Empress's Endgame (Book 5 and final of the Death Incanate Saga)

by Jr H. Lee Morgan

  The hall spiraled for a half mile, getting closer and closer to the center, guards holding position every few hundred feet.

  Eventually it led to a giant door that held a glowing, beautiful woman who reigned over everything unopposed, atop the back of a diamond dragon. It was clear who the two were.

  Two half naked male slaves stood at the door and were extensively muscled. But like all slaves in the city, they had an almost lifeless outlook, like grazing cattle. As they got closer the men turned and used every ounce of physical strength, to open the huge stone doors. It was clear when they no longer had the strength to open them, they would either die or be sold off.

  Unlike the hallway with enough fortune to make a king faint, the empress’s chamber was oppressive and gothic. Dark granite filled the spacious room with sunlight streaming inside windows while burning braziers aided the warmth of the room. To the left of the entrance sat desks where aids worked tirelessly for their leader. Soldiers in armor stood in the deep shadows, unseen, but in the center of the room were dozens of extremely powerful sorcerers and Familiars, Colm being the largest. Each one ceased talking as he entered and gave critical appraisal. Off to a corner stood a chained soldier bearing the Emrocan crest tattooed into his bare chest with powerful lines spiraling through most of his upper body. It was the forbidden seal, but he could not activate it in his current condition, but he stared daggers at Mennalin.

  But at the end of the spacious room were huge black drapes hiding what lay beyond, but in the center was a space so dark, the eye could not pierce, but lower, atop a set of stairs was the reflective throne of gold. Darkness shrouded it, making it impossible to see if anyone sat in it. Gold bones and sculls made up the huge throne and morbidly said the sitter of it was beyond their own power.

  A gentle nudge and snort from Colm broke the reverie of Mennalin was upon. He looked to the snickering general who said “He says you are to approach the throne, not stare like a blundering fool.”

  Not needing another prod, Mennalin took slow steps forward. He watched as the other powerful leaders, who run the empire under the empress, part ways for his approach, revealing nothing. Eventually he came further in the eerily silent room and stopped as two hiding guards stepped barely into view, drawling their swords fractionally. Immediately he dropped to both knees, threw his arms forward and placed his head flat on the cold, polished floor. The guards slid their blades back and disappeared into their places.

  Another round of silence came, but he did not move. Thankfully it was only five minutes of waiting and being scanned by every mage in the room.

  In the most sweet, soft and singsong voice Mennalin had ever heard the empress of the Laqura Empire spoke. “Mennalin the Torturer. Age, one hundred and two years old. Specialty, one of Twilight’s most gifted interrogators for the past sixty four years. Apprenticed by Ivan the Gutter. Well known for drinking and rowdy behavior when not under Twilight’s eye. The only known shadowwalker. Hobbies include speaking against Twilight’s ways, but not enough to speak well of my empire either.” Then there came two thumps nearby Mennalin’s head, but he dare no move without permission. After a moment she said “Look.” Right in front of him were the two heads. “It has been verified these are without question, the heads of both king Skylar and Tate.” The Emrocan soldier screamed though his node because his mouth was gagged. When the empress spoke, she seemed humored. “They will be added to my collection, but you must answer truthfully.” Mennalin could almost imagine her rubbing her fingers over a skull on the throne. “If you do not like my empire while hating Twilight, what made you change sides?”

  “The white demons.”

  “Oh?” She sounded intrigued. “How so?”

  “It is clear to me you control them.” A small, delicate hand revealed itself in a wait motion as some guards went to kill him. “I was there… in the first attack in Vin’re. They killed so many and even damaged the griffin. I’ve never seen anything so small take down something so big. And then, two months ago I Jumped to safety when all the dragons wiped out the forces. At first I thought that battle would have ended the four thousand year war…” he gulped. “May I look upon the throne to finish my tale, I find lies are easier to see if they do not hide.”

  “Very well.”

  His head lifted only enough to look to the dark throne, but his hands stayed outstretched and kneeling. “As I said, I thought that would be the end, but the lower kingdom’s haven’t made any progress since that day. In fact, ground has slowly and steadily been lost… especially when I saw one of the larger demons get dropped down into the Blind Mountains. By the time I arrived, one slew forty elder dragons… just one. I do not know, nor care to know how many more demons you have, but I personally figured out that I do not wish to be anywhere near those blue bloodied abominations. So I gambled. I choose to stay behind the one holding their leash, rather than front.

  “And the only way to continue living was to make a choice. I needed something that would grant me safe passage. The only thing I managed to figure out how to live is to kill someone important enough to grant me safety. I had no money to bribe my way into any of your cities so I bartered the heads for safety.”

  “So if powers of our kingdoms were reversed you would take my head and have offered it to my enemies.”

  “As a survivor, yes, I would have. I will not lie to you.”

  Swords rang free, but her hand stopped the guards. “So you openly admit you would kill me to survive?”

  “Yes.” He didn’t look away or appear ashamed.

  “Did you have any ties to your superiors?”

  “None. I have no family, no lover or friends. My life was simple. I ate, slept and interrogated whoever was brought to me. As you can tell, I’m not handsome and my skills further repulse all women, other than those who took my coin for an hour.”

  “So if I offered you gifts of slave women who would pleasure you as much as you want, give you a job to interrogate my enemies, would I get your loyalty.”

  “Truthfully, I cannot say. I’ve never felt the love Twilight rants on about and I like my job, but I truly do not wish to upset you, but I cannot answer at this time.” He smiled. “But from what I just experienced in Lord General Adair’s room, I can say I’d be willing to… consider the possibility.”

  “So for the exchange of two heads you would be willing to take slaves, a job and my protection?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you ask too much.” She sneered and his forehead dropped to the floor and he began to shake. After a minute of silence she said much more pleasantly “But if you are willing to each this shadowwalking spell, I’ll agree to the price and let you personally pick five women from my personal slaves and two men who I’ve personally turned into a eunuch.”

  “Then you are in luck, My Empress. It is my personal spell so the standard secrecy spells stripped from Twilight won’t have a hold on me for telling you. If it was taught, you know I wouldn’t be able to explain.”

  “I demand a demonstration of this ability.” She said as she magically tossed the heads to an aide. “Clean them and return so the heads can be added.” The aide left promptly.

  Mennalin stood up and backed away while saying “This is my personal spell. It took me thirty years to perfect it. Since our bodies are still molecules you must know precisely how to spread them apart evenly while creating a modified space alteration one atom above any surface and sink… like so.” His ankles appeared to submerge into solid granite. “Heavy precaution must be taken because if the molecules are spaced too far apart you can die and once your inside the modified space which appears like a shadow, you do not truly walk. You cannot in all reality. To do so you must use magic. And it takes considerable power and focus only my class and above can sustain. I can shadowwalk only for ten minutes without my staff, as you can sense. Physical objects do not hurt if attacked, but magic can disrupt and kill me. Dodge at all costs.” Without stepping he moved slowly around the room as if he
were drug around as a puppet. “Without precise control you will not come back out of the space as you were. To finish you must return the stability of your molecules. Prolonged exposure will turn one’s body to mush. It takes many, many hundreds of thousands of hours to master. If you would like, I will write down the processes, but must supervise so as one mistake does not kill any student. The first council would not allow me to teach this ability and said it was too dangerous. I will do so with your permission in the morning after resting.”

  “Then do so with my blessing.” She said smugly. “The sooner my assassins learn this, the sooner I can complete my grandest plans. But now I want to hear your story on how you infiltrated and killed my most annoying enemies.” And then Mennalin’s jaw dropped as the empress stood from the throne and came out into the light.

  Empress Vika was a true beauty with few who could compare. Five inch stiletto heels clicked the steps each time a long leg made it so. Her legs were long and athletically tone with just the right amount of curve to be fit. Her legs stopped just above the knee in a baby blue skirt that had a train flowing down the back of her legs, but was up just high enough she wouldn’t risk tripping. Wrapping around both ankles were thin tendrils of gold that worked its way up under the skirt and stopped where only the imagination allowed. Creamy skin of the fairest kind glowed naturally, without showing she truly glowed with power. That could still be felt in her presence. Large, perfectly symmetrical breasts sat high from a corset of a soft green, but revealed a bit of midriff, enough to show a bellybutton. She had a curvy figure, heightened by the leather corset with gem encrusted designs that twinkled in the flickering firelight from the braziers. Thin silk sleeves flowed around slender arms and clenched to golden rings on her middle finger. Slender feminine fingernails were painted a deep crimson. But that all was inconsequential to her face. Framed in long silky brown braids was an exotic and breathtaking beauty. A small, petite and pert nose was cutely dotted with just the right amount of freckles which highlighted high cheekbones and full lips painted a shade lighter than large lavender eyes which took Mennalin in. Not one blemish marred her beauty which would stir the heart of any man or woman. Sitting on her head were thin strands of gold and silver with tendrils woven into her hair with skill only a master stylist could achieve. Carefully curved and pointed ears barely peeked through her hair. But it was those eyes. Those light purple eyes. Despite their innocent quality, there was something hiding profoundly behind them. And it wasn’t seeing four thousand years and holding power above others.

  For such an amazing body that was at its youthful prime, it matched her soft, dainty voice. Empress Vika smirked. “Few have seen me, but I’m glad my beauty can still make a man lose his tongue.”

  Mennalin dropped back to his knees. “I’m sorry, Empress. What is it you want from me again? Your magnificence has made me forget what I was about to say.”

  A soft laugh came as she reached the floor. “So it has. Look upon me, My New Subject, and tell me how you slew my enemies.”

  His head lifted and his eyes widened as above the throne, Rex Shakka’s head entered the light. He swallowed, but returned looking upon the empress and fixed on her unique eyes. Mennalin though didn’t rise from his knees. “It started as I was in Twilight and got a new prisoner to squeeze information out of when I overheard one of Lord Zikon’s aides speaking of how he killed someone by the name of Braxas.” Empress Vika showed no signs of surprise or hesitation at the loss of her son. “And then I heard of a secret meeting of leaders in the human/dragon alliance. So I quickly finished my task and went to see for myself what was happening. I was tired of all the rules and Martial Law which limited my lifestyle. I was originally planning to simply blackmail Lord Zikon till I heard the plan they were about to use against you.”

  “Oh! Do tell.” She said while slowly walking around him.

  “Should I have allowed them to live, I would have had to start over on another world. Rex Nattan is planning to destroy Raliea the first day of Spring if they do not win. He fears you will win and will not allow you to rule the entire world.”

  Whispers rose from this among the other city leaders. The empress put a stop to it with a single glance. “Go on.” She prompted.

  “Well, he fears the white demons he calls Tiaxm and you who control them.” She smirked at this, her chin never lowering her regal attitude. “I did not catch everything because he kept the meeting short and I was dumbfounded he would dare destroy an entire planet. Compared to you, Empress, he is more selfish and I’ll not stand with someone who would destroy a whole world just because he is afraid to lose his power.

  “So when it was all over I hid in the back of the room, behind a pillar and waited hours. I came to the decision to trust you instead of them. I might be a selfish and ornery bastard, but to consider approving of that didn’t sit well.

  “Right when I knew everyone was going to bed I went to sneak in, but a knight with two swords somehow knew of my shadowwalk and made my plan get botched. I used everything to get to the meeting where the kings, their advisors and that insane warlock were planning some invasion. Originally I wanted to bring you the heads of all three as well as their spirits, but that knight who pursued me didn’t give me enough time. I barely managed to behead the kings and get back into my shadow to escape not only Rex Nattan, but also Rex Semek. And just as soon as I flew from his barrier I Jumped over Jalara and flew till Rex Shakka’s escorts found me.”

  “And just how did you escape Rex Nattan’s wrath for so long. He attacked just as you were coming into my domain.”

  “Old favors were called in. I used dozens of modulating spells to twist anyone who might follow with hatred against me. The power must have wore off not long before the attack.”

  She nodded as it was plausible, but did not stop her slow circle around him. “I must say I’m impressed you dealt such a serious blow to three very powerful men, the warlock especially. Just how did you do that I wonder? I’ve wanted his head for some time and for just one man, he was no weakling. You must have used a trick he wasn’t expecting.”

  “Simple light, Your Magnificence.”

  Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “How did you use light to traumatize?” her tone meant she wasn’t humored and was close to being upset. That was dangerous.

  “I’ve discovered a very certain light frequency which travels through the optical nerves and tricks the brain into believing it has taken a serious blows and the neural overstimulation actually causes massive hemorrhages both in the brain and body. A direct look into the light will kill, but even a fleeting glimpse will cause damage. If the warlock is still alive as you’ve insinuated, he must have not looked directly, but if he is not recovered by now he likely won’t survive till Winter. Be thankful, I remember him saying he was planning to assassinate you.”

  She smirked again, eyes twinkling. In a singsong voice she said “Then you assassinated my assassin, or at least delayed him enough that he won’t be in my way for some time.” Empress Vika looked away, to the hanging Emrocan captive. “I have plans to make thanks to your most timely efforts. But first I’ll need to see your interrogative skills and that light frequency which intrigues me more than the shadowwalk.”

  “My Empress, I will gladly do so, but not even you can defend against the light. Even you are subject to it and as it travels at the speed of light, no wards I’ve discovered will stop it. If you do wish to see it I must warn you filter your eyes with magic or use darkened glass. Unmodified light will hurt you. Even as its creator I must veil my eyes or suffer the same fate.”

  “Your warning will be heeded. That soldier has something I need. If you can brake him within a half hour and discover the location of where he put a valuable artifact I will have you granted as much alcohol you can stomach for the next decade, free of charge at any Inn in my fair city.”

  Mennalin surprised her mildly with a laugh. “If I do it in five can I have a century of free drinks?”

  A delicate e
yebrow lifted along with one corner of her generous mouth. “If you fail in such a boast I’ll rescind that offer, but if you succeed… very well.”

  The sorcerer stood after she moved back to her throne and sat to watch. He looked at all those watching him like a hawk and noticed one aid at her table. “May I have a glass of water?”

  When the empress didn’t deny this the aide grabbed a silver chalice half filled with water and brought it over. Then they watched on as he held the cup and it glowed gray as it was chemically changed into something other than water. After a minute was spent he approached the man and magically levitated the still clear liquid into a winding thread before stabbing it into the carotid artery and pumped it all in. Then with one large hand Mennalin pressed his thumb into the man’s throat with a finger and another shoved in the eye socket. Every muscle in the man’s body seized. There was a snapping sound in the deathly silent room and those watching couldn’t look away as they saw muscles ripping from bone in the arm and veins bulging. Then someone faintly asked a colleague the most obvious question. The torturer answered as if this were any other day. “Magic is good, but has nothing to my ways. You can use the spell akin to the feel of one’s spirit ripped to make a ghost, but this is quicker and far less messy.

  “The drug I gave him is a recipe my mentor created that doesn’t last long inside the human body. A minute at most for us. But for this sorry bastard, in his mind, centuries of agony are passing for every one of our seconds. The pain I’m giving him is intensified a million fold, but he cannot get accustomed to it… as you can see from the shredded muscles he tore himself, further making his pain beyond reason. He is broken entirely and will do anything to end this pain. In five. Four. Three. Two. One.”