Chapter 5 - The Siege
James woke up around nine the next morning with surprisingly little aching to burden him. Surprised, he jumped out of bed and began getting dressed as he wondered how he had gotten back to his room. If the eidolon is so powerful, why am I not feeling any pain right now?
James vaguely remembered the few seconds before he had passed out. Maybe it was the fear of the eidolon that had knocked him out. Whether the anguish Dominic had talked about was a lie or not, he had believed him whole-heartedly.
It didn’t matter in the end, however, whether it was a lie or not. He was sure that, even if he hadn’t passed out at that moment, he wouldn’t have been able to beat Dominic. The cool and confident Sage-in-training he had seen yesterday would have been even more impressive if James hadn’t been at the receiving end of his fury. And no matter the outcome, James had to admit that the experience only made him want to be a Sage that much more.
He had one day left to prove his worth and he had already spent the night sleeping. What could he come up with that would beat Dominic’s Sage form, and in the couple of short hours that he had left? James wobbled over to the door, realizing that his legs felt like lead, and he saw the small note on the door.
Heard you actually cut Dominic yesterday. Too bad it didn’t count. Love, Ch Kyran. P.S. No session for you today. Dominic and Arimus have business to attend to.
The “Ch” part of the note was scribbled out as best as it could be, but James still saw it underneath the pen marks. Who or what in the world was “Ch” and how Kyran had managed to leave notes right under James’ nose without him noticing boggled his mind. James stuck the note in his pocket, ready to ask Catherine why Kyran was so weird, when the “P.S.” came to mind. Dominic and Arimus had business to attend to? Not that it mattered—he now had the day off. Plenty of time to think of a strategy. Plus, he could train on his own and Catherine might have a couple of ideas on how to beat Dominic. After breakfast, finding her would become his priority.
He ran down the hall knowing that he’d surely make it in time for breakfast, but still fearing that Kyran would close up early for no reason. He couldn’t bear another day without eating. The test with Dominic usually extended past lunch and dinner so he was quite ravenous.
James barged through the cafeteria doors as if under an emergency, and bounded for the food. He barely took in his surroundings. It wasn’t a big room at all, maybe able to fit about a hundred people. Generic wooden tables and chairs were scattered throughout. The only redeeming quality about the room was the rack of trays that led the way to the food line. They looked no different than those of a regular school cafeteria, but to James, they looked like paradise. He bountifully loaded his tray with fruit before he grabbed a clay plate and two bowls, ready to fill it with tasty goodness. He half expected Kyran to be the one serving the food, hair net and all, but he was surprised to see a beautiful woman standing there instead.
She wasn’t wearing the traditional “lunch lady” garb but instead she had on a simple bright green shirt that extended down into a wavy green dress. Her wispy blond hair was lined with silver streaks that made her appear older than she actually was but not to the point that she lost her allure. Her big playful lightning blue eyes lit up when she saw James, though he had no clue why. For a second, he thought about how handsome he must be, for the ladies to take such a liking to him, but then he dismissed the idea. He wasn’t that special. There had to be a good explanation to why she seemed happy to see him.
She scooped up a colossal serving of plain-flavored oatmeal—despite her thin arms—and plopped it happily into James’ bowls and plate, dividing it equally. He leaned over the counter, searching the contents for his beloved cakes, but alas, found none.
“Where are the cakes? And the sausages?” he asked hopefully, leaning over again and trying to look into the kitchen to see signs of their making.
“Gone, but not forgotten,” the server sighed as she patted her stomach. “Kyran truly outdoes himself.”
“Kyran’s the cook?”
“Oh yes, he loves cooking —oops,” she yelped, clutching her mouth. “Please don’t spread that around. He doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“Why? What’s the big deal?” James laughed as he thought of the serious Kyran slurping a ladle full of soup. The image started to get weird at the end though as he thought of Kyran smiling in glee and he shuddered, dismissing the vision.
“It’s bad for his image,” the lunch lady replied. “Anyways, I’ve said too much. Hopefully you’ll have some cakes tomorrow.”
“Who made this goop?”
“I did,” she claimed proudly, pulling back a pretend lapel. “I’m not exactly a chef, but I can make a crazy bowl of oatmeal.”
“No kidding,” James replied, staring at the boring ensemble sloshing around in his bowls.
“Enjoy,” she said, waving him along despite there being only a couple of people behind him. James grunted as he complied, finding a table in the corner to sit at. He considered sitting with some new faces but he needed the solitude to strategize. The day would be over before he knew it and Dominic’s eidolon was no laughing matter. He had only begun to fathom how to combat Dominic’s speed when he heard the chair in front of him whine in agony. He looked up from an empty bowl—which James didn’t even remember consuming its contents—to see Catherine, her lips pursed as if she wanted to talk. Once again, however, she was refusing to talk first. James grinned awkwardly and spun his spoon around in the second bowl of oatmeal, trying to win the silent battle between them. Catherine hummed in response, but James pretended to ignore her. Finally, she reached over and stuck a finger in his bowl, scraped out a chunk of oatmeal, drew it back and semi-enjoyed its mushy consistency. James snapped his head back in shock.
“Oh, groos! That’s disgu—”
“Groos? Is that a new word?”
“You don’t stick your fingers in other people’s food!”
“Well I wasn’t about to secede to you. I had to think of something.”
“Yeah, but that’s—that’s unsanitary!” James exclaimed, pushing the bowl away. Thank the Maker he had grabbed two.
“Like you were going to eat it.”
“I might have!”
“Yeah, right. Besides, I thought we were close.”
“Not that close! Who knows where your fingers have been?”
“Thankfully not where yours have been,” she pointed at the grime lining James’ hands and fingernails. “Speaking of sanitary, shouldn’t you have washed those before you ate?”
“I do what I want,” James stated childishly, running out of comebacks.
“I guess dirt is a delicacy where you’re from and—”
James threw a spoonful of oatmeal at Catherine who dodged it easily but still stood up in shock.
“You can’t throw food at me!”
“Why not? I only threw the part you stuck your finger in.”
“I’m a girl!”
“Touching my food isn’t exactly ladylike!”
“It’s not like I’m in the running to be your lady so why are you so worried about it?”
“Maybe you were but now I’m thinking of looking elsewhere,” James replied slyly.
“Yeah right, who would you talk to if I left you alone?”
“Now that’s hitting below the belt,” James sulked and Catherine’s eyes widened.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Ha!” James yelled suddenly. “I just won this argument! You gave in!”
“After some deception on your part!” Catherine laughed as she threw a wooden fork at James. James winced as it hit the back of his hand. Catherine put her chin in her hands and leaned on the table as if she was suddenly bored while James eyed her in alarm. Who threw forks?
“So how did it go yesterday?” she asked.
“Excellent, actually…well, more or less. A lot happened.”
“Do tell.” <
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“That idea of yours worked. I gave it my all after catching him by surprise and I managed to do some damage. When he pulled out his eidolon though, it was all over.”
“Got knocked out again by the light huh?”
“Noooo,” James replied. “I got hit with the eidolon itself.”
“Did it hurt?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t actually feel anything. I remember I couldn’t move, and Dominic was saying that as soon as I’d take a breath, I’d feel this excruciating pain. Then I just blacked out.”
“He was bluffing,” Catherine said with certainty. “There’s no ‘pain comes later’ stuff. He was scaring you.”
“Oh,” James replied, realizing that it was the fear that had knocked him unconscious more than anything. James frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing. Go on.”
“If he cut you even a little with the eidolon, you would have felt it, I’m sure.”
“He was saying some stuff about being able to pinpoint the exact location in my vein that would render me useless for all time or something,” James exaggerated.
“That’s true. He could if he wanted to, from what I’ve heard. The fact that you got to see it though, that’s impressive enough. He showed a bunch of the students once. I’ll never forget what it looked like.”
“Yeah, but I’m sure you never had to be on the receiving end of one.”
“True. True.”
“I have a question for you,” James said suddenly.
“Hopefully it’s not why do I go around sticking fingers in people’s food.”
“No, I—” James looked around the cafeteria. Everyone was involved in their own food or conversation. No one was paying them any mind except for the strange server at the counter. She stared over at them with questioning eyes but immediately turned them away as her eyes met James’. He didn’t think anything of it.
“How do you know so much about Kyran and Arimus? Are you friends with them or do you have some kind of history together?”
Catherine mulled over her answer.
“I guess one could say that we do.”
“How so?”
“Not romantically or anything. They’re definitely older than I am.”
“I wasn’t thinking that at all,” James replied, disgusted at the image of Kyran being in love, filled with mushy thoughts and musing over flowery poetry.
“It’s complicated. I can’t really disclose everything right now, but, they do confide in me a lot.”
“Even Kyran?”
“Sometimes. I mainly hear about him through Scarlet. You know she’s my cousin?”
“Wow,” James said, suddenly seeing the resemblance in their fiery determination to fight for what they want.
“We talk a lot. Pretty much about everything. She’s like a sister to me, and Kyran and Arimus are like my brothers.”
“How did you all get to that? I mean, you’re only a student here.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Arimus is protective of everyone, but so many people are afraid of him because he’s the authority figure that no one bothers talking to him like a human being. With Kyran, like I said, you have to earn his trust before he’ll give you more than a grunt, and Scarlet is one of the sweetest people I know as long as you don’t make her mad or call her cute or short or pint-size or tiny or kid or—”
“I got it,” James laughed, thinking of how even Arimus couldn’t weather Scarlet’s wrath. “I get the picture…so what do I have to do to get into this secret club?”
“Just pass all the tests and you’ll do fine.”
“That’s it, huh?”
“Yep.”
“So how many students here are still taking these tests?”
“More than you think. Most likely all of them. They continue to the next test based on their readiness, and that’s determined by the proctors. The Academy isn’t your typical four-year program. We don’t have enough infantry to wait that long. Usually within a year, you’re in the infantry and being sent out. If you’re not, then you’re just continuing your training here.”
“And if you’re in the infantry, you technically graduated.”
“That’s right. Though it’s not as special of an honor as it seems. See, no one ever gets kicked out of the school because we have so few soldiers. And we even keep those that fool around for the same reason. Sure, it might take you longer to be placed into the infantry, but ultimately, you’ll end up in the infantry anyways. Only those who really need help stay longer for extra training.”
“So how long have you been here?”
“Like you, this is my first year, but I’ve already made it to my last test. I’m waiting for Arimus to be ready to proctor.”
“That’s great. Are you excited about—” James gave up on trying to be secretive. “—the Sage classes?”
“What Sage classes?”
“You’re not in training?”
“Dominic’s the only one, remember? I’m going to be in the infantry.”
“Oh,” James said, satisfied that his other question was answered now too. “You sound like you’ll like the infantry.”
“It won’t be so bad. What made you think I was training to be a Sage?”
“Just wondering. It would’ve explained why you’re in with the superiors.”
“Nope. Sorry. I failed the Sage test before it even began,” Catherine laughed, grabbing the bowl of oatmeal and eyeing it over.
“Was it that hard?”
“Not really.”
James raised an eyebrow and shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Why are you so interested? You want to have more ideas on how to beat Dominic tomorrow?”
“If you don’t mind…”
“Not at all. Yep, I’ll give you some sure-fire ways of beating him, but you have to do one thing with me first.”
“What’s that?”
“Take me to the village beyond the Academy wall.”
“Why?” James asked carefully, thinking about seeing his father again. It felt like a whole different life, being in the village. Already he had become accustomed to the Academy’s ways, and he couldn’t deny that as long as he had a chance to be a Sage, it was kind of fun.
“What’s outside the Academy that you haven’t already seen?” James continued. “I mean, if you wanted to see the castle, now that would be an idea.”
“I really want to see the village.” Catherine said quickly. “It’s been so long.”
“You haven’t been here that long…and since we’re on the subject, where exactly do you live in the village? I definitely don’t remember you walking around.”
“James, you think too much. C’mon, let’s just get out of here and I’ll tell you what you need to know.”
“Can’t you go yourself? Or is that not allowed around here?”
“Not while school is in session. We have to concentrate on our training, but I have to get out of this place. It’s driving me crazy.”
“Fine, I’ll help you escape, I guess. It’s not like I have anything better to do today.”
“Gee, don’t sound so excited. I thought a little alone time with a girl would get a guy’s hopes up.”
“Well, I don’t really see you as a girl...”
“Such a charmer… C’mon, we’ll leave now while Arimus is away on business.”
“Do they go away on business often?”
Catherine sighed in annoyance and rolled her eyes.
“What does it matter if they do or don’t? They’re not going to take you along as their mascot or drummer boy so stop asking.”
“Why would they need a drummer boy? Is it some kind of secret mission?”
“Hardly. I can’t remember the last time anyone’s been outside beyond the Kingdom border, even the teachers. It’s probably a workshop.”
“What could they possibly have a workshop about?”
“Oh you know,” Catherine said slyly. “They may need to teach a health class coming up or something and they need to know about women’s—”
“—okay, that’s enough,” James interrupted, cupping his ears. “I guess I don’t really need to know that badly.”
“I knew that would shut you up.”
“You did that on purpose?!”
Catherine didn’t answer, grabbing James’ wrist and pulling him out through the cafeteria doors. James strained to see if the lunch lady was going to pull out a tray of cakes now that he was leaving but she made no move, simply staring at their leaving. James could swear that Kyran was conspiring against him and that she was a spy.
“As long as we get some food in the village, I don’t care what we do.”
“What’s to eat there?” Catherine asked curiously.
“Wow, you have been gone a long time. I don’t know. Lots. Steaks. Noodles would be nice.”
“Noodles? Sounds silly.”
“It’s not bad. I eat a lot of it regardless of the taste, sometimes late at night.”
“I’m surprised you’re so nonchalant about your eating habits, Mr. Sage. Shouldn’t you watch your figure?”
“Oh, I’ve got the metabolism of a stallion,” James declared, patting his stomach in pride.
“And what kind of metabolism is that?”
James frowned and muttered something inaudible under his breath. Catherine giggled as she led him outside to the courtyard. He was surprised that no one was in the lobby or hallways.
“What are you so paranoid about?” Catherine asked. “Everyone’s probably in the cafeteria.”
“I know, I know, but sometimes Kyran is so sneaky, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was watching us from the shadows right now.”
“Yeah. He’s sort of like the truant officer of the Academy.”
“He sure has the personality of one: stale and by the book.”
“Don’t say that so loud,” Catherine giggled. “He might hear you.”
“I almost wish he did hear me. He gets on my nerves.”
Catherine deducted that Kyran was nowhere to be found and led James to the courtyard doors. Pushing it as lightly as possible to minimize any squeaking, she welcomed the cold air that pinched her warm cheeks. James grunted as he realized he had forgotten his coat again.
“Are we seriously going outside? I thought there might be a secret entrance you knew about.”
“Can’t say that I do. The only way we’re going to get to the village is if we make it to the eastern entrance. It’s not too far. About twenty miles or so.”
“Oh, twenty miles, that’s nothing,” James muttered sarcastically. “ARE YOU KIDDING?! You don’t even have a coat on!”
“Neither do you, James.”
James grunted and Catherine laughed and whistled into the wind. James gnashed his teeth from the biting cold, letting them chatter extra loudly to ensure that Catherine heard them loud and clear. Catherine listened intently before grabbing James’ hand and leading him to the courtyard exit doors. They were already suspiciously open but James had little time to consider why. The wind fought their escape with increasing fury as they ran with determination to the exit. Catherine laughed playfully as James shook his head in amazement. A horse-drawn stage coach came into view. It was much more elegant than the one James had ridden in.
“How were you able to pull this off?”
“I have some contacts that owe me a favor.”
“You sure know a lot of people. Could make a guy jealous.”
“Why? Are you?”
“No,” James said flatly, and Catherine laughed.
“Sometimes I just don’t understand you.”
James didn’t say anything to the comment as he entered the stage coach, barely noticing the identity of the driver who was hidden under a massive cloak and hood. Catherine sat opposite of James and looked at him out of concern. His sudden silence and solemn demeanor disturbed her.
“What’s wrong, James?” she asked gently, placing a hand on his.
“I’m sorry I kind of brushed you off, Katie.”
Catherine lowered her eyes as his nickname for her sunk into her heart. The coach began moving.
“It’s okay, James.”
“Every time I think of men and women together, my father rears his ugly head. All I can think about is how he was such a ladies’ man and how he used to say that even when he was with my mother, he would still flirt with other women simply because he could. He didn’t seem to care about how my mother felt. She was like a trophy to him. The only reason he got her to marry him was because she was the only woman who refused his advances. He saw it as a challenge, and pursued her with all his might. She eventually gave in. The guy has always been stubborn, but…of course, they couldn’t be happy together. She actually thought it could work out, but after seeing how he wouldn’t change, she left him…and me. So every time I think about a relationship, I get scared. I don’t want to lead women on if they’re interested in me, you know?”
James stared into Catherine’s eyes and she turned to glance out the window.
“I never said I was interested in you, James. I was just having a little fun. I don’t get to be myself with too many people and I like the fact that when I’m around you, I can just let go.”
“Oh,” James said, his mood improving at her words.
“Were you old when your mother left—I mean, if that’s not being too forward.”
“No, to be honest I barely remember her. And I don’t really think about her much. Mainly when my dad is being stupid, and then I wonder how happy she must be elsewhere.”
Catherine rubbed the right side of her jaw in thought before folding her hands back into her lap.
“Did she ever tell your dad how she felt?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think it would’ve made a difference though.”
“Why not?”
“Because a lot of men don’t change.”
“People can change.”
“Most men don’t. And certainly not my father. That’s what I believe anyway. I think we’re all too stubborn and honestly that scares me sometimes. When I was fighting Dominic, I got a glimpse of the arrogance that was within me. If he had been the student and I had been the one giving the test, I don’t know how much different I would’ve been.”
“That’s speculation. You don’t know how you’ll act until you’re in the situation itself. And I don’t believe that men cannot change. I think we all choose who we want to be.”
“Maybe…”
A pause of silence ensued, causing James to dwell on the very words that had come out of his mouth. Did he really think of himself that way? Stubborn?
“So what did you have to do to get this stage coach hidden?” he asked, trying to change the subject. “You must’ve had to save a bunch of money and give out a lot of bribes to keep people quiet. This thing isn’t exactly inconspicuous.”
“My father had plenty of money in his ‘savings’ which I can use whenever I feel like.”
“So he’s been pulling some overtime as the court jester lately?”
“James, my father is dead.”
James’ smirk fell and he rubbed his forehead awkwardly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t know your father had passed.”
“It was a long time ago, when I was four. I don’t remember him that much.”
“Do you miss him?”
“I miss his presence, but nothing more than that. I don’t so much miss him as I miss what he did for those around him. People were a lot happier when he was around. He was a man of order, and that gave people a sense of purpose and balance.”
“He sounds like a well-respected man.”
“From what I hear, he was. I myself rarely saw him. I only heard abou
t him through my mother, who, by the way, died in the same year as he did.”
“Was it disease or—”
“No, it—”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, I was going to explain this to you earlier. See, they died in ‘88.”
“The siege? The same siege I’ve been hearing so much about?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“I was four, so I wasn’t particularly aware of my surroundings—how old are you, James?”
“Nineteen.”
“So you were three at the time.”
“You’re older than me?!”
“Is that a problem?”
“I guess—no—I don’t know…”
“James, you’re digressing…”
“Sorry. Continue.”
“I was at the Academy most of the time, where my mother was an active professor. She wasn’t a Sage in case you were wondering, but she did know basic combat and she had a knack for teaching. So, while she stayed at the Academy, my father worked in the castle. They were separated a lot, but my mother used to tell me that she preferred it that way. Back then, all the people you know now weren’t there. Arimus, Kyran, not even Scarlet, who had left with her parents to live in the countryside beyond the five Kingdoms. That didn’t last of course as Scarlet joined the Academy as soon as she was seventeen.”
“So she hasn’t been a proctor for long.”
“Not at all. Arimus is actually the oldest. No currently active teacher besides him has been there for more than a year.”
“How is that possible?”
“Listen, and I’ll tell you. See, in those days, there wasn’t such a distance between the village and the castle or the royalty. The king loved to interact with his subjects, for better or for worse, and the people got to make their requests to him face-to-face. The siege changed that forever. In that time, the infantry was about a hundred thousand strong with over thirty Sages at the helm. Not Sages in training, either. Full-blown Sages. The ones of legend. The best of them all was Lakrymos, their leader. He alone could defend an entire Kingdom from an army of soldiers. His speed, strength, and wisdom were unparalleled and he was an inspiration for all that he met or heard about him. He believed that anyone had the power to be a Sage. Our failure lied only in our own expectations and limitations—the notion that we limit ourselves and that this is what holds us back. The tests and classes were the same as today, but even when someone failed the preliminaries and it seemed like their only hope was to be an infantryman, he stressed how even an infantryman could rise to new heights and accomplish much—that some are just not meant to be a Sage. That the Maker had other plans for those particular recruits.”
“Was he a resident of Allay?”
“He was actually born in the Sage Association—a community where top level Sages would meet and discuss current events. Lakrymos was said to be the youngest to ever release his eidolon—at the age of ten years old. He spent most of his time at the Sage Association, delegating responsibilities to other Sages and such. He came to the Kingdom of Allay only once every ten years to see the Academy. Although the Sage Association is outside Allay in a place undisclosed to normal people like us, every Sage is an Allayan.”
“Why? Why aren’t there Sages from other Kingdoms?”
“Every Kingdom has their own specific powerhouse. Their own niche. Ours are the Sages. At least, they used to be. The year of ‘88 was when Lakrymos last visited, and there was a lot of anticipation, so much so that defenses weren’t at their peak.”
“What do you mean?”
“One Sage is more than enough to take on an army and quite a few elites of another Kingdom should they be stupid enough to attack. There was always a sense of safety in Allay, to the point that we began feeling too secure. With so many Sages stationed around the Kingdom, no one believed that anything could happen. Our defenses couldn’t be broken. No enemy could penetrate. But our arrogance was our downfall. On the day of Lakrymos’s arrival, many of the newly initiated Sages left their stations to meet the legend in person. Now, they weren’t completely negligent. Instead of seven Sages guarding each entrance to the Kingdom walls, there were two on each of the quadrants. More than enough normally. But on this particular day, the Quietus came.”
“The Quietus?”
“The Quietus, from the Kingdom of Quietus, are extraordinary warriors. Little is known about them except for that they live for bloodshed and challenge. A Quietus child could easily massacre our entire village if it saw fit, and with little effort. They are brutal and powerful, yet no one knows what gives them their strength. Usually they stay in their Kingdom, fighting amongst themselves, as no one else is deemed worthy to challenge their power. But occasionally, one or two Quietus will try climbing the Allay walls. Of course, they are always killed by a Sage standing guard so we never worried about them. Even rarer, sometimes a whole group of Quietus, usually very young, would stray outside their lands and seek a challenge at another Kingdom. But they always met their doom. Although the Quietus are ruthless by nature, they have strict rules as far as interfering in the affairs of others. This day, however, something went horribly wrong.”
“Was there a group of Quietus?”
“There were only ten of them. That normally wouldn’t be a problem, as weird as it may have been. But they weren’t average warriors. The problem was that they were the elite of their Kingdom, the bodyguards of the King of Quietus himself.”
“The king’s bodyguards left him unguarded?”
“The idea was preposterous. What would these seasoned warriors and arguably the most civilized of their Kingdom be doing here? Whatever the reason, the two Sages at the eastern gate were no match for them. They were executed in seconds and the ten Quietus entered the village. And the village was so oblivious of anything beyond their borders that they didn’t know how to react. Sages, Lakrymos, Quietus—all of it sounded like fairy tales and imagination, and as long as they were left alone to live as they saw fit, they loved being in ignorance of what us soldiers do. When the Quietus arrived, it was a massacre, yet…it was still just a ruse.”
“A ruse?”
“Only about a fourth of the village was murdered when the Quietus suddenly stopped killing of their own accord. They just stood still in the village square and waited, knowing that the Sages would execute them quickly. Five Sages answered the call and spoke to the group of Quietus, demanding that they take their battle elsewhere. The Quietus agreed to go to the courtyard of the Academy…where Lakrymos waited, enraged.
“At the courtyard, they gave little explanation for their arrival, demanding only that Lakrymos meet with them for a conversation. The Sages refused at first, sensing a trap, and they responded in kind. The entire Sage battalion congregated around these ten, perching on the pillars above and circling the Academy entrance doors, ready to pounce on and kill the Quietus as soon as they gave their story. With every Sage brought together at the southern wall, there was no one to defend against the Quietus Army that abruptly arrived. A hundred Quietus infantryman stormed the western wall, broke through and, surprisingly, left the village alone, only killing a few passing citizens in order to attract the Sages’ attention.
“Lakrymos gave orders quickly, telling Sages to save the village and warn those protecting the King and Queen. Little did he know that the castle was one of the Quietus’ primary targets. The King and Queen would be captured, their own bodyguards unable to take on the waves of Quietus that attacked them. Still, the order was given, and the Sages went their separate ways to save the Kingdom, each of them divided and conquered by a waiting death squad. The Quietus had planned an attack on Allay for decades, waiting for the perfect time, when our guard would be down and all the Sages could be exterminated at once. They chose a perfect day. The Quietus had divided into groups as well as the Sages, but their groups were calculated well in advance, each troop knowing ful
l well its members’ strengths and weaknesses. And as each Sage was slowly cut down, one by one, the Sage Association was forced to send every member they could muster—even their reserve—to protect their homeland.
“All were defeated as more and more armies of Quietus, hundreds upon hundreds, stationed around the Allay Kingdom, its walls, and even the forest, waiting in the wings for their unsuspecting prey. I remember a villager telling me once that they had overheard a trio talking, discussing how Allay was the Kingdom to test their might on—the Languor and Prattle Kingdoms being nothing by comparison. The Quietus wanted to collectively know that they were the best, defeating all that stood in their way. And with Allay gone, there would be only one land left to challenge their might, one Kingdom remaining that was higher than us: Zen-echelon…but that conquest would be reserved for another day.
“In no time at all, Allay’s infantry was dead along with every one of its Sages, except for Lakrymos. He fought the elite of the Quietus Kingdom valiantly, but already they had demolished his Kingdom, massacred his people and murdered his soldiers. He wasn’t the cool and calm warrior of legend anymore. He didn’t strike fear into the Quietus elites. He was now just a man. A man with great power, but still just a man—his symbolism cut down, his spirit broken. They had anticipated this. Everyone has a weakness, and they had figured his out. They knew that under normal circumstances, even fifty on one, Lakrymos would be the victor, maybe bruised, a little scarred, but impressively the victor. He was the highest level of Sage after all. Yet, they were eventually able to overwhelm him, and force him to his knees…out of a broken heart.
“It was a great battle, not one of shame or dishonor. He managed to kill many before they humbled him. And without ridicule or insult, they respectfully brought the giant down and spoke to him as an equal, despite their triumph. They asked him what he, this warrior of warriors, this legend among the Quietus people—desire. He didn’t hesitate. He asked for the sparing of his people, for the Quietus to cease the ravaging of his already decimated home. The Quietus agreed, and Lakrymos suddenly saw through his enemy: deception.
“Clear-headed now, he broke free of his captors’ grasp, destroying their bodies with a flick of his wrist. The Quietus had prepared for this, knowing that Lakrymos’s intoxication with grief would end at some point, and so the captured king and queen were suddenly brought forth to squelch his rage. Lakrymos’s anger subsided as he saw his reason for living standing before him, the code of the Sage whispering maliciously in his ear: the King and Queen are your life.
“Lakrymos bowed solemnly, ready to raise his blade, when the King of Allay bellowed a ‘STOP! Do as they say!’ fearful of his own life. Lakrymos shook his head no in defiance, refusing his birth right, the Sage code, and his name. He knew they would not spare their lives. Not these Quietus. Unfortunately for Lakrymos, his non-compliance with his own King had also been anticipated.
“Through the crowd, gliding like water on rock, the King of Quietus emerged, protected by his own as far as the eye could see. He wore a pitch-black hooded cloak, covering his face and body, so that all one was able to see of him was that he was a big man, over eight feet tall, and that his hands were hideously thick and calloused as if they were made of granite. Intimidating to all who saw him, he came face to face with Lakrymos, unafraid.
“‘I understand your will to fight,’ he said. ‘Still, as long as I am present, your efforts will achieve very little.’
“‘I will not let you harm the King and Queen,’ Lakrymos stated respectfully but firmly, his decision made.
“‘You bow before me yet you make demands. How interesting. I commend you, Sage, for impressing me is an accomplishment not easily achieved. Yet, I am not willing to spare the head of my enemy without recourse. Are you willing to sacrifice for their lives?’
“‘I would die for them in an instant.’
“‘Do not be so dramatic, warrior. I know of your contract with death. I speak of your soul.’
“‘What do you mean?’ Lakrymos said. For the first time since the siege had begun, he grew afraid.
“‘I desire your salvation, human. The treasure you have coveted since your first breath. Allow me to consume your soul—to gain the power of a Sage coupled with my own, and I swear, that no Quietus now, or ever, shall lay a finger on the Kingdom of Allay or its inhabitants. Neither shall the King or Queen lose their life, nor their soul.’
“‘You would spare everyone, including them, in exchange for my soul and my Sage abilities?’
“‘Yes, creature,’ the hooded man breathed, nodding in approval. The King of Quietus, despite his violent nature, was known for his cold-hearted honesty. Lakrymos knew that if there was anyone to trust in all of Quietus, it was him.
“‘I pray you keep your word, monster.’ Lakrymos threatened, ‘or I will fly to Oblivion myself to tear your spirit limb from limb!’
“‘Ah…’ the Quietus King laughed, ‘but you would no longer have a soul to do so.’
“That day, Lakrymos, the greatest Sage in our history, lost his life and his soul at the hands of the Quietus Kingdom. True to his word, the King passed a law in the middle of our own courtyard, declaring that no Quietus was to ever set foot on our soil, less they be executed speedily and their soul consumed by the King himself. Our own King and Queen were spared, but,” Catherine paused, her voice breaking. “They were taken and brought to Quietus, made into slaves, and the Kingdom of Allay has struggled ever since to survive without their leadership…”
“How was the Quietus King able to gain the power of a Sage? And what did you mean by ‘he consumed Lakrymos’s soul?’”
“I’m not sure exactly. All I know is that, somehow, the Quietus can take your very soul and all that it possesses—memories, abilities, thoughts, dreams…and absorb them into their own body. I’m not sure how it’s done.”
“Then I’m glad I’ll never have to see one, or meet one.”
“Yes. As long as you stay on Allayan soil, you won’t ever meet a Quietus.”
The stage coach stopped abruptly, the horses neighing loudly as if to say “get out.” James climbed out the door. Taking Catherine’s hand, he helped her step down into the snow that lay in front of the eastern doors.
“I guess chivalry isn’t dead after all,” Scarlet remarked from her post. She leaned against the side of the eastern doors, arms crossed as if she had been waiting for their arrival the whole time. She was emitting a strange scarlet glow from her body, but James figured it was some weird reflection between the light, her hair, and her armor, which was now visible for all to see. In spite of the climate, she did not wear a cloak to protect her.
“Aren’t you cold?” James asked as he cringed under a stray breeze.
“Not at all,” Scarlet sighed as she rubbed her forearms. “Toasty, really.”
“Right,” he stated flatly. “So are you here to take us back to the Academy?”
“Hardly. I know what it’s like to be cooped up in there. Catherine said she wanted some time outside of the place so I agreed.”
“Oh yeah, you’re cousins, right?”
Scarlet stole a glance at Catherine who maintained a blank face and then glared at James.
“I’m not breaking the rules because we’re family,” Scarlet said. “And in reality, she’s more like a half-cousin, through marriage.”
“Which doesn’t make us any less close,” Catherine sang as she hugged Scarlet. Scarlet dropped the cold composure and hugged her back.
“That reminds me,” James stated. “If the King and Queen are gone, who’s running the Kingdom? Nobody?”
Catherine looked up from her embrace and into Scarlet’s eyes. Her cousin looked away and let her go, scratching her head.
“At the moment, it’s a little complicated,” Scarlet answered. “But I guess one could say the Princess. The sole heir to the throne. She’s the only one who survived the siege of ‘88 which I’m sure Catherine told you all about. When the Prince
ss is a little older, she’ll be able to become Queen and take a more prominent role in the Kingdom as a whole.”
“How old does she have to be?”
“Twenty-one. It’s when the heir is of age and deemed able to properly dictate law.”
“That seems like a random number to me.”
Scarlet shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t write the laws.”
“So this Princess…I haven’t heard of her before, but she must be really beautiful, huh?”
“She is,” Scarlet winked and laughed whole-heartedly.
“Then I guess I know who my wife’s going to be,” James blurted out, causing such shock in Scarlet and Catherine that they both almost fell down in the snow.
“WHAT?!” Scarlet spat. “Where’d you get an idea like that?”
“I’m going to be a great Sage someday,” James declared boldly. “And I think it’s only fitting that the Princess of Allay be my wife. I’ll protect her with everything that’s within me and I’ll cherish her until our dying day.”
“Romantic,” Catherine sighed in approval.
“Garbage,” Scarlet snapped. “What makes you think you’ll even like the Princess? What if she’s this horrible monster of a person? What? So you think she’s just this buxom beauty airhead goddess that will just fall head-over-heels in love with you? Serve you at your every whim? A trophy wife on your mantle to go with your Sage achievements? You haven’t even passed the test yet, High Hopes.”
“Well, of course I have to meet her and all, but I’m sure that she’ll be just as lovely as she’ll look.”
“Whatever you say, High Hopes.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Well, it’s what you are.”
“Shut up, Scarlet,” James snapped, forgetting his place on the hierarchy. Scarlet didn’t even bat an eye.
“I have a question for you, James,” Catherine said shyly. James calmed down and turned to look at his friend.
“What is it?”
“What if I was the Princess?”
James looked into her eyes to see if she was joking, but he couldn’t hold it in. He burst out laughing. His hesitation and laughter were all Catherine needed to get the message.
“I get it, James. I’m not pretty enough, is that it?”
“I didn’t say that,” James replied quickly, trying to salvage the situation. “You’re pretty in your own way.”
“Wow,” Catherine said, casting her eyes to the ground. She cupped her hands together and bit her lip.
“I mean, if you washed your hair, or—”
“—I think that’s enough, High Hopes,” Scarlet cut James off and grabbed the back of his collar. “And for the record, you’re the last person to be giving a lecture on hygiene.”
James tried muttering a response, only to be shocked as Scarlet half-lifted, half-dragged him by his collar over to the eastern doors. He cried out in surprise as Scarlet pushed him through the open doors, sending him sprawling into the dirt beyond. He tried to get up quickly and run back outside, but he had landed so awkwardly that he had trouble gaining his footing.
“You can take the long way back,” Scarlet said firmly as she began closing the door. “Catherine’s staying here with me.”
The last glimpse James saw was her hurt, teary eyes as the doors ushered a booming slam in his face, leaving him in the very place his journey had begun.