My meditation chamber was empty, outside of the guard who was left behind. I took a deep breath and sat down on the ground once more. My head was spinning slightly, and the desire to just curl up into a ball and give in was strong. Maybe I should just give up and stop pretending. That way no one innocent will be hurt because of me.
“Empress?” A soft voice broke through the silence behind me. It rang like a set of hand held church bells. I twisted my head slightly, and my gaze fell on the woman behind me. Theodora, if my memory serves correctly, or Basilisk as the others had called her. She was tall, almost two meters in height, and she was imposing in her golden armor. The sight was almost comical when I took into consideration how soft her voice sounded.
“Yes?” I did my best to make sure that my voice came out even, so that no trace of anxiety or doubt could be heard on it.
“It’s alright to be scared, ma'am. Your memories are gone, and this world is a far different place than what you may have known.” Her snake helm stared at me with black beady eyes, and it felt like she was staring through my soul.
A small smirk crossed my face, and I found myself trying to hide my doubts. Opening up to people was scary. Even more so to people who I don’t know. “Oh? Who said I was scared?”
“My lady, I was your guard for many years. I’ve even changed your diapers at one point. I know you well enough to know when you are trying to hide something.” I swore I could almost see the faint traces of a smile underneath her helm.
I sighed, and I pulled my gaze from her. It wasn’t fair that all these people knew who I was, but I still didn’t know anything about myself. “I woke up a few days ago, and I don’t have very many memories of who I am. Yes, I have some fleeting moments of recognition, but I just feel like a shell.” I shrugged as the words poured out of my mouth. “Now, I’m expected to play Empress. I don’t want to fail.” I felt like shit. There was so much going on in my head that I was overwhelmed.
“You know, you acted the same way when your father died. Just before your coronation, you said the same. You are expected to play Empress, and that you didn’t know what to do. Though I suppose the situations are a little different now.” She chuckled behind me and it sounded like another peal of bells.
I stared forward at the door in front of me, trying to gather my thoughts the best that I could. “And what did I do then?”
“You did the same thing you always did. You sit in silence for a while, think about what the best course of action to take, and then you rush forward, head strong and unbidden. I think the words that you once used were, ‘consequences be damned,’ or something of the sort.”
For some reason, that made me chuckle. That sounded like something I’d do. “I suppose you are right. It’s just a shock, honestly. I woke up here, not knowing who I was. All I’ve had to go on was the words of Kharon, and my inner self.” I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. My doubt and sadness was slowly thawing, talking to Theodora. It was comforting. Almost like I was talking to an older sister.
“Kharon is a wily old man who's been around for centuries. Far longer than any man has the right to be. I’m surprised he hasn’t gone fully senile yet.” Theodora chuckled quietly and her armor rustled as she shifted position.
“You know, he hasn’t told me how old he is yet. He danced around the question pretty easily.” I was still intrigued by that man..erm skeleton.
“Kharon does that. Though between you and I, I heard from a reliable source that he beat a fae at its own game. But because he won, the fae cursed him with never knowing the rest of death. Though I’m not sure how true that is.”
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That would explain a lot, though I’m sure that if I asked him, he would never tell me. But the Fae, huh? That word seemed really familiar to me, and not just in the memories tied to this place. It was on the tip of my tongue, and I felt like I was really close to an answer. “I see. Can you..” As I was speaking, an inky darkness appeared in front of my face. One that I now recognized as Kharon returning.
“My Empress.” Kharon was birthed from the darkness that clung to his cloak like thin tendrils, and dripped from his form like thick globules of water. He gave me a low bow as he spoke. “And greetings to you, Lady Theodora.”
“Lord Regent.” Theodora replied, and I could hear the rustle of amour behind me. More than likely caused by a bow.
“Welcome back Kharon.” I glanced up at him and gave him a small smile. Already the small conversation I had with Theodora had already done wonders to my mental state. I felt a little more sure of myself, though I’m sure there was still a lot to be desired.
“I have retrieved a war map, as well as other information that you may find pertinent.” He straightened up and reached his hand into his flowing cape, pulling out a piece of tan paper that was rolled up tightly and bound with a string,
I took the map from his hand and took a deep breath to clear my mind. Alright Cali, you can do this! All you need to do is focus on the task at hand. “Thank you. Also, I’ve sent the Athanatoi to retake the throne room.” I quickly unraveled the string and carefully pulled the paper apart.
“Ah, that would be wise. You can’t be an Empress without a throne, now can you?” He clicked his teeth together, though he kept his hood on, shrouding his features in the writhing darkness.
“That’s the plan. All I need is a crown.” I lied as easily as I breathed in that moment. I didn’t want to tell him I was starting to fall apart. For some reason, the thought of disappointing him really bothered me. At least I could talk to Theodora and vent some of my inner thoughts.
I carefully unfolded all the paper and laid it onto the ground in front of me and quickly scanned the contents. It was a large mock up of the capital city, and it was massive. It was so large that there were two military fortresses that guarded the northern and southern entrances. With the western section blockaded by mountains, and the eastern side overlooking a vast ocean.
There were a few dozen key points marked on the map around the palace. A few of them were marked as manufactoriums, foundries, and military research sites. Others were resource centers like mines, and areas that once counted as green houses. “So Kharon, the Athanatoi told me some more details about the threats we are facing. The biggest one is the imp horde and potentially an outside force influencing them. What do you think we should do about that?” My knowledge of military science was lacking. While I could call on some memories, I was still lacking in some areas.
“There are a few things we can do. The first is to launch a spearhead towards the northern or southern fortress, and use that as a staging point. While a lot of the loyalist forces live within, or around the palace, there are some detachments that hold on to key areas around the capital. Perhaps we can communicate with them and use them to launch some guerilla warfare on the imps.” Kharon still stood, but his head was tilted downwards regarding the map with me.
“What is the second option?” I sort of agreed with what he said, but I didn’t want to extend the military with such an enormous threat looming. The idea of leaving civilians to defend themselves felt wrong to me.
“We can shore up defenses around the palace and funnel the imps into choke points and kill zones. Once we thin their numbers out, we can launch a spear head out and start expanding outwards. Next to the imps there are factions that split the capital into small kingdoms, so if we can send envoys out to them, we may get some allies. But, we also risk earning new enemies as well.”
I bobbed my head as I listened along. That sounded like a better plan for now. I stared at the map for a while longer as I thought about it. “In the meantime let's keep our presence unknown. We will deal with the imp threat without the help of anyone else. The loyalist forces stationed around the capital should remain where they are. If they were stationed there after I died, then there was a good reason for that. If possible I want to send an envoy out to them, and have them get ready for action. Once the main portion of the horde is shattered, then we can use them to clean up and consolidate, and act as a buffer for whoever is guiding the horde”. It was a tough choice, but it was looking like the best option for now. Even though I was scared, I had faith that we would pull through this unscathed.