The behemoth did not react with such stoicism. Its mane stood on straight ends and its eyes widened. It had probably never seen anything that could actually threaten it before, and it looked terrified. It backed up a few feet before receding into the shadows.
“Let us not waste our time on such pathetic obstacles,” Artemia said. “Continue to Caia! It is time for us to show humanity who has taken control of this world. Do not kill any humans you run into, but let them feel fear such that they may die of shock. I have uses for them that cannot be accomplished if you kill them.”
“As you wish, master,” Ifrit growled.
The monsters thundered their way down the mountainside like the avalanche that had threatened to bury Artemia just days prior. No creature, no natural threat, no force of mankind could stop the incoming apocalypse, the legendary monsters upon which Artemia rode.
They covered so much ground so quickly that the trip to Caia was covered within a few days, not weeks. It felt wholly unnatural to trek such terrain so quickly. It brought a devious grin to Artemia. With monsters like these, who needed boats or horses?
On the sixth day of traveling, when the night reached its darkest hour, Caia came into view. Artemia could see the soldiers around the wall of the perimeter. Oh, how they’re going to wish I’d failed on my mission.
“Slow down!” she commanded. “Let them see us approaching. Slaughter any who try to fight. They are men of the emperor’s, and though they may have the same stupidity as the emperor does, if they have any sense of self-preservation, they will not try to fight.”
Odin’s horse neighed as if it wanted to crash through the walls. Artemia pressed her hands on the neck of the horse.
“These are but ants that cannot even bite or organize,” she said. She did not bother to try and hush her voice. What would the guards do, get through about a half dozen of Hydor’s most deadly ancient beings? “Do not waste even your eyesight on them. We shall pass them and laugh when they think to speak behind our backs, but cannot even bring themselves to do that.”
Artemia made sure that the monsters with her gathered close by. Ifrit, Shiva, Odin, Valigarmanda, and the phoenix all huddled around her, creating a sort of assembly of beasts as they moved forward. The first guard took notice, his eyes seeming to freeze upon the monsters. He rose steadily, unsure if he should use his weapons or not.
“Halt!” he said from afar, but he spoke alone and with no other man by his side. His voice carried the confidence of a homeless person approaching the emperor, and about as much authority as well. He glanced around as Artemia and her unit refused to obey his order.
“Halt?” Artemia said mockingly. “Halt. While I appreciate the dedication to your job, soldier, you may want to consider the reality of your situation. All of the monsters that you see with me are capable of wiping out this entire city if they wish. However, because of my generosity, I have them under control and under strict orders not to attack unless attacked first. My generosity, though, has limits, and those limits end when you fail to listen to my requests.”
She deliberately let the words hang in the air. She wanted to savor this moment in which she would show Emperor Syrast that she not only had him checkmated, she had him checkmated from every conceivable angle. She had waited years for the chance to assume control over Hydor, biding her time for just the right moment.
Originally, she thought that would come when Tyus became emperor and he would be but a puppet figure, her strings so tightly wound around him that his blood would not circulate through his body. But now, she didn’t need a front man. Wherever that coward of a boy was, he would spend a lot of time on his knees or on his stomach before her.
“What do you want?” the soldier said, trying to maintain his authority but losing it as Ifrit advanced. The soldier gripped the wall, as if holding on might protect him. Ah, to be without magic power. I’m never going back to that.
“I want an audience with the emperor, and I want it now,” Artemia said. “You will escort me through the town.”
“At this hour, are you…” the soldier began.
Ifrit let a stray fire rise up. It did not come even close to the man, but Ifrit had sent the clearest message possible.
“I see. Yes, of course. One moment, please.”
Artemia smiled. A man was as loyal as his survival instincts and his sense of duty to a higher authority coexisted, and because of the emperor’s poor treatment of everyone—his own body and soul included—the guards’ selfish interests always overwhelmed their devotion to Rufus. Especially when the emperor would not be present to witness such a moment of cowardice.
“Our gates are under construction, as you can see,” the guard said as they creaked open slowly. “You may pass through whenever you wish.”
“You have made a wise choice. My friends, make your way to the other side as you wish. Remember my commands.”
She watched bemused as Odin made its way through the gate, brusquely pushing aside what little iron and metal got in its way. Ifrit climbed over the wall, while Valigarmanda and the phoenix dived their way down. Shiva simply hovered over the wall, landing without a sound on the other side.
Artemia took the moment to look around. She saw window frames clanging shut, doors being pressed through rust, homeless running to the darkest corners of the alleyway, and soldiers gulping and shivering as if a permanent winter had settled in. The man on top of the wall who had spoken to her had sat down, his face in his hands, as if too overwhelmed by the moment to speak any further. She even heard a few hysterical cries. She suspected some of them had come from the emperor’s army.
Good. She wanted her reign over Hydor to begin on a memorable note. She would parade her monsters through the town at this hour, showing the citizens that she controlled all men at all times in all places. She hoped that every child would awaken and see these demonic beasts. So haunting would the sight of these creatures be that the children would be traumatized for life, forced into servitude for Artemia.
“Do you wish us to escort you?” another guard asked, his voice a cracking wreck.
“Your guards clearly lack the communication skills to make an effective unit,” Artemia sneered. “It is of little wonder that you played no role in the slaughter of Indica. Only the dragon hunters and the magi defeated them.”
The sharp grimace on the guard’s face drew a mocking laugh from Artemia.
“I apologize, but does that hurt to hear?”
“The magi are all dead,” the guard spat, though he quickly became fearful when Shiva approached. “We sent forces with the son of the emperor to wipe out the city once and for all. Reports come back that there are none left.”
A strange feeling swept Artemia. She did not feel sympathy for the fallen magi. She did not have that capability.
Rather, she felt strange admiration for the man and the rest of the empire. The way he spoke, he sounded as smug as he could before all the monsters in Hydor. But he had no idea.
“None left, is that so?” Artemia said. How stupid must you be to not see that I have the power of a magi with these monsters. “It matters not, for you will all serve me in due time. Now, lead me, guard.”
The guard thought of saying something but, choosing to live, turned around and began escorting Artemia and her monsters through the city. The monsters moved with Artemia at such a gradual pace, she could sense their anxiousness. They wanted to move—surely, the encasing within the ice did little to make them feel free over the last several hundred, if not thousands, of years. She couldn’t let them kill yet. That would take the fun out of the night. But she could let them have some release.
“Make your presence known,” Artemia bellowed. The guards turned to her, but she ignored them. “Remember my command. But remember this, too—the city of Caia must know what inhabits it now and what controls it.”
It took nothing more for the monsters to begin wandering the streets in triumph, mouths raised to release the cries of war and fury from deep w
ithin their throats. Wings spread, arms flexed, and eyes narrowed as they seemed to challenge every citizen to a duel. They wanted any excuse to kill—Artemia could see that the battle against the dragons had stoked a thirst that could not be so easily quenched. Only the power of the red crystal in her possession kept them under control.
Imagine the power without this. The danger. I must not lose this. It was bad enough to have lost the blue crystal.
When she came to the courtyard, though, that thought left her. Instead, her rage toward Kara returned tenfold.
Lying in the middle of the courtyard was the still-rotten corpse of Indica, somehow still not cleaned up after her month away from the city’s capitol. The sight of the skeletal remains ignited a flame deep within her stomach that slowly rose to her mind, reminding her that she still needed to seek out Kara for the majority of the turquoise crystal.
That, in turn, triggered the memories she had of Kara. Perhaps the only person as capable of throwing a subtle coup as her—if not for the fact that her status as a mage made that all but impossible.
In a way, Artemia truly admired Kara. She acted boldly, feared no one, and had express intent on overthrowing the empire. If she had skills with a sword, she might have even made for a skilled dragon hunter.
Unfortunately, she also had a weapon that Artemia needed. And Kara had not felt so eager to give it up. For that reason, her attitude alone had made her someone Artemia needed to kill.
Perhaps if I do what I say—overthrow the empire—I will have that. But no. She is too clever to just let me lead. And besides, I am not going to kill the emperor yet. I’ll just have to take it by force before leaving for Bahamut.
Still, the anger Artemia felt upon seeing Indica felt so unlike her. Her desire to find Kara felt more like an unduly burdensome task that she had to fulfill, not something she could do at her own time.
She turned away, vowing that she would handle the situation later. She had a more pressing need. She wanted to see the emperor.
She summoned Ifrit by her side and ordered the rest of her beasts to wait inside the palace walls.
“Do not attack. But do not let anyone leave until I have left as well,” Artemia said.
She would not waste too much time inside; she did not envision the emperor needing much persuasion to give her what she needed. She followed the nervous guard, who shook as he walked, into the lobby.
Around her, guards took note and stood by their pillars. She had never seen this level of express fear from the guards before, and she could not deny taking an immense amount of pleasure in it. She knew they had a healthy level of fear for the magi, but their leader would never permit an expression of that fear. Seeing a demon appear before them, though, had an interesting way of melting away all masks.
They came to the emperor’s door. The guard prepared to announce their presence, but Artemia walked right past him.
“He will speak to me on my terms.”
“But the emperor—”
Artemia’s look silenced him. The man, thinking twice of speaking out in protest, moved aside quickly as Ifrit growled.
“Who in the name of Hydor dares to stumble into my chamber at this hour?!?” the distant voice of the emperor came. Artemia thought of standing at the base of the stairs, letting the fat man come to her, but she decided to ascend and meet him as an equal. For now. Soon enough, he’d be on his knees in front of her. “You should beg for your life right now! Get on your knees and pray that I have mercy on you, wretched—”
“Fool?” Artemia said, laughing as she completed his sentence.
The emperor had still not emerged from his private quarters, but she knew her voice would draw him out in a matter of seconds. Sure enough, the door slammed open, swinging against the wall so fast it happened before Artemia could blink. The emperor had hastily adorned some regal clothing, but much of it looked off-kilter. Artemia just smirked at the sight.
“I’m only letting you leave this place if you tell me you killed Ragnor.”
“Really,” Artemia deadpanned. “Do you see this being by my side?”
She nodded toward Ifrit, who stood near the base of the stairs. Rufus took a glance, too quick to digest what he had actually seen.
“Of course I see it,” the emperor grumbled. “I do not care what pathetic animals you—”
“Pathetic animal?!?”
Ifrit’s bellow brought a warm, red glow to the entire room.
“Remember my one command,” Artemia said softly. The mighty demon moved over to the emperor, towering over him, his eyes narrowed. Not such an animal anymore, is it? Emperor Syrast tried to keep his back straight, but it made for a comical sight how poorly he kept his composure.
“I am a monster of Iblis, former servant of Ragnor, and now under the command of my master, Artemia. I have fought for thousands of years, killed many beasts, and fought across realms. Do you think a mere human like you scares me?”
“This-this is my land!” Emperor Syrast said, his voice cracking. “Hydor is mine!”
“Hahaha!” Ifrit’s laugh mocked the emperor both in its length and its tone. “This land is not yours. No human is capable of taking the land. So long as Iblis rules the underworld and his servants and I live in this land, this world is certainly not yours. Only Artemia may lay a claim to this land.”
“But she’s just a wom—”
Ifrit growled and lunged. Artemia felt sure that Ifrit would violate her one rule and prepared for an unsatisfying death of the emperor.
But Ifrit stopped as close as he could. The emperor whimpered, his crying audible.
“Just a woman, am I?” Artemia said. “Ifrit.”
The demon retreated half a step, but its gaze never left the cowering emperor, who by now had fallen to the floor and pressed himself against a wall.
“If I am just a woman, then let me tell you what kind of a woman I am,” she said. “I am a woman who killed my brother in order to have a clear line to the role of guild master in the Dragon Hunter’s Guild. I am a woman who killed many of her hunters who figured out what I did and did so without regret. I am a woman who has slaughtered two of the legendary dragons. And now, I am a woman who can very much kill you right now and take control of your empire. I can make your son my slave. I can make your soldiers my puppets. I can make your citizens my pawns.”
The emperor trembled like a child in the snow, a sight so pitiful Artemia had to fight her laughter. She only regretted not humiliating the emperor in a public setting.
“And lest you think this is the only one of my kind, rest assured perhaps a dozen other monsters like Ifrit await outside this room, prepared to do my bidding with a single word. They will show no mercy to you if you fight back. They—”
“What do you want?!?” Rufus shouted, fighting tears when he finished speaking.
Artemia crossed her arms. She’d won. Not that she had ever doubted it, but this represented the moment of triumph. She let the silence, save for the emperor’s occasional tears, provide her with the glowing feeling of victory.
“I will let you live for now,” she said. “I have a bigger enemy to conquer before I deal with you. But in order to deal with that enemy, I need resources. I need four ships, all with your best men. I need them to come with me to Mathos and beyond.”
Emperor Syrast’s eyes widened. Even a man as foolish as he could recognize Artemia’s next target.
“I want you to give a speech about me tomorrow. You will call me the greatest asset to the people.”
The emperor did not nod.
“You will say you will do it.”
“I’ll do it,” the emperor grumbled. He looked like he had never spoken more painful words.
“And one last thing,” Artemia said. “Wherever Kara is, you will help me flush her out. I need to speak with her.”
The emperor shook his head. At this, he rose. Perhaps his hatred for the magi went so deep, it enabled him to forget of the disadvantaged position he had found himself in.
Even Ifrit looked surprised.
“We don’t know where she is,” he said. “But one thing we know. She is not here. We tried to kill her in public. We succeeded in wiping out almost all of the Shadows of the Empire. But her, Gaius, and two young girls escaped. We sent forces after them but they teleported away.”
“I see,” Artemia said, her exterior calm but the stomach raging like the inferno that was Ifrit. “To Dabira, most likely.”
“That, too, is destroyed,” the emperor said. “My… my son went with twenty men. They burned the city down.”
“And can you confirm that Kara fell with them?”
“No one could have survived—”
“Not my question,” Artemia snapped.
She already knew the answer. The emperor’s further hesitation and lack of committal answer told her everything she needed to know.
Kara still lived. Perhaps she’d even come back here, intending to strike down the emperor. In fact, given Dabira’s downfall, that seemed inevitable. Kara would return and she’d focus on killing the emperor. Artemia could use her blood lust as a trap.
“Forget it,” Artemia said. “I know she will return if she is alive. And if she is dead, then we will find her body eventually. I want full security patrolling this city for the next three days. I want your men to be prepared if so much as a blade of grass crosses into the city. She must be found.”
“Understood, understood. And you? What will you do?”
Artemia could do anything she wanted at that moment. So she did what she knew would humiliate the emperor the most.
“I’m going to let you remain emperor. But I’m going to show this town who has the power.”
She did not bow as she left. She did not even signal she would leave. Instead, she whirled around, Ifrit following behind, as she slammed the doors open, walking outside, admiring the town that she now called hers.
***
The next two days, Artemia’s impatience became her defining trait. Somehow, despite having monsters out of the worst nightmares of the magi, despite having an entire army trembling in her service, despite only one direction where Kara could come from, she had not shown up.
Legends of the War (War of the Magi Book 3) Page 8