The battle had ended, for now.

The vanguard of Dinis had been smashed, and much of their siege equipment had been destroyed. Although the main army was now assembling, there wasn't much concern on the part of Garacel. People from the surrounding area had crowded into the city streets under the watch of demons.

But Master Garacel strode past them to the palace without any sign of concern. His hand was resting on his sword absently while Narcissa held the Sword of Chaos.

"Are you sure you want me to present the Blade of Chaos to her, Master Garacel?" asked Narcissa, not really liking her new outfit. There were far too many ribbons and chains in it. The collar made her appear very good, but she preferred leather. So she and Alkela had been given matching outfits of this sort when they entered.

"I could give it myself," conceded Garacel as they walked. "But Zigildrazia prefers to be gifted artifacts by beautiful women. It is her habit, and I do not intend to deny it. So you and your sister will deliver it."

"Right," said Narcissa. "But why are we heading into the Sanctum?"

When the gates opened before them, Garacel did not answer for long. Eventually, they came into the altar hall that stood empty. Coming to the altar, Garacel set a hand upon the book there. Then, channeling magic, he turned back to them.

"There is a secret passage within the Sanctum of Zigildrazia," said Garacel. "Observe."

The altar shifted and slid back into the ground, even as a secret passage emerged in the wall beyond. It was very bright, with red light illuminating a red-carpeted hallway. As she did so, Narcissa clung to the Sword of Chaos, feeling something shifting through her mind.

She found herself tossing her hair instinctively. As if trying to look appealing to someone. She wondered if the outfit she was wearing was good enough. She should have stuck with the leather. Why was she thinking like this?

"Where does this lead?" asked Narcissa.

"Into the palace of Her Radiance," said Garacel. "A place that does not wholly exist in this world. Follow me."

Garacel led them down the passage. As they walked, the path soon had a branching past leading into a glass hallway. On the other side of the glass were many-tentacled monstrosities that clawed at the walls. They were familiar. And they were looking at them, filling Narcissa's mind with a twisted affection. One that was not her own.

"What are those?" asked Narcissa.

"Those are a particular breed of raishans," said Garacel. "They are called tentalus. They were created by Amysta. She used them as a means of executing young maidens and a source of entertainment."

"She had people strangled?" asked Narcissa.

"Worse, I'm afraid," said Garacele. "The creatures would inflict... indignities upon them. First, they would be impregnated with the creature's young. Then, they were devoured from the inside by their own children. Their souls would then be transformed into more abominations."

"That's sick!" said Narcissa, feeling bile rising in her throat. But at the same time, she felt a sick amusement.

"Amysta was a deeply unpleasant person," said Garacel. "Even for a demonic archon. I can only think of one person in the world who actually liked her. Fortenex."

"Isn't he that war god to the far north?" asked Narcissa.

"Yes," said Garacel. "Amysta was an utterly depraved creature that valued only a man for his battle prowess. Fortenex was a vicious, bloodthirsty raider who valued women only for their bodies. But, somewhere along the line, they fell in love.

"Thankfully, that alliance was put down a long time ago. Her Radiance overthrew her, and she is now of no more account.

"These are kept here to guard the Grail of Immortality. It is some ways down the passage." They walked on.

"The Grail of Immortality," said Narcissa thoughtfully. "Mistress Zarana told me stories about how you attacked the Disciple of Baltoth. You defeated him in single combat. You nearly wiped out his order and stole the Grail from the ashes."

"Hardly." scoffed Garacel. "I snuck in by night and stole the Grail. I then caught him while sleeping and kicked him in his skull. I then started a fire and ran for my life.

"At the time, my spirit was a mere shadow of what it had been. Had I confronted him directly, he would have easily killed me."

"Why did you go after the Grail, anyway?" asked Narcissa. "Why did Zigildrazia want it?"

"To humiliate him," said Garacel. "Baltoth had done something to anger her, so she gave me leave to even the score."

"How did you do any sneaking in that armor?" asked Narcissa.

"I was temporarily moved to a different suit," said Garacel. "One more fragile, but easier to creep in."

"So you can switch armors?" asked Narcissa.

"No," said Garacel. "Her Radiance can move me to different hosts. But I cannot change without her will. That was part of my contract with her." They came to a door very suddenly in the endless hall. It was ornate, and the frame was gold, inlaid with crystals. "Ah, here we are now." He glanced at them. "She waits for you within. Or without, whatever it happens to be at the moment."

"Thank you," said Narcissa, gulping. This was it. She hoped she pleased Her Radiance. She lived and died for her.

"Oh, and Narcissa?" said Garacel.

"Yes," said Narcissa.

"Zigildrazia must not be disobeyed under any circumstances," said Garacel. "It will be worse for you if she is."

Then he opened the door.

Narcissa and Alkela strode through it and into what appeared to be a forge. There were no tens of thousands of tools on the walls. Great furnaces were bellowing out blasted heat that sent their scanty clothing flowing. The heat was immense, yet the Blade of Chaos vibrated with anticipation.

They saw no one as they walked on, drawn by some force. But they found many weapons on the walls. Some ceremonial. Others were made for war. They saw plows and axes and spears. Every weapon and device that could be made through metal was here.

And at last, they saw her.

Queen Zigildrazia was a forty-year-old, plain-looking woman. She had short hair and a crooked nose and wore concealing blacksmiths. She was hunched over an anvil, working metal as she did. At first, Narcissa thought she looked fully human, but then she saw seven tails in leather sheaths. They were moving about the forge, working pumping bellows and gaining materials. But it was Zigildrazia. Narcissa had felt her essence within her, like every other person in the world. She knew her by sight.

Her voice was dry as she approached. "Queen Zigildrazia, Master Garacel has sent-"

Zigildrazia raised a tail for silence. "I don't care how important this weapon you've brought me is; I'll finish my craft."

She made several more alterations. Then, bringing it around, she plunged it into a barrel of blood. The screams of the damned mixed with the sizzling as the weapon was cooled. Finally, Zigilidrazia set down the gun and turned to her. "Not precisely what you were expecting, I suppose."

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Narcissa nodded. "No, no, it wasn't, my Queen."

"Good," said Zigildrazia. "I do love to subvert expectations. But, of course, there is an art to that as well. There is a difference between an unexpected twist and a pink elephant falling out of the sky.

"Let me see..." She looked at the weapon she had forged, testing the wait. It was a lovely shape, and the light gleamed off it. Narcissa thought she'd never seen anything so beautiful. But Zigildrazia tossed it aside into a pin. "No, no, no, this will never do.

"Best to start anew later." She drew up another device her tails had worked on. "Still this, this has a certain quality. Perhaps I will improve this design."

Then that, too, was tossed aside.

"Do you want-" began Narcissa.

"No, not yet," said Zigildrazia. "I haven't much use for the Blade of Chaos. It's filled with power, but it's one of my older designs. I'm an artist, my dear. I wouldn't say I like anything I design over five years old.

"Now, you're wondering, 'Is this really Queen Zigildrazia? Demonic Archon of Sloth and Lust?' To which I must answer, 'Yes, I'm afraid so.'

"Right now, which element would you say I am in?"

"What?" said Narcissa.

"Am I making use of sloth? Or lust?" asked Zigildrazia.

Narcissa looked at Alkela in surprise. She looked as confused as Narcissa. This wasn't at all what they'd been expecting. Narcissa thought about it. It couldn't be sloth; Zigildrazia was covered in sweat. "...Lust, I suppose. "The lust for improvement."

"Rather a weak chain of reasoning," said Zigildrazia. "No, I am indulging in sloth."

Narcissa bit her lip. "I don't understand. You're working hard. You're covered in sweat, your clothes are filthy. I mean, I didn't mean any offense, but-"

"None taken. And so I am, one moment," said Zigildrazia. "It is a rather contradictory thing, isn't it? That the Demonic Archon of Sloth should toil in a forge. But that's only because you are looking at the surface level." Her tails snatched a farm's plow from the shelves, and she held it before her like a newborn child. "What is this, my dear?"

"A plow," said Narcissa.

"Yes. A plow" said Zigildrazia. "What is it used for?"

"To till fields. For farming," said Narcissa.

"Could mortals farm without it?" asked Zigildrazia.

Narcissa thought about that. "...Yes."

"Then why go to all the effort of building such a device?" asked Zigildrazia, putting it down.

"It makes the job easier," said Narcissa.

"That's exactly it!" said Zigildrazia. "Exactly! We create tools not because we like to work but because we don't like to work. Investing our time in one thing allows us to put our minds to other matters.

"Now, do you see?"

"Yes," said Narcissa.

"And yet you were not fully wrong," said Zigildrazia. "I am indulging in pursuing my own pleasure at the moment. I love to work with metal, to change its shape, and to shift it into what I desire. It fills me with passion. The only thing that compares is corrupting heroes.

"I could lounge upon a throne all day, sipping soul wine and engaging in evil. But it would not fill me with pleasure. The drink would not satisfy after the first sip. The man or woman that writhed beneath me would only go so far.

"It is the effort one puts into achieving something that brings pleasure." Then she reached forward with one clawed hand and drew the Blade of Chaos from its sheathe. She looked over it with admiration.

"This sword, what do you think of it?" said Zigildrazia.

"It's... it's wonderful," said Narcissa.

"I would hope not," said Zigildrazia. "This sword wasn't made for beauty. It was made to reap lives. Let me show one that was meant for beauty." And she took from the walls a sword. It shone brilliantly in the light, which made Narcissa's heart leap. This device was meant to be wielded by a Prince or some great warrior. Raise it above an army, and they will follow you to hell. "Do you think it would be useful for combat?"

Narcissa opened her mouth to say yes, but Alkela caught her by the shoulder. Narcissa shut her mouth and looked at it. The designs were ornate, silver, and gold. The blade was bright, but the weapons got damaged in battle and needed repair. "No."

"Why not?" asked Zigildrazia.

"All those designs would be destroyed," said Narcissa. "Going to war with it would ruin it. Fixing it would be a complete chore."

Zigildrazia smiled. "Precisely.

"This is a ceremonial sword. Its purpose is to delight the one who looks at it. You are misusing it if you bring it into battle and use it for practical purposes.

"And yet it can still serve a purpose.

"A beautiful object can inspire. It can change the minds and wills of those who look upon it. It was not made for the hands of the pragmatic but the hearts of those who gazed on it.

"That is what succubi were before I became their ruler. It is a beautiful thing to be used only at the last need. Consorts. Devoid of the true power of their own. That is what I sought to amend."

Then she motioned. The forge faded away, and they were standing in a great throne room. The walls seemed miles high, and from the ceiling hung diamond chandeliers. A red carpet flowed through to a great throne. Yet the throne was out of place, for it was forged of skulls and showed images of torture and death.

Zigildrazia seated herself upon it and clasped her hands together. "I have a gift for you. For both of you." She motioned with one hand, and there was a flash. A brilliant golden ring, plain and without adornment, fell out of the air. It landed in Alkela's hands, and she looked at it.

"Alkela, I gift you the Ring of Ascension," said Zigildrazia. "Its magic will triple your strength and summon the full power of your blood. Yet there is a price. The more you wield this ring, the more you will take on the aspects of a demon.

"This will grant you power. More power than before with each use. But the taste of good food will dull. Music will become no more than the plucking of wires. Common pleasures will hold no further delight for you as you transform.

"Until you have become a succubus in human form."

Alkela closed her hand around the ring and smiled. Zigildrazia then looked to Narcissa. Raising a hand, a great axe of pure black came into it. Images of skulls and blood were on it, and Zigildrazia hurled it through the air. It sank into the ground, and the earth shuddered and cracked as it struck.

"And to you, Narcissa, I gift the Axe of Pursuit," said Zigildrazia. "With each strike, you will drain the life of the enemy you hit. Their essence will fill you with an ecstasy beyond words. And yet, this, too, has a price. For with each person you kill, the sensation will dull a little. And it would help if you struck down more to gain the same high.

"Of course, if you go without killing anyone for a long time, the sensation will return.

"Thus, if you wield this axe, you must seek ever greater sensation by reaping lives." Narcissa reached out and took hold of the axe. It was cold, and she had trouble drawing it out. As she drew it out, the cracks spread. The pillars of the throne room fell inward. It collapsed around them, leaving only a throne in eternal blackness.

Narcissa looked up to Zigildrazia. "...Thank you, Queen Zigildrizia. But why are you giving us these?"

"I want to see what you will do," said Zigildrazia. "And I'm instead hoping that your choice will break you. And if it does, you will have no one to blame but yourself. I will have warned you ahead of time.

"In either case, it should be an entertaining story. The world is a play, and I like to choose actors. "Speaking of which, the next act is about to begin."

Zigildrazia raised a hand, and the void gave way to a view above the clouds. Then they were descending, and the clouds parted. Below, Narcissa saw Zigilus and the assembling legions of Dinis. The wreckage of the airship they had left lay amidst the center of the formation. They were readying new machines for war.

Then Zigildrazia's tails wrapped around Narcissa and Alkela. She pulled them to her, held aloft in midair.

"Look there, my dears," said Zigildrazia. "Our enemies assemble to destroy my subjects. Long ago, I filled the void left by Safara's departure. I took her empire's shattered remnants and restructured it by my will.

"Now they seek to betray me, not to her, but to her puppet masters. Thus, the Emperor sent his legions.

"The Emperor will learn that Zigildrazia is not easily trifled with."

"What will you do?" asked Narcissa.

Zigildrazia stroked her hair and then directed her gaze toward the airship. "Do you know how airships are fueled? Within them lies a direct connection to my domain in the hells. If one is destroyed, the result weakens the borders between the hells and this realm. "As it turns out, many of them have been destroyed."

She raised a hand and clenched it. As she did, the fabric of reality seemed to rip. And out of the holes poured legions of faceless things. Creatures with groping tentacles. Snakelike monsters with the heads of bugs and scythe arms. Monsters with many heads.

They came at the legions from all sides. But the legion responded instantly and met the creatures in battle. Soon the cries of war echoed as man and demon tore each other apart in an orgy of violence. And as the blood flowed in rivers, Zigildrazia raised the Blade of Chaos. The life force of those who died below poured from the battlefield into the blade. Its aura grew ever more vital. Narcissa heard pleased whispers from it.

"Dinis may slay my demons," said Zigildrazia, "but in so doing, they will only fuel the Blade of Chaos. And if they are consumed, their blood will fuel it in turn. And my subjects need only watch.

"Now, I believe a reward is due to both of you, right?"

Then the throne vanished, and Zigildrazia rose into the air. As an aged woman, her shell fell away like a mask, and she was revealed. A red-skinned woman of unfathomable beauty, nearly eight feet tall. Her tails widened as her body evolved to dwarf Narcissa's and Alkela's. Lust filled their hearts as their thoughts were driven out.

A daze fell over Narcissa as dark clouds formed beneath them. Finally, the sisters were forced down onto the clouds, and a tangle of lust and limbs began.