Chapter 93: Taunts

Book 2, Chapter 55 - Taunts

Strange for the Empire to retreat so suddenly. But that meant plans could continue. A letter would be sent to the duke bearing the royal seal, assuring him of the capital's orderly state. The princess would be returning to Exaltyron. She would be crowned queen.

And so would begin Xenaria's downfall.

Odain yawned, stepping into the dark corridor. A guard in blue uniform held up a torch to light the way down a set of dusty steps. They hadn't been so dusty when he'd first come to the palace. With half the servants killed during the palace takeover, certain places of the building were not maintained well. The dungeons being among them.

Odain took note of the boot prints being made on each step by his guide. Small dust clouds formed as the guard skipped a stair and dropped a heavier step than normal, making his shadow extend strangely as the hand with which he held the torch was somehow the last of all objects to move. Odain covered his mouth with the sleeve of his coat —a rich maroon with silver buttons. He'd found it in a wardrobe in Queen Dahlia's quarters. Good quality material, though a size too big. It reached an inch or two below his knees and almost felt like a woman's gown.

They reached the bottom of the stair and the Queen's Guard member coughed, waving a hand before his face. Odain clicked his tongue at the same time his heel fell, masking the sound. It annoyed him to be surrounded by stupidity. If the guard had been but a little more patient in his descent, he wouldn't have kicked up a dust storm. His coughs made the torch fire dance, shadows extending this way and that.

Fire.

“Impatience is the unmaking of many, and it was nearly the end of us, you twat,” he said, grabbing the torch from the guard's hand and fixing a glare upon the man who was still bent over and hacking with his throat. Fire and dust didn't mix well. For men as highly trained as the Lotus Knights, Odain expected that to be common knowledge. His gaze flickered to all the torches along the walls of the dungeons. The dust cloud was settling so far as he could see.

Palace maintenance would need to be seen to. An explosive hazard beneath the palace was the last things he needed right now. Of course the place would eventually come to ruin, but not yet. For now, he needed it to transform Xenaria into a new nation. “Wait here,” Odain told the guard, stalking off to the far end of the dungeon where his most important guests were residing. The rest of the cells were filled with minor officials loyal to the Queen. They'd be executed in time once their knowledge of governing and officiating came to an end.

Odain stopped short of Eildred Aegis' cell. The foul odor of unwashed bodies lingered in the passageways here. The old captain of the Guard had grown a rather impressive beard. His arms had thinned, but his figure was still lean and imposing if looked at from the right angle.

Odain ground his teeth. Every angle seemed the right angle.

Eildred's head hung low, dark shadows of the jail cell's depth masking his face. He lifted his head slightly, dried blood on his lips. The reflecting light within his eyes was unmistakable. “You still have the strength to glare at me, Thundersword,” Odain said.

Eildred sneered. He stared like a hungry wolf at the golden sword on Odain's waist.

Something crashed behind Odain. He flinched, heart skipping a beat. Even after so many long years, to think he'd be frightened by loud noises. He spared a grimacing glance at the prisoner in the cell opposite of Eildred. The renowned and handsome Agrienne Caranel pressed his face against the bars, lips apart and spittle dripping down a scraggly beard reminiscent of vagabonds.

“It's you,” Agrienne said. His knuckles grew white with how hard he gripped the bars of his cell. “Flaming Odain. P!ss on you and your entire line.”

“Funny,” Odain said. “I don't have a line.”

“Eternal Flames burn your Goddess,” a once Lord Caranel continued. “Come here and let me wrap my hands around your throat.”

“I'm afraid I'm not one of your women, Agrienne. Now sit still like a proper pet in a cage. I'll be needing you soon enough. Assuming you're willing to obey.”

“That's Lord Agrienne Caranel, you filthy commoner. I serve no one! Least of all a whoreson like you.”

Odain clicked his tongue. A small —really small— part of him admired Agrienne's tenacity. He'd endured the worst and had climbed to the position of House Lord on wit alone. He was greedy too. And full of pride. Odain thought he could have made use of that. It was annoying to misjudge someone. To be wrong in one's predictions. A stain on his scholarly accolades. I thought I'd lived enough years to properly judge a man's character. Agrienne had too much pride. He was an imbecile who couldn't see the hypocrisy in his own statement. Odain turned around to face Eildred.

“Lord Sun,” the guard croaked. His voice was as beaten as his body. “What do you want? Why am I alive?”

“I don't go by that title anymore. At least, not while I'm here anyway. As for what I want, I already have it.” Odain leaned back against the bars of Eildred's cage and stared up at the ceiling. Agrienne spoke curses with his spite filled glare, still gripping jail cell bars like he was expecting to grind them to dust. “Your niece is returning,” Odain told Eildred. “I sent some of the traitorous Lotus Knights to escort her. She will be crowned. And she will do my bidding.”

“Emeria will never obey the likes of you,” Eildred said. The chains binding his arms rattled. His wrists were getting thin. The cuffs would need to be resized.

“I know she won't. But I'll make her anyway. You should know better than to question what I can and cannot do. I do not say pointless things. You'll be left to live to watch as this precious nation of yours ceases to exist. Well, you won't watch it. But I'll be sure to feed you all the necessary bits of information. I'll turn your dear niece into a right despot. You can rot here imagining it.”

The chains rattled louder this time. Odain turned to find Eildred frothing at the mouth. “You sick bastard!” the old guard rasped. “What have I ever done to you?”

Odain laughed. His voice echoed between the walls of the dungeon corridor. The torch in his hand trembled and his shadow shook. “What did you do? Why, you existed of course. And to exist means you're at my mercy. You are mine to study. Mine to experiment with. And mine to sacrifice as I please. Don’t count on any hope, Sir Aegis. There is none. Not in the form of your dear student, Azurus. Nor in the form of Duke Serene and his daughter. There are none in this realm with strength enough to stop me now."

"Almost twenty years I spent preparing for this,” Odain continued, running a hand through his hair. It felt so short, that time. All lengths felt short nowadays. “I spent a mere fraction of the Astral Union's armada to create this rebellion, slipping in soldiers as ordinary citizens and clergymen of Trillian temples. It was never meant to succeed, you see? Now it will end. And the Trillian faith will take credit for this victory. And slowly, but surely, Xenaria will become a part of the Union.”

“The faery woman. You plan to use that massacring monster as your Goddess to convince the people?”

Odain raised an eyebrow. “Tavi? No. She isn't capable of something so grand. It's a good guess though. This conversation is at its end. Dwell on these thoughts, Sir Aegis. Dwell on them and despair. You are a failure both to your queen and to your niece. I look forward to seeing how long it will take you to break.”

The Thundersword… Such a powerful Heartless candidate. So much hate. Even after being locked and beaten for months, he had a blazing spirit. That hate was guided by duty still. If that sense of duty could be broken, hate would consume the veteran warrior. Odain handed the torch back to the guide waiting by the dungeon entrance. He crossed his arms behind his back and climbed up the stairwell.

Just a little longer.

Eildred Aegis screamed from his cell. It could still be heard even after Odain had reached the ground floor of the palace.