Blood drips from my mouth, my chin, my fingers, as I stalk out of a room full of eviscerated cultists. From all the people I have killed so far, I managed to find some things to clothe myself. I have no sword or dagger on me, but I am not unarmed. All I need is my wrath, my hands, and my magic.

My undead guards do their duty of gathering up the remains and dragging the soaked tarps along the hallways that lead above ground. They will walk with the unusable bodies, out of Goldstone palace, down the roads of the tiered city, along the base of the mountain. The cultists I found would not tell me where they've hidden Edeva, and they wouldn't say what happened to Jean after I was knocked out. Since they are not useful to me, they are torn apart.

I take my rage out on every soul who denies me my beloved. Kaz whispers things to me to make my veins nearly jump out of my skin, and further cull the unwanted inhabitants of my crypts. For their insolence, I tear their faces off, rip their hearts out, rend the flesh from their necks with my bared teeth. Then they are brought to the mountain and piled atop one another. Their bodies set on fire, all those who look towards Goldstone will see what happens to those who incur my wrath.

"Find Edeva!" I command my soldiers. "Bring her to me, and keep her safe!"

Several of them break off and head deeper in to the crypts, while I turn towards a pissing coward whose throat is wrapped around my hands. He was not just a cultist, but a diablarist. His eyes were a bright green, suggesting a demon of Envy gave him his uncanny speed and slight of hand. This man was fast, but not fast enough to escape my anger.

"Where is Lambert?" I bring him close, so that we are nose to nose.

"E-Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," He stammers. "I fear no evil, for you are with me!"

"Tell me where your master is and I will make your death painless!"

"Your rod and staff, they c-comfort me; you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows..."

Oh for fuck's sake, Kaz roars in my head. Destroy him!

Exasperated, I squeeze the air from his windpipe. Only when he desperately slaps at my wrist do I give him enough to speak again.

"He hides in the main chamber, your highness," the cultist reveals. "He fears your wrath."

"As he should. As all of you should. You were right when you believed I was the strongest, that I was the one capable of exalting the lot of you. No other diablarist is a king. No other diablarist has a demon in his keeping. And no other diablarist is a match for me."

While my voice is calm and cool, I still cannot contain the urge to snap the man's neck. He falls limp, and I drop him. A soldier comes to collect him.

Fucking rod and staff. I am losing patience, Alekso. Where is our Edeva?

They will not hurt her, Kaz. She is valuable to them as a hostage against you. We find Lambert, they will bring Eva to us if we do not find her first.

If we find the holy man, let me squeeze his his head until it bursts in my claws.

"Lambert!" I call out as I head towards the main chamber. "LAMBERT! If you show yourself now, and make this less of a chore for me, I promise your death will not be painful!"

Nothing. Fucking coward. I grab a soldier and turn it to face me. "You will turn over every tomb in the main chamber, but you need not awaken the soldiers. Just find Lambert, and keep him there until I arrive."

I did not active the entire Legio Mortis in the crypts. It is unnecessary when I am bloodthirsty enough to do most of the work myself. Kazaxon feeds happily as I tear apart every cultist I find. The soldier I had just ordered heads on past me, and I turn a corner away from its destination. Before anything else, I need to make sure the exits are clear for me, but guarded by others so that no cultist may leave.

Everyone even remotely involved with Edeva's kidnapping will perish.

Well, except one person. As I head past the torches keeping this place alight, and see some natural light up ahead, I hear scuffling, the sound of metal on metal, and Jean's desperate voice.

"Back! Stop! Listen to me, I am Prince Jean Aurelian! Fucking Hell, these things are relentless!"

And then, surprisingly, Kwenthrith's.

"Why won't they leave you alone?"

Gisela is with them as well.

What!?

"Why aren't they attacking us, your grace?"

As I approach, the undead soldiers that were attacking Jean fall to the ground, the magic sucked out of them so they would be no more harm to my uncle. "Because I commanded them to kill every cultist they came across. As Jean smells of the dirt and dust of these crypts due to the cloak he wore, they came for him, too."

Jean, while never being one hungry for battle, has always been formidable with a sword. I was surprised when I heard him apparently struggling. Now I see why. He has Kwenthrith's arm draped over his shoulder, his hand holding her waist to help her walk. All of this has transpired so quickly, Kwen has not had much time to heal from my attack. She is in nothing but a shift, her hair in a braid, her skin still marked from where I attacked her, though not as fresh. She has done quite a good job healing herself but she is not finished yet.

"What are you doing, Jean?" I point at Kwen. "She should be resting."

Jean glares at me. "Do not look at her like a source of shame for you, your highness. She is not the first innocent person you have harmed. The Legio is full of them. Look at her like a mage who is willing to help us find Eva and stop this cult before it gets too big and dares come after you again."

I narrow my eyes. "You lecture me right now? Really?"

"I am fine, your highness." Kwen says quietly. "I understand why you did what you did. From your perspective, all signs pointed to me, just as from mine, all pointed to you. As it turns out, we were both wrong."

"Who else knows what is going on below us?" I ask.

Jean shrugs a little. "All seems well in the palace, Alekso. Servants who see the Legio bringing dead, cloaked people outside are not talking about it, not loudly at least. I was not that focused on listening to them. I knew Kwenthrith had to come help us."

"You really thought that? While you were dragging a half healed woman out of bed, Jean, I have been dealing with the cult myself. The Legio is assisting, killing those who I do not find in my wake."

"Well, I will help you kill more. After they took you out, they came for me. They knew I brought you there to confront them, not to serve you up on a silver platter, and as hard as I fought, fast as I ran, they were quicker, faster, smarter. It was actually little Gisela here who rescued me."

Brow raised, I turn over towards my sister in-law who, for once, does not look angry and petulant, but a bit uncomfortable. She toys with a lock of her dark, wavy hair, and stares up at me sheepishly.

"I do not know how I did it," she mutters, "but I had been looking for Eva, came this way, saw all these men in cloaks trying to pull jean down the steps in to the crypts. So I screamed and reached for him, and he came out of their grasp."

"Meaning I came flying out of their grasp," Jean corrects. "She pulled me away from them with pure magic. Together we ran towards the castle, and the cultists did not follow. I think she frightened them."

"You are a mage, Gisela?" I frown down at her. "And you did not think to tell me?"

"I didn't know... " is all she has to say on the matter. I believe her. One can come in to their powers at any age.

From behind me, I hear a scream. I turn towards the sound to watch as a cultist, covered in blood and being chased by two undead soldiers, comes at me with a knife. She is shot down by Kwenthrith, who sends a bolt of lightning through her chest. The soldiers come to collect her.

"The crypts of Goldstone Palace are large, and it is easy for one to get lost. Jean, you and I will confront Lambert. I will send four soldiers with Kwenthrith and Gisela to keep them safe as they search for Eva. Kwenthrith, how do you feel about this?"

"I will make sure no harm comes to Lady Gisela."

Gisela glares. "And I will make sure no harm comes to you, Kwenny."

Kwenthrith reluctantly allows a soldier to come and support her, three others surrounding the women and bringing them in to the crypts. Softly, I hear Gisela whisper, "One of these could have been my sister Josephine," to Kwen.

I did not feel very guilty about my Legio before, but that... That came close.

Listen to Jean. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. I want my woman!

Jean hands me a sword, but I refuse, "I do not need one." and gesture to myself. I am covered in blood yet unharmed. He understands. We follow back in to the crypts, heading for the main chamber.

The Legio do an immaculate job at keeping the crypts clean; we have no bodies to step over and not enough blood to slip on. As we pass several undead, they move aside to give us more room and continue dragging bodies. I kept count; there were seventy two cultists hiding underneath my very nose... so far. How the fuck could this have happened?

We were... preoccupied.

Don't you dare blame this on Eva, Kaz.

Not with her, no. I wanted to maul and kill, and you wanted to crush all who oppose you. They were your target. You never thought to look at those who do not oppose you.

Of course not. Why would I? I sigh a little, realizing what Kaz is talking about.

Exactly. Why would you think to question those who are aware you house the soul of a demon and proceeded to follow you without question? Even Edeva had the sense to hesitate. These others were selfish, power hungry... These cultists do not worship diablerie because they think it is for the good of the world. They want power. They want your power. It is a tale as old as time.

Who would have thought my biggest enemies were so close... And now Eva is in danger.

I lead us to the main chamber, Jean clearly relieved there were no more cultists to fight on the way there. No, they have been waiting with Bishop Lambert. Two undead guards push the large, stone doors open, and instead of a peaceful darkness as it should be, the torches are lit up.

The main chamber hold the newest soldiers; those with the best bodies who can be the strongest; my personal guard and front line soldiers. The room is vast, with three levels filled with stone tombs that can only be opened with the strongest of magic. My magic. History is carved in to the walls, from the first rulers of Mercia when she was founded; my great ancestors, to the various wars fought to expand our territory. Even the marriage of my father and mother; considered a great love story. His fall, Henry the Usurper taking the crown. Even the birth of Eva is chronicled, as is my rebellion. And yet it is to remain completely dark in here. Nothing to hinder the magic at work, or to showcase the chamber's opulence.

In the middle is an altar; a simple circular space that is raised by a few steps. I am meant to stand here to summon my legion. Instead, I had to do so from a cage, while Bishop Lambert cowers in my place, an unconscious Kwenthrith at his feet and a terrified Gisela in his clutches.

He has his arm wrapped around her chest, a knife at her throat. The room is bright; the flames dance off the metal. On either side of him stand two cultists holding spears.

"Not another step," Lambert hisses, holding on to my sister just a bit too tightly. "I wish to negotiate, your highness."

"Let me go!" Gisela growls. I admire how hard she tries to be brave, but she regrets it as soon as he presses the blade in to her neck.

"I underestimated you, your highness. We all did. It was foolish on our part, of course. We should have just let things play out as they did. Let your queen weaken you. Then we would have been left with Kazaxon and he could have come to us on his own. Jean was supposed to keep watch on you, but I can see you have been lying to us this whole time, your grace."

Jean nods. "I care about my family far more than worshiping demons, thank you. Watching my nephew and making sure he stays in power was all fine by me, but you overstepped when you wanted turn the Aurelians in to your tool. We are nobody's tool."

Lambert shakes his head a little, sweat beading his brow. "You're angry because you are not a tool, Jean. You're useless, you've always been so. Jarrett XIII's bastard son, Jarrett XIV's useless brother, and Alekso's useless uncle. Being a member of Uriel's Chosen gave you purpose. You were no longer a floating prince drinking and partying to fill the void in your soul. Had you just done as told and not let Alekso in on our business, we could have figured all of this out. Now, you will go back to being useless again! Heat my blood up any more Alekso and I will slit this girl's throat!"

I growl, pulling back my power. If heating the air around him didn't run the risk of hurting Gisela I could easily just cook him alive.

"Berating and mocking Jean is not going to make your demise any easier," I counter. "You said you wish to negotiate? Name your terms."

Lambert glances down at Kwenthrith, pressing his shoe against her neck. "Kwenthrith could have easily escaped. Gisela ran ahead of her guard and we caught her. We managed to take down your guards. The bodyguard though? She fought with all her might, but even a mage with lightning at her fingertips is no match against two diablarists. She is extremely loyal despite what you did to her. Too loyal. Not someone I can manipulate. But Gisela here..." He tightens his hold some more as Gisela struggles. "Here are my terms, Alekso. Tell me what you did to earn Kazaxon's soul, so that I may use the same ritual on this girl. I will leave, and take Gisela with me. In exchange, you can do what you wish with the remaining Chosen, and we will leave you and your queen alone for good."

I frown. "If I tell you how to force a demon on to Gisela, you will let me slaughter your followers?"

And he will leave us to be with Edeva. There is a pleased rumble from Kaz. I say accept his little deal, murder the remaining cultists, and bed our queen.

Absolutely not! Gisela has been in harm's way ever since we locked her and her family in a dungeon. She followed her sister willingly to the castle and put up with servitude, distance from her father, assassination attempts... Do you really think it is right to leave her to what Lambert seems to have in store for her?

The longer we stand here and "negotiate" with the bishop, the longer we must wait to find Edeva.

I sigh. Kaz, she would never forgive us for letting Lambert take Gisela. She would deny us sex...

The demon suddenly shouts through me. Lambert narrows his eyes. I hear a soft whimper from Gisela as he pierces her skin.

"Fine then. Uriel's Chosen will live on. We are not the only members. You have a hundred crypts in Mercia, where my followers guard your undead. You might manage to kill me, but I will slit this brat's throat and step on this bitch's neck before you can even consider---"

Lambert's eyes suddenly go wide, and he stops mid sentence. He loosens his hold on Gisela, who quickly scrambles away from him and grabs Kwenthrith's arm. As she pulls the weakened redhead out of harm's way, Lambert falls to his knees.

Edeva stands behind him, holding an axe lodged in his back.

The two cultists turn to attack her, but are immediately driven back by two Legio soldiers, swiping and slashing at them until they are cut down.

Gisela kneels beside Kwenthrith, staring up at Edeva as she tears the axe from Lambert's back, the soldiers moving back to stand at her side obediently.

"Eva?" she whimpers. "Your neck!"

"My neck... is fine," Eva slurs, taking a deep breath as she turns towards me. There is a cut at her throat, but it is superficial despite how much blood it poured down the front of her pretty dress. It looks worse than it is, otherwise Eva would be dead. And yet, she looks extremely pale, her eyes glazing over as she loses her grip on the axe.

I smile at her, "Sorry for the bloodbath, my love. Some things cannot be helped. You understand, don't you?"

She nods at me as I approach, and slowly wrap my arms around her. I am surprised at how little she trembles. I expected more shock and horror at...

And that's when I see it. Just as Eva goes limp in my arms, I see the knife wound in her shoulder. It is deep, and her entire back is soaked in blood.

"Eva!" I fall to my knees, taking her with me as I lie her in my lap. Desperately I tear the fabric of her dress apart and push her hair to the side to see the still bleeding gash. She has lost far more blood than I initially thought, and it is as though the knife has been draining her life force. Sheer will must have been what kept her standing until she saved her sister from Lambert. I cannot even believe none of us saw or heard her creep up on him.

"Wake Kwenthrith up," Jean says, trying to stay calm.

"Eva," I roll her on to her back, causing more blood to fall from her. I slap her cheek several times to rouse her. She tries to look at me, but my reflection begins to fade from her eyes as her lids droop. "Eva, my sweet, you must stay awake. Kwenthrith will heal you but you must not sleep."

Gisela and Jean desperately shake Kwen but to no avail. The Legio surrounds us as I try to keep Eva conscious.

Kazaxon, do something!

I do not have the power to help her, Alekso. She needs a healer.

I shake her. "EVA!"

She fights to stay awake, I can see her fighting, but the pull of death is too strong.

This colossal mausoleum, my army of undead soldiers, my crown, my kingdom, the unlimited dark power at my fingertips... I would give it all up for her.

As would I.

It would take too long to get her out of the crypt, but to stay here would spell out her doom. Kwenthrith's half limp hand reaches over and settles against Eva's bloody chest. The green glow emitting from her palm is dim, and I fear it is not enough.

"Eva..." I whisper, pressing my forehead to hers. "You need to stay with us. Kazaxon and I love you. We can't lose you. All that you have taught me about this world, the good that lives within it and within me... It will seep from my bones without your light."

Long minutes pass, and she remains cold.

"You see? You have a job to do, my love. I was fractured and splintered before you came. You put me back together. If you leave, I will break again. It is your duty to keep me whole, for the good of Mercia."