The Scale Empire

by Cate Farren

  “Your punches really hurt,” said Bram, grinning.

  “I know you’ve lost a lot, but you can’t give up hope, not now we’ve come so far. We’re all in this to the bitter end, me especially. We can do this. It may seem like an impossible task at the moment, but I know we can do this.”

  I stared at them all in turn. They were grim. They were tired. They were expecting death to rain down on them at any moment. But each one of them smiled, even Sini.

  Bram said, “What do we do?”

  Now that was a question I had no answer to. We were miles out from the Australian coast and we had no way to reach it. We could swim, but Dorian’s allies would cut us down the moment we got near the beach.

  “Does Dorian know where we are?” Sini asked.

  She looked terrified, a long way from the arrogant ancient succubus who’d warned me off Bram. Not that I still didn’t dislike her immensely, but it actually warmed me to her a little.

  I nodded. “He knows where we are.”

  “There’s a possibility he thinks we’re all dead,” said Nile.

  “He knows at least I survived,” I said gravely.

  “He should be sending more people to kill us,” Rebecca added. “The fact that he’s not concerns me.”

  I knew Dorian was arrogant, but was he arrogant enough to believe I wasn’t a threat any more? He’d be an idiot to believe that. I’d chased him across hundreds of dimensions for over a hundred years. He must know I wouldn’t back down now.

  He has a plan. He has a plan that he knows won’t fail.

  I took charge. “Right. Rebecca, help me create a series of wards around us. We need to be alert for any intrusion or attack.”

  Rebecca nodded.

  “Bram, you’re going to change into your dragon form and push our little makeshift raft toward the shore,” I said.

  Bram glowered at me before nodding assent.

  “What do you need me to do?” Sini asked.

  I paused a moment. I wasn’t sure what she could do apart from drain people’s sexual energy. She was strong, perhaps three times stronger than a normal human.

  “Can you fight?” I asked her.

  “I grew up among very handsy incubi,” said Sini. Something sad washed over her eyes. “I can fight very well.”

  “Good.”

  Something emerged from the water. It was the mermaid I’d talked to before. I recognised him or her from the small tuft of spiky red hair growing out of the top of their head. They reminded me of a slightly mutated Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

  “We have talked,” they said.

  I was confused. I hadn’t realised they were coming back.

  “Are you angry with us?” Bram asked.

  The mermaid shook their head. “No. We are not angry with you.”

  I looked towards Bram, confused.

  “It’s female,” Rebecca whispered. “They may look similar, but only females grow hair.”

  I wonder how they mate?

  “We are angry with the demons that controlled us,” the mermaid continued. I could see her tail slowly swishing under the water. “We wish to aid you in killing them.”

  I had to fight to stop myself from visibly shouting in triumph. We now had a mermaid army at our disposal.

  “I accept your offer,” said Bram. “Welcome.”

  The mermaid shook her head. “I don’t offer my help to you. You are male and inferior. I offer my help to the female witch.”

  She held her hand out toward me. Her fingers were wet, scaled and slimy, but I shook.

  “My name is Gerda,” the mermaid announced. “I am leader of the sea people.”

  “I am Kezia Campbell,” I said. More mermaids were popping up now, watching us with curiosity. They all had hair, or at least small unkempt tufts of hair growing on their heads. They were all women. The mermaids that had attacked us so far had been women too.

  “Give us time to plan and I will come,” said Gerda. She leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. She tasted like seaweed. “I very much look forward to exacting our revenge.”

  Gerda hooted joyously and looped back under the waves again. The other mermaids followed.

  “That was odd,” I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “But good! Mermaids are vicious fighters. Their help is…”

  I noticed they were all looking at me with shocked expressions on their faces.

  “What?” I asked.

  Bram said, “When a mermaid kisses you on the lips it means she wishes you to be her mate.”

  I laughed. “Don’t be silly.”

  They all nodded their heads.

  “Seriously?” I asked.

  Rebecca laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll be your wedding planner. Do you want flowers at your wedding?”

  I ignored their teasing. It didn’t matter what Gerda wanted. When this was all over I’d be dead anyway.

  I looked over at Bram, still laughing. He had a nice laugh. I figured he hadn’t laughed much since the death of his wife. I was glad I’d given him a little happiness.

  “We have an army,” he declared smugly.

  “I just wish we could’ve got to the mermaids before…”

  “We did what we could,” said Bram. “Besides, my warriors died in battle. They would’ve wanted that.”

  “You’re a long way from the man who was on the verge of giving up.”

  “I had a momentary loss of faith.” I had this feeling he wanted to reach out and take my hand. I wanted him to. I really, really wanted him to. “But your future wife joining our army changed all that. You changed all that. I’m not sure what I’d do without you.”

  I looked away, uncomfortable with his praise. I was going to be dead soon. It was hard enough as it was.

  We settled in to wait for Gerda and the mermaids to return.

  ***

  “Hello, sister.”

  The others were sleeping, or trying to sleep. We needed this rest. It had been hours since Gerda had left and we were all exhausted. We had enough wards around us to alert us to danger, just in case.

  I hadn’t been able to sleep. All I could think about was Bram. It alternatively made me despise myself and feel hope.

  “I’m not your sister, filth.”

  “I have your blood running through my veins. The soul running the machine may not be Dorian, but I am still your brother.”

  “My precious brother is dead and gone.”

  “Is he?”

  “Don’t torment me.”

  “He’s still here, inside me, locked away. I can hear his whimpers even now. Do you know he’s gone completely insane? He gibbers and babbles and sometimes he wishes you’d never invited him to the palace that day. Sometimes he wishes you would die.”

  “You’re scared. You know I’m closing in on you and you’re scared.”

  “Hardly. I’ve been reunited with another part of myself. You don’t scare me. I pity you.”

  “Don’t pity me. I’m about to get everything I ever wanted.”

  “You can’t kill me.”

  “Circe told me everything. Is that what you’ve been after all this time, the other parts of yourself?”

  “She finally told you? That woman keeps secrets like a squirrel hides its acorns. I’m surprised you still trust her.”

  “I can be honest with you. I don’t trust her now, not one single bit. I love her. She cared for me and helped me in my darkest hours. But I can’t trust her. I can’t ever forgive her.”

  “Your pain makes me feel glad to be alive.”

  “I don’t give a shit. Just get out of my head. I’m going to have some wonderful dreams about all the ways I’m going to kill you. Prepare yourself, Leviathan. You only have a short time left to live.”

  “You won’t do it. Killing me means you die too.”

  “Do you think I’ve chased you for over a hundred and thirty years only to get cold feet now? I thought you knew me better than that. I’m prepared to die. I will embrace it. What
about you? I know you’re scared to die, and now I know why. If you die you’ll die incomplete from the other parts of yourself.”

  “I need them…”

  “And that’s why you’re scared. That’s why you’re sending armies of mermaids to kill me. It didn’t work, though, did it? I’m still alive. I’m still coming to get you.”

  “I’m not done yet.”

  “You’re living on borrowed time, Leviathan. We both are.”

  “I will become Leviathan again. I will become the most powerful demon god in the multiverse. You can’t stop me.”

  “Are you trying to convince me or yourself? Fuck off.”

  I let out a psychic scream, piercing his mind. I could feel his pain as he pulled back. I laughed and closed my eyes. I was going to have the most peaceful sleep of my life.

  ***

  I was woken by the sound of a chorus of voices. It was beautiful, melodic. It haunted me.

  I stretched my limbs, almost falling over into the water. I must have slipped closer to the edge of our makeshift raft while sleeping.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  The mermaids were back. Their heads were staring up into the sky. They were the ones singing.

  “They’re blessing our journey,” said Bram.

  “It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard,” I said, genuinely moved. “It’s almost too beautiful.”

  The singing stopped. I felt sad, like I’d been denied something extraordinary and nothing would ever be the same again. The song was a fitting epitaph to my final few days alive.

  Gerda swam up to me. She smiled, her grotesque lips making me feel somewhat queasy. I tried to stop my repulsion showing. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder after all.

  The mermaid said, “We will accompany you to land, making sure nothing stands in your way. Then the rest of your quest is up to you.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  We could’ve done with their help on land, but I didn’t say. The fact they were putting themselves in danger to help us was more than enough.

  Gerda winked. “We will arrange our marriage after you win.”

  She swayed away to join the others, who were congregating around their little makeshift raft. There were thousands of them.

  “Can I be your maid of honour?” Sini joked.

  I eyed her with contempt before saying, “Shut the fuck up.”

  ***

  The journey to land took two hours. During that time we weren’t approached by anything. The odd dolphin swam by, exchanging greetings with Gerda and the mermaids, but we were left unmolested. I considered trying to mentally contact Leviathan to ask him what he was up to, but I didn’t want that demon inside my head again.

  “Quite a peaceful trip,” Bram remarked.

  I ignored him, focusing on the soft wind as it caressed by face. It was a peaceful trip. It was perfect.

  Bram pointed up in the sky.

  “See up there?” he asked.

  I could see many shapes flying around in the clouds.

  “That’s my Scale Empire Guard,” Bram explained. “They’re watching us. I can feel them.”

  “Whose side are they on?” I wondered.

  “They’re trained to obey the monarch, whoever that may be.” Bram’s eyes glowed with red hot dragon fire. “That’s something I’m going to change. I only want people by my side who want to be there, not because they think it’s their duty.”

  “Some people can actually be both. Take Nile for example.”

  Nile was talking with Sini quietly. I could tell by the way he kept looking away and trying to hide a shy grin that he had a thing for her. She was far too mature for him.

  “Does this world really need a Scale Empire?” I asked him bluntly.

  He opened his mouth to speak but seemed stuck for words.

  “My world is fairly shit, I admit that, but we have a government voted in by the people. That could be just the thing this world needs rather than some dragon king. You may want to do good things, but it might be best to let the people, cold-blooded and warm-blooded, rule themselves.”

  He ignored me, and I hoped I hadn’t offended him. I hadn’t meant to. America had gotten along fine without a monarchy for a while now. On this world their kings and queens had caused nothing but misery. I was just voicing my opinion.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “This is none of my business.”

  “You’re right,” he confessed. “You’re absolutely right.” He stared into me. “Is that what you think I should do? Do you think I should abolish the monarchy?”

  “I think you should do what you want to do.”

  He was about to answer when the mermaids started making a commotion. During all the talking I’d completely forgotten about our journey and the danger we were in. It always felt good to talk about things that weren’t related to Leviathan and Dorian.

  We were at some kind of beach. A mile away we could see a small town with a massive blue-domed church in the centre of it. Standing on the beach, watching us with weary eyes, was a triceratops.

  “Wow,” I said.

  Chapter 19

  I giggled as the triceratops stared down at me. It had the large bony frill around the top of its neck and the three horns. Its legs reminded me of a rhino. Even its eyes were soulful and majestic. It was beautiful.

  “Can I touch it?” I asked.

  “She’d rather you wouldn’t,” said Bram.

  I blushed. “Sorry. It’s just…you have a world of wonders. It may seem commonplace and blasé to you, but to someone who hasn’t seen anything like this before it’s wonderful.” I turned back to Bram, who was grinning so hard at my childlike wonder that I was surprised his face didn’t split. “This is something worth protecting.”

  Over the rise of the dunes were two more triceratopses. Their skins were lighter in green and their horns were different sizes. They seemed much angrier than the one in front of me.

  “It’s so good to see you,” a woman cried.

  I looked back, finding an older woman where the triceratops used to be. She was short and thin with bright blonde hair and a grin that could light up a room. She pulled Bram into a hug, kissing him all over the face, much to his embarrassment.

  “I’ve been so worried about you,” the woman fussed. “You look so much thinner! And your clothes are so messy!”

  “You tend to lose weight while on the run,” Bram insisted.

  “But look at that magnificent beard!” The woman tugged on his beard playfully. “I told you years ago you’d look dashing with a beard, but you didn’t want to imitate your father. Your father’s beard looks like scraggly pubic hair compared to yours.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d never seen Bram so flustered and embarrassed before. She seemed to know him better than anybody else. Was she his mother?

  At my interested look, Bram said, “This is Tina, my former nanny.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” I said.

  Tina gave me the once-over before saying, “Hmm.”

  I watched with annoyance as Tina greeted the others with honest pleasantries, even Rebecca. When she met Nile she pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair. His face went bright red.

  “What was that all about?” I asked.

  “Tina practically raised me,” said Bram, still smiling. He looked so content I felt a little jealous that it wasn’t me who was making him happy. “My father had a kingdom to run, and my mother raised my sister to be a scheming bitch just like her. If it wasn’t for Tina, I probably would’ve died of neglect and starvation.”

  “Why did she act so weird with me?”

  “Tina has a sharp mind and amazing deductive skills. She could probably see the way we kept looking at each other.”

  “Hmm.”

  He smirked and walked past me. Our shoulders touched briefly and I felt my whole body tingle.

  ***

  The small village we found ourselves in was abandoned to the elements. Vine
s and trees sprouted from fallen brick houses, their remains home to wild animals that I knew for certain didn’t exist in Australia on my Earth, including what appeared to be some sort of marsupial silver fox. It was all very apocalyptic.

  We ended up at a small cottage with a smoking chimney and a vast herb garden. The smells of lavender and mint and lemongrass were intoxicating.

  “What happened to the town?” I asked.

  Rebecca sighed. “Bram’s father destroyed it twenty years ago.”

  “Why?”

  “He was bored,” said Bram darkly.

  We entered the house, Nile and Sini carrying Circe between them. The triceratopses stayed outside as guards. I pitied the person who ever tried to get past them.

  The inside was homely, smelling of fresh bread. I was so tired I ended up flopping down on the nearest available sofa. I never thought I’d see dry land ever again.

  “Soup is served in ten minutes,” Tina announced.

  I watched as Nile and Sini placed Circe on a bed. She opened one eye, groaned once, and fell back into unconsciousness again. I breathed a sigh of relief. For a second there I thought she’d fallen into some sort of permanent coma.

  Bram sat down beside me, watching as Tina pulled out a tray of bread from the oven. He inhaled and grinned.

  “I love Tina’s cooking,” said Bram. “It takes me back to happier days.”

  “My father was the cook in my family,” I said. “Mother was hopeless, even when she tried spells to augment her cooking.”

  “I don’t think my mother even knew what an oven was.”

  Tina laughed. “Your mother couldn’t even wipe her own nose without someone holding her hand.”

  During dinner Tina told us all about what was going on in the Scale Empire. Things were much worse than we feared. Bram’s sister was continuing her father’s tradition of murdering and conquering. Apparently she planned on taking the war to China.

  Bram slammed his fists on the table, shaking everyone’s plates.

  “The Chinese are our only remaining allies,” said Bram angrily. “If we attack them they could destroy us.”

  “Why haven’t they destroyed the Scale Empire already if they’re so horrible?” I asked.