The doors to his quarters opened. Heric’s guards escorted Nikali and Cassandra inside. The two sauntered in with drinks in their hands. Every few steps they stumbled. Heric shook his head in disbelief. Nikali lost his footing. He fell forward into a roll only to recover back to his feet. He didn’t spill a drop.
“You have only just arrived, and you are already drunk out of your minds,” said Heric.
“We have won a great victory for Eluan,” said Nikali. “The royal class will understand.”
“Congratulations,” said Heric. He decided to ignore his inebriated cousin’s actions for the moment. “You kicked off the end of the war. Without their leader, Tcher will fall into a civil war. We will crush them easily and pick up the pieces.”
“Wonderful,” said Nikali. “May the fields of battle dance in the ash of the world and the rivers burn red,” he quoted from an old book of a mad man’s prophesies, Lithel’s Groundfall.
“Nothing like that,” said Heric. “Eluan has won. Stories should be left at the street corners.”
“Whatever you say,” said Nikali. “Books are never as good as the real thing anyway.”
“Then come see the real thing,” said Heric. He stretched out his hand gesturing for Nikali and Cassandra to accompany him out to the balcony.
They could see much of the city from there. It amused Nikali that the Talons were not visible from the Emperor’s quarters. He never noticed it before. It was just another way for the royal class to ignore some of its people.
“They are celebrating thanks to you two,” said Heric. “They will no longer have to live in fear.”
“What are your plans then, for the future?” Cassandra asked. “Tcher being gone will not rid the world of fear.”
“That is something I want your help on,” Heric told the two of them. “With the war almost over it is time to start thinking about rebuilding. Myrus is still in the works, and we have lost several other towns and cities in the past year. What can you do with your power?”
“Will we have the resources that we want?” Nikali asked.
“Just tell me what you need. I will get it for you,” agreed Heric. “You have earned this. You have earned everything, Nikali. No one can argue your place in the Royal Council. Take pride in that.”
“I am not done yet,” said Nikali. “Aldrin was just the beginning. Eluan will be the greatest thing to exist. We will write the history of the world.”
Heric smiled at his cousin’s confidence. He could hear the roar of the crowd down on the street. He could feel his world coming together.
“All I want as of now is solitude,” continued Nikali. “Do not disturb us. Do not call for us. I have things I need to figure out.”
“Very well,” said Heric. “We will not need you. My men will take it from here.”
“The seas flock to the ocean. Trees rise above the sky,” said Nikali. He bowed for his exit. Then he and Cassandra turned and walked away. They had their own tasks at hand.
Nearby the Emperor’s quarters, Marina was secured into her own room. Guards were posted at the doors. Nobody could enter or leave without permission from Heric. Kastor and Tyeche were secured in a cell of their own, away from their princess.
Marina did not say a word the entire trip back to the Capitol. She only simmered in her dissent of the situation. It wasn’t until she was finally behind her locked door that all of her emotions poured out.
She screamed. She yelled. She demanded to be let out. She was the Empress of Eluan, she told them. Her words were to be obeyed. Her cries were never replied. It only took a couple of hours until she started trying to break down the door. Whatever furniture she could throw at the door she did. Her efforts only resorted in exhaustion and the destruction of her room and several priceless decorations. Finally she broke down and cried. She pleaded for help. She would do anything.
The bag was taken off of Abigail’s head. It was not much help. They were in a dungeon. Light was limited. She could make the shapes out of others in the room with her. Falon was at her side. Genom had waddled to the corner of the room to keep his back from any enemies.
Abigail waited a moment to adjust better to the darkness. When she finally got her bearings she started to move around. The dungeon was bigger than she had imagined. There were several more rooms theirs was connected to. She stayed by the doorway that led deeper into the dark chasm. More people shifted around in the shadows. Panic and fear surged through her mind. Memories of the past year flashed before her eyes.
Quickly, she turned to the door where the guards had disposed of them. She tried to open it. Then she tried to knock it down.
“Please, help me,” she cried out. “I shouldn’t be in here. Tell Heric Caning. I’m Abigail. Tell him I’m in here.” But the guards where not there to listen. She was yelling out to an empty room.
Falon came over to her. He wrapped his arms around her for comfort. Abigail screamed out for Heric several more times. Then she succumbed to Falon’s embrace. She wept in his arms.
“It is going to be okay,” Falon consoled her. “We will get through this.”
“Why will they not listen to me?” Abigail asked through her tears. “I can save us all.”
“We are prisoners. We will say anything to get free.”
“I want out. I can’t take it in here,” said Abigail.
“Think back,” said Falon. “Think back about anything. You have your knowledge. Use it to calm yourself. Tell me a story.”
Abigail breathed deeply. She tried to calm down. Her breathing coincided with Falon’s.
“What story?” Abigail asked.
“Any story,” he said.
Abigail thought for a second. Then she started speaking. “The Night’s Flower blooms once a year. It lasts for a week. It lights up the night. The stars hide behind the shadows during this time. Many believed the flowers were the stars coming to the ground on those nights.”
“It sounds beautiful,” said Falon. “Just like somebody I know.”
“Every year it is celebrated,” continued Abigail. “The flowers have been planted everywhere in the Capitol. When it blooms the entire city can be seen for miles into the night.”
“I can not wait to see it for myself,” said Falon.
“They will not come for us,” interrupted Genom.
Abigail stopped telling her story to address their fellow captive.
“How do you know?” Abigail asked.
“I have heard about this place,” he said. “This is the dungeon for the forgotten. Once you’re put in here they have no further purpose for you. They don’t plan on retrieving us. We’re left to our own horrors.”
“Why not just execute us?” asked Abigail.
“Because we have done terrible things, and they want us to suffer,” said Genom.
The parade was long over. Aldrin had been placed in a cell where he waited for his time of execution. Heric was first planning on talking to him. The last time they spoke Aldrin made demands, and said Heric was not as strong as his father. Now, Heric could walk in knowing different. He was stronger than his father. He didn’t let his enemies push him around. He wanted to gloat at Aldrin’s underestimation.
Quaet entered the room. He waited for Heric to acknowledge him.
“What can I do for you, Quaet?” Heric asked.
“I wish to speak with you about Marina,” said the Council member.
“She is under watch,” said Heric. “It is for her protection.”
“I understand, sir,” said Quaet. “I wanted to speak with her, but the guards would not let me in.”
“Nobody is to speak with her,” said Heric.
“Is that any way to treat your wife? She is crying out for help.”
Heric looked Quaet dead in the eyes. “She abandoned her empire to join Aldrin. Now that she is back I am not going to give her another chance at causing any more problems. She is to remain in her quarters with no contact.”
“She was trying to rid th
e world of the avadons. It was a common goal between the two,” said Quaet. “Aldrin took advantage of the situation. It was lucky she was with Aldrin otherwise we would have had no idea he was not with his army.”
“Then she needlessly put herself at risk,” said Heric. “Either way it only hurt our empire.”
“She has information,” said Quaet. “She has been screaming that for hours. She wants to continue helping, even in her wretched state.”
“What does she have to say?” Heric wondered.
“She mumbles about a granddaughter; Aldrin’s,” answered Quaet. “And we have her in custody. I suggest we use that to our advantage.”
Chapter 52
The chains that bound Aldrin bruised his wrists and ankles. They connected to the floor, limiting his mobility. The weight was so much he could hardly move. His frail body never tried to break free.
Aldrin stared blankly at the wall. His only expression came when the door to his cell opened. Emperor Heric Caning entered. Aldrin snarled. The young emperor was everything Aldrin once was.
The chains clanked against the stone floor as Aldrin shifted in his chair. It winded him, but he would never let Heric know that.
“Emperor Caning,” said Aldrin, “I will piss on your grave for this.”
“I doubt you will get the chance,” said Heric. He sat down in a chair across the table from Aldrin. “You will be publicly executed in three days. We’ll hang you from the Capitol walls in order for your men to see you fallen. Unless you give your unconditional surrender. Surrender and order your men back to the islands. Tcher will fall under the rule of Eluan.”
“If you expect them to shake in fear they will not,” said Aldrin. “Tcher will never surrender. You will have to kill every single one of my people. They are all my soldiers. Can you do that Emperor Caning? Can you annihilate the entire civilization of Tcher? Your father found it easy to do it to Prial. There must be a part of you that wishes you could do it yourself; slaughter them one by one.”
“That does not have to happen,” said Heric. “You can end this with no more bloodshed. Call off your army.”
“Never,” said Aldrin. “I will wait. Tcher will pick at the Empire. They will burn the world away city by city. Fighting back will only prolong the pain. Even if you did get to my men on the main land you will never take the islands. My defenses will drown your army to the bottom of the sea. While you waste your resources on conquering Tcher my army will regrow. Then they will attack once again. Eventually Eluan will fall. I am a patient man.”
“Eluan is far stronger than you think,” said Heric. “If you do not surrender you will be executed. I have no problem with that.”
“If you try to kill me it will only set free my army to do as they wish. They hold back under my orders. Without me their bloodlust will ravage the world. I kept that island alive, and I will continue doing so in the centuries to come.”
“Do you think you will survive this?” Heric asked.
“I know I will survive an execution,” said Aldrin. “I cannot die. The years have been mine for the taking. I still have the body of a viral young man.” Aldrin sat up in pride. His wrinkly teenage face beamed with a smile.
“I’ve heard all the rumors,” said Heric. “You’ve been stabbed, poisoned, trampled, I even heard you lost your eye. But you look fine to me. Certainly you have a way to cheat death.”
Aldrin winked at Heric. “I am more than a man. I am a force of nature. I am as true as the sun rising and the fall ushering in winter. These chains will turn to dust and these walls will crumble before I die.”
“But what about your granddaughter?” Heric asked. “Does she share the same destiny as you?”
“Where is she?” Aldrin demanded to know. “Where is Farrah? She is not to be harmed.”
“That depends on you,” said Heric. “They have put her in the dungeons, but we can retrieve her if we have to.”
“You will let her go?” Aldrin asked.
“No,” said Heric. “If you do not surrender she will be executed the day before you. Then you will have a day to grieve or an eternity.”
Aldrin defiantly smiled. “You will never do it. She is the one innocent in my army of slayers. It will mean nothing to Tcher.”
“If it means something to you then it means something to Tcher,” said Heric. “I may not want to kill every man, woman, and child on your island but I will execute two of their leaders to send a message.”
“You will flinch before I do, Emperor Caning,” said Aldrin. “There will be no surrender. I will spread your ashes to the wind when this is over. Eluan will be erased from existence. Nothing will remain, and history will forget you.”
“I will see you in three days,” said Heric. He stood up from his chair to leave. “You can watch the execution of your granddaughter from your window. You have two days to change your mind.”
Aldrin did not reply. He let Heric walk out of the room. His waiting began.
The forgotten dungeons never showed the light of day. Abigail was not sure how long she had been down there. Once, food and torches dropped from a hole in the ceiling. It was a mad rush to the pile of debris on the floor. Falon and Genom were the last to the pile because the others in the dungeon were expecting it. The two Tcher soldiers managed to secure themselves food and a couple of torches.
They returned to Abigail back in the entry room. She did not want to leave the door. It was the only connection to the outside world.
The three of them defended their territory for the first few hours. The residents slithered by the doorway to the rest of the dungeons. Genom and Falon were quick to beat them away. The two of them found it necessary to establish their dominance. Eventually others stopped coming around. It did not take long for those already in the dungeon to get the message. The new people were not to be messed with.
Later, footsteps were heard echoing off the walls. Abigail threw herself to her feet. She rushed to the door. Falon and Genom also readied themselves. They kept their backs to the wall.
A key shuffled in the door’s lock. Abigail started banging on the door itself. She cried out for help. “I know Heric Caning. Please let me talk to him. He will not have me in here. Let me see him.”
Guards on the other side of the door barked orders. The door was too thick to understand what they were saying. Abigail continued her plea.
Then the door swung open. It knocked Abigail to the floor. Guards charged inside the dungeon. Falon and Genom braced for an attack. Men on both sides stared each other down. They were at a standstill.
“Stand down,” ordered one of the guards.
Falon’s eyes never left the open doorway. Genom growled at the Eluan guards.
“We’re looking for the granddaughter of Aldrin. If you help us you will be rewarded,” said the guard.
“What’s the reward?” Genom asked.
“You will get a better meal.”
Genom glanced at the slop he had eaten for his last meal. It was a tempting offer.
“She’s disappeared into the dungeons,” lied Falon. “You’ll never find her.”
“Orders from the Emperor,” said the guard. “We’ll find her.” The guard signaled for more men to come into the room. Genom and Falon were outnumbered five to one. It was numbers they were not ready for.
But Abigail crawled out from behind the door. “Heric wants to see me?”
“That is Emperor Caning to you,” said the guard. He backhanded her across the face for her insolence. Falon charged forward but Genom was quick to grab ahold of him.
“Do not hurt her,” yelled Falon.
“It doesn’t matter,” laughed the guard. “She’s going to be executed in two days anyway.” The guard grabbed Abigail by the ankle and dragged her closer to him.
“What?” Abigail exclaimed. She tried to claw herself away, but more guards grabbed hold of her. “Let me go. Let me go,” she screamed. “No. No. Let me see the Emperor. He knows me. He will not execute me. Tell him
it’s Abigail. Tell him I’m Abigail.”
The guard held Abigail around the waist. He was strong enough to hold her in the air. Her feet kicked every which way. His free hand ran across her breasts. “I might send word up to the Emperor. For a price,” he laughed.
“Falon, Falon, please help me,” Abigail begged.
Falon broke free of Genom’s grip. He ran head first into the group of Eluan guards. “You will not touch her,” he proclaimed.
Falon got in one punch to the guard that was holding Abigail before the rest of the guards trampled him. He was knocked to the ground. Boots stomped on every inch of his body. He could not fight. He was weak, he had no weapon, and he was outnumbered. Falon reached out for Abigail’s foot. It was the only thing he could do.
Then Genom approached the group. He went unnoticed by the Eluan men. He did not attack. Instead he grabbed Falon by the ankle and dragged him across the stone floor out of harms way. The guards turned to Genom. They were ready for another fight.
“Take the girl,” said Genom.
The guards hesitated. Then the one holding Abigail spit blood from his mouth to talk. “You guys aren’t so tough. I’ll kill fifty of you on the battlefield. Thanks for the help.”
The guard turned away. Abigail squirmed in his arms. She turned to face Falon and Genom. Falon was near unconscious on the floor. Genom did not make a move to attack. Abigail screamed for help, but none was coming.
The door closed behind them. To her horror Abigail realized she had her wish. She was out of the dungeon.
Chapter 53
The following day was agony for Abigail. She sat alone in her cell. Her view from the palace offered no consolation. Her cell overlooked the gallows. It welcomed her fate for the next day.
None of the guards would listen to her. They disregarded everything she said about Heric. She even revealed their affair. The guards accused her of lying. They laughed at the thought of their emperor sleeping with a Tcher girl such as her. Abigail recoiled to the corner of her cell. It was where she remained as nightfall came down over the Eluan capitol.
Eluan Falls: The Tides of Utter Undoing Page 22
