During the noon break, Akisane dreaded the meeting with his father and necromancer. He and Shank walked down the hallway and glanced at each other. They knew failure should always accompany an opportunity. However, all they had to bring to Duke Akitomo was their failure.
Akisane felt a tremor in his hand. The castle disturbed him. All the memories were here. He and his brother played hide and seek in this hallway. There he had climbed up to the stone arch ridges above the door. His brother couldn't find him for hours.
Shank noticed his hand. “We’ll survive this. Afterward, we'll get drinks and play dice. We'll gather the usual bastards and take their money.”
“I don't care about money.”
“I know that. It’s about seeing the defeat in your opponent's eyes.”
Akisane wondered if anyone knew him as well as Shank. ‘I do like to see the face of that wizard when he loses.”
The double doors parted to reveal the black marble hall and the Duke sitting at the dais. Two guards exited and closed the door behind them.
Akisane and Shank approached, and their footfalls echoed.
The Duke’s smile never reached his eyes. “Where is Kichi’s body?”
Thankfully, Shank offered an explanation straight away. ”Your Grace, we had her in our clutches. But just as we were about to complete our work, this Whitebeard fellow attacked us.”
“And why didn't you kill him?”
Shank hesitated. “Please do not take this as an insult. I saw you at the eastern campaign when you stood alone against the djinn. You are a truly great warrior. But truth be told, I cannot say who is more powerful.”
“If this so, Akisane?”
“It is, Father.”
The Duke’s smile vanished. “And what do the pair of you know about power?”
Shank was quick to step in. “Nothing, you're Grace.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Akisane would never forget the day he learned two important things—respect and fear for his father. He witnessed the battle from the camp watchtower, where he stood elbow-to-elbow with his brother. It was so hot that you couldn't touch anything made of metal, and anything in the distance wavered. Enemy soldiers erupted from the sand within the Duke’s formations and broke them apart before the lines met. It was a long, drawn-out fight, and it became increasingly difficult to tell who was who. And the djinn appeared at the last. The dark forms hovered into the fray. Their purple arms thrashed men and turned the battle into a meat grinder. The Duke unleashed everything he must have had, and it tore the dunes asunder and scattered the djinn.
The necromancer had blended in with the black marble so well that Shank and Akisane jumped when she moved. “Are you ready to announce the Black Order?”
Akisane should’ve kept his mouth shut, but he blurted out, “You need the Council of the Round to approve that.”
But the Duke wasn’t angry. “Yes, and we have it. It's funny that only the Marstonics could make it. Unfortunately, brigands hindered the other, and they couldn’t make the midsummer meeting. It took but a single vote to pass.”
“And the King hasn’t struck it down?”
“The king has been reduced to an imbecile. What little power he has is dwindling. All of his sons have met an untimely end. The closest relative to the throne is me, so I must be ready for the opportunity.”
The strange thing about the necromancer was that she looked at least fifty years old and had an aura of ugliness, like a hag. It wasn’t a thing your eyes picked out, just a glimpse on the periphery. But as she got closer, the years melted away. She looked twenty-something and gorgeous. Even her figure seemed to engorge as he drew near. “We still have Ema. Use her as bait.”
Akisane tried not to look, but it was tough. “I set a trap. A balatma guards the climb to the tower. They will find a way past it, and when they do, I’ll have Kichi and Masahide.”
The necromancer came close, and her lips parted as if she meant to kiss him. “Very good.”
The Duke stood. “In the meantime, go to the caves and take possession of the Darksun Blade. This is no reward. If you fail again, it is because of your incompetence, and that alone. Now begone.”
Akisane and Shank left the chamber and headed toward the stairs into the caves.
“I guess beer and dice have to wait,” Shank said.
“There’s a wine barrel on the way. I’m having a drink.”
“You know, you're out of your mind. I think that's why we get along despite our different upbringings.”
Henry (Akisane)
Level: 7
Focus: Telekinesis
Secondary focus: Shadow walker
Weapons: demon sword - 5% corrupt