Chapter 9, Finale
"You're really going to do that?"
"If there's one thing I've understood from living in this era, it's that the nobles are a little too fond of drama."
"And you hate that."
"Yes, I do. But I'll make an exception for this emperor. I'm not completely drained of powers."
"Can we have first row seats? Please?"
"I believe that they are taken already."
"Eh?"
"Never mind. I'll tell you all about it when we get back."
"That's not fair! Hey, wait you meanie!"
The sun shone brightly over the capital of empire Garadia, but the enthusiasm that had filled the air last week was now replaced with an uncertain hesitance and fear. The war had been stopped by a great earthquake and returning soldiers spoke of darkness and a gigantic demon. Obviously Heaven had sent the fury of Hell to stop the human madness, and now the only thing to do was pray for forgiving and repent. The priests were having a field day.
The courtyard of the palace was normally a place for training, but this evening it was empty apart from a few soldiers in training and servants who all sneaked along the walls on the way to and fro their chores.
Everyone was rather edgy, and the handful of young men nearly went through the walls when there was a sudden flash of light in the middle of the well-trampled square. That one of the creatures stepping out of the silent flare was a giant black snake, which proved that the blue-haired man was the sorcerer Janus, and the fact that the third was the missing empress did not make things any better for the poor spectators.
Janus pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I can't believe I'm doing this…" he muttered.
"I demand no such thing," Lashey re-stated, shaking her head.
"No, but if we're turning traditions inside out it has to be with force," Molor commented, hissing with amusement.
"Oh, I'm fine with that," Janus grunted, "it's the rest that makes me apprehensive."
'He's not completely sure about that,' Molor sent over to Lashey without the warlock's notice, with a rather mean mental chuckle, 'silence, he won't admit it but there's nothing he want more right now than to have revenge on your husband.'
Aloud the snake spoke:
"Regardless, are you sure you have the power?"
"He left all my low-level powers," Janus nodded and fixed his eyes on the huge, closed gates of the palace, "I believe that they are enough to get the job done."
He raised his hands.
"That's tyranny, you know," Schala had said, but without being able to sound even a little bit condemning.
"And what is it that we have right now, then?"
"I guess you have a point."
"Even so, it might look like tyranny, but it'll truly be a lot more fair."
"But how will Lashey maintain control? There will be those that are going to fight for the traditions, if I know history correctly," Lucca had intervened.
Janus sighed inwardly, rolling his eyes.
'Hell is a place on earth,' he gruffly thought, 'and it's held up by the phrase "I owe you one".'
Seconds later the two halves of the gates exploded inwards.
The report of the ruckus was brought to the throne room and the already frustrated emperor while he was listening to a report about the outrage among the empire's citizens and soldiers about the horrors on the battlefield. The advisor of the divine was just about to present a calculation of how many public executions it would take to calm the gods and people – a sum that probably would have been doubled (starting with a blue-haired woman) by the aggravated emperor had he gotten the chance – when several hysterical guards stumbled in, screaming as if all devils in Hell were after them.
Before they had time to calm down long enough to explain what was happening, the reason for their terror entered and caused the fleeing men to dive for cover among the shrieking servants and courts men – nobles that one minute ago had shared a rather glum and irritated feeling. What their eyes now served their hearts was a lot more colorful, but not any more pleasant.
Emperor Sere himself shot from his throne in shock and rage, his silk robes streaming around him with a whispering sound.
The dress of his wife flowed as well, but unlike her husband's her clothes did not settle after a moment. Like her freely falling hair, the blue robes slowly moved in a wind that didn't exist. Her left hand, halfway covered by the long sleeve, rested on the giant head of the devil snake beside her as if she was holding the fury of the beast back.
She made no attempts to restrain the demon on her right side, however.
A cloak colored as blood moved over the warlock's back like a crimson river, the softly blue color of his long hair only strengthening the force of red. The unholy glow in his eyes was only comparable to the blaze in the snake's gaze, reflecting the dirty fire that was consuming the banner in the dark sorcerer's hand.
In a move not born from pain of burn but pure disgust, the warlock flung the crumbling flag to the floor. The green cloth and the golden, zigzagged circle crest of Garadia turned to ashes while the black smoke rose towards the roof.
The three invaders crossed through the smoke untouched by the last dying flames and reached the middle of the floor.
"Good evening, husband," Lashey spoke in a dangerously soft voice.
Perhaps Sere could be offered a small bit of understanding. After all, during the last day he had been dragged through the humiliating act of a forced peace treaty he had not planned, earned the outrage of most of his country due to the "celestial interference" against the war, and had received word that his wife mysteriously disappeared around lunchtime.
But above that, he was a tyrant and woman beater. And furthermore, during the same time span Janus had nearly had his body stolen, his soul thrown into unspeakable torment, died and finally he had surrendered to more additions to an idea than he had planned. As for the last ordeal, he was firm in the belief that certain individuals had plotted against him, but had given up considering who the schemers were.
In conclusion, Janus was hiding it well but he hadn't felt like he now did since the day he dragged a comatose Flea to the feet of a trembling Ozzie. In both hatred and deeply rooted elation of seeing the hated ones cover in fear.
"Lashey… what…" Sere stammered in outrage, the shock not allowing him to think straight.
The empress – for the first time ever – silenced him by merely raising her right hand, the left not leaving the snake's head.
"Thou hast no right to be the ruler of our fair country," she said, her voice turning harder for each word, "thy cruel treatment of the people, thy scheming with the nobles to create a war against Mandria, and thy filthy way of sacrificing innocent lives for thy own ill will all destroys the honor of an emperor."
As the warlock Janus slowly crossed his arms during Lashey's speech the magical wind faltered, but the glow in the man's and snake's eyes remained. This toned down the fearful effect a little bit, but it had a purpose in the scare as well. For as the direct threat settled a little, agitated whispers that had been held back in horror earlier erupted from the crowd. It also had another reason; challenge.
Terror clouds the mind, and not everyone remains wise enough to maintain instincts of self preservation.
"Treachery!" the divine advisor spluttered, just getting up from the floor.
Lashey hadn't expected less of the old priest. He was one of the first she had thought of when Lucca had spoken of conservatives who loved the power in the traditions.
The empress smiled coldly.
"The throne belongs to none but the imperial family," she pointed out, "only those with royal blood art the heirs of the crown. And in this era, there be only two with the sacred blood in their veins; me and my son Solan. Lord Sere is in truth no less than a filthy usurper."
"B-by marriage…" the advisor stammered.
"Truly. 'Twas a poor choice I made."
Janus' lips hardly moved and the whisper was so low that even Lashey had troubles hearing it, but in any case nobody really paid him any attention right then.
"I hath come to reclaim the throne that is rightfully mine," the empress continued with a deadly smile, "for the people of Garadia deserve no tyrant."
"Heaven forb…" the divine advisor began.
He was cut off by his own shriek as he was flung upwards by the move of Janus' hand, stopping only as the warlock turned still again with his arm stretched straight upwards and the fingers bent. By then the elderly man was about seven feet above the floor, his eyes almost bulging out of his head and his every limb paralyzed in terror.
"If heaven forbids a woman to rule," Janus snarled, though his voice was low it escaped the ears of none, "then where is the divine wrath?"
His hand shot downwards but he only let the man really fall the last foot, leaving the advisor in a trembling heap on the floor by the throne.
"I'll tell you where it is," he growled while the cloak made one single, warning wave behind him, "it will stay up in heaven. The only wrath you will see is mine!"
He never raised his voice very much, but he could have been roaring for less effect than there was.
"Ya know Levvy," Flea casually said after regaining control over the gleeful giggles, "no matter what he says your son is a drama whore."
This witty comment earned him a first class flight to a refreshing bath. Again.
"You had my nephew killed because I wouldn't crawl in the dust for you," Janus growled, his glare keeping the terrified emperor in a petrified state.
The warlock gave a faint, cold smile.
"But Janatzer is alive, Sere."
As gasps and shocked croaks were heard from all over the room, the icy smile died and turned into a scowl that could fry the bones of anyone it was directed at.
"I warned you about making me your enemy."
And Janus' growling voice formed a spell.
"Now he's really having fun," Ozzie smirked, "there's no way around it."
"Ah, so that's why he didn't bring the others," Magician nodded, "Glenn would have been cringing his face off."
"I dunno, he should be used to it by now," Dalton said with a snicker, "I'm sure he's tasted pretty little Schaliya's temperament a few times."
"Really now!" Levana said, trying to sound upset.
"Oh come on. Why else would Janus have taught her that spell?"
As Janus' hand turned towards Sere a thin lightning bolt flashed from the palm and hit the paralyzed man straight in the chest. The effect was immediate.
Unnatural colors flared over the emperor's body as he doubled over with a screech of pain. Within seconds the screech grew sharper, while the body rapidly shrunk. The fine robes shifted color with the skin, turning gray-brown and hairy while the arms thinned and legs shrunk.
It was over within seconds.
The divine advisor scrambled out of the way as Janus crossed the last part of the floor and stepped up the short stair to the throne. With a look of nothing but disdain the warlock reached down and swiftly lifted a small, twisting body from the great chair. Holding the pair of leathery wings he turned around for all to see what had happened, glaring at the pathetically squeaking creature. The court was dead silent.
"I should feed you to Molor," the warlock hissed at his creation.
"I'm so proud," Flea snickered while shaking off the water, "I taught him that!"
"The extremely hard way," Slash commented, stepping away from Snake's path just in case.
"It can't get better than that!"
"What are we doing wrong?" Lizard sighed, motioning at the cross body.
"Nothing at all," his wife sweetly said.
But instead of fulfilling his threat, Janus reached backwards and hurled the bat towards the rest of the room. The animal screeched desperately before its wings managed to catch the flight in mid fall, and it sailed through the gate towards the distant, growing evening.
This version of the transformation spell worked a little differently than the one Glenn had been under. While the swordsman only had reminded of a frog but still had been humanoid, Sere had been completely transformed – his mind along with his body. The fact that he had managed to fly proved that he truly had become a bat to the fullest.
The spell would of course wear off by Janus death, but bats don't live that long. So there was no reason to worry about a return of that man, whatever good that would ever do the loosing one.
Lashey had a hard time keeping her smile on a modest level while she dearly wanted to grin as she moved over the floor, Molor slithering behind her as if on guard.
Janus concealed his sigh and swallowed the last of his pride, reaching out a hand as the empress reached the first step of the stair. She grasped his fingers with hardly contained surprise since this had not been part of the plan.
"The emperor is dead," the warlock stated, thinking that all his morals were going the same way, "long live the empress."
The woman wasn't needing the support as she walked up the stair and sat down on the throne, it was as much a show as the rest of it. Just like Janus and Molor positioning themselves on either side of the royal chair as the empress leaned back.
"Our fair empire is now facing a new era, one that is the child of peace," Lashey spoke, her gaze running over the shivering people of the great room, "before we let this truth be known across the land, we shall state a few things."
Her smile could kill.
"Call a scholar here," she sweetly told the shocked divine advisor, "there shall be changes in the law and there is a need for a scriber."
With a fearful stare at the warlock's warning scowl, the elderly man got up and stumbled towards the gate to fulfill the order.
"I thank thee," Lashey murmured from the corner of her lips.
"He deserved it," Janus simply replied, emotionless.
The empress smiled slightly, untouched by any non-feeling wall the man tried to show.
'Funny,' Molor commented.
'Silly,' Janus grunted.
'You laugh.'
'No.'
The snake silently chuckled. Janus glared in his direction without turning his head.
'Fun when you explain "bit his head off" to us all,' the warlock said, evilly.
Molor grimaced mentally.
'Never said I was a good king,' he murmured, 'he was enemy.'
'Ah.'
Lashey shifted a little.
"I hath been thinking about the other two versions of thee," she casually said, "who were they?"
"The one that looked mostly like me I have been dreaming about," Janus explained with a slight shrug, unwilling to delve too far into the subject, "as for the other one I am wondering myself."
He was silent for a moment before he gave up. Women would ask until they knew, he had learnt as much.
"I will send my spirit back to the point where I left him when I go to sleep," he admitted, "in order to see who he was."
The empress suppressed a chuckle.
"I am certain it will be quite fascinating," she commented.
"Perhaps."
Janus glowered at the gate, dearly hoping the damn scholar would show up some time during the current century.
"Though I have a strange feeling that he will give me a headache."
This time Lashey could no longer hold back her built up enjoyment and she had to cover her lips with her hand as she laughed as silently as she could.
"Is that proper for an empress?" Molor mildly commented.
"Oh, I believeth that it will be soon," she replied, her eyes glistening like the one of a hunting cobra as she eyed the terrified nobles like mice.
Janus tried to assure himself that he found nothing funny about the entire situation, in the end to little avail.
End.
Author's note:
Well finally! Now I'll get back to A Look on Another one (the spinoff from this one in case you didn't know) again!
I guess there are a couple of more loose ends left, like the "blue things" and Molor's past, but I'll just leave that for your imagination. Mwhahaha… unless I get a sproing of inspiration, of course…