Of Heroes And Villains (Book 4) (27 page)

“And do you believe him?”

“About the Yama? I don’t know,” James rubbed his chest. “He claimed there was one more group of people called Delilah. He didn’t say much about them, but he says he knows how to use their abilities. I don’t know how he acquired it though, unless he had traveled there himself at some point. He literally reached inside of me and ripped out one of my eidolons.”

“Can you get it back?” Catherine asked in alarm. James stuck his hand out, and the black eidolon suddenly appeared, catching the room off guard. The moment they recovered from the shock, he sheathed it again.

“I can, because it’s a part of me, but the fact that he was able to at the time…I don’t know. He was able to wield it and everything.”

“You think he can use our own abilities against us?”

“It seems like it, and while weakening us in the process. When he ripped it out of me, it felt like he had taken an organ. I got considerably weaker.”

“And the other Sages?”

“Dead,” James huffed. “He allowed me to only keep one alive. The other Sage, Orchid, was just kind of his back up. Lakrymos is ridiculously strong though. It’s going to take all of us to even have a chance, and we only have 24 hours to prepare. Whether we’re ready or not, he’s coming to take Allay.”

“I’ll have to speak to the people,” Catherine said, and James grabbed her arm.

“And tell them
everything
?”

“That’s how we operate. Now that we know the situation, we can move forward.”

“They don’t know what Lakrymos is. What if they want to honor his request, just because of the legendary status? What if they elect him as King just because he’s a celebrity?”

“Then that is what the people want,” she said. “Isn’t it what the people want all along? Aren’t they whom we serve?”

“We do,” James said. “But…I don’t know. Should we let their lives be decided on what amounts to a popularity contest?”

“It doesn’t matter what we want,” Catherine said. “It’s what they want. The only reason I kept the stone part a secret was because we didn’t even know if it was true yet, and it wouldn’t have been fair to make a decision about it without consulting our allies. But now, it is up to the people what happens from here on out. If we act against their wishes, under the declaration that we are saving them from themselves, how is it any different than what Lakrymos wants to do? Whether he’s right or wrong, it doesn’t matter, the people get to decide their fate, and how much of their rights they are willing to gain or lose.”

James sighed and nodded. “Okay,” he said. “We’ll try.”

Bastion closed his eyes and tried his best to keep his feelings hidden. Surrounded by Sages, he was afraid they would pick up on it. But he couldn’t say what was on his mind. What was Catherine thinking? Surprising enough, he agreed with James for once. The people were gossipers and loved to be entertained. They had unrealistic views about the world around them, and now, the Kingdom’s fate was about to be decided off of a hope—that an entire people could be trusted to make an objective, wise decision. It was a miracle they had all lasted as long as they did. Wasn’t everything situational? Why must the same actions be taken with each conflict? Wasn’t there room to change? To take a chance on another course of action?

They were probably better off figuring out a way to defeat Lakrymos. They didn’t have to fight him face to face. They had time to prepare an alternative plan. But they were so busy trying to make sure the people were happy first. Even if the people didn’t want Lakrymos as their King, the vote wouldn’t matter once he took it by force.

Bastion sighed and kept his eyes on the scene before him—of the love between Catherine and James, and the contemplative looks of their colleagues. What was his decision in all of this? Where did he stand? Should he run away? Die fighting? Just become a villager and hope for the best? He didn’t know what the answer was, but he knew he had to make a decision soon, and one that he could live with. As everyone around him kept saying—he was destined for greatness. Maybe it was about time to see if that was true.

Chapter 20 – Our Darkest Hour

The people was confused. Where were the tables and benches? The music and the seasoned meat? Where was the laughter and the smiles, and why, above all, did the Queen look so solemn? As they poured into the dining hall, one by one, the murmurs and the speculation grew louder. Catherine, her parents, and all of the Master Sages stood in front, all in a line—simply waiting for enough of the village to enter. The Kings of Languor and Prattle had each returned to their respective Kingdoms, to decide upon their own course of action.

Bastion stood in the middle of the crowd. He hadn’t expected to be standing with the Queen, but it was strange being with the village now, given that he was the only one among them with knowledge as to what was going on. He crossed his arms and waited for the rest of the people to pour in around him. A tap on his shoulder broke his thoughts.

“Hey!” Bastion said, turning to see Kent and Daisy. “How are you guys!”

“We missed you, big shot,” Kent laughed. “What happened to you?”

“You’re about to find out,” Bastion said, his face dropping.

“That bad?” Daisy asked.

“Let’s just say that we’re going to have to make some serious adult decisions after this announcement. I just hope the Queen knows what she’s doing.”

“I wasn’t there to see it, but I heard from Dill that James and Shanelle had been thrown into the courtyard, and they were badly beaten…do you know what happened to the others?”

“Dead,” Bastion said. Daisy’s eyes went wide. “I wasn’t there. I was off on another mission with Arimus, but…I wish I had been.”

“You might have died too,” Daisy said, giving him a hug. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“So what is it?” Kent asked, a tremble in his voice. “Did one of the Kingdoms attack us? I would have heard if it was Languor.”

“No, it’s not,” Bastion said. “It’s a lot worse than that.”

“Well, whatever happens, we stick together, right?”

“Right,” Bastion smiled. “We’re a team.”

“With how serious all of this sounds,” Kent laughed nervously. “We might have to expand.”

A round of hushes and dying murmurs went throughout the crowd. A guard brought over a table for the Queen to stand on. She climbed up on top of it, folded her hands, and took a deep breath. The crowd fell silent.

“My people,” she said, looking into their faces. “I know that this is disconcerting. I would prefer laughing and singing with you than giving you bad news. But as your Queen, it is a duty that I must perform. As you have probably heard—my husband, Master James, and a young Sage, Shanelle, was found unconscious in the courtyard of the Sage Academy. They had been sent on a mission to retrieve the stones of power.”

A murmur went throughout the crowd as the villagers looked at each other with confused faces. Stones of power? Weren’t they destroyed?

“The stones of power have returned somehow,” Catherine said. “Four have been destroyed, but one is still in our possession. We gave it to the King of Prattle because—“

“WHAT?!” Val shouted from the midst. Catherine’s eyes searched for the source of the outcry and it fell on the Order member. “You gave the ONLY stone to another Kingdom?”

“I will explain,” Catherine said, holding up her hand. “If you would just give me the opportunity.” The crowd began whispering among themselves as the Queen continued. “I gave it to the Prattlians to hold for now, because it was believed that we had traitors in our midst. Recently…under an investigation, we found a group of Quietus—“The crowd began murmuring louder. Catherine raised her voice. “—we found a group of Quietus in the ruins of Old Prattle. They told us of a pair of Sages that had come to them, requesting their assistance so that they could take back what was theirs. Those Quietus are currently locked in our prison.”

A handclap from Val and a couple of villagers echoed throughout the room. Soon, the entire village in attendance followed suit. Catherine sighed wearily and looked over to James. With pursed lips, he nodded toward her. No point backing off now. When the noise died down, she continued.

“We found out that there was truth to their claim about the two Sages. But they are not who we thought. When the ether was dispelled, it released the evil souls as well as the good. Thorn had claimed that the Dark One had been subdued, but we had no evidence that was true. We now know that although most of those evil souls had become one with Oblivion, not all have. By a process that the court has not yet concluded on, Lakrymos, and a Sage named Orchid, has returned.

The murmurs increased in volume at the mention of Lakrymos’ name. There was not one person in Allay who didn’t know the story of his heroics, and his great sacrifice for the people.

“He is not who we think,” Catherine said quickly. “He has killed seven young Sages, and he has made a demand. He wants to rule Allay—in order to transform this Kingdom into a military. To combat an enemy that we don’t even know exists. He claims—“

“You make him sound like a villain!” someone shouted from the crowd. Catherine put another hand up in the air, but the crowd was already wanting more.

“How do we know what really happened?” Val shouted. “He could have killed those Sages because James attacked first!”

“Or worse,” Seeker replied from the side. The crowd hushed upon the shout of his voice. “It could be a cover up. Even now, there is a Sage among you. A boy. He attacked the Order Master’s son and nearly killed him. He destroyed Mason’s eidolon, and the Queen pardoned him.” The villagers talked excitedly among each other, searching for the boy Seeker spoke of. Bastion grit his teeth and made no move to draw attention to himself. Seeker turned to address the Queen.

“You are standing there, telling us that the great Lakrymos has returned. He has come not for personal glory or gain, but to train us to become stronger, and you are in disagreement? If this enemy he speaks of is real, and we cast him from our presence, what happens when we are attacked? Do we just rely on the strength of your battered James, and the rest of his young and unexperienced students? Do we trust in the strength of a potential murderer? What exactly is your problem with Lakrymos’ message?”

“He was one of the evil souls that—“

“—and there is not even proof of that!” Seeker exclaimed. “We have many eye witnesses who saw their loved ones before they headed to Paradise. Is it so far-fetched that the powerful Lakrymos stayed behind to save the people he loved, instead of watching us be slaughtered like we almost were with Thorn? And that was just one man!”

“Even if he is good,” Catherine said, clenching her fists. Her face began to turn red. “He wants to take the Kingdom. He wants to turn it into something that it’s not.”

“Who are you to say what Allay should be? Your vision is that of peace, which I respect, as long as our enemies and neighbors believe in the same. But if what our esteemed Sage says is true, then we are about to enter a time of war, and I for one, do not want to cower in fear again, while I watch my beloved Kingdom get slaughtered. We should all have the opportunity to defend ourselves!” The crowd began nodding and a few claps from the audience hit their ears. “You just don’t want to lose the throne, and while that is understandable, it isn’t right! You are here to let the people decide, aren’t you? Well, let them decide!”

Another round of applause reverberated throughout the room. Catherine fell silent as she watched the crowd, and James jumped up on the table.

“Our Queen just wants what’s best for you,” James said to them all. “And all she’s asking is for a chance to investigate the claims that Lakrymos made. You know that Catherine loves you. She’s shown it on many occasions, and she’s been nothing but your servant for the last five years. Now she asks you to trust her once more. We shouldn’t give the Kingdom to anyone, even if it’s Lakrymos, just because he says we should. We shouldn’t trust the word of anyone just off of word alone. What if we give Lakrymos the throne, and we find out we’re wrong? That there is no enemy? We only ask for time to look into the matter. “

“Lakrymos was deemed wiser than all of the Sages,” Seeker replied. “He could have asked for the throne years ago and the people would have given it to him, but he didn’t ask, because it wasn’t necessary at the time. Tell me, Master James, how long did he say it would be until the enemy arrives?”

“One year,” James said. The villagers fell silent.

“That proves my point,” Seeker said with a smirk. “He is acting out of urgency, not greed. In order to prepare, we need a worthy leader. I move that we vote Lakrymos in as our King, but if no enemy surfaces, or if he proves to be deceptive in any way to the people, we will then have another vote in one year’s time!”

Based on the villagers’ unanimous chorus of handclaps, head nods and shouts of excitement, it was apparent they agreed. Catherine looked at their faces, searching for someone that disagreed. Someone that she could ask to speak further on her behalf, but all she found was Bastion, and she couldn’t call on him. Not after what Seeker had said about what happened to Mason. It would only hurt them both.

“I call for a vote!” Seeker shouted, pumping a fist into the air. “VOTE! VOTE” The village began chanting with him, jumping up and down in excitement, riding the waves from the Order members. Catherine reached up, took her crown with both hands and then stooped down to place it at her feet. Once it was at her feet, she stood back up. The noise died down.

“I think it’s clear what you want,” Catherine said, with a tear in her eye. “And I will respect your wishes.” She looked over to Seeker who was grinning from ear to ear, waiting for her to reach the end of her speech. “Whatever happens, I will always love each and every one of you. From this moment on, I will resign as Queen of Allay, and you may vote in whomever you desire. Thank you for the honor of serving you.” She blew them a kiss, and the villagers blew a kiss back, in awe over her kind and considerate gesture.

But as soon as she stepped down from the table, Seeker and the other Order members hyped the village back up with shouts of Lakrymos’ name. For the next five minutes, they voted over and over, with the chant of their voices, unbeknownst to them, bringing in a new era that no one had expected…