The Empress' Descent

Chapter 57 - The Mage Returns

[Rass]

"Incompetent fools!" Rass roared, hurling a table onto a wall.

Minutes ago, a knight had come to report that Athelina had escaped along with her siblings, her maid and worse, one of his own knights. Rass had been double-crossed. Theon was apparently the person who had fed classified information to Derek and his spies. Rass thought he was the kind who was loyal, the very last knight to betray him. He was wrong. And said classified information was very much heading to the Eastern region by now.

Kovu, the royal mage, had returned after two long years. Rass hadn't seen this coming. It tore a hole into his carefully drawn blueprints. Fortunately, Athelina had left behind one sibling. Rass was more than happy to be rid of him. It meant lesser people to be troubling with.

The fifth imperial adviser had usurped his position, at last. These five had hailed from the North, once part of his father's court in the past—before their kingdom fell. When told, they were very much willing to participate in Rass' schemes to steal the empire's throne. And now, he was a hair's breadth away from acquiring his goal. A little weeding out was needed to be done.

Rass wove his slender fingers through his silver locks, pushing it back. He expelled a harsh breath, summoning tranquility into his mind. Once his head had cleared up, he trudged to the center of the room.

There, the Emperor of Solaria was bound onto a chair with his hands and feet tied with ropes. He wouldn't be the Emperor for long, Rass thought. Kazriel's yells were subdued by the taut cloth that covered his mouth. Even so, Rass could easily see the wrath in his blue eyes. Those eyes that resembled sapphire gems, annoyingly clear copies of someone else's. Don't ask him, he wouldn't know whose sapphire set was irking him. The dead girl's, or from the one who had recently vanished. Probably both.

Rass tugged the cloth off Kazriel's mouth. Instantly, he threw profanities at Rass, veins bulging on his forehead.

"Rass, you son of a devil! Release me!" Kazriel demanded.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Rass extracted a dagger from his breast pocket, threw the scabbard onto the floor and toyed with the gleaming tip. "It's a shame your brother and sisters aren't here to watch you die."

Kazriel froze, gray as a ghost. Recovering, though slightly shaking, Kazriel glared up at Rass beneath ferocious knotted brows. "Curse you, bastard."

Kazriel was not excellent nor skilled. He barely posed a threat to Rass. Although he could use someone to direct his anger upon losing Athelina. He was doing this simply for the release killing offered.

Rass merely chuckled, the light leaving his pupils—one gray as ash, the other deepened into the ember hue of sunset.

"Ruling such a massive empire must have been hard for you, Kazriel." Rass curled his hand around the hilt. "My, do I have good news for you. Let me put you out of your misery real quick, hmm?"

Several moments later, Rassvyn walked into the meeting room where all the advisers, generals and officials who had sworn fealty to him had gathered. They considered the crown atop his head and knelt saying,

"All hail Emperor Rassvyn."

***

[Kovu]

Once upon a time, there existed an extremely special tribe. In their blood ran a high potential for magic, potent mana sang in their veins. They lived, hidden and peaceful, in the Southern borders. Apparently, they were not exempted from the effects of war. The dreaded time came in which their village was raided by the Northern kingdom.

The tribe's successful extermination was prevented by the arrival of Empress Athelina, their ruler and savior. Together with her dark-haired accomplice, they vanquished the foes from the North.