Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

151. The Morrigan's Death Knight

"What?" Touki was confused. He had to be lying, Shayley was a Dravenkin. If she had any reason to cut down the royal family, it was either to conquer or in self-defense. By their nature Dravenkin were violent but they weren't conquerors they were nomads. As an elf queen/princess, if Shayley were to conquer this place, she would have forcibly subjected the place not invite them to an alliance. If they were still free, then they must have tried to conquer the City of Perils and failed.

That was even worse news... if that were true than they would never evacuate to the protection of the City of Perils... or Calphian. This was an entire city of dead people. The Death Knights would cut through this city of millions like dragon's breath through melted butter.

Touki ran from the castle as weapons shattered against her armor. A prelude of the inevitability of their demise since the undead death knights were possibly twice as strong as him. He looked down at the quiet city as the guards shouted around him. What could he do? Had he already failed again?

Without harming the guards, he ran into the streets and began shouting. Trying to warn of the coming horrors, completely unable to do anything. Some people began to panic, but the guards always calmed them and sent them back to bed.

Eventually, the stars were blotted out by darkness and the screaming began. But it was too late. Touki watched as the undead knights descended with wreaths of dark magic.

No.

Was he destined to this fate?

He let down his guild, his friends, Cal, and now all these people.

Long moments of dread passed as he could do nothing but watch the destruction. This couldn't be real. This had to be a bad dream.

"It's a shame isn't it? The hubris of the elves." A beautiful woman emerged from the shadows after the guards had long given up on him.

She wore only a flowing black cloak that somehow covered everything important with its flowing wisps of black mist while still revealing far too much skin. Her hair was as dark as the night and her eyes glowed red with divinity. Touki easily recognized the familiar woman as the Celtic goddess of death, the Morrigan. Although this may have been the first time they'd officially met.

"I will claim this city tonight, as you might have suspected, prideful one." The Morrigan looked down at Touki as one might look at a pitiable child and then stood next to him to watch the carnage. They stood on an elevated part of the city that looked down at the rest near the ports.

"Prideful one? Me?" Touki asked.

"Of course." The Morrigan breathed deeply as she stared at the distant carnage. "Your eyes cry out guilt for the blood that will be spilled tonight," the Morrigan tilted her head and looked sideways at Touki. The gaze pierce him down to his soul as if she were playfully caressing his life under the subtext that she could claim it with no more thought than it would take to snap her finger. "As if the world revolves around you." She huffed humorlessly. "You are selfish, stupid one. Your greed is rivaled only by the foolish God of Peril."

"I don't understand..." Touki begged.

The Morrigan grabbed Touki's long ear and pointed at the carnage in the distance. "Is that your army, friendless one? Did you order their invasion as the commander of all forces?" The Morrigan turned around and pointed at the castle where Touki had just tried to warn the king. "Are you the fool ruler that allowed his own people to be ambushed." The Morrigan shoved Touki to the ground with a strength that defied her smooth porcelain arms.