Ah, here we are!'
We have arrived at the main door of the palace. It is gigantic, well over twenty feet tall, and similarly wide.
I knock on the massive door, and a moment later it slowly starts to open up. Once it opens fully, we step inside. A half-dragon greets us within.
`Follow me, my Queen demands to see you immediately!'
`Fine, lead the way!' I tell him.
He leads us into the huge, circular entry hall. The hall hasn't changed anything since I last saw it. Gigantic, decorated, full of glamor. Even the two semi-circular stairways that lead to the level above us are still covered by a vivid red carpet. But the half-dragon does not lead us up the stairs. So, Mel' must be in her throne room.
Indeed, he leads us to the throne room, a large rectangular chamber in the very center of the building. He opens the door and motions us to enter. Flora and I step inside, and he shuts the door behind us, from outside. I glance at the door briefly, and then look forward.
The throne room is still as grandiose as it used to be. It reflects well that Mel' still thinks she's the queen of the world. Far in the back of the room stands her golden throne upon a dais. She rests upon her throne, wearing her sexy red armor, as always. She looks annoyed.
I walk towards her with a wide smile, with Flora walking beside me. Mel' just looks at us silently, and I can tell that she's not exactly pleased to see me.
`Hi Mel'!' I greet her, as we reach the bottom of the dais.
`You have guts to come back here, Zack!' she replies, with an angry voice. `You do realize that I won't let you get away again?'
`You won't?'
`I won't. Nor will I make the mistake of underestimating you again. I won't give you the chance to escape again. In a matter of minutes, you'll be dead, and I will mount your head on my wall.'
`You will?'
`I just snap my fingers, and an army of half-dragons will march into the room. By the time you kill them all, my mages will also be here, as well as a dozen of my most powerful dragons. You will never take them, no matter how powerful you are. Escape is impossible. My mages will anchor you to the throne room. It's over for you!'
`My, Mel', you sound like you really want to kill me.'
`Of course I do!'
`Why?' I ask, shrugging my shoulders. `Was it something I said?'
She slowly stands up from her throne and looks down at me with eyes full of raging, furious anger. Yeah, I guess she's pissed...
`You dare ask?! After what you did?!'
`What did I do?'
`You audacious bastard! You dare mock me by pretending that you forgot?! Or that it was insignificant?!'
`I don't really recall having done anything to you that would make you want to kill me.'
`You paralyzed me! You broke my nose! You shot a hole through my palm! You made me strip and then you turned me into stone! Then, you even had the nerve to summon over a dozen pigeons and make them all shit on my head!'
As she says that, Flora glances towards me with a surprised look. I see signs of disapproval in her eyes. She frowns, covers her face with her left hand, and shakes her head briefly. I guess she's got no sense of humor. Oh well...
`Yeah, I remember all that, Mel'. But you don't seem any worse for wear. Hell, your hand is healed already! What's the big deal?'
`I'm sure this is all very funny for you, but you won't be laughing for long!' says Mel', and she slowly raises her right hand.
`Before you do something you might regret, don't you want to hear why I'm here?'
`Actually, I'd rather see you dead. That way, you can't talk a hole in my belly!'
`Well, if you want me dead so much, be my guest! However, I bet you anything you want, that I can tell you the name of a man you want dead a thousand times more, than you want me dead.'
She laughs crudely.
`You're a fool, Zack! There's no-one I want dead more than you!'
`So, shall we make a bet? If I'm right, you're gonna postpone your ridiculous attempt to try and kill me, and listen to what I have to say.'
`Go ahead! Say that name! It will not save you.'
`Voi'Shek!' I tell her. She stares at me for a long moment, and then bursts out in laughter.
`Hahaha! Zack, you've outdone yourself today! I'll forever remember that you were able to make me smile on the day I killed you, even before I killed you!'
`Oh, you don't believe me?'
`Zack... Are you that stupid? Voi'Shek is dead! He's been dead for five thousand years!'
`Oh yeah? Well I have a book that says he's alive. A book written by one of Voi'Shek's former buddies. The Librarian. The keeper of the Great Library of Re'Cas. Wanna read it?'
She looks at me silently with a mixture of confusion and doubt, but she lowers her hand.
`I knew you'd come to your senses.' I tell her, and I pull the book out of my magic pouch. `Catch!'
I toss the book towards her and she catches it with her left hand. She stares at the cover of the book, and then glances at me with narrowed eyes.
`Open it at the marked page. Read it. I'll wait until you're done.'
`Fine.' she says. Then, she snaps her fingers. A moment later, the door slams open, and dozens of half-dragons come storming in with weapons drawn. They advance swiftly, but Mel' calls out to them before they could attack.
`Stop! Do not attack! Just keep an eye on them. If they do something suspicious, kill them!'
They look confused, but they nod and slowly surround us. Mel' sits down on her throne and begins to read.
*
Finally, she raises her head from the book. It's about fucking time! She reads fucking slow...
She stands up, and motions her servants to make way for her. She walks up to me and looks me in the eye.
`Are you telling me, this is for real?!' she asks demandingly, staring at me with anger.
`Yeah. It is.' I reply.
`Th'Mesh is dead. I know that well. That means, this bastard is free now.'
`Yeah. That's right.'
She looks away and sighs deeply. She waves to her servants.
`Leave! All of you!'
Her half-dragon servants look confused, but they obey. As the door shuts behind them, Mel' turns back to me.
`Alright... What do you want? What do you want in exchange?'
`That you accept my help in killing Voi'Shek. That's all.'
`Your help?'
`Yes.'
`Why do you want him dead?'
`Well, remember that Grenshaur sold me to you? Didn't you stop to wonder how he captured me? He didn't do it alone. He was working for Voi'Shek.'
`So, Grenshaur knows where he is?'
`No. He doesn't. But I do.'
`You know where he is?! Tell me! Now!'
`No, not until you agree to my terms! You don't trust me, and I don't trust you either. You want him dead? Well, so do I. I will help you. But we will do this my way!'
She looks at me full of anger, but eventually she nods.
`Fine! But you had better not doublecross me!'
`I won't. I don't have a choice.'
`You don't have a choice? Ha! That's rich... Alright, now, how exactly do you want to do this?'
`Don't worry! I've got a plan!
I want you to gather your army, as many slave warriors as possible, as many dragons as possible, and have them march to a specific location. They must arrive by dusk tomorrow. After the sun goes down, we attack.'
`That's it? That's your plan? I can do this without you!'
`Didn't you pay attention? We attack after sunset. In the dark. So that my black magic can function at full power!'
`Fine, you've got it! Now tell me where he is!'
`Right away, Mel'. But first, there is one more thing.'
`There's always a catch. What do you want?'
`How many prisoners do you have in the dungeon?'
`A little over a hundred, I think.'
`A hundred?'
`Yes, around
a hundred. Why? No, wait, let me guess. You want me to set them free.'
`No, I want you to let me kill them.'
From the corner of my eye, I see that Flora looks at me in surprise, but she doesn't say a word.
`Excuse me? What did you say?' asks Mel'.
`What, are you fucking deaf? I want you to let me kill them!'
`Alright... Now listen! I know, that it's hard for you to lower yourself to the level of people who do not know what's precisely going through your mind, but you'd better start explaining why you want to kill them! Fast! Because I'm running out of patience for you...'
`It's black magic, Mel', what did you think? I'm going to use their lifeforce to create some powerful undead creatures to aid us in the battle to come. We need them!'
She looks at me full of doubt, but then she nods to herself.
`Fine! But in exchange, I want to keep this book.' she says, raising the Librarian's memoirs in her hand.
`Alright. You have a deal.' I tell her, sighing.
`When do you want to do it?' she asks.
`Right now! Every fucking second counts!'
`Fine. Let's go!'
*
Mel' leads us down into the dungeon personally. Teleportation would have been faster, but I do admire the architecture of the dank, dark tunnels that lead down to the dark dungeons deep beneath the palace, so I let her lead.
We go down winding stairs, we roam through dimly illuminated corridors, and pass through doors sealed by portcullises, until we arrive at the large, heavily fortified door. The place where I teleported earlier, when I was seeking Flora. Blood still stains the floor, but the corpses of the previous guards are gone, and new ones guard the door now. Mel' motions them to open the door for us, and all three of us step into the dungeon.
`Alright. Here we are. What now?' asks Mel' demandingly.
`You just lock the door on me and come back tomorrow an hour before dusk.' I tell her. `I'll be done by then. If I'm done sooner, I'll let you know.'
`Fine! Now tell me! Where is he?!'
`Alright... Have your army march to Keehmor Keep! Make sure they stay out of sight.'
`Keehmor Keep?' she asks, surprised, almost shocked.
`Yes. Keehmor Keep...' I tell her, grimly.
`Now I understand why you want Voi'Shek dead...' she says. `Alright. It will take magic, but my army will be there. We will be waiting for you.'
She turns around and leaves the dungeons. So, I am left alone with Flora, and the hundred or so prisoners locked in their cells.
`You're really going to do this, aren't you?' asks Flora, with a more then clearly disapproving tone.
`Of course I am!' I tell her, as I turn to face her. `Do you have a better idea?'
She slowly shakes her head.
`I'll kill anyone I must to survive, and I won't hesitate.' she says. `But doing this...'
`Doing this is necessary! And just like self defense, this is something in which we cannot hesitate! Now if you'll excuse me, I need some privacy. This is going to be a complicated matter...'
Girltalk
Ru Akenosh, Draconia, present day (12 hours before Twilightfall)
I stand atop one of the walls of the citadel and stare into the distance, thinking. Zack has locked himself in the Dragon Queen's dungeon and started getting to work with his black magic. He'll kill the prisoners just like that, in order to create some undead creatures. I'm not even surprised.
That son of a bitch just doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. The bastard had the nerve to steal the stone from my amulet, and he even had the audacity to claim that it was for the better. The son of a bitch! One of these days, I will kick his ass, and teach him a lesson he'll never forget...
But now... He's going to kill a hundred innocent people, prisoners of the Dragon Queen, all so he can create some undead creatures to serve him. As much as I hate it, I can't even make myself stop him. That mage, that Voi'Shek... He must be stopped. If Zack thinks this is the only way, then that's likely the case. If that's what it takes... Then as much as I hate it, I have to look past it...
Suddenly, I hear footsteps, and a moment later, the Dragon Queen's familiar voice is heard.
`Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you.'
I turn towards her.
`What do you want?' I ask sharply.
`Oh, nothing much, just a little chat.' she replies, and she leans against the wall, and crosses her legs and folds her arms on her chest. `You know, a little girltalk.'
`Girltalk, huh?'
`Yes... So tell me, Flora... What's the deal with you and Zack?'
`What do you care?'
`Oh, I'm curious. I mean, it's that you're just his type, but he denies that you're his new girlfriend.'
`That's because I'm not.'
`Well, I guess he wasn't lying this time around. That's a first. But then why are you with him?'
`He's helping me out, that's all.'
`What's in it for him?'
`To be honest, I'm no longer certain.'
`Yes, that figures. You know... You seem to have a grudge with him. Why is that?'
`Does it matter?'
`Well, it might.'
`If you're worried that this will make it difficult for me to work alongside him against Voi'Shek, don't worry. I want that son of a bitch dead, just as much as he does.'
`Truly? You want the Dreamer dead, too? Now that's intriguing! But this is something I don't really care about. No, what I'm interested in, is your grudge with Zack.'
`Why?'
`Do you know how he and I got to know each other?'
`Not really.'
`Let me tell you about it then...
Let me start at the beginning. As I'm sure you know, Draconia fell apart after I and the other Dragon Lords were killed a thousand years ago. Lessers invaded, and tried to take over. But dragon-kind is strong, the lessers could only conquer roughly two thirds of Draconia. Then one day, the lessers who came to Draconia decided that they wanted to break away from Ess'yer. That's when my people saw the opportunity to strike.
They made a pact with the lessers, and helped them break away. In exchange for a large territory returned to my kind, of course. Then came a time of uneasy peace. Until, two full centuries after the end of the Great War, things turned well for my people once again.
That was the time when I returned to life. Zack may have told you about my pact with one of the Princes of Fire. I did my part, and after the two centuries, so did the Prince. He sent me back. I was alive again!
I lead dragon-kind to victory over the lessers. It was a slow and difficult process, but I conquered nearly every inch of Draconia, took it back from the lessers. After six centuries, there were only two territories left that were not under our control. One was an area in eastern Draconia. A night elf witch called Ghaubel was ruling over it, and she had such powerful defenses that routing her out proved to be a difficult task. Then there was a human realm in the middle of Draconia. A powerful warlord guarded the place from his castle. I thought he'd be easier to take, so I concentrated my efforts on him. Eventually, I killed him. I thought, that would be the end of it.
Then a man called Daniel Keehmor showed up and moved into the castle. He renamed it Keehmor Keep, and proclaimed that all villages in the surrounding area were under his protection. It turned out he was more than a simple warrior. He had the power to create golems, and with those walking statues by his side he was next to impossible to defeat. He never tried attacking me however. So, the borders between his lands and mine became pretty much fixed.
That was roughly two centuries ago. A hundred years passed, and he was still the Lord of Keehmor Keep. Then, Zack came to me.
I knew little about him at the time, but I knew he was close friends with Daniel Keehmor. Which is why I took up his offer. He wanted to explore an ancient ruin deep within my territory. An area that was close to one of the well-guarded breeding grounds of my people. Dragon eggs take a long time
to hatch, and hence we keep them in such well-guarded places. Zack knew it wouldn't be wise of him to just invade an area like that without my permission.
The moment he told me what he wanted, I knew there had to be something valuable in that ruin. I marked that in my mind, but I cared more for what he could do for me in exchange. I told him that in exchange for my help, he would have to convince his friend to abandon Keehmor Keep and leave Draconia. He agreed to it. He lied, of course, but he was pretty damn convincing, and I didn't suspect his treachery at the time.
With the deal made, we went to the ruin. It was in terrible condition, and it was a lot of work to get rid of all the rubble and be able to explore it. It took weeks. In some areas, we encountered some dangerous undead. Even a few liches. They were difficult battles, but Zack fought fiercely, and I aided him. Not like I cared if he was injured. However, I would not let the image of my kind be blemished, I just couldn't let him handle them on his own. That's why I fought by his side.
He was impressed, and started making flattery remarks. Eventually, we shared a passionate night in bed. Or so I thought. He was an excellent pretender, he truly managed to convince me that he was crazy about me. But he's a mage. I always suspected that it might have been an illusion, but it seemed very real to me at the time, and very satisfying. I know now that it was indeed an illusion. But that night I didn't. I was satisfied with him, and I laid with him again the other day. And then again on the third day.
The following day, we stumbled onto some artifacts in the ruin. He didn't seem very interested in them, and said we needed to keep searching. I however decided to keep those artifacts, and had them stored in my bedroom, where no-one else had access.
Then, when that night he slept with me again, I had to awake at dawn to find him gone. And it was not just him missing. One of the artifacts was also gone!
Then I understood that he was playing me for a fool! All that flattery, all that passion in my bed, was just a ruse to quench my suspicion, so that he could steal that item from under my nose!
I called my servants and demanded that he be found! They went looking for him, but found only a trace of him, deep within the ruins. There was a Gateway inside, in an area that we hadn't been able to access earlier. It was cleared, and all signs pointed to it that Zack had used the Gateway.
Twilightfall Page 19
