Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3)

by Julius St. Clair

“We need to leave now while he’s recovering,” Arimus said. “He’s overpowered us.”

  “Then follow me,” Catherine huffed as she stood up straight. “There’s an escape route behind the castle. We can meet up with the other Prattlians there.”

  “Let’s go,” James ordered, grabbing her hand and leading her towards the back. Arimus followed quickly, giving only one last glance at the destruction of Prattle. No more than an hour had passed since the first attack, and a whole Kingdom had been destroyed, its people displaced, and the enemy…no weaker than when they had first arrived. All the creatures they had faced had lacked a life force so how much had they actually accomplished? What hope did the other Kingdoms actually have against such an enemy?

  “You go on ahead,” Arimus called out to them. James turned around in rage.

  “NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

  “Just go. I’ll catch up,” the old Sage replied. “I have to learn more about our enemy.”

  “And we will! Just not now! Dominic will kill you!”

  “I’ve made up mind,” Arimus said adamantly. “Look at Catherine’s face. She knows me well. She knows that I speak with conviction.”

  “Or stubbornness,” James sighed as soon as he looked at the Princess. Catherine was worried, but she remained speechless. She only stared at Arimus, and prayed for his safe return.

  “Protect the Princess,” Arimus said. “And yourself. You’re the strongest now. We need you for when Zen-echelon makes its final move. This is just the appetizer to the main course.”

  “If you’re not with us within an hour, I’m coming after you,” James said with a firm tone. “So don’t force my hand.”

  “Agreed,” Arimus said as he began walking toward the Kingdom entrance, pulling up the little armor he had left, the winds brushing through his hair and beard. James shook his head and continued to watch as Catherine patted his back.

  “Let’s go, James,” she said. “There’s work to be done.”

  * * * * *

  “Hello,” Arimus said in a friendly tone as he approached the King of Zen-echelon, sitting on the edge of a cliff face, dangling his legs over the edge as he looked out into the winter mix.

  “Arimus,” he said with a pleasant tone, motioning for the Sage to sit down next to him. “I assume you’re here to talk?”

  “You could say that,” the old Sage replied, taking a seat.

  “And you’re not afraid of me?”

  “I know that you could have killed me whenever you pleased. Strangely enough, it’s not fear that I possess, but respect.”

  “A wise man you are,” the King chuckled. “I so wish we could have talked sooner. I’ve been in the company of idiots lately…my name is Thorn.” The King extended a hand out and Arimus shook it firmly. “You know Dominic’s going to be peeved when he sees you all next, and I’ve promised that I wouldn’t get in the way of his vengeance.”

  “How did you manage to get him to join you anyways?”

  “Well, he was pretty angry when Catherine fell for James, but the real kicker was when Kyran murdered him. Dying by the hand of a friend tends to get your blood boiling.”

  “Kyran…killed him?”

  “Yep. The assassin blamed the kid for the death of Chloe. He’s got some real anger issues.”

  “So where are they now? Kyran and Scarlet?”

  “They’ll be joining us in a minute. They’re coming up the mountain as we speak.”

  “Why did you leave them alive?”

  “Why don’t we skip all the questions you don’t care about and go to the ones you actually do?”

  “Fine then,” Arimus sighed. “Is there any way we can negotiate with you? Stop this?”

  “Not really,” Thorn laughed. “Whether it’s now or later, whether you give me the stones or not, I intend you annihilate you all. Nothing personal…I actually like some of you.”

  “Why Prattle first?”

  “You have a tactical mind, Arimus,” Thorn chuckled and looked at him. “Although your chances of defeating me are practically non-existent, it doesn’t mean I should be an idiot and think I’m completely invincible. Cutting the head off the snake was obviously my first move, and I’m willing to bet you already know where I’m headed next. Go ahead…you can say it.”

  “I’d…rather not.”

  “Of course not. No one wants to give the enemy ideas. But since we both already know, I’ll just say it out loud: Quietus. They’re next. First I kill the brain, and then the body. If there was to be any kind of uprising against me, they would surely comprise most of your soldiers. They are great warriors after all, and they love fighting.”

  “Why are you telling me this? Expecting me to head there in a hurry? Save the population?”

  “Oh, I’m not your typical villain,” Thorn laughed. “I don’t reveal anything that I haven’t already taken care of. My creatures were already en route before the attack on Prattle. By the time you get there, nothing will be left. Better to focus your efforts on the personality and the heart, while they’re still standing…”

  “Those creatures…they had no life force…what were they?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough,” Thorn said, patting Arimus on the back. “But until then, I’ll have to leave it a mystery.”

  “Don’t you want to talk about it?”

  “Well, that would be rude considering we have company…KYRAN! SCARLET! HOW GOOD IT IS TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” Thorn shouted as he waved to the two oncoming shadows. Arimus and the King stood to their feet as they came into view, both with very surprised looks on their faces – even Kyran.

  “I’m sure you know Arimus,” Thorn replied, gesturing towards him. “But I have to ask, my friends, what brings you to Prattle?”

  Kyran remained silent as he stared intensely into Arimus’ eyes. Scarlet cast her eyes to the ground in shame.

  “Why, looking for the stones, of course,” she lied. “We didn’t find them where we thought they were.”

  “Well, that’s interesting,” Thorn said, putting a finger to his chin. “Anyways, the two of you can stop the façade. I was just curious to see if you were actually serious about joining me or not.”

  “We are serious,” Kyran said flatly.

  “No…you’re not,” Thorn laughed. “Though you gave a valiant effort. Well…Scarlet could do a better job of acting, but unfortunately, you’re not what I’m looking for. You may rejoin Arimus and his group, and go hide in that secret tunnel behind the castle where all the little Prattlians are waiting.” Arimus tried not to look at the King as he chuckled. “Yes, I know about that route too.”

  “What makes you think we’re not genuine?” Kyran asked as Thorn crossed his arms.

  “From the beginning I decided that you were feigning your allegiance simply to get you and the scarlet haired witch out my house alive. After that, I’ve kept you under close watch. Your acting was superb for a while and I was even beginning to have a little faith. Especially when you killed the Conuns. That was just beautiful…but once I saw you rummage for the stones amongst the flames, that was it for me. I was still able to see your guilt, even amongst the smoke. Good effort though. You were doing what was best for your survival and the mission. By staying close to me, you might have had a chance to learn a valuable piece of information on how to defeat me, or you might even be able to sneak in a quick kill. It just didn’t work out in your favor today, so…you may join your former teammates. Shame the Conuns had to die like that though, huh? Good people.”

  Kyran walked toward Arimus with a straight face and stood next to him. Scarlet followed, but with caution as she waited for the smiling Thorn to strike.

  “As I’ve said before, nothing you do can stop me, so plan away. Gather all the troops you want. Though…I’m sure the Langorans will be less willing to join an Allayan than the soon-to-be-dead Quietus. Well, I have a world to overtake. I must be going.” Thorn turned to leave, but then stopped in his tracks. “Oh, and Arimus? Watch out for Dominic.
I’m keeping him off the leash from now on. Don’t worry, I won’t tell him about the secret passage, but still…I would be careful whenever you’re above ground. Got a nose like a bloodhound, he does.”

  “Hmm,” Arimus replied as Thorn walked away into the wintery mix, vanishing almost instantly. Scarlet let out a sigh of relief as Kyran turned to Arimus.

  “You don’t have to say anything, my friend,” Arimus blurted out before he could speak. “Nor do you have to apologize. Whatever you did, it was not only for your survival, but the good of us all.”

  “It’s not that,” Kyran replied, rummaging in his pockets. “It’s the fact that I have these.” Kyran revealed the Quietus and Langoran stones, smooth and glowing a faint light blue. “I’m disturbed that Thorn didn’t try to take them.”

  “He knew,” Arimus scowled as Scarlet stepped forward.

  “Yeah,” she said. “There’s no way he couldn’t. He practically sees everything.”

  “Then why wouldn’t he take them? Surely he could…”

  “I don’t think he cares at all that we have them,” Scarlet sighed. “As long as he’s in possession of his, it doesn’t really matter. We’re not strong enough to defeat him or destroy the ether. We’re screwed.”

  “Perhaps…”Arimus thought carefully. “Perhaps not…there is much that needs to be discussed, but in the meantime, let’s get to the Prattlians. Thorn just destroyed their Kingdom in an hour. They will need our help…”

  * * * * *

  The underground tunnels were originally designed for the King and his guards, not a quarter of a nation, and it was painfully obvious. Cramped, tired, sweating and hungry, the Kingdom of Prattle huddled together in the former King’s bunker, a massive room furnished with a bed, clothing, and some emergency food and water. While it would have been comfortable for the King and about ten others, it was now housing nearly three thousand. As many as possible crowded into the room, but most were forced to take refuge in the narrow halls, leaning up against dirt walls and passing around the little water they possessed. Very unlike the Prattlians, no one was talking. Only coughs and sighs could be heard throughout the tunnel as they waited for orders of their next move.

  As soon as James and Catherine arrived, they were told to wait at the bottom of the tunnel entrance, despite the looming danger up above. With their Kingdom having been decimated, it was understandable. No one was willing to deal with outsiders, even those that had helped them in battle. The guards kept them at bay with swords drawn until the wooden door was heard opening from up above. James shielded Catherine in case it was Dominic, but to their shock and relief, it was Arimus, arriving with two more Sages.

  “Where is the King?” the new head guard shouted at Arimus as he jumped down to the tunnel floor. James gave him an Are You Serious? Look and stepped forward.

  “We’ve already told you,” James said. “The King is dead. He gave his life defending the Princess.”

  “Why should we believe you?” the guard spat back.

  “Look, we’re on your side!”

  “You could be spies working for Zen-echelon! I notice you didn’t lose any of your group on the surface, and now look! There’s two more of you!”

  “Why would we be spies? We’re Sages of Allay. We don’t betray our own.”

  “If I recall, one of you did! Or did my eyes deceive me?”

  “Calm down,” Catherine said as she stepped in front of James. “We need to talk to who’s in charge. Time is short.”

  “And like I’ve told you before,” the guard snapped at her. “We won’t allow it! Not when our Kingdom is in jeopardy! I swear, everywhere you Sages go, there’s destruction!”

  “Step aside,” Kyran said from the back. The guard chuckled and pointe d a dagger at his head.

  “Apparently, you don’t hear too well! Get back!”

  “We have these,” Kyran said flatly as he put up both of his hands, the two stones of power grasped firmly in each. Catherine and the guards gasped in unison as Kyran narrowed his eyes at the head guard. “Should I use these to grant the Princess’s request? We only want to talk.”

  “Fine!” the guard pouted, motioning for his men to clear the tunnel. “YOUR MAJESTY! DO YOU WISH TO TALK TO THESE NOMADS!”

  “Nomads?” James wondered out loud as Scarlet shrugged her shoulders.

  “Bring them in!” a voice cried out from behind the dirt walls. The Sages looked all around them when the dirt in front of the head guard shifted, and a door-sized layer moved over to the right, leading into a secret room. The head guard nodded for the Sages to proceed. James rolled his eyes as they all walked in, seeing a young man with a royal fur robe far too big on him, standing by a wooden table and chairs. A woman about his age was sitting at the table and two guards, heavily armored, were standing like statues at each end of the room. It was not much smaller than the dorm rooms back at the Conun lodge, but it would do for the business they had to conduct.

  Catherine, Arimus, James, Kyran and Scarlet each took a seat at the table as the mysterious young man followed suit. Despite the recent turmoil his Kingdom had gone under, he gave a pleasant smile and motioned toward Catherine to begin speaking.

  “Um…” Catherine began, then cleared her throat. “If you do not already know, my name is Catherine, and I am the Princess of Allay. I’ve been traveling with my Sages: Kyran, Arimus, Scarlet and James…we’ve been trying to retrieve the five stones of power – in order to destroy the ether that threatens our souls, and –“

  “We know all this,” the young man sighed. “My main concern right now concerning all of you is this – who was the young Sage that helped Zen-echelon? And why should I trust all of you?”

  “His name is Dominic,” Catherine replied. “One of the few Sages we had at Allay before we left…he’s brash, selfish…and madly in love with me…when I did not requite his love, he grew angry. We lost two of our own because of his actions, and since then, he’s joined our enemy for what I can only assume – more power. As for trusting us…you have no reason to, except that we were willing to risk our lives to save Prattle and stop our mutual enemy. Your King fought with us and gave his life saving me from one of the dragons. I owe him my life, and if you are indeed the heir to the throne, my debt extends forward to you.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” the young man replied. “And for the record, I’ve believed in you ever since my brother brought you into our walls. His name was Gyruin.”

  “Then you must be Tyuin,” Catherine replied with a smile. “He talked very highly of you and your work with the King.”

  “Yes,” he blushed. “Although I’m not family, the King and Queen had no children to speak of so they were training me…and my wife…” he motioned to the young woman sitting at the table. “…to be the future of Prattle. I wish I could have ascended the throne in more desirable circumstances.”

  “We all do,” Catherine said solemnly. “But this is what we have to deal with.”

  “So what would you advise as our next move?”

  “Thorn, the King of Zen-echelon, is going to attack Quietus,” Arimus said boldly, drawing all attention on him. “He admitted it himself…and I believe him. It’s what I would do in his position. And I must add, from my conversation with him I can say this – he wants to destroy us all, he’s confident in his power to do it, and I have no reason to believe otherwise.”

  “Arimus is right,” Kyran sighed heavily. “From our time there, I got to see many things – including seeing Scarlet defeated in battle –“

  “- HEY! Don’t go throwing information out there like that!”

  “ - And he is more dangerous than we could imagine. He has the power to manifest creatures into existence – almost like he can create them with his imagination. He thinks himself a god, and he created the ether for his own gain. We don’t go to Paradise or Oblivion when we die. It’s just to him. He wants to kill us all and create an army to eventually kill the Maker, and take over as the god of this world.�
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  “That’s crazy,” Catherine said in disgust. “He actually believes this?”

  “Very much,” Kyran said.

  “How can you confirm that’s how the ether actually works?” Tyuin asked as Kyran looked over to James.

  “Because…I saw Chloe in Zen-echelon. She is my deceased wife.”

  James eyes widened as Kyran continued to stare his way. “I was able to confirm that it was her…and she is trapped there, under the spell and bondage of that monster. To make matters worse…he knew I had the Quietus and Langoran stones, yet he didn’t care. Our greatest weapons are nothing to him.”

  “My King did promise you the stone of Prattle,” Tyuin said, turning to Catherine. “Before his wife passed, she confirmed this. We have it in our possession at this very moment, but under the circumstances, I have to ask you for leniency.”

  “Keep it for now,” Catherine said quickly. “It won’t do us any good until we get Thorn’s stone anyways. Our defeat and the ether’s presence are imminent without it. However, once we have it, I trust you will follow through with the agreement.”

  “Of course, Princess,” Tyuin said. “Thank you. And until the time comes in which we can rebuild and go our separate ways, our people are your own. We owe you all a great debt for the help your Sages offered, and without them, I fear every Prattlian would have lost their lives. Until this is over, you have us at your disposal. We are your allies.”

  “Thank you, King,” Catherine smiled as she looked to her Sages. “But now that we’ve decided to join forces, what do we do now? Are there any weaknesses that you can ascertain?”

  Each of the Sages thought her question over carefully. Arimus finally sighed and spoke up.

  “Thorn…is playing a very intelligent game. I can’t say for sure what he’s hiding…but his attitude is a giveaway. One minute he’s leveling a Kingdom and threatening us all. The next, he’s talking to you like an old friend. His demeanor is very off-putting and I suspect it’s so we don’t discover his secrets. By always guessing at his true nature, we are constantly at a disadvantage. Still…he is not a god, and he can’t be all-powerful, no matter how much he pretends to be. He must have a weakness.”