by M. E. Thorne
I brought her closer. “I am going to trust you with that role.”
“By the love of Revina, I will do it,” she whispered, her lips pressed against my ear.
I suddenly felt utterly flustered, my heart hammering in my chest as her closeness, the heat of her breath against my skin.
Vexile must have felt the same way, because we both found ourselves scrambling back, trying to regain our composure. I made a show of straightening my jacket while Vexile secured her robe’s belt.
She gestured towards the books, “Do you want to go over standard greetings and salutations again?”
“Yes,” I said, mustering what self-control I still possessed. “The last thing I want is to alienate my citizens further by making an ass of myself.”
She smiled coyly, and it took all of my restraint not to spend the rest of the lesson staring at her lovely face.
Chapter 5
“I ain’t listening to no dressed-up jackass,” the big man, Riggs, swore.
I had gathered the hunters, to discuss their tactics and to see if there was anything to be done to help improve their results. I didn’t claim to know much about hunting, but I did know about efficiency and getting people to work together. As I understood it, the hunters struck off on their own, picking their hunting grounds and methods. If they coordinated together, they’d stand a better chance of finding food.
“Riggs!" One of the acolytes, Ahkil, who had been accompanying us, rose from her seat. She balled her hands into fists. “You are disrespecting our divinely chosen Dark Lord?”
“Dark Lord?" The hunter sneered, “I don’t see a crown on his head, do I?”
I silently ground my teeth, as we once again hit the same contentious point we’d hit before.
I had tried several times to speak to my citizens, and each time someone would rebuff me since I was not yet crowned. Even after I’d started bringing some of the more faithful of Vexile’s acolytes with me, I’d run into the same problem.
Simply put, the people did not respect me, and they didn’t think I’d stick around till my coronation. That I’d up and run as Charles had.
“Riggs,” I said with a false calm, “we won’t take issue with your tone or manners, but remember that we will be Dark Lord, and shortly. Do you really want to make us an enemy?”
And then I saw it, something akin to fear, moved through his eyes. He didn’t bow his head or slump his shoulders, but his posture softened, and I knew I’d taken the fight out of him for the time being.
I need to find a way to earn his loyalty, otherwise, I’ll have a major headache on my hands.
“I’m just saying, you don’t know anything about hunting,” he argued, the edge in his voice gone. “Me and my kids have been keeping everyone around here fed and alive, without --”
I held up a palm, “And we are all grateful for that. We would be starving without your aid." I leaned forward, “But we must do better. We are depending on you to not just keep us alive but to help us all prosper.”
I got up and looked around the room. “Aren’t you all tired of just scraping by, barely getting enough to eat, or struggling to find clean water to drink?”
The gathered citizens, all hard and lean figures, listened with sullen attention.
“We believe,” I said, “if we all work together, not as refugees, escaped slaves, and exiles, but as fellow citizens, all bent towards the same task, we can rebuild this kingdom.”
I got the response I expected, which was mostly dull stares and gloomy sighs.
Vexile, standing by the side of the room, declared, “Once Robert is crowned, I’m sure Revina will bless us with Her bounty.”
I doubted her words were any more effective than my own. Sensing the meeting was at an end, the citizens began to file out of the half-ruined warehouse, which I had claimed as my new headquarters and town hall.
Riggs, the last person, lingered by the door.
“I can’t promise for everyone,” he drawled, “but we’ll give your idea a shot, at least for a little bit.”
I nodded, “That’s all we can ask for now.”
Vexile led me into the temple. Once, it had been a grand building, almost equal in size to the main keep. It was more akin to a European cathedral than anything else, with what would have been a soaring roof and a multitude of window arches. The floor had once been white marble, with large, open spaces meant for congregants to sit or kneel during services.
But any grandeur the building once held was gone. Part of the western wall had collapsed, and all the window frames were empty, with only shards of colored glass sticking to their edges. Even the floor had been badly damaged, the marble charred black or shattered into pieces, revealing the desecrated and looted crypt below.
At the far end of the temple, there had been an altar and a statue. The old altar was gone, but Vexile and her acolytes had fashioned a new one from a scavenged table. The statue, presumably of Goddess Revina, was broken beyond repair. Someone had quite violently smashed it to pieces, leaving just the stubs of two, sandal-clad feet carved from black, glossy stone.
The acolytes left us, and I took a seat near the altar, enjoying the cool shade and solitude for a moment.
“You must not judge them too harshly,” Vexile said, coming to rest a small distance away, kneeling towards the altar. “They are tired, scared, and hurt.”
“I’m not mad at them,” I assured her, “though if I ever find that bastard cousin of mine, I’ll kick his ass. His abandonment did more to hurt those people than anything else.”
“Giving someone hope, then robbing it away, is a despicable thing,” she agreed.
I glanced around the temple, spotting a mural that had not been completely destroyed. Constructed using small bits of glass, it showed a variety of fantastic figures; women with the bodies of birds, men with horns and hooves, and other more fantastical arrangements. But rather than being depicted as monsters or demons, these figures were rendered with awe and reverence.
“Who are they?” I asked the priestess, pointing.
She got up and smiled, “They are the ascendant, chosen of Revina, the living avatars of Her power and Her love.”
I thought back to the few religious lessons I had been able to receive. “How does that work, exactly? Are they randomly chosen?”
“No,” she shook her head, “they are elevated by the Dark Lord, chosen for some great deed or purpose. They are blessed with Her power, and can wield Her magic" She blushed, then said, “Normally the first person a newly crowned Dark Lord ascends is their First Queen or King.”
“First Queen?”
She cleared her throat, “Yes. From what I remember, harems are not common from where you come from, but here they are considered an integral part of Duskhaven royalty. The Dark Lord blesses their spouses with ascension, and they in turn use their abilities and magic to support the Dark Lord and the kingdom. They are considered the core of the Dark Lords’ power and their greatest champions.”
I hadn’t even put a thought into marriage or finding a queen. For a moment my gaze lingered on Vexile, but then I realized what I was doing and quickly looked away. The high priestess was kind enough to do the same, her face having gone red.
“Anyway,” I stated firmly, “though today might not have gone as I had hoped, I was still able to get Riggs to see me as his ruler, rather than just an interloper.” I looked back towards the altar, “Once I am crowned, I will hopefully have the legitimacy I need to truly help my people.”
I got up and approached the shattered statue. “Is there a reason why we need to wait for the new moon for the coronation ceremony?”
“Yes,” she nodded, “new moons are considered sacred nights for Revina. It will empower the ritual, allowing Her to connect with your bloodline, making you into a conduit for Her power and a font for her blessings.”
The whole thing reeked of magic and mysticism. Despite what Vexile had told me, I hadn’t seen any actual magic yet. She had explained only
the ascendants could work magic. Normal humans, like herself, could only wield this kind of power through artifacts; objects that past ascendants had imbued with part of their magic.
Even the supposed magical artifact left by my ancestors appeared to be nothing more than an oddly carved stone obelisk, its pieces fitted together like some deranged puzzle. Vexile had found it hidden in a concealed vault, deep under the keep. She said it had glowed with blessed, stellar light when the ritual to bring me from Earth had occurred, but since then it had become simple, dun stone, what power left by my ancestors was spent. Once again, I felt like a complete skeptic.
Then again, I reasoned, the very fact that I’m standing here, in a different reality, is proof enough that magic is real.
I shook my head and started heading back towards the keep. Patting my jacket, I made sure my copy of The Prince was still there.
I wasn’t sure how Machiavelli would have judged my actions on Earth, but he would have probably thought me foolish since he believed that a ruler’s moral obligation was to gain power. He was a very practical advisor, and he would have likely blamed my downfall on me for placing my hope on the better nature of my fellow citizens.
Still, Fortune might smile on me yet, I thought ruthfully. Hopefully, that old Italian will have a few more tips for a newly crowned Dark Lord, who is meant to reign over a ruined kingdom.
The next evening, I found myself in my chambers as Vexile and her acolytes helped me dress and walked me through the coronation ceremony.
“Once you approach the altar,” Vexile explained, as she read along from her notebook, “you must present the Goddess an offering." She gestured towards an earthen bowl sitting by the door. It contained a sheaf of sickly-looking wild wheat and a pitiful haunch of meat that Rigg’s hunters had returned with earlier in the day.
“Place the bowl on the altar and then bow in deepest supplication before the statue,” she continued, tracing a finger down the page.
I nodded, “And then?”
She closed the notebook. “The exact details of the ceremony are lost. You’ll commune with the Goddess, and if She finds you worthy, She will crown you as the Dark Lord.”
I absently rolled the dark, metal circlet between my palms.
Vexile had found the thing in the castle’s vaults, undiscovered by the Luminark invaders, like the obelisk artifact. The original royal crown of Duskhaven was long gone. Supposedly the archangels had stolen it, then melted it down to create a scourge that they used to torture the followers of Revina.
The circlet appeared plain at first glance, just a ring of ancient black metal, with a single empty socket that was meant to rest on the wearer’s brow. I guessed that a gem or something had rested there once before, but it was empty and vacant. Despite its wear and age, it felt warm and comforting in my hands, like it was meant for me.
A link back to my ancestors, and the other Dark Lords who had worn it in the past?
I had removed my suit coat, which was looking a bit dusty and dirty, and instead, I was wearing a black mantel, which rode heavily on my shoulders. The fabric cascaded as an umbral cape down to my heels. Vexile said it had been donated by the citizens, though I suspected that it had been stolen from the laundry line of a rich man at some point in the past.
At least I was able to shine my shoes, I thought as I inspected myself in the mirror. I didn’t look like a powerful, majestic Dark Lord. Instead, I thought I looked like an understudy for a high school theater production.
Vexile came over and gently took the circlet from my hands. “It will be fine, Dark Lord. I will be there to guide you through the ceremony, and I’m sure the Goddess will accept you.”
Nodding, I went and picked up the earthen bowl. “Let’s get started then.”
The entire population of Gloomglow had filed into the ruined temple. It was a paltry sight; they huddled close to the altar while the cavernous room loomed around them, shadows were everywhere. The night sky above was awash with stars, but they seemed cold, distant.
Vexile mentioned that she believes each star is a blessing from Revina, meant to keep her children safe.
I marched in with the high priestess and her acolytes, who carried torches ahead of our procession. I walked in their midst; I was used to pointless pomp and displays of power, I’d been to enough campaign rallies and fundraising events to be tolerant of political theater, but I chaffed to get it over with.
When this is done, I’ll have the legitimacy I need to be a ruler, to help my people, I forcefully told myself, even as the crowd looked at me with doubt and misery.
Vexile approached the altar, then raised her arms, which looked pitifully thin, like she was swimming in the ceremonial robe that had to be double-belted around her waist.
“It has been ages, but finally we have returned to our home,” she said, her voice echoing oddly off the broken walls. “Duskhaven might have fallen, but Revina, the Goddess of Darkness has watched over us, waiting patiently till we could return. Now we are here, with Robert Grailmont, our new Dark Lord! He will lead us to a new age, one heralded by regrowth and glory!”
Someone coughed at the back of the silent crowd.
Vexile hurriedly gestured to me, and I approached the altar.
A cold, biting gust swept down through the missing roof. The citizens shivered, but I felt something strange in the wind, like a thrill of electricity.
For a split second, I was no longer in the ruined temple, but rather I was standing in its ancient past, when it had been whole. Torches hung along the walls and columns, their flames burning black and blue. A hole cut in the ceiling allowed pure starlight to illuminate the altar, which was made from a single hewn block of black marble. Behind it stood a magnificent statue.
Before I could fully see it, the vision faded, leaving me back before the makeshift altar. The black circlet rested on the white tablecloth, waiting for me to put it on.
Vexile looked at me with naked concern; she had felt something too, but she didn’t understand what it was.
She took a deep breath, then continued. “Revina! We come before you, with the finest offerings, asking that you bless Robert and mark him as your Dark Lord. He shall become the conduit for the rebirth of our kingdom!”
I stepped forward to place the earthen bowl and my offering upon the altar, but before I could, the vision was upon me again. I found myself standing in the temple as it had been.
The statue of Revina towered over me. In the vision, it was whole, unmarred by time or the cruel hand of conquerors.
The Goddess of Night was depicted as a stunning woman, with skin and hair as black as a starless void. Her locks curled around her face, hiding her eyes from sight, but her smile was enigmatic and full of mysteries. The goddess was dressed in a silver-threaded robe and sari, which had been embroidered with a million different diamonds, each one sparkling and shining.
As I stood there, I realized the statue was breathing, slowly. Her neck bent, and she looked down to regard me, her eyes still hidden in shadow, but gleaming in the darkness.
With absolute slowness, she reached out with her hand, pointing towards me.
And then I was back in the desecrated temple.
Everyone was staring at me as I stood motionless before the altar, the offering practically forgotten in my hands.
Looking at it, I knew it wasn’t enough. Revina was there, she was present, and I knew I truly needed to give her an offering, a sign of my dedication if she was to bless me as her new Dark Lord.
I carefully placed the bowl onto the altar, then turned to Riggs, who was standing at the forefront of the crowd.
“Your knife,” I commanded.
He looked at me slack-jawed.
“Your knife!” I roared.
Fumbling, he reached for the hunting knife on his belt, unsheathed it, and handed it over.
I turned to face the crowd. Every one of my nerves was singing with some strange, unearthly energy. I felt like I could do anything, that nothi
ng was beyond my grasp.
“Tonight, we will make you a solemn pledge,” I called, my voice sounding like thunder in my ears. “We will become your Dark Lord, and we will lead us all into a new age. We will rebuild what was lost, and bring balance back to this world!”
I turned back towards the altar; my hand was aching from holding the knife so tightly.
“Revina!" I spoke to the statue, which was there and not there at the same time. “We pledge ourselves to you and our people! Make us your Dark Lord, your conduit, your champion, and we will see your will done!”
Vexile cried in shock as I ran the knife across my hand.
Blood welling into my palm, I splattered it onto the altar, soaking the offering and the black iron crown. “We offer you our life, goddess!” I called. “Make of it what you will!”
The vision slammed back into place, the exhilaration and pain fading away to nothingness, as Revina reached down and placed her finger against my chest, right atop my heart. For a moment I could have sworn she grinned at me as I was filled with divine might.
Chapter 6
When I awoke, I felt like the world had rearranged itself around me.
Even though I woke in my somewhat familiar bed, it felt different. I ran my fingertips over the grass-stuffed mattress, marveling at the rough texture of the cloth and the feeling of the stuffing poking against the fabric.
Slowly, I leveraged myself up and pushed aside the bed’s drapes, blinking my eyes at how bright the bedroom was. Only a few candles burned, but to me, the light they cast off was almost overwhelming.
Turning towards the shadows, rubbing my watering eyes, I was amazed to see that they hid nothing from me. Even in the darkest corners of the room, I could make out every detail, right down to the scratches on the floorboards and the dust bunnies hiding under the furniture.
Standing uneasily, I made my way over to the mirror. Did something happen to me?