The Quest Saga Collection: Books 1 - 5

by Dhayaa Anbajagane

  “Are you okay?” Ruby walked up to him in her human-size form.

  He nodded. “I’m as fine as I’m supposed to be,” he said.

  “It’s fine to be honest with how you feel right now,” the griffin said. “There are so many things that happened that I don’t even know which one I’m supposed to worry about.”

  Q laughed dryly. “I hear you,” he said. He looked into the casket, for probably the umpteenth time. Elizabeth looked more beautiful than she had ever been. Her flaming-red hair was not chaotic, but radiant, like a river of fire. He touched her face, hoping for her lively warmth, but only getting the cold touch of death. He longed for her to open her eyes, to look at him once more.

  He leaned against the tree behind him, and looked up at the dark shadows of the branches. “What am I supposed to think right now?”

  Ruby peered into the casket, glancing at Elizabeth’s face. “She looks beautiful,” she said.

  Q smiled, feeling tears form in his eyes. “I know.”

  Footsteps came from the edge of the garden. The Empress walked up to him, followed by Commander Lokai. Both of them looked quite riled up. Q couldn’t blame them. It had been just an hour or so since he had told them about what had happened to Taylor. Both the Empress and the Commander had been extremely close to Taylor, and had known her for far longer than Q had.

  He wondered what sort of thoughts ran through their minds at the moment. Did they feel as empty as he did? Did they feel helpless?

  The Empress knelt next to him. “How are you holding up?” she whispered.

  “No psychotic reactions so far,” Q smiled.

  “Well, that’s always a positive,” Commander Lokai sat down, his silver hair glowing in the moonlight. “I pray the little ones come back to us soon.”

  Q remained silent, wondering if doing that would actually help in any sort of way.

  “It is time,” the Empress stood up, and walked over to the casket. Lokai and Q did the same.

  The Empress began to chant, her words quiet, soothing, and calm, each syllable of the ancient Dark Knight tongue radiating with power.

  The moonlight glowed brighter and winds encircled the garden as she spoke. The trees and the flowers swayed in the breeze. The Empress’ words became louder, and her voice became layered in a mystic dual tone.

  Elizabeth rose from her casket, her body dressed in a pure white, silk robe. Q watched as the moonlight cast a white layer of light around her.

  The Empress stopped chanting and looked up at her. “Dagorthir Eldaen,” she said.

  Elizabeth glowed in a bright white light.

  And then she dissolved into a glowing dust.

  The stardust that was once Elizabeth slowly rose up into the sky, scattering along its infinite darkness. He watched as the final speck of stardust disappeared out the star shaped opening.

  “She will always be with us all,” the Empress said. “That is what Dagothir Eldaen means; become one with the infinite cosmos.”

  A tear ran down Q’s cheek. “Ah,” he brushed it off, a smile on his face. “Sorry.”

  The Empress held him and he rested his head on her shoulder, resisting the emotions that swayed inside him.

  He looked up at the night sky, one last time. “Goodbye, Elizabeth,” he smiled.

  ***

  The Dark Knights’ conference room was as silent as death.

  Q sat even more quietly, glancing around at all the empty chairs surrounding him. Each of the walls looked dark enough to suck in light, and yet they glimmered, as though they were precious stones. The furniture in the room had been replaced since he had last come here. The long table was now completely glass, and so were all the chairs.

  The door to the room slid open and two people walked in.

  “Ah, you’re here already,” Empress Andrea said, looking a little more positive than before.

  “Apologies for the delay,” Commander Lokai bowed once and they both took their seats.

  “So,” Q said, and turned to both of them. “What did you want to talk to me about?”

  Commander Lokai pulled out something from the side of his waist and placed it on the table. A black leather scabbard. Q immediately recognized what this was, and both pain and longing flooded his mind.

  “Valkyrie,” he mumbled.

  Lokai pushed the scabbard to Q’s side, “We’d like for you to have it,” he said.

  Q shot a look towards the Empress, “Are you serious?” he asked. “Me? Valkyrie?”

  “It would be unfortunate to lock up the weapon as it had been before,” she said. “Do not worry. You will not be able to actually use the sword as it was meant to be used. Its proper power comes out only to a user of the Elementa of Darkness.”

  “Ah, so to me it will be nothing more than an average blade?”

  “Even without its paranormal powers, the sword’s make is still one to behold,” Lokai said. “If you choose to wield it in battle, it will serve you well.”

  Q paused for a moment, thinking of whether he really wanted this sword. He knew what the Empress and Lokai intended. This was the final tangible connection he had to Taylor. The only valuable thing he had of hers, the object that would remind him of her the most. He picked the sword up by the hilt, leaving the scabbard on.

  “Thank you,” he weakly smiled at them.

  “It’s what Taylor would have wanted,” Andrea smiled back in relief, as though she had been tense about this all along.

  The P.A. systems turned on. “Empress, we have an incoming transmission from a foreign source,” a voice said. “Shall I relay it through?”

  “Ah, I shall take my leave now, your highness,” Q said, not wanting to impose on the Empress’ situation at the moment.

  “Sit down, Q,” the Empress said forcefully. “We do not wish for you to leave.”

  “Yes, your highness,” he replied, and took his seat.

  “Let in the transmission,” she said, a little louder so that the mikes would pick it up.

  The P.A. system blared on once again, “Displaying transmission,” it said.

  Four projector lights shot from each corner of the room, converging at the center of the table and forming a hologram.

  “Why hello there, your highness,” a young teen smirked at them.

  “LEVI!” Q yelled, his mind immediately fighting the urge to go totally on the offensive.

  “Hello, Q,” he smiled, and his eyes lowered to the table. “Ah, I see you have Valkyrie,” he chuckled. “I actually tried to make Taylor give Valkyrie to me, even though I knew she didn’t have it, and even though I didn’t have any use for it. It was pretty fun actually. I set it all up so that she thought I was torturing you since she didn’t want to hand over the weapon to me.”

  Q remained silent. Stay calm, he thought. Anger and rage is exactly what he wants from me. Stay calm.

  “You’ve gone into that mode of yours, haven’t you,” Levi sighed. “You’re not much fun when you’re like this.”

  “What do you want, Levi?” the Empress asked firmly, trying to shift the topic.

  “Well, as you can see, my White Knight troops have pulled away from all the battles we were having,” he said.

  “Yes, an absurd change of events.”

  “You’re welcome,” he chuckled. “Now, in return, I thought I’d get a little something for myself as well,” he turned to Q. “You said you wouldn’t like to join me, which I totally understand,” he said. “But, how about joining the White Knights?”

  “Are you crazy?” Q asked, his voice quiet, his fingers gripping Valkyrie tightly.

  “Am I?” Levi smiled. “Or is it something you should have done years ago?”

  “Levi,” Commander Lokai said. “If you have something of value to tell us, or even threaten us with, then do it now, else we’re cutting off the feed.”

  “I’m not sure it’s a threat,” Levi said. “But I do have a particularly tasty tidbit for you to ponder.”

  “Oh, shut up,”
Q said, slowly getting worn out by Levi’s jolly personality.

  “Now, now, Q. Is that the way to treat someone who knows of your parents?”

  Q’s eyes widened. “My parents?” he asked. “So you knew my parents. Big deal.”

  “I know of your real parents.”

  Q’s hands started to shake, his mind reaching out at what Levi was saying. No, he’s just toying with you, his mind said, but a part of him believed the green-eyed devil, a part of him believed that Levi was just voicing what Q himself had thought for a long time now.

  “Come join the White Knights, Q,” Levi smiled warmly. “This is where you belong.”

  NO, Q’s mind weakened, the thought finally striking him. He can’t be serious. This has to be a joke.

  “Q,” Levi looked right at him. “You are a White Knight.”

  ***

  I hate everything, Q thought, burying his face deeper into his bed.

  He was in a special suite the Empress had prepared for him, but he honestly didn’t care what she gave him. His mind was too preoccupied by everything to even think at the moment. He wondered if it was better that the Empress cut the transmission as soon Levi spewed those terrible words.

  You’re a White Knight, he thought to himself. “Am I really a White Knight?” he sighed.

  “Hey,” Ruby walked into the room. “Are you okay?”

  Q sat up, “Yeah,” he said.

  “You know that I just read your thoughts, right?” she asked.

  He grumbled. “Fine,” he said.

  “Don’t take what Levi said seriously,” Ruby said. “He obviously lied to pull you apart like this.”

  “I’m not being pulled apart,” he sighed. “I honestly don’t care if I’m a White Knight, but the part about my parents concerns me a lot.”

  “He said he knew your real parents didn’t he?” she asked.

  He nodded silently.

  “And you think he’s saying the truth?” she sat down right at the bedside.

  “Yeah,” he said quietly. “For years, I’ve wondered why Carlos and I were so different. We look different, we act different. Something just felt off about the whole thing.”

  “I understand,” Ruby said.

  “It’s fine, I’m not too worried about it,” he said.

  “Of course you’re not,” Ruby laughed.

  Q felt calmed in this environment, one where he wasn’t pitied much for his situation. He didn’t like the Empress and Lokai feeling bad about everything that had happened in the last few hours. He thought they did it mainly because they felt responsible for the whole thing. And since the war had prematurely ended, both of them had more time to look after Q.

  Between the two of them they had already visited him over twenty times. That was a little too much for him to bear. But at the same time, he could see why they were worried about him as well. He’d gone through hell in the last day. Too many things piling up on top of each other. But Q was fine with that. He actually thought it was good. This way he was too confused to react to one particular thing alone, and that way he protected himself from being overly emotional about anything.

  “Why don’t you talk to Carlos?” Ruby asked.

  “Why don’t I talk to Carlos,” Q said, pausing between each word, thinking about it.

  “It isn’t as bad as it sounds,” she walked up to the door. “Think about it,” she said and headed out.

  Silence reigned the air, the thought running through his mind again and again.

  Zelph? he thought.

  “Hello, Q,” the AI system spoke.

  “Can you patch a direct link to Carlos?”

  “I can connect to the Dark Knights systems and communicate with your mansion on Earth, which is where I believe the High Commander is staying. Would you like for me to do that?”

  Q nodded. His vision instantly turned to the visor-like one. A box in the top-right corner expanded, the word ‘Connecting’ written on it. A holographic image of Carlos’ face appeared before him. His brother looked at him for a moment, confusion on his face. “Q?” he asked.

  “Hi, Carlos,” he smiled.

  His brother flashed a smile, but Q could tell he was trying to keep his emotions in check. “How are things over there?” he asked. “Everything good?”

  Q hesitated for a moment. “Could have gone better,” he said quietly.

  “Ah,” his brother caught the mood but didn’t ask about it. “So why did you call? Wanted to check up on your brother?” he grinned.

  “There was something Levi said that I needed to confirm.”

  “Yeah sure, what happened?”

  “Are you really my brother?”

  Carlos’ face dropped immediately. The man who had always kept his emotions in check now had looks of turmoil written all over him. Q smiled. That was his answer right there.

  “So it was true,” he whispered to himself. “I’m a White Knight aren’t I?”

  “What?! No!” he yelled.

  Q was taken aback, “No?”

  “Of course not!” he said. “You’re just as much a Dark Knight as you are a White Knight.”

  “What?” Q tensed. “Carlos, what’s going on?”

  He sighed. “I really hoped I’d never have to tell you this.”

  “I have a right to know.”

  He hesitated for a moment. “Your mother was a White Knight and your father was a Dark Knight,” he said. “I’m sorry for hiding it from you for all these years.”

  Q sat in shock, trying to wrap his head around the words that had just been uttered.

  Carlos smiled. “Empress Periel of the White Knights and Emperor Ryaeleas of the Dark Knights.”

  “WAIT, WHAT?” Q’s mind almost exploded. The first thought that entered his mind was that Carlos was lying to him. The White Knights and the Dark Knights couldn’t even come to a peace treaty. How in the world was it possible for two of them, especially of the highest position, to be involved with each other?

  “I know it is surprising,” Carlos smiled. “But it’s true. You are their child.”

  Q sat down, on his bed, completely stunned. “How is it that I never heard about this before? From anyone?”

  “It was not made easy to find in the first place,” Carlos said. “Periel and Ryaeleas met each other for the first time at a peace treaty session,” he said. “The two of them were just a tad older than twenty around the time. They were complete opposites. Periel was serene and graceful, a person truly born to be a queen. Ryaeleas was, on the other hand, a rugged and tough man, one who had made his way up through his sheer strength. But even with all these differences, for the two of them, it was love at first sight.”

  Carlos smiled, “After that they started to meet each other more and more often, usually under the pretense of business meetings. Between the two of them though, they nearly bridged the gap between the Knight factions.”

  “Nearly?”

  “Yes,” Carlos said. “But there are always people who oppose change, however beneficial it may be,” he sighed. “The high positioned members of nobility in each faction were too old fashioned. Peace was not something they wished to see. They wanted to completely raze each other into the ground.”

  “Ah,” Q said quietly.

  “Your parents fought against all that pressure over and over, and nearly succeeded too,” he said. “But everything fell apart the moment Periel found out she was carrying Ryaeleas’ child. She hid it from everyone for a long time, telling only Ryaeleas about the truth. But soon her body could no longer hide the fact that she was carrying a baby. The Knight factions immediately caught on to what was going on between their two leaders, and soon the factions were in turmoil.”

  Carlos sighed, as though he were trying to hold back what he wanted to say. “In the end the nobility of both factions joined hands and murdered Periel and Ryaeleas.”

  Q sat silently, listening to the still air follow Carlos’ words.

  “What they didn’t know though,” his
brother went on. “Was that they killed Periel only after she had already given birth. And so here you are today, a testament to that fact.”

  Q remained silent, wondering how he was supposed to take all of this in.

  “Emperor Ryaeleas was called the Druid of Flames and Empress Periel was the Lightning Druid,” Carlos said. “They’re the reason you have the Elementa of Fire and the Elementa of Lightning.”

  “They were Druids,” Q whispered. Suddenly, everything that he was right now made sense. Every single anomaly that he felt suddenly fell into place with who he was supposed to be.

  “Periel was the one who named you Q, the letter that stood between the P in Periel and the R in Ryaeleas.”

  “Seems like a silly reason to name someone Q,” Q smiled.

  “Well, she seemed to have done it to show that you were the middle ground between the two of them, that you were not a White Knight or a Dark Knight, that you were just a Knight.”

  “How do you know all of this Carlos?” Q asked. He hesitated for a moment. “Did you know my parents?”

  He shook his head. “Everything that I tell you, are things I’ve heard from my parents. My mother was a close friend of Empress Periel’s. She was the one who helped get you out of the White Knight palace.”

  “Does that mean-”

  “No, my mother wasn’t a White Knight,” Carlos smiled. “She was a normal earthling, just like my father. The only difference between them was that she happened to know some pretty powerful people.”

  Q remained silent for a few moments, his mind slowly accepting everything that he was being told. “Were the White Knights this evil when my mother was the Empress?”

  “They were completely different. Of course, they did not see eye to eye with the Dark Knights, but they were still righteous and just.”

  A thought struck Q, one that was more dark and disturbing than he would have liked. “Did Albion know my mother?”