by K R Leikvoll
I walked quickly through the yard, hopping over the small wall that separated it from the minuscule brook flowing behind the palace. It was remote, as the citizens of the Everglade were not permitted in such an area. My kin had no reason to visit either, making it the perfect location to avoid everyone. Well… not everyone.
The first to bother me was my giant wolf, Morgan. He wandered the grounds as he pleased, sometimes roaming as far as Spinewood to hunt. I saw him whenever I felt the desire to walk through the Azmordian Grove. The spell Vince placed on him made it easy for him to find me no matter where I went. Truthfully, I never minded his presence. I scratched his fur and kissed his snout, watching his beautiful red eyes glimmer with interest. He lapped up water from the chilled spring before choosing to walk further into the outskirts. We had a mutual stare of understanding; he was always nearby if I needed assistance. It was silly to think I would need it at the river so near the palace, but once the war with Zaar started, he would be an irreplaceable ally.
Without much else to do, I undressed and climbed into the frigid water to ease my mind. Though wine would surely have made the chorus of voices in my head quieter, I loathed the idea of seeing anyone else while retrieving it in such a fragile state. I wished to return to the Void. It was much simpler in my special place rather than dealing with hardships and mental agony day in and day out.
I suppose part of me felt I was saving Vince by killing him as my Gods wished. He seemed much happier with me in eternity than he seemed here, pressured by the same stress mounting on my shoulders. Ending the world was a hard idea to wrap my mind around. Did it start with mere genocide? Could I extinguish them all at once if I had access to such magic? I did not care for the plights of mortals or the actual repercussions of doing what Naazvaba wanted. All I wanted was to escape to freedom.
In truth, what did I really owe to Praetis at all? My own people enslaved me to the light and not even my lover had looked for me once I was gone. I simply faded from their minds as if I had never existed in the first place. I doubted I mattered to my coven, despite their reliance on me. If they had known that I was the prophet, why would they still force me to go through thirty years in the Everglade? All I had known since I was born was one form of suffering after another.
Who was Nyzara truly? Who was Lazarus? Who was the prophet? We were all one and the same, trapped in a single mind, fighting for control. It did me no good to hang on to petty attachments of temporary things. All that dwelt on Praetis was temporary. The entire cosmos was temporary. The only solid, permanent thing, in reality, was the Vast Dark. That I knew to be true, no matter what.
I suppose my mindset made it that much easier to kill them all.
I took my time washing in the brook until I noticed the pinkish hue of another mortal signifying I was not alone. They had been watching from behind the brush, near the wall in hopes that I would not notice them. Foolish, as I could even see those roaming in the castle with my demonic sight. I gathered my robes and pretended I was still alone, dressing and sitting with my legs in the water. Even when the form of my most loathed – Lydris – came from the trees to approach me, I still ignored him. I had nothing to say to that swine.
“I thought I was the only person that came back here,” he said, flashing a stupidly white smile in my direction. The very sight of him made my skin crawl. He did not seem to understand I hated him and wished to be alone. He felt entirely safe sitting uncomfortably close despite the fact War was urging me to cut his throat and devour his body.
“This place makes you miss Evya, doesn’t it?” he asked, kicking off his boots to put his feet in the water, too. Not even my malicious stare gave away that I wanted him to leave, apparently. “I mean politically speaking, there is no better place to be than here. You only have to serve yourself and Lord Vince. But nature? It’s somewhat lacking this far north.”
Still, I did not respond. It was typical in our encounters thus far and would be forever. I found that speaking my mind never usually worked with anyone, let alone someone as narcissistic as him. There was something about being a slight Evyan woman that made me less worthy of being heard. It did not matter; I was used to it.
“So tell me, was it grand to watch A’roha burn to the ground? I wish I could have been there to see such a momentous day. You should have heard the speeches they gave in Ambryss – talking about how the light would guide them through any war like they actually cared about those tree-dwelling pricks.”
I was wringing my hands in fury, but I still could not reply to his attempts at small talk. How much trouble would I be in if I removed his head? Did I even care if Vincent was mad? On cue, a loud shriek erupted from the palace. It startled me to the core to hear such a horrified scream. It was coming from the nearest tower to the Everglade – likely Guinevere. I couldn’t help imagining the awful things she would have to endure as punishment for letting her tongue slip. Based on her overall fearful behavior, I could only assume that it was not a rare situation. They could hardly stand to be in the same room as each other, let alone her attempting to ruin his reputation with Alexis and Mother Lilith.
“And I hear you are a Queen now, too,” Lydris continued, seemingly not even noticing the screams. “Was there a ceremony I wasn’t invited to? I thought all Evyans were bound under the gaze of Azra, and I never saw anything of the sort.”
I was Queen simply because Vince said I was Queen. Every culture had a different opinion on bindings. Evyan unions were a rare occurrence, usually only done for political or family reasons. Zaarians were polygamists that had many partners, thus there was no reason to bond. I knew next to nothing of Kaz’moran weddings, as their country was largely shut off from the rest of the world. The only ones with any sort of romantic basis in Kaeda were the Femorans. They would be bound to one individual for their very, very long lifetimes. Obviously, Vince had different views, as he preferred to have not only James, Raven and I around for his lustful whims, but his sisters as well. There was no ceremony for me to be a Queen, just as there was no ceremony for me to become Warden. There was only a ceremony to become a demon in those parts.
“Which I would say makes it a bit… illegitimate. Wouldn’t you agree?”
His hand brushed the bare part of my calf; it was almost enough to send me into a rage. I snatched it away, but the bastard still hung on to my hand and laughed like my upset emotions were funny.
“Oh, come on, Lazarus! When are you going to admit you like me?” he jeered, daring to use his other hand to touch me once more. I was more offended by him than I had ever been. He wanted what was not his – what would never be his. I twisted myself out of his grasp easily, as he was far from being evenly matched in combat. Shadows swirled around my fist until I had him backed into the ground with a blade of War at his throat.
“If you ever touch me again, I will kill you – Alvir’s son or not,” I breathed in fury, desperately wishing I had the nerve to do it. It would have saved me an immense amount of grief in the long run if I would have ended it at that moment.
A hint of sweat on his brow showed that he understood I did not find his actions amusing. He was shocked – he probably thought I was unlike a normal Evyan, as we were in many ways very tolerant people. Being Evyan was only a feature of my shell. I was so much more than just that.
“Cut his throat. Drink the blood. Kill all the mortals in this square,” War whispered to me.
It took every fiber of my being not to listen to the shadows. I salivated at the thought of seeing his corpse, but the wails of Guinevere in the tower sobered my mind. The shadows disappeared, taking my scythe with it. It was better not to push my Master’s patience at that time. I still punched Lydris as hard as I could in one of his eyes, causing him to cry out and fall onto his back holding his face. His pain delighted me; he hardly knew agony, and a mere bludgeoned eye was nothing. After being faced with such an awful person, I did not mind returning to my tower, surrounded by my family.
The War Council had not
convened since the takeover of Duskwraith, thousands of years ago. The only original members still alive were my Master, James, Sendrys, and Typhlon, interestingly enough. Femorans lived longer than any other race on Praetis, but he had somehow skipped dying of old age altogether. They typically could last a millennium – Typhlon was triple that. He could have been imbued with the blood of the Phoenix God Asinea, or more likely, the blood of demons. Nevertheless, I was pleased to see him again and it was a much-needed reunion, as I hardly ever felt positive emotions anymore.
More members had been added since the beginning of the new Duskwraith culture, but most were all high-ranking military officials and leaders. Some of the constables from our cities were in the crowd filling the library, too. Each person there needed to be informed of our plans – both the main conflict and our back up plans in case we were invaded. I had never seen such a vast court of people since I arrived in Duskwraith, as not even the former Zaarian Emperor had that many around.
I was seated beside Vince, as the Queen and Warden, while James sat to his left near Typhlon. The rest that wasn’t my family was a sea of faces I did not recognize, yet they all showed intense loyalty to me despite never meeting before. Somehow our legion of villains and traitors had managed to found a country on villains and traitors. Duskwraith was more multicultural than the Empire of Lux. We were strong people that desired to rule the world – Duskwraith and A’roha were just the beginning. All in that room believed that and would fight until death and undeath.
“The Empire of Zaar: an Empire of savages with the goal of taking over all of Kaeda. It seems that they were ill-informed that Kaeda is mine. It is time to remind them,” Vince declared to the room. The chatter and laughter after his remark showed that they very much agreed with him. My Master gestured to Varnoc. He was sitting nearby, but I had been avoiding all eye contact and socialization with him since Vince declared us to be bound.
“Zaar has three major cities as I am sure you all know,” Varnoc stated, standing and unrolling a massive cloth map of the Empire on the table. “Diam, the capital Uxe, and the northern city Remula. Diam is currently occupied by the rebellion, led by the expired Emperor’s brother, Morein. He is controlling all of the Empire’s trade and farmland, making Diam a pivotal piece in disassembling the country.”
“But if the rebellion is pushing toward Uxe, wouldn’t it make more sense for us to target Remula? They cannot fight themselves in the south, us in the north or Femora in the west all at once,” a constable from the southern city Runera inquired.
“They are expecting an attack in the north – it is the most obvious target. Why would we need to take the south when it is already hostile territory? The simple matter of food. If we attack Remula first, they could ally temporarily to stand against us. Zaarians are proud, but they will unify if it means keeping their country,” James answered with an agreeable nod from Varnoc.
“We will occupy Diam and attack the capital. The further they are from trade routes and the ocean, the easier it will be,” Varnoc continued, placing a marker on the southern city. “It will also reassure our Evyan allies that they will be protected from invading forces. We will sweep out the Zaarians relatively quickly if they are starving.”
“I expect there to be no losses,” Vince said, making the room incredibly silent. “Zaar may be large, and our foe may seem great in number, but they fight like animals.”
There were some jeers in agreement with him, even from those that were part Zaarian themselves. They had all been sufficiently brainwashed enough to hate their own kind.
“Diam is still recovering from the city being overtaken. The eastern side is the weakest point, so they will likely have it the most defended. They are not expecting the Femorans to attack – if our forces can sneak around and attack the west, they will be taken completely by surprise,” Varnoc continued, pointing to a rather detailed map of the city. He had spent months drawing it up as he had a very visual memory. Scouts had confirmed pieces of it over the time I was underground, proving it to be entirely accurate. He knew the Empire better than any other Zaarian Vince had come across. It was not luck that put him in the Everglade – I knew immediately after peering at his work that Vince was aware of his talents and uses.
“Afterward, Lord Raven will oversee the city while our army moves to take the capital. We have received reports that they are moving their forces toward Femora – likely in search of food. That means if we can get to Uxe before they return home, we will have the upper hand. It would cause their warriors to move to Remula, where it will only add to their starvation crisis,” Varnoc finished. “Any questions?”
“You make it sound easy,” Typhlon said with a dry chuckle. “But the reality is, these tribesmen will butcher a fair number of our army. What is the plan if it does not go as expected?”
“We will take Diam; there are no doubts about it. Uxe is a risk, no matter how we coordinate our attack. If you are not able to claim the capital, the only place you will be able to retreat to is back to Diam. Eidune will be too far away. The forces won’t return home until the war is won,” Varnoc answered, holding his ground.
His statement caused me mild unrest. As the Warden, I would need to be present for every fight. That meant I could not stay to keep an eye on my Master. I suppose it was bittersweet. Mentally, I wished to be free of him for a while, but I already knew the bond was going to weaken me with the distance. I had to remind myself that if James could easily travel all over Kaeda, I must as well.
The conversations following were of the cities’ structures, the weaknesses that could be exploited, and the champions of the Emperor. There were two: Leora and Gradelkine. While Leora was very close to the royal family, Gradelkine was known universally for his magical gifts. He was, by all accounts, a wizard, but magic was outlawed thousands of years ago. Somehow, he managed to stay out of his Empire’s affairs and help around the world with his abilities in secrecy. It was not exactly secrecy, as all knew him very well and demanded his services. In the more recent years as he aged, he had retired to Uxe. He would be a thorn in our side if we let him assist in Zaar’s defense, so he was marked as a target to all. It was a shame – I am sure that he would have made a spectacular demon.
Once the council was satisfied that everyone important was made aware of the plans, they departed to prepare the troops on our border. I had never fought on a battleground before, but I could not find it in me to worry. Rather, I was excited. Bloodshed brought me joy as a demon, and the more I sacrificed, the closer I would grow to my Gods. Even if I did feel somewhat apprehensive about enduring the distance from Vince, I entertained the idea that I would be too busy to notice his absence.
My excitement was stripped from me when my Master declared all that were not kin needed to leave. Typhlon and the others heeded his words. The only person that remained that did not belong was the bane of my existence. He was very amused by everyone’s confused stares – he knew something we did not.
“If – under any circumstance – we are put in the position of an invasion, it is important we survive to carry out the Void’s will,” Vince started, looking at each and every one of us. He specifically spoke of the Void to compel our family to believe he was not a traitor. I was somewhat questionable still, but I wished to feel the same as my family with their faith in him. They had all known him far longer, making it seem that I was overly paranoid like Naazvaba.
“Forgive me, Master, but what does Sir Tavandrys have to do with the Void’s will?” Varnoc interrupted curiously, watching Lydris across the table as he guzzled on infinite wine. Vince glanced at that scum and shrugged.
“Lydris is to be family. I am sure I have mentioned this before,” he replied nonchalantly. “Anyway, the tunnels from the cellar connect to the sea in the east and Levia’s lair in the west. We will not allow them to take any part of the Dark Essentia; nothing is more important than this. If we must leave, we will meet on the island of Ashena.”
“Ashena? Why flee t
o Luxian territory?” Raven asked with a raised brow. Vince sighed and kicked his legs up onto the table.
“Because it’s the last place they will look, obviously,” he responded, rolling his eyes. “I expected your wit would tell you that much.” Raven scowled but kept it hidden to him.
“Does anyone else know of these tunnels?” Varnoc inquired, keeping his focus on the battles ahead.
“Nobody outside of this room,” my Master replied. His tone suggested that all of us were to keep it sacred and hidden. Despite our mild distrust of Vince, we would benefit from having a way to escape if needed.
I had thought we would die in service to him before we would retreat – that had always been the standard in the Everglade living among the common rabble. As demons, and the sole people responsible for carrying out the Void’s will, we had to be smart and not worry about things such as honor or pride. It was better to flee and continue Azotl’s work than it was to fall with Duskwraith, should the day ever come.
“Since you are all present, I have finally perfected a plague capable of destroying Naadea and the Luxian Empire,” Sendrys declared, smiling at me to signal that she was following through with our God’s desires. “Fevith, Devith and I shall make our way to Basul to begin our attack. We will place demonic talismans in the locations of the hidden plague devices and unleash their energy with a grand sacrifice.”
Long before I became a demon or was sentenced to thirty years in the Everglade, Sendrys had placed dark creations around the globe. They were bundles of plague magic that could be triggered at will with pieces of demonic artifacts, and the more energy fed to them, the stronger their released diseases would be. They remained dormant in southern Kaeda and across Naadea, waiting for the demonic talismans (pieces of the demonic artifacts) to unleash their destruction. Sendrys had planned for the end of Praetis far in advance.