Chapter 9: Crow of Dark Tidings
She could see them. From high atop the onyx citadel, Liliana could see her former allies. Despite the huge distance between her and them, there was no mistaking their distinctive features. Chandra's blazing hair, Jaya Ballard's blood-red robes, Ajani's pristine mane and oversized axe, Karn's silver exterior, Teferi's massive crook that leaked with chronomancy, Gideon's unmistakable aura, and Jace's familiar blue robes that now shimmered with his summoned magic. She could see them, but none of them saw her. No, their focus was on the very thing Liliana was trying her damnedest to ignore: the Planar Bridge's opening.
While she stared at the Gatewatch, the dancing lavender lights of the portal filled her periphery. Even with the distance, Liliana could hear the hum in the distance and see the crackles of plasma shooting off into the adjacent rooftops.
Look at those fool down there, posing for battle like the brave heroes they're always claiming to be. They truly have no idea what's about to happen to this city.
And yet, there was a part of her that wanted to be down there with them, flashing her necromantic prowess for all to see. Part of her wanted to be a hero. She let out a small sigh.
They've always painted you as the villain, she thought to herself, and now look at you. A lackey for a delusional dragon. A self-fulfilling prophecy. A fucking joke.
"You mustn't be too hard on yourself, Liliana. Nothing you could have done would have stopped this from happening."
Liliana's heart leapt to her throat at the voice coming from behind her. A voice she recognized instantly, a dark, ominous voice that almost sounded like the distant caw of a raven. Not wanting to show her surprise, Liliana quickly composed herself and forced her face into a look of cool aloofness. Then she felt ready to and address the mysterious figure she knew only as the Raven Man.
"And what are you doing here?" she said, not turning around to face him.
She didn't to ask how he knew what she was thinking. Ever since she had first met the Raven Man in her youth, he had always known things about her she couldn't explain. Perhaps it was telepathy, like Jace, but recently she suspected there was more at play inside her head.
"I was summoned here," he crowed, his voice laced with an intrinsic menace. "I'm not sure by what, but I knew I had to be here. I would not dare miss this."
"Miss what?"
"My triumph. You've tried to fight my machinations for so long, Liliana, yet no matter what you did, you were always destined to be right here, right now. Crushed beneath the thumb of Nicol Bolas, carrying out his orders like a trained dog."
Since the Raven Man had spoken up, Liliana had felt a burning rage start to consume her. With each word he spoke, her heart pumped more pitch-black hatred through her veins. These final words, however, completely filled her body with the ichor. Seizing it, her hands began to glow with a deep, threatening purple. She let out a yell, a guttural sound that came from the furthest reaches of her mind, as she turned to strike the Rave Man with all her eldritch powers.
Their eyes met as she finally faced him. He looked exactly as he always had: white, wind-tossed hair, black robe trimmed with gold, and those damned golden eyes that she could always feel piercing the back of her head. As she stared into those eyes, she thrust a hand into the Raven Man's chest, letting her necromancy shoot from her fingers in order to destroy him once and for all.
She was too slow. As her hand reached him, the Raven Man's form changed, his human shape exploding into a flock of ravens that scattered in all directions. Liliana's fist flew through them, her magic leaking into the open air and dissipating in the strong citadel winds.
Liliana clenched her fists and grit her teeth in frustration, the coalescing magic on her hands quietly receding. The crows cawed loudly all around her, their persistent cry seemingly mocking her efforts. The birds gathered a few feet in front of her before transforming back into the gaunt frame of the Raven Man.
He smiled down at Liliana, his eyes glittering with the far-off light of the Planar Bridge. "You know that's quite unnecessary, Lili. If you were capable of killing me, I would have died long ago. Besides, I did not come here to fight you."
"Then why are you here?" she growled, staring daggers at her tormentor.
"Me? I'm just here to watch. I want the best view possible for when you bring this city to its knees for your master."
"He is not my master…"
"Oh, no? I must be mistaken then. By all means, feel free to leave his palace roof whenever you want then." His smile widened with sadistic glee as Liliana stood stock-still, her body seemingly unable to move even an inch. "You can try and lie to yourself all you want, but do not insult me by feeding me the same tired excuses I've already seen in your head."
He paused, his gaze now moving past her to the Ravnican vista behind her. With a quick motion of his head, the Raven Man gestured to Liliana. "Well, I suppose that's your cue."
Liliana turned to see what he was talking about, and she felt the weight in her stomach double. The face of the Planar Bridge, which had been a dazzling purple moments ago, was now translucent. Instead of a solid wall of violet energy, it appeared like a thin purple film that separated the urban landscape of Ravnica from the harsh desert of Amonkhet.
Through the portal, she could see the ruins of Naktamun, the great city that Nicol Bolas had created millennia ago and destroyed only recently. Houses crumbled, trees fallen or sucked dry, and not a living creature in sight. It was ruin, but even this sight was not the worst thing to behold on the other side of the portal. No, that would be the ranks of undead soldiers, standing in perfect formation in front of the portal.
"The Dreadhorde," she whispered to herself, almost in disbelief. She had been on Amonkhet when Bolas first raised the Eternals, his personal army of zombified beings. He had taken the fallen of Amonkhet, those who had been the strongest in life, and covered them in lazotep, a hard, magical mineral shell. Any creature that Bolas saw fit, from humans to minotaurs, avens and jackals, cats and dragons, was given a nigh-indestructible coat of armor. And now, all of them were marching through the Planar Bridge in horrible, unthinking unison. They did not look at their surroundings, they merely advanced into Ravnica. The only thing they were waiting for, the only thing keeping them from razing the city to bedrock, was the command of their leader, Liliana Vess.
Silently, Liliana reached a gloved hand behind her back, grasping at the small pouch she kept hidden behind the flowing purple satin. She found it, undid the latch, and pulled its contents out. She looked at the Chain Veil, its empty eyeholes seemingly staring back with a content malevolence.
She held it in her hands, her fingertips brushing over the golden surface. Though it was made of many small links of gold, the material was smoother than any fabric Liliana had ever felt. It had a thin, malleable strap that sprang from its top in three directions, designed to wrap around and over the wearer's head. It jingled quietly as the breeze swept over the citadel's roof, and Liliana shuddered. She couldn't be sure, but she thought, intertwined with the wind, she heard the dissonant calls of the Onakke spirits trapped within the Veil.
"Well, aren't you going to put it on?" the Raven Man asked as he leered forward. Liliana had nearly forgotten his presence, her full attention on the Chain Veil in her hand as she tried to forget her task at hand.
"And what if I don't?" she asked him coldly, balling her fist around the Veil. "What if I refuse to be his, and your, pawn anymore?"
He flashed a toothy grin to the back of her head. "Then you die."
His words hung in the air, immovable even by the constant gale. They echoed in Liliana's skull, pushing out any stray thoughts to occupy every dark corner and recess of her mind. Those three simple words, repeated ad nauseum in her thoughts.
"Then you die."
No.
Liliana loosened her grip and allowed the Chain Veil to unfurl in her hands. She once again met its empty eyeholes, but her own stare was harder, crueler than before.
No, Liliana Vess does not die. I can still remember a time when that would have been impossible. Planeswalkers were gods. I was a god. Then that damn Mending happened. The multiverse flinched, and what a planeswalker was changed forever. The Gatewatch, they never understood why I did what I did. I always said I'd get back to that state at any cost, be a god again at any cost…
Without another word, Liliana took the Chain Veil by the straps. She closed her eyes and gingerly wound it around her head. She secured the clasp to her ornate headband and let go.
Her eyes suddenly shot open as a surge of power stampeded from the Veil into her body. The arcane energy engulfed her, alighting her irises and her mystical tattoos with a brilliant purple light. It wormed its way to her chest, and she felt the ancient magics intertwine with her spark, her soul. It was overwhelming.
The onakke spirits within the Chain Veil cackled, their raspy voices now audible.
"You have our power now, Vess, but only some. A mere fraction."
"Submit to us, and you could do so much more."
"Let us flow freely. You know it is what you want."
Shut the hell up! she barked at them. She grit her teeth hard, nearly grinding them together in concentration, as she forced the influence of the spirits back into the Veil. I don't need all your power to command this army. A fraction will do.
The voices receded to unintelligible whispers in the back of her mind, quiet enough that she felt she could ignore them for the time being. She looked up and down her arms at the swirling purple patterns etched into her skin. The tattoos signified the contract that granted her power. The contract she had signed with four demons, whom she killed. The contract that now bound her life to Bolas.
You've always been willing to do what you must to survive. Chandra, Gideon, Jace, none of them know what it's like to have immortality ripped from you. They called you a villainess from the start, so why stop now?
The violet light pouring from her eyes suddenly exploded, flooding forward in a sweeping wave across the Ravnican skyline. It passed over houses, people, and animals with no ill effects. It was not until it washed across the rank and file of the undead Eternals that Liliana's necromancy could take hold. The eyes of the Eternals, empty sockets filled with lazotep, filled with the same purple light. One by one, Liliana's mind was split between each zombie, each once-living human and jackal and minotaur and angel and dragon. If it were not for the power granted by the Chain Veil, her head would have split from the strain. Instead, all she felt was an empty pit in her stomach.
Behind her, the Raven Man laughed. A low, deep chuckle that would barely register if her senses were not sharpened. "Predictable as ever, Lili. I'll be going now, I want to find the best views for your conquest. I do hope you reconsider the onakke's offer. If you need me, just look for the shadow in the sky." She heard his voice disappear, and a mass of cawing replace it. Wings flapped in all directions, ravens scattering like bits of ash in the wind. In a few seconds, she was left alone.
Liliana looked once more for the Gatewatch. She found them almost exactly where they were, their defensive poses now aimed toward the horde of Eternals. The zombies now stood at full attention, weapons in hand. She tried to make out the faces of her former allies, to see what they were feeling at this moment, but they were obscured.
I wonder if they know it's me doing this.
Tears ran down her cheeks, though the Chain Veil blocked them from sight as she silently sobbed.
I guess it's time for Liliana Vess to do what she does best.
With a wave of her hand, she sent out the telepathic command to the undead army. It was the only thing on her mind in that moment, the brief statement that the Eternals would follow as long as they stood: kill all who stand in your way.