A/N Sorry for the long delay but the semester is almost over and we all know what that means. This ended up being much longer then I thought it would be but I like the way it came out. You guys decide, love to hear what you think enjoy!
They walked from dawn until dusk every day, sometimes they were lucky to find food and clean water, which more often then not they went without. The days were long and hard on her since she was not used to any kind of labor and she had known there was a reason why she herself had never partaken in it, it was tiring.
They had been traveling for weeks now with out any sign of those she was looking for and she was not usually known as a patient woman and her limits were being tested now.
She would have preferred that her goody two shoes of a sister had killed her or better yet that the hatter had allowed Stayne to kill her. Death was far more appealing then spending every waking moment chained to a man she now despised with every atom of her being. The only thing that kept her going was the thought of revenge against Alice, that was the thought that always cheered her up and helped her endure the man she had to keep company with.
The more time she spent with him, which was every moment of every day, the more she wondered what she had seen in him to begin with. Why had she felt attraction or any other kind of feeling for this man? He wasn't even that good looking, especially not since he had lost his eye.
She remembered that day and she smiled now at what she believed to be cosmic justice. She had sent him to some village or other to put down a rebellion that she believed was in the works. He had razed the village and just as he was leaving to report to her of his success one of the villagers who he thought he had just slain, rose up out of the smoke from the fire. He had lashed out with a pitchfork, aiming for his abdomen but catching him in the eye. Stayne had quickly recovered from the blow and had quickly ended the life of the villager.
She couldn't help laughing at the thought that a commoner had bested him and that it was at her bidding that he had gone to the village and lost his eye in the process.
She looked to the wounded area now, he had somehow lost the heart patch, most likely he had removed it himself, and it was now covered with a scrap of cloth he had ripped off his shirt. No one but Stayne and her knew the real story behind the loss of his eye since he told everyone who asked and was willing to listen that he had lost it in a duel defending his honor.
Stayne saw out of the corner of his eye that Iracebeth was looking at him while trying not to look too obvious about it. There was a smile on her face, one of mirth and calculation and he felt himself shiver at the thought that she was scheming.
Being chained by her side was hell on earth, she never gave him a moment's peace and she still acted like she was a Queen. She had insisted the first few weeks that he continue to call her such things as "majesty" and "highness" but he had fought it every step of the way and had more often then not used her name. It irked her to no end and he would always try to slip it in even when it wasn't necessary.
Goading her was so easy just as it always had been,/ but due to their current situation it was even easier and the best part was there was nothing she could do, no one to complain to and no way to punish him. Other than just existing, that was punishment enough for him.
Walking with her was a chore and it took all of his will power not to break down. Her legs were much shorter than his and he often found himself having to slow down or else risk keeping his arm held out behind him in a most uncomfortable way.
He often found himself gnashing his teeth in frustration at the pace. If it had been up to him they would have been where ever they needed to be by now. She had not disclosed to him where they were going and she probably wouldn't but he knew they were going in a South West direction. They had avoided all the major settlements since they would have been run out of them anyway and Stayne found himself wondering where Iracebeth was going with such purpose.
No one was going to help them in any way, they were on their own, together. He felt an involuntary shiver run up his spine at the thought of living alone with Iracebeth for the rest of his life or hers. He often thought of ways to break away from her and possibly do away with her. He needed to do something before she did, he was going to survive this just as he had always survived before.
Iracebeth was lagging behind again and he jerked the arm that was attached to her, pulling her out of what ever she had been thinking about herself. She looked up at him with a look that would have made him back down before or risk losing his head, but now he just shot the same look back at her.
Her face now had shock on it and he smiled with glee and said, "You have no power anymore Iracebeth," she angrily stared at him for using her name.
"What have I told you about using my name?"
"You mean when you told me not to use it? Sorry wasn't really listening since what you say means nothing anymore Iracebeth."
Now she was the one gnashing her teeth. Her face had become beet red with anger and she felt the biggest urge to yell off with his head even if it wouldn't be acted upon, at least it would make her feel a little better.
She let it go though and picked up the pace so she was ahead of Stayne, now she jerked her chained arm to make him go faster and he rolled his eyes at her.
She was just like a child when she didn't get her way, another annoying thing about her that Stayne would be glad to be rid of.
Iracebeth missed being feared especially by this man, she had him wrapped around her finger at one point. Or did I only think I did?
That would be typical of Stayne, he was always plotting and scheming and had probably made her think he was wrapped around her finger when he really wasn't. It made her angry just thinking about it. She had trusted him the most and that made the truth hurt even more. She should have only trusted herself.
She did now and that was the main thing, there was no reason to dwell on the past and she wouldn't let something like that cloud her judgment again. With renewed vigor, she picked up the pace even more, wanting more then ever to find the outcasts of society that she knew existed.
They would help her, she hoped, through their need for revenge, which she hoped they harbored. Their settlements should be near now, they had past the last village of Underland a few days ago and the Unwanted were rumored to be about two days off from that.
The thing was that they often moved their location so they would not be discovered and forced to disband. They had given up on Underland society and had made their own and were ruled by a King. It was him she hoped to find and she was more then willing to beg if she had to for his help.
Stayne looked to her and wondered what had brought on the burst of speed. He wasn't complaining since the faster they got where they were going the sooner he would be rid of her but the only reason she would use so much energy was if it would give her something in return. They must be close.
All of a sudden a thought hit him about where they were heading. He had figured she would try to win over one of the smaller villages but she had ignored all of them and continued on with out so much as a backward glance. He had heard rumors though of those who no longer lived within Underland's societal bonds, a people who were thought to be only children's stories told to warn children about what would happen if they didn't obey.
Iracebeth must think they exist he thought that is so unlikely…and yet they may exist.
The more he thought about it the more he doubted they were just children's stories. If they did exist they would most likely flock to Iracebeth with the promise of them being a part of Underland and having their voices heard. She would promise that but it would never happen, but they would welcome them with open arms. Any outcast was welcome no matter their background. He just had to win some of them over before she did or he would never be rid of her.
Iracebeth was almost bouncing with joy as she began to see signs of a village. There were footprints crisscrossing a dirt path, there was smoke in the distance and she knew it had to be the Unwanted. No one else lived this far away from the "normal" settlements of Underland.
She would soon be free from Stayne and that thought alone made her walk with even more speed. For the first time on the long journey, she was dragging him and he seemed to be content with the pace he was going and refused to go any faster. She tried to pull him along but he was much stronger then her so she was walking as fast as he would allow. The fact he was setting the pace irked her even though he had been the one to set the pace before.
They finally began to see people, people who were filthy and looked under nourished. They looked at the pair, handcuffed, better dressed and better fed than them. Instead of the open arms Iracebeth was expecting she only received hate filled looks and others who ran in fear from them. Stayne could barely hide his smile at Iracebeth's face, not what she had expected the greeting to be he thought. Haha she thought they would fawn over her as people used to have to do in order to stay alive.
She walked further into the village before she was stopped by three of the villagers, big, muscular men with home made spears, only wood that was sharpened at the end. She was taken back by the hostility in their stance and wondered what had warranted such a reaction from them.
They lowered their weapons and one of them who must have been the leader asked, "What do you want?"
She bristled at the way he said it but she answered evenly, "We have been banished by the White Queen and have come here to live."
The leader of the three looked suspiciously at her with a critical eye and then sized up Stayne.
She put on her most regal face and looked down her nose at him and said with all the authority she could muster, "I am the Red Queen."
The trio laughed and with tears of mirth in his eyes the leader said, "Do you think that because we no longer live in your society that we are unaware of what happens there? We know you are the Red Queen."
The confusion was clear on her face, "Then why am I greeted with hostility?"
"The White Queen said no one was to aid you."
"Since when do you do what the White Queen says?"
"We do not wish to incur her wrath…"
"If you're living here doesn't that mean you already did?" Stayne asked from where he stood.
"Yes…but we don't wish to further incur it."
Iracebeth was getting angry again and she began to walk past the guards, once again dragging Stayne behind her.
"I will see your King," she said, "He will want to see me."
The guards rushed in front of the two and once again pointed their weapons at the pair, forcing them to stop.
"He was the one who sent us to tell you that you are not welcome here," the leader said forcefully, letting the disdain lace his voice.
"I highly doubt that…did he know who it was?"
"I believe he did."
"Enough!" A booming voice said.
The voice belonged to a huge man, both tall and wide but not with fat, it was all muscle. He was intimidating and he knew it, something he used to his advantage. He used it now to intimidate Stayne into lowering his stance a bit, the only reason Stayne did was because he did not wish to start anything with this man since he knew he would lose.
The man looked down at Iracebeth as if she was an insect and she felt herself squirm under his gaze. He smiled to himself that he affected her in such a way. He loved the rush of power it gave him to know others were afraid of him and would willingly do as he said for fear of what he might do. He knew the small woman in front of him had felt a similar rush before her fall from power.
He just stood there letting the look of worry on Iracebeth's face stay for a moment, then he saw it deepen more into the realm of fear and finally he could see the impatience underneath it all. He chuckled to himself that this woman had not lost her spirit along with her crown. Like her, he had reason to despise the White Queen not only for banishing him but destroying his life. He had begged her to kill him but she had taken that damn vow that prevented her from doing so. He thought her weak because of it and in his new society he had no problem dispensing death where it was deserved.
He had started this settlement far away from her jurisdiction and had made his own world with his own rules. With the former Red Queen in front of him a plan to put her back on the throne began to form in his mind, she was a much better suited ruler then the White Queen. He would help Iracebeth with what she wanted and he would make himself her advisor and then eventually marry her and become King of all Underland. He would make such changes, changes the Underground had never seen before.
Iracebeth was still fidgeting under his gaze more out of annoyance now and he could not help smiling. He would mold her for his own use and she would not know what had hit her.
"Apologies for the rude welcoming," he bowed mockingly to her but she didn't notice that, only the fact that someone was bowing to her again, someone who was a king in his own right.
The looks on all those gathered was priceless and he once again smiled to himself. It was true he had told the guards to do exactly as they had done but it was all for show.
Iracebeth recovered first and held herself up as high as she would go, her nose upturned she looked at him down her nose and critically looked at him as he had done a moment ago. She hesitated for a moment as if she had to think hard whether to forgive him or not.
"Merely a mix up I'm sure."
The huge man stood up from his bow and held out his hand clasping her tiny one in his huge one as he said, "We haven't been properly introduced, I am King Diprosopus ruler of this community that is known to you as the Unwanted."
He kissed her hand as was tradition, he lingered over it as if it was a holy relic and Iracebeth could feel herself blushing. Stayne only rolled his eyes at the obvious way this man was toying with her, he himself had done something similar the first time he met her. She loved the attention, soaked it up and it could be used easily against her. If you knew how to play with her you could get anything you wanted out of her. Stayne was surprised she still hadn't learned her lesson.
"I am pleased to meet you King Diprosopus. I am the Red Queen also known as Iracebeth which you may call me if you wish."
Stayne tried very hard to keep his mouth closed so he would not look the fool, Iracebeth never allowed anyone to use her name. Maybe the fall from power had gotten to her.
"Iracebeth," he said her name with a hint of awe in his voice as if it was the most beautiful name he had ever heard, "Thank you for the courtesy. Now come, you must be tired. You and your man can stay with me….and we'll see what we can do about those handcuffs."
Stayne bristled at being called Iracebeth's man but he held his tongue. Iracebeth smiled to herself to see Stayne react in such a way, maybe he would remember his place once again. She began to follow Diprosopus down what must have been the main street if it could be called such. It was not paved, only a dirt path which was about twenty feet wide lined on both sides with houses made of mud and sticks.
Iracebeth imagined what this place must be like when it rained and hoped that she would not be here long enough to find out. Some of the people looked curiously at the new arrivals while others gathered up their children and vacated the main thoroughfare. Some of them did not agree with their king but they had no choice but to live with his decision to take in this couple, to speak against him was a death sentence.
King Diprosopus walked until the main road began to narrow, as they had been walking Iracebeth could see a monstrous structure looming in the distance, which she guessed must be his castle. From what she could see it looked to be made of stone not sticks. As they got closer the full scale of his castle was made clear. It was a half the size of her own palace and she wondered how he been able to make it.
"Welcome to Castle Tenebrae."
"It's magnificent," Iracebeth breathed, "How were you able to build it?"
"If offered the right compensation the villagers will do anything for me. They not only transported the rock themselves they also built it to my specifications."
"What was the compensation?" Stayne asked.
Diprosopus turned to look him in the eye and smiled like a cat that has cornered a mouse, "Their compensation was their lives. Now come. We shall get you settled."
Stayne looked to Iracebeth who had a look of wonder on her face, she obviously liked the way Diprosopus worked, he was ruthless, a trait that Iracebeth thought she had owned and still possessed.
They followed him into the castle, they were greeted with a huge expanse of room that had intricate tapestries covering almost every inch of the stonewalls. They depicted different things, some were mythological stories of Underland and some looked like the creation of the village of the Unwanted, which had been dramatized.
Iracebeth was impressed at the decadence around her considering where she was and what she had just seen to get here. He did not want for anything as the villagers did, what he wanted he got.
He barked out an order and a small, frail looking woman came rushing forward. She quickly lowered herself to her knees and said with deference, "What does my lord wish?"
He turned his head to smile at Iracebeth, showing off his sway over his people. He looked down at the woman kneeling in front of him and said, "We need the master blacksmith to take off their shackles."
"You command I obey," she quickly rose and walked as quickly as she could with out running to do as her king said. The faster she completed the task the less chance there was of him punishing her for being lazy.
"While that is being taken care of I will show you your rooms."
"That would be most welcome," Iracebeth said as she batted her eyes.
Stayne rolled his eyes at the way she was throwing herself at him. He obviously was playing her and anyone could see that, but not Iracebeth, never Iracebeth.
Diprosopus walked further into the castle leading them to a huge staircase made entirely of black marble. What made it most impressive was the gradual spiral it made until it reached the second level.
The trio ascended the stairs, the various servants and workers in the castle bowing to them as they went. Iracebeth loved the attention, the attention she had not received for who knew how long.
Diprosopus stopped at the first door on the landing, a huge ornately carved door that looked to be made of oak. On it was carved more stories, this one depicting Diprosopus hunting a doe on a magnificent horse.
"This will be your room Iracebeth, your man's room is adjacent to yours and connected by a door."
Stayne cringed but perked up at the thought that he would have access to her room while she slept.
Diprosopus opened the door to the room so Iracebeth could see inside. The walls were completely covered by tapestries, the floor had rugs of the finest quality with intricate designs, and the bed was huge with heavy quilts draped on it.
"It is a beautiful room and will be fine," Iracebeth said as if she had any choice in the room she chose.
Diprosopus bowed his head to her and said, "I will have the servants prepare a bath for you and some new clothes brought up. Hopefully they will be to your liking."
"If they are anything like the rest of this place I believe they will serve me just fine."
The woman from before knocked on the door and said, "Pardon the intrusion. The master blacksmith is waiting for you downstairs."
"Very good. Come we shall get you out of those."
Iracebeth sighed in relief as they descended the staircase. At the bottom stood a burly man who was of average height and held a wooden box with various tools of his trade in it.
He bowed to his king while he asked, "How can I be of service my king?"
Diprosopus waved his hand in the general direction of Iracebeth and Stayne, "They have been chained together and require your services to right the situation."
"Yes my king, that should be fairly simple."
He approached the two with his tools, setting them down and rifling through them until he found the one he was looking for.
He quickly set to work and had them free of each other with in moments. Iracebeth rubbed the wrist that had been bound in the iron, it was raw from rubbing against it and looked like it might be infected.
Stayne had suffered a similar fate and Diprosopus stepped towards Iracebeth, "Let me see."
She held out her wrist as he inspected it, "That wound looks angry. My physician will look at it right away."
Before he even needed to ask, the servant woman was on her way to fetch the physician. Stayne had a feeling though he would not receive such an offer. He would have to do what he could to keep the wound clean and free of infection, he knew that such a wound as this one could quickly end up becoming fatal.
After Iracebeth's wrist had been tended to she went back up to her room where a bath had been drawn for her. She could hardly wait to clean off all the grime that had accumulated on her body while she had been traveling.
She wanted to look her best tonight at dinner so when she asked Diprosopus to help her, he would be more willing to do so. She knew he harbored anger towards her sister, just not how far he would go with his anger. She was hoping it would be far enough that he would help her capture the White Queen and all within her palace.
She would have to do something to get rid of her sister, something permanent since she couldn't risk her sister doing the same to her.
After cleaning herself up Iracebeth felt much like her old self especially after she had dressed in the clothes provided to her. It was a long flowing gown of the deepest maroon that hugged her frame until the waist where it billowed out around her legs.
She was escorted by one of the staff to the dining hall, which was a massive room with a long table that was decorated with gold vases full of wild flowers and was set with gold dinning ware. How was it he was able to have all these luxuries?
She really didn't want to know the answer, she didn't really care. She walked to where Diprosopus was holding out a chair for her. She sat and he pushed in her chair and then took his own seat.
He poured her some wine and offered it to her, "The best vintage I can offer."
"I'm sure it is."
"Now, let's get down to why you are really here."
Iracebeth choked on the wine, trying to hide the fact that she was, it didn't work. Diprosopus stared at her waiting for her to pull herself together so she could tell him.
"What makes you think I have a motive for being here?"
He chuckled deep in his throat, "I know how your mind works. You would not risk traveling so far with a man who you despise and very likely wants to kill you without wanting something. The only thing I have to ask is why should I help you?"
She looked at him, trying to see anything she could in his face, it was a blank mask.
"I came to ask your help with my revenge against my sister and Alice."
"Ah yes, Alice. We heard about that. Defeated your jabberwocky if I'm not mistaken."
Iracebeth clenched her hands, felt her nails digging into her flesh but ignored it.
"Yes, she did."
Diprosopus leaned back in his chair, "So what do you want me to do? The girl is no longer in Underland."
"She will come back to me, when she learns I have taken something she holds dear."
He raised an eyebrow at her, "You have something she loves?"
"No but I will."
"What makes you think she loves something here? If she had she would have stayed."
"Fine then something she cares about. Something she would never want to see harmed. Trust me on that little fact. She has proven it before."
"Interesting. What would you do about the current Queen?"
"Get rid of her!"
"Your own flesh and blood?"
"Especially my own flesh and blood. She took what rightfully belongs to me and for that she must be done away with."
"Mmm…I'm intrigued. What would you need me for though?"
"I need to somehow get into the palace in order to take what Alice cares about."
"That can be arranged…what of the White Queen?"
"Do what you want with her."
"You don't want to do it yourself?"
She smiled menacingly, "It is my gift to you. Take her and do what you will with her."
Now it was his turn to smile menacingly as he thought about getting his hands on the White Queen, hands that would wrap around her neck and squeeze the life out of her.
"I accept. How many will you need?"
"Enough to cause a big enough distraction for me to get into the palace without being detected. Some will have to come with me to subdue what I need to get…"
"What exactly are you trying to get?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
"Something that she cares for and I hate."
"You aren't going to tell me."
"Don't you like surprises?"
"Usually no."
"I think you might like this one."
"Do I get to play with it?"
"If by play you mean torture then of course. What do you take me for?"
"I like the way you think! Now, other than me getting to destroy the White Queen and helping you torture someone, what else do I get out of this bargain?"
She arched an eyebrow, "Isn't that enough?"
"I might lose some of my people too…"
"What did you have in mind?"
He immediately answered, "Make me an advisor."
She glared at him with venom in her eyes, "If you know of the things that happen in Underland then I am sure you are aware that the last bunch of advisors I had were liars all of them."
"I did know."
"And still you want to be an advisor?"
He nodded slowly, "I am not like the ones before that you called advisor."
"Done. But if you betray me it will end badly."
"I would not have it any other way."
There was something in the way he said it that made Iracebeth shudder but she had no name for the reason why and even if she did she would have shrugged it off as she did now. She had nothing to lose but everything to gain through an alliance with the man sitting next to her, she would make him believe that she would give what she promised but give no such thing to him or anyone else. She would never trust anyone again in the way she had before her downfall.
Which brought her to the next topic of conversation, but before she could start it Diprosopus said, "Now that that is taken care of, lets move onto your man. I can see the look in his eye, he is no more loyal to you than I am actual royalty."
"You would be right. He has turned on me more than once…"
"Why does the term 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' come to mind?" he cut in.
She slowly turned her head to look at him, she scanned his face, she turned her attention to the table and delicately picked up the goblet of wine that she had ignored until now.
After sipping from it she said, "This is a very fine wine…I wonder if my man," she spat the word, "would like to try some."
Diprosopus' eyes lit up with understanding and he gestured to one of the servants in the shadows who quickly walked to his side, bowed and asked, "My Lord wishes for more?"
"No, no but I do wish for the Lady's man to join us for dinner."
The servant bowed again and went off to do as his master pleased. Once again Diprosopus beckoned and yet another servant rushed forward. This time Diprosopus whispered what he wanted, the fewer who knew about this the better. All the attending servants would have to be killed since he couldn't have traitors among him.
Stayne was surprised by the knock on the door, in a few long strides he was at the door. The attendant looked as if he had run up the stairs since he was breathing heavily but trying to hide it.
In a rush he said, "My Lord wishes you to attend dinner with him and your Lady."
He audibly ground his teeth at not only having this servant say he belonged to Iracebeth but having in be in the same room with her.
The servant saw Stayne hesitate and continued, "It would be wise to do as my Lord wishes…."
"Yes, yes. Just give me a minute," he said with the aggravation barely hidden.
He had, the first moment he was able, cleaned himself up and changed into the clothing provided, he only needed to brace himself for an evening that had just gone from relaxing to interminable.
Within a few moments he was walking down the marble stairs with the servant leading the way. They continued into the dining hall where he was confronted with the huge table with both Iracebeth and Diprosopus, making them both look small and insignificant.
Stayne walked down the length of the table, Diprosopus stood as he approached and said, "I am so sorry."
This made Stayne stop in his tracks for an instant but he quickly regained himself and continued towards Diprosopus. He stopped a few feet away from him with a confused look on his face, "Why are you sorry?"
Diprosopus gestured at the table, "That somehow the servants forgot to extend the invitation I had given for you to join us for dinner."
"But I am only a lowly man servant myself," Stayne said with added emphasis as he looked to Iracebeth who looked him straight in the eye.
"I explained to Diprosopus exactly who you are…"
"Did you now?" he asked quizzically, arching the eyebrow over his good eye.
She nodded in a mocking way, Diprosopus came between the two and gestured to the chair on his other side, "Come, sit. We will eat now."
He snapped his finger and a servant brought forth a goblet and extra place setting. Stayne haltingly sat down as he looked back and forth between the two. The same servant filled the goblet to the brim with a deep red wine that Stayne looked at critically as he leaned to the side as a plate heaped with food was placed in front of him.
Diprosopus and Iracebeth started to eat what was already in front of them and seemed to make a show about drinking the wine. Stayne felt a sense of foreboding but could feel Diprosopus looking at him.
"Is the food and wine not to your liking?"
"No it is…I just wasn't expecting to be invited…"
"Come now," Iracebeth said with a mouth full of half chewed meat, "How could we ever forget about you?"
He glared at her but said nothing as Diprosopus said, "We are all friends here…a toast," he raised his goblet as did Iracebeth. When Stayne did not raise his own, Diprosopus motioned for him to do so. With hesitation and a sinking feeling in his gut, Stayne took the goblet in his hand and raised it.
Diprosopus smiled and continued, "A toast! To this great land! May it always exist in splendor and grandeur!" He took a large swill from his goblet. Some of the liquid dribbling out of the corner of his mouth. Iracebeth noticed but otherwise ignored his indecency and drank some of the wine. Stayne still hesitated but raised the goblet to his lips to take a drink so as not to look ungrateful for the hospitality.
When he had swallowed the wine, he could have sworn there was some flavor that should no be there, it was too sour. Diprosopus smiled and continued on with his toast, "And also," he turned all his attention to Stayne, "To you Stayne. May your end come quickly."
He took another large gulp as Iracebeth laughed as if it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. Stayne looked like he had been socked in the stomach, his eyes wide in horror as what had just been said sunk into his mind, a mind that seemed all of a sudden very sluggish. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears and it was all of a sudden very hard to breathe as if someone was sitting on his chest.
"Very fast acting isn't it?" the voice seemed to echo in his mind, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. The view began to swim in front of him as the disembodied voice continued, "Amazing flower the Anemone. You'll be dead in a few moments. It doesn't hurt…much."
Stayne felt like he was on fire, it seemed to start in his stomach and travel out from there, consuming his body in heat and pain. He tried to flee from it, to do something about it but could not move any part of his body.
Stars burst behind his eyes and he felt the world begin to spin, slow at first and then faster and faster. He couldn't think about anything other than the pain, then on the edge of his consciousness he felt something cold on his feverish skin as his throat began to close up.
Iracebeth leaned over his shoulder, "It is better to be feared than loved. You taught me that in the cruelest way and now I am exacting punishment with that in mind."
His eyes began to cloud over, the darkness taking over, promising release from the earthly pain. His body struggled to get air, started bucking as it tried to fight off death but finally something snapped in his mind and all encompassing night took over, took away the pain.
Stayne sat still, his mouth open in silent pain and from the struggle to breathe. His eyes were wide with both pain and shock at what had transpired. Iracebeth smiled in triumph and Diprosopus pointed to the still warm body that was until just now Stayne and said to anyone who would listen, "Clean that up."
Two servants rushed forward and half carried half dragged away his body. Diprosopus turned to Iracebeth, "I believe we have work to do."