Of Heroes And Villains (Book 4) (17 page)

“We’ll find out the whole truth if James arrives.”

“When he arrives, you mean.”

“Yes, my Queen,” Talia said, standing up and picking up the parchment. “I’ll be studying this until the opening ceremony. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, go ahead,” Catherine said, waving her away. “I’ll tell the guards to cancel my meetings. This is far more important. I think that once we are—”

The sound of footsteps stopped her in mid-speech. Talia secured the list under her manifest armor and craned her neck behind her.

“James and Arimus have arrived!” Talia said excitedly. She turned to face Catherine, but there was already a smile on the Queen’s face. She had already known.

“Open the door!” Catherine shouted gleefully and Talia turned the knob just in time. James, Arimus, and a host of Quietus walked through. Catherine activated a portion of her strength and pushed the table out the way effortlessly. Talia began kicking the chairs down with it, making room for the guests. Hakin stepped forward, even past James and Arimus to meet the Queen face to face.

“I take it you are in charge here?” he asked, giving her a wary eye. She bowed to him respectfully.

“You could say that,” she said. “Excuse me.” To everyone’s surprise, Catherine ran over to James and leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. James’ face turned red as Arimus and a few of the Quietus began to chuckle. Catherine gave him a huge kiss on the lips and then grabbed his face.

“Don’t do that to me again!”

“I won’t!” he laughed as he let her down. Catherine brushed her hands on her silk white dress, trying to smooth out the wrinkles she had caused.

“Sorry for that. That wasn’t proper.” She walked back to the front of the room so that she could face Hakin again. “I’m very happy that you’re here. We’ve been looking for Quietus survivors for years now.”

“If we had known about all of this, we wouldn’t have hid for so long,” Hakin whistled, looking around him. “I was surprised to hear that Thorn had been killed. It must have taken everyone to do it if the Quietus weren’t able to.”

“It’s true,” she said solemnly. “Without the help of everyone, we would have all been destroyed. That union has continued to keep us from fighting against one another for years now.”

“But that’s not entirely true, is it? I hear that the Allayans that approached us were not your own.”

“No, they weren’t,” Catherine said. “And that’s why we need your help in identifying the individuals. However, that can hold off for a couple of hours while we feed and clothe you. You can take baths and relax before we get down to business. As it so happens, this is the day in which our Sage Academy reopens, so we won’t be able to give you our full attention right away. I hope you understand.”

“Do your people know we’re here?”

“Not all, but we’ve gathered together several trustworthy individuals that will escort you around the private sections of the castle. They will meet your every need. I only ask that if any altercation occurs, for any reason, please do not react. Just address the concern with me, and I’ll take care of it.”

“Afraid we might lose control of ourselves?” Hakin chuckled.

“All people remember about the Quietus are the scary stories. They forget the truth—how we are all the same. My husband reminds me of this every day.”

All of the Quietus turned to James, and he lifted his hand. It was that of a Quietus. Everyone in the room stared at him in awe.

“Half-Quietus, half-Allayan?” Hakin asked in shock. “How did that happen?”

“There is much to discuss,” Catherine smiled. “But we’ll get to that. Talia, could you please take our guests to the servants. Afterwards, you can take your leave and their escorts will take over from there. I know that you and James have plenty of work to do.”

“Certainly,” she said, waving a hand for them to follow her. A line of Quietus went after her, thirty in number, of all ages and sizes. From seeing the group in its entirety, Catherine realized just how fragile their composition was. No wonder they were apprehensive.

“The last of the Quietus,” Arimus said with a heavy sigh. “Except this is far worse than when the Sages were low in number. These Quietus don’t have much hope in restoring their people to its former glory.”

“They can survive though,” James replied. “It will require acceptance from the other Kingdoms as we bring them into the fold, and they will lose the bulk of their culture—being that there is so few of them.”

A knock at the door interrupted them, and Ashalynn stuck her head in. She waved to Catherine and James and then fixed her eyes upon Arimus. She beckoned to him with her index finger. Arimus was all smiles.

“I have been summoned,” he said, to which James shook his head.

“You sure you don’t want to help with the Academy?”

“My lady awaits me,” he bowed, “so that would be a no.”

“I hate you,” James laughed, as Arimus gave him a wink. Ashalynn tucked her arm under her husband’s and the two left the room giggling and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears. James shook his head and walked over to embrace Catherine. She nuzzled her head into his chest. After a moment, he suddenly snapped his head down to look at her.

“Did you just smell me?” he laughed. She nodded her head, her cheek still pressed up against him.

“Is that so wrong?” she sighed.

“Yes. It’s wrong. Very, very wrong.”

“Then take it up with the Queen. I’m sure she’ll listen.” She nuzzled her cheek into him further. James just laughed and hugged her tighter.

“At least I made it back in time.”

“Not really. You didn’t leave time for us. That means you’re late.”

“I’ll make it a short day at the Academy.”

“You can’t do that. The kids need you, especially in the beginning. They won’t have a clue of what to do.”

“I don’t even know what I’m doing.” Catherine lifted her head to face him. Looking into her innocent green eyes, his heart began to ache.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I still don’t know what to say. What do I know about being a Sage besides releasing an eidolon?”

“Did you talk to Arimus about it at all? While you were out?”

“A little. But I didn’t get any profound wisdom. At least nothing I can use when talking to the kids.”

“That’s strange.”

“Well, he has been distracted lately. I’ll figure it out.”

“While we’re on the subject, I have to talk to you about a student you will have.”

“Oh?”

“His name is Bastion. He was one of the lost children. You know, the ones that said they had been under Quietus rule for ten years?”

“Did anyone ever confirm if that was true or not?”

“Who could? Considering the Kingdom’s condition? It doesn’t matter. The fact is, I believe him. But that’s not the important part. What matters is that he needs your guidance. I want you to pay special attention to him.”

“Why? What is it?”

“James…he’s not like the other kids. I’ve sensed it. You will too once you’re at the Academy. I’m sure you’ll know who he is right away. Trust me, you’ll feel it.”

“He’s that strong?”

“Probably even stronger. Stronger than all of us if I had to guess.”

“And he just popped up out of nowhere?”

“He’s never displayed his power until recently. He got into an altercation with a boy. His foster parents disowned him, and I’ve taken him under our wing in the castle. He needs this, James. I…I wonder…do you think these Allayans…do you think he’s what they are after?”

“If he’s as powerful as you say, it’s a possibility.” James cast his eyes to the ground. “But if so, I don’t know why they would allow him to just run around free.”

“Perhaps they have to persuade them to their side somehow, especially with knowing how strong he is. They might not be able to just force him into thinking a certain way.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” James said, embracing her again. “But we have to confirm the Quietus’ stories as soon as possible. The servants know to stay on guard around them?”

“Of course.”

“Excellent. As long as we stay on our toes, we’ll be fine. Keep working at it, and I’ll take care of business on my end.”

“Thank you,” she said, giving him a kiss on the lips. It was tender and sweet, and it drove James mad. He knew that it was a good-bye kiss, but he wanted so much more. He fought his desires, and put them aside. He was getting better at it with each passing day. It was kind of sad.

“See you soon,” he whispered, as soon as their lips parted. James turned, and walked out of the room.

*              *              *

Bastion walked alone.

With nothing but the clothes on his back and the tome under his arm, he walked forward, on a pilgrimage of sorts. He knew that he would remember the walk forever, for it would be the beginning of a new life for him and many others. It was the dawn of the Sages.

The Sage Academy had been rebuilt, and within a few years, a new army would be created. And it wouldn’t be like the one of old—the one that had been obliterated by the Quietus. This army would have learned from the past and its mistakes. There was no more secrecy. There was little government. Queen Catherine had made sure of that with her open door policy. Everyone in the Kingdom knew everything that was going on, from the past to the present. Every student at the Academy would be on the same page.

Bastion’s eyes widened when he heard footsteps behind him, gathering speed as they approached his back. Who else would be trekking along the outside of the Kingdom wall? Who else would be taking the long way around to the entrance of the Sage Academy, the former site of the Sentinel Academy?

Then he smiled. Who wouldn’t? It was how the Sages of Old and the Sages of Today did it, after all. The students began passing him one by one, girls and boys, as old as him or younger, all holding their gigantic tomes. Some held their eidolons proudly in their hands. Others carried large knapsacks over their shoulders. All had a grin plastered onto their expectant faces.

A hand slapped his left shoulder. He turned, and saw Kent there, giving him a wide smile. Another slap on his right, and Daisy’s lovely face greeted him. He felt no ill will toward her for rejecting him. He was just happy to see her.

“You ready for this?” she asked, and Bastion simply nodded. He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his lips.

“Let’s go meet destiny,” Kent declared as they turned the corner. Their gazes fell upon the entrance.

The Sentinel Academy had been demolished, and the courtyard had been remodeled and widened, to accommodate the influx of new Sages. There was no gate leading into the courtyard. Everything was open. There were still pillars, but they were now made of polished white stone, and they were larger than ever, reaching so high up into the air that their tops disappeared into the fog above.

The gravel underneath their feet was new, and it gave a satisfying pop and crunch whenever they took a step. Torches hung off of the pillars for lighting, and the courtyard was full of students, waving their eidolons in the air, brightening up the area more than it already was as they screamed and cheered.

The Sage Academy itself was a massive structure, fashioned similar to the Academy of old that had been underground. Though the building was made of the same stone as the pillars, just painted a bright red, he had heard of the exciting additions inside. The glass floors suspended over an ocean of water. The training rooms. The study rooms. He couldn’t wait. He tried to see the ends of the Academy, but they stretched out too far. It must have went on for miles.

The crowd got louder than before, and they began pointing to the top of the school roof. He cast his eyes upwards.

James, Talia and Zhou were standing there. All of them in their full Sage garb. Their robes flowed in the wind wildly. They stared down at the students below with serious faces, but for some reason, it only elicited emotions of awe and admiration. Bastion couldn’t wait to get to know each of the Master Sages personally. Finally, he would find out where he stood in the world.

*              *              *

“There must be a couple hundred or more,” Talia chuckled. Zhou crossed his arms, his bronze colored robe lapping in the wind. James examined each of them one by one, having not heard what Talia had said.

“James?” she asked, and he snapped back to attention.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “I was looking for something.”

“Are you sure you don’t need some rest?”

“I’ve gone for longer,” James laughed, as the crowd began cheering at his response. James had no clue to what they thought he had done.

“I’m not sure we’ll be able to handle this many students,” Zhou commented. “Not with just three of us. We may need to make some into Master Sages sooner than expected.”

“There’s no rush,” James replied. “Let them become what they’re supposed to. Except him, that is.”

“Who?” Talia wondered, crossing her arms like Zhou over her long black and purple robe.

“Do not draw too much attention, but do you see the boy standing near the entrance? Between the Langoran and the Allayan girl? He’s one that we have to give special treatment to.”

“Special how? As in we give him extra time on tests? Privileges?”

“No. The opposite. We break him.”

“But why?”

“Because only then will we be able to properly mold him into what we need him to be. You may not have known this, but he’s one of the children that survived the Quietus kidnappings. He also happens to be the strongest kid in the entire school.”

“Hmph,” Zhou grunted. “He’s small.”

“Not that that matters,” Talia said, rolling her eyes. “Based on what I’m sensing, his abilities are slightly above average at best.”

“It’s a mask,” James said. “There’s more there. Trust me. Look further, Talia. Don’t let your personal prejudice hold you back. You have far better senses than I do, and I was able to spot him in seconds.”

“Fine,” Talia sighed as she took a closer look. “I don’t…James,” she breathed out, her face scrunching up as if she was in agony. “
What is he
?”