There she was.
Perhaps they had seen a lot of suffering, stung by rivers of tears and bloodshot with a combination of stress and old age, but there she was nonetheless. The same eyes that stared deep into him when he was child, rocking him to sleep, humming lullabies and whispering tips of how to become a man though he was still a baby...
But why was she here? Why now?
“You are my mother,” James said emotionless. Neither budged from their position.
“You must hate me for leaving you.”
“No,” James chuckled. “No, I hate my father, especially for not playing his role properly, let alone yours. You, I don’t feel anything for, whether it’s hate or love.”
“Fair enough,” she said, folding her hands in her lap. “But can I at least tell you why I left?”
“What are you doing here, anyways?” James asked as he shook his head in disbelief. “Why appear now?”
“I can ask you the same question, son,” she said. “You’re the one who appeared in Quietus.”
“Is this where we are?”
“Yes. A lot has happened since you went unconscious. I intercepted Catherine, and we had a mutual understanding. Don’t worry, there’s no animosity between the Quietus villagers and the two of you. All that endangered your lives are dead.”
“Then where is she?”
“I’ll tell you,” Nadia said as calm as she could. “But I have to tell you the truth first.”
“It can wait.”
“No. No, it can’t. Because I’m certain that I won’t see you again once you leave.”
James looked at his mother curiously but nodded in her direction, giving her permission to continue.
“You’re half-Quietus, James,” Nadia sighed. “I’m sure you’ve realized it by now. Perhaps if you had stayed in Allay where there was nothing to trigger our warrior blood, you could have lived a normal, human existence, but since you joined Allay’s soldiers, I’m sure you’ve…transformed by now.”
“Twice,” James stated truthfully. “And both times I had no clue what was happening. In the first occurrence, I was being tortured. I don’t remember much of the ordeal, but I know I killed a lot of Langorans.”
“Your awakening,” Nadia said. “That’s what we call it. The first time a Quietus transforms. It’s our version of puberty. From that point on it gets easier, but in the beginning, it’s always bloody. We usually quarantine a young one when we suspect they’re close…so, what about the second?”
“I was already a Sage,” James sighed. “I was fighting another Sage that was stronger than I was. He struck a fatal blow and I heard a voice speaking to me. It came from somewhere deep inside…I don’t know. It was something like that. Anyways, it spoke…and afterwards, I pulled out another eidolon, far different than the first. It was of my Quietus side, I think. It looked black and rippled with energy – a whole lot stronger than my Allayan one too.”
“Fascinating,” Nadia said in awe. “Kingdoms don’t mix their populations so it’s very rare to see a child like you exist, let alone one that is able to harness the power of both people.”
“Yeah, how did that work? Dad…um, well, he doesn’t have a lot of charm.”
“Oh, no,” Nadia laughed. “Absolutely none. I can’t say I was in love if that’s what you’re wondering. No, I was a Quietus trying to get away from her Kingdom, especially since the King you killed took the throne. He cared nothing for us. It was all bloodshed and fashioning an elite army. The general public barely gained his notice. Well, I grew tired of the deteriorating conditions in the village and I left. I figured Allay was my best bet since I couldn’t mimic the massive size of the Langorans. Prattlians would execute me on sight if I was discovered and Zen-echelon was a death sentence. Allay was really my only option. But I was so naïve and young. By the time I made it there, I was exhausted, hungry and unable to keep this form. My hunger was so ravenous I was beginning to dream about eating others.”
“Gross.”
“Don’t judge, James. Sometimes it’s our only option when food is scarce.”
“Okay, whatever. Go on.”
“Your father found me in the forest beyond your Kingdom. By then I was on the brink of death. He had been hunting when he came across me, panting and crawling on my belly in the dirt. I was obviously in my full Quietus form and I was ready to gobble him up if he got too close. But do you know what he did? He just knocked me out with a nearby rock, put me in a large sack and brought me to his home.”
“That’s insane!”
“I know,” she laughed. “And I wasn’t grateful at first either. I was trying to swipe at him any chance I got, but he had tied me to the bed and took care of me well. He fed me, washed me and made sure I made a full recovery. Once I was in my right mind, we would talk, first as enemies you could say. But eventually, we reached an understanding. I told him my story, and he accepted me. For him, it was also beneficial as he said he was lonely and hadn’t found a suitable companion.”
“I can only imagine,” James chuckled.
“So life was actually quite good, and occasionally thoughts of a life together would swim to the surface. That is how you were conceived actually.”
“Again, gross…so what happened? Why did you leave?”
“It was around the time of the siege, and James, this also why you must never again listen to that voice within you.”
“What do you mean?” James asked in alarm.
“Quietus are not completely human,” Nadia said. “Everyone in the other Kingdoms are different. They’ve just been given powers from their stone. But not us. Every Quietus has some human tissue within them, sure, but primarily we were genetically created from a mixture of chemicals and rare elements.”
“I don’t understand. How would you even know that?”
“I’m not sure if it’s the most reliable source, but when the King of Quietus took the throne, he gave a speech discussing how he would lead our Kingdom into a great age, specifically because of the knowledge he acquired of our origins. He told us we were made unique, and that we were slaves to a being that had yet to reveal himself. In order to please this being, we had to offer our allegiance and follow the King’s every command. Few believed him, until the siege of course.”
“What happened?”
“That voice you heard. I’m not sure of its origin, but it has the power to control us if it chooses. The siege was testament to that fact. The King of Quietus claimed that Allay needed to be crippled, its Sages annihilated. No one at the time was willing to go to war with Allay and so many refused. The King said the being that created us was displeased, and therefore, if we would not comply, we would be forced to in time. I left a few weeks after that particular speech, but I never forgot those words. And true to his word, a month before the siege occurred, I completely lost myself. It was the first time I heard the voice speak within me, but it didn’t want to converse. It gave me orders. And one of those orders were to leave Allay for good. To this day I am unable to leave the confines of this Kingdom and its forest unless the voice allows. We’ve attempted small resistances here and there but they never got very far, though with the King’s death, we’re hoping we may have gained our freedom. No one has heard the voice since he died...”
“So that’s why the siege occurred,” James said. “You were all controlled to attack Allay.”
“Exactly.”
“Then that gives us two pieces of valuable information. One, if what you’re saying is true, then the Quietus are not our enemy like we once believed, and two, whoever is behind your control, is very afraid of the Sages.”
“James, don’t listen to this voice again. It may try to control you. Perhaps it can only do so much since you’re only half-Quietus, but I suspect the more you transform or use the Quietus eidolon, the more likely it can gain a permanent hold over you.”
“I’ll be careful, and thank you for telling me your story…I can’t just turn my feelings on or off at will
, but at least I can understand now why you left.”
“I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
“And I don’t mean to rush you, but I need to know…where’s Catherine? I’m one of her bodyguards, and I need to be by her side at all times.”
“This is going to be hard for you to hear…but a man took her.”
“WHAT?!” James shouted, jumping to his feet. “WHERE IS SHE?”
“James, please, you have to hear this. This man, he claims to come from Zen-echelon, and he says that his master is the one who created us. The same who speaks to us and controls us. If that’s true, then Zen-echelon is not only behind her capture, and our slavery, but also the siege of 88 and the near extinction of the Sages. They’re behind it all.”
“We received a letter from Catherine’s father making that claim,” James replied, examining his clothes. ”He was taken hostage during the siege and part of our mission is to find him and his wife. So if that’s true, that means Zen-echelon really is behind the ether as well…it’s starting to make sense. Zen-echelon doesn’t want us to combine our forces. With us hating one another and fighting amongst ourselves, that Kingdom is free to do as it pleases. Allay was the only one that didn’t hate anyone, that is, until the siege. With the Quietus as our enemy, everything was complete. A full circle of hate with Zen-echelon nowhere to be found in the mix.”
“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 known 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 and 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 br
eak, 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 ripped 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 broke 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.
Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) Page 7