Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) (8 page)

“Lex, please,” Catherine said. “Tell us more.”

“Well, I was with a group of young warriors who decided to go against reason and throw away their lives by traveling to Zen-echelon. It’s only the young that take on such a foolish challenge. But I had grown weary of the village life and I needed some excitement
, so…I decided to be a guide of sorts. From bits of information thrown around the Kingdom here and there, we have a general sense of where Zen-echelon is located. Especially since all who attempt to uncover its secrets announce where their headed so should they return, they will receive all the glory and prestige…anyways, I was ready to die as a Quietus should. Getting past the Prattlian patrols were simple enough as we headed northwest, past the swamps and the volcanoes, past the rocky terrain known as THE END. As impressive as some of the indigenous creatures we encountered were, we were no match for them. And so we traveled, and traveled, thinking that soon there would be no more land left, until…we reached it.

“It wasn’t the kingdom of legend I expected. It didn’t sit atop a
n unclimbable mountain. It wasn’t engulfed in a shield of fog. It wasn’t surrounded by monsters taken from the depths of our nightmares. It was just…there. Just a castle or a big house, if you will, simply looking worn and unkept, sitting on the edge of a cliff and staring out over the ocean. I didn’t know what to make of it at first, and to be honest, I was still trying to decide whether it was Zen-echelon or not, but I couldn’t deny the feeling it was giving me: Fear. Now don’t misunderstand me, Princess. I see the skeptical look in your eyes. I see your thoughts playing with distant memories of fear like you actually know what it is. Like you’ve been friends all this time, indulging every little secret about yourselves. No, you have not felt what I have. As a Quietus, we pride ourselves on being fearless, but this…I could not deny. It felt like I was standing before a god…now, I don’t believe in the Maker, but I imagine if he did exist, it would feel very close to what I experienced that day. There are few words that can describe it. It’s like you’re a newborn infant with the awareness of an adult. All you can do is lay there in your own filth and cry, hoping someone will come to save you from your horrible ordeal.

“There were eight of us
in the beginning. As soon as we arrived, one ran away, headed home. The shock of seeing a Quietus running from something made us all nervous, and we remained frozen in fear. I’m thankful I did, because he only made it a few yards when the dirt reached up, in the shape of a claw with teeth, and crashed down on him. He died instantly, and his remains ran along the outline of the dirt-claw freely as it sank back to whence it came. Only a puddle of entrails remained where he once stood. The others lost their mind and began running. I watched as they all died in different manners. One just disintegrated. One was shredded by a swarm of small thorns that flew at him from a passing breeze. Another was decapitated by an invisible force. It was…horrible. I’m not ashamed to say that I defecated on myself. And I do not say this to be vulgar. I just want to tell you, Princess, that if you are contemplating going there, you mustn’t. There is nothing but death.”

“You survived,” Catherine stated. “Perhaps I will too.”

“No,” he shook his head. “No, I was allowed to live. When I became the last, a voice whispered in my ear, ‘Go, and be a witness to the horror I will bring to this world.’”

“Who could have
-“

A blood-curdling scream escaped from their captor
, and everyone turned to face Jester who was now bent over, and laughing hysterically. The two men by his side looked at Nadia for guidance as she held up a hand for them to stay vigilant. Catherine couldn’t help but notice that Lex took a few steps back.

“What’s so funny?” Catherine asked
turning to the captive.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Jester tried to gather himself. “
It’s just I love the way my master makes his plans. Your story was just so hilarious!”

“Seven Quietus lost their lives,” Catherine said angrily. “I hardly think that’s funny.”

“Oh, and it’s gets better! See, this Quietus’s story was the signal!”

“The signal?”

“Yep! My master sent me here saying that I’ll know when to act once I get the signal. And that signal, will come from the mouth of a Quietus, who will tell a story about the decimation of his group. The only Quietus my master has ever left alive! Now, I can begin my work. I hope you’re ready for a little heartburn, Princess.”

Catherine began powering up the stone just as Jester shrugged hi
s shoulders and the ropes were torn apart into tiny pieces. He smiled and reached out to her just as Lex stepped in the way. Jester didn’t hesitate to plunge his hand right through the Quietus’ chest.

“Run, Princess!” Lex cried out as his body went limp. The two men who had been next to Jester lunged forward with their scythes but Jester ripped the scythes from their forearms and
in one fluid motion, stabbed them in the chest. Nadia began transforming but Jester pushed her aside hard, sending her flying into one of the huts that immediately crashed down upon her. Catherine grit her teeth and punched toward Jester with her right hand but he caught it, smiled, and gave it a peck from his lips.

Then he broke her wrist
.

“Oh, Catherine,” Jester mused
as she screamed. “You’re so feisty. Such spirit. I think I could fall in love. Show me your heart.”

Catherine threw a punch with her left, but Jester caught
it also with the same hand, his fingers stretching over both of her closed fists and wrapping around her wrists. As he held onto them, he reached forward with his other hand towards Catherine’s chest, slowly inching his way menacingly as she fought against his strength. Just as the tips of his fingers began piercing the outer layer of her skin, she screamed for him to stop. Jester looked up with a quizzical look and she powered down the stone enough to bring back her green eyes. Jester smiled.

“Yes, Princess? Need time to stall?”

“I surrender,” she said, fighting through the pain coming from her wrist. “I surrender to you and your master.”

“Oh?”

“But only if you leave the Quietus alone. Don’t kill anyone. Do that and I’ll come willingly. Isn’t that better than having to fight?”

“I don’t know,” Jester said, looking at her chest. “Seems like I already won to me.
Why make a deal?”

“Because I’ll fight you with all the power I can muster to the very end.
And it doesn’t matter if I can’t win. I’m sure I’ll be able to rip off a limb or two.”

“You make such compelling arguments,” he chuckled. “And I applaud your request.
I agree to your terms. But only because my master would be quite angry if I took all the fun for myself. Before we head off though…let me fill you in on something. The Quietus…they are not human. Did you know that? These creatures you’re so willing to throw your life away for, they’re nothing but pawns. Are you so ready to take a deal after hearing that?”

“I don’t believe it
,” Catherine said adamantly, glancing at the Quietus above them, waiting for Jester to drop his guard. “I don’t believe it for one second. They’re no different than I am.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Jester giggled. “See, they were created by my master a long time ago, experiments gone wrong you could say. Think about it. Prattlians look human. Their stone just grants them higher intelligence. The Langorans, they look human. Their stone just gives them more mass and strength. You Sages make your eidolons out of your soul, which all humans possess…but the Quietus? No. No. No. They were created as slaves for Zen-echelon. Servants. It was just that
they were deemed so ghastly to behold that they were cast down to rummage and scavenge and develop their own society. Look at them. They look like monsters. Sure, they camouflage their true form in human skin, but ultimately, they’re nothing but a bunch of chemicals and failed concoctions. Much like your James back there.”

Catherine’s tried not to waver when she heard his name. She hadn’t forgotten him for a second. Not the whole time she was trying to interpret this Jester. She knew that surrendering seemed foolish. But there was no other choice. At least she could buy herself some time, give James the recovery he needed. Wit
h the power he had displayed earlier with the King of Quietus, he had shown her that he had great potential to become a powerful Sage, and Allay needed its warriors. There was no telling how many were left, and with his connection to Nadia, he might be able to rally the Quietus against Zen-echelon…

“Did you hear me?” Jester snapped, getting closer to her face. “Your boyfriend is nothing more than a failed experiment. Doesn’t that disgust you?”

“No,” Catherine declared with fervency. “Even if what you’re saying is true, it doesn’t change anything. As I’ve already said, the Quietus are no different than us.”

“I wonder if you would be so strong i
f I took his head.”

“Try it, monster,” Catherine said. “You won’t succeed. He’s stronger than you are.”

“Oh, is he? I don’t know…from what I’ve seen, he needs a lot more practice, but…now you’ve gotten my attention. Hmmm. Tell you what, I’m feeling generous. I won’t kill him now. How about we go somewhere and wait for him? I’ll leave a trail that an idiot can follow, and then we’ll clash head to head when he arrives. Winner gets your heart.”

“Your puns are beginning to annoy me.”

“Well, get used to it. We’re heading off now. You can walk freely behind me until you try something. Now, let’s see…ah! You!” Jester shouted towards Nadia who had just removed a little of the rubble smothering her. Only her face showed. “Get your son ready for battle! In 24 hours, I will kill the Princess. He has until then to stop me. Do you got that?”

Nadia sneered and growled his way, showing off her razor-sharp Quietus teeth.

“I’ll take that as a yes. To-da-loo!”

Jester skipped away as Catherine reluct
antly followed, looking sorrowfully into Nadia’s eyes and praying that James would recover in time… 

*              *              *              *              *

“Is that it?” Scarlet asked as Kyran ignored her. They were both lying down in the mud and had been waiting for over six hours, searching for any signs of life, but there was only dead silence. No animals, no insects, no wind. Nothing. It disturbed Kyran to no end. Being accustomed to stealth and the way of shadows, he had never seen anything like it. If one stayed still long enough, no matter the location, there was bound to be movement of some kind. Whether it was the leaves of a tree reaching out to the sky for rain or an ant scouting for nourishment, there was always life, even in the most deserted of places. But from what he could sense, there was only death here. He hadn’t felt this uneasy since childhood, back when he would try to sneak up on Chloe and she would catch him every time.

He felt watched, and it made his stomach churn.

Was this how I made people feel?
He thought as Scarlet nearly moved her pinky a millimeter forward. Kyran’s eyes shot her a death stare at it and Scarlet immediately ceased her intrusion. If they were going to break into Zen-echelon undetected, it would do her well to learn the way of Kyran.

“Kyran, it’s empty,” she whined as a strand of her hair fell and tickled up against Kyran’s cheek. Just seeing the scarlet color enraged him and floods of murderous intent pumped through his veins, but he held back. Murder
usually left evidence.

“Shut up,” Kyran said against his better judgment. “It’s not empty. Someone is there.”

“Then why haven’t we moved? You should have analyzed its movements by now.”

“I can’t see it. Just sense it.”

“You actually didn’t get confirmation that anything’s out there? Are you serious? We’ve been laying here for hours, and the branches are beginning to dig into my skin. Let’s get moving before the owner comes home or at least adjust ourselves to a more comfortable position.”

“This is all wrong,” Kyran sighed. What was it that bothered him? He felt like a rat navigating a maze for a piece of cheese and he
had just noticed the several human faces watching him from above, tracking his progress, waiting for him to take the bait. His senses told him where to go, what path to accept, what to bite into, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that it was one big trap.