Sandqueen (Rise To Omniscience Book 7)

by Aaron Oster

  The relief she felt at hearing that was immense. Though she’d known Morgan could take care of himself, she hadn’t been able to relax until now.

  “So…What does that mean?” Hilda asked, looking between the elves and Grace.

  Grace was surprised Hilda was deferring to her on this and not making the decisions on her own. She looked over to Lumia, who just nodded her head, encouraging her to speak up.

  “We should go with them,” Grace said, trying to put as much surety as she could into her voice. “Only Morgan would send a message as ridiculous and random as that, and he would only do so of his own free will.”

  “If you say so,” Hilda said, finally relaxing her stance.

  The lead elf relaxed at that, giving Grace a nod of thanks.

  “Excellent. If you follow us, we can escort you back to the palace now.”

  Grace took one last look at Lumia, who once again, gave her a nod of encouragement, before following. She was thrilled to be on her way back to her teacher, and this time, she was going to tell him everything, no matter how scared she was.

  29

  “Morgan, I’m sorry I missed you earlier. How are things going over there?”

  Katherine’s voice, sounding far wearier than Morgan had heard in a while, echoed in his mind, the pendant finally having gotten through to her.

  “They’re complicated,” Morgan replied. “There’s a lot we need to talk about, but I’d rather do it in person. You sound tired, by the way. Is something wrong?”

  Katherine was silent for a few moments, then let out a long sigh.

  “I was hoping to avoid telling you this, at least not for a few more days. But I figure you ought to know. A new Pinnacle King has risen in the West. We don’t know why or how, but we’ve just faced off against a small army of their twisted monsters. I think we were lucky and caught this early on, but the Pinnacle King themself has yet to be found. I think we’re going to need you back here…”

  It took all of Morgan’s willpower not to crush the pendant between his fingers as he listened. Immense feelings of shock, pain and, most of all, hatred, vied for attention. After all, he could not forget what the last Pinnacle King’s rise had cost him. Not only had the North been massively depleted, but Sarah had also been killed. Pinnacle Kings were a plague, the stuff of nightmares. They were monsters with power enough to topple the Five Kingdoms on their own, given enough time.

  Something then struck him as weird. How had another one risen?

  According to what Samuel had told him, the Pinnacle Kings were placed as a warning. They were there for retribution, should one kingdom begin to attack another. The only reason a Pinnacle King should be rising in the West was if they had declared war on another kingdom and had been actively pursuing that war for a month’s time.

  Judging by what Katherine said, she was in the West, having just fought off a swarm of monsters. That also meant that there was no war between the kingdoms. The only war he could think of was the one that was possibly going on between them and Faeland. But a war with them should not have awoken a Pinnacle King, so what could it be?

  “How many have already died?” Morgan asked, fighting to remain calm.

  “Around two-thousand,” Katherine replied soberly. “We’re sending out troops to the surrounding areas to try and pinpoint the location of the Pinnacle King, as well as cut off their supply of bodies. According to Hu Kiln, we’ve already eliminated the populations of seven or eight villages, and we’re now trying to see if we can find the source. If we know where they’re coming from, it’ll be easier to cut them off.”

  Morgan felt his muscles tighten once again, his body trembling with suppressed rage. Whenever he thought of a Pinnacle King, all he could see was Sarah. Her limp body hanging off Octagon’s claws and the last words she’d spoken to him were engraved in the forefront of his mind. All Pinnacle Kings had to die, and if another had risen, Morgan would be the one to put them into the ground. The beast within began to stir, forcing him to suppress his emotions.

  It would do him no good to go tearing off now. Grace had yet to return, and he still needed to talk with Elyssa about a few things. However, as soon as she was back, Morgan knew he’d have to return to the Five Kingdoms.

  “How long can you hold out without me?” he asked.

  “I honestly can’t say,” Katherine replied. “If the Pinnacle King comes out on their own, I don’t think we’ll last a day. Try and get back here as soon as possible. For all our sakes.”

  “I’ll be back within twenty-four hours,” Morgan replied, his ears perking up as he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

  It seemed that his guide was here, which meant it was time for him to end the communication.

  “I’ll try and contact you before I leave.”

  “That is a relief to hear. I hope to see you soon, and please be careful.”

  The communication cut off then, and Morgan hastily tucked the pendant into his shirt, before a slightly pudgy elf came around a bend in the corridor.

  “I am here to escort you to the gardens,” he said, looking a bit uncertain.

  “Lead the way,” Morgan replied, his voice sounding almost flat as he’d suppressed his emotion down to the smallest trickle.

  He couldn’t risk feeling anything right now, especially not with how much anger and hatred was boiling right beneath the surface. The Beast King was growing stronger, and letting him out of his cage right now would be a very bad idea.

  Surprisingly enough, Elyssa was already waiting for him when he arrived. She was now dressed in a much lighter dress that ended just below her knees and had sleeves that just barely covered her shoulders. It also hugged her body much more snugly, fitting like a glove, rather than the draped tablecloth look the last had imparted. It made her look nice, presentable and a bit more approachable.

  Morgan only gave her a cursory once-over, too distracted by the news that had just come in. He remembered his manners at the last moment, Sarah’s face once again flashing through his mind. It had taken her years to get him to compliment her on her appearance, and the ability for him to do so without her asking had taken even longer. Thankfully, he had a bit more tact now and recognized that Elyssa had put some effort into looking presentable.

  “You look nice,” he said as his escort fled, leaving the two of them alone.

  “You don’t look so bad yourself,” Elyssa replied, clearly pleased by the compliment.

  Morgan failed to point out that unlike her, he had not changed from his earlier attire. Instead, he simply nodded in acknowledgment of the compliment.

  “Well, then. Shall we go?” Elyssa asked, smoothing the front of her dress and motioning to the path, blocked on both sides by tall reddish-green hedges.

  “Lead the way,” he replied.

  Instead of doing that, Elyssa snaked her hand into the crook of his elbow and tugged gently to get him walking alongside her. It was a strange sensation, one that felt almost surreal to him. Morgan honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone for something as simple as a walk with a woman. Of course, the last time he’d done this, it had been with Sarah at his side, something which continued to plague him with unending guilt. But, unlike the rage boiling right beneath the surface, the guilt was something he did not push down.

  He was betraying the woman he loved, and nothing would ever be able to make up for it. No matter the reasoning behind his actions, Morgan was still marrying another woman, and to him, that was the ultimate betrayal.

  They walked in silence for several moments, Morgan having to take much smaller steps than he was used to, due to their difference in height. The elven race seemed to be short overall, but their proportions were also quite slim. Next to him, she looked even smaller, and it was hard for him to believe she was only a little more than two years his junior.

  “Well, I suppose I should start by telling you a bit about myself. Otherwise, we’ll be walking in silence the entire way,” Elyssa said, letting out a nervou
s chuckle.

  When he didn’t object, she continued, launching into her life’s story and forcing Morgan to pay attention. However, after just a few minutes, listening wasn’t much of a chore. In fact, Elyssa was quite interesting to listen to, especially when discussing her early life. She told him about how things used to be at the palace, what it was like growing up with her father and Gilderon and being trained as the next ruler of their country.

  She spoke of her likes – her love of pastries being foremost among them – and how she enjoyed walking in the gardens or training on her own. She’d spent much of her teenage years being groomed to be queen and had been lavished with cores and the finest trainers to assure she would be the strongest supermage she could possibly be.

  Morgan couldn’t help but notice that as much as she spoke of her father, she never once mentioned her mother. It was none of his business, so he wasn’t going to pry.

  “I wasn’t supposed to become queen for years yet,” she continued, slowing to a stop as they entered a small clearing in the garden, one that contained a small pond, complete with a fountain and a couple of chairs.

  “My father was…My father met his end just a bit over a year ago, facing one of the World Beasts. We still don’t know which it was, as everyone who went along with him was killed as well. But…” Elyssa trailed off here, her bottom lip beginning to tremble as she fought to hold back the flood of emotion.

  “I understand your pain,” Morgan said, filling the silence and saving her from feeling any shame. “I lost the only family I’d ever known to a similar beast. Though we don’t have World Beasts in the Five Kingdoms, we do have Pinnacle Kings. One of those monsters killed millions and nearly wiped out an entire kingdom. I suppose I should start from the beginning, though, to give you a little more insight.

  “After all, you were kind enough to share your story. It would be rude of me not to do the same…”

  ***

  Elyssa sat by Morgan’s side, both of them looking out over the small pond as he related his story. He told her everything, from growing up as an orphan on the streets, to discovering his abilities and everything that had happened since. Before hearing Morgan’s tale, she’d have thought that she had led an interesting and unique life. It was one that was filled with joy and happiness, but also one that was full of pain and sorrow. It had been hard to talk about her father’s death, but after hearing about all that Morgan had lost, she could finally understand him on a deeper level.

  Yes, he was powerful – ruthless, even – but he was only a byproduct of what others had forced upon him. Had he not adapted, continually growing stronger, there was no way he could have survived. Had their roles been reversed, Elyssa didn’t know if she’d have been able to take as much. It was obvious that there was a lot that he wasn’t telling her, but seeing as she’d left out plenty as well, she could hardly blame him.

  One thing stood out to her, and it was how he talked about these Pinnacle Kings. She hated the World Beasts for what they’d done to her father. If she had the power, she’d go right now and end them all herself, finally ridding the world of their presence once and for all. But when Morgan talked about the Pinnacle Kings, his hatred was so visceral that she could feel it.

  He did a very good job of masking his emotions, and had she been any less observant or sensitive to things like this, she’d definitely have missed it. But when he spoke about them, she could see the anger. The hatred. The pure, unadulterated rage that burned within him. While she might want the World Beasts dead, Morgan wanted to utterly annihilate every single Pinnacle King, and judging by what she could see, he would enjoy doing so.

  Despite the seeming brutality of his nature, there was a gentle side to him as well. One that showed in the way he spoke with her, how careful he was to be respectful, and how hard he was trying to hide the anger he was feeling. It showed that he wasn’t selfish, that he would internalize his pain, bearing the burden on his own, rather than share it with others.

  Though she knew this arrangement was only temporary, Elyssa found herself wanting to get to know him even more, simply because of the odd duality to his personality and how world-weary he seemed to be, despite only being twenty years old. His age had actually surprised her, as Elyssa had been expecting someone far older. But, getting to marry someone her own age, rather than a five-hundred-year-old fossil, wasn’t something she was going to complain about.

  “Tell me more about these Pinnacle Kings,” she said as Morgan finished his story. “What types of beasts are they? It sounds like you’ve only ever had to face one.”

  The tip of Morgan’s lip twitched, and for just a moment, Elyssa could see it. The absolute hatred he felt for their kind, and the rage burning hot beneath the surface. Sure, she’d been able to feel the animosity he held toward them, but now that she could see it…That was something else entirely. Then, an odd sort of calm seemed to wash through him, and his raging hatred all but vanished.

  “They’re monsters,” he replied, his voice flat and near lifeless. “They were designed for only one purpose – to destroy kingdoms. I didn’t want to spring this on you right away, but I suppose it would only be fair to tell you since I’ll have to leave as soon as my companions return. I received a communication from back home. Another one of the Pinnacle Kings has arisen and is already making their move. Without me, they don’t stand a chance. I hope you can understand.”

  So that’s it! Elyssa realized, finally understanding why a beast he’d faced over two years ago would still elicit such hatred.

  Time heals all wounds, and even if he did still harbor resentment towards these creatures, it should not have manifested itself so strongly. However, if he’d just heard about another of these beasts rising just before their walk and had been reminded of all the millions of deaths it had caused, it made sense that his hatred would be reignited.

  She didn’t have a shred of doubt that that was the reason he would be leaving and that it wasn’t some nefarious scheme to try and undermine their alliance. No one, not even the best actors in the world, could fake the level of hatred he had. Still, if he went into battle against this thing and died, their entire alliance would fall apart, and while she couldn’t stop him from going, she had to make sure he understood the importance of being careful.

  Reaching out, she placed a hand over one of his, drawing his attention. She made sure to meet his eyes, allowing her concern to show.

  “I understand that you have to go, but please be careful. I need you to stay alive. If not for your own sake or mine, then for the sake of both of our kinds. Without you, the war will continue, and millions more will die.”

  Morgan stared back at her. The intensity of his golden eyes seemed to bore into her very soul and reminded her more of a beast than a feeling, intelligent creature. It was gone so quickly that she wondered if she’d imagined it. Just a moment later, he nodded his agreement.

  “Great!” she said, giving him a warm smile. “I’m sure your friends will be returning soon enough. But, in the meantime, how about we talk about lighter topics? Now, I am curious. What is your favorite type of cake?”

  30

  When Grace came through the hedges and entered the clearing with the pond, Morgan expected her to come running over and hug him. Or, perhaps, start crying in relief. Instead, she walked over to him and punched him square in the jaw.

  “Ow!” she yelled, clutching at her hand, which was already beginning to swell up.

  “What was that for?” Morgan asked, watching his young protégée shake the reddening appendage and wince all the while.

  “That was for just ditching me like that!” she exclaimed. “Do you have any idea how worried I was? Of what I’ve been through in the last twenty-four hours? No? Well, let me tell you…!”

  Both he and Elyssa, as Grace had apparently not noticed her presence, were forced to listen as the young girl went on a tirade about cultists, World Beasts and creepy undead elves who refused to die. Morgan was so shocked by this
story, that, for just a few minutes, all thoughts of the Pinnacle King were driven from his mind. He also couldn’t help but notice that Lumia was nowhere to be seen.

  However, as she finished her story, it soon became clear that she was fine, and that she and Hilda had come to the elven capital along with her. The only question was, where were they?

  “It sounds like you’ve been through a lot,” Morgan said when she finished with her tirade. “Why didn’t you tell me about any of this Strangler business before we came back to Faeland?”

  The look of anger and indignation vanished off Grace’s face in an instant, and it was only then that he finally understood how she was really feeling. She was scared – terrified, even. Keeping a secret this big for as long as she had must have taken a serious toll on her, and the longer she’d kept it, the more scared she’d become. Judging by her haggard appearance, the bags under her eyes and especially by how unkempt her hair was, she was nearly at the end of her rope.

  “I…I…I just…” she began.

  Her bottom lip began to tremble, and the tears he’d been expecting began to flow. Morgan felt a light touch on his arm and half-turned to see Elyssa giving him a sympathetic look.

  “I’ll leave the two of you alone. But, please, come see me before you leave?”

  He gave her a nod, and the elven queen rose smoothly from the bench, leaving ample room for Grace. However, that was completely ignored as Morgan pulled the younger girl into his arms and allowed her to cry into his shoulder. He was continually reminded how new she was to all of this, and that despite her strength, she’d only been with him for a few short weeks. It took time to become accustomed to the insanity of his world, and even he wasn’t completely used to it after all this time.

  How could he expect a fourteen-year-old girl, one who’s never been put under this sort of stress, to be able to deal with it?

  It took him well over an hour to calm her down, and another hour and a half to get the story out of her. Lumia came drifting in about halfway through, quietly letting him know that they’d found Hilda and that she was here as well. She made sure to stay out of sight and allowed them to have some privacy.