Hail to the Queen (Sage Trilogy, Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page A

the darkness. Their eyes shined off the glint of the sunset and they watched the Princess of Allay curiously as she followed her enemy. Once they reached the bottom, they walked casually to the entrance of the village - a plastic looking white door with a handle in the likeness of a Quietus head. James’ mother opened the door with little effort and held it for Catherine to stroll through. The inside was nothing like the out.
    From the forest to the crater arena, the Quietus Kingdom was like one giant wilderness, simply a place where the Quietus could run and jump freely. Nothing was crowded. The village, however, was the exact opposite. The ceiling above them (which was the dome they saw earlier) was only a few feet above their head. Ahead of them were wooden huts fashioned from the trees of their forest, and they were placed together in alarming proximity. There was absolutely no privacy and the only place to walk freely was a dirt path that winded around each of the huts and throughout the village. The place was dimly lit, with lanterns hanging from the ceiling that were in need of fuel, and it gave the atmosphere a drowsy ambience, making it seem like her eyes were barely open and she was half asleep. The commoners of Quietus were living in terrible conditions, and made the village of Allay look like an oasis. Did they choose this kind of living in order to give them the space to run around on the outside? Or was this the King’s doing?
    “Didn’t expect this, did you?” James’ mother chuckled as Catherine watched several Quietus scurry on all fours across the tin rooftops. It appeared that was the fastest way to travel rather than the one way road.
    “Why is everything cramped?”
    “The King gave his elite the luxurious tree houses about thirty miles north of here. But us…we’re forced to live in more humble abodes, to ensure that if there’s ever a revolution, he can crush us with one fell swoop. As I’ve said, it’s very hard to escape once you’re inside.”
    “I see…uh, what is your name?” Catherine asked, feeling strangely at ease. “I don’t want to refer to you as James’ mother the whole time.”
    “Nadia,” she replied, before leaping effortlessly to the roof in front of them. “Come, I will take you to my home. James can rest there. I hope you don’t mind running.”
    “Not at all,” Catherine smiled as she saw a Quietus nearly fall off the roof in shock over seeing the Princess of Allay in their neighborhood.
    The two of them ran as they talked, allowing other Quietus to pass whenever they met head on. Catherine noticed that the common Quietus were far different than those she was accustomed to. Quietus were ruthless and always in wait of the next hunt, but these appeared to be more nervous of her presence than she was of them, and their eyes shifted anxiously to the side whenever they met hers. They were a lot smaller than the ones Chloe faced, and thinner.
    “Is there a revolution?” Catherine asked suddenly, seeing one particular Quietus examining his pencil thin scythe.
    “No reason for one now since the King is dead,” Nadia said. “Our focus is to rebuild and figure it out from there.”
    “Was there a plan in the works though?”
    “Hardly. Sure, the usual complaining and zealous talk, but no actual strategy in place. No committees or order. We all know we were no match for the King and his elite guard. Funny enough though, we’re the only ones to survive the conflict with you and your Sages. All because we’re too common to participate. I don’t think the King expected even half of his warriors to be killed by your friend.”
    “She was one of our best,” Catherine sighed. “She gave it her all to save our lives.”
    “And yet she wasn’t the one to strike down the King, was she?” Nadia looked to her curiously. “I heard it was one of the males.”
    “Yes,” Catherine said, studying the Quietus. “It was James.”
    “James is a Sage?”
    “He is.