The Dark World part.07

     The Palace of the Queen of Thorns is bustling with activity. Court Lords of all sorts have their hands full directing their minions to prepare, inspect, and hide various items across the massive palace in preparation for the up-coming arrival of the Empress. In all their scurrying to and through very few pay any notice of Fira as she walks through the lavish courtyards with their human sized roses and twisting vine like plants decorating the pathways. Very few would notice her, even those familiar with her as seldom anyone sees her on the ground.

 

    Fira is in no hurry, she has wasted a day watching the people from Earth venture through Central Kain Land, she had hoped to see the three battle vicious demons, save each other from perils by the environment and locals, maybe explore a dungeon or two. Alas her day was wasted; Central Kain Land hasn’t had such things in it since Green Kain’s reign. At the very least she had hoped to watch some character building background exposition as they shared facts about their lives, but alas on that as well.

 

    Fira shrugs her shoulders in thought, “Who would have thought two teens who would want to look like demons, and some guy who clearly must have some military back-ground or something would have nothing really to talk about or fricken do while in a demon world? By the gods and all of hell-fire that was so damned boring.”

 

   Fira sighs and rolls her eyes, in no mood to be cheerful and floating about she ascend the great black marble steps of the main palace heading towards the throne room of the Queen of Thorns.

 

    The Queen of Thorns sits in her throne, her dress revealing more of its red satin under-layer as she is lifted off the ground by the grand cushion of a chair far to large to have been made for her. She sits as an attendant reports to her on the progress around the palace, particularly in regards to hiding certain artifacts she’d rather not have the Empress’s weapon’s inspectors find. She is taken back by the sudden sound of both of the massive red doors to her throne room being thrown open, the sound of these giant doors being thrown open so quickly and banging against the black stone walls reverberates off the walls like thunder being thrown back and forth between two angry gods.

 

    The Guards in their purple metal armor and red capes are quick to try and bring down their long blade edged pitch-fork spears before the intruder, however this is Fira. She simply grabs the spears, yanking them from the hands of the guards and tosses them behind her like so much garbage.

 

   The Queen of Thorns raises her hand, “Let her be.” she announces, “least I need two more guards.”

 

 

 

    She watches with a raised brow as Fira walks up the red, gold trimmed, carpeted steps of the throne. She of course does not bow, never has, but this day the Queen of Thorns is on edge as she has never seen Fira with a scowl on her face and arms crossed.

 

    Before she can utter a word, her hand in mid-lift, Fira blurts out, “Green Kain is dead, Rhoan is back, the palace is in ruins, I don’t have a clue what his next move is, and I’m piss bored. Job done, have fun with Rhoan, and a la-de-da.”

 

   As Fira turns to leave, leaving The Queen of Thorns left speechless, she stops in mid-step as a wicked, twisted smile creeps across her face thinking, “Rhoan, la, de, da”.

 

     She flips back around, her mood as well doing a complete one-eighty.  She rocks back on forth on her heels, her arms behind her back hands held together. Her smile and sudden change in mood further alarming The Queen of Thorns.

 

    Fira leans her head to her left shoulder, lips puckered, eyes to the ceiling, “You know what. I just got a really cool idea. I think I will be able to have some fun in this world after all.”

 

   Fira puts out her hands, a large black book appears out of no-where, “and all it will take,” she says, “is my little black book and some psychic suggestions, maybe a little memory alteration here and there, and wham-o, instant super-adventure high class excitement.”

 

   Before the Queen of Thorns can even begin to protest or question, even she is not certain which would make more sense as Fira seemed to be more speaking with her-self than to her, the chaotic demoness vanishes into thin air.

 

   The Queen of Thorns turns to her attendant in a scowling tone, “This…is not good. Quicken preparations and post more spies about Kain Land, I want to know what is happening at all times; every change, every minor infraction of the norm. Everything!”

 

   The attendant is quick to leave with a bow as the Queen of Thorns stares straight ahead at the guards as they retrieve their weapons and close the doors, “Fira…why, why didn’t you just do as I asked? What in the name of the Dark Lord are you up to?”

 

     Later in the night in three different palaces a single conversation could be heard. Three powerful and feared demons were partaking in a video conference from their perspective palaces. The Red Kain before his red dragon scaled circular mirror screen, The Black Kain before his black wood rectangular window screen, and their mother, as well as the mother of the now deceased Green Kain. In her wedding gown like clothing laced with knives, no different than seen in the photo Green Kain kept on his night stand, both of which now no longer exist, she, The Queen of Carrion, stands before a grand silver trimmed mirror which has a split screen on it down the middle she speaks to both of her surviving sons.

 

    “This can not be tolerated” protested the Black Kain after hearing his mother’s explanation on how she had given them the land, after it had been given to her by her Husband Necrose, who had been appointed the duty of watching over the land a century ago by Rhoan. Although she was livid on learning of this, as he hadn’t informed of this sooner, or even after he himself learned of Green Kain’s palace being atop it. She hides her anger from her sons towards him, not telling them of how he not only knew WHERE the Labyrinth was, but knew Green Kain had put his palace there, and in fact even somehow knew about Green Kain’s death before she did.

 

    Red Kain interjects, “I shall personally remove this man’s head and mount it on my wall. I care not for some ancient ownership, this is Dark World, ownership goes to the strong, those able to hold onto power and land through strength and violence. Regardless if he was sleeping or traveling, or had father been his lackey. This land is now mine, and our dear little brother’s bit of land will also go to me.”

 

   “Such impertinence!” shot out The Black Kain, “I will kill him, and I will take the land. In fact he supposedly lays claim to both our lands already. In that case the one who kills him, by the laws of the Empress owns all of this land.” He looks to The Queen of Carrion, “Correct, mother?”

 

   The Queen of Carrion bows her head, her grey locks dropping over her eyes, “Yes. From what…your father told me it would seem so.”

 

   The two brothers commence to argue with each other over who will challenge Rhoan, each believing who ever challenges first will win and gain all of what they named Kain Land for themselves.

 

   The Queen of Carrion screeches at them, “Silence! Rhoan was your father’s master. Do you think you could take Necrose out in a battle? Your father who can shatter buildings with his strength? I will not hear my only two sons argue over which will commit suicide first. There are other ways. I had forgotten about a tome in my library, as I thought of a way to solve this problem earlier to day it came to me. Even my scribes hadn’t known it was there.”

 

   She pulls from a table off screen a large black book.

 

  “In here” she says, “are spells of summoning, summoning demons and monsters from beyond our own world, from darker hells and places beyond shadows and time. In here not only can you call them, but the spells alone contract them to your service. One in particular I have bookmarked for you two, a spell to summon The Dark Goddess of Chaos. A monstrous being who seeks only to fight powerful enemies, she will fight, kill, and consume Rhoan. Satiated by this it says she will return to her nether-space to rest, thus posing no threat to our world.”

 

 

 

   The Red Kain sneers at his mother, “I don’t need some worthless tricks and some squid thing or what ever it is from beyond time and space to fight my battles for me. You two can call this thing to fight your battles for you.”

 

    Red Kain’s image vanishes from the screens.

 

    Black Kain smiles and turns to his mother with a straight face, “Thank you mother, I will insure our survival. He holds out his black armored clawed hand to the mirror as The Queen of Carrion passes the book through the dimensional rift of the mystical mirrors. A moment later with pleasantries done her face vanishes from the screen.

 

    The Black Kain holds up the book with his evil smile, “My brother will challenge Rhoan the general of the fifth legion of the Empress’s army.” He begins to laugh, “and he will die! I will summon this vile beast of the dark abyss or what ever shadowy world its from to fight in my name. With my worthless brothers gone, there will be not but petty warlords and that bug woman to challenge my rule.” He laughs manically as he walks from the mirror chamber.