The Land: Raiders (Chaos Seeds #6)
Aleron Kong
The Dark Court
Screams echoed as the Dark Queen walked the Halls of Pain. Even after epochs, the sounds of suffering could still ease her mind. This section of the hall was reserved for her most skilled torturers and had been crafted by her best engineers. The torture chambers were shaped to magnify and channel the cries of pain. The immortal souls locked in perpetual agony had been worked on so long that their cries were as predictable as the notes of a perfectly tuned instrument. The torturers were artists who created a symphony just for her. This day, she barely noticed the thousands-strong orchestra. Other thoughts occupied her mind.
The plague squad had yet to find whomever had caused such a stir in the River Peninsula. It was such an inconsequential region of The Land, weak and petty kingdoms that bordered areas of old magic and powerful monsters. It was only these natural defenses that had allowed the kingdoms there to survive. Because of this, the agents she had available were limited.
And yet, her truth seekers and soothsayers all spoke of a rising power in the peninsula. They disagreed about everything, but they seemed fairly clear that the power was not from one of the kingdoms. Some said it was on the Plains of Gold, others were sure it was in the mountains, but most swore the power was localized to the Forest of Nadria.
This all would be fine. She could simply move agents from other parts of The Land, but now spikes of change and power had been detected in every corner of the world. Continent-spanning empires were being thrown into upheaval. Nearly forgotten Powers were stirring once again, and the Light Court was as curious as she. The only useful intelligence she had came from her Vizier.
The strange being said that he had detected new Powers walking The Land. He had spoken of men and monsters that seemed to possess a seed of chaos in their souls. The Vizier had identified more than one thousand and stated they were appearing with greater frequency. None had met yet, but he said they seemed to be attracted to one another. A few, the ones at the center of the greatest disruptions in The Land, actually seemed to be pulling others to them. The Vizier said that, from what he could see, the beings were completely unaware of this.
The only exception was, maddeningly again, in the River Peninsula. These “chaos seeds” were being drawn towards the Forest of Nadria, despite the fact that no chaos seed had been detected there. The Queen had asked the Vizier if he could have missed something. As always when she spoke, her voice was sharp and delicate, like a blade of honed obsidian that could pierce the heart before one felt pain. That voice normally struck fear in the hearts of all who heard it, but the Vizier had just replied in the same quiet voice he always used.
“It is possible. As you well know, my Queen, our powers are severely curtailed since The Exile.”
He had simply stood there after admitting his possible fault. Ultimately, she had dismissed him. If any others had failed her, she would have destroyed them utterly, but the Vizier was one of the few members of her Court that she found useful. It was that thought that had reminded her of something and had brought her to the Halls of Pain. There was, thankfully, one thing she could always count on: the stupidity of others.
It was rare for her torturers to get seven new subjects in a day. Even more rare that all were Exiles. When she had discovered that the incompetent cabal had sent a Plague Squad into the peninsula without her consent, the Queen had almost been grateful. Such a transgression could not be allowed to pass, however. A part of her considered forbidding breeding among her court again. The offspring of the Originals were always plotting and scheming; her own son was no different.
A scream of pleading agony reached her ear, and she allowed herself a faint smile. On the other hand, without the Exiles she would not now have seven new instruments to add to her symphony.
The Light Court
Screams echoed through the throne room of the Light Court. Celestial blood fell to the gleaming white floor as the former High Chancellor was tortured. Every member of the Court was present, by the King’s decree. He wanted them all to see the consequence of failure. The King sat on his throne and watched impassively as the torturer plied his trade.
Some members of the Court looked away, appalled at this reminder that they were not truly immortal. Very few things could destroy an Original or Exile, but they existed. Others grinned in savage glee at seeing a high-ranking member of the court brought so low. The King made mental notes of each. Nothing escaped his cold, dead eyes.
The chancellor had failed to find answers quickly enough for the monarch. Once again, he had come before the Court with only suppositions and theories. Without any expression, the King had struck the being down with his magic. A moment later, a portal to an abyssal realm had opened, and a demon lord had stepped through. The powerful being had bowed to the Light King and asked, in a voice like the scream of a burning soul, how he could be of service. Seconds later, the demon lord’s claws were digging into the cosmic matter of the chancellor’s body and swallowing it whole while the Court watched.
One idea that the chancellor proposed before all the screaming began was that a squad of vindicators be dispatched. While the King listened to hours of screaming agony, he pondered the idea, and a faint smile came to his face. Other sources of intelligence had brought it to his attention that a Plague Squad had been dispatched to the River Peninsula by the Dark Court. If nothing else, having one of the Light Court’s elite squads battle their Dark Court counterparts should be interesting.
CHAPTER 1 – Day 140 – Kuborn 30, 15,386 EBG
Richter looked up at the opening in the earth sixty feet above him. As his muscles ached, Sion shouted down at him to hold on, and he heard another sprite voice shout in the distance, “Your lord! I must speak to your lord! He has to know!”
The chaos seed hung there, battered and bruised. A stack of prompts flashed in the corner of his vision, waiting to be read, including one that had the clear, pulsing border of an absorbed memory. None of this interested him at the moment, though.