The Dark Kingdom (Sage Trilogy, Book 2)

by St. Clair, Julius

  “We’d rather stay here,” Ms. Jelloine said firmly. Catherine shook her head.

  “No you can’t. Though your hiding place was sufficient at the time, this fire shows no sign of stopping, and we can’t take the time to quench it right now either. Eventually, the flames will spread and consume you.”

  “Who are you to be giving us orders? You’re barely a woman, and James…James is a nobody!”

  “Thanks,” James said, rolling his eyes. “But if you must know, this young woman is the Princess of Allay, and she has full authority to hand out orders.”

  “That’s impossible,” the older woman squinted, but an elderly man touched her forearm gently.

  “No…” the old man said tenderly. “This woman is her. I can see it in her emerald green eyes. What woman in Allay has such eyes? And her hair. It has the locks and curls of her mother. This is Catherine. I’m sure of it.”

  “I can’t believe it!” Ms. Jelloine said in shock as the other villagers murmured amongst themselves.

  “Well, believe it!” a shout rang through the air from above the smoke. James looked up and smiled. Always the grand entrance…

  Dominic hit the ground hard, landing on one knee while his eidolon shone brightly in his right hand. Blazing with a fiery red that made the flames on the houses appear dull, his eidolon rippled with showmanship, a perfect display of power that only one of Dominic’s ego could muster. James shook his head, but he couldn’t deny that he was happy to see the upperclassman. They would need all the help they could get.

  “James,” Dominic scoffed. “Why would you take the Princess, of all places, to the middle of the fray? And why isn’t your eidolon out? Too weak to come out of its shell?”

  “Too powerful,” James spat back as Catherine stepped between them.

  “Are we done now, boys? Dominic, tell me, is there anyone at the Academy? I hear that’s where the enemy is headed.”

  “Just Achan. Arimus had the rest of us do damage control and save any villagers we came across. I just came back from the forest myself. Had to lead most of the Terrs back to their natural habitat.”

  “Good. Then the Academy is where we’re headed next. Take me there.”

  “That’s no place for a Princess.”

  “I gave you an order.”

  “I’ll have to respectfully decline. You are the Princess, but not yet the Queen.”

  “That’s true, I’m not the Queen,” Catherine snapped at him. “But someday I will be, and if you have any hope of sitting on the throne by my side, you better follow my orders now! Do I make myself clear, soldier?!”

  “Geez, Catherine,” Dominic winced, scratching his head. “That’s not very ladylike…but…I’ll take you there.”

  “And what am I supposed to do?” James asked, not feeling too comfortable that Catherine was ready to go back with Dominic so easily.

  “Find your friends,” Catherine said, leaning forward and giving him a pat on the cheek. “They need you.”

  “As you wish,” James said. Catherine leaned in to his ear.

  “And don’t worry. Dominic will be a perfect gentleman - as long as I have this sword held firmly in my grasp.”

  “That’s my girl,” James laughed as Catherine lightly slapped his cheek.

  “Don’t be fresh! And don’t die!” She gave him a serious look as she waved for Dominic to follow her. The two of them climbed back to the rooftops from a wobbly kiosk and then headed to the south where the Academy lay, leaving James to concentrate on his own private task.

  The villagers had left during their conversation so he didn’t have to persuade them any further, and the fire had picked up in strength. It wouldn’t be long before the village square would cease to exist…

  James unsheathed his eidolon and stretched it out, waving it slowly around him, looking for his friends specifically. The thought of checking on his father crossed his mind, but there was really no point. Even if he was in trouble, being ripped apart by a mob of hungry Terrs, he would demand that no one intervene, so that he could die as a true man…whatever that meant.

  James’ eyebrows perked up as he caught a trace of Leidy and Jennings. And from the stench flowing through his nostrils, he could tell they were fighting back several Terrs. A couple other villagers were with them too, but he didn’t waste time identifying them. He had to hurry.

  With a surge of adrenaline pumping through his veins, he leapt to the rooftops once more and started running as fast as he could, as fast as a Sage of his caliber was able. There was no one to protect, therefore no need to hold back. He could run with everything within him.

  The houses became a blur as he ran faster and faster, knowing precisely what steps to take, what weak spots to avoid and the perfect angle to approach his destination. Only his instincts moved him, and as he came upon his friends’ location, he leapt high into the air.

  With his eidolon blazing in his hand, he emerged from over the rooftops and saw the Terrs below. Seven of them. Roaring and snapping at a wounded Jennings, who was swinging a 2x4 plank at their heads. Leidy was nursing a deep cut on her left leg, and the other two villagers, an elderly couple, were cowering in fear behind them.

  James came down upon one Terr like lighting, bringing the eidolon straight through its body. As it split into two, his eidolon reverberated and absorbed the knowledge of their anatomy. Instantly, he knew of their poison, what type of environment they enjoyed based on the moss between their claws and the dirt on their paws. He could identify their species’ pressure points and weaknesses. Especially their propensity to hunt at night. No wonder they stuck to the rooftops. The flames were killing their eyes.

  James brought his eidolon to his chest and increased the brightness, making it blind everyone within a half mile radius. The Terrs roared as he swung through them all, moving his sword like he was conducting a symphony, even adding a powerful intensity to his last swing as if his orchestra had reached the pinnacle of their crescendo. The beast was obliterated, and when the calm took over, he immediately sheathed his eidolon and turned to face his friends.

  Jennings couldn’t believe what he saw and fell to his butt in shock. Leidy ignored her wound and stood the best she could to her feet. Walking slowly to James, she reached forward and caressed his cheek, staring into his still eyes while tears welled up in hers.

  “James?” she sobbed, trying to hold back the mix of emotions, a horrible blend of sorrow, joy and relief. “What are you doing here?”

  James lifted his chin, reached forward and ran his fingers through his hair lovingly.

  “I’m here to save you all.”

  Leidy gave out a short, amused laugh and leaped into his arms, hugging him as tight as her skinny body could muster.

  “I thought you dead, idiot,” she sobbed and laughed in exhaustion into his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t send a letter,” he laughed as Jennings came over and hugged him too.

  “You’ve changed,” Jennings said as strong as he could. Though James’ eidolon was sheathed, there was always a residue of power left behind, enough for his senses to still reach extraordinary levels, if only for a few short seconds. And in those few seconds, he noticed something alarming.

  Without realizing it, he gently pushed Leidy and Jennings aside, and looked over to the elderly couple. They were more afraid of him than they were of the Terrs, but he didn’t care about that. It was the body they were guarding at their feet.

  James looked at the body’s face and felt his heart skip a beat. It was no wonder he couldn’t sense him…he had tried to, but all he could pick up was Jennings and Leidy. Two out of his three friends. James felt Leidy grab his shoulder from behind. He couldn’t face them now. Not with the water accumulating in his eyes. He still had to be strong. His work as a Sage was not yet done…

  “James…” Leidy sobbed, only confirming what he saw. “Korey didn’t make it…”

  * * * * *

  “The Academy is quiet,” Catherine comment
ed as they arrived at the courtyard entrance. “I’m not sure that’s a good sign.”

  “Maybe they haven’t arrived yet,” Dominic said, looking at the pillars that formed a line to the Academy on each side. “But I think we’ll be okay. The recruits are hiding in the gymnasium. As they should be.”

  “United, they have a chance. Where’s Achan?”

  “With them,” Dominic sighed, pointing his eidolon toward the school. “They’re safe.”

  “But are you?” a voice inquired behind them. Catherine and Dominic turned to see their enemy standing before them; the Prattlian putting a smug look upon his smooth face. The hunched over Langoran was stoic, but his muscles were rippling with untamed energy, like he was a volcano on the brink of eruption. He towered high over the pillars of the courtyard, with Dominic and Catherine barely reaching his shins in height. Catherine felt a twinge of nervousness. There was no way a Langoran could be that big, not without some kind of twisted experiment or concoction. Whatever Alexander had done to him, it was unnatural.

  “So, who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?” The Prattlian said in an amused tone. “You are the first non-villagers we’ve come against.”

  “I’m Dominic,” he said boldly. “And I am a Sage.”

  “And I’m Catherine,” she said in the same manner. “The Princess of Allay.”

  “Princess!” The Prattlian laughed. “Wow! I never thought I would have the pleasure of meeting you! Now we’ll have a perfect hostage!”

  “What do you want?” Catherine said with listless eyes.

  “The destruction of Allay,” Alexander said. “Nothing short of it.”

  “Why? We’ve done nothing to you.”

  “Call it my duty,” he laughed. “After what you’ve done to my Langoran friends, what Kyran has done to my people, after the righteousness and truth you dare to claim but really, all of it’s a lie…well, I think my motives are very justified.”

  “What lies?”

  “You know full well what I’m talking about! Don’t stand there, claim you’re the Princess of Allay and profess you’re innocent! You know of the Siege of 88!”

  “Of course I do,” Catherine said casually. “But I was four years old when it happened. And whatever you think we did to justify such a heinous occurrence is off. We were victims that day, and left in a dire state of emergency ever since. Even a minor group, as you’ve proven today, could tear us apart. What I don’t understand is why? Haven’t we suffered enough?”

  “You barely understand the word suffering,” Alexander spat back. “This Kingdom deserves nothing less than annihilation, and I’m here to do just that. After my friend here has killed every last recruit in your Academy, we’ll target each of the Sages until there’s no one left. And then, we’ll finish off the village. Our arson earlier was just to get your notice. I knew that as soon as it happened, you would send off most of your armada to preserve life, leaving the door wide open for me to strike.”

  “See, that’s where you’re wrong,” Dominic said. “I don’t think you get it. The moment you came face to face with a Sage, you lost. And that time is now.”

  “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think Keel was prepared,” Alexander chuckled. “But be my guest.”

  The aura of Dominic’s eidolon grew in intensity as the fiery red began to ripple across the blade’s surface. Alexander and Keel were unimpressed.

  “Catherine, stand back,” Dominic ordered and she reluctantly obeyed. Alexander blew her a kiss as she rolled her eyes.

  “Be careful, Dominic,” she said.

  “Don’t even worry.”

  Dominic ran towards the gigantic monster known as Keel as Alexander backed away to give them space. Keel raised a foot the size of a small house and tried to squash Dominic with his might, but the Sage-in-training was too quick for it and jumped upwards, using the giant’s raised knee as a launching pad. Flying higher up into the air, Dominic flexed his arms and threw all of his weight into a downward stroke, right into Keel’s extended left arm. The eidolon cut through and continued sinking deeper until it was nearly on the other side when something horrible happened.

  The descent came to a halt.

  Dominic watched in horror as Keel’s flesh began to regenerate, renewing itself even as his eidolon rested upon it. Before he could react, the arm suddenly became whole and he and his eidolon were bounced away from the recoil, right into Keel’s right palm. Keel squeezed his victim tight as Dominic winced under the pressure, trying to swing his sword with his dangling hands, but he couldn’t budge. Alexander laughed from below.

  “I heard a true Sage can phase his eidolon out from any part of his body,” Alexander chuckled. “After all, it is his soul. But I’m guessing that you’re still in training.”

  “Right,” Dominic muttered as he closed his eyes and concentrated. Keel grunted and mumbled something to his master.

  “He’s getting heavy?” Alexander scoffed. “Not this again. We have another one?”

  Still holding Dominic tight, Keel’s right fist slammed into the courtyard floor as Dominic continued to struggle against the grip.

  “It’s one of my abilities,” Dominic grunted as he grit his teeth and pushed against the giant’s fingers. “It’s called Lock. I can…make mine or another’s sword as heavy as I want, just by willing it!”

  With a shout and one last push, Dominic broke free and rolled away. The giant swung his huge fists at Dominic one after the other as the Sage dodged them with ease. The pillars of the courtyard began crumbling under the power of his blows. Catherine stared with contempt at the sword in her hand. What good was she without her eidolon? She had fought so hard to unleash it, and how could she know that when she infused the stone into her body it would suppress her Sage abilities?

  “Hey!” Catherine shouted out to Alexander, getting his attention. Alexander pointed to his chest as the Princess nodded. “Yes, you! Why don’t we settle this between the two of us!”

  “I’d much rather watch, thank you,” he shouted as Dominic ducked under one of Keel’s blows, came behind him, jumped high into the air and slashed down his back with all his might. The giant barely acknowledged the blow and spun around awkwardly, taking more pillars with him in the process. Keel grunted in frustration as Dominic came at him again, ready to jump on one of Keel’s arms the next time he punched. But Keel was waiting for him.

  “Checkmate, Princess!” Alexander called out as Catherine watched the fight in confusion. Right as Dominic leapt into the air to step onto Keel’s right arm, the giant suddenly…shrank.

  In the blink of an eye, Keel transformed down to the size of a regular human being, barely six feet tall. He suddenly attacked Dominic’s midsection with a deadly barrage of punches and kicks, increasing the intensity with each passing second. The Sage was still in shock when Keel delivered the last roundhouse kick, sending him to the gravel and clutching his stomach in agony.

  WHAT WAS THAT? Dominic thought in alarm as he tried standing to his feet. Already he could see his sword flickering, its aura dimming with each gust of wind that brushed past it. He glanced up and squinted through his sweat filled eyes at the giant, not much taller than himself. Keel was still quivering uncontrollably, the energy of the Langoran struggling to break free, to explode and revert him back to a more fitting frame, but Dominic had been wounded to the point of paralysis. Each of Keel’s punches had felt like he was being hit with a tree. No training had prepared him for such brutality.

  But he couldn’t fail now. There was too much pride at stake. And Catherine was counting on him. She could be taken captive without his intervention and it would be all his fault. He tried to rise, but his body refused, and he watched in horror as Keel couldn’t contain his energy any longer, his muscles bursting like bubbles and his size expanding at a rapid rate. It took only seconds for the giant to change back to his original form.

  “I don’t think you’ll be able to dodge that foot,” Alexander chuckled as Keel began to raise hi
s foot over the fallen Sage.

  A sword suddenly hit him between his middle toes.

  Keel bellowed in pain as he clutched his precious foot and fell onto his bottom. Alexander jumped under the shock of the crash and looked for the source of the attack. Only Catherine remained, coming out of a throwing knife position. But she looked different than before.

  Her hair was shooting up into the air at all angles, her locks straightened and spiked as each strand glowed an electric purple. Her eyes were still green but her stare had changed from worry to that of determination and willpower. Her body had not grown or increased in strength, but it was now glowing the same electric purple aura her hair was, coloring the wind whenever a breeze rolled past. Patches of her skin were now revealing strange symbols and tattoos, shining a hot white as if she had been branded by the sun. She clenched her fists tightly and tried to hold back the power slipping from her very pores.

  Alexander didn’t know what to make of this…

  “What are you?” he asked, slightly nervous. Catherine took one step forward, her aura and purple winds following her like a bride’s train. Raw energy began circling her wrists like bracelets and her body like little fairies zipping around in earnest.

  “A consequence,” she said firmly, her voice echoing as if it came from another world. Alexander took a deep breath and maintained his stance. Keel rose to his feet and prepared to face his new challenger.

  “Are you a Sage?” Alexander asked.

  “Not anymore,” she said. “This is the power of Allay.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I carry the stone, and you have just broken the seal.”

  Before he could say another word, Catherine ran to Keel with blinding speed and hovered in the air before he could react. The giant’s eyes widened at the strange sight and his mouth opened as Catherine cocked back her fist and then hit Keel with all the strength her small frame could muster. An explosion of purple and green light erupted on impact, and the giant toppled over, and onto his back, unconscious the moment Catherine had connected her fist to his face.