Tricked

Night fell over the valley and no surrender flag was waved. Livie heaved a heavy sigh.

Part of her wanted this cleanly done without bloodshed, but the curious side of her wanted to know just how much damage her brother's minions could do in their new forms. What better way to test this than an all-out battle?

Yet this would likely be no battle at all. Her creatures were much stronger than mundane humans. This would be a slaughter.

"Do we wait for moonrise?" Livie's assistant, Fechin, asked.

Other than herself, he was the only other human among the crowd.

After Renat's daring escape, many of the humans who had been captives in the camp ran for dear life while the creatures had been out searching for the prince.

Knowing that the camp was about to attack, it had become too frustrating and costly to track down all her servants, so she had turned the rest of the humans left behind into abominations…or simply let them die in the process.

It had added numbers to her army and allowed her a little more opportunity to observe the change which occurred through wounds versus through the water.

The changes were fundamentally the same, though the transformation that occurred from being wounded was arguably more painful.

Drinking the potion internally led to much swifter results. Taran would find this information most valuable.

With this new development, which they had suspected before but Renat had confirmed, they could abandon their post in the far north and go on to the next phase of their plan.

That is, after the potion was perfected…

"Our troops can see in the darkness." Livie's mouth curled slightly upwards.

"My lady?" Fechin was not sure how her comment answered his question.

"We will move in before moonrise. If I learned anything from my late fiancé, it was the importance of playing to your strengths." Livie pressed her lips together as she remembered the dark haired man.

"Lord Charmant was a good man," the assistant said as he bowed his head.

"Alas, I will never get to know, will I? I must solely take your word like the war took him and my elder brother." Livie gritted her teeth.

The charming young lady had been engaged to the duke by her father's, Baron Gauss's, order. Charmant had become infatuated with the woman after seeing Livie escort the patriarch of the family to a party.

When the duke died in Cafer's war, somehow it was Livie's fault in her father's eyes for not marrying him sooner.

For although Livie inexplicably inherited the Duke's possessions and wealth, she did not get his title. Until the woman was able to secure herself a better station and title, Baron Gauss wanted nothing more to do with her. That is to say: until Livie was a duchess, she was not to show her face again.

But there was more than one way to become a duchess, and more than one way to gain power. Baron Gauss did not realize the ambition he had released.

Fechin sympathized with his mistress. All those who served Duke Charmant had been given the opportunity to serve Lady Livie or find new employment.

Only the faithful assistant had decided to continue his master's legacy by giving his aid in helping to avenge his death. While he didn't like the method, he could respect the result. For Charmant's sake, Fechin would see this through to the end.

"Lord Charmant was a very good man indeed," he repeated with conviction. The assistant balled his fist. "His death was untimely."

"Yes, and now so will Her Majesty's be. Though I am very certain I shall not feel a bit of sadness at Aurora's death. She has cost me too much to spare her even a tear." Livie clicked her tongue and looked out at the dark valley.

The bowl in which Oblivion was situated was even darker than the starlit hillsides. But darkness was the abominations' friend. Squinting, she could see a wolf scurrying up the slope towards her on all fours.

The wolf with the heterochronic eyes came and bowed hastily. "My Lady!" Collyn spoke quickly but respectfully. "A woman with fiery hair has been spotted on the battlement looking this way."

"Aurora is not that foolish, surely." Livie tried to make sense of the news that Collyn brought.

"Her Majesty is not known for staying hidden. Perhaps she wants to face you herself..." Fechin suggested.

Livie shook her head. "That is foolish indeed." Turning to Collyn, she began her orders. "See if one of the archers can take her down, if you cannot get a clear shot, then you and two others scale the wall and finish her. With the head of the snake cut off, getting to the little prince should be much easier."

"Yes, my lady." Collyn disappeared into the shadows to complete his task.

"What about the rest of us?" Fechin asked humbly.

Livie turned to her faithful assistant. "Get ready to move. Our moment is about to arrive."

-------------------

The all encompassing darkness of the deep valley made Collyn feel right at home. He along with an archer and two of the most agile abominations--one wolf and one lizard--moved silently along the muddy slope.

It wasn't easy. The ground was slick, but the claws on the creatures' back feet gave them an advantage that even the best shoes could not. Still, crossing the valley unseen was no small task.

The four combatants neared the wall of Oblivion and froze. They waited to see if the alarm would be raised, but everything stayed silent at the top of the battlement.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, as the scout had reported, a slender woman with fiery hair appeared at the top of the wall flanked by two guards.

Collyn had never seen the Empress in person, but he knew a regal bearing when he saw one. He motioned for the archer to take a shot.

The lizard woman narrowed her eyes and drew her bow. Precious seconds passed as she aimed between each gap in the crenellations.

But it was no use. She lowered her bow. "The guards are blocking my shot," she said sadly.

"Of course she would use human shields," Collyn scoffed. "No matter. We will get her."

The second lizard and wolf each grunted quietly. Unlike the archer, who was remaining cold and calculating to make her shot, the other three creatures were brimming with bloodlust.

The sensation threatened to overtake them if they did not act soon. The second wolf, knowing the time had come, surged forward in a fit of excitement.

He latched onto the wall, digging deep into the mortar of the thick stone fortress. The thrill of the hunt was on.

While the archer stayed in the shadows to monitor the path of the Empress, Collyn and the second lizard gave into the thrill of the chase.

The power surging through their veins made them feel invincible. But the human part of them kept them close to the wall. Invincibility was only an illusion.

Something the Empress was about to learn firsthand.

Shrouded in the shade of the tenebrous wall, the three abominations climbed swiftly to their destination. It was a perilous climb, but the creatures showed no fear or signs of wavering.

Death and destruction flooded their minds, even if that death ended up being their own. They were going to fight.

Reaching the top of the wall, Collyn waited for a signal from the ground before leaping onto the battlement. The lizard archer was supposed to let him know when the Empress was passing their spot as she paced.

Every inch of Collyn seethed with rage. His muscular body rippled as his hair stood on end.

With his heightened senses, he could feel someone drawing near. The scent was similar to the one that Livie had asked him to sniff out earlier in the day, yet not exact. Before he could process the information, the wolf beside him snarled.

The silver wolf leapt from beside Collyn onto the battlement, unable to contain his enthusiasm. The element of surprise was suddenly lost.

Releasing a low growl, the wolf with mismatched eyes finished his ascent alongside his lizard comrade. The silver wolf was already engaging his claws against the two guards' swords. The massive monster was already bloodied, but he did not seem to care.

Collyn leapt over the two swordsmen, allowing himself access to the woman behind him. Red began to take over his vision as thoughts of the coming murder flooded his thoughts.

But the last bit of consciousness he had recognized that the woman before him looked...wrong. She was much too old to be the Empress and her eyes, they were not the famous color which the Empire lauded. On her face, the lady wore a knowing grin. There was no fear in her eyes. Which could only mean one thing...Anger welled up in Collyn.

This woman was a fraud. He had been tricked. But it was too late.

Collyn's vision went crimson.