“I also remembered the boy failed the Sage test,” James snickered. “And he wasn’t all that weak. Reliable sources tell me he did twenty push-ups every morning.”
“Oh, well no wonder he did so well in the exams. I mean, twenty full pushups…and every morning, you say!”
“Humor doesn’t suit you, Arimus,” James sulked as Arimus laughed heartily.
“And neither does fear for you. Take heart, James. We can win today. We just have to hope for the best.”
“Ugh. Let’s go back to talking about the push-ups.”
A booming sound was heard in the distance as James and Arimus stood to attention.
“So…” Arimus whispered. “Fiancée, huh?”
“I proposed last night,” James whispered back as he unsheathed his eidolon quietly from his left rib. The white-hot blade hummed low as James extended it forward. It told him that Dominic would be at their location in a matter of seconds.
“I hardly call that leaving the Princess alone,” Arimus shook his head as he unsheathed his windmill eidolon from his back. “Wouldn’t you say?”
“Call it giving me a reason to kick Dominic’s over-privileged butt,” James said as Arimus chuckled to himself.
“Let’s leave it at that for now then,” he said as a whooshing sound was heard and a gust of wind blinded their vision, smashing into their faces out of nowhere. James wiped his eyes and looked toward the source, coming right from the top of the boulder.
There Dominic stood, looking down on them with a playful smile.
“Hello, little mouse,” he said. “Are you ready to play?”
Chapter 11 – Washed in Blood
“What game are we playing exactly?” James called up to him. “Tag? Hide and Seek?”
“SHUT UP!” Dominic shrieked, pointing his steel sword towards James face. “STOP TALKING! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOUR VOICE ANYMORE!”
“Temper, temper,” James muttered as he winked toward Arimus. The old Sage sighed. If anyone could get Dominic furious, it was definitely James.
“Is there any way we can discuss the situation?” Arimus asked politely. “It’s still not too late to realize your error. We could still use your power.”
“Error?” Dominic scoffed. “Discuss? Seriously, Arimus? This is what it’s come to? Quivering and begging? The infamous Arimus of the wind is proposing an alliance?”
“Is it so far-fetched? We were allies only a few short days ago.”
“That was before I was murdered by my own teacher. Before a common villager stole my betrothed. Before my beloved betrayed me for dirt. Is that the time frame we’re discussing?”
“I hope I’m not the dirt in that metaphor,” James scoffed, placing a hand to his chest. “I mean, if I’m dirt, and the Princess chose me…what does that say about you?”
“Dominic!” Arimus shouted. “Please! This is foolishness! The three of us are each from the Kingdom of Allay. We shouldn’t be squabbling and tearing each other apart! James, that includes you!”
“There is no going back, Arimus,” Dominic replied with a sneer. “Thorn has given me more power than I could ever dream of. Even greater than Chloe’s…and to be honest with you, I want this. It’s apparent that Catherine doesn’t love me. That is very clear. So what reason do I have to go back to Allay? To be the laughingstock when she sees that she’s chosen a villager over me? To be ridiculed and hated when tales are told of how I was responsible for Achan and Chloe’s deaths? How I alerted the Quietus to our presence? Is that what I have in Allay to look forward to?”
“Dominic, in all seriousness,” James said. “It doesn’t matter who Catherine chooses. It’s her heart. She gets to make the decision, and that’s her right. We are to be her Sages, her warriors, and anything more than that is a blessing. When I began training with Chloe, she asked me to cast my feelings for Catherine temporarily aside so I could focus. I did that, even with you getting closer to her, because I knew that first and foremost, I was her bodyguard. I knew where I stood.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Were you speaking?” Dominic sneered. “All I heard was the sound of mud making sucking sounds as it sunk into the crust of this dead forest. Was that you? Huh, dirt?”
“Oh, forget it,” James snapped as he turned to Arimus. “He’s not going to listen to reason. I say we get this over with so we can get back to the Princess.”
“Agreed,” Arimus said as he glared at the traitor.
“With that being said,” James spat at Dominic. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. You’ll get a kick out of it. I proposed to Catherine last night, and she said yes. That’s right, you dim-witted, rock-headed, traitor. You were her betrothed and she couldn’t even stand to look at you, let alone touch you. I’ve kissed her tender lips more times in reality than you have in your dreams and all I had to do was ask to receive her hand in marriage!”
Dominic just screamed as a wave of energy exploded from his body and spread for miles in all directions, blanketing the forest in a blinding red, obliterating everything it came across and turning it into dust.
When the illumination faded, and the smoke cleared, James and Arimus were over a mile away from where Dominic stood, stooped down on one knee as they stared in horror at the destruction surrounding them. The forest had now become a dead wasteland – a valley seared even through the soil. Not an animal, not even a blade of grass survived as a strange red hue mixed with the green ether in the sky above. James rose to his feet slowly, trying to keep his right hand from shaking.
“I…I had no idea he could…” James examined the open valley with wide eyes and extended his shaking eidolon towards Languor. “Oh, thank you…thank you,” he sighed as he once again fell to one knee. Arimus stood up and stretched his back.
“Is Catherine okay? Languor?”
“Yes,” James shuddered, giving the ground a punch. “Darn it. That was reckless. I had no idea he would lose it like that. He could have killed Catherine and the others in that blast. Fortunately, they gained a lot of distance between us.”
“Languor is nearly half a day from our location. If the blast had reached that distance, we truly would not have stood a chance. By the way, again, thank you for saving my life.”
“I just…reacted,” James stuttered as he stood up slowly. “My body sensed the danger. I barely saw that…happen.”
“We have to stop this here,” Arimus replied. James nodded as he took a deep breath. He knew exactly what his mentor was implying. This was no time for taking chances. They needed to unleash their full power, especially now that there weren’t any wildlife or plants to worry about.
James closed his eyes and concentrated. He barely felt the light engulf him from above, but the change in his body was undeniable. As soon as he felt the white robe brush against his skin, his eyes opened, and the eidolon of Allay emerged, hilt in hand. James took one glance at Arimus and saw it all over his face.
It wasn’t enough…
He had transformed.
To a level equal to that of Chloe’s, if not more…
And it wasn’t enough…
“What are we going to do?” James cried just as a familiar gust of wind hit them both in the face. Arimus winced under the pressure and yelled through it.
“Tell me how you’re transforming! Maybe together we can defeat him!”
“It will take too long to explain!” James shouted back. “Just…just change yourself! Concentrate! You soul is limitless!”
“I don’t understand, James!” Arimus yelled as the wind died down. Dominic stood in front of them with his jaw clenched, examining both of them in disgust.
“Oh, so now you’re going to take me seriously?” Dominic shouted as he stepped towards James. “Now you see me as a threat? What happened, huh?”
“You lost it, psycho.” James muttered as he gripped his eidolon. “You threw a little baby tantrum because I told you that your life was meaningless since the day you were born.”
Dominic screamed in rage, bu
t this time, he lunged forward with his red machete eidolon in his right hand, reaching towards James’ throat. James parried it with his blade and then jumped far away from Arimus who waited for an opening. Dominic followed right after his rival.
“You think this will end well for you? You think you can survive this?”
James refused to humor him, deciding to focus on the information his eidolon poured into him. If he had any hope of survival, he needed to listen to it. The problem was, Dominic had an eidolon too…or did he? James contemplated the possibilities as Dominic advanced slowly. Maybe there was a way to win after all…but it would be risky. Still, it was all he had. Arimus was sure to follow his lead.
“Here we go,” James sighed as his aura began to hum. He gripped his eidolon tight and its white light increased in intensity, radiating with power. Dominic’s red eidolon responded in kind, but James was unfazed. He had to concentrate.
To both of their surprise, Arimus made the first move, as four large tornadoes formed out of nowhere and surrounded the young Sage. Dominic attempted to cut through them but his eidolon hit nothing but air. As they closed in, James looked down at his body, his white robe and the power he felt. What was wrong? How could the power surging through him not be enough?
“JAMES!” Arimus shouted as Dominic burst through the tornadoes at his former teacher. James sprinted forward and cut his rival off at the pass, swinging his sword right at his neck. Dominic blocked it and responded with his own strike. James blocked it and the two began clashing their swords against each other, each aiming for a killing blow. James knew that Dominic was just toying with him, but he couldn’t let up. Not now.
Arimus joined in the fray with his own eidolon, but Dominic was getting faster now, ducking and dodging each of their attacks while he refused to relay his own. He was just laughing and enjoying himself, making fun of their weakness.
“Alright, that’s enough!” James shouted as he leapt back and swung his sword behind him. Concentrating on the raw energy surging through it, he focused over half of his power into the blade, to the point that the sleeves on his robe disintegrated, and tears began to appear in the fabric. Arimus saw James’ plan, sheathed his eidolon and put Dominic into a headlock while the young Sage was distracted. Dominic half-struggled as he waited for the attack.
“Now, James!” Arimus shouted. “Don’t worry about me!”
James swung his eidolon forward, remembering the impressive waves of energy Chloe had once taken out elite Quietus warriors with. Except this time, there was just one enemy to defeat, and he would receive everything that James could muster.
The wave of energy soared towards him in a half moon shape, headed straight for the abdomen when Dominic smiled, and once again, ignited the land in an explosion of his strength. Arimus was immediately consumed and thrown backwards as the explosion met James’ wave. It had no chance. Ricocheting off Dominic’s energy, James’ own attack flew right back at him and into his own stomach. James fell onto his back as the rest of Dominic’s energy washed over him. All he could do was close his eyes, and wait for the searing of his skin to subside.
* * * * *
“Did you sense that?” Scarlet asked as Catherine and Kyran kept walking forward. “Oh, okay, so we’re going to just ignore that spike in power right where James and Arimus are.”
“That’s exactly what we’re doing,” Catherine muttered.
“We should be over there helping them.”
“They have their mission and we have ours. There’s no point in abandoning our directive when those two are completely capable of handling it themselves. If we showed up, it would just be an insult.”
“You don’t believe that,” Scarlet scoffed. “You’re terrified.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Catherine said firmly. “That’s an order.”
“Since when did you get so authoritative? If I recall, you’re usually too scared to make a decision. Why are you so adamant about this one? Especially since it might be wrong! Kyran and I met Thorn face to face, talked to him, saw his power. If Dominic’s been given a taste, then they’ll need our help. Who cares about Languor when our own people are suffering? Are you listening to me?”
“I’m trying not to…especially since none of your ranting will change my mind.”
“So you think you’re grown up all of a sudden? You think that –“
“That’s exactly what happened!” Catherine shouted in Scarlet’s face. “No matter how much training I did at the academy, it was nothing compared to the real world! Now, I thank you for all the support you’ve given me over the years, but that doesn’t mean the dynamic of our relationship has changed. I am the Princess first, and your cousin second!”
“You could be wrong about this,” Scarlet said through pursed lips as Catherine continued to walk away with Kyran.
“And that’s my burden,” Catherine said aloud. “Having to make a decision and dealing with the consequences, and you’re not making it any easier for me. Maybe I have finally grown up. What I can’t understand is why you haven’t.”
Scarlet didn’t say another word…
* * * * *
His robe was completely gone, but he was alive. That was the important thing. James groaned and climbed to his feet with his eidolon for support. As he scanned the area, he noticed that Arimus was still lying on his back, and he wasn’t moving. Dominic was slowly making his way to his mentor, whistling happily as he kept his eidolon poised at his side. James scowled and examined his wounds. Nothing too serious. He was dirty, and bleeding from the crown of his head a little, but otherwise, there was no visible signs of danger. Only his rival, advancing toward his friend.
James summoned the beam of light to engulf him, and he was once again clothed in white. Shining more brilliant than before, he clutched his blade and ran at Dominic as fast as he could. Closing the distance in seconds, he aimed for the young Sage’s throat, but Dominic wasn’t one to just allow an easy kill. As if he sensed him the entire time, he turned around to face James head on when an invisible pair of hands gripped the traitor’s forearms and pulled him back. Dominic’s eyes widened in alarm as he glanced behind him, and saw a determined Arimus out of the corner of his eye, using the full extent of his wind abilities to pin him down.
“James, now!” Arimus shouted as another gust of wind cocked Dominic’s head to the side. “I can’t hold him for long!”
James wasted no time, swinging his mighty sword down upon his rival’s throat. But the moment the connection was made, he realized just how powerless he and Arimus truly were.
His eidolon couldn’t cut him.
And it just rested there, planted firmly against the side of his neck like James was about to wrap a scarf around him. Dominic smiled as he flexed his muscles and broke out of Arimus’ wind. Both Sages stood frozen in fear as the young Sage brushed himself off.
“I’m sure that hurt more than any wound I could inflict,” Dominic chuckled. “Though I will try. Did you really think that weak eidolon was capable of harming me? It might as well be a child’s toy.”
“This is insane,” James whispered in disbelief as he backed away. Arimus did the same.
“This is reality, James,” Dominic laughed. “Or did you forget that you couldn’t even beat me in Languor? Think about it. That eidolon you now hold in your hand – wherever it came from…is obsolete. The only reason you gained the upper hand back then was because you showed me the darkness creeping around inside you. That’s the power I want to see, and the only power that may have a chance of granting you victory today. Show me your black eidolon, and maybe, just maybe you and the old man will live.”
“I can’t…”
“Because Thorn might take control of your body?” Dominic scoffed. “Well, that’s just a chance you’re going to have to take. It’s either that, or death. Don’t you at least want a chance of seeing Catherine again?”
“Don’t listen to him!” Arimus shouted. “He’s just trying to pla
y with our minds! We can defeat him if-“
Arimus’s words stopped short as the rest of his armor suddenly cracked down the middle and split into two, clanking to the ground and sinking into the dust. His bare chest exposed, Arimus watched as a thin red line appeared across him, blood seeping from it slowly and washing over his abdomen. Dominic continued to look at James as he spoke.
“Neither of you saw that, did you?” Dominic snickered. “I thought not…and that’s what you’re going up against if you refuse my request. That was just enough to cut through his armor. I could have done more if I wished.”
“Fine, you monster,” James growled as he sheathed his white eidolon. “But leave Arimus out of this.”
“As long as he doesn’t interfere, no harm will come to the old man until after you’ve died.”
“Then shut up and wait. I’m coming.”
James huffed as he took a deep breath and focused on the darkness within him, lying in a pool somewhere in his soul. It didn’t speak like before, but it reached for him like a hungry child all the same. The black water solidifying and turning into a slime, oozing from deep in his soul and spreading throughout the confines of his body, filling every pore, every crevice and wrapping itself along each blood cell. There was no holding back. If he was going to fight Dominic, he couldn’t afford to.
And the egotistical Sage had been right. He did want to see Catherine again. Even if he was being controlled while he gazed upon her…
When James’ new transformation was complete, Dominic whistled in awe, and this time, he was the one backing away.
James was in complete Quietus form, only the second time in his whole life. His hair had slicked back and melded to his skull. His skin had turned an oozing, tar black that in one second looked like a cold slab of onyx stone, and in the next, rippled like a pond’s surface in the moonlight. His frame had become slender and he crouched down low. His neck stretched out over a foot from its base and while no scythes were protruding from his forearms, the infamous eidolon that Dominic had asked for was well secured in his right hand.
Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) Page 19
