Chapter 4: A Small Betrayal
Malek and his group slowly walked through the large room, wary of any traps that could be lying in wait for them.
"There are no traps" a voice echoed through the room
"Where are you, Xadikib?" Malek inquired
"I am here, yet I am not here"
Malek got some of his Archons to hide in case a large group of soldiers attacked them.
"You cannot hide….." the voice said "I see you"
Malek had had enough of his brother's tricks and games. He ordered his group to progress and to ignore anything the voice said. The group walked towards the exit to the room when the door suddenly slammed shut. Malek tried to open it but it was locked tight. He tried knocking it down but it wouldn't budge.
"No use Malekith"
Malek turned around to see Mordred at another door. Malek frowned.
"It is useless to resist your fate" Mordred said
"Traitor" Malek snarled
"Goodbye Malekith. I'll have fun ruling your Kabal when you're gone"
Mordred went through the doorway he was standing in and the door shut. Yaielna started after him but Malek stopped her.
"He isn't important; we need to concentrate on finding Xadikib
Malek sat down at a bench and thought about what to do. Then he remembered. A campaign that made him famous throughout all of Commorragh and beyond. A campaign that granted him a new power that made him even more famous throughout Commorragh than he already was. Kaurava. Malek stood on the table in the centre of the room and closed his eyes, muttering in an ancient language. He then arched his back backwards, fists closed, arms stretched outwards. A sphere of blackness enveloped him. Yaielna screamed something but Malek couldn't tell what. He could see Serelia pulling her back. A black explosion sounded through the entire room and Malek was no longer there. Yaielna looked at the spot where her father had been with pure shock. Where Malek was standing was now the place where the Dark Avatar of Khaine was standing.
"Serelia…..what's happened to him?!"
"He's awoken a power that he gained many years ago" Serelia answered.
"The power of the Dark Avatar of Khaine" said one of the Archons.
The Avatar turned towards the door Mordred had gone through and hurled dark fire at it, trying to burn a hole through the door. The Avatar soon realised this was going to take too long. His sword appearing from darkness, he rammed it into the obsidian surrounding the door. The Avatar moved his sword around the door, making one huge half-oval shape. He kicked what was inside of the cut and shouted for the others to come through. The Avatar reverted himself back into Malek and he joined the group. They came to a large throne room, with a black chair near the back of the room. The chair spun around, revealing Xadikib. Mordred stepped out as well, his sword drawn.
"How dare you enter the presence of Lord Warpsnarl?!" Mordred snarled "You are not worthy to enter his presence"
"Well, I'm the next best thing" Malek replied
"And what would that be, Sythil?" Mordred inquired
"Family"
Mordred leapt towards Malek and his group, his sword crackling with energy. He looked back at his master, expecting a helping hand. Xadikib rose from his seat and cackled. Mordred stopped and looked at his master, puzzled.
"I'll answer your question, Dranovian" said Xadikib, smirking
Xadikib pointed his hands at Mordred and let loose dark lightning. Mordred flew back into a wall, letting loose a scream of pain that would haunt those who heard it for the rest of their lives. Xadikib kept a steady stream of dark lightning tearing straight at Mordred. Mordred was rolling about and screaming in pain as the dark lightning coursed through his body.
"Why master, why?!" screamed Mordred, his voice brimming with pain "What have I done wrong?!"
"You have done nothing wrong; your usefulness has come to an end!" Xadikib answered
"But master-"
"Silence!"
Xadikib doubled the amount of energy that was going into the dark lightning after he had shouted at Mordred. Mordred looked at Malek and the others, a pleading look of pain and apology in his eyes.
"Malekith, please help me" rasped Mordred, his skin starting to peel and burn "Please, help me, I'm sorry"
"You betrayed us. You pay the price for it" Malekith said coldly "You are only sorry because of what is happening now, not because you betrayed us"
Mordred looked at Malek with utter disbelief and sorrow. His eyes started to look bloodshot and the colour in them turned to yellow. His hair had burnt away and there were scars forming all over his head. Mordred felt as if his entire body was on fire.
"I HATE YOU!" screamed Mordred raspy voice.
Malek looked at his ex-High Archon. What was once an example of what a Dark Eldar should look like was now gone, replaced by an ugly, burnt and scarred being. Mordred's screaming soon started to falter; his body was beginning to shut down.
If this is how it's going to end, with me being betrayed by Warpsnarl, I'll do a bit more betraying! Mordred thought
"Malek!" shouted Mordred in-between screams "Those closest to you are-"
Xadikib snarled with anger and tripled the amount of energy going into the lightning. Mordred soon stopped screaming and then his body stopped spasming. Xadikib stemmed the flow of the dark lightning and chuckled. Mordred's body was now all burnt and almost unrecognisable with all the scars.
"Well, brother; it seems that you have me cornered" Xadikib said curtly, as if he was addressing a dear friend.
"Yes, it appears so" Malek responded, not lowering his guard.
Xadikib walked over to his seat and sat down, pressing a few buttons. He looked at Malek and smirked. Malek glared at him with the same amount of enmity he had when he entered the room.
"I'd take Mordred's last words into account, brother" Xadikib said
At these words, Xadikib's chair sped downwards into a tunnel. Malek and his group ran over to the hole to see where it would go but Xadikib was too far down.
"What did he mean by that, father?" Yaielna asked
"Serelia is here so is everyone else" said Malek
"That only leaves…"
"Kaelis!"
Malek ran over to a window and threw himself out of it, smashing through the glass. Yaielna ran over to the broken window to see if her father was alright. She saw him flying off towards their home, using large wings made from darkness.