Wrong Dark Queen
Raistlen Majere coughed and opened his eyes. He was staring at a cloudy sky and rain was falling in his eyes. Slowly, as his senses returned, he became aware of a tremendous amount of noise. He rolled over; spitting a mouthful of stale blood from a coughing fit he did not remember having. With a shout, he narrowly missed falling off the cart in which he lay. He sat up and gasped at the carnage he was surrounded by.
Women and children ran for their lives while the men were slaughtered by beings Raistlen had never seen. From the air, creatures like enormous bat-winged cats set fire to houses and swooped down on the fleeing villagers to feast on their flesh. Human-like beings with skin darker than that of the darkest night and ram's horns wielded bronze scimitars with amazing skill, overtaking and cutting down the mortals as they went. "What in the name of-?" Raistlen exclaimed, settling deeper into the cart, praying one of the flying animals did not set it alight. Other creatures of many and terrible variety passed the mage as he huddled in hiding, including a score of longbow-wielding centaurs. He noted that all bore the same insignias on their bodies in the form of armbands, surcoats, headwear or tattoos. Whatever they were, they belonged to some wicked army, but he did not recognize the marks representative of the Queen of Darkness. "Where am I?" He asked himself, trying to remember that spell. Something must have gone wrong- he had not meant to be transported anyplace. His thoughts were broken by a crack like thunder and a bright red light. All the beings stopped in their attack and parted to clear the mud churned street for someone, presumably the source of the red lightning. A deathly silence settle over the broken town, save for the whimpering of the dying and the crackle of flames. Several of the tall, horned demons rode into Raistlen's vision on the backs of enormous warhorses, with red eyes and lashing, scaly tails. In the demon's hands were great banners, with the insignia of a panther and a black fox, surrounded by a ring of black flames on a red background. "So strange...I don't recognize it." The mage thought, watching intently. After the banner carriers came even greater horses, whose breath fogged in the chill air. Raistlen could almost sense the evil radiating from their black hides. Their riders were a man and a woman, and had no trouble hiding their malevolent nature. They were clad in great cloaks; their hoods pushed back to show the riders faces.
The man was tall, his flaxen hair cropped at his shoulders. Upon his brow was a circlet of gold, set with coral and obsidian stones. His was clad in a loose tunic of black silk, the sleeves bound at his wrists with red leather. At his waist was a scarlet belt, with a golden clasp and, at his hip, a longsword in a black leather sheath set with gold and rubies. His pants were also loose fitting, tucked at the knee into shining black boots. Swirling at his back was an immense cloak of blood-red.
The woman was as tall as he, with deathly cold alabaster skin, and raven hair that glistened like ink and drifted around her face like viper- shadows, independent of the wind. Her head was adorned with a silver circlet set with obsidian and an oddly luminous, violet stone. She wore a long black dress of silk, trimmed with silver thread. At her waist hung-not a sword-but a longknife, with the pommel carved to resemble a skull, its eye sockets filled with the same bizarre purple stone. She bore a cloak of deepest violet which writhed around her menacingly. They were a menacing pair, with evil in their eyes. His were gray as a sea- storm, hers: the pallid, shifting color of mercury or quicksilver. To each was a staff, for they were mages both. A thick ebony stave, surmounted by an ornately coral-carved dragon's head was his. The lady grasped a thin obsidian rod, with a spear-like tip, made of the luminous purple crystal in her alabaster hand. It was this woman whom Raistlen stared at. She was clearly royal, as was her male companion, but it was not the Dark Queen whom Raistlen knew, it was not anyone he had seen in a book. "Who ARE these people?" He hissed to himself. When the pair stopped their mounts, which gnashed their fangs against the bits and bent to tear at the corpses as a wolf might, all in assembly- save the mortals- bowed low. One of the horned demons stepped foreword. "Lord, Lady...we have slain all but for these." He pointed to a small bunch of woman and children. "They are all mere mortals, not a shred of power between them-"One of the winged cats interrupted him. "Yesss not eeven good for ssslavesss, theessse! Let my people feeed on theeem, my Queeeen." It said in a thin, yowling tone. Raistlen noted that this creature wore several pieces of bone jewelry, including a large disk covered in rough runes and the panther-fox sign- a leader. "The childreeen will be ssso teeender. Not like warriorsss...THEY are tough and thick." The woman on horseback glared at the demon, which stared at her with pale yellow eyes and switched his tail once, before quietly toppling into the mud. One of his kind near him bent to relieve the corpse of its decorations. The woman nodded, apparently satisfied. As she turned so her face was visible, Raistlen saw that her eyes had turned from silver to deep purple with dark whites and slowly returned to normal. He felt the magic she had used seeping away and vanishing altogether. She nodded to the horned demon. "Take them to the Gatestones and have them chained in the stables, Shalar. The stallions will be enjoying a treat tonight." Her voice was like black silk. Smooth and soft, but dangerous. "Won't you?" She leaned foreword to scratch the ears of her evil horse, which growled and continued to devour the body at its feet. "Kaos, would you do the honors, love?" She said, looking at the man beside her. The man spoke a word, one which Raistlen did not know but planned to learn after he watched chains materialize around the captured mortal's wrists and necks. Shalar, the horned demon, handed the bonds to one of his fellows and exchanged words in their tongue before the captives were led off. He bowed smartly to the man and woman. "Then we are finished here, Lady." He said, turning to the many assembled demons. Kaos looked over the multitude. "Move out!" He ordered. The demons marched past the pair, detouring around the motionless stallions and avoiding the corpses. "Well, Shade? Was that successful enough for a few days work?" Kaos asked to woman. Shade nodded. "Yes...slowly, they will all fall. And bow before the greatest King and Queen that ever ruled the Nightmare Realm!" She looked over the broken town, and Raistlen watched a pang of remorse come over her. "Thinking about them, love?" Kaos said, patting the woman's hand.
"Yes...sorry. I should learn to live with it...I suppose." Shade murmured, absently patting her mount. Kaos smiled and squeezed her hand gently. "They are...married." Raistlen realized, noting the matching silver rings that glinted on the fire's light. "But they are mages...they have no time to devote to love." He pondered this. He looked them over again. "And they carry weapons, powerful ones." He touched the small silver dagger hidden in his sleeve. "What are these beings that defy the very gods themselves?" Too late he realized he had spoken aloud when the man looked over Shade's shoulder.
"Shalar...check that cart over there...I think we may have company." He said, pointing to Raistlen's hiding place. Shalar drew his scimitar and walked toward the cart, opaque green eyes fixed on the mage who huddled there. Raistlen summoned a spell to blast the demon to pieces, but when the bolt shot forth, Shalar raised his hand and the bolt sank into the summoned shield of magic and burned out. Raistlen tried to call another spell, anything that might stop the enemy's advance. He tried to speak, but began to cough painfully. He spat blood into the mud as Shalar easily lifted him from the cart and pushed him to the ground. "Hack! Hack! Hack!" He struggled upright and leaned on the Staff of Magius, glaring vehemently at the demon. Shalar's eyes widened at the sight of the mage's golden face. "Be wary of this one..." He said, stepping back, but keeping his eyes trained on Raistlen. Shade laughed as Kaos helped her dismount from her horse. She advanced on Raistlen, one hand reached out as if to strike him...
Raistlen Majere coughed and opened his eyes. He was staring at a cloudy sky and rain was falling in his eyes. Slowly, as his senses returned, he became aware of a tremendous amount of noise. He rolled over; spitting a mouthful of stale blood from a coughing fit he did not remember having. With a shout, he narrowly missed falling off the cart in which he lay. He sat up and gasped at the carnage he was surrounded by.
Women and children ran for their lives while the men were slaughtered by beings Raistlen had never seen. From the air, creatures like enormous bat-winged cats set fire to houses and swooped down on the fleeing villagers to feast on their flesh. Human-like beings with skin darker than that of the darkest night and ram's horns wielded bronze scimitars with amazing skill, overtaking and cutting down the mortals as they went. "What in the name of-?" Raistlen exclaimed, settling deeper into the cart, praying one of the flying animals did not set it alight. Other creatures of many and terrible variety passed the mage as he huddled in hiding, including a score of longbow-wielding centaurs. He noted that all bore the same insignias on their bodies in the form of armbands, surcoats, headwear or tattoos. Whatever they were, they belonged to some wicked army, but he did not recognize the marks representative of the Queen of Darkness. "Where am I?" He asked himself, trying to remember that spell. Something must have gone wrong- he had not meant to be transported anyplace. His thoughts were broken by a crack like thunder and a bright red light. All the beings stopped in their attack and parted to clear the mud churned street for someone, presumably the source of the red lightning. A deathly silence settle over the broken town, save for the whimpering of the dying and the crackle of flames. Several of the tall, horned demons rode into Raistlen's vision on the backs of enormous warhorses, with red eyes and lashing, scaly tails. In the demon's hands were great banners, with the insignia of a panther and a black fox, surrounded by a ring of black flames on a red background. "So strange...I don't recognize it." The mage thought, watching intently. After the banner carriers came even greater horses, whose breath fogged in the chill air. Raistlen could almost sense the evil radiating from their black hides. Their riders were a man and a woman, and had no trouble hiding their malevolent nature. They were clad in great cloaks; their hoods pushed back to show the riders faces.
The man was tall, his flaxen hair cropped at his shoulders. Upon his brow was a circlet of gold, set with coral and obsidian stones. His was clad in a loose tunic of black silk, the sleeves bound at his wrists with red leather. At his waist was a scarlet belt, with a golden clasp and, at his hip, a longsword in a black leather sheath set with gold and rubies. His pants were also loose fitting, tucked at the knee into shining black boots. Swirling at his back was an immense cloak of blood-red.
The woman was as tall as he, with deathly cold alabaster skin, and raven hair that glistened like ink and drifted around her face like viper- shadows, independent of the wind. Her head was adorned with a silver circlet set with obsidian and an oddly luminous, violet stone. She wore a long black dress of silk, trimmed with silver thread. At her waist hung-not a sword-but a longknife, with the pommel carved to resemble a skull, its eye sockets filled with the same bizarre purple stone. She bore a cloak of deepest violet which writhed around her menacingly. They were a menacing pair, with evil in their eyes. His were gray as a sea- storm, hers: the pallid, shifting color of mercury or quicksilver. To each was a staff, for they were mages both. A thick ebony stave, surmounted by an ornately coral-carved dragon's head was his. The lady grasped a thin obsidian rod, with a spear-like tip, made of the luminous purple crystal in her alabaster hand. It was this woman whom Raistlen stared at. She was clearly royal, as was her male companion, but it was not the Dark Queen whom Raistlen knew, it was not anyone he had seen in a book. "Who ARE these people?" He hissed to himself. When the pair stopped their mounts, which gnashed their fangs against the bits and bent to tear at the corpses as a wolf might, all in assembly- save the mortals- bowed low. One of the horned demons stepped foreword. "Lord, Lady...we have slain all but for these." He pointed to a small bunch of woman and children. "They are all mere mortals, not a shred of power between them-"One of the winged cats interrupted him. "Yesss not eeven good for ssslavesss, theessse! Let my people feeed on theeem, my Queeeen." It said in a thin, yowling tone. Raistlen noted that this creature wore several pieces of bone jewelry, including a large disk covered in rough runes and the panther-fox sign- a leader. "The childreeen will be ssso teeender. Not like warriorsss...THEY are tough and thick." The woman on horseback glared at the demon, which stared at her with pale yellow eyes and switched his tail once, before quietly toppling into the mud. One of his kind near him bent to relieve the corpse of its decorations. The woman nodded, apparently satisfied. As she turned so her face was visible, Raistlen saw that her eyes had turned from silver to deep purple with dark whites and slowly returned to normal. He felt the magic she had used seeping away and vanishing altogether. She nodded to the horned demon. "Take them to the Gatestones and have them chained in the stables, Shalar. The stallions will be enjoying a treat tonight." Her voice was like black silk. Smooth and soft, but dangerous. "Won't you?" She leaned foreword to scratch the ears of her evil horse, which growled and continued to devour the body at its feet. "Kaos, would you do the honors, love?" She said, looking at the man beside her. The man spoke a word, one which Raistlen did not know but planned to learn after he watched chains materialize around the captured mortal's wrists and necks. Shalar, the horned demon, handed the bonds to one of his fellows and exchanged words in their tongue before the captives were led off. He bowed smartly to the man and woman. "Then we are finished here, Lady." He said, turning to the many assembled demons. Kaos looked over the multitude. "Move out!" He ordered. The demons marched past the pair, detouring around the motionless stallions and avoiding the corpses. "Well, Shade? Was that successful enough for a few days work?" Kaos asked to woman. Shade nodded. "Yes...slowly, they will all fall. And bow before the greatest King and Queen that ever ruled the Nightmare Realm!" She looked over the broken town, and Raistlen watched a pang of remorse come over her. "Thinking about them, love?" Kaos said, patting the woman's hand.
"Yes...sorry. I should learn to live with it...I suppose." Shade murmured, absently patting her mount. Kaos smiled and squeezed her hand gently. "They are...married." Raistlen realized, noting the matching silver rings that glinted on the fire's light. "But they are mages...they have no time to devote to love." He pondered this. He looked them over again. "And they carry weapons, powerful ones." He touched the small silver dagger hidden in his sleeve. "What are these beings that defy the very gods themselves?" Too late he realized he had spoken aloud when the man looked over Shade's shoulder.
"Shalar...check that cart over there...I think we may have company." He said, pointing to Raistlen's hiding place. Shalar drew his scimitar and walked toward the cart, opaque green eyes fixed on the mage who huddled there. Raistlen summoned a spell to blast the demon to pieces, but when the bolt shot forth, Shalar raised his hand and the bolt sank into the summoned shield of magic and burned out. Raistlen tried to call another spell, anything that might stop the enemy's advance. He tried to speak, but began to cough painfully. He spat blood into the mud as Shalar easily lifted him from the cart and pushed him to the ground. "Hack! Hack! Hack!" He struggled upright and leaned on the Staff of Magius, glaring vehemently at the demon. Shalar's eyes widened at the sight of the mage's golden face. "Be wary of this one..." He said, stepping back, but keeping his eyes trained on Raistlen. Shade laughed as Kaos helped her dismount from her horse. She advanced on Raistlen, one hand reached out as if to strike him...