The carriage ride continued for hours. Every bump and pit in the road caused the carriage to shake and bounce. Every time it did, the pain in my side was excruciating. However, I could not use my power to heal my injuries now. No, the pain could wait. Right now, my flames were focused on something much more important.
I could feel them. Deep inside Doctor Fraus, a small green flame burned brightly due to what I had done earlier. The flame did not cause any physical damage to his body. What it burned was something else. Something far less tangible but no less important. My flames burned his soul.
In the beginning, he complained about a headache. He blamed it on me of course, which led to another round of kicks. He downed a foul-smelling drink, but medicine could not help him. He had started sweating profusely, clutching his head and muttering to himself. Hours passed and the doctor had grown pale.
I couldn’t help but gripe to myself. If I was at my full power, I could wipe out a thousand of him in an instant. With how weak I am now, even killing a single person took hours.
“It’s over,” I said struggling to sit back up.
Doctor Fraus looked at me, eyes clouded with pain. In them, a hint of green began to consume the normal black. “You… It was you… what did you do to me?”
I smiled as his mind faded. His eyes turning fully green, glowing in the dim carriage. “I told you I was going to kill you, and I keep my promises. Now, help me up.”
Moving with a robotic motion, Doctor Fraus picked me up and set me gently on the cushioned seat. He untied my hands and feet. The ropes had left bloody burns in my skin, but I knew they would heal with time.
I looked at Doctor Fraus as he sat across from me in the carriage. “Now I only have Eleven more I can command.”
'You... you killed him.'
“I may let you dictate many things, but I do not tolerate threats. Would you rather he sells us?” I replied.
'Does he have to follow us around?'
“No, Doctor Fraus is not useful as a soldier. He has no skills for that. However, as a spy, his connections to nobility could be very useful.”
I waved my hand and the green faded from Doctor Fraus’ eyes. He looked around in confusion for a moment before looking at me.
“My lady, what is your command,” he spoke.
“Tell me, where are we going?”
“To the capital. There is a secretive group there known as the Empress’s Cult. They are willing to pay enormous amounts of gold for any child who develops an innate talent that turns their eyes green. I… I was going to sell you to them.” A look of confusion appeared on the doctor’s face. “I… why am I…”
I waved my hand and the green glow returned to the doctor’s eyes. His face went slack, and he stopped moving completely. Once I was sure his heart rate had calmed down, I let the green fade from his eyes again.
“My lady, what is your command?”
“What is the Empress’s Cult?” I asked.
“The Empress’s cult is a group of noble families who served the Immortal Empress fifty years ago. The cult believes that their empress had died many times in the past and that she will return again. Just as she has always returned.”
“I still have loyal supporters? After what I did?” I asked.
“Loyal might be a strong word, my lady. Their families flourished under the empress’s rule. After her death, they were demoted by the new king to the lowest levels of nobility. They believe that when the empress returns, she will return their glory to them.”
I went quiet for a moment as I considered the uses this new group might have. If I played my cards right, they could be a powerful tool to achieve my goal.
'They kidnap children.'
My eyes narrowed.
“Doctor Fraus, this is my command. Sell me to this group, just as you were going to before. Afterwards, stay in the capital. Treat patients of nobility just as you did in the past. While you are there, I want you to gather as much information about the capital as you can. Specifically, you are to pay attention to anything you can find out about a book. It should be in the king’s possession. It will be black, leather-bound, with the symbol for infinity in gold on the front.”
“It will be done, my lady.” Said Doctor Fraus with a deep bow towards me.
Time passed slowly in the confines of the stuffy carriage. Using my flames, I was able to heal a majority of the injuries Doctor Fraus inflicted on me, but the broken rib was a problem. With my limited reserves of energy, it would take days for the broken bone to heal. All I could do was have the doctor wrap the injury for now. Hopefully, I would not have to do any running at the Empress’s Cult.
With my arms and legs now unbound, I had free reign to move about the cabin. Most of which consisted of me staring out the window. I could not simply leave the carriage though. Doctor Fraus told me that the carriage driver was employed by the empress’s cult. We stopped a few times to rest the horses. When that happened, I had to act like a proper captive. Which was not hard given my remaining injury.
From the small window, I watched as the forest faded to fields. Scatting of houses began to appear. The road began to smooth out and was no longer as bumpy or filled with potholes. Paths began to merge and we were no longer the only people on the road.
A wall soon can into view on the horizon. It was made of a polished stone that was as black as night. The wall was not strait or curved like most cities would be, but instead made up of hundreds of triangular battlements jutting from the stone. Dark towers stretched into the sky at regular intervals, overlooking the world, both outside and inside the city. Behind the walls, a palace could be seen towering into the sky. The palace was constructed almost entirely out of pure white marble, standing in stark contrast to the black walls of the city.
The city of Ater-Albus… my city.
'It’s pretty.'
“I certainly did not expect the king to use my old castle as his capital. Efficient, but I doubt it has helped his image much over the years.”
“Many people say that the king respects the old empress. Even though he was the one that killed her, she died a valiant death. He has gone on record many times saying that even though her government was corrupt beyond recovery, the empress herself was a valiant warrior. That she should be treated like a fallen hero that took the wrong path, not cursed as a demon.”
I frowned as I listened to Fraus’ words. “I wonder if he would still say that if we met again.”
“No offense my lady, but he would probably kill you in an instant,” replied the doctor, “Respecting a great enemy does not mean he would tolerate her return.”
I chuckled, remembering the feel of his blade as it dug into my skin. I have no intention of feeling that again.
The carriage trotted onward. Eventually, we reached the gatehouse. Separating the castle walls from the gatehouse was a deep river that wrapped around more than two-thirds of the city. Only a single bridge crossed this river, leading to one of only two entrances into the city.
From my window in the carriage, I could see our driver talking to a guard in heavy armor. The driver handed him an envelope. Watching closely, I also saw the driver hand him a small pouch. The guard weighed the pouch carefully, before waving the carriage through without checking the interior.
Boards creaked as we passed over the bridge. Entirely made from wood, the bridge had not handled the wear of years well. Deep below the cold water, I could see the many more black stones, the remains of an older bridge that did not stand the test of centuries.
Closer to the wall now, I could see that not all the stone was as pristine and smooth as it had once been. Cracks, breaks, and even small craters littered the black wall. These were not caused by time. They were signs of a siege.
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Inside the wall was quiet. None the cacophony of voices and blusterous trade I expected. I could see many people moving through the streets. Children played together. Even a few drunks stumbled about. However, an unnatural silence invaded all of it. People whispered with furtive glances. They moved about their business quickly, without stopping for pleasant conversation. Shutters were shut, and doors were barred. This was a type of silence I was familiar with. This was the silence of death.
'Something is wrong.'
“What happened here?” I asked.
Doctor Fraus shook his head. “I do not know. I have not been to the capital in months. It was not like this last time I was here.”
“When we finish with the cult find out and report back to me.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The carriage wheels squeaked through the empty streets as we moved further into the city. Finally, after nearly a full day of riding, we arrived at a small mansion. Here I would meet this Empress’s Cult.
The mansion reeked of greed. The building was covered in bright golden trim and surrounded by opulent statues. A large, plated gold fountain towered over the trimmed garden flowers.
Our carriage came to a stop at a smooth stone path. The driver hoped off, while we waited. A few moments passed and a man came to greet us. To my surprise, he was not some obese, pampered man-child. Instead, what I saw was a man that towered above others. He was covered in muscles and scars, weathered by age. Peppering of light grey hair mixed with what was once jet black.
General Coleman? No, he died. His son, what was his name? L… La… Le… Luther, I think. It was actually someone I knew from my past life. He was just a little toddler back then. Cute and chubby.
As Doctor Fraus and I stepped out of the carriage, Luther opened his arms wide, with a big smile. “Welcome my friends!” his eyes narrowed as he saw me. “She is injured. We said to bring her unharmed.”
“She has very sharp teeth.” Replied Doctor Fraus, rubbing his hand. “It is just a rib; I treated it afterwards. It will heal soon.”
“Every child that is brought here is potentially our empress and should be treated as such. Your pay will be cut in half. If it was up to me the punishment would be far more severe,” replied Luther, he gave off the murderous intent of a man forged by war.
Doctor Fraus, instinctually took a step back. I shook my head in disappointment at my first human pawn. Too scared to argue, he accepted the money handed to him by the servant without complaint and hurried away. Disappearing down the road, he left me alone with the giant of a man, Luther.
Luther examined me carefully. The two of us stared at each other in silence as time ticked forward. Finally, he spoke. “I am impressed. Most children brought here are either crying or had their spirits broken by their kidnappers. You though… you have no fear at all in your eyes.”
“What happens to the children you kidnap,” I asked.
“When they are proven to not be our empress reincarnated, the children here are raised as servants for the empress’s return. For many, this is a much better life than they would have gained in the outside world.”
“Is that how you justify tearing children away from their parents?”
The man looked towards the ground, no longer looking me in the eye. “A necessary evil to achieve our goals. Our empress will return one day, just as she has many times before. However, the grandmaster of our order taught us, when she is reborn, she will be weak and defenseless. He has seen it before.”
“You are not in charge of the order?” I asked.
Luther shook his head. “No. I am simply a soldier following orders. The grandmaster is inside. He will be the one to determine whether or not you are the empress.”
“Will he?” I replied with a grin. Meeting this so-called grandmaster sounded interesting.
He took hold of my arm and guided me into the opulent mansion. Through the door, two rows of servants waited patiently. As we entered, they all simultaneously bowed at the waist. Looking carefully, I could see that each and every one of them had bright green eyes, shining in contrast to the endless gold and marble that made up the interior of the house.
Luther led me up a winding staircase. The servants dispersed after we passed, but I noticed two new people near the door out of the mansion. Both of them wore heavy armor, each wielding a long pike. They stood guard at the door, looking inwards towards the servants. Their eyes were not green.
Through a door, inlaid with carved ivory, a man sat at a desk. He sat with his back to an open window. The light of the nearby lanterns cast shadows on his gaunt, sunken cheeks. Deep wrinkles covered his forehead. He glanced at us enter with a permanent frown that never left his face even after all these years. Minister Crassus, I realized with a shock. He was still alive?
“Another one?” he asked, barely glancing up from the papers at his desk. “She is not the one, put her in the servants’ quarters with the others. Once we determine what her talent is we will put her to work.”
“Sir, if I may, this child still has a family. If she is not who we are waiting for, perhaps we can return her to them. We have plenty of servants,” said Luther.
Crassus finally looked up from his desk. His frown deepened even further. “Just follow my orders. You want to meet the empress and find out what happened to your father, don’t you? All you need to do is…”
A flutter of feathers interrupted Crassus's speech. A small brown figure flew in from the open window, landing gently on my arm.
“About time you got here,” I said, petting the feathers under Sylvie’s chin. She puffed up proudly and began chirping excitedly. “Is everything ready?”
“Throw that feathered rat out, and do as I command.” Said Crassus.
Luther took a step forward, but my next words made him pause. “Oh, Minister Crassus you always have been such a disappointment. In the past, I put you in charge of public safety, but your corruption and greed made you a detriment to the public you were supposed to protect. Your police force charged people for their protection. Your fire brigade only worked when they were bribed. Even now, you use my name to gather support for your greed.”
“You…” Before Crassus could continue, a loud crash came from downstairs. The sound of broken wood. The ringing sound of steel on steel. The screams of a dying man.
I patted Sylvie’s head calmly. Her eyes began to glow green. The room began to dim as the flames in the nearby lanterns began to change. The flames burned with a green glow, casting the room in shadow.
Fast as a thought, Sylvie hoped from my arm and flew towards the corrupt man. A flash of green flames ignited on her feathers. her sharp talons biting into flesh.
“My eyes!” Crassus shouted in agony, blood flowing down his face.
Sylvie returned to my arm; her feathers now dyed red. I walked towards Crassus, calmly taking one measured step at a time. “I thought I got everyone when I burned down my ministry building. Seems that one little rat escaped. Today, I correct that mistake.”
“No! Please my queen, I can be useful I…”
I pulled a small knife from my boot. It was the same small knife my father had bought me just a few days before. If he knew what I was going to do with it, what would he think?
I shook my head. It was a pointless thought. In one swift motion, the knife plunged into Crassus’ neck. Warm liquid sprayed onto my hand. I was stained with his blood.
I watched as he grasped at his neck. Gurgling noises escaped from his mouth. He flailed helplessly for a moment, then grew still.