Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 3

Blinding Light

It's a clever sort of darkness that pools into the throne room. It gathers on pools, congregates in corners and slips idly unnoticed through cracks on the floor. On his throne, the king of Sparta lounges in a Mediterranean heat leaking in through open doors high in the ceiling. His queen is absent called to sleep many hours ago by the fading light, and so he sits restless on his throne, flipping through the news feeds on his implant eyes scanning sharply over the words that might alert him to something gone wrong.

The larger the government, the more unstable, or so he has always found, and though the GA always experiences hiccups , there is nothing overtly noticeable on the feeds.

That is overtly of course.

But based on the subtle things, the absences, and the surprising lack of arguments between the races. He can tell that something is wrong. Politicians don't usually agree on anything unless something big brings them together. And sometimes the things that one might think are big, aren't big enough anyway.

In essence, the GA is too quiet, things running too smoothly.

But his biggest note.

Tesraki

The economy. It has been boosted in the past few months, powerful people buying up frivolous things in ways that they don't usually spend, as if they are worried they won't have the time to do so. It makes him nervous, and nervousness robs him of sleep.

He is left waiting, for any news that may come his way, but being a king of a backwater archipelago on a minor colony doesn't give him any sort of advantages.

The tiny chip in his wrist vibrates once, and he looks down to see an incoming call.

Being the kind of New Sparta doesn't give him any help, but there is one thing that does.

Quickly he answers the call taking to his feet.

His armor clatters as he stands, cape swirling behind him as he begins to pace in agitation, "Admiral, is everything alright."

He waits for a response, hearing a familiar voice on the other end of the call, a comrade at arms, and a friend, "Your majesty I...."

"Call me James."

"Right, James, I am calling to ask you, have you.... Noticed anything odd recently. Specifically regarding misplaced bone and red mist?"

James frowned, reaching up a hand to itch at his cheek, and the well groomed beard that dusted it in a layer of course hair, "No I.... I haven't, what is this all about?"

There was a relieved sigh from the other end of the phone, "Good, Good,.... Listen I.... I can't tell you what is going on, if I could I would tell you because I trust you, but for now you are just going to have to take my word for it that something strange is gong on. Don't tell anyone but the queen about what I have told you, but keep an eye out for anything that matches this description. It is going to look like a bone, maybe a rib or something protruding out of the ground or, anywhere really, depending on where it, you are going to see a cloud of red mist around it. Whatever you do, do not leave it, do not touch it, and destroy it immediately, as far as this thing is concerned, there is no such thing as overkill."

James frowned hand straying towards his spear with a nervous unease that he was not used to experiencing, "I'll keep an eye out."

"Thank you....I"

"Admiral."

The man on the other end of the phone paused, "Yes?"

"If you need any help, all you have to do is call."