Disclaimer: This is the author of this phiction speaking. Please don't accuse me of stealing this idea. It is merely based upon another wonderful writer's work.
Nadir entered Erik's quarters cautiously. Lately he had been more uptight than usual and he intended to find out why. Erik jumped when he turned to see Nadir standing in the doorway, unannounced.
"Erik, you certainly are on edge lately. What has been bothering you."
Erik waved his hand and turned away, "Damn what bothers me," he said as he turned back to his work.
"Erik, I'm not going to let this matter go! Now tell me what has been going on around here lately! You're walking on eggshells whenever the Shah or Khanum is even mentioned and you disappear as soon as anybody from the royal family comes in sight! Now tell me why!" Nadir demanded, refusing to be ignored.
"Nadir, I wouldn't tell you if I could!"
"And why can't you? You seem very capable of telling me anything else."
"Not this time," Erik replied thoughtfully. "Not this time."
"Erik..."
"For God's sake! Let it rest! Don't you know when to let something go?" Erik shouted angrily.
Nadir eyed him narrowly, "Of course, as you wish."
Erik let his tense shoulders drop, secretly wishing he could tell him everything. Hoping for some semblance of explanation to the Khanum's strange behavior and to his reoccurring nightmares.
Nadir sensed his resignation and changed the subject. "How is the construction of your," he hesitated, "project going."
"Finished," Erik replied with an air of satisfaction. "Would you care to see it?"
Nadir felt in his stomach a sense of ill will, but nodded his head and followed Erik to the courtyard where the chamber had been moved. They entered the ivy-covered walls after Erik explained to the guards that he needed to make a modification to the device before it's initial use.
Nadir stared at the chamber, trying to imagine what could be so horrible about a mirrored box. Erik opened the panel on the backside of the large chamber and then opened the conjoining door to the inner chamber. Sunlight flooded the room through the two-side mirrored roof, causing a blinding prism of light that they both had to shield their eyes from.
"How does it work?" Nadir asked Erik as he ran his hand over the sun-warmed glass.
Erik went into a detailed description of the process of torture. With each word the expression on Nadir's face turned into a grimace as he imagined the torture in his head. When Erik was finished with his explanation, he looked up at Nadir and caught the look that was now etched horribly onto his face. Erik fell silent and felt remorse as he realized how it may seem to someone who did not look at such a thing as merely a scientific experiment in psychological and physical endurance.
"I know how horrible it must seem..." Erik began.
"It IS very horrible, Erik. How could you possible conceive such a monstrous thing? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to give such a powerful person a tool such as this to use at her will?" he hushed his voice and continued, "The Khanum will use this device against anyone she sees fit! She does not care who lives and who dies and her lust for blood will continue until she is dead. I've seen it myself!"
Erik hissed through clenched teeth and advanced on Nadir, causing him to back into the corner where the noose hung, "I do not care, Nadir! I do not care who should live or die in this contraption! As far as I'm concerned, the whole bloody world can kill themselves in it!"
"You don't really mean that Erik," Nadir defended.
"Oh no?" Erik leaned in even further until Nadir's head hit the glass wall causing a tremor in the reflection, "I've seen more horrible things than you can ever imagine. I've seen tortures that most men could not dream of witnessing in Hell itself. And there is one more thing," he paused and tore off his mask, "I have had to live with this for my entire life! Do you think that for one single, solitary moment of it, I have cared about any of the humans who have made my life a living Hell?"
Nadir shook his head furiously, "But you must feel something other than hatred for at least a few of mankind."
"How can you suspect anything of the sort?"
Nadir calmed and gently pushed Erik away, "Because you do not hate me."
Erik sighed harshly, "No Nadir, I do not hate you. But if you will forgive me this last remark, I believe you can go hang yourself!" Erik said, flipping the noose into his face before storming out of the open chamber door.
"Erik!" A voice rang down into the courtyard from the balcony above.
Erik stopped in his tracks, gripping his fist tightly and grinding his teeth. He was not in the mood for any of the Khanum's games today. He turned briskly on his heel to face the woman towering over him.
"You beckoned me, Madame?" Erik seethed angrily.
Her cunning smile faded from her face in a moment's time and she replied, "How dare you address me in that tone of voice you little demon! Come to my room at once!"
Erik did not wait a single moment and stormed up the winding marble stairway to her room. He was definitely not in the mood to deal with her temper and was actually in the mood for a good solid fight.
"What?" he demanded.
"Well, well, well aren't we feisty today!" the Khanum glared at him as she nonchalantly dabbed some perfume behind her ears.
"You called and I came, what do you want from me?"
The Khanum studiously ignored him and wandered around her room, enjoying the electrifying feel of the tension that built itself in her silence.
"If you won't answer me, then I will suppose I have to..."
She cut him off, "The reason, you ungrateful wretch, that I called you, was to thank you for completing the device I requested of you. You shall be rewarded accordingly!"
"Is that all?"
"No, I would also like you to attend tomorrow at noon for the ceremony of its first victim. Naturally for such an occasion, we were required to find a rather special 'guest' in order to honor your creation," she explained.
"And who shall be the lucky guest of honor?" Erik asked.
"His name is Alkhir Fhacaad, a rather wealthy enemy and traitor to the kingdom. Apparently he murdered two of my third cousins as they were traveling along the coast."
"Has this man had a trial?" Erik asked with a pale curiosity.
"No," she grinned with a satisfaction that showed she did not intend he would have one and that she did not care.
"You unlawful Bitch!" Erik spat at her. "Every man deserves a trial for his crimes."
The Khanum strode towards him suddenly, "Even the ones you kill? Even the hopeless beings whose blood you spill nearly daily on the dirt of this very palace? How many others have you killed without a second thought?"
Erik retorted with blood swimming in his eyes, "Every man I have ever killed has been out of self-defense! Every man whose blood I have spilled, has been in some semblance of combat, whether provoked or not!"
"And is that your pitiful justification for the bloodlust that you and I share? Yes! I admit that I love to see the life dying away from a man's eyes as I bury a knife to the hilt in their soft bodies. I enjoy the rush of exhilaration as I take away the very thing that they hold dearest to them knowing that there is nothing they can do to stop it! Yes, I know all too well the feeling that comes from taking a life, whether justified or not, so do not stand there and tell me that you do not feel the very same thing because I can see it in your eyes!"
Erik stared dumbly at her, feeling the pulse of his blood rushing through his hot brain, waiting for her to continue. He would not break his gaze and let her win! He would not admit defeat!
"I know all of this you see, and that is why I knew you would create something as horrific as that beautiful machine right down there," she gestured towards the window.
Erik finally spoke and when he did, even the Khanum could not repress a shiver at the sound of his voice, "You severely misjudge me Madame!" And with that he turned to leave her staring after him with a feeling of intense delight.
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Nadir entered Erik's quarters cautiously. Lately he had been more uptight than usual and he intended to find out why. Erik jumped when he turned to see Nadir standing in the doorway, unannounced.
"Erik, you certainly are on edge lately. What has been bothering you."
Erik waved his hand and turned away, "Damn what bothers me," he said as he turned back to his work.
"Erik, I'm not going to let this matter go! Now tell me what has been going on around here lately! You're walking on eggshells whenever the Shah or Khanum is even mentioned and you disappear as soon as anybody from the royal family comes in sight! Now tell me why!" Nadir demanded, refusing to be ignored.
"Nadir, I wouldn't tell you if I could!"
"And why can't you? You seem very capable of telling me anything else."
"Not this time," Erik replied thoughtfully. "Not this time."
"Erik..."
"For God's sake! Let it rest! Don't you know when to let something go?" Erik shouted angrily.
Nadir eyed him narrowly, "Of course, as you wish."
Erik let his tense shoulders drop, secretly wishing he could tell him everything. Hoping for some semblance of explanation to the Khanum's strange behavior and to his reoccurring nightmares.
Nadir sensed his resignation and changed the subject. "How is the construction of your," he hesitated, "project going."
"Finished," Erik replied with an air of satisfaction. "Would you care to see it?"
Nadir felt in his stomach a sense of ill will, but nodded his head and followed Erik to the courtyard where the chamber had been moved. They entered the ivy-covered walls after Erik explained to the guards that he needed to make a modification to the device before it's initial use.
Nadir stared at the chamber, trying to imagine what could be so horrible about a mirrored box. Erik opened the panel on the backside of the large chamber and then opened the conjoining door to the inner chamber. Sunlight flooded the room through the two-side mirrored roof, causing a blinding prism of light that they both had to shield their eyes from.
"How does it work?" Nadir asked Erik as he ran his hand over the sun-warmed glass.
Erik went into a detailed description of the process of torture. With each word the expression on Nadir's face turned into a grimace as he imagined the torture in his head. When Erik was finished with his explanation, he looked up at Nadir and caught the look that was now etched horribly onto his face. Erik fell silent and felt remorse as he realized how it may seem to someone who did not look at such a thing as merely a scientific experiment in psychological and physical endurance.
"I know how horrible it must seem..." Erik began.
"It IS very horrible, Erik. How could you possible conceive such a monstrous thing? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to give such a powerful person a tool such as this to use at her will?" he hushed his voice and continued, "The Khanum will use this device against anyone she sees fit! She does not care who lives and who dies and her lust for blood will continue until she is dead. I've seen it myself!"
Erik hissed through clenched teeth and advanced on Nadir, causing him to back into the corner where the noose hung, "I do not care, Nadir! I do not care who should live or die in this contraption! As far as I'm concerned, the whole bloody world can kill themselves in it!"
"You don't really mean that Erik," Nadir defended.
"Oh no?" Erik leaned in even further until Nadir's head hit the glass wall causing a tremor in the reflection, "I've seen more horrible things than you can ever imagine. I've seen tortures that most men could not dream of witnessing in Hell itself. And there is one more thing," he paused and tore off his mask, "I have had to live with this for my entire life! Do you think that for one single, solitary moment of it, I have cared about any of the humans who have made my life a living Hell?"
Nadir shook his head furiously, "But you must feel something other than hatred for at least a few of mankind."
"How can you suspect anything of the sort?"
Nadir calmed and gently pushed Erik away, "Because you do not hate me."
Erik sighed harshly, "No Nadir, I do not hate you. But if you will forgive me this last remark, I believe you can go hang yourself!" Erik said, flipping the noose into his face before storming out of the open chamber door.
"Erik!" A voice rang down into the courtyard from the balcony above.
Erik stopped in his tracks, gripping his fist tightly and grinding his teeth. He was not in the mood for any of the Khanum's games today. He turned briskly on his heel to face the woman towering over him.
"You beckoned me, Madame?" Erik seethed angrily.
Her cunning smile faded from her face in a moment's time and she replied, "How dare you address me in that tone of voice you little demon! Come to my room at once!"
Erik did not wait a single moment and stormed up the winding marble stairway to her room. He was definitely not in the mood to deal with her temper and was actually in the mood for a good solid fight.
"What?" he demanded.
"Well, well, well aren't we feisty today!" the Khanum glared at him as she nonchalantly dabbed some perfume behind her ears.
"You called and I came, what do you want from me?"
The Khanum studiously ignored him and wandered around her room, enjoying the electrifying feel of the tension that built itself in her silence.
"If you won't answer me, then I will suppose I have to..."
She cut him off, "The reason, you ungrateful wretch, that I called you, was to thank you for completing the device I requested of you. You shall be rewarded accordingly!"
"Is that all?"
"No, I would also like you to attend tomorrow at noon for the ceremony of its first victim. Naturally for such an occasion, we were required to find a rather special 'guest' in order to honor your creation," she explained.
"And who shall be the lucky guest of honor?" Erik asked.
"His name is Alkhir Fhacaad, a rather wealthy enemy and traitor to the kingdom. Apparently he murdered two of my third cousins as they were traveling along the coast."
"Has this man had a trial?" Erik asked with a pale curiosity.
"No," she grinned with a satisfaction that showed she did not intend he would have one and that she did not care.
"You unlawful Bitch!" Erik spat at her. "Every man deserves a trial for his crimes."
The Khanum strode towards him suddenly, "Even the ones you kill? Even the hopeless beings whose blood you spill nearly daily on the dirt of this very palace? How many others have you killed without a second thought?"
Erik retorted with blood swimming in his eyes, "Every man I have ever killed has been out of self-defense! Every man whose blood I have spilled, has been in some semblance of combat, whether provoked or not!"
"And is that your pitiful justification for the bloodlust that you and I share? Yes! I admit that I love to see the life dying away from a man's eyes as I bury a knife to the hilt in their soft bodies. I enjoy the rush of exhilaration as I take away the very thing that they hold dearest to them knowing that there is nothing they can do to stop it! Yes, I know all too well the feeling that comes from taking a life, whether justified or not, so do not stand there and tell me that you do not feel the very same thing because I can see it in your eyes!"
Erik stared dumbly at her, feeling the pulse of his blood rushing through his hot brain, waiting for her to continue. He would not break his gaze and let her win! He would not admit defeat!
"I know all of this you see, and that is why I knew you would create something as horrific as that beautiful machine right down there," she gestured towards the window.
Erik finally spoke and when he did, even the Khanum could not repress a shiver at the sound of his voice, "You severely misjudge me Madame!" And with that he turned to leave her staring after him with a feeling of intense delight.
Like it? Want more? One little word can make that happen! REVIEW!!! Pleeeeeeease!!!