Legends of Marithia: Book 2 - Darkness Rising (24 page)

Chapter 19 : Woven
Webs

“
I never thought that the
day would come where I would not only be able to marry the woman I
love, but to be a future king.

This is more than I could ever have
dreamed of and I have learned by being so close to death that in
this world of darkness, every moment of happiness and each success
should be treasured for we never know how much time we have
left.

I do wonder what lies ahead of us after
this day of celebration… what evil and battles we must overcome in
our fight to save Marithia.”

(Sir Vartan of Veldrenn)

Thick clouds of black smoke gushed
into the blue sky as she cast yet another spell to set a Greenhaven
home alight. Puffing out a furious breath of air, she stormed her
way to the dungeons in an effort to alleviate her boredom. She
stepped over piles of rotting corpses and made her way to the
holding cells. Her remaining prisoners awaited their fate with
shaking bodies and fearful eyes.

The stench of rotting flesh
was overwhelming and she unlocked the holding cells in a fit of
anger whilst holding her breath. Pointing to the many prisoners
inside, she ordered, “Take these bodies and dispose of them into
the river below and get back here as fast as possible. Don’t try to
run! Remember what happened last time you all tried to escape. I
had to hunt you all down and teach you a lesson. Those deaths at
Jade Inn are on
your
hands. If any of you dare disobey me, then I will tear you
apart where you stand!”

“
But we’re
hungry
,” complained a
woman from the cells who appeared to be almost skeletal in
weight.

Wumvarn growled with
annoyance and spoke to them in a condescending tone. “We’re
hungry,
we’re hungry!
That’s all I ever hear out of your mouths. Well I’m getting
hungry too, would you like to become
my
next meal?”

She opened her beautifully full red
lips to reveal the snake-like teeth within and her long reptilian
tongue. Her jaw clicked as she dislodged it to open her mouth
unnaturally wide and hissed at the prisoners. They shrieked in fear
as they ran to the corners of the cells, bracing their arms against
their chest in an effort to protect their beating
hearts.

“
I didn’t think so!
I
will
feed you
as I always feed you, with the flesh of those around you. I even
allow you a fire in your cells to cook with and you still
complain.”

One woman vomited at the thought of
being forced to eat human flesh again.

“
Alright then, my
little pets
… if you get
your work done faster and all come back to your cells without
incident… I will hunt down some local animals for you to eat. Now
get to work!”

The prisoners nodded and began to lift
the rotting corpses and march them out of the dungeons.

She snapped her head around to a
nearby skeleton warrior guard. “And you! The few of you that were
deserted were left here to rot in a dying city. Do what is asked of
you properly or I will kill you myself. Escort these prisoners to
their duties and make sure I am not disobeyed. Quickly
now!”

The warrior’s glowing eyes darkened as
he moved into action and shrieked with annoyance as he prodded the
prisoners to move faster.

Wumvarn headed upstairs,
sighed loudly and muttered to herself, “I found this city mostly
deserted with holes the size of houses dug into the ground. I
filled the holes, cleaned up the mess and made this place my own.
Still, I find all of this so
boring
. Such unsatisfiable meals…
skin and bone and their hearts are weak. This just
won’t
do. At this rate,
I will lose all my powers… I need the hearts of warriors and those
born with magic in their blood to sustain me…”

Halting her ascension at a window, she
watched from Greenhaven’s outer walls as the last of the rotting
bodies was thrown into the river and the prisoners marched toward
the main gates.

“
Looks like they’re still
good for something!” she scoffed.

Reaching the door to the throne room,
she made her way to the queen’s throne and sat back with her legs
crossed, tapping her slim fingers on the wooden arms in boredom and
drawing out a golden mirror.

Wumvarn had adopted a stunning body,
taking the skin of a Marithian beauty. Her features were almost
perfect, a breathtaking brunette, with the exception of a small
scar at the base of her neck. Every demon had weaknesses and her
true form would be revealed through the use of a mirror.

Her skin was decayed and dying and
there were layers of skin that revealed the darkness of the demon
inside. Its skin was like a continually moving bowl of black worms.
She knew that if she didn’t feed on a worthy heart soon, she would
be far too weak and could die. It was the wait that was the most
painful of all. Only those who beheld her reflection in a mirror
could see the truth beneath the mask.

Looking at the image of her
true self, she asked, “How can I make life more
interesting
? I could take on a new
body… start anew. No, I’ve done that too many times and I quite
like this one.”

She opened up her ornate robe to
reveal her milky white skin and continued dropping it down to show
her full breasts. Slipping out her long tongue, she flicked her
nipples.

“
See? This body is far too
much fun!” she giggled.

Her reflection grimaced in
return and spoke back in a dark voice, “You’re having too much fun
already. Find me some fresh hearts, or we will lose all of our
powers. Remember that you and I are one… and without each other,
we
both
die.”

Wumvarn’s smile turned to a scowl as
she stared into the face in the mirror.

“
I have been doing what you
have asked of me since the day your soul merged with mine and we
entered a human form! Do you think I enjoy what I have become? I
give you time to take control and I swallow those steaming hot
human hearts to keep you alive!”

“
Do you miss your old life?
Dogs and humans used you as a toilet while you swayed uselessly in
the wind. I turned you into something more, I made you what you
have become and your powers come from
me
!”

Narrowing her eyes, she
stood from the throne and spat her words out in distain. “I
know
, you tell me all
the time. Just you remember that if it wasn’t for me saving your
soul when you were desperately grabbing onto anything with life
left within it, you would have died a lonely death at
Crondor!”

She raised her hand high and smashed
the mirror into the ground and it shattered into pieces.

The sound of laughter
filled her mind as Wumvarn’s blackened and decayed face stared back
at her in every shard. “We
are
the same and it matters not if you deny
it.”

Rubbing her hands through her long
golden hair, she stepped through the dusty beams of light to arrive
at the throne room window facing the lowered gate.

“
Oh my, do we finally have
company worth making an effort for?” she giggled.

A rogue warrior led his horse over the
gate with his shiny sword pointing the way forward. She threw her
robe to the empty throne and descended the stairs at full speed,
her bare breasts bouncing with each step. Reaching the bottom of
the stairs, she saw the shadow of the warrior in the distance and
ran through the city to the guard station and to nearby chains she
had attached to the walls.

My powers are weak and I
hope I have enough magic left to get this right
, she thought.

“
Redimio manuum ut
chalybs
,” she chanted.

The chains glowed as they clamped
around her wrists and ankles, pulled her tightly against the wall.
Her arms were spread wide along with her long shapely
legs.

“
Help! Help me!” she
cried.

The sound of running filled her ears
as the man came into view. He looked over her naked body helplessly
strapped against the wall and grinned, slightly lowering his
sword.

“
My word, what happened
here?” he asked, cautiously taking steps toward her and looking
around for a possible ambush.

“
Please! The city was
emptied yesterday and I was left here like
this
as punishment. Help me out of
these chains and back to my family. There is certain to be a reward
for my safe return.”

The man nodded, sheathing his sword
and approaching her.

“
You really
are
alone here, aren’t
you?” he asked.

“
Yes, please help me!” she
pleaded.

The man ran up to her and drew a small
blade from his pocket, placing its tip against her throat and
laughed in her face.

“
It’s been a long journey
for me and I will be sure to help you out of these chains, but
first… I have long missed the company of a woman.”

Pausing in confusion, the man observed
her almost perfect skin and the lack of bruising or
tears.

“
No! Let me free!” she
pleaded, forcing whimper in her voice.

The man put his instincts aside in a
grip of lust and undid his belt. His pants dropped to the floor.
Placing himself up against her, he thrust deep inside her and she
let out a scream.

“
Don’t move!” he yelled,
going as deep as he could go inside her and increasing his
pace.

Biting her lip, she watched closely as
the man neared his climax. She felt his body tense as he lost
control and dropped the blade by his side and closed his eyes in
ecstasy.

Wumvarn smiled as she
whispered, “
Solvo meus
manuum
.”

The chains around her wrists glowed
and snapped open as he slid out of her. She grabbed his sword by
the hilt with her right hand and unsheathed it by the blade. His
eyes shot open at the sharp pain of the sword slicing through his
neck. Grasping his throat and choking on his blood, he fell to his
knees in front of her.

“
So,
now
you want to please me?” she
teased, cutting the remaining chains and landing on her feet on the
blood splattered ground in front of him.

“
That was far too easy.
What is it with warriors and warlocks? They have a severe lack of
control over their desires.”

Kicking his chest with her heel, she
knocked him backward and watched as his face began to turn
blue.

“
What an utter
disappointment you turned out to be. I was looking forward to a
good fight or a good time… hopefully both. With
you
, I got neither. It doesn’t
matter how stupid you are; let me show you the way to this woman’s
heart… it is through
yours
!”

She plunged her blade deep into his
chest and cracked open his rib cage to reveal his still beating
heart. Reaching in with her bare hands, she ripped his heart from
his body and watched as the life depleted from the warrior’s
eyes.

Bringing the steaming hot organ to her
mouth, she licked it with her long tongue before opening her mouth
wide to devour it with the sloshing sounds of blood soaked fresh
meat.

Chapter 20 :
Blackened

“
It matters not what world
or family we are born into; all that matters is who we
become.”

(Makya, She’Ma’Ryn trader)

Every thread remaining of his humanity
screamed out at him not to follow her order and he knew that if he
killed his old ally, what light of humanity remained inside him
would turn black. But if he disobeyed her order, it would be a fate
worse than death.

Tusdar looked to Mestal, who appeared
both confused and frustrated at his actions. He only had good
memories when he looked at Aidan and felt pity for his plight. All
of Zhendur looked on and waited for him to make his
choice.

Aidan begged, “Please… I
have never wronged you and don’t deserve to die like
this
… save
me!”

The crowd all laughed at
his pleas and Kassina backhanded him across his cheek. “Shut your
trap! Come now Tusdar, my patience is thinning and time is
short.
Kill Him! Now!
”

Tusdar screamed as he took charge and
pointed his weapon ahead of him. Aidan indicated toward Kassina
with his eyes and they shot open with panic when the blade
continued at a frightening pace toward his chest.

Kassina took no chances and drew two
daggers in readiness for any disobeying of orders.

“
No! Please!” cried Aidan,
before the blade was thrust deep into his heart and its bloodied
shiny blade poked out of his spine. Gasping for breath, blood began
to pour down the sword and over Tusdar’s hands. Letting go of the
blade and stepping back, he watched as Aidan choked on his own
blood and fell to the ground, the blade cutting through until its
hilt was stuck in his rib cage.