Aliana caressed her hair softly. "You are a good servant. Once I have Elrad enslaved, we will cast away that flesh you wear now. You will become Lura the demon, andwe will conquer this world together.”
"For your glory," Lura breathed.
Giving her a smile, Aliana touched her forehead. "Return.”
Lura faded from sight. The taste of her life force made Aliana feel hungry. Picturing her food slave in her mind, she faded out of the temple and appeared in a small rock chamber. A meager, ever-burning torch revealed a large shaggy man with red hair hanging by his arms on the opposite wall. Shackled so he could not sit, his arms were spread just wide enough to keep him from reaching the shiny battleaxe that still hung on his belt. The remains of a mail shirt hung on him in pieces. His head was bowed on his chest, not from sleep but weakness.
"Rise, slave!" she growled as she walked up to him.
The man groaned and shook his head. "No...no more...not again."
"Yes, again," she snapped. Reaching down, she grabbed him and pulled him upright. As she lifted his head, she could not help but grin at the hopelessness in his eyes. He twisted away as she tried to kiss him. Grabbing his chin roughly, she turned his head back and locked her lips on his. He kicked out weakly as she began to feed on his life force.
The warmth of his essence filled her as she drew it out of him. The real charge of energy was at the end. As he started to die, the magic that kept him from doing so flowed into her. She became lightheaded as sparkles dotted her vision and power sizzled into every part of her body. It was her turn to moan as her knees went weak.
She had to brace herself against the wall until the surges of power settled inside her. This was the energy that sustained her. Before she captured this source of power, one day of becoming solid in this world and using her magic would drain her for the next ten. She would be no more than a ghost until she regained her strength.
Although he looked dead now, in a few hours he would be restored. Whatever kept bringing him back to life also supplied her with an unlimited source of energy. She now stayed in solid form no matter how much energy she expended. Whenever she started to feel the slightest bit of weakness, she came down here for a recharge. Her magic and his everlasting life made her invincible.
She knew her food slave didn't remember much, if anything. Knowledge of their pact was burned from his memory by his repeated deaths. She could probably kill Tayan, and her slave would never know. Even if some small part of him did realize she had broken the pact they made, there was nothing he could do about it chained to a wall. The only danger was that Lucifer would know, and he took great offence when a pact made in his name was dishonored. Being in the land of the living did not insulate her from his wrath.
Tayan had somehow escaped from Elsanor. Knowing him, he was probably going for help. She had to do something--the last thing she wanted was humans pouring into Elrad. All the work she had done making Alderlan hate them would be undone if she let Tayan rally support.
If she hadn't made the pact, she'd simply have him killed. As it was, she'd spent a considerable amount of energy protecting him. In a way, it was amusing. Here she was making sure that one of her enemy's own people was being kept from harm. Wouldn't they be surprised if they knew!
Thinking about that, a grin crossed her face. Maybe it was time to protect him from more than her own minions. She didn't have to destroy him. She could do more damage by protecting him more obviously. It was time Tayan of Elrad had an escort.
Returning to the temple, Aliana went to the altar and picked up the two hearts. Both were fresh and moist; they would be perfect. Raising her arms high, she started her incantation, her voice booming through the murk.
"Master of Evil, King of Death, your servant calls upon your greatness to bring me a guardian!”
Reaching out with her soul, she touched the abyss. Power surged through her as she brought the hearts together over her head.
"Grant me my wish, open the portal!"
Squeezing the hearts, she slowly brought her arms down to the sides. In the air, a bloody arch formed in their wake. Continuing down to the floor, she drew them back together. Leaving them there, she stood up and stepped back.
"I command the portal to open!”
The area within the bloody arch turned opaque with the blackness of the abyss. Extending one hand towards the portal, she commanded, "Guardian, come forth!"
The darkness seemed to bulge into the room. As it expanded, it took the form of an extremely large dog. Its head was level with hers as it stepped through. Sitting on its haunches, it folded its wings. The Guardian's eyes opened, glowing red as it waited for her commands. The dim light of the room penetrated the portal; then the arch of blood fell to the floor.
The gargoyle was here, but for it to be useful she needed to give it substance as well as spirit. Placing her hands on the sides of its head, she willed it to open its mouth then pursed her lips and blew. Luminescent tendrils of life force flowed into the beast. With the life, she breathed magic into it as well. Slowly, the dull black creature turned lighter until it solidified into the color of mottled granite.
Looking into the red eyes, she said, "Go to Tayan of Elrad, protect his person, let no violence touch him. You now carry my wishes towards him and have my power to travel at will. Go.”
The gargoyle rumbled out a low roar. Spreading its wings, it flapped them once and disappeared. The only proof it had been there were bloody splotches on the floor.
Aliana left the temple through the double doors at the base of the star this time. She passed between the vlaks that guarded her sanctuary. She looked much smaller than her six-foot height as she moved past them. Reaching up, she caressed the hard foreleg of one of her pets.
Although they were not intelligent, the lizard-like vlaks were very strong and well-armored with their thick, bony exoskeletons. The triangular spike at the end of their segmented tail was even more deadly than the long snout full of sharp teeth. Standing on their back legs, vlaks outran horses, even terrified ones trying to escape. Vlaks were fast, deadly and hard to kill--the perfect fighting machines.
Lit with glowing orbs that hung from the ceiling, the underground passages were much brighter than either her temple or her private chambers. Being a creature of darkness, Aliana didn't need light to see. Her eyes detected the slightest variations of heat and cold. Coupled with her ability to sense the presence of entities near her, it meant she had no need for light. Unfortunately, many of her servants did not share her ability, including vlaks.
Turning into a dark alcove, she opened the doors to her private chambers with her mind. There was no light save the bright glow of heat her slaves gave off. As she entered, the three slaves rose and awaited her commands. Once human men, she had destroyed their minds, leaving them without wills of their own. It did not matter that they could not see--they had been imprinted to be able to move about in her chambers without sight.
Looking at the shorter one, she told him wordlessly to fetch her blood wine. She sent a second for her crystal then had the third kneel down in front of her chair as a footrest. Sitting down, she propped her feet on his bare back.
Rubbing one foot along his ribs, she savored the feel of flesh. As her time in this world wore on, she began to develop an appreciation for things she had never considered before. The taking of life was a thing she needed to sustain her own. To take that life was exhilarating, both the deed and the terror it caused in her victim. This had been a pleasant surprise--she had never enjoyed eating souls in the abyss.
Lesser things also caused her pleasure. She exchanged life force with Lura to give the elf power and to bring her closer to darkness. In doing so, she enjoyed the actual meeting of lips. She had even toyed with the thought of kissing just for the sake of kissing. It had been the same with that knight she had seduced. She could have killed him outright; but to humiliate him, to feel him couple with her before she took his life, had been wonderful. The child from that union had
been another surprise. It amused her to have the girl, a small version of herself to train. As she had gotten older, though, the girl took on more human characteristics. No amount of whipping could change her; she became more defiant. Eventually she ran away. Since it was her own child, she had decided not to hunt it down and kill it.
She had become even more sensitive in the last few years as she fed off her food slave. Once, she had tried to seduce him. He had resisted with a strength she hadn't thought possible in humans. No matter how hard she probed his mind and tried to arouse him, he blocked her out. In frustration, she broke his legs before she drained his life. His screams were some comfort; but in a small way, he had won. She was still thinking about how to make him suffer for that.
The slave returned to stand beside her with the crystal. He held the multifaceted gem in his open palm, staring sightlessly ahead. Aliana took the crystal and gripped it tightly in one hand. Putting her energy into it, she conjured a mental picture of Hans. She held it no more than a moment before his voice came into her head.
"My beautiful and powerful Master, what do you wish of me?"
She could now see him in a camp, holding his own crystal that connected them. "How are your new toys working?”
“Wonderfully, Master.” he grinned. “The spears create total chaos when we drop them. By mixing them with plain spears, we can make the enemy wizards expel their energy on fakes. The zombie women also worked quite well--the elves took them in without a second thought. When I attack Elsanor, I will use them on a larger scale.”
“Very good, Hans. The land you take will be yours to rule, once you give me the elven king’s head.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Aliana slapped the crystal back into her slave's palm. "Put it away.”
She knew she would have to make more hoarcs and breed more pilgyns. The bulk of her army was in Elrad; even if Hans didn't take large losses, she had to be prepared in case Tayan managed to rally support. It was such a shame she couldn’t kill him.
Sliding a calf over her slave's lower back, she decided to leave serious thought for later. "Come, slave, it's time to service me."
***
Amber sat on the front seat of the coach, fingering her braided ponytail as she watched the countryside go by. When Tayan groaned and sat up to get his bearings, she turned to him and smiled.
"Good afternoon, sleep well?"
Stretching the kinks out of his arms and back, he frowned at the shrub and pines going by. "Where are we?" he asked.
"On the road to Paladnia. We should be there in a few hours." Digging into the bag by her side, she asked, "Hungry? I picked up some fresh fruit in Capetown, and there is some freshly cooked fish and some jerked venison."
He stared at her for a few seconds. "Oh, no." he breathed, flopping back to stare at the coach roof.
"Something wrong?" she asked innocently.
Tayan snorted a sarcastic laugh as he looked at her. "Wrong? Just because Zodiac kidnapped me and may have started a war with Elrad, why should anything be wrong?"
Folding the bag back over, Amber gave a huff. "He needs you to gather support for an attack on the plains. You cannot do that if you’re in prison."
"While people I care about on both sides die in a useless battle?" he asked heavily.
Giving him a soft look, she said, "Tayan, I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Give him a chance."
Tayan turned his gaze out the window. Looking back at her, he asked, "Amber, how did I get here? We must have traveled close to three hundred miles. No one stays unconscious that long."
"I’ve been traveling a few days. Zit got me to Capetown. Once there, I got this coach to take us to Paladnia. I didn't take you out until today, when I was sure no one would be looking for you."
"Take me out?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
With a grin, she picked up the bag and shook it. "You were in here. We did it to keep anyone from knowing you were with me. Sending Odif to Elsanor would have been pointless if you were seen leaving Newburg."
His eyes went to the bag, fixing on it with hatred. The muscles in his jaw tightened. "Who put me in that?"
"It was the only way to get you away unseen," Amber repeated, giving him a puzzled look.
He shifted his glare to her. "Who?"
She drew herself up, braced for his anger. "Odif did, with my help.”
She waited for him to yell, carry on or snatch the bag up and throw it out. The only thing he did was turn his head stiffly to stare out the window.
"It was the only way to get you out unseen," she sald for the third time.
He ignored her.
"This coach line will take us all the way to Zayton. It's a new company and the fare includes our rooms at night," she went on, trying to get a response.
"Do you know the Duke of Paladnia?" she asked a little louder.
"His name is Sir Stazor," he replied without looking at her.
"He is a knight? I didn't think knights ruled."
He finally glanced at her. "Paladnia means 'pure city' in the old tongue. Years ago it was a town full of slavers, cutthroats and thieves. We went in and cleaned it up, Stazor stayed with his knights and the people put him in charge. He prefers to be called a governor rather than a duke."
"Why is that?"
"As I understand it, he does not want to be known as royalty."
"Really? How long have you known him?"
Tayan kept looking out the window at scenery he had no interest in. "You are just making conversation."
Amber had to force her smile to stay in place. "I've been riding with no company for four days. It would be nice to talk."
"Let's talk about coaches heading west--I'm going back."
Her eyes went wide. "You can't do that!"
Glancing at her, he said, "I am going back. I didn't ask to be kidnapped, soZodiac will just have to find someone else to run his errands."
Amber's jaw tightened and her fingers curled around the edge of her seat. "Tayan, you are the only one who can gather support for him."
"You can do it. As you get to each city, just tell them you're there for Lord Zodiac. At the very least, you'll be seen by the nobles and rulers," he said in a flat tone.
It might have been the defeats they had suffered, her irritation from riding alone for the last three days or just being tired of his foul moods. Whatever the reason, she’d had enough. She stomped down on his foot hard.
Letting out a startled yelp, he gaped at her. She scowled and pointed a stern finger at him.
"Stop it now! You know very well that Zodiac is counting on you! You are the only one who knows every head of state from Elrad to the Twin Kingdoms!" she yelled. "Tayan, I am sorry your wife died, I am sorry you got stuffed in this bag, I am sorry we killed innocent elven farmers, I am sorry you got accused of something you didn't do! What is done is done--we cannot change the past. What we can do...is do what is right! Quit feeling sorry for yourself and be the hero you are. Although I'm jealous as...anything of Odif, she was absolutely right—“
Just as suddenly as she had torn into him, she clapped her mouth shut, realizing she was saying more than she wanted to. Flopping back in her seat, she bit her lip and turned her face away from him.
“Why are you jealous of Odif?" he asked quietly.
She tried to blink back a tear, but it fell from her eye to run down and wet one of the small depressions in her cheek. She slapped at it, only smearing it into another small pit. It took all her will to not jump from the coach and run away. Why should she be jealous of Odif just because the druid was so pretty and self-assured? So what if it had been Odif who made Tayan face his grief then held him as he cried on her shoulder. Why should she be jealous of someone who knew how to handle any situation? Even though Odif was much too brazen, Amber could not help wishing that at least one man would look at her like they did at Odif. When Odif arrived in a place, men craned their heads and put on big smiles as they gathered around her. When she a
rrived anywhere she was lucky if they didn't turn away and snicker as they poked at their cheeks.
She had tried to believe that the pits in her face were to teach her humility. As time went on, it was getting harder and harder not to believe she was being punished.
Sliding onto the seat beside her, Tayan got into her line of vision. Gazing at her softly, he asked again, "Why are you jealous of Odif?"
She tried to turn away from him. As she did, he grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her back. She slapped his hands away and managed to keep from crying as she snapped, "Don't you have something to be angry about?”
Try as she might, she couldn't stop her lip from quivering.
Clasping her hand, he told her, "Odif has been around a few years longer than you. Twenty years from now, I'm sure you'll be the one commanding attention."
Amber suppressed a snort. The only place she would command attention was in a town of blind people. Maybe some day she might command respect like Mother Frieda did, but she would never turn heads. As a priestess of Leighna, that shouldn't matter to her, but it did. Desperate to turn the conversation away from herself, she asked, "Are you going to help Zodiac or not?"
Tayan cracked a grin. "Like you said, I'm the only one who can do it. I know Sir Stazor will be no problem--his people live to fight evil. What might be a problem is King Gunther. The last time he and Alderlan were together it didn't end very well."
Scrubbing her palm over her cheek to wipe away the tear stuck there, she asked, "Nothing too bad, I hope."
Tayan shrugged. "Bad enough. From the start of the conference the atmosphere was heavy with tension. You could almost smell the bad feelings in the air. The best thing I can say about it is that no one drew swords."
"That doesn't sound very encouraging," she agreed. Lacing her fingers through his, she said, "I'm sure you'll find a way."
"We will find a way," he corrected. "Zodiac didn't want you to come just to keep me company. Both Duke Jordan and King Gunther are loyal worshipers. As a holy figure, you will force them to think seriously about it."
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