25. T H E E M P R E S S
The blade ran down the whetstone.
The Empress, watched from her throne, as three of her Knights each held a sword. They had been sharpening the blades since dawn, and sweat trickled down their backs. They did not dare stop, they kept sharpening the steel.
She thought of Octavius and his body which hung from the dungeons, in chains. After her discovery from the magic mirror she had ordered the Knights to arrest him on grounds of treason. And yet, it didn't even begin to quell the monster inside her.
"Alternate!" She shouted at them savagely.
The Knights placed the sharpened swords onto a table. Then strode to the casing that held the dull ones. Without a protest they each withdrew another sword then returned to the whetstone and began sharpening the blade.
The Knights knew today would be tiresome to them, whenever The Empress was in a foul mood her orders became outrageous.
"What is all this?" Elias asked, he peeked into the throne room.
Fire mantles lined the stony walls. They had been bewitched to replicate the insignia of the Kingdom. In black fire the sword and serpent blazed with red eyes. A red carpet led to marble steps that sloped into a circular podium. Around the podium roamed a horned viper, its body so long, it draped over the length of the stairs. The viper's head rose as a newcomer waltzed into the room. His forked tongue flickered out, when he sensed no danger he turned away.
Elias looked at The Empress who seemed lost in her thoughts. She looked like a villain from a fairytale. Clothed in a black dress made of lace, her hair had been braided in small pieces, as a horned headpiece crowned her head.
"What are you doing?" Elias asked a Knight, who ignored him. Elias pursed his lips before looking at The Empress who finally noticed him.
A look of annoyance passed over her face, "why are you here?" Her voice was hoarse.
"Why do you sound like that? And what's all this?" He pointed at the Knights. "You know everyone in the tower can hear it."
"Good, then they know one of them is to die!" The Empress called to her viper, "Zazel." He rested his head over the arm of her throne. "Saves me the trouble of telling them."
Elias watched as she stroked the scales of the crimson viper. She looked scary, sitting on a velvet black throne, that was outlined with human bones and vampire fangs.
There was a chandelier above The Empress that was turned off, and rumour had it that behind the chandelier was where she hid the souls she collected.
"That's stupid," Elias disagreed, he placed a hand on his hip.
The Empress frowned at his voice, "what are you doing here? Has Chef run out of your oil free foodies?"
Elias did something no one had even attempted to dream of, he ignored what she said and ambled on. "Killing them defeats the purpose!"
The Empress laughed, and she told herself it was because of the psychotic break she had in the Magic Mirror. After her discovery of the island, The Empress had been unable to find Mira and her present location. She had vanished. "What do you know about killing?"
"I know that it is a mercy, that should never be given to ones enemy." Elias countered.
The Empress turned to glare at him, since when had the airhead started making sense. She blinked a couple times to make sure it was Elias that stood in her throne room.
"Elaborate," she said with the tilt of her chin, she was intrigued by this thought process.
"When you kill them, they die with all of their secrets. All of the crimes that have committed against you, are lost." Elias glanced at the Knights who continued their sharpening. "That is an easy death, a kind death. However, I find playing with my prey is much too fun to be neglected. When you corner them and they know they have nowhere to turn to. When you push them to the point they wish they were dead, but death does not come." Elias chuckled, "that's how I would do it if I was dealing with a traitor."
The Empress was impressed with the boy, although she would never tell him.
"Stop sharpening." She commanded the Knights. The sound of blades running against whetstone ceased.
"I have come to see if you will join us for dinner." Elias asked as the Knights departed with the remainder of the swords.
"Since when do we have dinner together?" She scoffed. He was back to his comical ways.
"That's how my family eats." Elias rested his hands in his pant pockets. He was dressed in another expensive suit, except his jacket had been removed. He wore a white button up with the sleeves rolled back it was tucked into maroon slacks. The shirt and his arms were covered in splotches of paint.
"Well, we're not family, and I eat alone." She rested her hand on Zazel's scales, the serpent calmed her whenever she was on the brink of insanity.
"No, we're not but why does that mean we have to be strangers?" His young eyes shone with naivety.
The Empress was growing tired of his presence, so she did something that had become second nature to her. "Elias, you know I consume your kind for my meals right?"
Tension creeped up into the young art student.
"You're telling me, you can be seated across from me and watch me drink the life of your species?" A smile curled her lips up. "That it won't repel you, disgust you?"
"If my research is correct, then you were human once too." Elias said flicking the hair from his eyes. "And you drank in front of me the other day."
"Keyword, once I am not who I used to be. You should know I like my meals straight from the vein, not from a cup." She watched with satisfaction as Elias shifted uneasily. "And you've been looking into me, how wonderful to know."
"I like to know who I stay with, and as my temporary guardian-"
"Wait, wait guardian? Who is this guardian you speak of? I'm not your guardian! I guard no one. Your father said he would be returning in a month."
"Oh! I knew I was forgetting to tell you something!" He exclaimed with a laugh. "My father's been pinched in the states for laundering more then just paper. I can't go back to Sweden, the people would eat me up alive. I expect everything to be resolved in a few months, maybe a year."
The Empress looked up at her chandelier.
"Why does the bad only come to me." She moaned.
"Have a great evening your highness," Elias graciously bowed, then looked at her snake, "Zazel," he dipped his head with respect.
The Empress watched Elias walk out from the throne room. As he did, she thought of his words. Of making her enemy squirm at the thought of being alive. She admitted that while a dead Octavius would calm her slightly, torturing him to the point of madness would be a victory unmatched.
For the remainder of the night, she sat on her throne and thought of all the ways she may destroy the man, bit by bit.
And when the first break of dawn filtered through the windows in the hall outside the throne room, a wonderful idea came to her mind.
Zazel was curled in her lap as she laughed. "I know what must be done. I will use him like a scapegoat, and then when the iron is hot I will demolish him."
She thought of the old hex she had used a long time ago, to snatch ones identity, one's livelihood. It seemed she would have to use that same spell again.
The Memory Snatcher hex.