“Now, you…and me, are going to go outside and have a little sparring session. If you can make me yield, then I’ll gladly join your cause. If not, then at least you’ll know you died honorably, at the hands of a seasoned Sage.”
“Sure,” Thorn said with a laugh, beginning to walk toward the door. “This will be fun.”
Scarlet followed him, brushing her colored hair from her eyes as she glanced over at the private room in the lobby, where Kyran and Chloe were having a lively conversation. She huffed at the thought of them together and then slammed the door to the castle behind her.
* * * * *
“Well, well, well,” Jester laughed. “What do we have here?”
James leisurely climbed the mountain side, taking in the environment for any possible weapons or means of advantage. The Jester had chosen well. Found west of Quietus, beyond their forest and on top of Quin Mountain is where he waited – a flat terrain where they could fight well enough but yet they still had to be aware of the violent weather conditions. The winds were vicious and had blinded James several times during the trek up. The top was flat, but it was still weathered and worn, signifying that there were bound to be brittle sections waiting to send someone taking a wrong step straight to their doom. There were no trees to hide behind, and a dense fog surrounded them like a wall. There would be no calls for help. This was a battle to the death.
“Could you have chosen a colder location?” James muttered as he took his final step on the topsoil. “And where is Catherine?”
“She’s…um…hanging out,” Jester giggled as he pointed diagonally behind him. James traced the finger to see Catherine expended high up in the air, nearly touching the clouds. She was hanging upside down and her eyes were closed. Her arms were bound tightly to her side and it appeared like she was held inside some type of invisible vise. From where they stood, James could see the stone of Allay glowing brightly from beneath her skin.
That can’t be good. James thought as he turned his focus to Jester.
“Why is she up there?”
“So there’s no interference if she wakes up,” Jester said with a wide smile. “Or attempts to grab her and escape. In order to reach her at that height, you’ll have to leap quite high, leaving you pretty vulnerable. You don’t want that.”
“So, I take it this is the standard battle to the death, huh?” James asked, standing tall and on guard. “Winner takes all?”
“For someone who’s just become a Sage, you sound quite confident.”
“Not at all,” James assured him. “I’ve just learned that there’s no point in being afraid or nervous when you’re about to fight.”
“Oh, the lessons you’ve learned,” Jester chuckled. “And yet so many more to acquire. Let me ask you a question. Do you think you can beat me?”
“Do you think you can win against me?” James shot back.
“Ah, that’s not fair. I asked you first.”
“I’m not in the mood for manners, and I won’t play your games. Let’s get this over with.”
“Don’t be so eager,” Jester said, throwing his hands up in surrender. “Don’t you want to know more about Zen-echelon?”
“Not really,” James replied, crouching low and placing his right hand on his left rib. “You’re trying to stall. I won’t let you.”
“And what is a novice like –“
Jester’s speech stopped short as his outstretched hands suddenly disappeared. He looked down to see them plop gently onto the ground.
“How did you –“ he began to say, but then he toppled forward as his legs were suddenly taken away. He fell face down into the dirt and began mumbling into it as James stood up and walked forward until he was beside the Jester.
“We do need to talk about Zen-echelon, but not yet.” James said, turning his attention to Catherine and concentrating on his legs. He crouched as low as he could, feeling the surge of energy rippling through them, and then he leapt.
But something jumped on his back.
“SURPRISE!” Jester cackled as he stabbed James in the left rib with a small dagger repeatedly. “IS THIS WHERE YOUR EIDOLON IS? HOW ABOUT HERE?”
James growled and fell back towards the ground, having lost the energy he needed to reach Catherine. They both slammed into the topsoil hard with James receiving the brunt of it face first. Jester rolled off of him and began hopping from one foot to the other, throwing his dagger from one hand to the next.
“GOT YOU!” Jester guffawed. “BET YOU’RE WONDERING HOW I DID THAT! HA-HA! LOOK! NO HANDS!”
Jester stretched out his hands, intact and well as he threw his head back and laughed. James climbed to his feet and brushed himself off. How did he get his limbs back? Could he regenerate like a Quietus?
James winced and grabbed his left rib. Eight stabs in about two seconds, and Jester was having the time of his life. He should have known better than to take a warrior from Zen-echelon lightly.
“What a pretty green sky!” Jester cackled as he stared up. “Want me to get you closer to it? It will just require a couple stabby-stab-stabs! It’s my most favoritest of games!”
“Sure,” James chuckled in spite of the pain. “Let’s play.”
James stretched out his right hand as if it was a baseball mitt, and in a brilliant flash of light that blanketed the entire mountain top for two seconds, an eidolon appeared. A white-hot sword that rippled with energy. Jester smiled manically and then looked down at his dagger.
“Oh no! You have a bigger stabby thing! That’s not fair! I made this game! I did! I did! NOT YOU!” Jester huffed and threw the dagger off the mountaintop. He smiled wide again and then mimicked James’ action of when he called his eidolon forth.
“I forgot!” he said cheerfully. “I have my own!”
A flash of light, greater than James’ blinded him, and in the next moment, a silver blade that was shaped just like James was sticking into the young Sage’s shoulder, Jester smiling at the end of the hilt. James winced and grabbed the blade, trying to pull it out but Jester refused to budge as he craned his neck so that his face was nose to nose with James’.
“Don’t feel so special now, do you, Sage?”
Then Jester pulled the eidolon straight down.
* * * * *
“Kyran,” she whispered out of concern but he held up his hand to silence her.
“No words,” he said as he examined her from head to toe, inspecting every hair follicle, each fingernail and pore of her skin. Her lips were loose and relaxed as they’ve always been. Her stance was the same, with most of her weight leaning onto her right leg. Even the imperfections were intact. Physically, this was his wife, but that evidence still wasn’t good enough. It was apparent Thorn had been watching them, and he may just be quite good at…whatever it is he did. Whether it was his wife or not, he couldn’t deny that the similarities were alarming in every way. If this was just a copy, could Thorn do the same for others?
“Can I speak now?” Chloe snickered, her eyes laughing as they tended to do. Kyran felt a pang in his stomach that made him nauseous. If this was Chloe, what would he do to get her back?
“Go ahead,” Kyran said as stoic as possible. She maintained her stance and gazed into his eyes.
“I’m not a copy. I know that won’t convince you. But, I figured I might as well say it just in case. I don’t want to waste your time. You have a mission to complete, remember?”
“You want me to finish my course?” Kyran asked curiously. If this was a copy, surely she would convince him to join Thorn, or perhaps that was already thought of and this was merely a counter measure.
“I didn’t leave you so everything we’ve worked for could fall apart. If I knew ahead of time that you or Scarlet would even debate abandoning the others, I would never have sacrificed myself. I could still be here with you – helping you.”
“According to Thorn, nothing has to change.”
“If you join Thorn, I’ll just leave you again.”
�
��How can you say that?” Kyran’s eyes flared up. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through since you died? When we left Allay, I started to develop emotions, and then you kill yourself when I need you most.”
“I didn’t commit suicide, Kyran. I sacrificed myself to save Catherine and the young ones. There’s a difference. The King of Quietus was too strong and he was known to be a man of his word. If I saw any other way, I would’ve taken it, but I had to do what I thought was best.”
“So what am I supposed to do with these feelings? I’m trying to suppress them, but all I can think about is what happened to you. I’m torn between killing everyone I see and just becoming a hermit.”
“My husband,” Chloe said tenderly as she brought him to her bosom and held him close. Kyran shuddered as he noticed that even her skin smelled the same. Again, anger welled up within him. If this was a copy…
“Don’t turn into Scarlet,” she said quietly. “Don’t let rage and anger consume you. It will only end badly. If you really want to see me again, complete the mission. Thorn has our souls. Each and every one that has died under the ether. There is no Paradise or Oblivion for us. We are simply ornaments and trophies on his wall. For us to be together, you have to stop him. Break the ether’s hold over us, and then someday, I can see you in Paradise.”
“We’ve discussed this,” Kyran said, pushing her away gently. “There is no Paradise for me. In the end, we are still torn apart. At least…if I join Thorn, I can see you whenever I like, even if you refuse to talk.”
“So you’re going to do what’s best for you,” Chloe scoffed. “That’s not the man I married.”
“You married a monster. That’s who’s standing before you now.”
“But that monster had the heart of a man, and that’s what drew me to you. You’ve done questionable things, yes. But for me it was all about the intentions. I know I’ve tried to stop you in the past, but that was only when I saw you spending too much time in the dark. None of your actions proved that you’re a bad man. You simply did what others could not. You took our burdens and sleepless nights and replaced them with peace and a clear conscience. No matter how cold you may think you are, you’ve always acted out of love. A monster can’t do such things. It destroys without purpose. It kills without remorse. You are not that monster.”
“You truly don’t want me to stay by your side?”
“Not like this. You know that. If you truly love me so much, then get back out there, stick your eidolon in Thorn’s chest and take that stone from him.”
“Well, that’s a rather violent thing for you to say,” Kyran’s eyes smiled.
“Let’s just say that I’ve had a lot of time to think about the past since I died, and I see your way a little more clearly.”
“Now who’s the monster?” Kyran snickered. “I think our enemies would be more scared of you than I. Imagine a woman in a green sundress giggling uncontrollably while she stabbed them. Very disconcerting.”
“Then perhaps I passed at the right time,” Chloe laughed. “But Kyran, before we part –“
“- why do we have to part so soon?”
“Kyran, time is running out. Thorn’s plan is close to completion and then the world will be thrown into chaos. You have to go. But what I have to tell you really quick is that Thorn is far too powerful for you to face alone, even in stealth. You need our friends and the other four Kingdoms if you have any chance to succeed. Remember that.”
“I will.”
“Then I guess this is good-bye,” she said, lowering her eyes at his coat.
“That’s it…” Kyran said in disbelief. “I just leave now?”
“Yes,” Chloe replied. “And not to sound harsh, but…I really don’t want to see you again until the mission is done, okay?”
“Okay,” Kyran said emotionless, his head dropping behind the collar of his closed trench coat. “Then I guess this is good-bye for now.”
Kyran turned to leave but Chloe grabbed his arm and spun him around until their noses were touching.
“I know you’re not leaving me here all alone without a kiss!”
“Of course not,” Kyran said as he zipped his collar down just enough for his small lips to show. Chloe grabbed his head and slammed her lips into his, tears streaming down her eyes and trying to break through their good-bye. Kyran clenched his jaw and fought the urge to demand more. He let her end the embrace, and then he turned away once again, refusing to look back at the woman he loved. If he was to complete this impossible mission, he had to dismiss all thoughts of her and focus. There could be no emotions now. There was only strategy and careful, meticulous planning…
Chapter 6 – Thorn
“I knew that wouldn’t kill you,” Jester sang as he waited a few yards away from James. James winced as he held the slowly healing wound. He had nearly been cut in half from Jester’s attack, and if the clown had been serious, he could have killed him instantly. Thankfully, he chose to let the game continue, allowing him to use his Quietus regenerative ability.
James was sure it was all a ploy as soon as he realized it wasn’t a fatal blow. Even as he willingly healed the wound, he could hear the whispers from deep within his soul, scratching at its walls, asking him to be released completely. Jester had no mind to kill him, just wound him over and over until he was forced to unleash the Quietus and lose control. Now that Zen-echelon was beginning to make a move, they needed the Sages gone. And what was better than getting one on your side?
James sighed as the last of the wound closed and he could feel the tendons and veins reattach. He grit his teeth and glared at Jester, whistling and running a finger down the face of his silver eidolon.
How could he have an eidolon? It didn’t make any sense. Yet somehow he had gotten power from the Allayan stone…did it happen during the siege?
“Are you done?” Jester yawned. “I don’t have all day.”
“Then why didn’t you just end it?” James shouted.
“You know why,” Jester chuckled. “I want to bring home a new pet for the master. All I need is for you to give in to your Quietus side.”
“This won’t work in your favor,” James said. “I have more self-control than you think.”
“History has said otherwise. I haven’t seen much potential in a little scab like you.”
“You’re right. I’m not much to look at. But one thing I possess that the other Sages don’t is that I’ve been trained by the strongest of them all. She’s taught powerful techniques and strategies that have fallen for a long time on deaf ears. But not me. I embraced them, and trained vigorously for moments just like this. I can’t lose here. And I won’t allow you to take Catherine.”
“So what are you going to do about it? I’ve seen your work in Quietus. You going to build me a house? Can I get an apple tree and maybe a chimney while you’re at - OOO! And a nice soft bed! Listening to you ramble has made me pretty tired.”
“I’ll show you,” James said as he sighed heavily and closed his eyes. He had only seen it once, but that was enough. He had plenty of time to think about it when he was stuck in Quietus with Catherine. It was the only thing that made sense.
The only way Chloe could transform.
James heard a thunderclap in the distance, a rumble from above, and then he saw it envelop him. It was like someone had taken a pitcher the size of a building and just poured a liquid made of light right over him. It splashed at his feet and drowned him in its substance. Once he felt the first drop, he concentrated. His fingertips, his hands, arms, shoulders, chest, neck, head, stomach, hips, legs, feet. Everything was baptized and born anew in raw power and pure energy. His soul had not just erupted from his hands and into the shape of a blade. No, it had exploded and painted his skin. It was only at the end, when he felt that the transformation was complete that he took a small part of that energy and fashioned it into his standard eidolon, though even this was no longer the same. He could already feel that it was more durable, its senses a little
more acute. And what he sensed was disturbing…
Jester…wasn’t human. No…worse…he wasn’t even there. Well, he was there, but…it was like he wasn’t. It was more like a mound of dirt was standing before him, powered by…something strange. He was nothing like anything James had ever felt or met before. Even the Quietus had a soul and essence powering their core. Yes, they may have been made differently, but they were still organic. Jester was more like a rock than anything else in substance. But how was this possible?
“It’s not nice to peek beyond someone’s clothes,” Jester chuckled. “So you’ve figured it out…kind of. I had no clue you were capable of such a transformation. If we knew, you would have been killed with Chloe. I couldn’t show myself until she was gone. She would have figured me out. But no matter. Even with your little change, I just have to make sure you don’t survive. Then our plans will still be in motion.”
“Whatever you are, it doesn’t change the fact that I’ll stop you.”
Jester snickered and relaxed his face, focusing on becoming more serious.
James relaxed his shoulders and stared straight ahead, feeling his new body reverberate with purpose. He was now clothed in a white robe, laced with gold on its edges. His hair had not changed like Chloe’s but a hood now covered it and draped over the upper half of his eyes. His muscles didn’t expand in size but he was undeniably stronger. His thoughts were sharper and clearer. He could see the little vibrations in his enemy’s movements, microscopic shifts under the skin that even he couldn’t know about.
They spoke volumes of his next moves.
He couldn’t read Jester’s thoughts, but he could see the electric sparks, the synapses firing off in the right places. He could tell what “emotions” he was feeling, what kind of actions he thought of taking. He could smell the changes in the air, when a warm current was coming from a literal mile away. He could sense the age of the trees below, how much the pebbles at his feet had eroded. He could sense that Catherine was in a deep sleep, but whatever she dreamed of, it was making her nervous. Most important, however, James understood the Quietus’s King’s proposal to Chloe. It was all so clear.
Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) Page 8