Heheeheeheehe Zeliver...secretive whisper hes one of my favorites!

Chapter 8

"Milord Zeliver? The spell, it…it has stopped working."

"What!" The tall skeletal figure turned towards the man, a hand upraised, about to strike out.

"Please, Milord! I do not know what happened, someone must have discovered it…it was made to last, except if someone discovered it. Then it was to deactivate, so that it could not be traced back to you…I mean me." The hand, which had been lowering, flew up again. Then fell, cutting deep into the man sitting at the table. He did not move or make any sound for fear of angering his lord and master more. The hand withdrew; leaving terrible cuts which quickly welled bright red blood. He sat still, not daring to try and bind the cuts left by his master's hand.

"You disappoint me Lucian. You said it was impossible to find once it was scattered everywhere. Which you assured me it had. You were the one to…place it, were you not?"

"No lord Zeliver, Delwin was the one who entered the twin's room and shattered it on their guard. I assure you that they could not have detected it, not being new in the palace and the twin that threw up the guard…Mithro's shield it was, no mistake. She would have been too exhausted to notice that it went everywhere. I do not know how this happened…" Lucian shrank in his seat, praying silently for his life. While he was his master's favourite, it was by no means protection. It was probably the most dangerous place to be as he expected great things from his favourites. His previous favourite was now six feet under the ground. If Zeliver the Glass wanted his life, he would take it without hesitation. His glass bones, made the task so much easier. Glass grew in Zeliver; every organ was protected by glass, not bone. It was caused by a failed spell, a new glass mage, not protected by his teacher. The student had tried to create living glass, unaware that Zeliver was working in the forge behind him. It had flung away from the student, just as Zeliver had walked around to see who was drawing heat from the fire. It struck him and blistered, gripping to his skin, searing it away. He had screamed, unable to take it. The student, not knowing what to do, threw water on him, cooling the glass instantly, but inadvertently sealing the spell. The glass started to coat his body, trying to seal it in a beautiful shining tomb, but his own magic saved him. It had drawn the glass into his body, putting it in the only place it could with out killing him, his bones. He baffled all healers; they could not draw the glass out. To do so would shred his skin, his organs, everything. He became strong, strong beyond belief. However it took months; seasons even, for him to learn how to control his new skeleton. His hands were the most effected, his fingernails were now delicate, deadly weapons, the slightest touch from them opened a gaping wound that was slow to heal. His mind, entombed in a glass skull was twisted, no longer human. To him…disaster was perfection, destruction was beauty. His family and friends rejected this strange, barely human, thing. He turned to what he though of as his only ally, power. He threatened, killed, did anything to gain control. He had become Zeliver the Glass.

Lucian still sat, straight and unflinching in his chair.

"Get out of my sight. Do not return until you have…fixed this problem. I will know what is happening with those girls. I want their power!"

Lucian walked slowly and purposefully from the room, glad to still have his life. Zeliver watched him as he left, then started to laugh, an evil sinister sound, delighting in the strength shown on Lucian's face. To be strong like that was exactly what Zeliver needed in his second-in-command. He had felt fear, terror but who wouldn't when faced by Zeliver, yet he had remained strong.

Zeliver turned into the light coming from the window and watched the glittering of his fingers, marred by the blood from Lucian's shoulder.

"I must be growing soft…only five gashes and let him try again. Next time however…if he fails again…" Zeliver's lips curled in cruel amusement at the thought of the pain and torment he could inflict on Lucian.

Lucian walked down the richly decorated hall, Such beauty for such evil. He thought as he looked at the light streaming through the windows, at the paintings and carvings on every surface. On every surface there was glass, a statue, a bottle…something made from the very object that was Zeliver. And every object had his mark on it, all the glass had a fingerprint in blood, every table, chest, painting had five long deep scratches on it. Lucian looked at them, thinking about the five marks on his shoulder, a brand, a slave brand. He was marked, as Zeliver's own. He would never be free, once Zeliver marked you; the only release was death. At least he was free and he was Zeliver's left hand. Not his right, the right must be free to move in the light, so it can shadow what the left is doing in the dark. He continued down the various hallways, as they became shabbier and shabbier. Zeliver thought that his servants did not deserve the finery that was in his quarters, after all they were only servants. Still he felt proud to serve this man. He had power, he had what Lucian craved more than anything else in the world. Reaching the end of the hallway, he turned into a workshop. It was neat and orderly, a sharp contrast to the bedroom that the workshop opened onto. Clothes were strewn everywhere, books lay open on the floor. Bottles and half eaten plates of food sat on the desk that stood in the corner. He walked over to the bench that stood in the middle of the workshop.

"Someone else must have found that spell. There is no other logical explanation. And it must have been someone who works in the palace. The maids they brought with them have magic but its no strong enough to detect anything, that Melissa…no, she wouldn't be familiar enough with the spell to know that it was different. However, that…what was his name? Denya, that's it Denya Seeker. The new tracker." Lucian made it his business to know every person, mage and apprentice working with the guards. Not knowing who they were meant certain capture. " Now he was in there…I'm sure he was. Why would a new tracker for the guard be in a Princess's room…unless…no that's not right. He was there because of my attempt last night. He was probably the one who discovered it, damn him! Ah well, I must think of something else…Jade, she is definitely the stronger of the two. If there was some way of bringing her and her sister's magic together…" Lucian's lips parted in a grin, a grin that would have made him delighted. It was identical to the one worn by Zeliver while he imagining the torment he could inflict on his enemies.

"Milord! Milord! I have it, I have it! I know how you can get the power you desire!" Lucian flew back through the hallways and corridors. As excited as he was however, he did not dare burst into Zeliver's compartments with out being told to enter.

"Lucian you fool, what are you blathering about? Get in here now." Zeliver's voice flew from behind the door, as razor sharp as his hands.

Lucian cautiously opened the door, trying to still his shaking hands. He bowed and began to reveal his plan. Zeliver listened carefully, then began to smile, then laugh. As proud as he was over his plan, Lucian dared not laugh as well, Zeliver did not tolerate any lack of self-control from those in his service. The pure evil on his face told how much he would enjoy tormenting the girl until she was nothing more than a shadow of her former self, like he had done to so many people before her.