Chapter 18
The Conductor
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Lord Vilaya stood within her throne room on the third floor of The House of Haunted Memories. A mirror stood before her, its visage spiraling black and white before coalescing to reveal a crow-man who stood within a dark forest. Beside and behind the crow man stood the hooded conductor, every bit of his form covered as to reveal no trace of an appearance beyond a shadow with a wooden wand.
The crewman’s beak moved as he spoke, his voice harsh and unnatural. “The ritual to summon Iquisham was forced to begin sooner than intended and then disrupted by powerful enemies from The Highlends.”
The edges of Vilaya’s red lips twitched down into a frown. “Two intruders recently entered the house and killed Lord Lars. A result of the remnant energies left behind from your failed ritual?”
The conductor’s wand flicked slightly to the side as the crow-man spoke. “That is likely, yet mostly irrelevant.”
“Irrelevant?” asked Vilaya. “I provided you with resources and in exchange you got my most sycophantic servant killed.”
The wand twitched and the crow-man shrugged. “The Highlends have become a formidable threat. You should have sent dreamwalkers to assist as I had requested.”
“Why don’t you speak for yourself?”
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“What cannot be known cannot be harmed,” answered the crow-man.
“Or loved.”
A twitch of the wand and the crow-man inclined his head. “A small price for power.”
“Power,” smirked Vilaya. “You failed at a simple task, were you one of mine I’d summon you back here for execution.”
The conductor’s head twitched, and in an instant the bird man crumbled apart, reduced to a pile of feathers and bones. The materials flew into the air, circling around the conductor as he waved his wand. He performed an elaborate bow, the materials coming to a sudden halt before flying in front of him and spelling out a singular word in the air.
Death
“Very theatrical,” said Vilaya. “Our alliance is at an end.” With a wave of her hand, the image within the mirror dispersed, returning to that of her reflection.
She was five foot seven, her face was perfectly symmetrical, her blue eyes shaped like almonds, and her eyelashes long and elegant. Her skin was pale, complimented by a blue corset which was short enough to reveal her toned abdomen and pierced septum. Her dirty blond hair was curly and hung down before and behind her, ending just above her perfect breasts.
She took a moment to admire herself, dismissing the horrid visage of the conductor before turning away from the mirror and taking a seat upon her throne. Lars’s fallen territory was being consumed by other Dream Lords. She’d allow them to weaken themselves fighting over it, then she’d sweep in and take it all before continuing to claim the thrones of the other Dream Lords. Soon she would command the house, and then she could allocate the proper resources to spreading her influence across the outside world.
***
With a wave from the Conductor’s wand, the mirror, which was mostly comprised of resources harvested from James, disassembled, returning to raw materials which flowed into his pocket dimension. He stalked off, deeper into the forest. There were two more enhanced humans waiting to be converted into raw resources.