The two servants bowed and then took Scarlet off Thorn’s hands, carrying her into the bedroom where Kyran and Chloe had talked earlier. The door shut as Thorn clapped his hands together to wipe off the dirt, then he began climbing the stairs in front of them, motioning for Kyran to follow.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “This isn’t a trap. I have no reason to hide my intentions towards you.”
Kyran followed the King cautiously. The stairs spiraled up and up until they reached the tenth floor by Kyran’s count. Thorn smiled back and then opened the door in front of them. Kyran noted that none of the floors below had an actual walkway beyond the stairs. Each “floor” only possessed a room.
They walked inside and Kyran tried to not look impressed at the grand hall that lay before him. Red and gold carpeted the floor and checkered the tiles on the ceiling. Chandeliers overcrowded the space and banged into each other up above as Kyran saw Thorn motion toward the center. There were two massive thrones sitting in the middle of the room facing each other. Kyran inspected the room for irregularities but found none. It didn’t mean they weren’t there; just that Thorn was powerful enough to know how to fool a Sage. Kyran remained on guard but appeared relaxed as he sat down without a moment’s hesitation into one of the chairs. Thorn sat in the opposite seat and swung a leg into his lap. Kyran noticed that the King didn’t care to remove his muddy clothes, even in such an elegant chamber.
“This room is my conversation piece,” Thorn said as he studied Kyran’s face. “When one enters, they immediately have a million questions. Why are the chandeliers so close? Why are there two thrones in the middle? What’s with the color scheme? When can I see my loved on again? Why are you doing this? Please can I go now...so many questions…”
“Hmm.” Kyran allowed himself to say. Thorn smiled again.
“So did you enjoy your time with Chloe? Or are you not convinced it’s her?”
“It’s her,” he said flatly.
“So you’re aware that she’ll be given back to you if you align with me?”
“I am.”
“And?”
“I accept.”
“Oh, just like that?” Thorn smiled. “So ready to betray your friends and join the enemy that seeks to overtake this world?”
“Maybe you’re the one that needs a reason to trust,” Kyran replied. “If you’ve watched me…if you know me so well, then you know that I mean what I say. And I’ve lost my only reason to exist in this world. I have no allegiance but to myself.”
“Your abundance of words makes me nervous.”
“Take it as you will.”
“Don’t be so uptight, Kyran. We’re just talking,” Thorn gave a smug smile. “But I am curious. How do you intend to prove your loyalty?”
“Simple. I bring you the stones.”
“You’re willing to give me the only weapons your friends have against me?”
“I assume you cannot retrieve it yourself easily, or else you would have done it by now.”
“This is true. I’m not very fond of the dirty work. I do have minions for that.”
“Then that is how my loyalty will be proven,” Kyran said without emotion. Thorn eyed him curiously before continuing the conversation.
“Though that will provide the finishing touches on our agreement, I would like to tell you a little about myself before you make such a rash decision. Joining me, while wise, isn’t the best choice if you intend on betraying me. I can easily wish you had never been born.”
“I wish that every day,” Kyran said. “So you would be doing me a favor.”
“Nevertheless, let me show you something.” Thorn clapped his hands and a female servant in a black nightgown appeared from behind Kyran. The servant continued walking until she stood between them and then bowed gracefully. “Kyran, does she look real to you?”
“Yes,” he replied.
“And you would be correct in a sense. But she’s not real like your Chloe or Scarlet’s Lem. She is, for lack of a better description – a figment of my imagination. For example –“
Thorn snapped his fingers and the woman immediately disappeared. Kyran was unimpressed.
“I’ve seen this before,” he said as Thorn raised his eyebrows.
“Ah, yes, that’s right. James and Chloe are capable of parlor tricks, but I assure you, I am much more powerful. Tell me, can either of them produce this?”
Thorn snapped his fingers again, and behind Kyran appeared a jagged stone giant who immediately reached down and grabbed Kyran by his arms. The twelve foot monstrosity held him up in the air and Kyran tried to kick at its blank face, but his struggling was useless. The giant began to stretch his arms out and Kyran began to fear the worst when Thorn snapped his fingers again and the giant suddenly vanished. The assassin dropped to the floor on one knee and began rubbing his shoulders. Thorn chuckled as sat back comfortably in his chair.
“Are you convinced of my power now? Just think about it. My power is limited only by my imagination. Your Allayan stone isn’t capable of such feats, and now you see the gravity of your situation. At my whim, I can command an army to carry out my wishes.”
“I think you’re trying very hard to intimidate me,” Kyran said as he sat down in his throne chair. “But that’s unnecessary. I already said I would join you. With this new information though, I have to ask, how did you come by so much power?”
“As I’ve said before – through much suffering…let me tell you a truth, Kyran. One that will be good of you to adhere to while considering whether to align with me or your friends…see, everyone is born the same. A fragile child thrust into a world of danger and torment. I was no different. But I figured out a truth early on that has guided my every principle.”
“And what is that?”
“I go all in with what I aspire to do. Let me explain further. See, everyone has goals and dreams of course, but too often it gets too difficult. There’s too much pain or suffering to go through to reach it so they quit. Others don’t even begin their journey in the first place. But I was determined to see my plan come to fruition. To become a god is no easy feat, and though it seemed impossible, I realized that I wouldn’t know until I tried. In order to even begin walking this path, I realized I would have to devote my soul to one purpose: mastering the stone of Zen-echelon.
“No one really asks where these stones come from, all they recognize is its destructive qualities. A long time ago, I understood that these stones were far too complex to just be another rock. And such complexity could only mean that they were alive. Of course, this made my goals even further from my reach since I now had to invest in a relationship.”
“I don’t understand,” Kyran replied.
“You’re in love, aren’t you?” Thorn replied with a grin. “And I assume you know your wife well, don’t you?”
“I like to believe so.”
“That kind of knowledge could have only come with constant interaction and study. Of course, you’re guided more by emotion and lust than a scientific inquiry, but the results are the same in some retrospect. You gain intimate and sensitive information that no one else in this world knows - on some levels, you may not even know. The way her eyes may shine when she sees something that interests her, the little non-verbal cues, the slight variations in her laughs that speak to you in ways words cannot explain. To be in love is a subject that has yet to be understood and yet it’s still there, in our face, all around us, whether you believe in it or accept it. The stones are no different. Once I determined this stone of Zen-echelon was alive, I fell in love with her. I wanted to know everything about her, all her secrets, all her desires and wishes. I wasn’t just using her anymore. I wanted to be with her.”
“It’s a stone,” Kyran said flatly. “A source of power. Like a tool.”
“And that’s why you all fail to achieve my level of power,” Thorn said. “You treat her like a whore when she should be your lover and confidant. Of course at first she wouldn’t just give me
her maximum power just because I whispered sweet nothings into her cold exterior. No, I had to prove my worth, subjecting myself to exhausting sessions with her, enduring physical and emotional pain, allowing myself to commit heinous acts and evil crimes against my fellow man.”
“Why would committing evil acts matter?” Kyran asked.
“Oh, you haven’t figured it out?” Thorn said with wide eyes. “It’s simple actually. If there is a Paradise and an Oblivion, then there is a Maker and a Dark One. One supposedly good and the other evil, depending on your view of things. Well, if I was to become a god, of course it makes sense that I would have to replace one of them. I decided to focus first on the Dark One.”
“Why?”
“Because of what I could gain in the short term. Doing good deeds and being nice to your fellow man may get you into Paradise but it hardly gains you power. The Dark One is desperate to overthrow the Maker, however. Therefore, he has much power to offer to the interested. I did every evil thing I could think of, tainting my soul to the base of its core. You name it, I’ve done it. I was limited only by my imagination. Some were horrendous to me at first. Others gave me a new sense of self, but I became an expert in them all. As I grew more powerful, eventually the Dark One showed himself, seeing a potential new general to lead his growing undead army. Of course, he didn’t expect me to be such a master of the stone. You see, because it’s ultimately the Maker that decides whether one goes to Paradise or Oblivion, he has all the control. The Dark One is just a sulking child waiting for his chance to throw a glass of milk off the counter and irritate him. He has no say in the dealings of the afterlife. He is just a warden. We as humans however, are limited only by our mortality. With my expertise of the stone at my disposal, not even the Dark One could stop me.”
“Excellent story,” Kyran snickered behind his collar.
“Believe me or not, it doesn’t change the fact it’s true. Your wife believes in the Maker and the Dark One. I’m surprised you haven’t joined her in this presumption.”
“Just finish your story. Perhaps you will convince me.”
“Well, with the Dark One subdued and imprisoned in an undisclosed location, I created the ether, while also taking on Oblivion’s souls for my own. The ether would slowly but surely take the Maker’s souls from him, while those that went to Oblivion would automatically belong to me.”
“So you eventually will have all the souls…well, the ones that died under the ether.”
“Yes,” Thorn said happily, leaning forward in his chair. “Exactly! And once this world is under my control…when I’m certain that I can make a move, I’ll bring an army to Paradise’s door and overthrow the Maker himself.”
“Not only does this sound ridiculous, but that plan would take far too long. You will die well before you’ve created an army that large.”
“I’ve come to that conclusion,” Thorn nodded. “It’s why I created the Quietus. Once ordinary human beings, they were spliced and altered into the creatures you know today, all to achieve one purpose: to cheat death. I’m sure you’re aware of their ability to lengthen their lifespan by absorbing and eating others.”
“I’m aware…but the Quietus have been around for centuries.”
“And I am a lot older than you think. Kyran, this plan has been in effect before you were even born. It’s just unfortunate that you had to come into the world when it reached its final stages. I am in no danger of dying, and the Maker won’t attack me unless provoked. It’s part of the whole free will thing. I can do as I please here as long as I stay neutral. And I don’t intend to make a move against him until my odds of victory are quite high. Once I’ve destroyed over 80% of the world, I will use the remaining 20% to breed and produce more bodies that I can eventually kill and turn into my own spiritual soldiers. It will take a long time, yes, but I will have enough someday. The genocide of you and your people is only the first step in the master plan.”
“And what do I get out of this?”
“Instead of being murdered and made into just a soul under my control, I will allow you to live with your wife…forever. You can extend your life through my methods and start a little Kingdom of your own if you choose, as long as you know I’m watching over you, and at any time I sense mutiny you will all be annihilated.”
“You would bring her back to life?”
“Of course. All I ask is that you help me make phase one a success. Anything after, I’ll handle myself. Your services will no longer be required.”
“You’re serious,” Kyran said in as much awe as possible. “This is what all this trouble has been about. You…becoming our new Maker.”
“In a nutshell, yes.”
“But why? You’ve found a way to cheat death. You have the power to create. Why ruin everyone’s lives?”
“Because the Maker deserves to die,” Thorn said. It was the first time Kyran didn’t see him smile. “At the least, he should be thrown into a prison like the Dark One. Just because he created us, it doesn’t mean we should just bow down and lick his boots like we’re ever so grateful. I hate this planet. I hate the facades and the politics and the phoniness. Give anyone on this planet my power and you’ll find that they will chart a path no different than mine, maybe even worse. At least I have a purpose. At least I plan out my actions. But I don’t need to justify myself to you.”
“But you still haven’t said why,” Kyran stressed. “What started this?”
“My wife,” Thorn said, beginning to seethe. “This is why I am aware of love’s hold over a human being. She was my all, and he took her away from me. Surely a man like you can understand.”
“But the Maker doesn’t have my wife,” Kyran said. “You do.”
“But you understand what loss does to a man, don’t you? We’re not much different, you and I…she was a wonderful woman…full of life…and she was the only thing keeping me sane, giving me the little faith I had left in humanity. She died only a year after we were married…and of a trivial disease…a common cold that she just couldn’t seem to break. Her body just gave up one day…and I couldn’t believe my eyes. She had worshipped the Maker to no end, even getting me to consider the possibility of his goodness…I prayed so often…but, her death was in a sense, mine. Back then, Zen-echelon was more than a house…but that doesn’t matter. I knew what I wanted, and I took it. It took years, but eventually I gained the trust of the King of Zen-echelon, and his wife. Killing them was easy enough…taking their stone, harnessing its power…wiping out the entire Kingdom to increase my years…that was harder…but…that was a long time ago.”
“How could you use the power without a carrier?” Kyran asked. Thorn smiled once again.
“I have had many carriers over the years. They usually don’t last more than a few years with the amount of power I put out on a daily basis but I always have spares to swap into when I see the end is near. Have to keep training, you know. But I’ve gotten better at only using the stone when I absolutely need to now. It also makes easier for me. I don’t have to lie and persuade a woman so much to love me. Then there’s the whole marriage ceremony. That gets old after a while.”
“But how are you able to maintain the connection between carrier and user after your new wife finds out what you are?”
“Marriage is like a seal. A bond that gets placed upon the soul until death. Even when she has lost her love for me and learned of my true intentions, the seal is still in place. And besides, they usually have no time to work on breaking it. By then they are well drugged and made docile.”
“Where is your carrier now?”
“Ah-ah,” Thorn said, waving a finger at him. “No amount of trust requires me to disclose that information.”
“Fair enough.”
“Anyways, to continue my proposition…” Thorn suddenly leapt to his feet and shot his head out towards the ceiling, his eyes widening as a maniacal grin came over his lips. Kyran remained frozen in anxiety. What had he just sensed that made him so happy?
Had the other Sages been killed? Had Catherine been apprehended?
Thorn turned to Kyran with the same grin and placed both fists on his hips.
“It appears our time together is complete. Please take Scarlet and go retrieve my stones. I’ll be watching.”
“What happened?” Kyran asked in alarm. “What did you see?”
“The ether is finished,” Thorn sighed with relief. “And the time for waiting is over. Before the next 24 hours is over, my genocide will begin, and I don’t want any hiccups. Scarlet will be in the lobby. Please go now. I must prepare.”
Kyran stood up, bowed to the King and then turned to leave. He refused to look back as Thorn watched him. It was beginning… and he had come no closer to retrieving the stone of Zen-echelon than when he had first arrived. It was pointless trying at this juncture. If everything Thorn claimed about himself was true, then they were facing an enemy equivalent to a god, and no one could have possibly prepared for it. He had to regroup with Arimus and the others. They had to find the stones and launch an assault of their own. It was their only hope, and it was a faint one at best.
Kyran fought back a shudder as he clenched his jaw. He had just only begun to feel, and already he was coming up against an emotion that nearly crippled him the entire time he was in Thorn’s presence: a fear that showed no signs of leaving…
Chapter 7 – The Kingdom of Prattle
“Are you sure you don’t want to stop at the lodge?” Arimus asked from behind. Catherine shook her head vehemently and James ran up ahead to her side.
“Hey, maybe we should stop,” James whispered to her. “Arimus doesn’t look too good.”
“I know that,” Catherine said. “But we can’t afford it, and that stubborn man wouldn’t stand for it if he found out that’s the reason we stopped anyways. No, we move on. Once we get the stone from Prattle, then we can go back to the lodge.”
Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) Page 10