*BEFORE READING*
There is a character death in here. This character has appeared in two chapters before, but it's the policy of that I warn you BEFORE HAND.
The heavy clattering of complaining shackles pounded the once empty half of the Hell Castle. With a vile humor, the looming stone walls twisted and wrenched the haunting sound of hardened bare feet padding down its confining passages.
Frayed cloth fell from Pale's ankle, lying openly within the hall without an interest to the world about them, splattered with blackened blood. Fool observed the sight thoughtfully, before turning his exhausted gaze onwards, his weary feet staggering down the hall at the insistence of the ferocious guards at Syle's back.
The impending halls sighed reluctantly into a large throne room, the halls, sour to have their amusement stolen from themselves, wound around the needlessly spacious, darkened chamber with arms of columns reaching forever into the endless roof.
Tattered silk was draped roughly around the circular chamber, the red, shredded fabric leapt and fell across the room at random, skipping intervals. Great, ornate doors proudly vaulted beneath the open skirts of the cloth. Warm fire spoke ceaselessly upon their perches within the countless columns that soared through the dark, flickering room.
Residing deep within the room stood two impending thrones of bleached bone weaving punishingly into solid form. The first, larger and more ornate throne was inhabited by a fearsome, cruel man who sneered with distaste to those brought stumbling before him. Blackened feathers protruded from his cheek bones in a sleek, groomed fashion. Beady, expressionless black eyes swelled out of the man's sharply angular head.
That man's perhaps handsome features were smoothed with shortened, interlacing inked feathers, creating a hidden face that jolted terror down Pale's spine as he turned towards the Syles planted before him. The throne beside him, intended for a queen, was empty.
"What is this?" He spat in disgust, his dark shortened beak clacking noisily with every word that fell from his fat tongue. "The boy," He spat the gender as if this were a far cry from the truth, "Is too starved to last a single MINUTE in the Arena. Those, Spit Stick Females are too thin and ugly to suit MY son. What do you take me for, Snake?" The man roared, turning to Talton with fury upon his worm coated breath.
"I had been told there was a collection for EVERY Syle to be captured." Talton returned, his assured steps ringing down the halls over the whispering voice of the fires. "I bring you Syles. I expect my reward, King of Nightmares, Kenomi."
"These are rats." Kenomi bellowed in revulsion, his beady eyes tearing apart Pale's flesh for some time before turning back to Talton, "Throw them back to the abyss you tore them from! I will not have them."
"Demon Spawn." A quiet, fresh voice shook through the air as a child stepped smoothly from behind the man's throne. "The inhabitants below called them The Bane of Yym. All of them."
"The Bane of Yym!" Kenomi brightened as his unblinking eyes settled assessingly upon the three before him. "What a trophy!" Kenomi exclaimed with delight, "What king would ever be questioned with LEGENDS upon his side? Tell me, Lore Striders. How is it that Syles such as you found themselves to be known as Demon Spawn? To be imagined as Tasaria herself? As The Hell Caster?"
Silence fell through the air as Fool turned to Pale upon one side, Unbound doing the same upon the other. Pale rested her unwavering gaze upon the King of Nightmares himself, her terror and fear unwritten across her features, but her petrified heart, knew a different story than her face told.
Fool, waiting for Pale's word, in hopes of a genius plan, remained in silence. Talton closed his eyes slowly with a hidden grimace.
They had been so close.
"I told you to speak, you senseless harpies!" Kenomi shrieked in a tantrum, rising from his perch with a malicious gleam within his eye.
"It was a trick!" Fool blurted out suddenly, holding his chained hands forward in a soothing, appeasing gesture. "We tricked people. It's what we did." Fool declared without guilt or remorse, words falling from his tongue in a mad cluster of panic, "Pale, she came up with the plans. I was the bait, the warrior, or anything she needed for the next scheme."
"Which of you is Pale?" Kenomi demanded, turning to the females of the group, his assessing eyes weighing up either offer before him. "You," He settled with a cunning gleam flickering through his swollen gaze. "They look to you in times of fear, of trouble."
Pale considered this with a slow, panicked mind, before nodding solemnly to Kenomi. This action pleased the man enough, and the king rested his Nightmare body against the back of his grotesque throne. "So you have a name." His eyes faded, a distant memory playing before his cold features fell back to Pale with assessing pride, "Fascinating. I have not met a Syle with one in decades. And never seen one with a title held to their name. Tell me how you managed your feats, Pale."
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Pale's ears roared with her frightened heartbeat.
He wanted her to talk.
"She-" Fool offered stepping forward. "Quiet, boy!" Kenomi threw in a fury, directing his short lasting anger to the petrified blonde before him.
"I am losing my patience, Lore Strider." Kenomi gave a foul tempered sigh, and, upon hearing only silence respond to his inquiry, he threw a swollen glare Pale's way in disgust. "Oh, very well. If we MUST play to THAT tune." The man growled in a sour temper, nodding towards the guard at Pale's back sharply.
Pale stared at the man before in hallow dread for a single moment before a sharp, stabbing agony threw itself whole heartedly at her frail body of such a young age.
Her mind suddenly clouded as fear lessened its grip upon her rapidly beating heart. To be replaced, of course, with a degree of pain measured only in a single term that had once been unknown to the child.
Agony.
Pale battled to collect her new surroundings as her thin body fell to the stone ground with a heartfelt, silent cry. Her trivial hands flew to the explosively bleeding wound that adorned her left shoulder's flesh as soundless shriek after scream tore itself from her dry throat.
The guard towered above the inaudible child with a malicious sort of pride decorating his features, his absent fingers toying easily with the bloodied dagger balanced within his experienced grip. Grinning with malevolence, the guard sharply rested his weighted boot upon the injury he had awarded to Pale. Flipping the dagger through the air, the guard's grin tightened with the promise of further violence as he peered to the blonde beneath his boot.
Pale's soundless voice hissed with pain as her body shifted to turn her wrath clad features to the guard. Her shimmering blue eyes fearlessly caught the gaze of the towering man, much to his obvious surprise. Pale's tangled blonde hair fell in piles and clumps around herself upon the floor. Pale's young lips pulled back to reveal uneven and still growing teeth, in a wordless threat that all Nightmares knew, but only the adults used.
Worm eating creation of incest and whores! Pale spat, enraged as she thrashed furiously against the boot holding her to the ground as the guard sneered, leaning down with a malicious gleam dancing through his eyes. "You have heart." The man purred, adjusting his hand's position upon the hilt of the bloodied blade for a final strike, "Such a shame I don't particularly give a damn."
Fool darted forward, his chained hands shoving aside the clamoring guards that lurched forward to cease his movements. "I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A PIKE, YOU DAMNED SLIME COVERED SWINE!" Fool roared to the guard holding the dagger, the heavy clattering of thick chains pounding through the air.
Throwing both arms upward, the dagger's blade tangled loudly in the chain length that attached itself to either cuff on Fool's thin wrists. Bringing his hands together, and twisting smoothly, the chain threw the blade into the waiting hands of Fool, who, branding the weapon, roared with fierce abandon, "She can't speak! Not anymore!"
"What do you mean she can't speak?" Kenomi inquired casually as he rested his arm upon the rests provided by the ornate throne, taking no interest in the struggles that ensued as Fool leapt forward, blade flashing through the air, his fury aimed at the malicious guard. "Answer me, boy." Kenomi demanded impatiently, his watchful eyes aimed at the guard who, giving a wide grin, drew a rather large, rather decorated sword from his belt, twirling the weapon skillfully on the backs of his fingers.
"She," Fool stumbled upon his own tongue for a moment, ducking beneath a mad slash of the guard's sword, his brown hair rising upwards at the movement, revealing a particularly dirty portion of his face. Rising, Fool brandished the dagger, the scream of metal against metal filling the air as the bloodied dagger caught the steel of the decorated sword, "She sold her voice." Fool grunted, throwing the guard back with each weapon scraping against the other with malice.
"To whom?" Kenomi pondered aloud, uncaring to the fate of either of the fighters.
"You're nothing but a fool!" The guard condemned with fury, gnashing his teeth in frustration as he charged forward blindly. "I'm not A fool. I am THE Fool." Fool corrected boldly, raising his dagger to the charging man with an expression of stone etched upon his features. Pale, the boot having been removed from her seething wound in the battle, shot Fool a knowing look. Growling inaudibly, Pale's right hand shot out, clutching the ankle of the charging guard at the last moment, bringing the man to a stumbling, unbalanced halt as Fool plunged the dagger into the man's chest.
"You have heart." Fool mimicked with a strained smile, "Now let me show it to you." He requested dryly, twisting the blade to sink deeply into the guard's Nightmare heart.
"Death. Pale sold her voice to death." Fool explained with a tired breath, throwing the gasping and shuddering body from himself. The guard clutched at his heart's wound with dying hands, fingers clawing into the flesh in desperation for a mere instant before falling numbly into their task.
"When Pale and I were younger," Fool began, offering a hand to Pale's good side. Unsteadily, Pale lurched forward, wincing at the movement her flesh tugged from the wound at her shoulder. Locking his hand within Pale's trembling fingers, Fool carefully hauled his partner to her feet. "I didn't particularly want to listen to her plans or schemes." Fool continued, the sound of cloth being torn filling the silent hall as Fool stripped his worst cloak of its second sleeve, "Warriors do not scheme." Fool resumed, binding the wound, much too Pale's displeasure.
Pale roared with pain, hissing various curses and spitting vulgar phrases. Though, luckily, Kenomi remained ignorant to her cruel words, and Fool gladly spoke over them as he rested a reassuring hand upon Pale's back as he continued his task of binding the wound, "Nightmares do not plot.-"
THAT HURTS WORSE THAN WATCHING TWO IMBECILES CONSIDER WHO IS RIGHT ON A MATTER AND WHO IS TO THE LEFT!
"Pale, well, she didn't stop trying to persuade me otherwise-" Fool persisted, though it felt rather odd to speak over Pale's stern, cursing words. It was.. Harder to hear Pale when she was spoken over.
Primarily because it made her angrier.
"To the point, boy!" Kenomi demanded in fury.
Imprudent little imp. I'll teach you to wait your turn speaking, Damned Rodent Chaser!
"Very well, I'll cut it short. I died." Fool declared, wincing with Pale as he wrapped the fabric across the wound and it's collection of bundled cloth.
"When I perished, Pale hunted down Death beyond the Lands of Quicm, and demanded a deal be made. After three days of games, tricks, and barbed words, Death claimed Pale's voice for the price for my return, and asked for nothing else. It was," Pale looked elsewhere, diverting her attention to the boy behind the throne, who, having returned to his perch place, held his eyes contentedly upon her features. Surprised to find his gaze met, the boy's lip pulled upwards in a touch of a soft smile in challenge.
"It was terrible." Fool spoke on, much to Pale's disinterest. The boy, not batting an eye, allowed his gaze to drift across the form of Pale in curiosity. Pale, rather accustomed to Fool's gaze, and only that, gnashed her teeth in response, calling his eyes firmly to her blue ones. "Death tore it from Pale's throat with claws of Bones, Shadows and Fear.. She had retched blood for weeks. Pale can no longer speak."
Thoughtfully, Kenomi glanced to the deceased 'slime covered swine', the dagger still firmly planted within his chest. Dragging his watching stare to the two children before him, Kenomi's beak clacked with thought. "Fascinating." The king muttered softly.
Talton strode forward, his forked tongue beginning the endless titles that adorned the name, Kenomi. "My Nightmare King, Kenomi the Torment, Father of Atdis, the-"
"Get on with it." Kenomi demanded impatiently.
"These Syles are just that, Syles. Allow me to purchase them from your hands." Talton requested, opening his palms impeachingly to the king before him, a soft smile across his scaled features, "Surely, your prince cares nothing for the girls, and your arena will remain unmoved without one more boy to fight within their stretching walls. I hold treasures, for I stood at the side of Tasaria herself upon her Second Reoccurance." He proclaimed, resting a hand to a pouch upon his belt, displaying a black leather back the size of one's fist, drawn shut with a golden rope, "I hold the creation of the stars, my Nightmare King."
The fires stopped speaking, the ceaseless chatter now a silent air that stifled the breath of all within the room.
"The stars had not been plucked from the sky for no reason. Tasaria was The Mad Tricksteress. But she was not without knowledge. Tasaria discovered the stars were once a solid, watching, powerful stone." Talton continued with a slithering smile.
"And she had sought to return it to its form."
"Your offer intrigues me." Kenomi admitted, resting his fist upon his feathered cheek as he observed the black pouch with interest. "Take the Syles, then. But not before my guard collects your payment."
With that, Kenomi nodded to the second guard in the room. Talton gave a stretched smile, breathing a softened sigh of relief that he could, after all. Claim the Syles that resided so firmly within his mind.
Drawing a blade smoothly, the helmed man plunged the ringing metal through the back of the snake Nightmare's unsuspecting flesh, the blade, tainted with thick blood, bloomed from Talton's chest.
"I care nothing for the glittering stones of imposters. Tasaria leapt to her death three lifetimes ago. I take no interest in the props Tasaria imposters use to fool their subjects. Just as any Nightmare should." Kenomi crooned, leaning backwards comfortably within his perch.
Blood bubbled from Talton's smiling mouth, a shocking sight to the nightmare. With trembling hands and slowly blinking eyes, Talton tore his reluctant gaze to his chest, where, just above his heart, rested a blade.
So that was how it was to be..
So be it.
Strength waning, Talton staggered forward half a pace, firmly resting the black pouch in the hands of Pale with a clever smile, "Don't-Don't touch it with your bare skin." Talton advised, sinking to his knees as his will began to depart from its mortal attachings.
Pale considered the man before her with curious eyes, baffled as to why she should mind the perishing of the man before her.
And baffled as to why she found that she rather did.
Speaking slowly, with exaggerated movements, Pale turned to Talton with a long pause as she considered how to convey her question. Tapping the edge of her temple upon her skull, where knowledge was supposedly kept, Pale gestured grandly to the black pouch balanced within her palm.
What is this.. Thing.. Called?
"She-She had called it-" Talton struggled to find the words that evaded his clutches, "An.. An Infinity Stone." He finished in a weighted breath.
"Enough chatter, Shed-Skin!" The guard bellowed, removing his sword from Talton's back before sharply drawing it across the snake nightmare's neck, dividing his head from his shoulders.
Pale hated them all.
Atdis's gaze rested determinably upon the blonde before him from the shadows of the throne's back.
That one. He decided silently. The one that has no voice.
A/N Yeah, Pale's got a pretty vulgar mouth! Takes me FOREVER to write her lines, simply because she's really.. Shall we say.. Creative? With her remarks!
Review Responses
Iven-chan (chapter 34) - Haha! I'm so glad you're back to review! Pale is Winter, and the King of Nightmares is Atdis, ooh, and you even know the single chapter where I actually show him prior XD I like your theory, and you were close with Atdis! Atdis is actually the son of Kenomi, who is the King of Nightmares. You were close though! Ah, people are reluctant to trust Fool to live long, which means I'm doing my job right, since this is a very, very dangerous world, and Fool as well as Pale, as my OC's are up for killin's! Also, tada! See where Talton's sudden compassion leads him XD
Iven-chan (Chapter 33) - Ah, yes, Winter's age. Yes, she is REALLY old. She's rather childish when you think about it, for her age XD I'm really pleased that you like the interaction between Pale and Fool, they're REALLY fun to write for! Him being the only one to hear her was a fun idea that I just had to keep :) Behold, the reason Pale lost her voice, and what happens once they're inside the Hell Castle! Wow, I'm answering a lot of your questions XD *cough cough* for once *cough*
Iven-chan (Chapter 32) - Huzzah! I gave at least someone a heart attack XD Winter getting picked up by Loki was FUN to write XD I LOVE writing for those two! Ah, yes. Place yer bets now XD Loads of people seem to REALLY want Winter to beat up Thor, at least a little bit ;) More about her past, power, and relationship to Atdis will all be revealed in the future, it's all planned to be shown eventually, but I'd forgotten that I needed to mention the fall of Daxidaille (YOU SPELT IT RIGHT! OMG) and how Nightmares travel! Thanks for reminding me! Laufey knowing Winter will eventually be revealed. Eventually. All in good time ;)
Iven-chan (Chapter 31) - Thanks so much! I'm pleased the scene was such a success to you!