Dark Reflections (a non-continuity tale)
So, just to be clear, the following story is non-continuity, not part of the campaign storyline. I wrote it as a diversion because, hey, it was fun.
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The high, strong voice of the High Priestess of Erito echoed throughout the cavernous Temple in Noxolt. As she spoke, hundreds sat reverently, silent witnesses to the proceedings.
“We commend your faithful servant, Prince Herion, to your care, blessed goddess, as we honor the Cycle and the memory of the man who has been taken from us. Let those who would offer their love come forward.”
The slow procession of mourners began, filing past the dais where Herion’s body lay in state. Emperor Haxtha was first in line, of course, followed by Princess Aralda. Shortly behind her was the prince’s widow, Ariadne Verahannen of Merlion, accompanied by the rest of the Legacy. Kyle was next to Arrie, offering words of support, and then came Autumn, Tolly, Osborn, and Lanara, each stopping to say a few quiet words over Herion’s body. As they filed out, the mourners gathered in the courtyard just outside the temple, offering their own condolences to the family. After about an hour, Kyle took Arrie by the arm.
“Please, everyone,” he said to the nobles gathered around her, “Princess Ariadne has been through a most trying time. Your support is noted and well received, but I think it would be best if she were to rest now. If you will excuse her?” He turned to Arrie. “May I escort you to your chambers, Your Highness?”
“Yes, that might be a good idea,” Arrie said. “Sometimes I think you know me too well, Kyle. I probably should save my strength. After all, the war that claimed my dear husband’s life had not ended, and the enemy will not wait for the pain of my grief to subside.”
Taking Kyle’s arm, they walked away from the crowds, heading toward the palace. On the way, Arrie exchanged a brief look with Autumn, who was standing next to Tolly and the Eritan High Priestess. A few minutes later, they were walking down the large main hallway of the palace, which was nearly deserted due to the funeral.
“Thank you,” Arrie said when they were out of earshot. “I was starting to think my jaw was going to fall off from all that forced smiling.”
“Never let it be said that Noxolt can’t turn any event into a social gathering,” Kyle quipped. “At least when I was growing up, people could go to a funeral and have it be more about the dead person than about who else you might be seen by.”
“Welcome to life in high society,” Arrie sighed. “Speaking of which, did you see Lady Genevieve’s dress? I know this is going to sound rather… Lanara-ish of me, but it’s the kind of thing I’d expect to see someone wearing at a high-class brothel, not a funeral.”
“I suspect that as the daughter of a vampire, Lady Genevieve’s concept of etiquette around the deceased is a bit different than most,” Kyle replied.
“You’re probably right,” Arrie laughed. “You can always make me laugh, Kyle, even at a time like this.” They walked a little further before Arrie commented, “It was a nice eulogy, though, wasn’t it?”
Kyle nodded. “High Priestess Madrone did well.”
They arrived at the rooms that had been provided for Arrie. Normally she would be staying in her husband’s chambers, of course, but elven custom demanded that the deceased prince’s living quarters remain unoccupied for a month. A pair of Imperial Guardsmen in full dress uniform stood outside the door.
“Guardsmen,” Arrie said as they approached, “I don’t think I need an honor guard today. Please, I wish to be alone.”
The two Guardsmen exchanged glances, and then looked at Kyle. “This is highly irregular, Your Highness,” said one of them, tentatively.
Arrie knew why they hesitated. Custom demanded that the spouse or consort of a deceased member of the Imperial Family have an honor guard during the month of mourning. Custom also said that visitors without a chaperone were discouraged.
“Wizard Goodson is acting as my chaperone this afternoon, gentlemen,” Arrie said, fixing the two guards with a level gaze. “Do either of you wish to question his honor, after all the service he has provided our empire?” Neither Guardsmen made a reply.
“Please,” she continued, “leave us. If there is any question that you were negligent in your duty, I will be sure to straighten it out.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” said one of the guards, and bowing to her, they left.
Arrie rolled her eyes. “Politics.” She opened the door, and they walked inside. As they walked into the foyer Arrie spun around to face Kyle, but before she could speak he held up a hand in warning.
“Wait.” Kyle closed his eyes, and muttered the words to a spell. When he was done, he gave Arrie a slight smile.
“Is it safe?” she asked.
“All clear.”
Arrie rushed forward suddenly, pushing Kyle back against the wall. She pressed up hard against him, and her lips met his in a powerful kiss.
“Good,” she whispered in Kyle’s ear, “then get me out of this damn dress.”
* * *
“Well, I think we just violated about a half-dozen of those elven mourning customs,” Kyle said lazily.
“Seven, actually,” Arrie replied, “plus a few that have nothing to do with funerals. But we’ve been doing that for months now, so I don’t think those count.”
Kyle laughed. “Well, my
veil spell will last for hours yet, so I think we have time if we want to try for an even dozen.”
Arrie shifted over so that she was leaning up against Kyle, feeling the warmth of his flushed skin against her own. “While I am expected to be a good widow and stay in here all by myself, I think you’d be missed.”
“And if anyone comes looking for me here, then with one
teleport I end up in some musty sub-basement of the library, where I can say I was holed up doing research.”
Arrie frowned. “You know that won’t fool everyone.”
“You’re talking about your sister, the Queen of Merlion.”
“She’s not my real sister, and yes, I mean Queen Autumn Coviere. I think she suspects us.”
“Of course she does. She’s no fool. But she has no proof. No one has any cause to think that Herion died of anything but a battle wound. It’s his fault for going into a battle when he was so desperately outnumbered.”
“It’s his fault for thinking that the intelligence he was given before the battle was accurate,” Arrie smirked. “Just goes to show you what you get what you start trusting your spies to be loyal.”
“How did you convince Lanara to falsify those reports, anyway?” Kyle asked. “It hardly seems like she’d be willing to sacrifice Herion, since she’s been his mistress for so long. His death leaves you in a better position, but leaves her out in the cold.”
“Oh, I just helped arrange for her to trade up,” Arrie said.
“Haxtha?”
“The Emperor’s current official Consort is a bit of a bore, I’ve heard,” Arrie said. “I thought Haxtha and Lanara might hit it off.” Arrie frowned. “But it’s not the bard that worries me. She knows how to keep her mouth shut.”
“If not her legs,” Kyle commented.
“Be serious!” Arrie snapped, punching Kyle in the arm. “Autumn’s sure to try and snoop around. I wouldn’t underestimate her.”
“Underestimate her? A woman who had her siblings assassinated so she could claim the throne of Merlion? Never.” Kyle began to run his fingers through Arrie’s hair. “But, like I said, she doesn’t have proof, and she’s too highly placed to act without it.”
“She has the Ardaran,” Arrie said. “The Inquisition could be trouble.”
“Only if they take an interest, which they won’t. There’s a war to fight, remember? And Tlaxan isn’t exactly one of Ardara’s strongholds. Besides, even if they had reason to suspect you, they would be making the same assumption that Autumn will; now that you’re second in line for the throne, you’ll try to do away with Haxtha, or gain control of him in some fashion.”
“Which, of course, I won’t,” Arrie grinned. “At least, not that they will be able to detect.” She sighed. “You’re certain that’s how Autumn will think?”
“You forget, I got to know her fairly well back in the early days out of the Tower,” Kyle said.
“I know exactly how well you got to know her,” Arrie snapped. “You two sometimes kept me awake half the night.”
“Jealous?”
“Hardly.” Arrie suddenly rolled up on top of Kyle, straddling him, and she reached out with one hand and put gentle pressure on the wizard’s neck. “You’ve been a useful companion,” she said, reaching down with her free hand to give a gentle squeeze to another one of Kyle’s sensitive areas. “In more ways than one. But don’t think for a moment that my affection renders you immune to vengeance if you ever decide to cross me.” She looked at him for a moment. “For that matter, I have yet to figure out what you’re getting out of all this.”
“There are advantages to being the power behind the power behind the throne,” Kyle said. “Beyond that, who knows? Maybe it’s the thrill of cuckolding an Imperial Prince. Maybe it’s my own little form of vengeance against that Corrupter bitch and her husband. Maybe I’m using you as a stepping-stone just as much as you’re using me.” Kyle made a quick motion with one hand, casting a quick spell. Arrie yelped and rose slightly from her sitting position, and moments later their positions were reversed, with Kyle laying atop the sprawling warrior.
“That was a dirty wizard trick,” she complained.
He grinned. “I’m a dirty wizard.”
She put her arms around him. “Just like a mage, using magic to do something he should be doing with his own two hands.”
Kyle nuzzled against her neck. “You’re one to talk. I know you mindwiped those two guards in the hall.”
“I nudged them. They wanted to leave anyway. They’ll go to their grave thinking it was their idea. After all, there’s only one person on the entire continent that knows what I can do.”
Exactly, Kyle thought, as his mouth sought hers.
* * *
“Murder,” Autumn muttered, as she ran a brush through her hair, “she got away with murder, and I don’t have any idea how she did it.”
“We’ll catch them, Autumn,” Tolly replied.
“When? How? When Ariadne is sitting on the throne of Tlaxan?” Autumn threw the brush down on her sitting table. “Damn her and that wizard! I don’t know how they’re doing it!”
Tolly put his hands gently on the aasimar’s shoulders. “You’re letting your emotions run away with you,” he said.
Autumn took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “You’re right. It’s not helping. I’m just weary from having to play the grieving vassal all day.”
“We’ll only have to play that part for a short while longer, my dear,” Tolly said. “Once the Tauric Empire is ready to push for the capital…”
“We’ll be there waiting with the keys to the gate,” Autumn said with a grin. “Assuming Arrie and Kyle don’t screw things up first. Betraying the Empire and turning it over to the Taurics would be a lot easier with Haxtha still on the throne.”
“They won’t move against Haxtha so soon after Herion’s death. It would raise suspicions even they couldn’t deflect.”
Autumn turned to look up at Tolly. “And you still can’t convince the Archprelate to have the Inquisition look into it?”
Tolly shook his head. “Frelarr won’t risk stepping on the toes of Erito’s church, and he’s more concerned about the war. Besides, their divinations would get the same result as mine. Kyle’s wards are very effective.”
Autumn swore silently, cursing herself as much as she did Kyle. When she’d first met Kyle along with the others at the Tower, she’d seen the young, naïve wizard as a useful tool, so of course she had seduced him at the first opportunity. She had ample opportunities to use her corrupting powers on him during their trysts, planting the seed of evil in his soul. The seed grew and blossomed, but unfortunately Autumn hadn’t foreseen the wizard embracing his new outlook on life and flourishing. She had lost control of him, she admitted to herself, and though in public they maintained a veneer of a close bond, in reality they were bitter rivals. Autumn wasn’t sure when exactly he’d gotten involved with her foster sister, Arrie, but since then the two had been a thorn in her side. Fortunately, soon after this she had discovered a kindred spirit in the Ardaran priest, Tolly Mulholland; their marriage last year had cemented a politically advantageous alliance, and given them both the freedom to pursue their greater goals.
Autumn rose from her chair, and took Tolly’s hand. “Come to bed,” she said. “I need to put all of this out of my mind for a while. Tomorrow we can proceed with our plans. They may have maneuvered closer to Haxtha’s throne, but they can’t stop the Tauric army from coming.”
“And once this corrupt elven monarchy is swept away, and a more orderly society put in their place,” Tolly said, “Ardara’s clergy in the Tauric Empire will be well placed to gain spiritual dominance in Tlaxan.”
“Haxtha and his kin will pay for centuries of oppressing Merlion,” Autumn agreed. “If it hadn’t been for that damnable treaty imposed on us by the Empire, my dear sister Ariadne would never have been anything more than the irritating daughter of Zanich Verahannen.”
They retired to their bedchamber, where after a tumultuous bout of lovemaking, Tolly fell into a deep sleep. Autumn, her mind still troubled despite herself, remained awake for some time, reading over letters by the soft glow of an oil lamp.
Her reading was interrupted by a soft knock at their outer door. Annoyed, Autumn tried to ignore it, but when the knocking continued, she snarled, threw on a dressing gown, and went to the door.
Crystal was standing outside the door. “Pardon the interruption, Your Majesty,” she said, dropping into a stiff curtsy. “But I have need to speak to your husband, the Inquisitor Dominus.”
“And this couldn’t wait until morning?” she grumbled. “My husband is asleep.”
“It is most urgent, Your Majesty, or I would not have come. I must depart before sunrise on orders from our church.” Crystal paused for a moment. “Perhaps… perhaps I might pass the message to you?”
Autumn sighed. “Very well. Come in and be quick.”
The axani stepped into the foyer, and followed Autumn to a sitting area in the middle of the room. “Is it… safe to speak here, Your Majesty?”
“Of course. Your own people set the wards.”
“Excellent.” Crystal suddenly stepped forward and slapped Autumn across the face. The strike left a shallow cut across the corrupter’s cheek.
“What in Stok’s name was that for?” Autumn said to Crystal. But Crystal was no longer standing there. Instead, a pink-haired cansin regarded Autumn with a smirk.
“For making me wait,” she said. “And you could be a little nicer to me.”
“I don’t exactly expect unannounced midnight visitors, Aranal,” Autumn said, “and there are eyes everywhere. If people saw me being overly friendly to you, they might talk.”
“Still, I don’t think that showing a little courtesy toward your husband’s apprentice would kill you,” Aranal said. “But speaking of him, I suppose it wouldn’t do to have my ‘master’ see you in the morning with an unexplained scar.” Aranal reached out and softly touched Autumn’s cheek, healing the wound. After the cut healed, Aranal’s hand remained in place, gently stroking Autumn’s cheek. Autumn stood still for a moment, her eyes half-closed, but suddenly reached up and grabbed Aranal’s wrist, pulling her hand away.
“I’ve already made it clear to you that I’m not interested in your attentions,” she said.
Aranal laughed. “You aasimar, always so one-sided in your preferences.”
“Tell me,” Autumn retorted, “is sluttiness a trait among all cansin, or is it a family thing?”
“Leave my sister out of this discussion,” Aranal snapped. “But as much as I would love to continue tongue-sparring with you, we have business.”
Autumn sat on one of the plush chairs in the room, while Aranal sprawled on a divan. “My contacts among Kristyan’s people want a progress report on your efforts to undermine the Imperial Family. The Taurics tire of besieging Tlaxan and wish to move south before winter. From what I’ve been seeing, you’re not doing so well.”
“The plan is progressing fine,” Autumn stated. “Herion’s death was a minor inconvenience. Ariadne and Kyle won’t be able act on their new position in time.”
“Don’t underestimate them,” Aranal warned. “You know what Arrie is capable of.”
“I know,” complained Autumn. “This would be so much easier if I could expose Arrie as a psion. Tolly would have her head on a pike before sunset.”
“You will tell no one,” Aranal snapped, “especially not your husband. The Ardarans are still ignorant about the role of the psions in this war; if you tip them off about Arrie, then their Inquisition will start looking for others. Our domination of this world depends on being able to manipulate the churches without their knowledge.”
“I know, I know.”
“Now,” continued Aranal, “what I told you in the hallway was true. I… I mean, ‘Crystal’ has been summoned by the Prelate Council, which means I have to go to M’Dos. You know what that means.”
“I know,” sighed Autumn. “Let’s just get it over with.”
“You make it sound like you don’t enjoy it, Autumn,” Aranal smirked. “But yes, let’s get it over with.”
Aranal remained sitting on the divan while Autumn returned to her bedroom. She stood at the side of the bed, watching Tolly sleep for a moment. Then, she reached out and placed her hands on his chest. A soft, white glow began to emanate from where she touched him, rising up out of Tolly and traveling into Autumn. The Ardaran stirred slightly, but didn’t wake up. After a few moments, the glow faded. Autumn took a deep breath, and then walked out of the room.
Aranal was standing when Autumn returned. “Do you want my shirt on or off for this?” she asked.
“On,” snapped Autumn. Aranal stuck out her tongue.
The corrupter placed her hands on the cansin’s chest, mimicking what she had done with her husband. The glow appeared again, but this time flowed out of her hands and into Aranal. Autumn had been trained by the Order of Corrupters in the ability to disrupt a priest’s connection to their deity, denying them their divine magic. With Aranal’s help, Autumn had refined the technique, allowing her to steal a portion of divine essence and either using it herself or passing it to another. This talent had been invaluable in helping Aranal pose as a faithful member of the Ardaran clergy.
“Mmm,” purred Aranal, when Autumn was finished. “Feels good.”
“Do you have anything you want me to tell Tolly?” Autumn asked, dropping her hands quickly.
“Just tell him that Crystal was called away by the Prelate Council,” Aranal said. “I expect to be back in a week.” She produced a scroll tube from her rucksack, stamped with the seal of the Inquisition. “Here are the reports he needs.” She handed the scroll to Autumn, but did not let go when she took the other end. “I expect to hear some positive progress on your end when I return.”
“You’ll have it,” she said, pulling the scroll free. “Now, get out.”
“What, no goodbye kiss?”
“I have an axe that’s willing to kiss you,” Autumn snarled. Aranal just laughed.
“Best go wake your husband now, work off some of that sexual tension.” Aranal walked briskly toward the door, shifting back into her disguise of Crystal as she went. With one last shimmy and a wink, Aranal opened the door and left.
Autumn stood in the foyer for a while, clutching the scroll. Then she turned and went back to her bedroom to wake Tolly up.
* * *
Three days after Herion’s funeral, the Legacy was summoned by Emperor Haxtha. Kyle walked into the conference room and saw Osborn already seated at the end of the table.
“Good morning, Osborn,” Kyle said.
“Good morning.” Osborn was busily cleaning blood off one of his many daggers.
“Trouble on the way in?”
“Just an underling who needed to learn his place,” the hin replied.
“And what is his place?” Kyle inquired.
“Six feet under.”
Autumn and Tolly were next in the room, taking seats on the opposite side of the table from Kyle. “Kyle,” Autumn said curtly.
“Autumn.”
“We haven’t seen you since the funeral,” Autumn said. “I saw you escorting her back to her chambers. She must be beside herself with grief. How is she doing?”
“I can’t say for sure,” Kyle replied. “She wanted to be alone, so I went to the library to do research. I haven’t seen her since.”
Autumn exchanged looks with Kyle, through smiles that didn’t reach their eyes.
Liar, Autumn’s glare said.
Prove it, Kyle’s eyes shot back.
Arrie walked in next, and took a seat halfway between Kyle and Osborn. “Good to see everyone,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been out of touch for a month.”
Tolly pointed toward a strip of white linen on Arrie’s forearm. “A token of mourning, I take it?”
Arrie nodded. “Unfortunately, flowing white mourning robes are a little impractical when traveling.”
“I prefer the Ardaran rituals,” Tolly said. “The mourner wears a heavy stone around their neck. The weight serves as a reminder of the one who was lost, but doesn’t interfere with daily work.”
And I bet you’d love to hang one of those stones around my neck, Arrie thought.
Right before you threw me into the Lassh River.
Autumn turned to Osborn. “How’s business, Osborn?”
“Thriving, thank you. War provides a lot of opportunity for someone in my position.”
Each of them eyed Osborn warily. They knew that the hin was the guildmaster of one of Affon’s major thieves’ guilds, but no one had figured out which one. Osborn only smiled when asked.
The doors opened, and Emperor Haxtha walked in, his usual entourage of advisors and courtiers conspicuously absent. He took a seat at the head of the table, clutching a large roll of parchment.
“Thank you for coming on such short notice,” he said.
“Lanara’s not here yet,” Kyle pointed out.
“She will be here presently,” the Emperor said. “We will wait before we begin.”
No one asked how Haxtha knew about Lanara’s whereabouts. A few minutes later, the cansin rushed in.
“Sorry I’m late,” she said. “I was caught up in another matter.” Lanara glanced briefly at Haxtha, who favored her with a barely noticeable smile as she sat down in a chair close to him.
“I have a mission of utmost importance,” the Emperor said. “One I can only entrust to you.” He unrolled the parchment, displaying a worn map of the Tlaxan Empire, marked up with positions of Tauric and Alliance troops. “In two days,” the Emperor said, “our battalions here will be launching a major offensive against the main body of the Tauric army.”
“You’re outnumbered four to one,” Tolly observed, scanning the symbols on the map.
“Although the enemy believes that we actually outnumber them,” Haxtha stated, “thanks to a clever bit of counterintelligence work.” Lanara affected a dramatic bow.
“The purpose of the assault is to draw out their commander, General Andauros,” the Emperor continued. “It will then be your task to eliminate him.”
The Legacy nodded. General Andauros was one of the principal commanders of the Tauric invasion, who was a fierce political and military leader back in their homeland.
“You will have a limited window of opportunity,” Haxtha continued. “It won’t take the Taurics long to figure out that our forces aren’t as strong as they were led to believe, and I’m not willing to let them be slaughtered just to give you a few extra seconds. If you fail, I doubt we will get this chance again.”
Haxtha looked over at Arrie. “I wish I didn’t have to ask this of you so soon after my brother’s death. But with Herion gone, and with Aralda’s… complications, I must look to you to defend our Empire in his stead.”
Arrie nodded. “I will do my best, Your Majesty.” Inwardly she grinned at Haxtha’s discomfort in discussing Aralda. Ever since his youngest sibling’s connections with the Tlaxan underworld was exposed, she had lost the support of the nobles, and her connections with the druids had cost her the support of the church of Erito. Her place in the line of succession had receded dramatically. Arrie doubted that Haxtha would congratulate Lanara on
that clever bit of work.
The rest of the Legacy offered their assurances to the Emperor, and after briefly discussing a few details, everyone rose and made their way out of the room. Lanara lingered behind, looking over the map. When everyone had left, she looked around.
“So, what do you think?”
Osborn emerged from his hiding spot and returned to his seat at the table. “I predict that by now Autumn and Tolly are plotting how to use this ambush to eliminate Arrie and Kyle, and vice versa,” Osborn said. “As for the mission, it’s to Arrie’s advantage if we succeed, because that will put her deeper in the Emperor’s trust. It’s to Autumn’s advantage if we fail, because then she can continue with her planned betrayal.”
And what side are you on?” Lanara asked.
“My own. It’s to my advantage for this war to drag on as long as possible. My guilds’ coffers are getting fat from war profiteering.” Lanara, of course, knew the secret that Osborn had kept from the others; that the hin didn’t control just one thieves’ guild, but all of them. He’d cultivated his position in several guilds throughout Affon, and had slowly tied them together into a vast criminal organization.
“Well, for my part,” Lanara said, “I spent a lot of time getting to the top man, I don’t want to start over.”
“Then it seems our course is clear,” said Osborn.
* * *
“Stop jostling me,” Autumn snapped at Kyle.
“You used to like it when I touched you,” he retorted.
Tolly glowered at Kyle. “That’s my wife you’re talking to.”
“Oh, for pity’s sake,” Lanara groaned, “Ask Ardara to forge you a sense of humor some day.”
The party clustered inside Kyle’s
rope trick, looking down at the ground far below them. As expected, the location of the general’s camp had been warded with a
dimensional lock, making a teleport attack impossible. It had been no mean feat to sneak onto the field of battle behind enemy lines to place the
rope trick just above the area of the ward, but they were now ideally positioned. They waited patiently until they saw what they were waiting for; a large, muscular minotaur in field plate strode out of the main tent, his black fur bristling, and began bellowing orders.
“Everyone know their job?” Arrie said quietly.
“Osborn and Kyle are crowd control, Arrie, Autumn and Tolly take out the general, and I’m lookout,” Lanara recited. “Let’s go.”
Kyle dismissed the
rope trick, and they all fell to earth. Autumn was borne to the ground by a pair of feathery black wings, Lanara and Kyle flew with the aid of magic, and Tolly and Arrie relied on a pair of
feather fall spells. Osborn simply seemed to fall to earth and land unharmed.
A violent battle ensued. Kyle unleashed several devastating spells on the general’s soldiers and aides-de-camp, and Osborn inflicted similar damage with his daggers. Autumn and Arrie charged General Andauros, and exchanged a brutal series of blows with him. Tolly took time to eliminate those Taurics who had been too close to the general for Kyle or Osborn to target, and then waded in to help his wife. The general was a ferocious fighter, and all three of his enemies were badly wounded, but in the end the odds were against him. He finally fell to his knees, his ebon-handled morningstar slipping out of his grasp.
“Lanara, keep an eye out for trouble,” Tolly called out. “Osborn, make sure our escape route is clear. Kyle, finish off this minotaur while I tend to Ariadne’s wounds.”
Lanara, who was invisible somewhere above them, flew off to watch the nearby battle, while Osborn circled around behind the field tent. Kyle stepped up to the general, leveling a wand at his massive horned head as Tolly walked up to Arrie, who was kneeling in the dirt nearby. Two things happened at the same time; Arrie jumped up and wrapped her spiked chain around Tolly’s throat, and Autumn’s axe severed Kyle’s outstretched arm at the elbow.
Autumn began to advance on Arrie, stepping over Kyle as he lay screaming in the dirt. Arrie pulled Tolly around, her chain still around his throat. Blood ran down the front of his armor.
“Try it, bitch, and your husband ends up about a foot shorter,” Arrie shouted. Tolly struggled, but Arrie had braced herself against the Ardaran with one knee, locking her grip.
Gurgling, Tolly managed to get his gauntleted fingers into the links of the chain, and pulled it free just enough to rasp out a spell. Instantly, Tolly’s flesh turned dull grey and became as hard as iron. He shrugged Arrie off his back, and with another spell grew to nearly nine feet tall. Arrie whipped at his with her chain several times, but each blow glanced off his body in a spray of sparks. She began to back off, as Tolly and Autumn advanced.
“Two against one,” Tolly growled, still hoarse. “If you just give up now, perhaps we’ll just have you sold to the Taurics as a concubine. I hear some of the centaurs have developed a taste for bipeds.”
“Not likely, bastard,” she snapped, and glared at him. There was a strange sound in the air, like several people humming in unison.
Autumn knew what was happening. She wanted to warn her husband, but after being forced to keep Arrie’s secret from Tolly for over a year, she hesitated for a split-second, and that cost her. Before the corrupter could utter a word, Tolly suddenly clutched his head, screamed, and collapsed, blood and other fluids oozing out of his eyes, ears, and nose.
Arrie turned to Autumn, a wicked grin on her face. “Your turn,” she spat, and again a hum filled the air. A moment later, the intensity of Arrie’s glare lessened, replaced by a look of confusion. Autumn smiled, and tapped a finger on the gold circlet she wore to signify her status as Queen of Merlion.
“You didn’t think I wore this out of simple vanity, did you?” the aasimar sneered. “A gift from some highly-placed friends for just such an occasion.”
“So you knew about my training,” Arrie said, “you’re not as stupid as you look, ‘sister’. I guess I’ll just have to finish you off the old fashioned way.”
“You’re welcome to try,” Autumn leered, “but I should warn you about one thing.” Autumn suddenly stooped down and touched Tolly’s twitching body. White light shone from his chest and was quickly drawn into Autumn. She took a half-second to send some healing energy into the Ardaran priest, to keep him from dying, and then stood up.
“I have more than one trick up my sleeve.”
Arrie leapt aside as the earth suddenly opened a huge fissure beneath her. Seconds later, she was singed by a column of divine fire from the sky. Autumn laughed.
“Give up now, Arrie. I can keep this up for a while, and even if you manage to get close, I’m more than a match for you.”
Autumn began to cast another one of Tolly’s spells. Suddenly, she felt a hand grasp her around the arm. The hand spun her around with immense strength. Kyle stood there, his grip locked on her with his remaining arm. He looked pale, but from more than just loss of blood. His eyes glowed red, and his teeth were fanged.
“Just one last kiss before we go,” he hissed, and pulled Autumn to him. He smashed his lips into hers, moving his grip from her arm to the back of her head to anchor her in place. She felt his razor sharp teeth bite into her lower lip. She twitched as she felt the life draining out of her, felt her control of Tolly’s divine powers slipping away. Desperately, she fought back, and finally managed to break his grip, staggering and falling backwards. Kyle stood over her, his mouth slick with her blood, and grinned. Arrie walked up to him, put her arm around his waist, and they walked away, vanishing into thin air a few feet away.
Autumn staggered to her feet and went to where Tolly was laying in the blood-soaked earth. Summoning up what strength she had left, she cast one of Tolly’s
word of recall spells, and they both vanished.
Moments later, Osborn and Lanara met in the midst of the battlefield. “I guess that’s the end of the Legacy,” Osborn commented. “I was rather surprised, actually. Rash and sloppy on both sides.”
“Amazing what the right music can do,” smiled Lanara. “It can make people overconfident without realizing it.”
“So, what now?” Osborn asked. “The truth is bound to come out back in Noxolt. You might have some trouble reintegrating yourself back with Haxtha.”
“Who said I wanted to go back to Haxtha?” Lanara said. She walked over to where General Andauros had passed out, and used her own magic to heal him. She put her arm around his shoulder as he began to rouse himself. “Like I said, I spent a lot of time getting to the top man, and I don’t want to start over.” She looked at the massive minotaur. “It’ll take some getting used to, but fortunately I’m adaptable by my nature. And ultimately he’s just another step along the way. I’m sure sooner or later the general here can arrange an introduction to Kristyan.”
Osborn smiled. “Just don’t conquer the world too quickly. I have plans.”
Lanara was helping Andauros to his feet, but pulled a hand free to wave. “Say hello to Aranal when you see her again,” she said.
“I’ll pass along your regards tonight,” he replied. “It’s been fun.”
Oh, the fun’s just starting, Lanara thought, as Osborn dashed away.
Arrie, Kyle, Autumn and Tolly are still alive out there somewhere. I have the feeling we’ll all see each other again.
