Of Heroes And Villains (Book 4)

by Julius St. Clair

  “You’re making stuff up,” James muttered, manifesting his white eidolon into his right hand. “That was probably just some Langoran strength.”

  “Fine. I’ll do it again. This time, you tell me it’s merely Langoran. Again, when you wake up, please make sure you give that message to the Queen, or you can watch, as I slowly cut off her head. The choice is yours.” James swung his eidolon at the Sage with all his might, and Lakrymos blocked it with his forearm, shattering it to pieces on impact. Lakrymos then reached forward and shoved a hand into the middle of James’ torso. James cried out in agony as Lakrymos slowly took his hand out.

  In Lakrymos’ hand was James’ black eidolon. Lakrymos examined the blade as James tried to reach for it haphazardly. Lakrymos kicked him backwards to the ground, then he took the black eidolon, and smashed it over his knee. He walked over to James, picked him up by his collar, and began punching him in the face. Over, and over, and over again.

  James’ Sage robes slowly disintegrated with each blow, tearing off into pieces, and becoming one with the atmosphere. It didn’t take long before James was back in his normal clothes. Lakrymos shook his head and then threw James to the ground.

  “And that,” he said to Orchid, “was the cornerstone of their resistance.”

  Chapter 19 – Deliberation

  “And that is why I called you here,” Catherine sighed, leaning back into her chair.

  “I thought we were finished with all of this,” Zain, King of Languor replied, leaning onto his elbows. “When we agreed to destroy the stones, I thought it was the end. How did more stones appear?”

  “I don’t know,” Catherine said, holding up the stone in the palm of her hand. “But this is definitely real.”

  “So what are they, magical?” Zain asked, turning to the King of Prattle, Tyuin. Tyuin was deep in thought, his head fallen into his chest.

  “If they are alive, it still doesn’t make sense how more appear. Would you say they are alive, Catherine? You had one inside of you for quite some time.”

  “I would say to a degree,” she said. “There is definitely something there, but I never thought of it as sentient. More like we would view the grass.”

  “It makes more sense that someone is replacing the stones, but who? If someone truly has that power, it’s quite unnerving.”

  “We should probably just destroy every set,” Zain said, crossing his arms. “Every single set that appears.”

  “I’m not so sure,” Catherine said. “Think about it. If there can be rogue Sages, then there could certainly be other factions that arise in the future. If these stones keep reappearing, and these factions get a hold on them, they will be the ones in power. All they have to do is wait us out while the generations after us lose their abilities. Then they can take us easily and do what they will.”

  “So you’re actually considering using these things?” Zain said in shock.

  “She makes a good case,” Tyuin lamented. “We should.”

  “Then who carries it?” Zain asked, throwing his hands up in the air.

  “Tyuin should,” Catherine said to Zain. “With the rogue Sages out there, I can’t afford to, and your Kingdom is quite strong on its own right now. Tyuin is the only one that still needs help in getting his people back on their feet. They are still few in number compared to us. That’s my vote.”

  “Fine,” Zain said, shrugging his shoulders. “It makes sense.”

  “Thank you,” Tyuin said with a nod, taking the stone and keeping it between his hands beneath the table. “I’ll make sure to consult both of you if I ever make a decision concerning its use, and of course, your people are free to glean from it whenever they like.”

  “So,” Zain said. “These rogue Sages. What do we do about them?”

  “I need you and your guards to keep an eye out for them,” Catherine said. “We’re not even entirely sure if they exist. The Quietus could have made them up.”

  “When are you going to free the Quietus?” Zain asked.

  “Soon,” she said, clearing her throat. “I know it was a terrible decision, but I had to act quickly.”

  “We understand,” Tyuin chipped in. “We would have done the same, or worse,” he said, turning to Zain. Zain laughed heartily and reached over to pat his friend on the shoulder.

  “Ah, you know me too well,” he laughed again.

  “When the Quietus are freed though,” Catherine said, leaning forward on the table. “We have to give them a fair chance. We shouldn’t intimidate them.”

  “You mean more than you have already?” Zain winked at her.

  “Yes,” Catherine sighed, leaning back into her chair. “Exactly that.”

  “MY QUEEN!” Talia yelled, bursting into the room. “We have a problem!” Zhou came into the room with James in his arms, as if the Master Sage was a sleeping baby. He was barely conscious, his clothes were stained with blood, and his body was bruised. His face—was nearly unrecognizable. Catherine covered his mouth in horror as James’ listless eyes met hers. He could barely move his lips to speak.

  “On the table!” Catherine ordered, and Zhou placed him gently down onto it. Zain and Tyuin stood to their feet and off to the side. Catherine examined James’ body carefully, ripping his shirt and looking for any fatal wounds. Whatever wound had caused all the blood had been healed, but that still didn’t mean James was okay.

  “What happened?” she yelled at Zhou. He didn’t flinch.

  “A woman, dressed in all black threw him, and another student, into the Sage Academy courtyard. She just left them there. The students found them and notified me immediately. I didn’t have time to pursue.”

  “She was wearing a black Sage robe?”

  “Yes, according to the students.”

  “And the other student with James?”

  “A girl named Shanelle. She wasn’t as badly wounded, but it was apparent that her stomach had been cut open recently. The wound is healed but there’s still a scar. She’s still unconscious. I don’t know who could have done this to James.”

  “Agreed,” she said, with a heavy sigh. James tried to reach up and take her hand. She grabbed it for him and leaned in close to his lips.

  “Lakrymos,” he whispered. “Take…kingdom. Twenty…four hours.”

  “Lakrymos?” she scowled. “The legendary Sage of Old?”

  “He’s delirious,” Zain offered, but Catherine shook her head.

  “Whether he is or not, something happened to him, and something may be coming here to attack the rest of us. If they were dropped off on Allay’s doorstep, they know where we live.”

  “James took a group of eight with him,” Zhou replied. “Only he and the girl returned. The others may be dead.”

  “And they were some of our strongest recruits too,” Talia said, biting a fingernail. “What do we do now?”

  “James mentioned 24 hours,” Catherine said. “That’s what we’re going to go off of.”

  “And what exactly are we preparing for?”

  “Anything we can think of.”

  * * *

  The news of James’ defeat spread quickly throughout the Kingdom of Allay. Before Bastion and Arimus could even reach the village square, they had heard several accounts. All of them mentioning a female Sage, wearing a black robe, and of a battered James—being ditched in the Sage Academy’s courtyard. After they heard a few tales in passing, they both assumed that at least some of it had to be true. Arimus unleashed his eidolon for guidance, and then they ran to the castle as fast as they could, neither one talking to the other of what it could all mean.

  Bastion’s mind was racing. What kind of power could these Sages possibly possess to defeat James? Then again, he was stronger than James…were they young Sages like he? Did they have knowledge about becoming a Sage that he lacked?

  Arimus ran into the castle, and he didn’t stop once he hit the throne room. With Bastion right behind him, he kept up the speed, until his eidolon told him where James was specifical
ly located. Running into the deliberation room, they found James on the table, slowly lifting his head up and looking around. Catherine glanced over at them for a second, and then she turned her attention back to her husband.

  “Just take it a step at a time,” she said softly, helping to keep his head up with her hands. “Just keep on healing.”

  “Let me down,” he managed to say, and she lowered his head gently. James began breathing heavily as he looked around the room the best he could. “Lakrymos is alive.” He took another breath and scowled. “When Thorn died, the evil souls were released.”

  “But Lakrymos was a champion for the people,” Talia said, to which Catherine held up a finger for her to be quiet.

  “He’s not,” James said, closing his eyes. “And he’ll prove it. He’s using a man named Ephai to create a manifestation shell for him. I don’t know how he’s constantly maintaining the shell…”

  “I don’t think anyone’s ever tried putting a soul into a manifestation,” Arimus said. “Perhaps it is Lakrymos’ soul that is keeping the shell whole, even after Ephai calls it back.”

  “No. The shell is still part of this Ephai’s soul,” Talia said. “There’s no way Lakrymos’ will could just keep it whole. They must have Ephai controlled somehow, or, and this is the most likely case, he’s lying, and there’s more to his form than he’s willing to admit.”

  “Of course there is,” Catherine sighed. “What else, James?”

  “He wants the Kingdom, in order to stop some incoming force called Yama. He claims they will enslave us all, and they’re due to arrive within a year. Only his rule can help us become the warriors we need to be in order to have a chance.”

  “Has anyone heard of these Yama?” Catherine asked the room. Everyone shook their heads.

  “Supposedly,” James groaned, sitting up. “They live across the sea. But they know about us somehow.”

  “And do you believe him?”

  “About the Yama? I don’t know,” James rubbed his chest. “He claimed there was one more group of people called Delilah. He didn’t say much about them, but he says he knows how to use their abilities. I don’t know how he acquired it though, unless he had traveled there himself at some point. He literally reached inside of me and ripped out one of my eidolons.”

  “Can you get it back?” Catherine asked in alarm. James stuck his hand out, and the black eidolon suddenly appeared, catching the room off guard. The moment they recovered from the shock, he sheathed it again.

  “I can, because it’s a part of me, but the fact that he was able to at the time…I don’t know. He was able to wield it and everything.”

  “You think he can use our own abilities against us?”

  “It seems like it, and while weakening us in the process. When he ripped it out of me, it felt like he had taken an organ. I got considerably weaker.”

  “And the other Sages?”

  “Dead,” James huffed. “He allowed me to only keep one alive. The other Sage, Orchid, was just kind of his back up. Lakrymos is ridiculously strong though. It’s going to take all of us to even have a chance, and we only have 24 hours to prepare. Whether we’re ready or not, he’s coming to take Allay.”

  “I’ll have to speak to the people,” Catherine said, and James grabbed her arm.

  “And tell them everything?”

  “That’s how we operate. Now that we know the situation, we can move forward.”

  “They don’t know what Lakrymos is. What if they want to honor his request, just because of the legendary status? What if they elect him as King just because he’s a celebrity?”

  “Then that is what the people want,” she said. “Isn’t it what the people want all along? Aren’t they whom we serve?”

  “We do,” James said. “But…I don’t know. Should we let their lives be decided on what amounts to a popularity contest?”

  “It doesn’t matter what we want,” Catherine said. “It’s what they want. The only reason I kept the stone part a secret was because we didn’t even know if it was true yet, and it wouldn’t have been fair to make a decision about it without consulting our allies. But now, it is up to the people what happens from here on out. If we act against their wishes, under the declaration that we are saving them from themselves, how is it any different than what Lakrymos wants to do? Whether he’s right or wrong, it doesn’t matter, the people get to decide their fate, and how much of their rights they are willing to gain or lose.”

  James sighed and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll try.”

  Bastion closed his eyes and tried his best to keep his feelings hidden. Surrounded by Sages, he was afraid they would pick up on it. But he couldn’t say what was on his mind. What was Catherine thinking? Surprising enough, he agreed with James for once. The people were gossipers and loved to be entertained. They had unrealistic views about the world around them, and now, the Kingdom’s fate was about to be decided off of a hope—that an entire people could be trusted to make an objective, wise decision. It was a miracle they had all lasted as long as they did. Wasn’t everything situational? Why must the same actions be taken with each conflict? Wasn’t there room to change? To take a chance on another course of action?

  They were probably better off figuring out a way to defeat Lakrymos. They didn’t have to fight him face to face. They had time to prepare an alternative plan. But they were so busy trying to make sure the people were happy first. Even if the people didn’t want Lakrymos as their King, the vote wouldn’t matter once he took it by force.

  Bastion sighed and kept his eyes on the scene before him—of the love between Catherine and James, and the contemplative looks of their colleagues. What was his decision in all of this? Where did he stand? Should he run away? Die fighting? Just become a villager and hope for the best? He didn’t know what the answer was, but he knew he had to make a decision soon, and one that he could live with. As everyone around him kept saying—he was destined for greatness. Maybe it was about time to see if that was true.

  Chapter 20 – Our Darkest Hour

  The people was confused. Where were the tables and benches? The music and the seasoned meat? Where was the laughter and the smiles, and why, above all, did the Queen look so solemn? As they poured into the dining hall, one by one, the murmurs and the speculation grew louder. Catherine, her parents, and all of the Master Sages stood in front, all in a line—simply waiting for enough of the village to enter. The Kings of Languor and Prattle had each returned to their respective Kingdoms, to decide upon their own course of action.

  Bastion stood in the middle of the crowd. He hadn’t expected to be standing with the Queen, but it was strange being with the village now, given that he was the only one among them with knowledge as to what was going on. He crossed his arms and waited for the rest of the people to pour in around him. A tap on his shoulder broke his thoughts.

  “Hey!” Bastion said, turning to see Kent and Daisy. “How are you guys!”

  “We missed you, big shot,” Kent laughed. “What happened to you?”

  “You’re about to find out,” Bastion said, his face dropping.

  “That bad?” Daisy asked.

  “Let’s just say that we’re going to have to make some serious adult decisions after this announcement. I just hope the Queen knows what she’s doing.”

  “I wasn’t there to see it, but I heard from Dill that James and Shanelle had been thrown into the courtyard, and they were badly beaten…do you know what happened to the others?”

  “Dead,” Bastion said. Daisy’s eyes went wide. “I wasn’t there. I was off on another mission with Arimus, but…I wish I had been.”

  “You might have died too,” Daisy said, giving him a hug. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “So what is it?” Kent asked, a tremble in his voice. “Did one of the Kingdoms attack us? I would have heard if it was Languor.”

  “No, it’s not,” Bastion said. “It’s a lot worse than that.”

  “Well, whatever ha
ppens, we stick together, right?”

  “Right,” Bastion smiled. “We’re a team.”

  “With how serious all of this sounds,” Kent laughed nervously. “We might have to expand.”

  A round of hushes and dying murmurs went throughout the crowd. A guard brought over a table for the Queen to stand on. She climbed up on top of it, folded her hands, and took a deep breath. The crowd fell silent.

  “My people,” she said, looking into their faces. “I know that this is disconcerting. I would prefer laughing and singing with you than giving you bad news. But as your Queen, it is a duty that I must perform. As you have probably heard—my husband, Master James, and a young Sage, Shanelle, was found unconscious in the courtyard of the Sage Academy. They had been sent on a mission to retrieve the stones of power.”

  A murmur went throughout the crowd as the villagers looked at each other with confused faces. Stones of power? Weren’t they destroyed?

  “The stones of power have returned somehow,” Catherine said. “Four have been destroyed, but one is still in our possession. We gave it to the King of Prattle because—“

  “WHAT?!” Val shouted from the midst. Catherine’s eyes searched for the source of the outcry and it fell on the Order member. “You gave the ONLY stone to another Kingdom?”

  “I will explain,” Catherine said, holding up her hand. “If you would just give me the opportunity.” The crowd began whispering among themselves as the Queen continued. “I gave it to the Prattlians to hold for now, because it was believed that we had traitors in our midst. Recently…under an investigation, we found a group of Quietus—“The crowd began murmuring louder. Catherine raised her voice. “—we found a group of Quietus in the ruins of Old Prattle. They told us of a pair of Sages that had come to them, requesting their assistance so that they could take back what was theirs. Those Quietus are currently locked in our prison.”

  A handclap from Val and a couple of villagers echoed throughout the room. Soon, the entire village in attendance followed suit. Catherine sighed wearily and looked over to James. With pursed lips, he nodded toward her. No point backing off now. When the noise died down, she continued.