by Rosie Scott
The twelfth level laid out the same as all others before it. A long hallway led to the back of the castle adorned with an emerald runner. Multiple doorways stood between periodic sconces and hanging Chairel flags. Already, multiple defenders were dead from black arrows to the eyes as Azazel removed threats preemptively. I thrust my arms toward the hall as I traversed it, releasing necromantic tendrils that called the dead to attention. As I stalked toward the door at the very end of the hallway, I passed petty spats between corpses and their former friends with barely a glance, my mind set on the queen.
The door had a lock, but I didn't wait for Nyx to pick it. I disintegrated it into sand before violently kicking at the door with a black boot twice until it swung open and slammed against the inside wall. Multiple members of the queen's royal guard immediately swarmed me, and I glanced back to ensure my friends were out of harm's way before I threw enervat to my feet.
All at once, the group of Queen Edrys's most ardent protectors fell in a circle around me, and my view of the room cleared. Like I had surmised, this was the throne room. It was modest compared to the same room of Mistral's castle in Eteri, but it was twice the size of T'ahal's. It was wider than it was long, built of stone and adorned with green much the same as anywhere else. But Queen Edrys liked gold, for the brighter color was everywhere, on cloth and lining furniture. Golden candelabras cast firelight over a long table to my left which had maps and stacks of parchment on it. I noticed with satisfaction that the most prevalent map was of Arrayis, and it was prickled with colored tacks signifying the various armies of the world and their locations throughout the war. A cluster of green tacks standing for Chairel sat near Hallmar, while another was beside Celendar. Black tacks made a sinuous trail across the entire world, starting with Sera before it moved south to Nahara, then to the upper wildlands and disappeared. It reappeared near Mistral in Eteri, before moving to Glacia, then Hammerton, and finally, to the Chairel Border. Some black tacks were inaccurate, but it mattered not. Chairel had known of my military accomplishments over the past thirteen years, and they'd desperately pulled every card they had access to trying to stop me.
Yet, here I was.
My golden eyes scanned over the room. Four people were left alive in it. One was clearly not royalty though he appeared to be a bodyguard and stood between the two remaining heirs. Izellah had the same soft blonde hair as her sister, but she kept it down and wavy over her shoulders. She, too, had blue eyes and a smaller stature, but her skin was unblemished. Izellah was beautiful in a delicate, fair way, and the manner with which she shook in fear as she stared at me proved that her personality matched her appearance.
Brendan had short golden hair and soft gray eyes. He appeared even more terrified than his sister, and the skin just below his eyes was moist. Neither Brendan nor his sister wore armor. Instead, both heirs wore expensive padded clothing meant for cooler weather, and Izellah wore rings meant for display rather than practicality, for each of them had an inlay jewel.
Straight before me and sitting in her throne was Queen Edrys. Her hair had been blonde at one time, but age and stress faded and grayed it. Edrys's eyes matched Brendan's, and they stared at me with a mixture of resignation and defiance. Her skin was creased and frail. I estimated she was in her late fifties given what I knew of her reign and the ages of her grown children, but she appeared ten years older.
“Come,” Queen Edrys said tiredly, moving her head to look at her children instead of me. “Come and do what you came here to do.”
A dry chuckle escaped my lips. “Don't make this easy for me, Edrys. I have traveled the world just to meet you like this. Your men have fought and died for you. The least you could do is give me a fight.”
“We have already fought,” Edrys seethed with anger. “My eldest daughter, my pride and joy, is dead. My soldiers reported seeing her body out on those fields as you prepared to use her like your pet. The last thing in the world I want to do is fight you and humiliate myself. Goad me all you want; I will not give in. Not all of us use violence to solve our problems.”
“No, you just get others to do the dirty work for you,” I retorted. “I respected Gwen. She fought and risked her life in the last battle before we bested her. And today, here you are, sitting on your throne while offering it to me freely like a coward.”
“Respect,” Queen Edrys repeated, before she laughed humorlessly. “Yes, necromancer, you respected Gwen. Respected her to the point of not allowing her body to rest. What is your definition of respect if you cannot even respect the dead?”
“I am a war general. With all due respect, I will use every gods damn strategy I need to in order to win. I don't play nice with my enemies; that's not how I've gotten as far as I have. I saw how those soldiers admired Gwen. Using her against them ensured their fear and their surrender. I cannot respect the dead, for they are lifeless. I respected Gwen as much as I could respect a foe while she was living.”
“By killing her,” Edrys spat.
“Gwen's death was quick and painless,” I replied evenly.
“Fuck you,” the queen retorted, her voice wavering. “Every fear we've ever had about necromancers desiring power has come true with you. Every one, Kai. You rampage through this world spreading unrestrained magic use like it's not dangerous. You wield necromancy as if you are not playing with the corpses of people. People! The soldiers have already reported seeing your army's necromancers somehow giving their power to non-necromancers in some quest to build an unstoppable force.”
“Such power helps my cause; I would be daft to let the opportunity slip by me. If you had the power to grant others immortality, would you not seize it?” I glanced knowingly over at Izellah and Brendan as the two cowered.
“No, Kai, because I am human!” Edrys argued, her eyes wide with disbelief. “I am fallible! My judgment is biased and I am prone to mistakes. I cannot trust anyone with that level of power, and by extension, I would not trust myself with it. You are playing god!”
I raised an eyebrow. “I am a god, Edrys, and yet I am just as fallible as anyone else.”
“That is my point,” the queen argued. “I would guarantee that each person you hand your power off to is someone you care for and trust. Would you offer me that power, Kai? Sirius? Of course you wouldn't. It is that bias that makes you just as unworthy of your power as anyone else.”
“Freedom is more important to me than bias,” I retorted. “I have offered my discovery freely not just to my entourage, but to my allies. Sooner or later, as knowledge spreads, it will be out of my hands. I will one day have to fight against immortals while living among them. I have accepted this risk in favor of giving the people power.”
“Power they cannot control! Look at you, Kai. Why do you think you are here? Your lust for power grows with each military victory you claim!”
“I am here because I want to change Chairel and watch the life leave Sirius's eyes,” I replied, “and you stand in my way. You don't know me, Edrys. You never have. You think my lust for power brought me here? My desire for purpose brought me here. My powers are an instrument to attaining my goals, not the reason for them.” I stopped my rant short and glanced behind me to where the other Renegades waited, blocking the door and out of foes to fight. Our soldiers cluttered the hallway behind them.
I turned back to the queen. “Arguing with you is a waste of my time. Give me your last requests.”
“Like you would heed anything I have to say,” Queen Edrys spat.
“You won't be alive to know whether or not I will, but I am a woman of my word. Give me your last requests.”
Edrys looked over at Izellah and Brendan, and her nostrils flared with emotion. “My body and those of my children. I don't want them disrespected and used as your soldiers. Allow us our rest.”
“The only way I can promise you that is if I have you all cremated. Many of our necromantic spells travel far and will affect any graveyards.”
Queen Edrys slowly turned back to me, her
gaze tinged with the slightest hint of fear. “Then cremation it is.”
“What would you have me do with the ashes?”
Edrys's eyes gained an edge of incredulity. Perhaps she knew I would respect her requests if I gathered further details. “Set them free, Kai. Allow them to escape to where they will.”
“I will see to it,” I agreed. The room was silent for a moment before I asked, “Allow me to ask you one final question, Edrys.” When she said nothing, I continued, “Who becomes the ruler of Chairel after your death? Golda or Sirius?”
Edrys frowned, and a shaky exhale reverberated through the air. “I notice you do not mention Vipin. He is dead?”
“No,” I replied. “We came to an agreement. Celendar will be a nation once I take Chairel.”
A humorless chuckle expelled from her lips. “As I suspected. And the reinforcements I sent him?”
“Many of them are in my army even now,” I said smoothly.
“The people are attracted to their own demise,” the queen murmured, before her eyes finally met mine once more. “Golda is my successor.”
“You are confident enough to lie to me even when we stare at each other,” I mused, sensing the dishonesty in her gaze. “So starting today, Sirius is king.”
The queen said nothing, alluding to my assumptions being correct.
“Don't worry; I'll head to Narangar first regardless,” I told her. “I want to save Sirius for last. Knowing his reign will be short and full of turmoil just allows me to enjoy every second of this campaign even more.”
“Killing Sirius won't bring Bjorn back, Kai,” Edrys said low.
I tilted my head. “Do you think I am daft enough to believe in resurrection? Of course it won't bring him back. Nothing will.”
“Vengeance is such an ugly motivator,” the queen said tiredly. “It is so empty. So hollow.”
“To you, perhaps,” I conceded. “I find it satisfying as all hell.” I summoned enervat in both hands, and Queen Edrys watched the building black magic with a mixture of distaste and resignation. “I will respect your last wishes,” I promised, throwing one necromantic orb at the queen and the other at her heirs.
The royal family had little warning. It was possible they weren't even aware death was coming in the milliseconds before the black magic seeped their souls away and left the empty husks of their bodies collapsing. That's how I'd wanted it to be. In the Battle of Hallmar, Cerin's death bomb had almost killed me, and it only felt like I was rapidly falling asleep. It was a quick, painless way to die. Though the four corpses in the room belonged to my enemies, I hadn't wanted them to suffer.
I would save all the suffering for Sirius.
I turned to my greatest friends and companions. Given the recent heated argument and conversation I'd had with Edrys, they all appeared uncertain at first, like they thought I might be angry or irritable. More than anything, I was satisfied and relieved. After thirteen years of trials, tribulations, hard work, and heartache, I'd finally claimed land for myself.
I broke the silence. “I want Gwen's body found tonight and brought inside to dry. We will cremate her with the others first thing in the morning, and I'd like to be there to release their ashes.”
Azazel nodded, paying careful attention to my tone of resolve. “It will be done, my liege.”
Cerin shook his head in humor, a half-smile brightening his face. “Can't you at least save it until we take Sera?”
Azazel sensed the necromancer's humor, but he didn't appear to be joking. “The title applies now. We have taken Chairel's capital. Kai now owns one of the richest settlements on Arrayis.”
I was quiet as I contemplated that. Even though it was true, I'd been reaching for this goal for so long that now that I was finally here, it seemed unreal.
“Azazel's right,” Cerin conceded, coming over to unashamedly nuzzle along the side of my face before kissing me once. “We're finally getting there, my liege.”
“Ugh, if everyone calls her that, I'll have to,” Nyx complained playfully, though she walked up and grinned, shaking my shoulder jovially. “You kicked ass, Kai. Both with your actions and your words.”
“Aye,” Maggie agreed. “I gots to be honest, love, I was about ready to bust me out some snacks and watch the bickerin'.”
I huffed with humor, but I still felt in a daze. I wandered slowly over to the table with the maps, lightly fingering through logbooks and other miscellaneous documents, looking at each but not retaining much through the jumbled mess that made its home in my brain.
“Azazel,” I said. Though my tone was low, he heard me and came over. “Go outside. Inform the others that Comercio has fallen. Find Holter and have him search for Gwen's body. Then come back here and find me.” I exhaled heavily. “We have work to do.”
Twenty-three
For the first time in eleven years, Naharan music floated lovingly through the air, seducing my ears until I closed my eyes in absolute audible bliss. With my vision taken from me, I imagined I was back in the desert, surrounded by golden sands and uncertainties over my future. I nearly convinced myself that Anto and Jakan would be with us once more when I opened my eyes, for I connected many of my earliest memories of them to this music. And Theron would be there, I thought, smiling as I had a mental image of the grin he'd sometimes flash like he was twenty years younger.
...but then my other friends wouldn't be here. My journeys had lost me many friends, but I wouldn't have been the same without the people I'd gained the support of over the same time. Calder, Azazel, Maggie, and Holter all meant so much to me, and if I'd never left Nahara, I wouldn't have met any of them. Life would always have its tragedies and heartbreak, but such things only meant I could appreciate the successes and joys even more.
“Kai...?” Nyx's voice barged its way into my subconscious, overriding the Naharan music.
“She's reminiscing,” said Azazel in response.
I chuckled and opened my eyes. “Yes. Yes, I am.”
“I can see why this is your favorite music,” Azazel told me, appearing as if he were falling in love with it as well. “There's something timeless and nostalgic about it. It's beautiful.”
“It's making me horny,” Calder blurted.
Nyx grinned. “I said the same thing in Nahara.”
Azazel smiled at Holter. “Better get to learning the music now.”
“Don't worry, now I'm intrigued,” Holter admitted. “I didn't know King Hasani was bringing musicians with him, Kai.”
“I didn't either,” I replied, “but I think I know why he did.”
Before us was an expansive upper floor of a tavern where Nyx had thrown the celebratory party she'd so badly wanted. It was a giant building that took up the entirety of a city block, and the upper floor had no interior walls to break up its size. The tavern was cobblestone and relied on the dark, reddish-brown lumber of the trees of the Seran Forest for its hardwood floors. Round wooden tables surrounded by mismatched chairs dotted the room, many of them occupied by my allies and their entourages as they drank and ate. The entire room glowed with firelight from sconces and periodic chandeliers, and a large fireplace sat at the center of the far wall in the midst of an open floor for dancing and shows. Occupying the area was a Naharan band. Beside the musicians and grinning joyously at me was their king.
Immediately, I went to him. Other than coming across Hasani on the battlefield once or twice in our takeover, I hadn't yet reunited with him. The king of Nahara spread his arms wide, and I grabbed him into a bear hug.
“Ah, sister,” Hasani greeted, squeezing me tight. He smelled of sweat and his spicy soap. “You've grown so much over the years, but not a bit of that growth has gone to your stature.”
I chuckled happily as we separated though I still held him at arm's length. I reached up to the silver streaks in his black hair and said, “And what is this?” I plucked one gray hair out of his head, and Hasani chuckled and winced at the tingle of pain before his eyes fell upon the offender betw
een us.
“That is evidence that I am only human,” he replied, still grinning at me. “But you were true to your word. You came back to fight beside me before I grew too old for battle.” He hesitated and looked over my face as if he were studying it. “You look no different from when I saw you last. Still as youthful and determined as ever.”
“Did you hear that I have discovered the secrets of immortality, brother?” I asked him, poking him teasingly in the shoulder. “I offer them to you and your people.”
“Truly?” Hasani shook his head in disbelief. “I did not hear, no, but I can't pretend to be surprised. Everything you set your mind to, you achieve marvelously.” The king hesitated a moment. “Introduce me to your companions, Kai, and then let's sit together and chat. I come bearing gifts.”
“Clearly,” I replied, motioning to the band beside him. “Words cannot describe how much I appreciate this.”
Hasani smiled warmly. “I remember how much you love our music. I couldn't help myself. I would bend backwards for you, sister. I once thought you would be Nahara's demise, but we grow stronger than ever.” As if he couldn't help himself, he reached out and clapped me on the shoulder before squeezing it. “My people consider you to be Nahara's savior. Your temple is the most popular in all of my lands. I owe you thousands of gold from their donations, particularly since I used so much of it for aid.”
I huffed facetiously. “You owe me nothing. I told you to use that gold for the poor and the freedom of your gladiators. Your people are free and prospering. You've done what you wanted to do. Use the gold to help you rebuild.”
“You have not seen a coin of that gold, sister,” Hasani reminded me. “It rightfully belongs to you.”
“It will come back to me twofold when Nahara is thriving and the partnership of our countries grows,” I insisted. I turned away to avoid the subject and said, “Come, Hasani. I have many people I want you to meet.”