Chapter 19: Fear The Reaper

  Finally, the day of the tourney had come. I was more than ready to get this over with. Nobles and commoners alike gathered to witness the grand spectacle. A magnificent arena had been erected, surrounded by colorful banners displaying the heraldry of each competing swordsman. I sat in the center beneath the veiled statue of the late king Lisador.

  Of course, Jericha was by my side as well. "I'm surprised you decided to stay," she said.

  "I may as well see this to the end," I replied. "Besides, I enjoy a good fight."

  "You keep your eyes on the tourney. I have mine open for Sisten."

  The tension was palpable as the competitors exchanged nods of respect before the signal to begin was given. With a flourish, the tournament was underway. Despite the serious look on some of the participants' faces, it was a friendly competition with basic rules; the last man or woman standing wins.

  No blood; no wounds; just fun and sport.

  As expected, many of them relied on raw strength; only a couple used their wits and agility. Zero of them were the least bit attractive.

  A mix of cheers and jeers pulsated through the crowd as six competitiors dwindled to five, four, and eventually two. The noise of the spectators quickly changed from cheering to war cries, and a group of unruly armed men stormed the square. "False queen!" the lead grunt shouted, pointing his weapon my way. "Queen Katherine is dead!"

  "Aye! She's been dead!" said another.

  "The woman before is a fake! What's worse; she's playing nice with the ruler of Midaharia! Promisin' peace w'th em murderin' scoundrels!"

  "Hold your tounge and lower your weapons!" ordered Jericha. "Inciting an insurrection won't be tolerated!"

  "How can there be an insurrection without a reigning monarch?" asked Sisten, stepping onto the scene in a swirling vortex of flames, smoke, and self-glory. His red eyes blazed with a sinister intensity as he looked my way. Am I supposed to be frightened?

  "It's about time you showed your face, Sisten!" exclaimed Jericha, drawing her weapons.

  A fire ball jumped from his hand like a red hot serpent and churned toward the Royal Guard. To his dismay, a shimmering wall of solid ice stopped his attack midway. It was astonishing at how quickly our newest Royal Guard entombed Sisten in an icy shell. A shame fire easily melted ice.

  But I admired her determination as she continued to pressure the menace with her close combat skills and the Rebirth. So much fervor in her moves. I love it!

  His Ozark lackeys jumped in and disrupted her flow. And that was when Jericha joined the fray. With her lightning rune, she dispatched them without effort. This was more entertaining than the tourney!

  A torrent of searing fireballs hurtled toward the Royal Guard, but Amara was swift. She leaped into action, twirling her ice sword to create a shimmering shield of frost that deflected Sisten's fiery onslaught. Her boots left a trail of ice in her wake as she advanced, each step sending frost creeping toward Inferno. The woman was determined to bring Sisten down, it seemed.

  Sisten countered by summoning a fiery tornado, causing the temperature to rise rapidly, and melting Amara's ice. Not even Jericha's attacks made a difference. Like any good Royal Guard, they stood their ground. Amara's body froze over as a thick wall of ice spiraled around them.

  The entire clash of elements generated much steam and hot fog. I struggled to make visiual contact with both the good and bad. Rather sneaky tactic, Sisten.

  More of his men charged the fog; soon the air was alive with the sound of combat. I watched closely as a silohette of a man appeared in the mist. It was Sisten, and he had his eyes locked on me.

  As he approached, I could feel the heat of the flames, scorching one of my favorite dresses. I didn't flinch, not even as his flames tickled my skin. Oh, if only I could capture the look on his face.

  "You're not Miriam, are you?" he asked, summoning a sword of fire to his side.

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  "Why Sisten," I said, catching his swing with my hand. "How observant of you."

  I drew down on him before he could fathom what was happening. Seeing his head roll to a stop at the foot of Lisador's statue was so fitting.

  "Miriam!" Jericha exclaimed."

  "Miriam is back in the estate, Jericha, awaiting news of Sisten's death."

  "Y--you're Katherine..? Y-you're not dead?!"

  I smirked as I wiped my blade clean. How many times did Death visit me before we came to an understanding? "Have someone move this corpse to the ice house. And I want all of his men executed before dawn."

  "Oh...of course, Your Highness!" Jericha turned to leave, but then hesitated. She threw her arms around me and gave me a tender hug, taking my surprise. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

  "Thank you, Jericha, you naughty rule breaker."

  "Just this once!" she smiled and wiped her eyes dry. "I'd better get to work."

  "You'll find Breuke recovering in his quarters, as well."

  "I knew he was alive!" Her eyes lit up more than I expected.

  The newest edition to the Royal Guard hadn't taken her eyes off of Sisten, even as his body was carried away. "Amara, was it?"

  "Yes, Your Highness. It's good to see you are well."

  "Hmm. You challenged Sisten like you hated him as much as I. May I ask why?"

  "He murdered my husband and he burned his father to ashes, all for the water rune we were using to keep our desert kingdom flourished."

  "Oh. I think I recall hearing of that."

  "Was he acting under your command, or the king's?"

  "I suspect he was acting on his own, dear Amara. My sincerest apology. Now, I have a question for you: as a Royal Guard, are you willing to do the same?"

  "I...haven't put much thought into that."

  "Then this may not be a job for you, my dear."

  "Why the ice house, Your Highness?" she questioned.

  "Do you know a better way to preserve human blood?"

  Once the dust and confusion settled I took to the stage to address the crowd.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, let me first apologize on behalf of my loyal and disobedient Royal Guard. Over the course of several years, your queen was held against her will, tortured, and left for dead by a former member of the guard; the fire bringer you saw today.”

  “Noone knew of my imprisonment. However, the Royal Guard took it among themselves to keep that information from you so that you would not have to deal with the loss of your king as well as queen. I ask that you forgive them for their deception."

  "That is all behind us now."

  "As we've gathered here today to honor our late king with a fitting statue, I have an announcement to make. Many of you have heard of a hasty peace agreement I drafted with the Kingdom of Midaharia long ago. I was not in my sound mind back then."

  I raised the signed and sealed agreement in front of the masses and set it ablaze. "Haggard's destruction was an act of war and we will make them answer for it."

  Loud cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. They grew louder as the veil was removed from the king's statue.

  There, before them, stood the likeness of the king, immortalized in rose gold stones. His features were chiseled and sharp, his eyes sparkling with life and vitality.

  "Long live King Lisador!"

  ***

  I wasn't sure how I survived Sisten's ambush that night. The last thing I could remember was the heat of the fire on my body; I was sure I'd seen my last sunrise. But I woke up in my quarters as if nothing happened. The shadow rune's power was exhausted for now; perhaps it's what saved me?

  I guess I shouldn't dwell on it.

  Sisten was defeated and Queen Katherine was alive, as well. Things were finally on the right track, but I wonder why she summoned me to her chambers. When I walked in I wasn’t prepared to see her standing in the darkness with the moon light capturing her body. “Uh..should I come back later?”

  “Lock the door,” she said, taking a sip from her champagne glass. That was the thickest wine I’d ever seen. I struggled to keep my eyes above her neckline. “And get undressed.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Breuke, the only reason you’re here right now is because I kept death from taking you. You owe me your life, but your body will suffice.”

  She sauntered up to me and stole my breath with a passionate kiss. Her lips were as cold as her hands. Having her this close to me was more than uncomfortable. Was this the Katherine I remembered?

  “And I will not give you the chance to turn me down again,” she whispered in my ear.

  “You said you stopped my death?"

  "Mmmhmm."

  "With the Death rune? Then, you do the same for Tasha?”

  “My dear, I know you’re new at this, but it’s quite rude to mention another woman’s name right now.”

  “Could you bring her back?”

  “It’s far too late for Tasha. If you mention her again, I’ll let the reaper have you,” she said, leading me over to her bed and shoved me down.

  How do I get out of this? "Katherine, I don't think this is appropriate."

  She took hold of my jaw and pierced it with her fingernails. "I'll decide what is appropriate!"

  I tried not to flinch as she licked the blood from my face. Her entire body was cold, pale, her eyes empty. Burning the peace agreement she insisted on and now this? She was not herself. Something changed during her captivity.

  The more the night went on, I couldn’t shake a grim feeling that dreadful times were on the horizon.

  End ACT II