Vow of Vengeance

Meanwhile, in the depths of the palace, Damaris Zahad was imprisoned in a dark, damp cell. The golden chains, symbols of her defeat, still bound her wrists. She stood tall, her indomitable spirit unbroken.

The guards, nervous and uncertain, watched her from a distance, aware of the danger even a chained Negestat posed. Damaris smiled inwardly, knowing all too well the fear she still inspired.

She closed her eyes. The darkness of the cell seemed to thicken, as if responding to her silent call.

"My fall is but temporary," she told herself, her voice a whisper in the icy solitude. "Ayeros has not yet seen the end of Damaris Zahad."

"Always so headstrong, I see."

It was then that a voice sounded as a response to Damaris.

Footsteps echoed in the dark, damp corridors of the prison. The guards, recognizing the imperious presence of the visitor, stood cautiously on alert as she approached with determined steps toward the cell where Damaris was confined.

The flickering torches cast dancing shadows on the stone walls, adding a sinister atmosphere to the place.

The visitor, none other than Almera Yseris, stopped in front of the cell bars, her expression inscrutable, but a glint of defiance also shone in her emerald eyes.

Damaris, seated in a corner of her cell, her gaze burning with fierce determination, straightened up as Almera approached. Her features were drawn with fatigue and resilience, but her eyes were sharp, sparkling with indomitable intelligence.

"Almera," said Damaris in a calm but icy voice. "What a pleasant surprise to see you here. Have you come to offer me some company in these dark walls? Or are you here to relish in my downfall or flaunt your victory?"

Almera offered her a cold smile. "Neither, Damaris. I'm afraid I can only offer you my presence, dear Damaris. I've come simply to clarify things between us. We are two women of power, after all. Perhaps we could find common ground, despite our differences."

Damaris let out a brief, joyless laugh. "Common ground? You have a peculiar sense of humor, Almera."

Almera raised an eyebrow, her gaze remaining inscrutable. "I am here to offer you a deal. I know your thirst for power is insatiable, Damaris. You will not accept to remain chained here doing nothing."

Damaris withheld a mocking smile. "You know me well, Almera. However, you seem to forget who I am."

Almera fixed Damaris with a glacial calm, ignoring her provocations. "You can continue to mock, Damaris, but the reality remains: your reign is over. Your daughter, Mervyln, has taken the reins of power, and she will not hesitate to consolidate her authority, even if it means your end."

Damaris burst into laughter, a sinister sound that echoed in the dark corridors of the prison. "Mervyln is not yet worthy to rule Ayeros. She is weak, susceptible, a pawn in your perfidious hands."

Almera raised an eyebrow, undisturbed. "You underestimate your own daughter, Damaris. She has shown a determination and strength that you sorely lack."

Damaris shook her head disdainfully. "Mervyln is nothing compared to me. She possesses neither my vision, nor my strength, nor my intelligence."

Almera fixed Damaris with a penetrating gaze. "And yet, she has defeated you, Damaris. She has stopped you where no one else would dare."

Damaris burst into laughter again. "Do you really think that weak girl can hold me? You will see soon enough, Almera. When I am free, I will reduce to ashes everything you have built."

Almera remained unmoved by Damaris's threats. "Perhaps. But perhaps not. Your fall has been spectacular, Damaris, but it was inevitable. Accept it and spare yourself further suffering."

Damaris slowly rose, her chains clinking against the bars of her cell. "I will not die here, Almera. I will fight until my last breath to reclaim what is rightfully mine. And when I am free, I will have no rest until your house lies in ruins and you are at my feet, begging for your life."

Almera looked at her with a mixture of contempt and determination. A mocking smile then spread across her face: "Oh, I can already imagine you, Damaris. Your death will not be noble, oh no. You will be dragged through the streets, humiliated before the people you claimed to govern. Your body will be defiled, left on the sidewalks for everyone to see what you have become. And your burial? Oh, it will be delivered to the birds and to oblivion, as you deserve."

As she spoke these words, the prison began to tremble, the walls seeming to react to Damaris's growing rage. Her gaze turned dark, filled with devastating anger, and her sinister laughter filled the confined space of the cell.

Overwhelmed by fear at this manifestation of uncontrollable power, Almera quickly backed away from the bars, feeling the icy terror creeping along her spine. She made sure the golden chains had not been broken, a glimmer of relief crossing her gaze as she gradually regained her composure.

"You can laugh all you want, Damaris," she said in a trembling but determined voice, trying to conceal her fear. "But your end is inevitable. I have won."

Damaris's sinister laughter abruptly ceased, replaced by a look of disgust as she glared at Almera. "Are you done, Almera?" she spat. "Seeing your face any longer would make me sick. You're nothing but a walking corpse, you and your house."

Ignoring Almera's reaction, Damaris sat back with an air of disdain. "I no longer need your presence here. Leave this cell and wait patiently for the day I personally slit your throat."

Almera looked at Damaris with a mixture of contempt and amusement, letting out a cold laugh. "Still so sure of yourself, even in this desperate situation," she said with a cynical smile. "You're right about one thing, Damaris. Our political game ends here. But I hope your daughter will be more entertaining than you."

Without a backward glance, Almera headed towards the exit of the cell, leaving Damaris alone in the darkness.

And as Almera ascended the steps, Damaris's voice reached her like a roar.

"Damaris Zahad will make her grand return," she shouted. "Prepare yourselves because no one will be spared from her vengeance. And even if necessary, I will return from the dead."

She concluded her words with a mad and icy laugh.

Almera, who had stopped to listen, clenched her fists and hardened her expression. Upon reaching the guards, she ordered them, "Let no one enter this prison after me except the executioners on the day of the execution. This is an order from the new Negestat, Mervyln Zahad. Am I clear?"

The guards responded hastily and with trembling with a military salute. The mother matron's gaze was akin to a serpent whose venom would be deadly to them.

After scrutinizing the guards for a moment, Almera cast one last glance at the prison where the laughter of the deposed Negestat still echoed. Then, she turned away and left.

"Destroy me along with my house? Let me show you instead the skies where you'll be, the fall of House Zahad and the rise of House Yseris."