The Stone Sorceress

Chapter 42

 Chapter 42

Seated upon luxurious divans in the main reception room, the 85th waited for Nebuchadnezaar to begin his story. With great verve the playwright obliged them, "You wish to hear of romance and tragedy, the mortals and their gods," Nebuchadnezaar's plump cheeks turned crimson, "You wish to hear of women."

Eros prompted him, "There's one story in particular that interests us."

Nebuchadnezaar waited patiently with a neutral expression.

"Arethusa," Astraea cut in.

"Oh! How wonderful." Nebuchadnezaar came to life, "My best work, the Sorceress Wars recounting the story of the greatest there ever was." He paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts, contemplating how best to tell the story.

"Arethusa lived in a time long passed when the many kingdoms first learned about the source of magic - magus. There was a race to collect it. Kingdoms collided," the playwright bent forward, his eyes wide, "War on a global scale!"

Astraea sat silently verifying all that the playwright said.

Nebuchadnezaar drew a deep breath before continuing, "Arethusa loved her family and feared that in the fires of war they would perish. Many a night she sat alone in the darkness, unable to sleep." The playwright curled up in a ball at the far side of the room. He gazed out the window plaintively.

"Arethusa knew what she must do: she must lead her armies to victory.

The war came. Monsters, swords, arrows, spells, war machines. Mages, knights, necromancers, sorceri. All fought and perished in those battles that defaced Lucretia. But much of the killing was done by Arethusa's hand. The once young, beautiful, vestal sorceress became an adept general.

The sanguinary sorceress soon sat upon a seat of power that spanned half the globe.

Only one other adversary remained--"

Astraea uttered, "Nala."

Eros turned to face her.

"You've seen my play," Nebuchadnezaar said.

Astraea smiled uncomfortably.

The playwright asked, "And what became of Nala?"

"Arethusa killed her," Astraea looked away at the remembrance.

"Indeed, Arethusa was not the person she once was. Perhaps the former Arethusa would have been merciful, but that was not the sorceress who had spent decades campaigning.

Before all the nobles, and ministers of the kingdom, Arethusa executed Nala."

Nebuchadnezaar slumped to the floor when the imaginary ice bolts penetrated his chest.

Astraea shuddered.

"The Great War was over, but Arethusa could not go back to the way things were. She became obsessed with defeating a new enemy. High in her tower she experimented, pushing the boundaries further than any had dared to do before her. The once beautiful seraphim became an abomination, a terrifying demon that bore a mutilated form. Her rule became oppressive. There were rumours of abductions - human experimentation.

A band of warriors formed a secret society named the vita obscura with the sole ambition of ridding the world of Arethusa. Each wore a ring to identify himself as one who led a secret life."

Eros looked at Astraea because the creature he'd seen before, as if beneath the surface of her skin, slithered across her countenance flaring up in her eyes. Her entire visage was changed. Eros pulled her arm and looked closer but the creature had gone, only Astraea's fair visage remained.