Elsewhere, within the BloodStar Empire, King Ramses and Queen Zara were troubled deep into the night.
“We should be in the Sage Empire already. We cannot miss this wedding! It is too important!” Ramses paced in front of a long table.
Zara sat at the table and nodded, “We can leave for the wedding as soon as our empire is taken care of. These movements worry me.”
Ramses stopped pacing, “Every single family and clan aligned with the traditional old ways is mobilizing their troops… under the guise of a drill.” He scoffed and sat down across from Zara.
“A drill, they say. But are they acting on their own accord, or has Constance ordered this drill.” Zara read the reports diligently.
“Constance is at the wedding. We should be there too. This is all ridiculous. If it does turn out to be something, we can take care of it when we return.”
Zara looked up eyeing Ramses, “That is exactly what she wants you to think! This is Constance Khan! Master manipulator. And we have made her a general in the BloodStar Empire. She has power. Power to abuse to overthrow us.”
Ramses nodded and sighed, “Fine. You’re right. Let’s take care of this. The wedding is not more important than leaving our empire exposed to revolution.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, “What shall we do then? Mobilize the families and clans that support us as a precautionary drill? Send a scouting team to speak with the head of Khan Castle in Constance’s stead?”
“Both. Everything. If we are caught flat-footed against an opponent like Constance, we would be hard-pressed to catch up. She commands great respect from many people. And she is powerful. Just as powerful as we are.” Zara had a serious expression on her face.
Ramses formed a fist and punched his other hand, “We are pacifists, yes. But maybe those who oppose us openly should be reminded that we are indeed BloodStars. Though we may not have the ability to bloodbend, and we may not have the power of our dead mother or dead sister… we are more than formidable against 99.9% of the world.”
Zara smirked as she looked up at Ramses, “Especially when we fight together, dear brother.”
Zara picked up a phone on her desk and spoke into it, “Send in General Frisco at once.”
Moments later, a tall and sturdy military man entered into the office and saluted Ramses and Zara.
Zara stood, “General Frisco, you have been briefed on the movements of potential revolutionaries on Khan Island, yes?”
“Yes, Queen.” He stood tall and still, looking straight ahead as he addressed his queen.
Ramses turned to face him, “We need you to take a team. A strong team. A big team. To investigate the matters on Khan Island.”
Zara nodded, “We expect you could encounter some resistance. Well-armed resistance. Possibly ki users. Take a team of 50 heavily armed men under your command.”
General Frisco saluted them both again, “Sir, yes sir!”
“Oh and general.” Zara stopped him before leaving to prepare, “Cut Constance out of the chain of command. Report directly to me and Ramses for this mission.”
“Affirmative my King and Queen.” He saluted them both once again, “I will ready my team and depart within the hour.”
He turned and marched out of the office en route to prepare an investigatory team with strike capabilities.
Ramses looked down at his phone and gasped.
“What is it?” Zara looked on anxiously.
“Jarek sends word.” He looked up at Zara, “St. Michael is dead.”
“What?! How?!!” Zara checked her phone to read the same message, “This is impossible! Who could kill Michael?”
Both sat in silence until Ramses sighed, “Something is afoot. We should prepare ourselves here as well. This could be the start of something big from our opposition.”
Zara had a worried look on her face as she looked to Ramses, “You don’t think… Surely it’s not…”
Ramses shook his head, “I don’t know. I don’t know. We did kill his one purpose in life. Let’s hope that leaves him aimless rather than vengeful.”
“We… will need help if it is.” Zara gulped.
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“Let’s not interrupt the wedding of the century until we are certain. Let General Frisco get to the bottom of this first.” Ramses ran his hands through his hair and exhaled a long breath.
“Yes, let’s stay calm and patient. After all, this could all be a drill. Ha!” Zara’s stress began to overwhelm her as she sat anxiously awaiting General Frisco’s report.
_______________________________________________
In a dark room within the first floor of Khan Castle, thirteen men representing the leaders of various families and clans sat at a long table with a large, muscular man shrouded in dark hooded robes sitting at the head of the table.
The hooded figure sat in silence as the other men argued over Constance’s call to arms.
“This is ridiculous! This is treason! How dare Constance call us to arms under the guise of a drill on the eve of a Heraklinos and Sage wedding. Is she desperate for death? This reaches beyond our own borders. We will earn the ire of two of the most powerful empires in the world!” A man shouted.
Another man shouted back, “So you would be content to live out your days under the boot of King Ramses and Queen Zara? Content to leave our empire for generations to come in their hands?”
Others cheered, “Rally your men! Rally your forces!”
While others countered, “We will not send our forces to their deaths!”
“And who is this?!” A man pointed and sneered at the large man at the head of the table, “Does Constance think us so weak that she must station her powerful dog here to watch over us?”
Another man agreed, “He hasn’t said a word all evening. Leave him be. Constance has probably scrambled his mind.”
Another man retorted, “Your mind too if you do not follow her orders! She is a general of the BloodStar Empire!”
An elderly man near the head of the table raised his hand and began to speak, “Let us not be at each other’s throats. Those of us fervent enough to support Constance Khan may stay and do so. Others are free to leave. No one is being conscripted.”
Five of the thirteen men stood from the table, and one man said, “If it as simple as that, we will be on our way then!”
The five men exited the room and made way for the front door of Khan Castle. As they opened the large front doors, they were greeted by a full-fledged military force with ten Hummers in the circle drive, fifty heavily armed men with light machine guns, and a helicopter circling overhead.
The men were shocked at the sight. They were left speechless until General Frisco greeted them, “Evening gentlemen, I am General Frisco, as I’m sure you know. King Ramses and Queen Zara have sent me here to ensure the safety of these drills General Khan has tasked you all with.”
The lead man leaned in, “Sir. We five are exiting the castle under our own will. You may find the remaining heads are plotting to overthrow the King and Queen.”
Frisco motioned for them to exit, “Behind my men! Let us take it from here!”
“Front team on me!” Frisco rushed in with ten men following him in hot pursuit. They spread out in the massive front atrium positioning themselves behind pillars and around corners.
Frisco charged up a ki blast and pointed it at the conference room door, “Come out with your hands up! My team is armed with ki abilities and heavy firepower! No one has to die tonight!”
The eight remaining men from the various families and clans exited the room with their hands up and apologetic smiles on their faces. The eldest head smiled, “General Frisco, so kind of you to oversee the safety of our drills this evening. I assure you, treachery is not afoot.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. I’ll need to see your security footage, and I’ll need access to your meeting minutes for review.” General Frisco then heard a loud footstep followed by another loud footstep.
He turned to the conference room doors, “Who else is with you all?”
The eldest again spoke, “A shrouded figure stationed here by General Khan. I’m afraid we do not know his name.”
A hulking man slowly stepped out of the dark conference room with a hood covering his shadowed face and long robes covering his body. The robe sleeves were loose and extended down to his elbow leaving his massive forearms exposed.
Frisco could immediately tell this man was the number one threat in the building even if it he couldn’t use ki.
“Main target!” Frisco shifted his ki blast towards the hooded man, and his men followed suit shifting their target as well.
Frisco felt a tremble come over his body, “I am here on the order of King Ramses and Queen Zara. Identify yourself! And stand aside for the premises to be searched!”
The hulking shadowy figure took a few steps towards General Frisco and stopped right in front of him.
Frisco yelled in an authoritative tone, “Stand down!”
The hulking figure grunted from underneath his hood, “I obey a higher authority.”
Frisco grit his teeth, “I will not say it again… I am here on the order of the King and Queen!”
The hulking figure raised his massive arms and slowly pulled his hood back revealing his face, “I am here on order of the Empress.”
Frisco stumbled back a few steps before falling to the ground with a look of shock, “N-N-Nero??”
Nero took a step towards Frisco, “By order of our empress, Empress Xenia Victoria BloodStar, I hereby reclaim these lands under her name and vanquish all who oppose her rule.”
Nero raised his hand with a glowing red ki as he bloodbent the soldiers within the castle and outside the castle. He also bloodbent the five defecting leaders outside the castle along with the helicopter pilot overhead.
Nero required a massive amount of his concentration to bloodbend nearly 60 people all at once. Although Xenia made bloodbending look as easy as breathing, she had been doing it since her childhood; Nero found the task to be quite taxing.
Nonetheless, blood began to roll out of the eye sockets of the men frozen in place. Small fractures began to crater inwards crushing parts of their skull. Others had the misfortune of their internal organs rending in a slow twist. Whatever each man’s fate; it was slow. Nero, as of yet, lacked the mastery to swiftly kill so many people in one fell swoop of bloodbending; however, his power was unquestionable. There was not a sliver of hope for escape.
Death was certain as they slowly but surely began to succumb under the might of Nero’s bloodbending.
The front atrium and front drive were soon littered with blood and dead bodies. In the distance, a loud crash could also be heard as the helicopter overhead came crashing down exploding into a fiery inferno. Nero flipped his hood back up and turned to the eight remaining heads.
The eight men immediately bowed to Nero and began to praise Empress Xenia.
“Long live the empress!”
“Our empress has returned! Our savior!”
Nero grunted and walked back into the conference room with the eight men following him close behind to plan their revolution in earnest. Knowing who they were truly fighting for left them with an unmoving conviction.