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 Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 1:37 pm
I reservedly stepped forward and bent down towards the scroll, Vericallis whispering warning behind me. The world went white and hazy, the only feeling I had was of the rough parchment of the scroll beneath my fingers.
“Anthon is angry… you can not forget him…. he knows why you killed Yanov”
Reality hit me, a scream startling me back into real time, taking a moment to notice it was my own.
“Empress, what was it? What does it say?” Vericallis asked.
“I…. It doesn’t say anything. It was just blank.”
“Are you sure? You don’t look well.”
“I’m fine,” I replied, trying to brush off his worried face “there was nothing. Just blank.” I turned and quickly walked back towards the palace.
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 2:00 pm
Vericalis picked up the scroll. It was indeed blank. He made his way up to the palace with the rest of the scrolls, a look of immense worry on his face.
Claire took the Air stone out of her pocket and raised it into the air. Energy roared around her, and for a brief second her hair began to darken and her skin lose colour. But she raised her other hand and mastered the power. She spoke a word and a beam of white light erupted upwards, rising to a hundred metres and then falling in a dome around the palace grounds. Arella, seeing her do this, raised her hands and sent another beam of light, this time green, to join it. They combined as Claire sent a telepathic message to Dmitri and the Empress. Within ten seconds a beam of blue light and a beam of red joined in the dome with the white and green. Suddenly the light faded, and all that remained of the energy was a faint glittering in the sky.
We need to meet. Be at the council chamber in an hour, came the voice of the Empress in their minds.
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2007 2:18 pm
Arella, Vericallis, Claire and Dmitri all sat round the table facing me, expectant looks in their eyes.
“This so called Emperor thinks he had power over us! He thinks we will submit to him like flies." I shook with inner rage, trying not to let the shock of memory show to my friends. They weren't supposed to know what happened, they can't know what I did...
"Empress, I believe we should wage war immediately against them." Piped Arella
"Don't be foolish, they have something... they want us to be angered; to act rashly." I replied.
"What was on the scroll, Zosia?" Dmitri asked
"Hm?" I asked, biding for time. "Oh, nothing. Vericallis has it. They're blank." My eyes avoided his whilst answering. Can he tell I'm lying?
"Well, we need a plan of action. I suggest we make preparations for war, but only defensive as of yet. We shall bide our time and act at the opportune moment." He looked at me for conformation, and I nodded back. "I'll tell the army to be prepared. Arella, Claire, you can make magical defenses against any type of attack. Also, Claire, see if you can make some form of spyware, we need some information. Vericallis, you can study the scroll, see if it will give up any of it's secrets; tell us of the Gidrian's magic etc.-"
"No, no, don't worry about the scroll. I'll look after it, it's only a bit of paper after all." I reached out and quickly grabbed it. "Vericallis, you should help Dmitri prepare the army for the offensive."
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 2:59 am
Claire tapped her long fingers against the wood of the council chamber. "I understand that one of the scrolls is addressed to me? I should like to have it."
The Empress looked reluctant, but slowly she passed one of the scrolls to Claire, and seeing the expectant looks on the others faces, passed them scrolls. "Well, I think the council is adjourned," said the Empress, rushing up.
Claire walked to her room and shut the door. Slowly, she ran her finger nail down the seal of the scroll. As it snapped open an erie light filled the room.
So, this is the mighty warrior...Destroyer of the Mage of Adrafar. Oh yes, you are powerful indeed. But at what cost? At what terrible price does your power come? Can you trust yourself with the lives of those around you? You have lost control once. And now with the air stone you are an even greater threat. The war approaches, and you will be tested more than you have ever been. But you already know this. So, my dear, here is my advice to you: run and hide. Run and hide. I alone know what you are capable of. Run and hide.
The erie light faded and the parchment turned back into a normal, blank scroll. A tear ran down Claire's cheek, but she brushed it aside. Putting the scroll in a drawer, she ran to find Vericalis. Defences could wait. She were already in greater danger.
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 3:11 am
I closed the door with a slam and slid down the back shaking and trembling, sobbing with rage. How could anyone have found out? No one saw me do it... Did they?
A hot wind blew the scroll into ashes, disappearing into the room. I held my head in my hands, as if I could force the memory out of it- the cold knife slipping across his throat... the sudden flash in his eye as he awoke in the silent night before his heart failed- It was too much!
And now I have it, I have what I want and I don't want it anymore! I couldn't hold myself back as I screamed out.
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Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 7:27 am
Dmitri rushed to open his scroll once he was in his room. The waxen seal snapped off and a voice filled the room.
Mr Oranis, I've been wondering when I would speak to you. The general of the Empire. The betrayer of the Emperor. I know how you helped her kill him. I know. The same as you tried to betray Vericalis, and how you gave away the position of your sister...By accident? Maybe not...
You have risen through the ranks, building on your talents and reinforcing your strengths, but I assure you...They will not be enough to destroy my servants. So, I offer you a deal. Join my force. Join my force and you will live. Else you face death. Goodbye, Oranis.
Dmitri's face set into a scoul as he incinerated the paper. This time he would not betray his Empress...
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 5:40 am
[[Aw, sweet..]]
I spent the next few days trying to generally avoid people. Every time someone addressed me as "Empress" or "You highness" it sent shivers down my spine, reminding me of the message from Gidria. On the third day I decided to visit my brothers' graves.
It was cool and shady under the large trees fanning outwards, tinting the very air green. I went into the giant white mausoleum, the sudden chill made me regret not bringing my furs. The newest, finest and most grand of the rooms was where my second brother Janov lay. I remembered the famine of that winter, staving people littered the streets as my dearest brother taxed them half to death to pay for the guilded furnishing that he wanted for his tomb. Of course, then he didn't realise how soon he would need it...
Resisting the urge to spit on his grave, I moved down to the second room. This was smaller, decorated with childhood images. The Emperor-to-be, my oldest of my brothers lay. I hadn't visited this place for many years now. I wasn't afraid of it anymore like I had been, when I'd thought his spirit would haunt me and take revenge. No, I just found the wall paintings ghastly. An insult to my eye. The artist should have been beheaded for it really.
Maybe this is his revenge. Giving me what I wanted, but twisting it, ruining my life as I did his. I was nine when I did it... He'd always been mean to me, bossing me about like I was his slave. I couldn't let him take the throne, could I? I knew that he would marry me off as some asset to his Empire, expand it further through my misery. Forced marriage was not on my list of things to do. Even at a young age, I could still feel the hatred towards him as I knew what he would plan for me. No. No, I had to stop him.
I had thought Janov would be on my side, yet three years ago I had a feeling he would throw me away just like everyone else did. "She's just a woman, she's not good enough for anything." That cost him his life. I would not be just a woman! And now here I am, ruler of the greatest Empire in the world. And wanting to kill myself for it.
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Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:27 pm
Claire ran as fast as she could down the stairs. She had to find Vericalis. She had seen a glimpse of what power lay in the person who had written her message. Even with the protection of the stones, they were far from safe. She sent out a mental wave, attempting to find him. She felt his presence in the library and stormed off in that direction. As she pushed the door open Vericalis closed his scroll of paper, cutting off a vibrant red light. His face was pale and filled with fear and shock.
"You've seen him, haven't you. You've felt the power too," whispered Claire.
Vericalis nodded. "Yes, I have seen it."
"We need to create more defences. We need all of our mages around the palace creating another shield."
"I agree...Go an send a message to bring them all here. I need to think."
But as Vericalis said this an explosion rocked the palace. A meteor fell from the sky and carved a great hole in the glass house.
"Where is the Empress?" gasped Vericalis, but his question was answered by a bright blue blast from the gardens. Claire shattered a window and flew outwards, grasping the air stone. She raised a hand to the sky. Her hair turned black and her skin became deathly pale. The shield in the sky pulsed and strengthened, destroying some of the meteors on impact. Claire floated forward stopping the clumps of flaming rock in mid air and throwing them away from the mausoleum and the Empress' weakening shield. She raised her hand and flew through the air, appearing at the Empress' side and grabbing hold of her. She summoned all of her powers and dematerialised them both, rematerialising them in the library. Immediately the hail of meteors ended. The Empress, her eyes full of rage, said three words.
"Prepare the armies."
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:45 am
The palace defenses had been further strengthened and the whole city fortified. Squadrons of soldiers gathered in groups, lining up along the makeshift barracks as we prepared for war. Dmitri was out of his wheelchair now and spent the following days marching through the temporary camps surrounding the city, getting the thousands of troops organised before they were to march to Gidria. I made myself busy with alliances, calling on old allies to send their troops to help against the new campaign.
It seemed to all be working well, until I woke up on the fourth day to see the city burning.
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Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 11:03 am
Dmitri stormed into the Empress' chamber, all etiquette thrown out of the window.
"Zosia, I don't know how he did it. We were protected. Nothing could have passed through the boundary we set up. I saw it just now. The great burst of energy that ignited it. We need to do something. I'll try and control the flames. Summon rain. Lots of it."
He whirled around and teleported away, arriving in the central square of the city. He held out his hand and began muttering. Flames from the surrounding buildings shot towards his outstretched palm, creating an orb of incredible heat. More and more joined onto the orb, the square being sucked dry of fire. In the distance he saw Claire starve the fires in the old town of oxygen, causing them to shrivel away as she moved onto the next section. Arella was dumping layers of soil onto the flames, attempting to extinguish them.
High above them he saw storm clouds gathering, but it was too late to save much of the city. He sucked more and more of the flames into his hands, but just as the final dregs of fire were being mopped up in the area, cloaked figures began appearing in the square. They all raised their hands and sent blasts of energy towards him. He was not prepared, the full extent of his power being used to control the orb of fire...
A shield of brilliant light appeared between him and the blasts, absorbing them. A familiar figure was walking across the square, his right hand carrying a staff.
The cloaked figures sent spells towards him, but Vericalis tapped his staff against the ground and they fizzled into nothingness. And then it was his turn to attack. He pointed the staff at one of the assaillants and sent him flying backwards. With another tap on the ground, the staff incinerated each and every one of them.
It was only at that moment that Dmitri realised why Vericalis had once been recognised as the greatest sorcerer in the world.
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Le Aristocrat Vice Captain
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