her knuckles turning white. She was ready and wiling to cut him down. He took a few steps back when she had let her guard down. He stopped.
Noises in the corridor behind her stopped her from moving. She knew who it was without looking. A dozen royal guards surrounded her, their strong arms holding sharpened falchions at the ready.
"My Empress, we thought you had been kidnapped," the lead sergeant said. She could tell he was relieved to have found her alive by the sound of his voice.
He looked at her like she had stepped out of a grave. Then she realized how horrible she must have looked.
"Did they hurt you my Empress?"
She shook her head slowly and then handed him her falchion. He took it carefully from her hands. Nykostra moved out from behind them and stood unarmed before the Kwizarra Lonn.
She lowered her head for a moment, closing her eyes again. This time nothing happened around her and she slowly raised her head to stare at the master Soothsayer. Her eyes burned with a red fire that could have melted metal. Her thoughts projected outward and pierced into the mind of the Kwizarra Lonn. It was dark and dreary and as full of hatred as her own mind was. She felt at home there in the primal darkness of his soul.
She pulled up his most secretly held fear from deep within his psyche. It was not some vile creature or a tortured death. It was not the end of the Empire itself. It was something far more interesting to her. A woman.
Nykostra studied the image of a woman whose face was turned away from her. She could feel the Soothsayer struggling to shut her out of his mind before the woman turned. But he was unable to prevent the inevitable.
The woman cocked her head and turned slowly around. It was herself. Older but not so old as to have lost her physical beauty. Her eyes burned red and her skin was gray. She was one of them!
The connection broke and Nykostra fell from the old Soothsayer's mind. When her vision returned he was still there, but his ghastly expression told her he knew what she had seen. She was his deepest, darkest fear.
Nykostra struggled to raise her arm and pointed at the Kwizarra Lonn. Her pale blue skin was tinted orange by the light of the fire pit.
"
I
am your worst fear, old man."
The Kwizarra Lonn backed away from her slowly. He folded his cloak over his head and then disappeared into the shadows of another tunnel.
Nykostra dropped her arm to her side and turned around to face her security. They had dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. It was a sign of respect and loyalty. She strode past them back the way she had come.
***
Nykostra entered her bed chamber through the secret passage and was greeted by her handmaiden, Velore. The girl's eyes were wide with relief upon seeing her mistress again. She went down on a knee immediately. Nykostra tapped Velore's head with a hand and walked into her lavatory.
The royal guards came through the entrance next a little confused as to how they had gotten to where they had began. The handmaiden chased them out and secured the Empress's door.
"Draw me a bath, I must look a fright," Nykostra said. She had come back into her bedroom, unfastening her blood soaked formal gown.
"Yes, my Empress," the handmaiden said, as she slipped away.
Nykostra pulled the tight fitting gown off her shoulders and down her arms until the effort made her collapse. Too faint to move, she lay there half undressed on the cold stone floor until the handmaid returned. Completely drained of mind and body Nykostra eventually passed out.
When she regained conspicuousness she was in her bed. She had been bathed and dressed in her nightgown. It was dark outside her stained glass window. Looking around the room she saw her handmaiden asleep on a chair. She looked as tired as Nykostra felt.
On her nightstand was a plate of cold meat and a glass of water. She sat up and took some of the thinly sliced meat in her hands and ate it. She was hungrier than she had thought and soon all
Noises in the corridor behind her stopped her from moving. She knew who it was without looking. A dozen royal guards surrounded her, their strong arms holding sharpened falchions at the ready.
"My Empress, we thought you had been kidnapped," the lead sergeant said. She could tell he was relieved to have found her alive by the sound of his voice.
He looked at her like she had stepped out of a grave. Then she realized how horrible she must have looked.
"Did they hurt you my Empress?"
She shook her head slowly and then handed him her falchion. He took it carefully from her hands. Nykostra moved out from behind them and stood unarmed before the Kwizarra Lonn.
She lowered her head for a moment, closing her eyes again. This time nothing happened around her and she slowly raised her head to stare at the master Soothsayer. Her eyes burned with a red fire that could have melted metal. Her thoughts projected outward and pierced into the mind of the Kwizarra Lonn. It was dark and dreary and as full of hatred as her own mind was. She felt at home there in the primal darkness of his soul.
She pulled up his most secretly held fear from deep within his psyche. It was not some vile creature or a tortured death. It was not the end of the Empire itself. It was something far more interesting to her. A woman.
Nykostra studied the image of a woman whose face was turned away from her. She could feel the Soothsayer struggling to shut her out of his mind before the woman turned. But he was unable to prevent the inevitable.
The woman cocked her head and turned slowly around. It was herself. Older but not so old as to have lost her physical beauty. Her eyes burned red and her skin was gray. She was one of them!
The connection broke and Nykostra fell from the old Soothsayer's mind. When her vision returned he was still there, but his ghastly expression told her he knew what she had seen. She was his deepest, darkest fear.
Nykostra struggled to raise her arm and pointed at the Kwizarra Lonn. Her pale blue skin was tinted orange by the light of the fire pit.
"
I
am your worst fear, old man."
The Kwizarra Lonn backed away from her slowly. He folded his cloak over his head and then disappeared into the shadows of another tunnel.
Nykostra dropped her arm to her side and turned around to face her security. They had dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. It was a sign of respect and loyalty. She strode past them back the way she had come.
***
Nykostra entered her bed chamber through the secret passage and was greeted by her handmaiden, Velore. The girl's eyes were wide with relief upon seeing her mistress again. She went down on a knee immediately. Nykostra tapped Velore's head with a hand and walked into her lavatory.
The royal guards came through the entrance next a little confused as to how they had gotten to where they had began. The handmaiden chased them out and secured the Empress's door.
"Draw me a bath, I must look a fright," Nykostra said. She had come back into her bedroom, unfastening her blood soaked formal gown.
"Yes, my Empress," the handmaiden said, as she slipped away.
Nykostra pulled the tight fitting gown off her shoulders and down her arms until the effort made her collapse. Too faint to move, she lay there half undressed on the cold stone floor until the handmaid returned. Completely drained of mind and body Nykostra eventually passed out.
When she regained conspicuousness she was in her bed. She had been bathed and dressed in her nightgown. It was dark outside her stained glass window. Looking around the room she saw her handmaiden asleep on a chair. She looked as tired as Nykostra felt.
On her nightstand was a plate of cold meat and a glass of water. She sat up and took some of the thinly sliced meat in her hands and ate it. She was hungrier than she had thought and soon all
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