Chapter 41

Leander, Third Prince of the Illyrian Empire, scrambled down the street, avoiding an explosion from a nearby building. Falling to the ground, he crawled across the debris covering the road, until his hand grasped something soft and wet.

Withdrawing his hand, he saw that it was covered in bright red blood. Looking up, he realized that he had placed it in a pile of gore, bit of flesh and blood that was nearly unrecognizable as once being human, if it wasn’t for the bits of cloth emerging from under the wreckage.

The Capital was under attack, fiends had emerged from a droplet of tar that had descended from the Broken Moon, while their presence brought the dead back to life.

Leander had been overseeing the defenses when it had happened, an opportunity for him to gain military merit and be seen as a leader to the people. Little did he know that they would be attacked at that moment. With people relying on him, he had fled, abandoning his soldiers in their fight against the fiends. Rushing back to the palace, he had lost his horse early on when the animal panicked.

Wiping his hand on his coat, he slowly stood as the rumbling and shaking of the ground settled. In the distance, he could hear the clash of steel, the shouts of fighting and the screams of civilians. A roar sounded as a geyser of flame shot skyward, joining several more to light the darkness.

Ignoring everything, Leander ran onwards, but not towards the palace, but the Imperial Prisons where Tabitha was being held. The city was falling, he needed to get her and flee to safety. She would know what to do, she always did. He had come to rely on her in the past few years, her insight and intelligence building his reputation.

He suspected she had been wrongly imprisoned by his brother, who had recognized him as a threat to his Crown Prince title. It was preposterous to think that Tabitha of all people would be a cultist, what a ridiculous excuse they conjured in order to separate them.

Rounding a corner, he was faced with a squadron of Imperial Guards, wearing heavy armor, and wielding large, two-handed swords. They were facing a Fiend, one larger than a wagon. The red skinned Fiend was apelike, smashing its fists against the ground before charging.

The Barlgura crashed into the line of guardsmen, knocking half a dozen off their feet. The sharp swords barely scratched the Fiends furry flesh, its heavily muscled frame shrugged off even the hardest of blows.

Leander ducked a flying body that crashed into the building behind him. The dead guardsman left a smear of blood on the white marble façade of the structure. Screaming, he ran with all of his speed away from the fighting, jumping over a hedge and scrambling under a nearby cart.

Catching his breath while listening to the screams of the dying behind him, Leander inched his way forward, risking a peek from his hidden location. Seeing the coast was clear, he rushed out from underneath the cart and ran towards the prison, visible a block ahead of him.

Slowing down as he neared the gated entrance, he fixed his clothing and caught his breath before the guards could see him. The gates were closed and locked, the guards hiding behind, each wielding long spears nervously. Their eyes widened when they saw him, unflustered and calm despite the attack on the city.

“Why is this gate closed? Open it immediately by order of the Emperor!” Leander ordered, crossing his arms and all but tapping his foot with impatience as the dim-witted guards slowly unlocked the gate and let him in.

“Apologies, Milord. We were ordered to lock up and keep those things from entering.” The guard leader said, giving him a hasty bow as the prince entered.

“And I’ve been ordered to escort a prisoner to see the Emperor. Move aside, captain, or I will have you charge for dereliction of duty.” He said pompously, not slowing for fear that they would ask to see the fictitious order he mentioned.

“But, Milord-” The guard was cut off as Leander climbed the steps, opening the heavy iron doors and entering the Prison proper. Ignoring the shouts behind him, Leander quickened his pace, his boots echoing off the stone walls.

The prison was practically a maze, filled with false hallways and dead ends, all to confuse would be escapees or those attempting to free them. Luckily, Leander had been her before to visit Tabitha, and despite his many flaws, he had an excellent memory. He could even remember all of his servant’s names, a feat that he would brag about to anyone willing to listen.

Following the twists and turns, he soon reached the desired cell. Looking at the door, he had a sudden thought.

“Drat! The key!” He muttered, placing his palm against his forehead in exasperation. How could he have missed something so obvious and simple. He was about to turn and head back to ask the guard captain for the key, when he noticed the door was ajar.

Curious, he pushed open the door, revealing Tabitha within her cell. Kneeling on the ground, still in her cultists cloak, the bare stone walls were covered in blood, nearly dried black. They formed runes and symbols, arcane and powerful, but with a feeling of wrongness that hurt his eyes to look at.

Stepping inside, he was hit with negative energy, thick and prickling against his skin. He had felt it before, one of his martial tutors had demonstrated a few of the profane spells in order to better prepare him for combat in service of the Empire. They had been small, simple spells, merely to learn. This was something else. Even Leander could recognize the evil in the room.

“Tabitha, my love! What is this…I’ve come to rescue you…did…did someone do this to you?” Leander asked, gesturing weakly at the walls.

“Leander…you’re here, excellent. I was waiting for another of the guards to come, but you will do nicely.” Tabitha drawled, her voice a whisper that carried easily across the space. With a gesture, she called him forward. He couldn’t resist her invitation, his feet carrying him towards her before he could register a thought.

The smell of blood was overpowering, the feeling of wrongness growing with each step.

“The other…guards?” He whispered, his voice cracking in mid sentence.

“They have been quite generous for my Lord and Master.” She said, looking briefly towards the far corner of the room. There, several bodies lay, piled carelessly together. Their pale skin spoke of blood loss, their expressions terrified.

“Tabitha, my darling…what have you done?” Leander asked nervously as he came to a stop before her.

“What is necessary for the One. I serve, just as you will.” She said, a mad light filling her eyes. In a blink, she stood, a crude knife in her hand already flashing towards his neck. Helpless against the sudden attack, he felt pain and a wash of warmth as the knife sliced through his soft flesh, cutting an artery.

Blood spurted out, stopping in midair before it could reach the ground. Reaching out her hand, she guided the flowing blood to the walls, forming more runes, until Leander collapsed to the ground, dead. Ignoring the corpse, she continued her work, using his life’s blood to complete her work.

As the last of the blank spots were filled in, the blood began to burn with black fire. Starting at the center, it swept across the walls and ceiling, surrounding Tabitha in flames. Laughing wildly, she threw up her hands, dancing amongst the black fire, the heat washing across her body. Her cultists clothing burned, leaving her naked and unharmed as the room was engulfed.

All throughout the prison, her laughter echoed off the walls, unnerving cackling that brought fear to even the hardest of guards. At the entrance, the Guard Captain watched the entrance nervously, gripping a spear tightly as the laughter reached him.

Rushing down the hallway, the guard captain and his men reached Tabitha’s room just as a fountain of black flames burst from the doorway. Shielding his face, he waited for the flames to die down before looking inside.

Unbelievably, Tabitha was still there, unharmed by the fires around her. The captain witnessed the flames condense into a single point on the wall, expanding slowly into a black void. Like a child, Tabitha rushed through the opening, the portal closing behind her.

The only evidence it had ever been there was a circle of black tar, slowly dripping down the wall where she had disappeared.