Carsil Castle

  The King sat at his polished oak desk, staring out the large window to his right that overlooked the sprawling city below. He was frowning, hands knit beneath his chin with legs crossed, expression tight and thoughtful. The large double doors to his office opened and he turned, nodding toward the masked woman who stuck her head in.

  “He has arrived, your Majesty,” She said, her voice echoing off the marble walls and high ceiling.

  “Send him in,” The king said, standing behind the desk and straightening his robes. He stood to his full height, shoulders back and chin held high.

  The doors opened again and a man strode in, locking eyes with the king as he strolled forward. He was tall, much taller than the stout king and he frowned slightly as he approached the desk. The door behind him opened again and a younger man, near spitting image of the other besides their obvious age difference. The king’s brow twitched in annoyance as he hadn’t been told there would be another in attendance. Otherwise, he kept his features neutral as they approached, the younger man staying back toward the door with his arms crossed, expression neutral.

  The older man stepped up to the desk, not bothering to bow, the king noted with a slight frown. The man ran his long, slim fingers over the edge of the king’s desk but never broke eye contact, a smile spreading wider across his face as he watched the king, obviously not caring to hide his amusement. The king shifted uncomfortably under the man’s gaze, eyes fully black. It was as if he were staring into a void rather than eyes and the man smiled wider at his obvious discomfort, causing the skin at the edges of his eyes to crinkle slightly making him look, if only marginally, more human. The king shook off his discomfort, reminding himself he was in charge here. Not this being in front of him.

  “Siris, I take it?” The king asked after it was apparent the man wouldn’t bow and introduce himself as custom. Heathen, the king thought to himself as Siris continued to smirk.

  “Ah, it is an honor to finally meet the King of Carsil. Stefen, is it?” Siris asked, ignoring the question he’d been asked. “I am something of a King myself where I come from.”

  “Is that so?” King Stefen ground out, teeth clenched, annoyance clear in his tone.

  Siris nodded, smirk growing wider, “Of course, no titles will be needed between us, right Stefen? We are to be great friends I think.”

  King Stefen scoffed, seating himself in his large oak desk chair upholstered in velvet. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the matching dark wood of the desk and knitting his hands together as he peered up at Siris with his eyebrows raised.

  “I have to admit that I’ve never been approached in such a manner before,” King Stefen said, not bothering to offer Siris a seat. “You’re quite an arrogant, pushy man. That’s dangerous.”

  “Is that a threat?” Siris asked, sliding into the chair across from the King, uninvited.

  “It depends,” King Stefen said, eyes narrowing as Siris leaned back comfortably in the chair, obviously unfazed by the meeting in the slightest. Most men would be shaking in their boots being in this room. He had a reputation for being ruthless and quick to pass judgement. Yet this man, if you could call him that, had not a care in the world. That could only mean he either didn’t know of his reputation or didn’t care. Likely the latter, Stefen knew, just based on how he made a scene to get the meeting in the first place. Killing a royal officer and presenting his head at the gates usually got one arrested or killed before news even reached King Stefen’s ears. And yet… Here he sat.

  No one would tell him why they hadn’t arrested the man though the staff looked shaken. They insisted the king see him themselves, eyes downcast, hands trembling. They were scared but not of their king, of this thing seated before him. It begged the question: What was he capable of?

  “What exactly do you want?” King Stefen asked, already wary of whatever game was being played. He wanted answers.

  “I’ll say this once,” Siris said, smile fading from his face as he leaned forward in the chair, hands braced on his knees. “I don’t take well to being threatened, as your officer found out.”

  “I heard about the incident,” King Stefen said, unfazed. “Rather unnecessary I might add. I take audience with nobles of other lands on a regular basis. My guard would have been happy to seek accommodations for you while I arranged time for a meeting. All that was asked was where you hailed from and what business you had with me. Simple questions, no?”

  “No,” Siris said, smirk returning. “Not simple at all, in fact. Those answers alone would give your men nightmares and spawn tales for generations to come. Not that they’d believe me if I told them. They didn’t like that answer and drew weapons on me. Did you expect me not to defend myself and my dear son here?”

  King Stefen’s eyes flickered up toward the boy would was still standing by the doors looking bored.

  “I suppose I can see your point,” King Stefen said, irritation growing. “How did you get into the city? My guards state that you seemed to appear out of thin air.”

  Siris didn’t answer. Instead, he played with a chain around his neck as he gazed out the windows that overlooked the city below.

  “Do you ever crave power?” He asked, turning back to the King. He leaned forward, an excited expression on his face.

  “Excuse me?” King Stefen said, leaning back with a grimace. Siris smelled of blood and sulfur.

  “Power,” Siris repeated in a breathy voice. “Not power like your birth has given you but true untamed power you could mold and shape with your mind, feel with your hands. Do you crave becoming more?”

  King Stefen’s eyes flew wide as he realized the last question wasn’t spoken out loud but spoken into his mind. His heart beat wildly as he pushed his chair back, creating distance between them.

  “M-magic?” King Stefen asked, face flushed. “You mean magic?”

  “Magic. power,” Siris said, standing straight and shrugging. “It’s more about how you think of it.. Calling it power insinuates it makes the wielder more.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” King Stefen said, voice tense. “Magic has been outlawed here for over a hundred years. It’s the basis of evil. It only destroys.”

  “Yet you still seek it,” Siris said, eyes twinkling mischievously.

  King Stefen said nothing, glaring up at Siris.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “If you don’t crave it, then why do you collect it?” Siris asked.

  Once again King Stefen said nothing.

  “Oh yes,” Siris said, grinning as he slowly pacing. “I’ve been watching you for some time now, Stefen. Since you were a young child actually. Your obsession with magic might not be obvious to your disciples. Your loyal and oppressed people follow your laws like scared sheep. But I see through you.”

  “You’re wrong,” King Stefen muttered, watching Siris come closer but not daring to move. His hand rested on the hilt of his dagger, hidden under the desk where he sat.

  “Am I?” Siris asked, putting his elbows on the desk and hands under his chin. The King’s nose wrinkled at the stench.

  In an instant, images, memories, scenes from King Stefen’s past raced through his mind. His consciousness lurched, trying to pull away as he saw face after face appear before him. He watched as a memory, long buried and locked away, rose to the surface and he struggled harder to close his mental eye but failed. A little girl, brown ponytail swinging as she played in the city square, splashing her brother with water from the fountain. The King watched, remembering the scene as the girl pulled water from the fountain. It floated and bobbed between her hands as she grinned happily, turning toward her brother while his back was turned. She hurled the ball of water at him and giggled as it exploded, soaking him from head to toe. Her brother whirled toward her, head whipping side to side, eyes wide with fear as he grabbed her wrist, clearly reprimanding her though the words were muffled. He dragged her away down the street and the King watched until they were way out of sight, just as he had that day. But then his attention was drawn to something else in the memory. The silhouette of a tall man, standing across the square, leaning against a brick wall just inside an alley.

  Just like that, the memories faded and his mind slammed back into his body, breathing heavily, sweat dripping down his face as he stared at the man before him. Real fear filled his chest for the first time in a very, very long time.

  “You were there,” King Stefen said in a whisper.

  “Yes,” Siris said. “That time and many others. I hadn’t known then that you’d have the girl’s family burned for not having sent her to the collectors. How is your dear wife these days? Or is it your second wife? You’ve taken so many that I lose track now.”

  King Stefen stared into the distance, jaw clenched. He had been a child when he witnessed the young girl in the town square late that night. He’d never seen a girl his age before because they were taken as toddlers from their families. He had immediately told his mother about her and the family was burned, the girl taken. The regret he’d felt was the worst of his life. But he hadn’t told them about her magic. A kernel of knowledge he kept tucked away.

  He found out where they’d taken her and when he was old enough to wed he made an excuse to journey to see her. He had told his father he needed to see the facility to understand what was done to the women as the future leader. Truth but also a lie. He found her there, two years away from being ready to be auctioned. Though she wasn’t a prime candidate, he had begged his father to consider her for his marriage. His father wasn’t happy but agreed on the condition that he consider others. He never told her about that night he witnessed in the square.

  “At this point, my dear king, you have quite the collection of powerful mages at your disposal,” Siris said. “Too bad none of them know it.”

  “What do you want?” King Stefen asked, the words ground out as he refocused on their interaction.

  “Something simple really,” Siris said, standing again and sitting on the edge of the desk facing King Stefen. “You see, I sympathize with you because I also crave and admire power. I have goals and intentions that I cannot begin to describe to you in detail now. But it requires me to have a link to this world. My son is a partial link but I need something stronger as my time here is limited. I need someone with power strong enough to tether me here whenever I need. I need you to be my tether.”

  “This…. World?” Kind Stefen asked, brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “Surely you aren’t so simple minded as if to believe this is the only realm of existence out there?” Siris asked, head cocked to the side. “You’re smarter than that, Stefen.”

  “In the stories, sure,” Stefen said, shaking his head. “But they’re just children’s tales. Things whispered at night to keep children tucked into their beds and not dare venture out into the dark and into trouble.”

  “Ah,” Siris said smiling wide. “But are they?”

  He stood to his full height and as King Stefen watched Siris transform. His features melted and twisted, skin and flesh becoming hard and bony. Horns sprouted from his head, fingernails and teeth elongating. Leathery wings and spiked tail formed and Siris smiled widest of all as King Stefen strank in the chair before him, all color leaving his skin as his mouth fell open in fear and awe.

  “Now tell me Stefen, are the stories true?” Siris said with a laugh.

  King Stefen shrunk down before Siris and raised his trembling hands before him.

  “Please don’t kill me,” King Stefen begged. “I’ll help you.”

  “Good, good,” Siris said, crossing his arms as he sat back on the desk, tail swishing. “Now, it won’t be without reward to you as well. You see, I need you to be powerful in order to hold me here. You will receive powers beyond what you’ve imagined, beyond all the useless magic you’ve been obsessed with collecting in your life. You will rule them all.”

  King Stefen lowered his hands, the trembling lessening. Some color returned to his cheeks as he took rapid breaths, staring into Siris’s eyes.

  “Will I become like you?” King Stefen asked, fear and distrust in his eyes.

  “Oh no,” Siris chuckled. “You won’t transform into this. Not in this life, anyway. You also won’t become more powerful than me so don’t even think about trying to turn on me. It would be a shame to have to kill you after we’ve become such close friends.”

  King Stefen blinked and swallowed but offered no reply to the blatant threat.

  “You will, however, become much more powerful than any other in this world,” Siris said, shrugging. “It isn’t my business what you decide to do here as long as you don’t interfere with my plans.”

  “More powerful…. Than anyone…” King Stefen’s brow furrowed as he thought. “More powerful than the Dracocians?”

  “Ah, the Dracocians,” Siris said with a sigh. “You will be more powerful than their leader alone, yes. But more powerful than the combined strength of their army? Likely not. Lucky for you, though, they seem to be a huge thorn in my side when it comes to carrying out my own plans. Together we may be able to destroy them.”

  King Stefen raised his eyebrows as he stared at Siris and then, slowly, he smiled.

  “What do I have to do?” King Stefen asked.

  Siris reached up and pulled at the delicate, long silver chain around his neck. At the end of it, was a tiny green crystal that had been tucked carefully inside of his buttoned shirt that was now stretched tightly against his transformed, muscular chest.

  “Drink but a drop of the Ether and everything you want will be within your grasp,” Siris said in a quiet voice, handing the crystal to King Stefen.

  As he took it, the crystal also transformed into a small glass vial.

  “Will it be painful?” King Stefen asked, gingerly coaxing the stopper out and taking a tentative sniff. It smelled of nothing.

  “Oh yes,” Siris said enthusiastically. “Delightfully so. Just a drop now. More than that and you’ll die a terrible, agonizing death.”

  “That’s promising,” King Stefen muttered as he closed one eye to try and peer down into the tiny vial. He shook it gently and saw a misty substance swirl around inside. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And then another. Then he stuck out his tongue and tipped the vial back slowly, allowing only a drop to touch his tongue before pulling it away. Siris snatched the vial from King Stefen’s hands with lightning speed but King Stefen hardly noticed. His tongue burned where the liquid had touched. The drop had turned to cold vapor as he tried to swallow it and he instead breathed it into his lungs. His chest burned as it felt like icy frost coated his lungs. He tried to cough but nothing came out.

  He reached his hand toward Siris for help but Siris just smiled. The icy sensation spread from his chest and burned through him, searing every nerve with gelid intensity. He reached up and clutched at his chest where the pain was the strongest. He tried desperately to take a breath but couldn’t draw air. He felt the cold reach his face and his teeth started chattering and his eyes burned. And then, it was everywhere. Every inch of his skin was glacial burning, searing pain pulsing and radiating through with every beat of his slowing heart. He was tricked, he couldn’t help but think as his body slid to the floor and he curled into a ball, the pain so intense there was nothing else that mattered.

  He was dying.

  He wanted to die.

  And then, like a bucket of warm water was dumped over him, the ice began to melt. It started in his extremities and then the warmth raced through him until it reached his chest, his heart stuttering for a moment before beating strong and steady once more. Finally he drew a huge, desperate breath and the ice melted completely. He lay there for a minute, flexing his sore fingers and toes as it sunk in that he was alive. He slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, and flexed his hands again. His body felt the same but also… wholly different. It was as if the warmth that had spread through him remained, like a substance flowed through his veins along with the blood. He could feel it there, just beneath his skin.

  “Well?” Siris asked, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, staring down at King Stefen as he adjusted to the power. “How does it feel?”

  King Stefen rose to his feet and turned toward Siris, staring at his hands. He let them drop and raised his head to stare into Siris’s void eyes. Siris raised an eyebrow at the flash of pure energy he saw in King Stefen’s gaze before it disappeared.

  Interesting, he thought but showed no outward signs of having noticed anything.

  “What… Is it?” King Stefen asked, brow furrowed.

  “Whatever you want it to be, “ Siris answered with a smile.

  Across the room Ari watched as King Stefen’s face transformed into a malicious, evil grin as he flexed his hands, feeling the new power flow freely through his body.

  What has he done, Ari thought, helpless as ever as the chains of power around his throat pulsed in silent amusement at his distress.