The Cor Chronicles: Volume 02 - Fire and Steel (35 page)
Read The Cor Chronicles: Volume 02 - Fire and Steel Online
Authors: Martin V. Parece II
“Not enough time,” Thyss said softly, and she turned to continue her exhausted trudging.
“I know,” Cor said as the three Dahken followed suit. “We need to reach Fort Haldon. Quickly.”
“I’d kill for a horse,” Thyss mumbled.
“Perhaps we should just buy one at our first opportunity. I’m through with killing for at a few days at least.”
“Tell me one thing Dahken Cor,” Thyss said. “How does it feel to slay your first ruler? I hope you enjoyed it, for I wonder if Queen Erella will be the last to which you deal death.”
Cor had no response, but her question gave him something to think about as they plodded through the warm Aquis countryside.
* * *
Sovereign Nadav sat in his favorite chair, a huge claw footed throne made from one enormous piece of ebony. He no longer remembered where the ebony came from, only that he rewarded greatly the man who had made it. The back of the chair was over nine feet tall, dwarfing everyone who saw it even Nadav. In fact, the damnable thing wasn’t very comfortable, but it appealed to his grandiose affectations. Nadav sat leaning to one side, his narrow form filling only half of the uncomfortably solid ebony seat, leaning the side of his head on his palm.
He looked over a map that had been superimposed over the floor. It wasn’t really there of course; it was an enchantment. The map showed topographical features to scale, all major cities and the roads between them. The map depicted the entire western continent - all of the Loszian Empire and the lands of the Shining West, which would soon belong to Losz again. Carved figures of purple stone, also enchantments that weren’t really there depicted armies all over the Loszian Empire. The figures were about two inches tall with a rod that rose from the head up to another three inches. Bands of color wrapped the rods in varying degrees of thickness to indicate the type of forces and quantity of those forces of which each army consisted. Some of the figures stood stationary, while others moved almost imperceptibly across the map of their own accord.
Nadav required every lord in Losz to raise an army, the expected size of which varied with the richness of the lord because the Sovereign was fair after all, and those armies marched across the empire to one rally point. He would invade Aquis through the same pass in which this Dahken Cor had entered Losz. Many of the forces en route would not arrive in time of course, so Nadav intended them to protect the empire from counterattack and support the main force. The Shining West had grown too sure of their security, just as the Loszians had grown decadent, and it was now time to end that.
Aquis worked to reinforce Fort Haldon on their side of the pass daily. The wooden palisade was completely replaced with a solid granite curtain wall and ground had been broken on a keep. No doubt the Westerners would put up an impressive fight, but there was no way they could withstand the combined might of Nadav’s lords. He would encounter the Dahken there, Cor and his band of children. But Nadav now had his own Lord Dahken, and he had a power unmatched by anyone of whom Nadav had ever seen or heard. He would destroy Lord Dahken Cor.
The Loszian emperor diverted his attention from the map to gaze at the Dahken across the room. Geoff slept in the arms of two slave girls slightly younger than himself. Nadav allowed the young Dahken, barely more than a boy, to abuse the girls in any way he desired, so long that he allowed Nadav to watch. Nadav smiled sickly as he looked at Geoff’s contented face; he had not yet introduced Geoff to his own sexual perversions, but that time would come.
Nadav promised the boy wealth and power, a prominent place in the Loszian Empire as it again spread its purple towers across the western continent. Nadav hadn’t yet decided to what extent he would keep this promise; more than likely, he would have Geoff raped repeatedly while being skinned alive the moment both Dahken Cor and Queen Erella were dead. Nadav himself may even take part in both activities. On the other hand, maybe he would reward Dahken Geoff for his aid and loyalty; it was so hard to tell.
Nadav drugged a glass of wine and prepared to become one with nothingness.
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