--The Fourth Realm--
A fanfic taking place in the Realms of the Blood, created by
Anne Bishop whom I worship and pay tribute to every day.
Just kidding. Or so you think.
(Written by the Great and Powerful Keski,
spell checked by Microsoft Works Word Processor)
---
Chapter VIII
Loyalties
---
"Well, this is quite an interesting turn of events."
"Well, that was quite a cliché comment."
"Indeed. Perhaps we'll have to do something about that mouth of yours."
"Perhaps we'll have to do something about that face of yours."
There was a soft growl. Anna allowed herself a small grin. She could admit she'd been stupid, running off alone like that, but it still irked her that the second she'd managed to shake off Althemen, a shadowy figure had veritably jumped on her.
She didn't know where she was being held, but whoever was doing it was much better at it than Oebr. She hadn't seen anything except darkness since she'd been brought here, so she didn't know her captor's face. Only his voice. His irritatingly seductive voice that pissed her off to no end, because it reminded her of Luseik, and right now, she would have laughed if that stupid draghan bastard had gone and choked himself. She was using that voice as a way to enrage herself more, so that she could make all the smartass comments she could at this unseen captor. Most likely he worked for Akarui, but beyond that, it was anyone's guess.
As for the darkness… It wasn't magic, but there was something wrapped around her mind. She couldn't identify it for some reason; every time she tried to focus on it, it blurred and she lost it for a few minutes. Her ability to nullify magic had no effect on it.
She was bound to some kind of upright pole or pillar by ropes spelled against witchfire, but she'd decided not to use her magic-nullifying ability on those until she had an idea of what she'd do afterward. Besides, nothing bad was happening. She was actually rather enjoying telling this guy off while he waited for his boss to come to a decision.
"Tell me, little Queen, why did you leave your little group of friends?"
Anna stiffened. "That's none of your business."
"Ooh, brushed a tender spot, did I? Well, I just love pouring salt on wounds. How about you stop being so cold… And tell me what got you worked up enough to ditch your little buddies?"
"It's none of your damn business!"
"Perhaps when Lord Akarui is done with you, I will be rewarded for my work with a taste of your blood… It would certainly improve my own features some."
A cold, clammy finger brushed her chin. Every muscle in her body tightened and she found herself trying to shrink as far from that horrible touch as possible.
The darkness lifted and was replaced by a dim light. Before her stood a corpse. Literally. It had once been… She bared her teeth involuntarily. A draghan.
His skin was bluish-gray and decayed, most of it hanging off his bones listlessly. His head was a skull, no living tissue visible on it except for his eyes, which were disturbingly lively and glistening with moisture even as his skull was dull and unpolished.
His clothing, however, wasn't dead and old. He wore black trousers with yellow trim, a black tunic with a yellow undertunic showing at the sleeves and waist, and a small pendant on his chest with a Gray Jewel.
She gulped to keep herself from vomiting on the spot.
"How rude," he said, smiling. As if he had any other option. She shuddered.
"Well, it's not often I have the chance to converse with a zombie," she said.
He looked taken aback. "The proper term is demon-dead," he said stiffly.
"But it doesn't change the fact that you're a walking corpse."
"Your beautiful face hides a cold and hurtful nature, just as my decayed exterior hides a vital and young heart. Did you know I was killed by a Pureblood when I was only four hundred years old? Terrified at the sight of me. He was no less terrified when I came after him afterward. I killed that fool, just as I'm sure Lord Akarui will allow me to kill you. I drank deep of his blood… But it was nowhere near as sweet as yours must be."
Anna pulled back as he reached out to stroke her chin again.
"Such a beautiful, lively young woman. I'm sure you have your uses outside of consumption…" A lustful glint came into his eyes and Anna froze.
She couldn't wait much longer. She poured her ability into the spell on the ropes and sensed it vanish. A tongue of witchfire licked at the edge of the rope and continued to burn. She couldn't make it any bigger lest it burn her as well, but soon the rope would be thin enough to snap.
"I wouldn't have sex with you even if you weren't some centuries-old undead freak. Vengeful men turn me off."
His hand left a red mark on her face. "You may be valuable to Lord Akarui, but your power will work just as well even if you're injured… remember that, wench."
The rope snapped. She swung her arm forward and, though she was loathe to touch him, brought it down on his shoulder. She turned slightly to the side and brought her leg forward with the skill that comes through years of secret practice, and had him on his rear end in a second. Before he could react, she knelt by him, grabbed his skull, and unleashed Ebon-Gray strength into his mind until she didn't even sense a flicker of life in him.
She drew her arm across her forehead and glanced around. The room was large but bare except for the pillars spaced throughout it, one of which she'd been tied to, and a large empty table in the center. There was a door in one corner, which she promptly headed for.
---
"Wake up, Alnevar. Wake up! Get up and--"
Alnevar's eyes snapped open. Luseik stood over him. "Hell's fire, what happened?"
"From the looks of things, you were attacked by a bunch of gargoyles. Your own fault, I'd say, flying off like that. You're damn lucky we heard you yelling up here or you'd be screwed. Now get up and help us find Anna."
Alnevar was up in a heartbeat. "Anna's gone? Where?"
"We don't know, but it's a good bet she's inside this fortress. She got mad at me
and--" Luseik broke off, bit his lip. He drew in a breath. "She got mad at me and stormed off on her own… Althemen said something pulled her into a shadow. We think she's inside the castle, but we heard you yelling and I flew up to see what was up. Like I said, you're damn lucky we heard you."
"Where are the gargoyles?"
"In about a hundred thousand tiny smashed pieces, way back down on the ground."
"Ah."
"You ready? I'd like to find Anna before she's eaten by some giant monster."
"Nice sense of humor you've got there." Alnevar walked to the edge of the fortress and looked down at Althemen, who glared back up, and Keski and Satiyen, who milled agitatedly around the entrance to the fortress.
Alnevar tipped forward and dove off the building.
Luseik rolled his eyes and followed.
---
"Luseik, look out!"
Luseik spread his wings and slipped into a fighting stance instantly. When nothing happened, he turned to Keski, who still sat, in the form of a small monkey, on Satiyen's shoulder.
"Yes, Keski?" he said stiffly.
"I thought I saw something."
"And?"
"It… It was a shadow."
"And what have we learned?"
"Um… You get mad when I tell you to look out for shadows."
"Close enough. I don't want to hear a word out of you unless you see something with glowing red eyes, a million gleaming white fangs, and black claws. And two heads. It has to have two heads. All right?"
"Yes," Keski said gloomily. "I was just trying to help."
"I said to be quiet. Do you see any red-eyed, white-fanged, black-clawed, two-headed monsters, Keski?"
"No."
"Then can it."
Keski growled. Luseik narrowed his eyes.
Satiyen frowned. "Luseik, we know you're tense--"
Luseik laughed loudly and obnoxiously. "Tense? Me? Ha! No, my Queen hates me and she's being held hostage by a dragon who's been destroying hundreds of souls to create a Jewel darker than the Ebony that anyone can wear, but how in the name of Hell could you possibly think I'm tense, Satiyen?"
"Ha ha. But really, Luseik, you don't need to take it out on us."
"Really? And who should I take it out on?"
There was a soft rumbling and everyone froze. The shadows around them seemed to deepen and shift.
Gejks… Hundreds of them. All of them convened in the middle of the corridor a few yards in front of Luseik and piled onto one another until they formed one massive shadowy creature.
Keski's eyes popped out of his head. "How about the red-eyed, white-fanged, black-clawed, two-headed monster?"
---
(Congratulations on getting past Dicrus,) the dragon said. His voice was similar to Oebr's but it lacked the soothing, calming quality. (And, of course, on finding me.)
"So you're the guy we came to find," Anna muttered. "I thought you'd be harder to find. And more impressive, to tell the truth."
(I am not impressive?)
"Well, if I hadn't met your brother Oebr first, you would be. But he's… I don't know. He's black, for one. You're red."
(Ah. You do not like red?) In an instant, the dragon became a deep, entrancing bluish-black. Anna's mouth formed a silent O.
"Ah. So you can change colors."
(More or less, yes. In any case, human, I believe you are here for a reason, no? My brother sent you, I believe.)
"Oh, that. I'm not really interested in that anymore."
There was a pause. (You are not here for my brother?)
"Well, I was, but Luseik--that's one of the men I was traveling with--is such a prick that I just couldn't stand him anymore… I was actually leaving when that corpse in your living room jumped on me and brought me in here."
(Indeed. Do you even know why my brother sent you here?)
"To stop you building that device thing. With the dark Jewel."
(Yes.)
"I don't care if you do make it, so long as you give me one of the Jewels."
The dragon bared its teeth in a feral grin. (If you will agree to serve me, I will give you all the Dark Jewels you desire.)
Anna paused. "Dark? You're calling them Dark Jewels?"
(There is something objectionable about this?)
"Well, yeah. It's lame. Call them something like… Wait, what color are they physically?"
(That is as of yet unknown.)
"Oh… Well, don't name them until you have seen then. Then you can come up with something better."
(I ask you again; in exchange for as many of these new Jewels as you desire, will you serve me?)
Anna felt reckless. Why not? Luseik no longer held any attraction for her. And she felt like hurting him back worse than just clawing his hand. She grinned.
"Damn straight."