Fragment

by Alvin Atwater

  “Since when you were all about entertainment?” Gia said. “If it wasn’t Lord Abaddon, it didn’t matter.”

  “All of my actions are for my great lord,” Riley replied, wagging a finger at Gia. “That doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to have fun. Loosen up a bit. Or are you jealous because I became Arc and you didn’t.”

  “Don’t let that idea get stuck up your ass,” Gia barked, walking toward the exit. “I’m returning to work.”

  “Work hard, my elite,” Riley said as Gia stormed out of the room. He turned to Flow. “Normally, the bad attitude toward me came from you.”

  “Don’t get full of yourself,” Flow said. “He’s not the only one that senses something off with you. I feel like this crazy you’re putting on is but an act in something greater, something you’re not telling us. I’m sure Lord Abaddon feels it too.”

  “You’ll love me one day,” Riley replied and then laughed.

  “Go die,” Flow said coldly.

  “Teasing aside, I have a job for you, and I trust that you understand the difference between my teasing and my orders, right?” Flow didn’t respond. “Good. I want you to invade the dreams of Loki, give him a good time.”

  “What?” Flow said.

  “Listen,” Riley continued. “Do that for a while, then influence the prophecy called Ragnorok. A wonderful calamity I must say. If he ignores it, keep doing so. Give him pleasure to that thought; keep it in the back of his mind. You’re a powerful succubus, Flow. Something like this should be no problem, unless you’re weak and don’t really have what it takes. I’m sure Lord Abaddon would love to hear that from his Arc.”

  “Fine,” Flow said. “Where’s the prophecy?”

  “I laid out the book for you in Lord Abaddon’s study. And please make it a good scene. You’re going to have to be very clever to trick the trickster.”

  “I know that. Just who do you think I am?” Flow snorted as she stormed out of the room.

  Riley turned to Prudus. “I’ve got a plan to send Olympus into pieces in honor of Lord Abaddon. It’s going to take some time to put it all together and see it through. You’re Prudus the Deadly, a master tactician and the most loyal person I’ve ever met. I’ll need your help in developing a strategy to vanquishing Zeus’s men and anyone else who would interfere.”

  “That will be no problem, Arc,” Prudus said. “But keep in mind that Zeus will probably not be alone when you send Tantalus to ‘distract’ him. Anyone may take the kill. Demeter included.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Riley said, turning around. He glanced at a black painting on Abaddon’s wall. “Timing is everything. If anyone else is around, it will be an unfortunate end for them too.” He turned to Prudus. “I had some of my men investigate Zeus’s condition with the curse and got some interesting information.”

  “What is it?” Prudus said.

  “Thunderbolt Head is planning to give away his power and throne to anyone who wins his ridiculous little competition. Everything.” Riley laughed. “So, titans from all kinds of realms have entered. The winner takes it all.”

  “Are you certain about this, Arc? Are you sure Zeus is being reckless at this magnitude?”

  “I didn’t believe it at first, but after gathering all of the reports, everything adds up,” Riley said. “Why so many titans are at Zeus’s palace, why the sword holder is even in that realm, why Aaron’s team was defeated so easily. It all makes sense now. I just wish I noticed earlier.”

  “So, what do you propose?” Prudus asked.

  “My timing may be up to the tides of his competition,” Riley answered. He turned toward the door. “And our guest has finally arrived. Tantalus, ex-hero, please enter.”

  A young man wearing a blood-red cloak entered the fortress. His irises matched the color of his cloak. Riley felt the vicious magnitude of his bloodlust, even twenty feet away. Riley felt ecstatic, his eagerness to put the ex-hero to work almost showed on his face.

  Flashback

  Veronica felt her heart drop as Jonas vanished into the waterfall. She wanted to go after him but couldn’t move. It was her fault that he didn’t love her back. An act is no excuse for insulting the one she loved. Now, she’d never get the chance to make things right. She fell to her knees and cried harder, hating herself, longing for Jonas. She wished for his life, for a life where a caring mother provided delicious food, a life where she was in Jonas’s strong arms every night. She wanted his child, his love, his secrets. She wanted to pour herself to him. Now . . . now it was too late. She could not imagine a life without him. She’d leave behind all of her riches and her father’s stupid high-class snobby life, for Jonas, for someone who would actually care about her.

  “What have I done?” she wept. “I’ve pushed away the man I

  loved . . . and for what?”

  Someone touched her shoulder. She quickly looked up, praying Jonas had returned, but saw someone else. A woman, a beautiful woman dressed in a white cloak. Her white hair was so long that it draped just inches above the ground. A white aura outlined her skin, its light brighter than the afternoon sun. Her bright green eyes felt kind, comforting.

  “You poor child,” she said, her voice pure, magical. “You love him, yet you were not given the chance to pour him your true self. Veronica, you too have a great destiny. If you choose to be my successor, I can give you power. With this power, you can go after him. You can pursue the love that you truly deserve.” The woman held out her hand. Veronica gazed at her for seconds, perhaps a minute, then let the woman help her stand.

  “Will I be able to see him again?” Veronica asked, wiping tears from her eyes.

  The woman smiled warmly. “Of course. Will you succeed me, Breaker of Destiny?”

  “Who are you?” Veronica asked.

  “I am she who is known by a lot of names,” the woman replied. “My successor, I am sometimes called the purest of hearts, nicknamed the White Witch.”