Council of Darkness

"How dare he!" King Highland roared, slamming a fist on the arm of his chair.

The private council chamber was a large dome of white stone with a high-arched ceiling. All about the walls were tapestries depicting the coat-of-arms of the great Houses of Highland Kingdom. A large circular table, carved and gilded within an inch of its life, sat in the center of the room, four other people occupying high-backed chairs around it to witness the king's wrath.

"Oh, I am afraid it is quite true, Majesty," Lady General Mari announced, her armored fingers steepled as she sat forward in her chair. "He has left the Point undefended and fallen back to allow it to be retaken."

Across from her, Lord Lichtenstein frowned. He was a gaunt pale man in flowing black robes, tall and spare with dark sunken eyes. His voice had an eerily hollow quality to it, like he was speaking within a cave. "Garland would not dare oppose His Majesty so blatantly like this."

The woman's red eyes flashed. "Oh, he has dared, Lichtenstein. He left the Point defenseless deliberately after having taken it without hardly any losses at all."

Lady Vival Tiam laughed throatily. A beautiful voluptuous woman with sparkling blue eyes and long blond hair, she did not wear much at all, merely a clinging diaphanous dress. "He means to taunt us, the fool. Does he not understand that we are the source of his power?"

Lord Krekhall paused to look up from his side of roasted beef. A large fleshy man, he growled while wiping a bilious blue sleeve across his double chins. He barely fit in the high-backed chair he sat in, folds of himself spilling over the side. As he talked, he sprayed spittle and bits of food about him. "I cannot believe his impudence! His House was destitute before we found him years ago. He would have nothing without us!"

Lady Mari flashed a wicked smile. "Oh, indeed, Krekhall." Her crimson gaze shifted toward the king. "What would you have us do about this, Sire?"

The ruler of Cornelia and all of Highland was nearing fifty, but looked much older all of the sudden. He wore the white-and-blue robes of his station, along with a royal purple cape lined in ermine cross his shoulders. A heavy jewel-studded crown of gold covered his brow, keeping back his shoulder-length hair of graying brown.

He sighed deeply at the question, and once again, doubts assailed his mind. He didn't remember the last time he had not been mired with doubts. For years it seemed he was losing himself, his thoughts muddled, so uncertain of the righteous path he had once thought he walked as a ruler. For a while now, however, everyone he had once trusted was betraying every honor he had given them. It had begun with his cousin, Vinter Loftlan nearly two years ago, and now Garland, a great and honorable knight whom Highland had long thought of as the son he had never had.

It stoked his anger to a boil. He looked up. "We must wrench the army from Garland's influence, before he gets them all slaughtered with his treacherous actions, and we are left defenseless." He looked to Mari. "My Lady, you are a commander of high rank, you should be sufficient to do this."

The woman smiled, though it never reached her scarlet eyes. "I am flattered that you think me so persuasive, Majesty, but the truth is that Garland has the love of the knights and common soldiers alike, while I am... not so popular. It will take more than my authority alone to dislodge the men from his schemes."

Of course, Highland knew as much. He suddenly pinched the bridge of his nose, as a pain shot through his head. "Yes, of course." He paused. "It is my fault. I have given him so much over the years that his influence amongst the court and the common is nearly ironclad."

Lady Tiam swirled a fingertip around the rim of a crystal glass of wine, her sapphire eyes glancing over it at the king. "And to think how he has repaid such generosity, Majesty."

A surge of anger made the ruler's head pound more painfully. He slammed a fist down on the chair again before looking to the Lady Mari. "Very well, General! I will send my daughter with you on my behalf."

Mari arched an eyebrow with the hint of a grin. "The Princess, Majesty? Are you certain that is wise?"

King Highland rubbed his head. He truly did not wish to send his daughter, but he could not go himself, not with so much to do before the Dragon descended upon them all. "Yes, I will grant her my scepter, the symbol of royal authority, and she will be instructed to make clear that any soldier that does not return to Cornelia forthwith will be in gross dereliction of duty and branded a deserter."

Lichtenstein nodded gravely. "Yes, Majesty, that will be most effective. Even Garland cannot be so much a fool as to ignore the word of your daughter."

Krekhall stripped the meat off a turkey leg, sucking at his fat fingers. "It should do fine, Sire, unless Garland has lost all control of his senses."

Knowing what that entailed, the other three Fiends glared at him. He attacked a fillet of blood fish, however, and didn't notice their glares.

The king didn't notice either, rubbing futilely at his temples. "With this latest disaster, it appears he may have done just that, Lord Duke." He paused, pushing himself warily from his chair. "If there is no other business, I will take my leave. There is much to do yet, and I am relying on all of you for support."

Lichtenstein stood and bowed formally. "We shall grant you all of our strength in support against the dreaded Dragon, Sire, have no fear of this."

The king hesitated for a second, seeming to wrestle with himself before shaking his head vehemently and leaving the room.

After the heavy wooden doors closed behind him, the Lich slammed a skeletal hand down on the table, his voice a dark and hollow rage. "Kraken, you fool! Please use the piece of your brain that is not blubber every now and then!"

The fat man's skin took on a rubbery sheen as his face flushed. He flung the rest of the fillet away. "How dare you speak to me thus, you worm-wreathed corpse!" He then picked up a ham hock and prepared to bite into it.

With a flick of her wrist, Lady Tiam sent a blast of wind to knock the food from his grasp, before she stood, wrath twisting her sensuous body. "You bloated lump of sushi! The King still doubts us as it is, even with the prevailing darkness twisting his will to ours. Say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and he can throw off our so carefully placed fetters and ruin everything!"

The Fiend of Water growled. "You whine too much. Everything is going according to plan." He picked up a side of beef ribs with a grasping tentacle, but suddenly cried out in pain.

A bejeweled falchion had been struck through it, pinning it to the table. Another tentacle shot out, but it was skewered as well. Two more tried, but were also skewered, as Marilith suddenly stood over the Water Fiend, her wicked eyes burning. The snakes of her hair nipped at Kraken's rubbery face. "You will watch your tongue or I will cut it out."

Even in his pain, the Water Fiend opened his gaping maw in defiance. "You, Marilith? You of all people should know better than to attack me." His eyes suddenly glowed a malevolent blue.

The Lich floated up. "Enough of this, now! We must discover Garland's intentions or everything we have worked for will be for naught." He looked over at the Fiend of Air.

Tiamat gave a predatory grin. "Oh, not to worry, Lichtenstein. I will contact my little birds with all speed, and we will have word by tomorrow's dawn."

The Lich nodded. "Very well." He looked down with empty sockets at the two other Fiends beneath him, still poised as if to cause the Fifth Cataclysm then and there. "You two will assume your human guises and remember your goals. I'll not have you ruin mine with your squabbling."

With one final blazing glare, Marilith wrenched her blades from the Kraken's tentacles and slowly shrunk down into her armored human form. Kraken shrunk as well, as much as he could anyway, wincing at the wounds, which healed quickly enough with the weapons gone.

Afterward, he went back to his ribs.