Noting that the representatives of each noble house had arrived at the table, Queen Nadiya Sharjiil the Seventh gestured to a servant, who quickly rushed out of the room and closed the heavy steel door with a slam. As he did so, a room-wide inscription lit up with white and pink light, showing clearly that the silence barrier was actively being maintained by Maskyle, her head magical researcher and inscriptionist.

Alone with only her court and her guards, the young Queen broke the room’s silence, initiating the meeting and announcing its purpose. “We are here to speak on the matter of our undead neighbor, who many of you have expressed a large variety of concerns about.” She eyed one man in particular, a young one dressed in all white, before continuing, “I will warn you here and now that any blatantly violent gestures towards myself or your fellow representatives will be met with immediate punitive measures, ranging from demotion to execution based on the severity.”

There was silence for another moment as the men and women of the court each considered their own positions and what they’d like to say, until a sneer crossed the face of the man Nadiya had directed her warning at. He slammed his fist against the table and rose to his feet.

“This is foolishness. This entire affair has but one righteous conclusion, and we all know it!” the noble demanded, casting a glare out to his audience as though challenging someone to debate him. Most seemed bothered by his display, some even appearing to be swayed by his proclamation.

“Sir Elhi,” the queen warned, “This court is a place of calm discussion, not one of prideful valor. Be seated and state your argument in a rational way.”

The young representative from the Elhi family rounded on her with a sneer. “You openly discuss trade deals with a monster, queenling. My father always knew allowing you to take the throne was foolish, and now we all see your true character. You’ve done nothing but hinder our houses’ influence, and now you consort with what can only be considered true evil. In the name of house Elhi, I name you traitor.”

There were gasps and murmurings across the table, and Nadiya frowned. While the man’s bravado was unlikely to do anything other than lower the others’ estimation of him, it was possible that the houses could revolt and replace her. It had happened before, many many generations back, which was how her own family had been elevated to their position. With her youth as an excuse, there was a small chance that the Elhi would be able to garner enough support to do so now.

She wasn’t worried, though. She was more concerned with how she’d punish the idiot later.

After all, her backup was right on time.

A swirling, inky black fog slowly seeped into the room from the door, and gasps filled the room. Chairs screeched backwards, men and women rising to their feet in alarm. The fog quickly grew thicker and taller, until it rose above Nadiya’s knees.

Then the reinforced steel door cracked right down the center and slammed to the floor in two pieces.

The fog continued to rise, but a slow clicking sound could be heard from beyond the door frame.

Two dots of light slowly came into view, burning a malevolent purple, more reminiscent of curses and wickedness than the nobility it was typically associated with.

The clicking grew louder and louder, until a robed figure slowly came into view, its form seeming to coalesce out of the fog itself, a shadow stepping out of darkness, highlighted only by its grand, gold-trimmed robe and the fury burning within its otherwise empty eyes.

Power surged in the room, tangible even to her untrained senses as a bitter cold, and the sound of bone grinding against stone was heard throughout the room as armored monstrosities, just as dark and malignant as their creator, clawed their way up from the darkness.

Queen Nadiya forced her quivering legs and hands to come to a halt beneath the table. For this to work properly, she had to show that Ambrose was powerful, but able to be reasoned with. She had to be calm in the face of this walking calamity.

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She just hadn’t expected him to go quite so far on his end of this tactic.

Taking a deep, chilly breath, Queen Nadiya Sharjiil brought her new guest into the discussion.

“Lord Ambrose, thank you for coming. We were just discussing the next steps to take in regards to you and your domain.”

The lich didn’t turn to face me. Instead, his gaze was locked on Mitgah Elhi.

“If you ever say anything that stupid again, I’ll eat you.”

The calm, matter-of-fact way that the sentence was intoned was reminiscent of the way someone might comment on the weather.

Elhi dropped to his knees instantly, as though something had shoved him to the floor.

He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. Everyone in the chamber knew what the poor man on the floor was thinking. It’s what was on all of their minds.

This being could kill all of us and we wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

Even the strongest man in the room, Rotzhek Presal, a Level 14 Gilded Knight, could do nothing but cower in the face of the lich Ambrose.

It wasn’t just his overwhelming display of force. It wasn’t the horrors he’d summoned from thin air. It wasn’t even the power that seemed to flow from him like an unending tide of madness.

It was the air. Or, rather, the quiet power that it seemed to hold. Right now it was passive, but the most perceptive among them could see how it seemed to flow around the lich, bending around his every movement, as though passively reacting to his will. What would happen if he used it actively?

They’d been dropped in an ocean, and Ambrose was a leviathan.

The lich’s face slowly turned to meet Nadiya’s gaze. “I have some demands.”

She blinked, not having expected that. That wasn’t the deal, Ambrose! He was supposed to show up, scare the court into submission, and then show how amicable and easy to be around he was once you got over his appearance.

“Wh-what do you need from us?” Her voice trembled slightly, but she did her best to mask it with a confidence she didn’t feel.

A single skeletal finger was raised heavenward. “Energy. As many different kinds as you can find.” His tone brooked no argument, but she winced anyways.

“There’s a rumor that something happened to Charles’ magic after what happened. It’s been… difficult to convince people that it’s worth the risk.”

“I don’t care.” The coldness in his voice shocked the young queen. Had something happened to Ambrose since she’d last seen him? What happened to the man who’d delighted in breaking decorum to make a baby giggle, to the lich who’d pulled dumb pranks and geeked out over magic with Maskyle?

The sudden change deeply unsettled her. Perhaps this meeting hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

Another finger went up. “I am going to destroy Yalten.” There were gasps at this announcement, but the undead wizard cast a glare about the room. “There will be no response from your kingdom either to aid them or to deliver punishment upon me.”

“But, what about the people??” Nadiya was appalled. How could he do such a thing?

He met her eyes. “They will be reborn. They will find new purpose in a higher state of being.”

She stared up at him, expressionless.

Yet another dreadful finger was raised. “I am going to create a replica of my dungeon nearer to your lands. This dungeon is to be accessible to anyone who wishes to delve into it. If I see any interference in this, I will freely dispense my wrath upon the offending party.”

A fourth finger. “Finally, I am going to spread my Domain across your lands. Lightly, for now. This will be before I construct a dungeon in your territory and after I annihilate Yalten.

“If you have any complaints, now would be the time to voice them.” His burning glare was met by a room filled with the ear-shattering echoes of fearful silence.

“Good. And remember what I said about stupid comments– I am always listening.” The beasts Ambrose had summoned dropped into the floor, and his chaotically curling fog drew towards him, obscuring him more and more, until the purple flames of his eyes blinked out, and the fog collapsed.

Nadiya breathed a deep sigh of relief and slumped against the table. Around her, her court shivered in fear, with even those who tried to appear tough visibly shaken.

“My Queen… what shall we do?” The voice was quiet and timid, and Nadiya turned to see Maskyle standing in the doorframe, having clearly seen the whole thing.

A bitter chuckle left her lips. “What we can.”

She looked up at her court, steel entering her eyes as she set her mind firmly on a course that she knew scholars of the future would either praise or mock. “Each of you– I command that you gather as many rare and unique magical energies as you can possibly find. I will compensate you for your efforts, but know that your reward is simply your life. There is no doubt in my mind that the lord’s final comment was true– watch your tongues, plan your deeds, and school your very thoughts. If we do this right, our kingdom may enter into a new golden age, one that will have our descendent bards singing our praises for centuries.” She didn’t mention what would happen if they failed. They already knew the answer to that one.

“This meeting is dismissed.”