Queen of the Nightwalkers
Qi was dizzy from loss of blood. She couldn’t tell up from down, and whenever she opened her eyes, the world seemed a swirling blur of beautiful white faces smeared with red. Her neck and arms throbbed where the Nightwalkers eagerly slaked their thirst. Her coat and hat were gone, her shirt had been torn from her and she could feel them removing her boots. Rough hands unbuckled her gunbelt and she could feel them unfastening her trousers. As more of her flesh was exposed, she could feel sharp claws rake deep gouges in it, followed closely by coarse tongues as her attackers greedily lapped up the blood that spilled from her wounds. She struggled to fight them off, but could barely move. A pleasant lethargy came over her then, blunting the pain and promising her sweet oblivion. As she felt herself being passed to each group of hungry Nightwalkers in turn, she surrendered at last to the darkness. She was still dizzy when she woke, with no idea where she was. Her body would barely respond to her attempts to move, and even shifting her arm was an effort. She hurt all over and was covered head-to-toe in cuts, gashes, punctures and bruises. When her vision cleared enough for her to look at herself, she was amazed at the pallor of her skin. Her heart beat sluggishly in her chest, and she knew there was very little blood for it to pump through her veins. She felt as though she were dying. “You are dying, Gunfighter,” a darkly melodious voice spoke from somewhere else in the room. She could barely see now, and anything not directly in front of her was shrouded and blurry. A dark grey shape moved across her field of vision as it spoke. “Frankly, I’m amazed you’re still alive. You have an impressive will to live.” The voice sounded admiring, and the shape sat down on the edge of the bed Qi lay in. It just then occurred to Qi that she was in a bed. Through the haze of throbbing pain, she could feel soft sheets and a thick mattress. She was dressed in a simple gown of thin material that snagged on the fresh scabs on her tortured flesh, and her head rested on a down pillow. “Do you want to know where you are?” The voice was kind, and Qi could see now that it belonged to a woman. She was beautiful, with long raven hair that fell in tangles to her waist. Her white skin and red eyes branded her a Nightwalker, though her clothes were finely made. She had the look of one who knows she has gone mad and has made her peace with it. The woman stared down at Qi, who felt herself falling into the endless beauty of the woman’s piercing gaze. “I can tell you where you are,” the woman spoke softly, her eyes keeping hold of Qi’s bleary gaze, “and you’ll believe me, won’t you?” She smiled as Qi nodded weakly, “Of course you will,” she whispered, “you’ve fallen under my spell. You’ll believe anything I say now.” Qi nodded again, smiling. The woman who spoke to her was so beautiful. She was perfect, like a goddess come to life. Qi felt so safe in her presence, and knew that the woman loved her. Everything was going to be fine now. She would never have to worry about anything ever again. She had someone special and beautiful to love her like no one ever had before. She opened her mouth, speaking with great effort. “I luh...luh...vyooouu...” Forming words was hard, her tongue felt thick and strange in her mouth. But she had to tell this woman how she felt. Tears began to well up at the corners of her eyes. “Ohh, darling,” the woman cooed, “I know you do. I love you too. Here now,” she gently dabbed at Qi’s tears with the lace cuff of one sleeve, “let’s have none of that.” She smiled down at Qi, who smiled back. “Oh, my dear sweet Qi,” the woman sighed, “I very much want you to live. Do you want to live?” Qi managed another weak nod, “Yuh,” she said. The Nightwalker smiled, and her smile filled Qi with a joy she’d never known. “You’ll need medicine, my sweet,” she said, “you won’t get any better without medicine.” She moved to a table near the bed that was just within Qi’s field of vision. There was a goblet on the table, and the woman held her arm over it, slicing herself with a knife. Blood dripped into the goblet, filling it halfway. The woman licked her own arm and the blood stopped flowing, then she returned to Qi’s bedside and held the goblet to her lips, reaching around to prop Qi’s head up with a strong arm. “Drink beloved,” she urged, “drink the medicine. It will keep you alive, and make you strong enough to hear what I have to say.” Qi drank, suddenly overwhelmed by an insatiable thirst. The medicine was warm and tasted of copper, but to Qi it was sweet as the finest wine. She drained the goblet to the last drop, and found her vision clear. She could sit up in bed on her own, but was still too weak to do much more than that. The beautiful woman set the goblet aside and arranged Qi’s pillows so the wounded Gunfighter could sit comfortably. She stroked Qi’s hair before lightly touching one of the many wounds on her neck. “I’ll fix those for you later,” she promised, “and afterward will share even stronger medicine with you, that will make you more powerful than you have ever been.” She paused and looked at Qi, leaning back as she did so. “Perhaps you could tell me,” she asked casually, “why you have come to my Land?” Qi nodded, “Yuh-yes,” she said. She would do anything to please this wonderful goddess of a woman, “B-but, pluh-pluh-please duh-don’t go away.” She reached feebly for this woman who she’d only just met, but whom she needed more than the very air she breathed. “Oh no, my dearest,” the woman moved closer, gathering Qi into her arms, “I will never leave you,” she promised, “But now please, tell me,” she whispered into Qi’s ear, “why did you come here?” Qi told her, in a halting murmur, of her mission to Pacha to discover the truth of what lie behind the thorn wall, and what role that mysterious Land might play in the war to come. But Qi didn’t care about that now, she just wanted to make the Nightwalker happy. “Oh, you have, dearest,” the Nightwalker assured her, “you have. But you have been through so much, it is only right I give you an answer. Would you like me to tell you the story of the Land Pacha, and how we came to this? It would please me greatly to do so.” Qi nodded eagerly. “Very well,” the Nightwalker settled in next to Qi on the bed, resting the enchanted Gunfighter’s head on her shoulder. As she talked, she lightly stroked the other woman’s hair. “It was the waning days of the great war with the Nazeans,” she said, “I was Monarch then, and the Land Pacha had recently fallen to the Nazean army. Drego struggled against their own occupation while Vega fought in vain to free us both. I was terrified, you understand,” The Nightwalker looked down at Qi, who nodded, “My husband had died in the early days of the war, and I was almost eight months pregnant with our child. The Nazeans were marching through the streets to the palace and I was desperate to do anything I could to save my Land and my unborn heir. So,” she said, “I went down to our vault, where my family has kept our share of the Mad Wizard’s old weapons for centuries. Some would say I was mad for what I planned then, but I could think of nothing but the safety of my child. I needed something to drive the Nazeans out, or even destroy them utterly.” She was quiet a moment, then said, “There are laws forbidding the use of those weapons. In the days following the fall of the Mad Wizard, his weapons were seized by the warriors of Amorlia and given into the custody of the Monarchs of the time. It was decided that the weapons were too unknowable and dangerous to destroy, and that they would instead be locked away forever. They were divided equally among the Lands, in the hope that each Land would act as a deterrent to any other Land that might try to use them in the future. When the Nazeans took the Land Zill, a trusted servant of the royal family escaped here with the weapons from their vault, denying Julien Castille any claim to them.” She stopped stroking Qi’s hair long enough to kiss the top of her head, “Still with me, my love?” she asked. “Mmmm...” Qi smiled and nodded. “Excellent,” the undead ruler of Pacha said, continuing her tale, “I knew the forbidden weapons were our only hope,” she explained, “I was heedless of the warnings concerning their use. My Land, the Lands of the other Monarchs, all of Amorlia itself was in danger. Clearly, there would be no better time for us to use this power at our disposal. I chose my weapon,” she said, “and as the Nazean army approached the gates of the palace, I used it. There was a blinding flash, a deafening roar and when everything cleared, the Land was as yo
u see it now. The thorn wall had grown up around us and grey clouds hung low in the sky, obscuring the sun. The people, including the Nazeans, were Nightwalkers. I, too, was a Nightwalker, but the weapon had done something special to me. I could hear all of the others in my mind. You must understand,” she said, “I was no telepath, so hearing the thoughts of others was new to me. But I further learned that I could influence the thoughts of the Nightwalkers, that they now obeyed me without question. I set aside the title of Monarch and accepted the new title they granted me.” She lay Qi’s head gently down on the pillow and stood up from the bed, “I am Lisana Pacha,” she told the half-conscious Gunfighter, “Eternal Queen of the Nightwalkers.” She looked into Qi’s glassy eyes and smiled, tucking the covers up around her chin, “And when I am done with you, dear one,” she said softly, “I will be your Queen as well.”
Dawn of the Nightwalkers
Qi sat crouched atop a tall fence, looking down into the private courtyard of Queen Lisana’s palace. A group of humans milled around in the courtyard, talking and eating. Some had split off into pairs and began to copulate. “We’ve tried breeding them,” Lisana said from Qi’s side, “but the babies usually don’t make it to term.” “How do you replenish the herd, then?” Qi asked. The thirst was upon her, but she hadn’t yet decided which one she wanted. “We abduct them,” Lisana answered. “Any time you hear of Nightwalkers abroad in the Lands, they’re out hunting for us. Only a few go at a time,” she explained, “They don’t think for themselves very well, and my influence wanes over distance, depending on the size of the group.” Qi nodded absently. The thirst was becoming hard to ignore. She chose her victim, a slightly overweight young man, and leapt on him from the wall with a loud screech. The other humans screamed and ran fearfully back toward their pens. Qi crouched down on her victim’s back and tore at his throat with her teeth. Through the haze of her bloodlust she heard Lisana take one of the others. When they’d finished, the two Nightwalkers jumped back up to the wall, then to the ledge of an open window. They entered the palace together and Lisana wiped a bit of blood off Qi’s chin with her thumb. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked the stray blood off, her eyes smoldering as she regarded her new protege. Qi smiled lovingly at her Queen, thinking back over the past few hours. After allowing Qi some rest following the telling of her tale, Lisana returned to the wounded Gunfighter’s bedside. She’d climbed under the covers and removed Qi’s gown, revealing the network of wounds that criss-crossed her body. Lisana lay next to Qi and kissed a set of punctures on her neck, then a gash on her shoulder. Everywhere the Queen’s lips touched, Qi’s wounds vanished. Lisana’s mouth made its way over every inch of Qi’s body and with each gasp of pleasure, Qi felt stronger. When she was finished, Lisana rose from the bed, indicating that Qi should do the same. “Follow me,” the Queen said. “Where are we going?” Qi asked. She felt strange. Her senses were heightened, her body felt at once light and overwhelmingly solid and she was suddenly very thirsty. “No doubt you begin to feel the effects of the change,” Lisana said, “You have certainly begun to show them. Your skin has taken on the luster of polished marble, your eyes glow bright red and you are easily the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” That made Qi smile. She wanted Lisana to think her beautiful, and could already feel her new Queen in her mind. Lisana was a comforting presence, a bastion of order amid the rushing chaos of Qi’s new instincts and sensations. “Yes,” Lisana said, smiling, “you are very nearly a Nightwalker. In fact, left as you are now, you would become just like the horde of blood drinkers that inhabit this Land.” She took Qi’s hand in hers, “But I have other plans for you, my love.” First, it had been time to feed. Lisana had led Qi to the window and then to the wall below, instructing her to take any human of her choosing from the herd. Now that they had returned, their thirst satisfied, it was time for the next phase of Qi’s transformation. Lisana led Qi to a chamber adjoining the bedroom, still licking the last bits of blood off her thumb. In the center of the room, a large stone tub had been built into the floor. It was filled with blood and five Nightwalkers lay next to it, their throats cut. “All of these fed on you,” the Queen said, nudging one corpse aside with her foot, “Now your blood mingles with theirs in the pool,” she pointed to the tub. Qi was still naked from Lisana’s healing, so she stepped immediately into the thick warm liquid of the blood pool. She felt the overwhelming urge to sink into it and did so, dimly aware that it was Lisana’s will making her do this. She didn’t care. Lisana loved her. She knew what was best. Qi was submerged in blood up to her neck when she realized she wasn’t alone. She felt something brush against her leg and she jumped. “Don’t be alarmed,” Lisana said. She stood at the opposite end of the pool from Qi, smiling down at her. “Didn’t you wonder what happened to my baby?” A long umbilical cord snaked up out of the water, the opening at its end ringed with two rows of tiny sharp teeth. It attached itself to Qi’s forehead, and Qi felt herself begin to lose consciousness. “You see,” Lisana explained, “the thing about being a Nightwalker is, you stop aging. This is fine for most people, but can cause problems for, say, a developing fetus.” Qi no longer felt Lisana in her mind, nor did she feel particularly loved. For the first time since she’d been taken by the Nightwalkers, Qi Drego felt fear, and she began to distrust her supposed Queen. “I had to cut her out of me,” Lisana continued, “but she had also changed, and was able to survive in an artificial womb filled with blood. Of course, she’ll never finish developing, and after a couple of decades, she’s grown bored by the limitations of her unfinished form. Plus,” Lisana smiled, “I have my own reasons for doing this.” “And what...what are you...doing?” Qi struggled to raise her arm. If she could pull this damned umbilical cord off her... “I suppose I can tell you,” Lisana said, “since you’ll forget everything once she’s done. Essentially, my unborn daughter is transferring her soul to your body. Once she becomes you, she will be my heir. As such, she will share my ability to control the Nightwalkers. However,” she mentioned, “unlike me, she will be able to leave the grounds of the palace. By some strange circumstance of my transformation,” she explained, “I am physically bound to the palace. Once my child has a proper body, she will lead an army of Nightwalkers out of this Land. They will involve themselves in the battle against the Nazeans and help to repel the invaders. Once that is done, they will turn on the victors and feed off of them. The citizens of Amorlia will be rounded up into pens and the entire world will be ours.” “Why can’t I...” Qi continued to struggle, though she seemed to have lost control of her body. She was starting to forget things, too. She couldn’t remember the name of Vega’s new Monarch, or her original mission to Pacha. She’d made a friend during the journey... what was her name? “You’re probably wondering why you can’t feel me in your mind anymore,” Lisana said, “That’s because my daughter will need to operate autonomously without my direction. You’ll also notice your body won’t respond to your thoughts. Well,” she smiled, “I wouldn’t worry about it. They won’t be your thoughts much longer.” Qi felt more memories start to fade as Lisana’s unborn child forced her soul into Qi through the umbilical cord. Qi struggled against her, pushing back, and her memories began to return. She managed to get hold of the cord with one hand. She tugged at it, but the teeth had a firm grip on her head and wouldn’t let go. Qi forced herself to remember more. Her new friend, if she could just remember... “Ki-Mon!” Qi cried her friend’s name and pulled the cord free of her head. An inhuman scream bubbled up from the pool, and the blood began to roil and churn. With a supreme effort, Qi pushed herself out of the tub onto the floor. The Queen was yelling something at her, and prepared to leap across the pool. Qi scanned the room desperately for some kind of weapon. She noticed her guns, boots, coat and hat on a chair. She assumed they were there to enable Lisana’s daughter to pose as her. She dismissed the guns as potential weapons. The only way to really kill a Nightwalker was... She lunged for the chair, smashing it against the wall. Grabbing one
of its broken legs, she spun around as Lisana leapt for her, jamming the sharp end of her chair leg into the Nightwalker’s chest. Lisana gasped and blood dribbled from her mouth as Qi shoved her up against the wall. “No one,” Qi growled, twisting the makeshift stake, “has ever,” another twist, “toyed with me like you did.” She leaned in close, so her face as only inches from Lisana’s, “Now you’re going to find out why.” With a final thrust, she shoved the stake through the undead Queen’s heart. Lisana screamed. Qi also screamed, and she could hear the screams of all the Nightwalkers in Pacha as they changed back into normal humans. Color returned to Qi’s skin and she felt her enhanced senses leave her along with the thirst. She’d fallen to her knees when she changed, and now forced herself to her feet. Stepping over the rapidly decaying body of her former mistress, Qi dressed hurriedly. The thin white shirt stuck to her, as she hadn’t thought to clean the blood off of her body. It didn’t matter. There would be time for a bath later. Now she needed to get out of this palace and see what other changes had befallen this Land. There would also be all the people to deal with who had- “Mother?” The voice came from the blood pool. Qi turned as she finished buckling her gunbelt, only to see the blood begin to churn more violently. “Mother, where are you?” The umbilical cord flew out of the pool and whipped around, seeking purchase, but Qi managed to stay clear of it. It latched on to Lisana’s corpse, which prompted another scream from beneath the surface of the pool. The umbilical cord recoiled, instead dragging all the other corpses into the pool. The blood in the pool began to boil, a hot reeking steam wafting off of it. A creature rose from the pool then, blood running off its deformed body. It was a human fetus, but it had grown to giant proportions using the bodies of the fallen Nightwalkers as raw materials. It had grown three more umbilical cords, and stood semi-upright using six vaguely human-looking legs. It looked at Qi, rage evident on its malformed face, “What have you done, mortal?! What have you done to Mother?!” It lurched toward Qi, umbilical cords snaking out to grab her. Qi fired her guns at it, tearing off chunks of flesh, but it kept coming. She reached for the broken chair, but was brought up short by the most horrific laughter she’d ever heard. “A nice thought, Gunfighter,” the creature said, “but I currently have five hearts scattered throughout this body. You’ll need more than a sharp stick to kill me!” Qi holstered her guns and looked around. She noticed light coming in through the window. The sun! With the spell broken, the clouds had dispersed, letting the light of day into the Land Pacha for the first time in many years. One of the umbilical cords lunged for her and she grabbed it, pulling the misshapen thing toward her. The other two cords latched on to her and began draining her blood. She ignored the pain and grabbed hold of the monster. She ran toward the nearest window, pushing the thing ahead of her as she dove out. They fell several stories to the ground, with the creature bearing the brunt of the impact. Dazed, Qi rolled off the monster, pulling off the sucking mouths of the umbilical cords as she did. The creature attempted to rise, but then the first rays of the morning sun hit it and it burst into flames. It gave one final tortured scream before exploding in a great cloud of ash and seared flesh. Qi struggled to her feet as a large group of people ran toward her. One of the men helped her stand. “Excuse me,” he said, confused, “but could you by any chance explain what has happened to us? What has befallen our Land? It is as though we have all woken from a terrible dream to find reality is not much better.” Qi stood, looking at the assembled crowd. A slow smile crossed her face. “Why don’t we gather everyone together,” she suggested, “We have a lot to talk about.” Artemis In Flight “Are you sure this is such a good idea?” Kael asked as they flew, “It hasn’t been that long since the last time.” “Yes,” Artemis said, “You’ll notice the palace was still standing when we returned. Besides, I think it’s helping him to grow as a person.” “And Deron is there to keep him in line.” “Well, yes, obviously. You don’t think I’d leave him in charge alone, do you?” Kael laughed, “So,” he said, “you know where we’re going?” Artemis nodded, “After I thought with Sa’raa, I kept a lock on her mind. I’m using it to guide us to where she is.” Kael whistled, “I didn’t know you could do that.” “I couldn’t,” Artemis admitted, “until recently.” “More of the new abilities from your time in the Otherworld?” “Yes.” They flew silently for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. “It’s hard, isn’t it?” Kael said at last. He caught a thermal updraft and they soared higher. “What do you mean?” “Being more than everyone else.” Artemis looked up at him, “I never thought about it that way, but I guess it is.” She shook her head, “I’ve always been a little different,” she said, “but I still felt...” “Human?” Kael banked left, avoiding a flock of birds. “Yes,” Artemis said, “I still felt human. Now, I’m half-goddess. I-” “Well,” Kael grinned, “you’ve always been all-goddess to me.” Artemis smiled, leaning up to kiss him, “Oh, aren’t you sweet? But you know what I mean,” she said. “I certainly do.” “How do you handle it?” she asked. “It was difficult,” he admitted, “at first. I’ve always looked so different from everyone else, and my powers developed so fast. It was strange. People either avoided me or wanted to worship me. So few of them just wanted to know me.” “I couldn’t wait to get to know you,” Artemis told him. “I know,” he smiled, “and you really wanted to know me, as a person, rather than as this mythic being. You weren’t in awe of me.” “Well,” Artemis grinned slyly, “I’m fairly awe-inspiring myself. I don’t impress that easily.” Then, more seriously, she asked, “But what kept you grounded? How did you not let all that power, all your differences, make you crazy?” “My parents,” Kael said simply, “They told me that, no matter how I looked, no matter what powers I developed, I was first and foremost their son. They would always tell me, ‘You are a T’Ken. No matter that you’re not of our blood, you are our kin. As such, you will conduct yourself with honor and dignity, and treat folks with the respect they deserve.’” He smiled to think of them, “Being their son tied me to humanity in a way nothing else could have.” Artemis nodded, thoughtful. “Don’t you ever worry, though,” she asked, “that someday you’ll lose that connection, that your power will corrupt you?” “Do you worry about that?” She nodded, “Often. Every new ability I discover, every time I find I’m able to stretch my gifts that much farther, I worry that I’ll elevate myself so far above them that I’ll consider them beneath me.” She looked down, watching the world pass below them, “Ever since what happened in the throne room, with Castille, I’ve been worried about losing myself again.” Kael held her closer, kissing the top of her head, “It will never happen.” “You sound so certain.” “I am,” he smiled. “Why?” she asked, “What keeps me tethered to humanity? Every day, I feel some new part of my mind open up. Do you know that last night I was able to read every single thought in the entire Land of Vega? Not only could I read them, but I could make sense of them.” She waved her arm, “The night before that, I discovered I could send my spirit out of my body and I actually traveled to another galaxy to watch the birth of a new sun.” “Oh my.” “Exactly!” she exclaimed, “What is going to keep me sane in the face of all that?” Kael kissed her and smiled again. “Me,” he said, “and Pym.” He laughed, “Do you honestly think that he would let you get away with becoming some sort of megalomaniacal tyrant who enslaves all of humanity?” He laughed again at the thought. She didn’t. “Do you think I would do that?” He sighed, smiling down at her, “I think that’s what you’re frightened of,” he said, “but I still insist it will never happen. You love too much and too deeply to ever become such a person, and others love you too much to ever let you.” She hugged him, flashing a smile of her own, “So I need love to keep me sane?” “Doesn’t everyone?” She laughed at that, but was forced to agree. They talked of lighter things for the rest of the flight, until Artemis had Kael descend toward a large clearing in the midst of the Wild Lands. When they landed, Sa’raa rushed to meet them, Michra close behind. Both wome
n looked worried about something. “Artemis!” Sa’raa called out, “You must come quickly! The Monga needs to speak to you at once!” “What is it?” Artemis asked, “What has happened?” “The Nazeans are attacking Drego!”
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