fat or lanky by any means. He looked no more than thirty years old and he had a smooth, baby face that was also riddled with deep, jagged scars. His eyes were a foggy green and he wore casual clothes - just a dark blue t-shirt, with no lettering or distinct symbols, and a pair of wool pants. He didn’t appear menacing, but his voice sounded powerful yet distant, as if Dominic was hearing the tail end of an echo.
Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) Page 4