Halls of the Dead

~Chapter 26 - Denile's Fate~

~Chapter 26- Denile's Fate~

~1166~

Norton's mother cried out in anguish when she saw the young man's body, his throat slit. The entire royal family was in mourning and wanted the one responsible brought to justice.

Denile was distraught as well, but for different reasons. He always intended to take over Norton's body once Whedon's body had aged. There were no other suitable male heirs to take over for him now. At least not yet.

Denile did his best to play the part of a stoic father who was remaining strong for the sake of his family. Really, he was just annoyed. Deep within him though, he could sense Whedon's profound sorrow. He hadn't allowed Whedon's consciousness to surface in years, but the utter anguish he was in was powerful. Denile struggled to suppress him entirely.

He carried out the command for the Kingsguard to hunt down the Dolor family as the culprits, but Denile knew that wasn't true. Once again, the Dolor family had treaded closely to the truth and needed to be eliminated.

... But those monks! They were the ones who killed his next heir. The ones who killed Norton. The Prince must've seen the dungeons, and they were eliminating him as a witness. Though, the monks would never admit it.

Denile wanted to punish the monks in some way, but they were untouchable. The symbiotic relationship he maintained with the Hall of the Dead gave them power. He needed them to collect more tributes, and they needed him for the dungeons he created for them. Perhaps, Denile would find a way to do away with those monks in the future.

Two days after Norton's death, a meeting was announced by Commander Ein. He didn't state the nature of the meeting. Denile decided to head to the meeting room alone...

But he noticed an emptiness in the castle. There were guards scattered about, but he didn't see any of the royal family... Norton's funeral wasn't today, was it?

Denile continued to the meeting room regardless. He stepped inside to a familiar large circular table and a stained-glass window with a view of the city. He expected to be met by Ein and many of his royal advisors, but the room was empty... Was he early?

Denile circled the table and sat where he normally did. If he was early, Ein and the others would arrive eventually. But minutes passed, and he began to wonder if this was the correct place or time of the meeting.

Then he heard a crash. Denile stood and stepped towards the window. With a view of the city, he saw a mass of people clambering at the castle gates. What were they doing?

They violently thrashed at the gates... was it a riot? There were no guards to defend it either. Where were the soldiers? Citizens began to climb over the walls into the castle, and Denile's heartbeat quickened.

The door opened and closed to the meeting room. Denile turned and saw Commander Ein standing there alone.

"Commander! Good of you to come! There appears to be a riot! Collect the Kingsguard and deal with them!"

But Ein remained quiet. He had a hand on the hilt of his sword, and he began to circle the table.

"What're you doing?" Denile asked.

"The city knows. About the dungeons. We've seen them."

"I don't know what you mean."

"The missing people. You and the Hall of the Dead captured them and have been torturing them."

Denile backed against the window. He remembered what the monks had told him. If he was in a pinch, he could transfer his essence from this body to another. He wanted to maintain the body of a King, but he may not have a choice.