Empire of Blood

Chapter 20: Death's Masquerade

The king laughed. "Why should I accommodate you?"

Azrael rubbed his forehead and groaned. "We are soldiers accompanying the Crown Princess, after all. Why do you find any of this humorous?"

His Majesty waved them away before turning his back on them. "Return outside to that filthy mist. How do we know you haven't brought the disease in with you? You've probably contaminated us all, yet you're here asking me to provide for you and your comrades?"

"I'm curious how you think you're safe from the plague," Selena gritted her teeth, "How do you know you're not already infected?"

The king's assembly nervously whispered to each other, but Camulus barked. "Enough. If you don't leave, Crown Princess or not, I'll have my guards escort you out. Death will not find me here, no sir." Azrael and Rahim looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions; Rahim was about to object, but Azrael held up his hand and shook his head.

Azrael cleared his throat before the king issued another order. "Why refuse our aid? We'll figure out how to purge the city in exchange for one evening stay before we make our way to Snowhaven."

The king ordered his guards to stop and put his hand to his chin. "Hmm. If you can find a way to dispel this poison looming over my city, I suppose you could stay for the night. Very well then—there is no time like the present. Get to it, and don't return until the city is clean."

King Camulus clapped his hands, and his guards hastily approached the trio to escort them outside while whispering, "Please forgive us, Your Imperial Highness." Once they were out, the guards locked the front door.

The lightning and thunder had ceased, and the torrential rain turned into a drizzle. Thor and Doragon were no longer by the entrance, but their shadows loomed across the marble steps as they circled the castle, investigating the source of the poisoned mist. The three exchanged puzzled and dismayed glances, but before deciding on a plan to cleanse Nuvak, Thor announced, The poison vortex is within the castle courtyard—Doragon and I will meet you there.

Be wary, my dear.

Thor snorted as their gold and red glimmers vanished behind the ivory towers. Nothing can withstand the might of two gods.

Selena relayed Thor's news to the group, and Rahim asked, "How did the king not notice the poison coming from behind his palace?"

"The king is a madman," Azrael replied, "and I thought the dwarf king was terrible."

The three followed the amber pathway arcing around the gold-streaked marble towers, leading them to an unguarded gateway. The group walked into a large courtyard separated into two sections by a mossy flagstone path, with rain-pearled lawns covering both sides. A large and shaggy willow tree stood drooping in the middle, hiding the cause of the mist's maelstrom.

A tiny wail—like from a crying dragon hatchling—echoed across the air. Thor and Doragon had already landed, backs turned and arched like angry cats, hissing and growling at the source of the disease. When the confused Selena asked for the reasons behind their hostility, Thor warned: I think you'll want to have your sword ready.

My dear, please stand down and let us through.

The two dragons reluctantly moved away, revealing a tiny baby dragon with its head tilted back, spewing forth the toxic mist. However, Azrael and Rahim quickly readied their weapons when they recognized it as a masked dragon hatchling. Yet, it ignored them as it continued its lamented wails, displaying its black, jagged teeth; stubs, where its bladed wings began growing, prickled across its back. Black ooze dripped from its slimy ebony hide and ivory bone mask.