The Thanaton Syndrome

Chapter Sixteen

"We were like regular siblings once," Piper said, "when our parents lived. I barely remember it, but I'd guess I was about four. Life seemed pretty rotten to me then, but now I see how simple it was, just to have a regular family."

"A royal family though," Seth said, wondering how she could consider that "regular."

"Royal, yes, but our parents cared for us just as well. We had nannies, but our parents always made time for us.

"Then the war started. I didn't know much then, but now I know because I've had to go back and learn it all. It was the War of the Palace. Someone we call The Obsidian Lord was taking over Alaisia, and wanted to rule the Paramount Palace. I couldn't tell a difference, but while that war was on, things looked pretty bleak for others. Finally at some final battle, we conquered him. Rumors say that Aram, the wizard, fought him and put him on an island, cursing him to stay there forever.

"I knew Aram personally, and he's never given anything up on that. He always did speak in riddles."

"He's a wizard?" Seth couldn't help but recall Christian's words, that certain people could work ways to travel between worlds. If anyone could do it, surely wizards could.

"Yes, but he passed away a couple years ago."

"Ah, I'm sorry."

"He'd reached an old age, so we expected it, but...thank you. Anyway, in that last battle against The Obsidian Lord, my parents died.

"Of course, the kingdom was devastated, but Spencer and I...well, we'd just lost our parents. We grew close over the years after that. He taught me to fight, took care of me, joked with me. Going through something like that, while a kingdom still looked to us to someday rule, the easiest thing to do was turn to the one person going through the exact same thing.

"And then Morphew came." Her voice took on a bitter tone. "I was about eight or nine, so I didn't know much of what went on. I only saw the council arguing and getting together constantly. Spencer knew more than me, because they were just beginning to let him sit in on the meetings. He was thirteen or fourteen, still young, but coming on the age where he needed to start full on training to rule.

"And for a whole year, nothing came of Morphew. I forgot entirely, but then, one day, he attacked. I remember looking out my window that day, seeing the army marching up and breaking through the walls." She bit her lip. "I will never forget something like that. The Palace was a blur of movement and panic. All the villagers knew of course, because no one could miss that army. Everything turned to chaos and the army was in complete disarray.

"They tried to get me to go underground, but Spencer fought in the backup lines. I didn't want to leave him. I remember sneaking out, and I looked out and saw the battle and..." She shook her head. "I've never seen so much blood and death and... It was awful. And then I saw King Morphew, dressed in black, faced covered, unmistakably the leader. He went around to the back of the Palace, I saw from my window. And he was alone, which I thought extremely odd. Somehow he got away from the battle, yet I can't understand how. Maybe the Red Warrior and all his other little cronies held everyone off while he went off to... Well, to this day I don't really know what he was doing.

"I saw him though, and I still remember the rage consuming me that day. Because how dare he invade like that, how dare he do such a thing to my home, and kill so many people. I felt far angrier than afraid, and being the idiot I am, I decided I could take him on myself."

Seth jerked his head in her direction. "You took on...him?" He still didn't know much about King Morphew, but whenever he came up, he pictured a tall dangerous man who slaughtered for the fun of it. Someone worse than the Red Warrior, and someone not even the best swordsman could fight.