Chapter 13 Thirteen

Chapter 13 Thirteen
Dragus

“You summoned me?”

The Dark Council chamber was unlike the rest of the fortress. It was the oldest room in the entire structure, carved out of obsidian and bone.

Seven thrones rose from the floor, each one occupied by a god so ancient their true forms would drive mortals mad to behold.

In minor meetings like this one they wore mortal shapes, flesh and blood bodies meant only for meeting with their servants; but even in their diminished state, their presence lay heavy on all in attendance, trying to crush each other into submission, Nexium most of all

But I refused to bow.

"Explain."

The voice belonged to Moros, God of Doom and Impending Destruction. He sat at the centre throne, his borrowed body lean and bony, eyes like pits of endless night.

“Will Hades not be in attendance?” I demanded, scanning the room in search of their leader. 

Believing perhaps this would be the first time I, or anyone else for that matter would see the elusive God.

“You will answer to us,” Moros commanded. “Now… explain.”

Beside me stood Kael, my second in command and General of my armies. He was the dragon I had personally raised from a whelping into the brutal warrior he was today.

And currently, the thorn in my side doing his absolute best to get me killed.

"My lord was prepared to execute the plan," Kael said smoothly, his tone respectful but his words carefully chosen to sound like accusations. 

"The Heartwalker delegation was within our walls. Vulnerable and ripe for the taking." He paused, just long enough to let the implication settle. "And yet they departed unharmed. As we speak, they are completely intact and have nearly reached their own realm."

I'm going to rip his tongue out, I thought darkly.

"There have been... whispers," another god spoke; Apate, Goddess of Deceit. She smiled darkly, revealing an empty toothless mouth, "Of a Heartwalker within these very walls. Walking among your very own soldiers. Attracting... attention."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop as a chill settled over it.

"Such a thing cannot be allowed to continue," Moros said quietly. "They are the enemy. They must be destroyed without exception, without hesitation." His eyes were fixed on me. "Without... distraction."

Kael shifted beside me, and I could feel the satisfaction radiating off him as he nodded up and down like a fool.

"What happened to your plan, Dragon King?" he asked, his voice perfectly respectful while every word dripped with subtle insolence. "The Heartwalkers escaped. What do we do now?"

I turned slowly to look at him, letting him see the promise of violence in my eyes. He had the grace to pale slightly and shrink back in fear, but he held his ground.

"Do you no longer trust my judgment?" I asked, pitching my voice low and dangerous. I took a step toward Kael, watching him fight the instinct to retreat. "Have you perhaps forgotten exactly who it is that you're questioning?"

I turned back to face the council, spreading my arms wide.

"I have brought this kingdom more victory than any king before me. I have slaughtered Heartwalkers by their thousands, razed their villages to ash, and turned their greatest champions into broken, weeping things begging for the ultimate release of death."

My voice rose, filling the chamber. "I brought us to the very edge of winning the Great War. We were inches from total annihilation of Heartkind; until you, my lords, inexplicably called for a ceasefire."

The gods shifted in their seats. I had just touched on a sore subject; their mysterious decision to halt the war just as victory was within our reach. None of them had ever explained why, only muttering vague stories about Hades saying no.

"I have never failed you," I continued, "And I am not failing you now."

"Then what," Moros asked quietly, "was yesterday?"

I smiled.

"Yesterday was reconnaissance," I said smoothly. "It is far more devious to let them think that they've escaped, to let them believe they are safe behind their clouds and their prayers." 

I began to pace, my boots clicking against the obsidian floor. "But I have a better plan, something far better than a cheap strike during a diplomatic meeting. Something that will not only defeat them, but also break them so completely they will never rise again.”

I continued, “This time there will be no stalemate, no dispute as to which realm is the conqueror and which realm is the vanquished."

It was complete nonsense, of course. I had no such plan. Yesterday had been a catastrophic failure brought about by my own weakness, my inability to resist a slip of a Heartwalker girl who had played me like a fiddle.

But they didn't need to know that.

"The Heartwalker in our midst?" I continued. "She is not a threat, she is merely a tool. The final piece I've been searching for."

I turned back to face the council, meeting each god's eyes in turn. "Everything is proceeding exactly as I intend. You simply need to trust me."

The silence stretched out for several moments, each dark god silently considering my proclamations.

Then Moros leaned back in his throne, his expression unreadable.

"Very well, we will give you more time, Dragon King." He said finally.  “Do not disappoint us."

The dismissal was clear. I bowed, barely, only enough to satisfy protocol before turning to leave. Kael scrambled to follow, his footsteps too quick and eager.

The moment the chamber doors closed behind us, he began talking.

"My king, I apologise if my questions seemed…”

My fist connected with the side of his head, hitting him hard before he could finish.

He went down on his knees, crashing into the corridor wall with a satisfying crunch. When he pulled his hand away from his temple, it came away slick with black blood.

"My lord, I was only…"

I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him back against the wall, lifting him until his feet left the floor.

"Keep your mouth shut, traitor," I snarled, bringing my face close to his. "You think I don't see what you're doing? Undermining me in front of the gods, making me look weak, positioning yourself to take my throne when I fall?"

"No, my king, I would never…"

"Lie to me again and I'll feed you to the Hellhounds piece by piece." I released him and he collapsed to the ground in a heap, gasping for breath. "Now get out of my sight before I change my mind about letting you live."

He scrambled away, still holding his bleeding head, disappearing around the corner without another word.

I stood there for a moment, breathing hard, trying to calm the rage boiling in my blood.

Then I felt something, distracting me from my fury. The same strange sensation that had been plaguing me throughout the entire council meeting.

An uncomfortable heat prickles across my skin, making me want to shed my armour and clothes despite the palace already being scorching.

I had been subtly adjusting my collar throughout, loosening different clasps and buckles, trying to get less uncomfortable without drawing any attention to my discomfort.

But now, standing alone in the corridor, it grew worse.

No… wait. That wasn't right.

It wasn't hot anymore. Now it was freezing.

What in all the hells was happening to me?