Vaid Empire: Conquest
Chapter 116
25th of Silla, 20 AVE.
Kingdom of Narok, Arkos-Nu.
“Wake the desert?”
The words drifted through the Arkos king’s private lounge, a horrid warning infecting the silence.
“What does it mean?” Anthara asked. Standing proudly among the gathered royals and advisors, she subtly tightened her hold upon her son as he rested in her arms.
Vixin glanced uneasily at Yisi, having reported the words her Arkos slave had uttered. “And all shall be consumed.”
They stood around the lounge, save for The God Emperor. He sat back upon a cushion, resting his sword across his chest with Taros against his side. Having swiftly grown to become his favorite among her cousins, the granddaughter of Torakeom nearly purred as he held her rump. Human fingers roughly squeezed Arkos flesh, lost in thought, for Dominax too had heard similar words from an Arkos lover. “Wake the desert,” he repeated, his deep words oozing through the lounge in a low rumble. “I shall put my blade to the dunes themselves if I must.”
Queen Regent Quinla politely pushed her way between King Galis and Prince Fonax to stand before their ruler. “Your majesty, the Arkos people of Wonakaros are deeply superstitious people. My father used to tell me tales of his time in Narok, and even here, there are few that escape the legends spread from The West.” She cradled her pregnancy, choosing her words carefully. “Defeated raiders and slaves from Wonakaros have long claimed that the desert shall wake to consume their enemies.”
Salduin scratched his bald head, holding Jinilya with one arm. “The world is not lacking for false beliefs.”
Dominax saw Quinla’s lips tighten. “You have more to say?”
“Even from the Arkos slaves we receive in Spirexia, there is no end to the baseless threats they offer. A defeated man will say anything he must to cling to his pride, even if it requires hurling promises of his enemies’ destruction that shall never come to pass. However…” Quinla paused to debate with herself if such words were even worth mentioning. “There have been tales that have drifted across Spirexia’s borders of ancient armies vanishing in the deep desert without a trace.” She shrugged gracefully. “Old tales whispered across hundreds of miles and hundreds of years.”
The God Emperor’s gaze befell old King Torakeom as the elderly Arkos fidgeted with his many rings. “Yet I am hearing of such tales only now.”
Clearing his throat, Torakeom’s eyes never left his granddaughter as his ruler’s hand explored her bare curves. “My good, good friends, you speak of things deep into our past. Never in all my years have I sent forth an army into the deep desert. Yes, we’ve attacked Wonak villages that venture close to our border, though the deep desert has always been beyond our reach.” He touched his chest through his crimson robe, the silk appearing as if it had been soaked in human blood. “For nearly a century, my armies have avoided the consuming wastes of Wonakaros’ inner reaches. Before my time, my predecessor did the same. You speak of events no living being is old enough to have witnessed themselves.”
“Yet you knew the tales.” Dominax’s silver eyes narrowed.
“Yes, yes, all Arkos know the legends, but why spoil our deal with whispers of ancient superstitions?” Torakeom asked, speaking quickly. “Entire armies vanishing without a trace when sent against Arkos-Tul? Ah, of course! The deep desert is a deadly land. It takes much and spares little.” He glanced coldly at Anthara and Lalian. “In any case, it has always been far more profitable to raid the Lanthians, rather than invade our western kin, for at least our armies return from their jungle.”
Ignoring Anthara’s furious scowl, Cendra mirrored her father’s narrowed gaze. “Yet you are all too eager to send our armies into the desert.”
The old king rubbed his hands together with a hungry grin. “Yes, of course, my friends. Our combined strength shall surpass the greatest of any Narok army we’ve ever amassed! Despite their superstitions, despite ancient tales that are best ignored, we shall pierce the harsh grasp of the deep desert and strike down the malice of Wonakaros, yes?”
A silence lingered in the wake of his words, for The God Emperor pondered behind a hard expression. Fingers tracing over smooth Arkos skin, he tasted the warning once more. “We shall wake the desert, and all shall be consumed.” He turned his deadly gaze to Lalian. “The desert itself will not stop our march, yet we have seen the price of venturing into lands we don’t fully understand. Continue your research. Bring me everything there is to know about these Arkos superstitions.” He looked down at the beauty against his side. “Stomp their lies into dust and discover whatever truth they hold, for my legion shall not be another army lost to the sands.”
With a wave of his hand, Dominax dismissed them.
“Salduin. Hesin. Lalian. You three stay,” he commanded as the royals began to drain from the chamber. So too did he tap his Arkos lover’s thigh, prompting Taros to leave.
Lingering behind, his advisors waited for the others to depart. Vixin was the last, retrieving Jinilya as she granted her father a curious glance.
When none but The God Emperor’s oldest advisors remained, his deep tone grew conspiratorial. “Ancient tales and muttered warnings. None of them matter, for we cannot march.”
Hesin’s eye shifted to glance at Salduin from behind his mask.
“What occurred at Fask can never be permitted to occur again.” The God Emperor’s words oozed through the lounge like a spiteful fog. “They shall have the rest I promised.”
“Those who were most vocal in Fask continue to disappear into the shadows,” Hesin replied. “A slow process, but ungrateful scum continue to learn what their treason has earned them each night.”
Dominax nodded. “So they do, though there are other matters I’d discuss with you three.” He rose from the cushion. “We cannot leave, and thus I’ve given thought to hosting the next Day of New Life here in Arkos-Nu. In the wake of Fask, what better way to remind the legion of what happens to those that defy me than to celebrate the extinction of The Cult of Ortis?”
“Ortis…” Salduin muttered. “Haven’t heard that name in quite a while.”
No others among them had known the man, nor had witnessed his death by Dominax’s hands, save for Salduin and Hesin. They alone could remember that horrid day among the ruins of Nitri. They alone had seen Ortis stand against Dominax’s rise, only to fall himself.
Though the group of rebels that had formed in his name had been extinguished, the tradition of celebrating their destruction had persisted. Like the first Day of New Life, all those decades ago in Domani, rituals of mass breedings and orgies were hosted throughout The Empire each year on the same day, quite literally creating new life and new future citizens.
The God Emperor had always initiated the rituals with a breeding of his own before the masses. As the decades passed, however, and as his conquests saw him away from Domani for long periods of time, stretches of several years passed without official celebrations on The Day of New Life.
“Let the Arkos see our ways. Let the taint of Fask be washed away. Let the legion celebrate, though let them hear the name Ortis and remember the fate that befalls all my enemies,” Dominax commanded.
Salduin nodded. “A wise choice, your holiness. I’ll work with Vixin to prepare the Sages. We’ll use such a celebration to its fullest extent, spreading our beliefs further among the Arkos population.”
“I’d have them witness the full extent of our power,” Dominax said before turning to Lalian. “Begin the construction of a platform that may display the core branches of The Empire. I’d have them gaze upon The Sages, the Truthseekers of The Hesian Order, and the Knights of The Privictis Order. I’d have them witness the beauty and power of my offspring, my Vaidspawns, and know the divine worth of the blood running through their veins. I would have them cast aside their false gods for the beings before them, for they shall bear witness to my power.”
“It shall be done,” Lalian replied with excitement.
Dominax nodded. “Then you may go, for there is much to do.”
49th of Silla, 20 AVE.
Kingdom of Narok, Arkos-Nu.
Far at the rear of the underground city, deep within the vast cave that held all of Arkos-Nu, thousands gathered before the curved facade of the palace. Spread among the deep fountains and gardens, the population was permitted to mingle with the legion, human and Arkos joining together in an uneasy peace. They remained clustered in groups of their own kind, speaking in opposing tongues as they waited.
When the doors to The Palace of Arkos-Nu opened, The Day of New Life began.
Thousands of legionaries, human servants, slaves, and accompanying civilians erupted with cheers that roared through the colossal cave. Ahead, The God Emperor stepped into the open.
Lalian’s grand platform, a monstrosity consisting of three levels and made of imported wood, rose before Dominax. Designed with a pyramidal shape, the highest level waited at the top, while the lower levels wrapped around the angled supports. The white banners of House Vaid decorated the sides of the platform, concealing much of the internal structure.
Human cheers and shouts continued to echo as The God Emperor ascended to claim his place on the highest level. Rising high above the crowds, Dominax found Vixin and Nafalya waiting, surrounded by Sages. At the forward edge stood a cushioned altar newly carved from stone, and atop it he found an offering waiting to be claimed.
The population watched from below, their faces a vast assembly of countless emotions. Curiosity, fear, disgust, lust, all could be found among the Arkos crowds bleeding through the gardens and fountains surrounding the palace. Further beyond, wide streets were now unseen beneath the amassing population as the entire city drained towards the rear of the cave, settling into any open space they could find between the dark buildings of stone.
Their attendance was no less than mandatory. Every Arkos man and woman of sexual maturity was summoned into the streets while their children were safely secured inside their homes, tended to by the elderly members of the population. Young, fertile, virile Arkos of breeding age were ordered to bask in the celebration. They could share in the pleasure of their conquerors if they wished to, or not, yet they would watch.
Around the platform, a thick ring of legionaries stood ready to protect the royals, forgoing the celebration. Their comrades stretched out around them, bare of armor and clothing. Naked humans cheered and prayed as The God Emperor approached the altar.
Dominax studied his offering as she sat before him, a stranger, a young Arkos woman. Having been chosen from the population by Vixin, she waited with her hands in her lap, concealing her sex from his curious eyes. With wavy black curls that toppled over her bare breasts, she met him with dark purple eyes and a faint smirk.
“Does she please you, father?” Vixin asked above the roar of the crowds. Standing beside the altar with Nafalya on the other side, she and her sister were as naked as the girl before him. “Is she worthy to bear your child?”
He reached forth to cup the girl’s cheek, brushing his thumb over her soft lips. Her dark gaze fluttered, her pretty expression offering a willingness she didn’t possess the words for. It mattered little if she knew his tongue, for the service of her womb was all he required. “Indeed.”
The population watched as one of their own was within their conqueror’s grasp, a traitor ready to serve, ready to carry his baby. Hardly was she alone. Littered throughout the gardens, Arkos slaves were bound and bare, restrained in positions that left them helpless before the lustful needs of the human crowds. Countless hybrids would be sired by the end of the day, no doubt.
However, the forced submission of slaves was far from one-sided. Further back, among the Arkos portions of the crowds, human slaves had been strategically placed in similarly helpless positions, bound and naked for the service of those around them. Small groups of armed legionaries guarded every slave, ensuring the population would be served in an orderly and controlled manner. The seed and ovum of humans and Arkos alike would join together, uniting the populations in the pleasure of creation.
Above it all, though beneath her father and sisters, Cendra stood proudly on the second level of the platform. Surrounded by her Knights, she and her companions were a display of power, the best of The Empire. Decorated in armor and pristine white cloaks, they stood as statues of beauty and strength, looking down upon the population.
The Privictis Order had claimed their place at the front of the pyramidal platform, though so too did the Truthseekers and Sages stand on display. Each side of the structure held an Order, the masked assassins of The Empire to one side of The Knights, and a group of Sages to the other. The second level was a showcase, a grand collection of deadly and dutiful servants of The Empire, all carrying the blood of their God Emperor.
Glancing down, Cendra saw old King Torakeom and his family on the third level, a centerpiece flanked by Quinla, Galis, Fonax, and any other royal that had earned a place beneath the members of House Vaid. The Arkos king stood surrounded by his naked granddaughters as they lounged, each of them pregnant with their conqueror’s offspring. Cendra thought her father’s message was quite clear to all who beheld the display. Torakeom’s submission had earned him a place among the royals beneath the imperial throne, yet a single glance at his granddaughters left no doubt as to just how deeply the people of Narok had been conquered.
Dominax ran his fingers through his intended lover’s wavy hair, the latest Arkos to fall. He gestured for her to turn around.
The population watched as one of their own turned to see them. Kneeling upon the cushioned altar, she was helpless as The God Emperor’s hand ran over her curves. More voluptuous than was typical of her species, she offered no resistance as his hands glided over her wide hips. Young and fertile, her body was ideal for childbirth.
His hand centered over her womb, caressing her flat belly as he held her against his armored chest. The light of nearby braziers illuminated all atop the platform as his booming voice rang out to address the crowds. “Twenty-five years ago, as I beheld the ruins of my home, I saw a defeated and broken population! I stood before those few that had survived the slaughter of my people, of Nitri, and seized fate into my grasp!” His free hand clenched into a fist before him. “No longer could the horrors of chaos be permitted to ravage all those born into this world! No longer could populations bleed at the whims of incompetent rulers! It is the nature of living creatures to fight, to slaughter, to consume any who is weaker! When left without a proper guide, without a hand driving events towards order, the world has always bred chaos!”
Far behind the platform, far to the side of the palace’s curved entrance facade, the children of House Vaid played in a secluded area within the gardens, unseen and spared the sight of the celebration by walls decorated by tiny glowing mushrooms. The distant echoes of The God Emperor’s words reached the advanced ears of his kin, just loud enough to understand. Though the others played, Cliax stood still as he listened. He watched Arinax sit down, clearly lost in thought as he too pondered his father’s speech.
As Cliax listened, however, he felt his stomach tighten with an instinctive revulsion at the words. He glanced at the walls around him, guarded by the blades of Knights. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if the Arkos population felt the same constricting feeling within his grandfather’s tight grasp.
Turning his head to meet Arinax’s silver eyes, the two boys remained still as The God Emperor’s words continued to echo, a garden standing between them.
“I vowed to snuff out chaos beneath the boot of order! I sought to build a world where none would ever feel the sting of loss as everything they know is snatched from their hands! An Eternal Peace is what I’ve spent these decades forging! A world of protected citizens thriving within a framework of my design! I claimed what remained among the ruins of a tiny settlement and rose to seize all of humanity! From Nitri we grew into an empire that has now reached across the mountains to touch the dunes that few of our ancestors had ever dreamed of seeing! Now I would see us united! Humans and Arkos, citizens of this great empire, joined as one beneath the majesty of my imperial throne! I would see us crush your enemies and forge them into brothers! I would see the world kneel as you do now, a single population of beings living in peace and prosperity!”
A network of translators carried his words across the city, ensuring everyone in the vast crowds heard. The humans below cheered while the Arkos masses were washed in waves of emotion. Unable to speak out, their discontent was a bitter silence, some glaring at those of their own kind that submitted and joined the cheers. Genuine support, fear, ambition, disgust, bravery, cowardice, the city was a grand collection of every manner of man and woman, reacting to the fall of their ancestors’ world and the spreading of something new.
Dominax felt the young woman grow tense as his hold upon her tightened. “Such a world is my gift to you, yet this gift was nearly snatched away a moment before it began! A rival, a fool, the vile Ortis sought to challenge me and steer those few that remained of our people into oblivion! I ended his life, yet those beneath his sway remained! The Cult of Ortis sought to strike me down, and in return I purged them from this world!”
Once more, the humans cheered, naked masses worshiping their holy ruler. Once more, a distant prince with golden hair felt uneasy.
“Today we celebrate their extermination and the survival of order! Today we spit upon those that would see our future cast down into chaos! Today we savor the pleasures my Eternal Peace offers to create new life and new beings that may one day grow to enjoy the safety and prosperity of this new world!” He caressed his lover’s belly, sensing her fertile womb. “May this one be an example to you all!”
Among the cacophony of cheers and shouts, Vixin and Nafalya approached to perform their duties. Every move planned beforehand, every detail of the ritual and platform designed for the sake of appearances, they took the girl’s hands and guided her to rest on her back atop the altar.
Surrounding their ruler, their true father, the longest serving of those among the Sages that had accompanied the legion were permitted to kneel atop the platform’s highest level. Nearly close enough to touch The God Emperor, they prayed with loud devotion as they offered their worship, hands outstretched towards him, palms up. They wore nothing to conceal their bodies, figures of perfection praying for the crowds to see.
Vixin grinned at the sight as she retrieved a glass vial containing transparent oil. Her expression faded as she avoided meeting her father’s gaze, however, putting aside thoughts of Irith as she performed her duties.
Together, she and Nafalya began to rub the oil onto the smooth skin of their father’s offered mate. She spoke false blessings, knowing the truth of The Creator, yet each word was for the sake of the audience. They made the young woman into a proper offering worthy of a god, caressing her naked body as they wetted her grey skin.
Vixin massaged the legs of the Arkos, finding herself blushing. She rubbed her feet with the warm oil, spreading it up her calves. Massaging the beautiful girl’s thighs, ensuring they were slick and glistening, she couldn’t resist running a hand over her groin. The young woman’s pretty lips parted, unable to keep the clear need from her expression.
Nafalya rubbed the oil over the girl’s stomach and upwards, massaging her perky breasts. She felt her hard nipples against her palms, chuckling to herself in amusement as she kissed her lips to stifle a moan. Pulling back, she granted Vixin a smirk as if to brag.
With her naked body glistening in the light from blazing fires burning in great braziers, the young woman’s grey tail curled up to drag between her lower lips, challenging her conqueror with a hungry grin.
Dominax met her wordless call with firm hands. He grabbed her slick legs, guiding them further apart. While she rested on her back atop the altar, submitting to her fate, he stood tall before her.
Vixin nodded to the nearest Sage. Though all onlookers knew the Sage must be an illegitimate daughter of The God Emperor to be among their Order, she was permitted to unfasten the groin slit of his one-suit and free the cock that had made her. Gentle fingers brushed over his thick shaft before she returned to her place, yet another calculated controversy to be whispered among the population, acclimating them deeper into the taboo depths of his designs.
So too did the princesses at his side push his aims forward, allowing the entire population to see a father behold the naked forms of his beautiful daughters while he bred. They stood dutifully, within reach as The God Emperor rubbed his cock against the lubricated labia of his holy offering.
Arousal simmered among the human crowds, naked bodies ready to come together and mate. Still they held back, resisting their desires, for none could begin before their holy ruler.
Meeting the purple gaze of his fertile lover, a stranger, Dominax watched her expression melt into bliss as he glided his cock inside her. A human and Arkos came together, and a wave of holy fervor erupted among the crowds below. With a moan, the celebration began in full.
The gardens and streets exploded with the sounds of pleasure as lovers followed the lead of The God Emperor. Hands explored naked forms, fingers gliding, tongues licking, legs parting. Raw, primal lust seized the city, for countless loins met to conceive new life.
Dominax heard the ecstasy of his followers, sensing pleasure erupting into countless ripples that echoed through the fabric of reality. He focused on the soft flesh within his grasp, feeling the smooth, warm skin of a female eager to be impregnated. Her fertile body reacted with every firm thrust, feeling the quiver of her loins as he ventured deep. A human cock claimed a tight Arkos vagina, one of countless matings occurring throughout Arkos-Nu.
Vixin and Nafalya faced the crowds. They heard the translators in the distance spreading The God Emperor’s propaganda. Placed strategically throughout the Arkos crowds to ensure as many citizens as possible heard, they shouted praise for the daughters of their ruler, two imperial princesses of House Vaid, for they were both currently pregnant with Arkos hybrids. Nafalya rubbed her round swell with satisfaction, while Vixin’s own pregnancy was too early to show. Two moments prompted by little more than lust had left them both with child, yet their father would see their sensual acts spun into tales of selfless unification.
The resistance of the population demonstrated its worth, for within minutes, lines of Arkos men formed to take their turns using the human slaves on offer. Hardly could many forgo such an opportunity. Arkos cocks slid into human vaginas, moaning, sperm unleashing into fertile wombs.
Vixin’s thighs rubbed together as she watched the vast display of sensuality. Naked humans pushed between the parted thighs of close lovers or found willing strangers. Swapping, breeding, they offered prayers towards The Creator and their ruler between moans. Every raw thrust was in the service of creation, loins coming together with the intention to honor their God Emperor by conceiving new life.
Above it all, Dominax savored the sight. He rocked his hips, watching as the crowds mingled. Lustful glances crossed the gasps between two species, requiring no words to draw curious individuals together. An Arkos female in the distance offered a willing glance towards a human male, drawing him to meet her. A second Arkos, then another, all across the city, such occurrences grew more common. Bare bodies with pale or grey skin came together, hands caressing strangers. Countless Arkos scorned their treacherous kin, yet the blades of legionaries kept their tongues silenced.
Human slaves, servants, legionaries temporarily relieved of duty, all were enthralled by the citywide orgy as the gardens and streets echoed with the thundering sounds of moaning. The bondmates, lovers, and mature sons and daughters of the legion that had accompanied their march to serve during the journey all mingled below. Countless naked bodies filled every public space available, breeding with religious fervor.
Dominax’s fingers glided across the slick skin of his offering, feeling the warm oil coating her body. Her naked form glistened as he rubbed her, exploring every alluring inch on display.
Her wavy curls hung over the edge of the altar as her body rocked with every hard thrust. The prayers of the Sages kneeling around them never ceased, praising their holy ruler and his seed, products of his sperm themselves. They offered their outstretched hands, caressing their own breasts before once more reaching towards their true father.
Hands gliding over slick curves, Dominax savored the beauty of the young woman moaning with each of his thrusts. Her exotic Arkos body called to him, feminine and fertile. The instinct to impregnate her pulsated through him with every movement, eager to fill her womb with yet another hybrid of his blood.
Ever the dutiful firstborn, Cendra remained in place. She stood proudly with her hand tightly gripping the hilt of her sheathed sword as she stared down the crowds. Daring to glance over at Kunir at her side, however, she eyed the new cloaks of her Knights. Bearing the new symbol of The Privictis Order, she blinked as she beheld Clin’s final act as High Peacekeeper. Turning her attention forward once more, she stared with a hollow gaze at the masses.
Above, Dominax watched the pleasure flavoring his lover’s pretty features. Her lips parted with sensual moans, needing no words to beg for more.
At last, he gestured for her to turn over. With assistance from her breeder’s royal daughters, she swiftly maneuvered onto her belly, bent over the altar with her feet touching the ground.
The God Emperor continued to thrust while his daughters dripped more oil onto the Arkos girl’s rear, rubbing her asscheeks. Her grey skin seemed to shine as their hands caressed her, dragging their fingers over her round rump and down the gentle dip of her back.
Her tail danced and swayed in pleasure, curling in reaction to his powerful movements. He drove his cock deep inside her fertile depths in a steady rhythm, feeling the warmth of a living being that was eager to receive his seed.
The girl’s flesh, her slick skin, her alluring curves, all were physical and real within his grasp. A unique creature, a being, a body and a soul, she existed. She breathed. She felt the pleasure of his cock pushing inside her tight vagina. She was alive.
Dorian had created their world as a place where his creations could live and experience reality. Dominax would grant their world order and peace. Beneath the protection of his empire, countless generations would experience the pleasures their reality permitted them to feel.
He would take this alluring offering in his grasp, this living being, and fill her womb with all she required to make another living person. He would plant his child inside her, and she would birth a new citizen that would be allowed to feel the pleasures of reality and procreate within his empire.
Their child too would exist.
Fingers digging into the feminine flesh of her rear, Dominax roared as he hilted his cock deep inside her tight embrace. An agonizing ecstasy gripped his loins as he unleashed himself inside her, hearing her whimpering moans as he filled her with his seed.
The God Emperor lifted his hand, letting fire and electricity dance in his palm. As he savored the euphoria of impregnating a gorgeous lover, he let his power leap into the air for all to see.
Snapped from her thoughts, Cendra and her Knights joined his display. They let the city see their power as it hurled through the sky, illuminating the highest reaches of the colossal cave. Screams and cheers mixed below as the population beheld the otherworldly abilities of their divine blood.
As her power faded from her fingertips, Cendra felt an emptiness fill her stomach. She watched the fire she had sent forth dissipate into the air, oblivious to the fanatic prayers and stunned onlookers below.
Turning her head, she met Kunir’s gaze. He offered a dutiful nod, yet all she saw was the symbol on his cloak. With a gesture for him to take her place in the center of the display, she ignored his confused expression and pushed her way through her companions.
***
High atop a tall building, red eyes watched from behind a dark helmet. Caring nothing for the crowds, Salik saw only the man he had trained every day of his life to kill.
In the distance, The God Emperor presented his bred lover for all to see. Salik watched as the human ruler guided the Arkos girl to sit upon the distant altar, parting her legs wide. Surely only those closest would be able to see his seed leaking from her loins, yet all knew the implication. Another womb fell to his conquest.
Salik stared. Motionless, he studied his prey, his purpose. So close, yet as ever, beyond his reach. His fellow Dril remained silent behind their watchful leader.
Movement caught his eye as he watched a woman depart from the platform. Even from this distance, he knew her well. She had glimpsed him in the jungle.
“Princess Cendra.”
He watched as the firstborn of The God Emperor abandoned the celebration to return to the palace just behind. His gaze followed her until she disappeared inside the grand structure, only to drift to the side of the palace where the royal children played.
The height of the building allowed The Agents of Shai to see the entirety of the royal gardens. Between giant glowing mushrooms of every color, Salik’s red eyes fell upon the grandchildren of his enemy. Behind the wall they played, oblivious to their distant observer.
Having reached the hidden bureau his fellow Agents had settled in the underground city, he had received The Potentate’s waiting commands days ago. Now, his hold tightened around the cylinder as he thought of the message inside, remembering The Potentate’s words.
“Target those closest to The God Emperor.”
Salik knew his enemy well. He had studied him, drinking in every available piece of information. He could name each member of his family. He could list the dates and places of their births. Seeing an older prince speaking privately to a blond boy, he named them silently.
“Arinax and Cliax.”
He watched as a younger princess with dark hair approached them and pointed towards the palace, uttering words he was far too distant to hear.
“Jinilya.”
Across the private garden, an older girl studied the colorful mushrooms covering the walls.
“Zela.”
The youngest, a quiet boy wandered about the garden, keeping to himself.
“Atrix.”
Once more, he squeezed the cylinder containing his orders. He closed his eyes, feeling a bitter taste upon his tongue. When he opened them, he saw the Knights guarding the children. Atop every nearby rooftop, masked Truthseekers waited for danger. His agents would never get close. Now here, and not now.
Movement caught his attention, seeing the blond prince hurry inside the palace, holding up a hand to stop the older boy from following.
Returning his attention to the rooftops, he studied the positions of the Truthseekers. Spread out across the rooftops, they watched the fervent crowds.
Gaze scanning the shorter buildings, he froze. Though far in the distance, his red eyes met the one-eyed mask of a man he had long been curious to encounter.
There, across the rooftops, his red eyes met the gaze of The Hesian Order’s leader.
“Grand Master Hesin.”
The two assassins remained still for a moment, human and Dril, a white mask studying a dark helmet. Shouts would be too distant to reach the other. Instead, they stood frozen in silence.
At last, Hesin signaled to the Truthseekers near him.
“We’ve been spotted,” a Dril just behind quietly announced.
Salik nodded. He watched the distant humans dash across the rooftops in graceful displays of agility. Slowly, he retreated from the edge of his own rooftop and gestured for his agents to follow. “Time to go.”
They’d be long gone before the distant Truthseekers reached their position. Salik glanced down a final time at the cylinder, securing The Potentate’s orders to his belt.
Moving swiftly across the heights of the city, he and his companions made their way towards one of the many branching tunnels stretching out from the underground city, the same one they had used to sneak inside. Arkos-Nu was no longer of use to them. They had only stayed so long after receiving their orders from the bureau due to Salik’s desire to observe their enemy.
Reaching the tunnel, Salik looked around to ensure they had escaped their pursuers, seeing no sign of the Truthseekers.
The God Emperor was behind, yet their orders forced them forward. Aside from shifting their focus to their enemy’s family, The Potentate’s words had provided detailed commands to join their Arkos allies in the deep desert. There, they would lay their trap together.
Once more, Salik had seen his mortal enemy, his purpose, only to be separated. Even still, he swallowed his disappointment. He would face The God Emperor at a time of The Potentate’s choosing. He would kill the man he had trained to defeat. He would fulfill the purpose and burden his father had placed upon his shoulders, and when The God Emperor was dead at his feet, he would learn the true name of his mother.
Turning his back upon the underground city, he bled into the darkness of the tunnel ahead.
***
Cendra marched proudly through the entrance hall of the palace, passing the guards. With a stern expression, she strode through the corridors and found her bedchamber. Stepping inside, she sealed the door behind her. Alone, the facade of her pride slipped from her shoulders.
She rested her back against the door, covering her eyes with her hands. Trembling, thinking of the symbol on Kunir’s cloak, she inhaled an unsteady breath as a dampness gathered in her gaze.
“No.” She shook her head, fighting against her weakness. She wouldn’t cry. Not this time.
Taking a moment to calm herself, she dared to lower her hands. The lonely silence of the chamber lingered before her, as empty as she had left it.
Swallowing her emotions, she strolled across the chamber and fell into a chair carved from a smooth charom stem. In the far corner of the room, she reached over to find a bottle of expensive Zilrinian wine waiting upon the small table beside her. Seizing the cup she used each night with an unsteady hand, she poured herself a drink.
It went down quickly. She didn’t care to taste it. With an empty cup lingering in her grasp, she looked down to find that she needed more. Still she could remember his name.
“Clin. Curse you.”
Once more, she felt a dampness in her gaze. Once more, she fought back. She drowned her sorrows with a second drink, then a third, refilling her cup until her head began to feel light.
Soon the entire bottle was empty, and an imperial princess of House Vaid, the firstborn daughter of The God Emperor, stared up at the ceiling as she sank into the chair.
“Mother?”
The voice of Cliax echoed through the chamber. She hadn’t heard the door open. Hardly did she have the strength to lift her head, feeling as if it would roll from her shoulders, yet she saw the blond prince slip into the room as her fluttering gaze found him.
“Jin said she sensed you nearby,” Cliax explained, cautiously approaching her. “She said she could feel that you were…um…” He eyed the empty bottle. “Sad.”
Cendra closed her eyes.
Standing in silence, he watched her without receiving a reply. Jin’s warning hadn’t been an act of kindness.
A minute ticked by, then another. He couldn’t tell if she was awake. Nervously, he dared to creep forward. Sitting on the floor between her legs, the low chair allowed him to rest his head upon her thigh.
Lost in a haze, she began to caress his young head, running her fingers through his long hair. Her whispered words were slurred. “My golden…prince…”
With a sigh, he closed his eyes, savoring his mother’s touch.
50th of Silla, 20 AVE.
Kingdom of Narok, Open Desert.
“Cendra…”
Weak steps dragged across the black sand.
“Cliax…”
The desert stretched out before a fallen Knight, his helmet clanging against his dirty white armor as it hung fastened to his belt. Under the hood of his cloak, he beheld a horizon that seemed never to grow closer.
“I’m sorry…”
Beneath the blistering sun, Clin stumbled. He fell. Exhausted breaths muttered from his cracked lips, yet still he fought to rise to his feet.
“Cendra…Cliax…” The words were all that drove a broken man. Surrounded by endless black dunes, he pressed forward, uncertain where he was going. “Cendra…Cliax…”
When he stumbled and fell a final time, he found he couldn’t rise. Desperate hands clawed at the endless sand, trying to drag himself. “Cendra…Cliax…” Pulling himself an inch, then another, the last strength of a doomed man shattered at last. He managed only to roll onto his back, peering up at the sun that seemed determined to slay him.
“I’m…so…sorry…”
After all he had done, all he had fought for, death lingered above him.
He might have laughed if he was capable. His dried lips uttered a pained moan, his face a ruin of blisters. For decades he had survived battle after battle, only to find that his last enemy was mere dehydration.
“Such a pointless death…” he thought, closing his eyes. He could shed no tears, else he would have drunk them.
What had he hoped to find? The only redemption the desert offered was death.
Thinking of the dead Arkos girl he had held in his arms, he gritted his teeth. Perhaps this was for the best. His blade would do no further harm.
“Cendra…” She was the most beautiful girl in the world, his princess, his love.
“Cliax…” His boy, his poor son.
He had failed them both.
“F…forgive…me…”
With thoughts of his family distracting him from the pain of the sun, he could almost meet his death in peace. It was a peace he didn’t deserve, however, for too much had been left undone and unsaid. Even still, he clung to them, awaiting his end.
He waited, and waited, feeling the sun beating down upon him without mercy. Minute after minute, feeling as if he was slipping away, he waited for the darkness of death to claim him. In his delirium, time became a haze.
When he felt the cold sting of a single drop of water strike the scar on his cheek, his eyes struggled to open.
Another drop of water hit his forehead. Though tiny, it felt like an explosion washing over him. His blurred vision began to clear, looking up to see that clouds were drifting above him. The sky darkened as they blocked out the unforgiving sun.
How long had he been on his back? Did he even care to know? The dark clouds sent shadows trickling down the dunes, and with them, rain.
Clin felt the raindrops fall upon him. Slowly at first, they began to fall in a heavy downpour.
Cracked lips dared to part. He dared to hope. As he tasted the rain, he knew he had felt no greater pleasure. Perhaps he was already dead.
Mouth open, he drank. The pain of swallowing gradually broke him from his haze. He lived. Death’s fangs had brushed against his throat, yet now he felt them retreating. Drinking, he greedily caught every drop he could.
Eyes opening wide with a realization, he moaned in pain as he struggled to unfasten his helmet from his belt. He turned it upside down, letting the rain pool inside it.
New strength trickled through his body with every passing minute as he drank, straining to sit up. Peering into the water inside his helmet, he saw only Cendra and Cliax.
He wanted to live.
A thought of Cilith hardened his cracked lips. This life was not done with him. He had departed to become a better man, a good man. Perhaps he would never become one, yet he had to try. Until then, he couldn’t surrender.
Until his final breath, until the sand buried his bones, he would fight. He would make up for the damage he had wrought.
When the rain at last came to an end, he struggled to his feet. Tucking his helmet full of water under his arm, he straightened his hood and brushed the sand from his cloak.
“Cendra…Cliax…I’m sorry.”
Taking a step from the spot that would have been his grave, he continued onward.
An old Knight would continue to fight. A broken man would cling to life a little longer.
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