Dark Queen: The Cybelline Prophecies

Chapter 74

Alistair kicked the rocks on the ground as he plotted. He needed to take the damned collar off if he was going to succeed in killing that female. He would torture her, sell her to a whore house, make her suffer until she wanted only death.

Yes, he thought with savage glee, he would win in the end, he would make her suffer.

In that moment a dwarf with large black eyes and a scar over her face opened the large wooden door.

"Master." She called as she trembled. Alistair looked at the dwarf with distain, "What."

"The Miss asks if you could come in and assist her." The dwarf shuddered at his voice. Alistair rolled his eyes, he strolled over and viciously kicked the dwarf back into the caverns. The dwarf yelped and rolled backwards. Scrambling, the dark haired dwarf ran towards the darkest, deepest parts of the cavern.

Alistair scoffed and followed, he took out his handkerchief to plug his nose from the stench and walked into the depths of the caverns.

He followed the dwarf until he reached the end, his lips curled in disgust as he recognized this place.

Cybelline sat on a large rock, studying the monster before her. He was a plain man, nothing out of the ordinary. But then, who could tell what monsters looked like anyways? 

"Why did you bring me here?" Alistair asked, it was the very end of the tunnel, the stench of death and despair nearly blocked his sense of everything else.

They were standing on the edge of a large pit, in the center were hundreds of rock made urns stacked against each other.

"Do you know this place. Alistair?"

It was not Cybelline who spoke, but the dark haired dwarf that had led him into the caverns. She stood tall and proud, a knife in one hand. There was no more fear in her voice, she no longer the coward.

Alistair frowned and raised his hand about to strike the dwarf, "How dare you speak to me thus!"

Before he could even raise his magic, a chain of hardened earth gripped his hand, locking it into a column of earth that was harder than rock.

Alistair stared in disbelief, no dwarf could attack a human. The collar prevented that. Unless...

"Your collar! Where is it?" Alistair's voice was thick with disbelief.

"Do you know this place." Kima's voice was gentle, almost dreamlike.

Alistair struggled against the dwarfish magic, but it did nothing. He could only use magic when Cybelline allowed it. He looked to Cybelline, begging with his eyes.

Cybelline only shrugged, "I'm not the one in charge here. Also, even if I was, would I free you in this moment?"

Alistair felt a sudden stab of pain and realized that the column of earth was now crush his hand. He screamed in pain and answered Kima, "Yes. I know. I know!"

"What is this place?" Kima asked, her voice still soft and gentle, but her eyes were harder than rocks that have withstood the coming and passing of time.

"It's where dead dwarves are buried! Unhand me, you disgusting creature!"

"Buried?" Kima's smile was mocking, "We do not bury our dead by piling their bodies together and burning them. We do not disrespect the dead in such a way." She raised her and and the pressure on Alistair's hand increased, he screamed, his voice echoing in the vast chamber.

Kima looked at urns, "To our dead, we sing them songs about our homeland and allow their spirits to flow back to earth, a rite of purification. You burned their bodies for convenience, you destroyed our traditions and ensured that they would never find peace."