Ripe

Seh'ra laughed, pushing a stray strand of hair away from her mouth as she watched the imp stumble and fall once more. From where she was seated, on a large dais at the front of this immense room, she could see the beads of sweat on his bald head, each one an aqueous mirror reflecting back at her. On a long black chain hung from the center of the massive dome above them, a great bronze chandelier bathed the room in warm light. She watched as its rays glinted back at her in each globule on the dwarf's head. Slowly, as he tried to push himself back up, in spite of the chains, a few pellets of sweat trickled down onto his face. One ran into his eye. He closed it in defiance of the stinging pain it caused. Another dribbled down his jaw to his temple, settling just in front of his ear. The last drop oozed down his forehead, right between his eyes, and seeped down to the end of his horrid, crooked nose.

She smiled to herself. His nose hadn't been crooked when she had started with him. But, by the time she had broken him; the nose hadn't been the only thing of his she'd twisted, contorted, and deformed.

As she watched, the lonely liquid blob continued its downward trajectory, extending itself below his monstrous snout just before snapping free of its carnal prison and flying through the air. As it soared, it twisted and turned over on itself, reflecting out a rainbow of colors for a split second before it was destroyed on the hard white marble floor. She could see that the floor was covered with the aftermath of many other similar death-falls, a soggy graveyard. It was rapturous to think that such beauty could come from such pain. She smiled again.

Finally Steven managed, with great difficulty, to push himself back up to his feet and begin his song and dance number again. As he sang and hopped about, his chains made the most rhapsodic sound, as the ones attached to his wrist jangled from side to side and the ones attached to his anklets moved from carpet to marble and back to carpet again. It was exhilarating to her. Her breath came in short gasps as she struggled to keep it. Her toes curled inside her boots as she fought not to stop the feeling rising inside of her, but to make it last longer. With a big gasp, as she listened to the enchanting melody Steven's chains were making, she let out the most sincere and hearty bellow of a laugh she ever had as she rode her delectation over the edge and back down to earth. She came down gasping for air giggling to herself as Steven continued to dance.

She wasn't this excited because she had broken the dandiprat or that she could force him to sing and dance for her anytime she wanted. No. She knew that her victory was close at hand. Soon her slaves would return with the good news. The Seeker, the Mother Confessor, that disgusting traitor of a Mord'Sith Cara, and most importantly her revolting brother were dead. She knew it. She could taste it. She could feel it deep within her. There was no way they could have escaped this time. The Mriswith were ruthless and cunning, not to mention invisible when they wanted to be. There was no way that they could have eluded their death this time. She floated in the pure bliss that was the completion of her revenge. Nearly thirty years in the making it felt like the weight of the world was finally off her shoulders. It was her victory song Steven's chains were playing.

She listened even more intently as the captive melody floated through the air filling the rotunda and surrounded her, lifting her once again to a precipice. Through hazy, euphoric eyes, she stole a glance to her left at the broken shell of a man standing at her side, ready to defend and serve her no matter the cost. When she mutilated this man's soul nearly two weeks ago he had been not only a general in the Blood of the Fold but a top ranking one. Thousands upon thousands of battle hardened men, men born and raised to fight, obeyed his orders or paid dearly for it. How far the mighty can fall just from their own evil desires for a firm pair of breasts and a shapely set of hips, she thought. In so many ways he disgusted her, but she couldn't ignore the fact that in raping his mind she had come to the true turning point in her exacting her revenge. So much had changed since that magical night.

Having broken the general, her plan had been to also destroy a few of his closest officers thus creating the beginning of her new malevolent vehicle of Ben's destruction, but she had gotten so much more. The Fold, it turned out, was in league with the Old World or the Imperial Order as they were now calling themselves. And now, due to a catastrophic loss they had suffered at their hands, they now saw the Seeker and his companions as their main foes in the coming struggle. However, despite how incredible this news was to her, it got even more amazing the night she and general returned to the Fold.

Nestled in a valley surrounded on all sides by the Rand'Shada Mountains, the Fold was not large enough for the number of people living in it. As a result, the entire valley was one large city, or rather what had been three large cities that over the years had melted together into one giant metropolis. Cut off from the outside world, the people grew to be fiercely independent, hating any influence from beyond their borders. A quality which was only reinforced when, years ago, the Council of Aydindril invaded. For months the two sides struggled, the superior fighting force of Aydindril stymied due to the difficult terrain. But, eventually, the powerful wizards of Aydindril prevailed. Claiming the purely altruistic goal of protecting the people of the Fold from the dangers of the outside world and uniting the entire Midlands under one banner, the Council members declared the Fold to now be a friend and territory of the Midlands. But, the people knew the truth. All that the Midlanders wanted was power, as much as they could get.

In the aftermath of the fighting, a wizard named Jarl was placed in charge of the Fold. A dictator and a cad, he became drunk with his power, turning the people into little more than slaves to his insane and demanding whims. For nearly two hundred years they labored under his oppressive rule, as he was granted unnatural long life from the black arts he practiced. All women were forced to become members of his harem and the men were forced to work nonstop, building monuments and statues to him as their families were torn asunder by this lecherous rake. The most impressive structure they built was the sprawling and vast Spired Palace. Built directly into the mountain side, its impressive and beautiful towers rose from the stone to rival the mountain peaks themselves as a reminder to the people of Jarl's absolute and complete power over them.

Finally, in the desperation that centuries of oppression bring, the people rebelled and overthrew the depraved tyrant. Blood flowed like a river down the steps to the palace as many lives were lost but their freedom was won. The monuments and statues were torn down in defiance of the beastly Midlands, but the palace remained as it was; only the name was changed to remind everyone of the terrible events of that day. A gorgeous yet perverse keepsake of the terrible troubles both foreigners and magic could bring, the Blood Palace remained.

The Blood of the Fold, as they came to call themselves, became a religious militaristic state, both protected by and ruled by their military, the Blood Palace becoming the new seat of this new government dedicated to protecting the Blood and ridding the world of all magic. It was to this sanguinary abomination that her general led her.

She had retired to the general's bed chambers to get some much needed rest while he reported back in. But, just as she was about to drift off to a fitful sleep, the general came bursting through the door and told her that all the officers were called to a meeting to receive their new marching orders from an emissary of the Imperial Order. Through long corridors and dark stairways she followed him into the bowels of the huge building she now found herself in. Then finally after a long trek to the depths of the palace and the mountain, they came to a large circular room. Around the outside of the room the walls were pocked with archways that led to small alcoves only a foot or so deep, and seated prominently in the center of the room, separated off by a low wall, was a large well. Next to the well a large fire burned from a small rectangular hearth set on a pedestal. As the officers filed in passed her and the general, they gave her sideways glances, confused as to the reason why this strange woman was at their officer's meeting. Then suddenly the fire in the hearth took on a green hue and rose to twice the height at which it had originally been burning, the flames licking the ceiling of the rather large room. Then it folded back on itself and spun around in a quick pirouette shrinking back to its original size leaving in its place, above the now lowered flames, a ghostly figure in a dark red robe with its back to her.

Murmurs crept through the crowd of shocked officers as a few more officers filed in past her, a few even bumping into her in their haste to see this strange sight, none of them distracted any longer by her presence. The figure above the flames slowly turned and shock overwhelmed her. She couldn't believe her eyes. He was dead. She knew he was dead. She had to be imagining things. In wide-eyed wonder she watched as the figure turned a slow circle taking in his surroundings and with icy confidence said,

"Good evening, officers." An eerie silence settled over the room as the figure once more turned and said, "I trust everyone is here."

That was his voice. She was sure of it.

"Gentlemen, I've called you here because the Emperor is as greatly distressed about the recent set back regarding the advanced raiding force, as I'm sure you all are. Fifty thousand men killed, many of them friends and family of yours. A horrible tragedy." The figure turned once more so that she could see only his silhouette. "Emperor Jagang will not stand for this outrage. The Seeker and his companions, who for more than a year have used their magic to so brutally impose their wills on others, must be stopped."

A cheer rose from the ring of officers as the ghostly figure slowly reached his left hand up and stroked his bottom lip.

"Unfortunately, the Imperial Order's force is far removed from the Midlands. We were not anticipating such a devastating set back and so held our main force on the border between D'hara and the Old World awaiting the report from the scouting force, a report that will never come now I'm afraid. After hearing of the calamity that occurred outside of Ebinnisia, the Emperor immediately mobilized that monstrous force but it still lays several weeks if not months away from where our enemy hides behind the walls of Aydindril. It is for that reason that I come to you tonight. The Seeker and his companions must be forced to pay for what they have done. You are to mobilize your entire force and march on Aydindril. You are to pay them back for what they did to not only your friends and family, but for what they have also done to the entire world by standing against us and our goals."

A gasp rose from the circle of men as something inside the well in the center of the room began to stir.

"You mean to tell me that you expect us to assume all the risk in this endeavor?" Asked a young officer on the opposite side of the room from where Seh'ra stood. "Thousands upon thousands of men died at the hands of these monsters in the course of one night. And, now you ask us to march against them as they hold one of the most impenetrable cities in the known world. That's suicide."

The figure turned to face the officer and smiled coolie.

"I am not asking nor is the Emperor. You are ordered to take the city by force and kill the Seeker and his rabble no matter the cost. The evil that is magic must be destroyed." The shade above the flames replied. "And you will not be doing this on your own. Sister Nicci has already arranged for you to be joined momentarily by several of our most savage and brutal warriors."

"How can they join us when you yourself admit that your main force is weeks aw—" the officer began, but just as he was about to complete his sentence a silver stream shot straight up out of the well in the center of the room. In shock the officers ringing the room took several steps back, some trying to shield themselves behind the archways protecting the alcoves. In a place like this where magic was feared and demonized it was already pushing the limits of these men to be conversing with the ghostly figure above the flames. This new development was too much. Many of them looked as if they were about to soil themselves.

As they all watched, the stream of silvery liquid hung in the air, almost taking on the appearance of metal but in liquid form, as it snaked its way into the air above the well. Then suddenly, from out of the midst of the column of fluid, several dark forms were spit out onto the floor next to the well. In terror the officers tried to move back further but found the wall of the large room preventing them from retreating from this new unnatural horror.

Coughing and sputtering, vomiting up some of the silvery fluid on to the floor in front of them, the creatures rose to their full height. Their scaly yellowish heads with a row of spiky protrusions running along the middle of them were horrid to look upon. As one turned and looked at Seh'ra, through black slits in green eyes, she saw, as it smiled the most grotesque smile she had ever seen, its rows of razor sharp teeth concealed only partially by grey lips. Out of the long black cloak it wore fiendish yellow hands extended, and in the right one it held a strange three bladed knife that look designed almost as an extension of the horrible claws that it already possessed on the end of its hideous digits. With a reptilian quality it jerked its head back and forth taking in its new surroundings as its freakish colleagues did the same. Seh'ra didn't count them, but she guessed there had to be at least seventy five of them in all.

Suddenly, at the end of the silver stream sticking out of the well, a face appeared in the liquid, a woman's face. In astonished wonder Seh'ra watched as the serpentine stream wheeled about and stopped with the face directly in front of one of the creatures.

"I hope you enjoyed travelling with me." It said in the most bewitching female voice she had ever heard. "I hope we can do it again sometime." It finished and then disappeared back into the well as the creature it had been addressing hissed back in response.

"Gentlemen, say hello to the Mriswith, relentless and skillful killers. A gift from Emperor Jagang." Said a new apparition of a beautiful blonde woman dressed in a sheer black gown joining the former figure above the flames. With the introduction the creatures from the Old World let out a horrible, ear-piercing shriek causing all the men in the room to cover their ears.

"I think you will find them most useful in the upcoming battle," the woman continued, "besides being particularly savage in battle they have the ability to not be seen when they don't want to be." She said and then turning to one of the Mriswith she said, "Show them."

With that the Mriswith brought the hood of his cloak over his head and faded from existence. The officers gasped again. Then a few moments later the creature threw his hood back to reveal himself again.

"As Sister Nicci has so eloquently demonstrated, these warriors will be invaluable asset to you." Said the figure in the red robes.

"Wait a minute," the young officer interposed again, "I don't think I have to tell you how uncomfortable it makes me, and I'm sure the rest of the officers here, feel to be using creatures of magic to defeat magic, but even so, I still don't see why we have to invade Aydindril now. Why don't we wait until at least a smaller more mobile section of your main force can join us and help in the siege?"

With a steely look on her face Sister Nicci turned to the young man and with fire in her eyes said, "You will invade Aydindril now because you are ordered to do so by Emperor Jagang himself. You will do it now or suffer the consequences."

"What consequences? From where I sit you, your army, and your Emperor are a world away. What consequences could we possibly suffer?" The young man spat back at her.

"I think what my young colleague is trying to say is, isn't there a better more strategically sound course of action here than simple brute force. We've heard stories up here that the Emperor can invade people's minds and control their actions are they true?" Asked a tall officer with a bald head and a scar where his left ear should have been.

"Yes they are." Replied Sister Nicci.

"Well then why doesn't the Emperor simply do that? According to our scouts the city of Aydindril has been taken by D'harans. They can't have much love for the Seeker to begin with, why doesn't he just possess one of them and have the D'harans kill the Seeker? No marching, no mess, no casualties on our side and most importantly, no need to try and lay siege to one of the most strategically defensible cities in all the territories."

"Unfortunately all attempts the Emperor has made to possess one of the D'harans have proved futile." Replied the ghostly figure.

"Why?" asked the earless officer.

"We're not exactly sure." Said Sister Nicci. "But, the D'harans are out of the question. He could possess one of the town's folk, but they don't possess any power to order each other around, and, no doubt, the Seeker will be able to defend himself against them."

"This is ridiculous!" Screamed the young officer now incensed. "You expect us to assume all the risk while this Emperor of yours reaps all the benefits of our hard work and lost lives."

A murmur of agreement spread through the crowd.

"We aren't your pawns to be mistreated and used in whatever way this despot thousands of miles away sees fit!" He continued.

A cheer of approval came from the surrounding officers. The Mriswith bared their teeth menacingly and the two figures above the flames looked about at the officers as they realized they were losing them.

"You would be wise not to underestimate the reach of the Emperor." Advised Sister Nicci. "I can assure you he is watching."

"Watching!? Ha! He has no power here bitch and neither do you. You can warn us all you want about consequences but empty threats mean nothing to us. We are the Blood. We are strong. And we most definitely don't take orders from cowards befouled by magic from worlds away. You and can tell this Emperor of yours that the Fold is no longer his to—"Suddenly the young man's eyes went wide in horror. He froze his mouth still trying to form the words he was going to say moments before. Then, without warning, he let out the most horrible blood curdling scream as he grabbed either side of his head and fell to the floor rolling around in agonizing pain. The officers around him spread out in the fear that just touching him might cause them to suffer from whatever it was he was afflicted by.

"No! Get out of my head!" He screamed as he rolled around in agony. And then, to everyone's horror, they watched as he got to his knees and began repeatedly banging his head against the hard stone floor. Over and over and over again, he slammed his head into the unforgiving rock, leaving a horrible blood stain on the masonry. Then, as he brought his head down one last time, the room was filled with the most sickening and ungodly crack as the young officer's skull burst and brains and blood flowed out onto the stone floor. Limply his body collapsed.

"I told you he was watching." Chided Sister Nicci as she looked at the abominable scene.

In stunned silence the officers absorbed her words.

"Now, if there are no other foolish objections, I suggest you get about preparing for the attack." Said the figure in the red robes.

"With all due respect Master Rahl, I feel there may be a better way to approach this." She said as she moved to the center of the room, took a knee in front of the rectangular hearth, bowed her head, and placed her right fist to her chest.

"Sister Seh'ra." The ghostly figure of Darken Rahl oozed as he smiled from ear to ear. "It has been a long time."

"Too long Lord Rahl. I thought you were dead."

"Oh I was, but that is a tale for another time what is this better way you speak of?" He asked.

"Well, forgive me for being so bold, but while I doubt the Seeker could hold the city, I do think it a waste of resources to send an entire army to take the city just to kill the Seeker and his friends."

"Then what do you propose Sister Seh'ra?" Darken Rahl asked.

"Guerilla tactics." She said as she looked one of the Mriswith in the eye. In response the vile creature let out a low hiss as it smiled that monstrous smile.

That had been that. By Lord Rahl's order she had been placed in charge, something that many of the officer's didn't appreciate or respect. However, the display the Emperor had just put on quelled any inkling they might have had about going against what his emissary commanded. Lord Rahl had also agreed that it would be better to send a small band of cloaked Mriswith into the city to dispatch the Seeker and his comrades, thus leaving the entirety of the Blood of the Fold's army at the Emperor's disposal in the upcoming war. Now all she needed was to hear the news that the Seeker, Mother Confessor, Cara, and Ben were dead and her revenge would be complete.

Steven fell once more stepping on one of his leg irons on the marble floor causing it to slide out from underneath him. As he slid, he left a long smear of sweat across the black and white tiles. She laughed again as the clangorous melody of his chains renewed once more when he got back to his feet and continued to hop about. She could feel elation rising inside of her again. She shuddered ever so slightly as it built. Ever higher and higher it took her until she was at the very peak. Then, just as she was about to crest it and luge her way back down again, the huge green doors on the other side of the gigantic room burst open as two young soldiers quickly strode into the room.

She hung there on the edge of exhilaration as the two men approached the dais and knelt before her. She smiled wide. She recognized these two young men. The first two members of the general's battalion she had broken after that fateful night in the cellar of this stone and mortar abomination. She had sent them along with the Mriswith to ensure that the deed was carried out. And now here they were before her. Her revenge was finally complete. The spirit of her sister who had been smiling down upon her for these past few weeks could finally be at peace.

The men knelt there in reverent silence as she lifted her nose to the sky. Basking in the glory of this moment, she drew in a deep breath. Smiling to herself she closed her eyes. Floating so close to heaven she could almost see it. Behind her eyelids the world was brilliant light. Not just magnificent white light, but light of all colors intermingling and combining to form the most ravishing and thrilling spectacle she had ever seen, a kaleidoscope of culmination. She felt like her mind was electric. Her whole body tingled as she looked and saw out of the amalgamation of colors two entrancing green eyes. It's finally over Aimee. She prayed. We have finally gotten him. The horrid creature that has haunted my dreams and your eternal rest is finally gone. He is dead. Now be at peace. Vengeance was finally hers.

With tears of joy welling up, she opened her eyes and addressed the men.

"What news my pets?" She asked having to bite her lip to control the emotion in her voice. Steven's victory song playing in the background only adding to the gravity of the moment.

"Mistress, please forgive us, we bring you bad news." Said the man to her right, never lifting his eyes from the floor in front of him.

"What?" She said in bewilderment as it felt like the floor dropped out from under her.

"The Seeker lives." He said.

In shocked disbelief she asked, "And the others?"

"They live as well Mistress. I am sorry." Replied the man, visibly shaking.

"How?" Was all she could manage past the lump building in her throat, as Steven's chains started to irritate her.

"We're not sure, Mistress. We had to disguise ourselves as D'harans so we were not able to be in the room when the Mriswith attacked or else they would have killed us as well, but somehow the Seeker killed them all and not one of his comrades even suffered an injury."

"You disappoint me greatly, pet." She said icily as her tears turned from joy to pain and started to snake their way down her face. She no longer hovered near elation as she crested the summit she had been riding not gliding but plummeting back down to earth. Why did everything have to be so hard? More tears fell as she slammed solidly back down to her horrible reality.

"I'm sorry, Mistress there is no way we could have known they would survive and once we realized they did, it would have been suicide to attempt to kill them ourselves. And it gets worse." The man said.

"What?" She said in pain.

"Mistress, the Seeker has somehow won the D'harans over to his side. They are no longer enemies but allies. In fact, they are calling him Lord Rahl now. One of the Mord'Sith that had been with the company of D'haran soldiers even died defending him in the attack." Replied the soldier

Her anger was now taking hold. Her mind was racing and the cacophony Steven was making in the background wasn't helping her think in the least bit.

"So what you're telling me is, that not only have you managed to fail me in killing the Seeker and his disgusting little sidekicks, but that he has also won over the entire D'haran force occupying the city to his side? And so help me if you don't stop that horrible racket back there I'm going to chop off every single limb and make you eat it. " She screamed at Steven.

Immediately he stopped and the men before her sat in terrified silence.

"Well!?" She screamed.

"Yes, Mistress." Came the reply from the man as he recoiled in fear of expectant pain.

"So, you've failed me not once, but twice over." She said as she left the dais, wiped the remnants of the tears off her face and stopped directly in front of the man on the right. Leaning down she whispered in his ear. "I am very disappointed my pet."

"Yes Mistress." He whimpered.

"Can you give me any reason why I shouldn't kill you both right now?" She asked.

In distress the man began to sob uncontrollably.

"Well, my pet, is there any reason at all?" She asked in disgust as she kicked him and then returned to the dais retrieving her agiel from the cushion on a pedestal next to the chair she had been sitting in.

"Forgive me, but there is, Mistress." Interjected the man on the left.

"Oh! This one speaks now." She said turning around with a devious smile on her face. With malice in her heart she approached him, wiggling the agiel in the air flippantly.

With fear in his eyes the man cast his gaze even further down towards the floor.

"Yes, Mistress. Forgive me, but the Mother Confessor."

"What about her?" Seh'ra asked incredulously placing a hand on her hip.

"We threw her in the dungeon."

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Well, the Confessor's sister, another Confessor, was in charge of the city when the D'harans took over. They placed her in the dungeons, and so, when the D'harans allied themselves with the Seeker she demanded to be brought to her sister to release her. We were given the task, but we didn't take her to the other Confessor. We threw her in the oubliette, underneath the Confessor's Palace. We are the only ones who know where she is. With any luck she is dead already."

"Interesting, my pet, but how does that help?" She asked patting the agiel in her left hand.

"Mistress, the Seeker is obsessed with his Confessor. He won't be able to think straight with her missing, and, with the Seeker distracted, the D'harans will not be able to mount an effective defense against an invading force, especially one bolstered by a faction of Mriswith. The city is ready for the taking and with it the Seeker and his riffraff. I'm sorry, Mistress. Are you not please?"

"On the other hand, my pet, I am very pleased. However, you misunderstand me. I knew how the Confessor being gone would help our cause in taking the city and in eliminating the Seeker and his friends. But I meant how does that information not make me want to kill you?" She said as she walked around behind him, her red leather creaking as her hips swayed back and forth.

"Mistress?" He asked.

"Well, if the Mother Confessor is missing, and you two are the only ones who know where she is, then…" She paused as she leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I can't let you live now can I?"

"No, Mistress! Plea—" He began as she quickly jammed her agiel in to the base of his neck killing him instantly. As his body slumped to the floor the general quickly launched himself off the dais tackling the other man. A brief struggle ensued, but eventually the general grabbed a handful of the man's brown hair, pulled his head back, and sliced the man's throat faster than the other could react.

It was time. Aydindril was a starling gliding through the sky ready for her talons to tear into, a bright red apple ready to be picked. Ripe.