Wraith Lord

by Phipps, C. T.

“That is unusual,” I said, taking the crystal. “That is a force one would bring to assault a city.”

  “A large city,” Midori said. “Even more so, these are all Shadowguard Elite.”

  If there had been any heat left in my blood, it would have gone cold. “So, my old comrades have become hatchetmen for the empress.”

  “Yes,” Midori said. “They have turned from eliminating the followers of the old King Below to destroying those considered heretics to the empress’sreforms. Their support has much strengthened her position.”

  I focused on the girl instead of thinking about how far my order had fallen. I, after all, wasn’t one to talk about treason against its principles. “This reminds me of how I met Regina. She was being chased by the Shadowguards’ dragons when I first met her. Who is this woman?”

  “I do not know,” Midori said. “I have the faces of ten thousand men and women stored in my crystals but she is not one of them. I do know that one of the dragon riders is Fel Hellsword.”

  I stared at Midori. “The Chief of the Mysterium?”

  “And the Shadowguard,” Midori said.

  Fel Hellsword was one of the Nine Heroes, the most powerful of them after the empress in fact, and widely considered to be a key part of the reason the empire had managed to maintain its control over its newly conquered territories.

  Hellsword was a Natariss archmage of incredible power, a master swordsman, and a spymaster without compare. Most of my information had come from Serah but everything she told me suggested he was possibly the most dangerous of the Nine. This was an almost-too-golden opportunity.

  “It could be a trap,” I muttered, contemplating possible reasons for why he would endanger himself by approaching our borders.

  “If it is, it is a poorly planned one.” Midori gave a slight smile. “Presenting Serah and Regina his head would be a most satisfying apology.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. It would be a nice way to get back in their good graces. “Better than sweets or flowers.”

  “I doubt either woman cares for such.”

  “Everyone loves sweets.”

  Midori smiled and took back the crystal. “The girl is unimportant, whoever she is. This is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Can I prepare your forces?”

  “Inform Serah and Regina of this opportunity. They will want to be a part of this.”

  “Yes, milord.”

  “I will gather our forces,” I said, nodding, and heading to the dragon pens.

  “Do we have enough to defeat him?”

  Defeating a group of twelve Great Blacks would take a fantastic amount of power and we were still building the Iron Order’s military forces to a level that could compete with the empire’s own. Still, the problem wasn’t whether I possessed enough power to defeat the dragon squadron, it was mobilizing and moving my forces fast enough to intercept them.

  “Yes. We can get there if we respond quickly. One of the benefits of a…recent creation.”

  Midori nodded. “The Night Bridge.”

  Dragon riders, report to the pens for a mission. We ride to battle, I said, projecting my thoughts to Regina’s finest troops. I then sent similar instructions to the hundreds of workers needed to equip and prepare a suitable strike force for engaging Hellsword’s force.

  Walking down to a nearby door, I opened it up to reveal a massive spiraling set of stairs that led down to the lower levels of the castle. The Dragon Pens were something Regina insisted we always have direct access to.

  “You should let this one go,” the Trickster said, appearing beside me, dressed like one of my priests. He had a hood over his head and his hands pressed together as if in prayer. “You’re a great warrior and a wizard but capable of fighting that many dragons? You’d kill one of the Great Blacks, maybe mortally injure another, before the third killed you. That would be a terrible ending to your story.”

  “I’m not you, I don’t fight alone. I also don’t hide behind my armies.”

  “And if Regina or Serah were to die in this battle, would you finally want to battle my brother? Would the death of one of your lady loves inspire you to vengeance?”

  “Vengeance solves nothing.”

  “I’ve found it makes you feel better, much better in fact.”

  “They are both great warriors. I have accepted that we all risk our lives when we go into battle. Never send someone into battle without awareness of the potential for loss.”

  “You’d murder the world,” the Trickster said, his voice mocking. “That is the real reason you don’t lead your armies to attack the South. It’s not because of any moral reservations against sacking the land. You’re just afraid of losing what you’ve earned. Your little kingdom plus its queens of night and day.”

  “Silence.”

  The Trickster stopped. “You can’t hide from the truth and the truth is you want a war to fight. You just don’t think you’ll win.”

  “Begone!” I shouted, turning around to face him.

  The Trickster wasn’t there.

  I was alone.

  “I am going mad,” I muttered, more convinced than ever that the Trickster had somehow deceived me into taking his power. I was becoming more like him every day. A fate infinitely worse than death.

  Continuing down the steps for several more minutes in silence, I emerged in the Dragon Pens. They were a massive colliseum-sized circular arena with stalls as big as houses for each of the two dozen or so creatures we kept in the castle. A long, smooth tunnel with a tower-sized hole gave the beasts an exit when they wanted to fly. The pens were treated by over two hundred workers and all were scurrying about, equipping the beasts for battle. Sixteen Great Reds and eight High Blues were present in a circle with their ornate enchanted plate mail around them. Their dragon riders wore helmets shaped in the manner of a dragon’s head. They were all gathered around the Night Bridge with their lances, swords, and fire-cannons.

  The Night Bridge was a pair of rune-covered rings that spun together and were attached to several cables that ran throughout the tower down to the Great Abyss below it. They channeled power from the World Below’s ambient magic and ley stones spread throughout the city. The Night Bridge was magic well beyond my ability to create and never would have been possible if not for Serah lending her own magical expertise for it. As powerful as becoming a “god” had made me, I was nowhere near omnipotent. The Night Bridge, though, could send everyone here across the continent in an instant. Perhaps once or twice a month. It was not equal to the late Tharadon the Inventor’s mirror but it was close.

  “You move quickly,” I said, looking to see if Serah and Regina had arrived.

  “We have to if we’re going to get anything done,” Regina said, stepping through the crowd of knights. “You better hope this is worth my giving up my bath.”

  It had been a year since House Roger’s attempt on her life in the bath and the resulting deaths of two of Regina’s attendants. For the longest time, she’d insisted instead on showers and magic to clean herself. The fact she’d returned to her favorite hobby, one beloved by Imperials everywhere, was a good sign. One I almost hated interrupting her for.

  Almost.

  “It will mean the death of one of our foes,” I said, smiling. “Hellsword.”

  Regina smiled back.

  Serah did not.

  I took a moment to look over my wives. Regina was wearing a suit of shining star metal that I’d spent the better part of a month crafting. It was practical, rather than flattering, but still worked as both a work of art as well as protection for someone on the battlefield. At her side was the sword Starlight in a dragon-bone ivory sheath with a long white cape. An engraved helmet covered the top and sides of her head but left her mouth and chin exposed. Her hair was tied into a braid behind her neck, secured for combat. While Regina preferred to be attired by her attendants, I knew she must have covered herself with magic this time.

  “Are you sure it’s him?” Serah said, stepping forth in luxu
rious black-and-white robes with a demonsteel ring of thorns amulet around her neck to match a similar ring where her white-gold wedding band should be. She was holding her staff close to her and I could tell the revelation of our attacker’s identity was troubling to her.

  “Midori has never been known to lie,” I said, still surprised there was anyone honest in our ranks. “Nor has she ever been wrong.”

  “Then we can put aside your own untruths and take a moment to work together to get that bastard and cut his balls off,” Regina said, clenching a mailed fist. “Afterward, we will have words.”

  It seemed she was angrier than I’d expected over my unwillingness to go to war. Then again, her family had been exterminated by the Nine Heroes while mine had merely fallen prey to the ravages of time. If I had someone to blame for their loss, wouldn’t I pursue it with no end of fury? I would tear the world apart before I let anyone stop me, spouse or no.

  “Your language has changed a great deal since coming up here,” I said, shaking my head. “I approve.”

  “I have always had more of a low sensibility,” Regina said. “It was my uncle who beat the High Imperial way of speaking into me. I tend to average out with an Easternary accent as a general rule. Is your mount ready, yet, Jacob?”

  “Smoke comes on her own time but she has never missed a battle before.”

  As if on cue, Smoke emerged from a separate tunnel that appeared when it wanted to. Her head was almost my size in height and twice again as wide, long with a massive mouth of teeth like steak knives. Smoke was one of the twelve Demon Dragons, those members of their race possessed by fallen angels who’d offered their services to the King Below in exchange for freedom from the Lawgiver’s edicts. She was also a Grand Red, a dragon whose size and power were greater than any other. The Great Reds beside us looked almost like adolescents compared to her. It was a pity she was the last of her kind for the other Demon Dragons had all been hunted to extinction by the Shadowguard.

  I’d killed one myself.

  “I hope this fight will contain the opportunity for dining on elves and their kin,” Smoke said cheerfully, little bursts of flame accompanying each word. “I do so love their taste.”

  Regina glared at her.

  “Oh not you!” Smoke said, waving a set of claws in front of her. “Well, maybe after you’re dead.”

  “Did Midori give you an explanation?”

  “On the walk down, yes,” Serah said, shaking her head. “We should try to take Hellsword alive.”

  “Like hell we should,” Regina cursed. “He’s a fucking monster, cursed from birth and should be sent to his god with all due haste.”

  “His god? I thought you still followed the Path?” Serah said, walking up to the Night Bridge.

  “I follow the Path, not the Lawgiver.”

  “We don’t have much of a distinct advantage over the attacking force,” I said, shaking my head. “If we managed to engage them on the coast, assuming that’s where her quarry takes them to begin with, it will be an intense fight to begin with. I don’t know much about Hellsword’s abilities, either, only that he’s formidable.”

  “He steals the souls of the living to feed his magic,” Serah said, lifting her staff to start the process of teleportation. “His sword, Plaguebringer, is a former Wraith Knight’s. He’s ‘cleansed’ it with light magic while practicing all the foulest necromancies the Path supposedly forbids.”

  “Charming.”

  “He’s also my ex-lover,” Serah said, lifting her staff to increase the power being fed it. “Just so you know.”

  I did a double take. “What?”

  “Another reason to kill him,” Regina said, narrowing her gaze. “We should try to keep the woman they’re pursuing alive. She might be trying to seek refuge with us.”

  “Protecting the innocent is not our mandate,” Serah said. “But we can try not to target her deliberately. Who may I ask is in charge of the attack?”

  I grimaced. That was another point of contention in our marriage. In addition to giving up a third of my power to both, I’d also made them co-rulers of the Iron Order. This was something that had gone over poorly with the Shadowkind since they were used to a single autocratic leader.

  It was a testament to Regina and Serah’s ability to lead they’d managed to gain the respect of the old King Below’s followers so quickly. Still, there could be only one commander in battle and I was, ostensibly, the ruler of all Shadowkind.

  “Regina is a superior tactician and dragon rider,” I said, not afraid to admit the truth. “She should handle the commands. I’ll just throw what spells I can at Hellsword.”

  “Thank you,” Regina said. “I’ll take care of the Great Blacks. You try to engage Hellsword directly. I’ve seen you kill demons and demigods in battle. I can think of no one better to engage him personally.”

  “Just make sure I have space to do it,” I said. “Once they see me, it’ll be a scramble to try and take down the new King Below.”

  “And if you should fall in battle, sir?” A female dragon rider asked.

  “Then Regina and Serah will continue the fight,” I said. “If they fall, Midori is in charge followed by the Speaker of the Winter Council. The Iron Order’s chain of command is long and strong.”

  “We will also beat you with said chain if you keep asking stupid questions like that,” Serah replied, finishing a mystical with her staff. “I will lend my spells to you from a safe distance. I have no desire to get up close with a horde of foul-breathed reptiles.”

  “Says the small squishy thing,” Smoke muttered.

  Serah shot Smoke a dirty look. “The Night Bridge is almost fully charged. I recommend you all get mounted and prepare for battle. Surprise will be your chief advantage and you will need every edge you can get. The empire has ten thousand dragons. We have less than eight hundred and mostly smaller breeds.”

  “Understood,” I said, turning around and conjuring an armored saddle as well as harness for Smoke.

  Regina walked over and then gave me a hug before kissing the side of my helmet. “Don’t get yourself killed, husband. I don’t want you to die while I’m pissed off at you. Not unless I’m the one killing you.”

  I smiled. “I love you too.”

  Serah looked between us “We should always be at war. It’s the only time we’re ever at peace.”

  Chapter Five

  As I mounted Smoke’s back, I couldn’t help but look at the people around me and wonder if I was failing at being their monarch let alone god. No, I didn’t need to wonder. I knew I was.

  I’d had the benefit and misfortune to grow up on the edge of so-called civilization in a community of pacifists. They’d been stupidly idealistic and refused to defend themselves against those who sought their harvests, but they’d been passionate in their beliefs. Now, centuries later, I still admired their powerful disdain for the elite of society, but I had abandoned their philosophy of nonviolence. How much effort had it taken to convince me to go after Hellsword’s group? A couple of confusing visions and the disdain of my wives? Perhaps the Trickster was right and I just was doing what I wanted.

  Or maybe there was no way out but forward.

  “You’re brooding again,” Regina said, bringing her mount up beside Smoke. Regina’s dragon was named Blaze and was one of Smoke’s many animal-brained children, products of her mating with similarly dumb dragons for pleasure.

  “I’m what now?” I asked, seeing the Shadow Bridge starting to spin its rings. Our teleportation was only a few minutes away now.

  “I can always tell when you’re lost in self-recrimination,” Regina said, shaking her head. “I know you think we’re angry at you and you’re damned right we are, but you surprised us. That’s all. Admittedly, not so much as finding out Serah used to fuck Hellsword.”

  “This isn’t the time, Regina.”

  “It’s time when I damn well say it is,” Regina said, hefting her lightning lance up. It was an immense spear of steel a
nd silver that caused the air around it to crackle with every movement. “Besides, we both might be dead after this.”

  “Such is the case with every battle.” I had to admire her spirit, though. She reminded me of the Shadowguard of old—strong, passionate, and fully aware they might not make it through the next battle.

  “Best to live like every day is your last, then. Honestly, one of us should be staying behind to rule in case this turns out to be a disaster.”

  “I would be a poor god and king if I did not take as many risks as the men under my command.”

  “I could point out the many flaws with that argument but as I find it admirable, I shall not.”

  I chuckled then spoke seriously. “I do not want another war, Regina, but I will defend this land if I can. I also know the Nine Heroes deserve to be brought to justice. I just wonder if I only begin conflicts but never finish them. War has an addictive quality to it, one that can consume your entire life. I would not damn you the way I have damned myself.”

  “What does damnation mean to the King of the World Below?”

  She had a point. “The World Below emptied when I ascended. So I have no idea.”

  It was a hard thing to accept that you were responsible for the thousand hells’ damned being freed but such was the case. I’d let loose every one of the damned to flee to newer dimensions, whether they were good, bad, or indifferent. They had been tortured and mutilated for eternity, so I felt they’d all served their sentence. It bothered me that plenty had chosen to stay behind, preferring slavery to the God of Evil than an uncertain future in a newer realm. Then again, I was still pretending to be alive myself.

  “Leave it the theologians,” Regina said.

  “I’ll have to hire some.”

  The power of the Night Bridge was growing in front of us. The circles were spinning faster and faster with a white light growing within the center. It was powerful, indistinct, raw magic that was barely controllable. I had used the Night Bridge less than a dozen times since creating it and was certain it worked but that didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous.

  “I’m sorry for deceiving you,” I finally said.