The leader of the organization was not the old, scrawny creep Katherine imagined. In fact, he seemed to be of similar age as her parents and King William, though much better preserved than the latter. With an upright stance and fit figure, he appeared to be a handsome gentleman if one didn't know better.
The strands of grey in Ve's reddish-brown hair were few and added sternness to his cold grey eyes. Eyes, that inspected Katherine with a certain curiosity, like she was an insect under a magnifying glass. As if she was not even human.The chill that ran down Katherine's back only sufficed to straighten her spine. She returned the gaze with all her disgust for this person fueling the arrogance she learned in her noble upbringing. She was unwilling to succumb to someone on the lowest step of humanity's staircase, no, someone who had already fallen from said staircase! Only a demon could order experiments on Babys! Pushing herself up like this, Katherine clicked her tongue coSlowly, Katherine drew a step back diagonally, then another until she could feel something hard behind her. The cave's wall was cold and rough, but for now, it was the only support she had. It seemed quite sturdy. Hastily, she glanced at Loki's leader. He wasn't closer than before, his arms still crossed behind his back, seemingly watching the scene with mild interest. At least for now, he appeared to have no ambition to involve himself. Good.Focusing on her cousin again, Katherine noticed with a start that he'd stepped closer. The researcher in her grip also struggled weakly, huffing and puffing in pain. Right, she suddenly realized, though he is in my hands, he's no hostage so long as I can't threaten his life. And even then, would someone here care enough to stop? Especially Ethan? Ridiculous. What can I do? I need to buy time to think! Talk to them! Try to bargain until I find a chance to flee!The first thing that came to her mind was still the same question and she
Secretly, Katherine rolled her eyes. The pretentious grandeur of this Ve was, in her view, plainly annoying. She couldn't understand why people followed him at all. However, it was better to let him go on and on about his research because that would stop him from actually conducting it. So, she forced a smile. "A godly being from another plain? Like the phoenix god?""Oh, no, no, no." For the first time, she heard Ve laugh, a laugh full of disdain as if she was a dumb little child. "Of course not. The phoenix is just fiction, an imaginative construct for the weak-minded crowd. The godly being I met is much more real - it isn't omnipotent or benevolent, of course. The thought of an omnipotent entity that saves us all is plainly ridiculous, in a scientific sense. No. I call it godly only because of the deathly power it possesses and the fact that, though it can think and communicate, it isn't human. It is from another plain, not from this world."Gazing at Katherine's face,
The ladder creaked ominously under Katherine's hands. Despite Ve and Ethan watching from above, she climbed as slow as a slug, her mind churning. What could she do? What would they do? What would happen if she reached the dark mass? What did Ve want to archive? Could there be another cave further down this rift, one useful for escape? But what then?Her head hurt, yet she found no answers. All she knew was that she wanted her baby to live - and thus, had to live herself. Survive.A cold wind blew in the canyon, unobstructed by the walls that were smooth and flat like paper. Their earthen color was smeared with some kind of soot, turning darker the further she climbed down. Katherine wondered if there had been a fire below before it was flooded by this black mass, but if that was true, the fire would've had to be gigantic. All she could see from the opposite wall of the canyon was equally as smooth and charred as her side. Almost as if the canyon was molten into the mountai
The last rope gave up under the edge of a guard's sword, and the black mass opened like a giant maw when Katherine fell. A scream of rage and fear cut through the still air at dusk. Then the darkness closed around her body as inevitably as the sun was swallowed by the night. Yet her fate was much more final. A second later, the darkness rested still and serene like an undisturbed lake again. Not a sign, not a sound of the person inside.Squatting on the edge of the cavern with his arms resting on his knees, hands hanging down, Ethan hummed a little melody. It was hauntingly beautiful, the remnant of a falling family that turned into cannibalistic monsters. The Bale Ballard was known far and wide for its tale of sadness and cruelty of life.Reaching the last verses dedicated to the children of the executed evil, Ethan opened his mouth to sing in a melodious whisper. "... and did you hear the rumor that flesh they eat again? And did you hear the rumor that flesh they eat aga
Though it seemed tangible, the darkness did nothing to cushion Katherine's fall. Her body bounced off the narrowing walls once, then twice, rendering her red and blue even before she hit the ground with a dull thud and lost consciousness.The dark world was illuminated by a slight glow when an agonizing pain shook her awake again seconds later. She squirmed. While her whole body pulsed numbly and her head swam, her stomach seemed to burn with white-hot flames. A gasp escaped her throat. She tried to clutch her belly, only for more pain to shoot up her left arm. It was buried under her hip at a strange angle, vastly unresponsive but agonizingly present. Though the right arm moved naturally, the pain and helplessness brought tears to Katherine's eyes. "Not again, please not again..."The darkness above her suddenly seemed to grow wolf maws, feral growls sounding over the tearing of flesh. The memories which she thought she'd locked away, resurfaced together with the pain. He
The air was running low. Nathaniel only realized it when his own thoughts slowed down and more and more of his soldiers had trouble walking upright. They gasped and shuddered at the slightest activity. Like now, only from walking with the usual weight of their weapons and leather armor. They had lost another one to the darkness recently, yet the black tide seemed unwilling to abate anytime soon. Was the compass leading them astray or did the darkness follow their steps?As the pessimist he was, Nathaniel reckoned it was the second option. The darkness would not care about his people, but it probably tried to wear him down by all means possible. If it intentionally blocked the airway or not - Nathaniel had a hunch that the darkness would not let him leave its clutches, now, that he descended into them willingly. It would follow him around everywhere he went. And that meant, he would be responsible for all his soldier's death in the end. They would die instantly if they wandered
Even with careful and slow movements, simply sitting up cost Katherine several minutes and she almost passed out more than once. Finally, with sweat on her forehead and gritted teeth, her back reached a vertical position. For a short moment, she halted and only gasped for breath. Was it her imagination or did breathing turn more torturous by the second? The white sparks in her vision multiplied as well, but neither was her biggest worry.Anxiously, her hand wandered down her belly and when she reached the wet blood between her thighs, she pressed her eyes close and swallowed against the lump forming in her throat. Her baby... her little baby... if only she could save it by remaining still, she would.Instead, she forcefully subdued her emotions and turned sideways onto all fours. Without sight, she deduced that crawling was better than walking. The new position strained her belly which was pulled on by gravity, yet she could still handle the pain. Much better at least than
When Katherine came to, she felt like she was floating. Gravity was no more, and neither was pain or worry. There was only this exhilarating feeling of weightlessness. After all the troubles she'd gone through, her mind felt like mush, now that the pain and threat of death were gone. A few seconds flew by before worries invaded her mind again.The first, even outperforming the question of where she was, was the angst for her child. Her eyes flew open, one hand already on its way to her stomach, but the sight in front halted her. It was a strange and at the same time way too familiar view. She was floating inside a bubble of light in a space filled with... gauze birds.Fright gripped her heart. This was the space she entered after the wolfs ate her flesh. Something akin to a dream she never thought about again. But if she nearly died again... her hand trembled when it reached her stomach, feeling it through the dirty and bloody cloth of her shirt. "Are you... still there?"
Five years later"Your Holiness - Uh, ah, Majesty, I mean!"Leaning on the newly-built rails atop the dome of the palace, with the view of the Capital in the background, Katherine scolded lightly: "Shht, Hazel, she just fell asleep."In her arms rested a baby, maybe a few months old, with a tuft of black hair and fair white skin. If she opened her lids, angelic blue eyes would blink up innocently at the viewer.Hazel's head appeared at the end of the staircase leading to the roof. Apologetically, she bit her lip and whispered. "I'm sorry, your Majesty. A letter arrived from Dragsa, and Prince Patrick hurt his knee while playing. He's on his way here.""Dragsa...," Katherine muttered and stretched out a hand to take it. "I wonder what they want. They were very quiet in the latter years."Lowering her head, she took a glance at the paper. Instantly, her brows furrowed, later followed by a deep sigh. "I almost expected it. What a shame."Her gaze wandered to the west, in the direction of
For once, the third wall belonging to the palace let nobles and commoners alike pass. They flooded in in masses and coagulated on the streets and the grass field before the dome. Everywhere, where they could hope to catch a little glimpse of what was about to happen in the throne hall.In front of the dome, Nathaniel dismounted and reached his hand out to Katherine to help her off as well. For a second, Katherine remembered how Pete helped her when she mounted Bell for the first time, and her smile grew shaky. Pete and Jack. One retired after suffering grievous wounds, and the other fell in battle when the undead attacked the palace to free the Queen, Emilian, and Helmina.The burial was in the time of Katherine's long travel back but she and Nathaniel visited the grave two days ago. Still, she could not believe that her funny, one-eyed companion was truly gone. It was delusional but she could not shake the thought that if only she'd been at the Capital, her power might have saved him
Weeks later, the couple reached the Capital and was welcomed with much tom-tom. Aston, it seemed, was back on his feet. The new scar parting his right brow even suggested that his exaggerated description of a battle with the best undead swordsman in history might be more than just bragging. Infuriatingly, however, the scar made him even more handsome, and he confidently put it on display at any opportunity he got. Especially in front of the ladies.Shortly after their return, King William officially announced his retirement in favor of his nephew. Though the commoners were confused at Nathaniel's sudden emergence, the prepared aristocrats soon placated them, and the rumors of his activities as the illusive sixth General did the rest.Katherine was surprised to hear that word of her ability had elevated her picture in the icelandic society to somewhat of a saintess. King William obviously prepared on this end as well, and thus nobody dared suggest that a dragsean noble was unfit to be
The ship of the king of the Glaciar Coast was a gigantic vessel with a kind of lofty wretchedness to it. In fact, Katherine thought that the silver ornaments on the dark wood looked like bones, and if the sail had been a bit more tattered, the "Charon" would've been the perfect ghost ship. When she mentioned it to Lady Brandon in jest, the sister of said king laughed out loud."Oh, he'd love to hear that! If his crew wasn't ridiculously superstitious, I bet he'd search the whole ocean floor for a sunken vessel to serve him!""Is that so?" Katherine lifted her brows, perplexed. "Isn't it already enough that it can fly?"Granted, the hovering of the gigantic vessel wasn't completely 'flight' as the ship was only lifted by the water the Glaciar Coast's mages manipulated with much afford. It could also only be implemented for short periods close to a water source. For the unsuspecting viewer, however, it looked exactly as if the ship was flying.It was this practical fea
Katherine woke up feeling fresh and well-rested. The plush cushions under her head were like soft clouds, and the blanket bore just the right amount of heat. The air smelled of salt and herbs, an unusual but welcoming combination."Hmmm." With a blissful sigh, Katherine stretched. She didn't feel so good since they resided in the hut in the Icelands with King William, his mistress, and son. Did she only dream of that long, arduous journey to a mountain in Dragsa?"You're awake." Her eyes snapped open when she heard that voice. It was undoubtedly the deep timbre of her husband, Nathaniel. And there he was, sitting next to the bed in a cushioned chair, a gentle gaze in his eyes.Eyes that rested strangely deep in his pale face. A face that was bare of the slight smile that sometimes tugged on the corners of his mouth when he looked at her. Instead, he seemed solemn, exhausted, plagued by a deeply hidden sadness that he maybe wanted to hide. Yet to her eyes, his feelings were an open
Deep satisfaction brought some power to Katherine's exhausted body, yet she did not like the feeling at all. The guilt over hitting an innocent civilian clouded her mind, together with the question if it was the right thing to do. Trapping Ethan in the other dimension was too easy. It didn't feel right.Days and nights she'd dreamed of how to take her revenge, how she would torture him and finally look into his eyes when he died. Now, she'd acted impulsively, and the results were anything but what she imagined. Yet, should she have let the chance slip by?When she'd heard him giving orders, she'd finally stopped in her path because she felt like a coward who ran from the only real battle she'd sworn herself to fight. At first, she only wanted to observe and hid where the canyon's wall stood out a bit, just in earshot of Ethan. But the opportunity was too good. She didn't know how her smart and cunning cousin could act so dumb. It didn't match his usual approach, yet maybe
It was Ethan. He stood just outside the rift, his usual harmless smile on his face, and the hands hidden in the pockets of his dark trousers. "Kitty. Fancy meeting you here."If Katherine had been raised in any lower class than aristocracy, she would've spit in front of his feet. Even so, her face soured as if she'd bitten into a raw lemon. "I don't... fancy it at all."Stepping aside to give the rest of the dark stream free access to the rift, she noticed that Ethan'd brought two helpers who lingered in the back nervously. The white lab coats outed them as researchers. She glanced them up and down and decided not to ask where Ve was. After all that happened today and with her magic nearly depleted, she wanted nothing more than walk away from this whole mess.So, she did just that. Turned around and walked along the canyon that was now almost free of the dark substance.After a second of surprise, Ethan called after her: "Hey, don't you want to know what I'll do with this? Aren't
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sleipnir got comfortable on the edge of the cave. Shortly after he'd disposed of the corpses by sending them into the rolling dark river below, some of Loki's staff came over. They were shocked to see only one person left in the cave. "Um, your Excellency, where... where is the leader?""Hm?" Ethan turned and blinked. "Oh... he... how should I put this? He was too enthusiasistic when he saw his experiment finally succeed. Look, the brilliant result of all his hard work is below this cliff. He didn't want to wait anymore and took everyone to follow him down. Which might have been the wrong decision, so to say."The staff carefully crept closer to the cliff, and when he saw the darkness below, though it was more a creek than a mighty river now, his eyes widened. "Do you mean to say the leader is...?""Dead." Ethan nodded unemphathetically. "Most likely."Unexpectedly swiftly, the staff got over his shock. For a moment, he pondered, then asked: "But the experiment
"Ahhh! It hurts! It hurts! You're tearing me apart!" Nathaniel felt the unusual urge to roll his eyes. He never knew that his magic was such a sissy. First, it asked for his help, and now it screamed like a pig on the slaughter bench because of a little pain. And why could it even feel pain? Its body was nothing but insidious black smoke that appeared like a black liquid in its compressed form. There were no tendons, no bones, no flesh, and no nerves - in short, nothing that could hurt. "Shall I stop pulling then?", Nathaniel asked sarcastically in his mind. Well, if that magic of his wanted to go by itself, all the better for him. "No, no, no! Please don't let go! Don't let goo-oo-ouuuuuuch!" It felt like mentally pulling on an elastic band, Nathaniel decided. Somewhere where he couldn't see, something else was pulling the other end, turning the band longer and longer. It got harder for him to hold on with each passing second. Then, with a last loud howl fr