The Longest Night Part 4
The Emperor makes Eastauf an offer she finds difficult to refuse.
The shadows came alive as a dozen warriors leaped from the shadows, each with a silver sword radiating a hazy blue light. Eastauf conjured a short sword in each hand and attacked the closest group. Her swords were a blur of orange energy as she sliced her way through the warriors, moving like a blade of grass in the wind as she dodged and parried their strikes. One warrior stabbed in her direction, while another leaped, intending to hack down upon her. Eastauf dodged the stab and cut the stabber’s legs out from under them as she pivoted behind the one who had jumped. She raked one of her swords across their back while parrying a blow coming from another attacker.
These warriors were Adepts, and well-trained ones at that, yet none of them seemed to be trying to land killing blows. Presumably to incapacitate her so the Emperor could do whatever horrible thing he had planned.
She fought off the second group, but more appeared from thin air. As soon as she killed one, three more would take their place. Eastauf grimaced as one warrior cut into her leg; a superficial wound, but enough to make her focus slip. She blocked an attack from one of the three warriors in front of her when she felt a burning sensation in her side. Her swords disappeared, and she dropped to one knee as her injured leg could no longer support her weight. The pain from the wound in her abdomen was excruciating. The room swam as if she were viewing it through water.
Before she could collapse, warriors approached from both sides of her and grabbed her arms, while a third came from behind to hold her head and torso still. Eastauf tried to wriggle free, but it was of no use. The warriors securing had superhuman strength, and pain and exhaustion had paralyzed Eastauf. Martinius glided so closely to her she could smell the corruption that his body effused. “This vessel has outlived its usefulness, as you can see.” He held out one of his hands, and she could see cracks in his skin, allowing more of the strange blue energy to escape. “But your body should be strong enough to contain our essence.” Martinius placed his hands on either side of Eastauf’s head. They were unbearably cold, and she could feel them sapping the heat from her body. Strange visions flooded into her mind as the room melted away, replaced by an aerial view of a primitive village.
The village comprised log buildings with thatched roofs, and people of all genders, dressed in clothes made from animal hides, moved between the houses. Some wielded spears made of wooden shafts and stone points. They spoke to one another in a foreign language, but she understood every word. A blue light flashed on the horizon, and everyone looked up from what they were doing. The light roared across the ground, causing the people to writhe in pain as it engulfed them. Above the horizon, she saw a beam of light that looked like a silhouette of someone with feminine features. The person raised a staff into the air and another burst of blue light exploded from the end. Eastauf’s vision flashed white, and she was back in the palace.
Eastauf stopped fighting, and the warriors let go of her, allowing her to fall to the floor. “I accept,” she whispered. A mixture of rage from the vision and admiration for the beauty of the light roiled within her. Blue smoke poured out from the emperor’s mouth as he smiled, curling around the corners before dissipating. The top of his head folded back until it touched the back of his neck, and his body fell to the floor like discarded clothing, leaving only a blue mass of energy. The light entranced her as it emitted more columns of smoky light. Her gaze fixated on a point in the mass, and she thought she could see a face inside of it as it penetrated her body. The energy burned as it coursed through her. Her head felt like it would explode as the memories of dozens of people rushed in. Then, before losing consciousness forever, she understood completely why she must destroy the children of Vertorem.
Originally published on Vocal.Media.
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