Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) (29 page)

“I’m trying not to…especially since none of your ranting will change my mind.”

“So you think you’re grown up all of a sudden? You think that –“

“That’s exactly what happened!” Catherine shouted in Scarlet’s face. “No matter how much training I did at the academy, it was nothing compared to the real world! Now, I thank you for all the support you’ve given me over the years, but that doesn’t mean the dynamic of our relationship has changed. I am the Princess first, and your cousin second!”

“You could be wrong about this,” Scarlet said through pursed lips as Catherine continued to walk away with Kyran.

“And that’s my burden,” Catherine said aloud. “Having to make a decision and dealing with the consequences, and you’re not making it any easier for me. Maybe I have finally grown up. What I can’t understand is why
you haven’t.”

Scarlet didn’t say another word…

*
              *              *              *              *             

His robe was completely gone, but he was alive. That was the important thing. James groaned and climbed to his feet with his eidolon for support. As he scanned the area, he noticed that Arimus was still lying on his back, and he wasn’t moving. Dominic was slowly making his way to his mentor, whistling happily as he kept his eidolon poised at his side. James scowled and examined his wounds. Nothing too serious. He was dirty, and bleeding from the crown of his head a little, but otherwise, there was no visible signs of danger. Only his rival, advancing toward his friend.

James summoned the beam of light to engulf him, and he was once again clothed in white. Shining more brilliant than before, he clutched his blade and ran at Dominic as fast as he could. Closing the distance in seconds,
he aimed for the young Sage’s throat, but Dominic wasn’t one to just allow an easy kill. As if he sensed him the entire time, he turned around to face James head on when an invisible pair of hands gripped the traitor’s forearms and pulled him back. Dominic’s eyes widened in alarm as he glanced behind him, and saw a determined Arimus out of the corner of his eye, using the full extent of his wind abilities to pin him down.

“James, now!” Arimus shouted as another gust of wind cocked Dominic’s head to the side. “I can’t hold him for long!”

James wasted no time, swinging his mighty sword down upon his rival’s throat. But the moment the connection was made, he realized just how powerless he and Arimus truly were.

His eidolon couldn’t
cut him.

And it just rested there, planted firmly against the side of his neck like James was about to wrap a scarf around him. Dominic smiled as he flexed his muscles and broke out of Arimus’ wind. Both Sages stood frozen in fear as the young Sage brushed himself off.

“I’m sure that hurt more than any wound I could inflict,” Dominic chuckled. “Though I will try. Did you really think that weak eidolon was capable of harming me? It might as well be a child’s toy.”

“This is insane,” James whispered in disbelief as he backed away. Arimus did the same.

“This is reality, James,” Dominic laughed. “Or did you forget that you couldn’t even beat me in Languor? Think about it. That eidolon you now hold in your hand – wherever it came from…is obsolete. The only reason you gained the upper hand back then was because you showed me the darkness creeping around inside you. That’s the power I want to see, and the only power that may have a chance of granting you victory today. Show me your black eidolon, and maybe, just maybe you and the old man will live.”

“I can’t…”

“Because Thorn might take control of your body?” Dominic scoffed. “Well, that’s just a chance you’re going to have to take. It’s either that, or death. Don’t you at least want a chance of seeing Catherine again?”

“Don’t listen to him!” Arimus shouted. “He’s jus
t trying to play with our minds! We can defeat him if-“

Ari
mus’s words stopped short as the rest of his armor suddenly cracked down the middle and split into two, clanking to the ground and sinking into the dust. His bare chest exposed, Arimus watched as a thin red line appeared across him, blood seeping from it slowly and washing over his abdomen. Dominic continued to look at James as he spoke.

“Neither of you saw that, did you?” Dominic snickered. “I thought not…and that’s what you’re going up against if you refuse my request. That was just enough to cut through his armor. I could have done more if I wished.”

“Fine, you monster,” James growled as he sheathed his white eidolon. “But leave Arimus out of this.”

“As long as he doesn’t interfere, no harm will come to the old man until after you’ve died.”

“Then shut up and wait. I’m coming.”

James huffed as he took a deep breath and focused
on the darkness within him, lying in a pool somewhere in his soul. It didn’t speak like before, but it reached for him like a hungry child all the same. The black water solidifying and turning into a slime, oozing from deep in his soul and spreading throughout the confines of his body, filling every pore, every crevice and wrapping itself along each blood cell. There was no holding back. If he was going to fight Dominic, he couldn’t afford to.

And the egotistical Sage had been right. He did want to see Catherine again. Even if he was being control
led while he gazed upon her…

When James
’ new transformation was complete, Dominic whistled in awe, and this time, he was the one backing away.

James was in complete Quietus form, only the second time in his whole life. His hair had slicked back and melded to his skull. His skin had turned an
oozing, tar black that in one second looked like a cold slab of onyx stone, and in the next, rippled like a pond’s surface in the moonlight. His frame had become slender and he crouched down low. His neck stretched out over a foot from its base and while no scythes were protruding from his forearms, the infamous eidolon that Dominic had asked for was well secured in his right hand.

T
he black eidolon didn’t hum. It growled in hunger, longing for Dominic’s blood and nearly pulling James’ body forward in the process. Dominic readied his eidolon and smiled.

“This is the real you,” Dominic whispered. “This is what Catherine couldn’t see in you.”

James didn’t reply. He moved. Sprinting to the side at blinding speeds, he completely disappeared from Dominic’s field of vision, and if it wasn’t for his eidolon, he would have gotten his head cut off. Dominic blocked the black eidolon from severing his neck just in time, but the clash sent an excessive vibration through his body that nearly dropped him to one knee. Another stab was attempted on his left rib but Dominic jumped and batted it away at the last second. Seeing that James had surpassed him in power, he leapt backwards until he was sure he had gained some distance between them. He only needed a second of breathing room.

At will, Dominic summoned a beam of light to engulf him from the clouds. L
asting a few seconds, he walked out of it on his own, clothed in his full Sage garb, red robe and all. With his power finally at maximum, he engaged the young Quietus without restraint, remembering all too well the humiliation he had felt in Languor. How the commoner had somehow cheated and became a monster in order to win.

But not today.

Today, he would slay the beast.

With both of them moving at inhumane speeds, their swords met and rang
throughout the valley, sending intense shockwaves that awoke the ears of every beast for miles, even those under the earth. Arimus used the remainder of his energy to fuse his armor together and summon a miniscule but loud wind to cover his ears. There was no point in keeping a reserve. This was their battle now.

As he watched in both awe and horror, he gasped at a sudden realization.

Yes, they were both dodging and parrying each other’s blows, but somehow…somehow Dominic was stronger. It didn’t look like much at first. The slight lean in the young Sage’s body whenever he clashed with James…but with each subsequent blow, he was leaning further and further in, pushing the Quietus towards the ground and more on the defense. Soon, James had no choice but to try to dash away in escape, but Dominic was relentless in his pursuit. His brow scowled in determination, the young Sage matched every attempt to leave with a fatal attempt on James life, forcing the Quietus to gain his balance and block the best he could.

But James couldn’t keep it up. Only a couple minutes had passed since James’ transformation, but it was apparent who would win the match. Dominic began to laugh manically as he finally broke through James’ defenses, batting the black eidolon away and in the same swing, quickly stabbing through the Quietus’ body.

The wounds would heal instantly, but no Quietus was known to be invincible. Dominic knew that he only had to keep it up. Methodical and precise, Dominic slowly cut down the Quietus, performing the same technique with ease, changing only the location of his strikes. James began to slow down in speed and soon he gave up all thoughts of escape. He turned his attention solely on defense but he had already suffered many wounds. Dominic stabbed him several times in different parts of the body, gaining momentum and strength, each blow getting more brutal and inflicting more pain. James’ wounds began to take longer to heal and then, not at all.

Arimus tried to think of a way out of the situation, a way that they could leave the dead valley alive, but nothing came to mind. He could only watch as his student and friend’s black body began to be dren
ched in red, as his Quietus frame began to lose its vigor and shape, and eventually…James dropped his arms, unable to support their weight.

Dominic slashed at the dying Quietus a few more times as James fell to his knees, his black skin disappearing, his hair growing from the crown of his head and his body gaining its Allayan form. In seconds, James was back to normal, only the black eidolon in his right hand being a testament to what he once was. He bowed his head with fluttering eyes and tried to catch h
is breath, but he could only sway back and forth. The pain was too great, the cuts too deep, and he was utterly paralyzed and at Dominic’s mercy.

The young Sage snickered, took his red eidolon and placed the tip under James’ chin. Raising his head so that their eyes were level, he smiled when he saw the listless and broken gaze in his rival’s bloodshot eyes.

“Anything more to say,” Dominic said calmly. “Any last jokes?”

“She’ll…” James winced as he was able to get one eye open. “She’ll never love you.”

“And you’ll just be a painful memory,” Dominic spat as he let James’ chin drop. “Get up. You get one hit against me, free of charge. Just to prove to you that even if you landed one, it wouldn’t have been enough. Go ahead. Make it count.”

James grit his teeth and managed to turn the black eidolon upside down. Slowly, he managed to find the strength to lean on top of the hilt and use it to lift his body to a standing position. Heaving and still bleeding out, he staggered and wavered until he gained his balance. Dominic watched in amusement as James grunted and raised his eidolon overhead, ready to bring it down upon the young Sage’s head.

He took a deep breath and glared at Dominic face to face. Staring at him intensely for a few seconds, he finally gathered his strength and with a cry, he brought down the eidolon toward the crown of Dominic’s head, but the young Sage simply stepped back and met the attack with his own red eidolon.

The red eidolon swung straight through the black, smashing into it as if it was glass.

Millions of black shards spun to the dust below.

And James
’ lifeless body slumped down to join them.

Dominic grinned and turned back to Arimus who was trying to stop himself from performing his own suicidal attack.
Dominic walked forward until he was face to face with the old Sage.

“There’s no need to kill you,” he chuckled. “When Thorn attacks Languor or Allay – it doesn’t matter which one…you’ll die then. Give Catherine my regards. Tell her that now she’s single, I’m still available…if she’s interested.”

Arimus kept his mouth shut as Dominic examined him with bored eyes.

“Well, see you later, Arimus of the Wind,” Dominic mocked as he suddenly disappeared from sight. Arimus looked up at the red and green sky and cursed it.

What hope did they have now?