Once the empress and emperor are back in their roost, Captain Adumbra wrestles with Lieutenant Vayav, as they both emerge from the hallway shadows.
"Let me go Devadas, we are supposed to protect Little Brother." Using her own dark energy, her own life force, to fortify her bodily strength and size.
“He gave us a direct order. His plan just saved a lot of lives.” His body lifts off the ground as Adumbra grows taller, fighting to keep her held.
“I don’t think selling his soul to that demonic entity was part of His Divine Plan.” Her shadows surge across her body while they roll, she breaks from his hold and pushes him off of her.
“Triplet Brother, Brother Custodio is no longer with us, The safety of the Blood of the Black Lotus falls to us.” She restores herself to her normal size as she jumps to her feet and offers her talon out to help him up. “I need your help Aw’ro. I cannot do this holy mission alone.”
Devadas takes a hold of Adumbra’s talon and rises as he speaks with a quiet sorrow. "I don't think we can, even together, Aw'is."
Captain Adumbra walks over towards the nestery, opening the drape-door as she tilts her head for him to follow. “We can. We should have intervened.”
Lieutenant Devadas follows his captain, taking the drape after her as they walk through, then letting it fall behind his wings. “And done what? Died and left him alone with her? Did you forget what happened last time we intervened?”
Adumbra turns around and grabs Devadas by the shoulders. “Brother, you are the warrior priest among us. Where is your faith?”
“My faith just sold His soul. And you should be careful not to call Her a you know what.”
Adumbra looks back toward him with silence. She releases his shoulders then turns to walk over to Kurai. Leaning over the bassinest, swirling darkness as Koriath had done, she is able to feed her.
Devadas walks over to check on the other royal hatchling, tasting the fear in the air that they both haunt. As he lowers his talon into Princess Phantisma’s bassinest he looks up at Adumbra, taking her silence as an opening to continue.
His tone is firm but speaking in a hush. “Advisor Muertes will resign and move out the night we fall, as she should. That would leave him with one last friend, however the Guardian of Light cannot enter our world. The empress will not let them meet each other anymore. Not after what happened last time.”
“She won’t just kill us…” Adumbra interrupts him as she wipes her tears on her bicep while feeding Kurai. “...She will do what she did in the garden."
Devadas nods silently as he tries to feed the little hatchling, but she closes her eyes and mouth. Seeing that she does not take to his energy, he gently rocks her in his arms instead.
"We are more than just royal guards, Triplet Brother. Our souls are free from demonic magics thanks to Former Empress Karasu Iku. Next time, we need to be brave. We cannot let Little Brother stand alone anymore. It is not what we promised Divine Mother. How would she react if she saw her son and grand-childlings being treated like this?"
He looks at the two hatchlings, then back at his captain. “I do not want to run into her in the afterlife with these failures on our talons, nor can I stand to see Little Brother continue this way…To die trying then?”
Kurai stops feeding, Adumbra ceases her energy and lays her down gently. Raising her head from the cradle to him. "No Devadas, to die succeeding. That is why-”
Their conversation is snuffed by a deep energetic pain, full of sorrow. Painting the wood, flowing in from Koriath's tear stained path.
Devadas walks to Adumbra, gently transferring Phantisma into her arms. Swallowing his fear, he whispers to her. "I'm going to perform a welfare check."
Adumbra nods, Vayav walks out of the nestery toward the royal roost loft. Adumbra delicately places the frail hatchling in her own bassinest, then follows Devadas out into the hall.
He motions for her to wait. She takes post in the hall just outside the nestery threshold, then starts briefly investigating the steps and smears found in the black salt.
Devadas activates his communication gauntlet to Empress Malencia's direct line. I hope she still has her armor on. While he walks over to their drapery door, the painful sorrow increases in gravity.
Malencia's communication gauntlet activates with the Lt's voice coming through. "Forgive the direct communication, Your Umbral Grace. It's Lt. Devadas Vayav, I felt a terrible energy. Are you alright my Empress?"
"Vayav? Ah yes Vayav." Malencia's voice is artificially sweet as she raises her forearm, speaking to him on her communication gauntlet. Unlike the standard issue general’s gauntlet, hers is a talon forged custom. The jewel smith’s crafting reflects ardent love and devotion at the time of its design and creation.
"It really warms a lady's heart to know she has such loyal guardsmen at her disposal. Loyal like you." She casts a haughty expression over her husband as she speaks.
Koriath is on his knees with his wings fallen back lifelessly. His head and arms lean over their bath. Like a withering flower hanging over this carved stone pool. Struggling to remain silent as he cries.
The bath itself, parades the deep hued desecration of a holy night. His midnight blue ether oozes out from deep, vein stinging gashes. Tears and blood like ether stream into the slow dripping spa water. Floating in the mix, perfumed flower-heads. Colors of scarlet red wine entwine with his deep blue. This marriage, an abyssal violet.
"Yes ma'am." Devadas's voice in the hall, responds to the empress.
Then he silently speaks in lip to the captain. I think I hear crying. Not sure.
Waltzing over to Koriath, running her talon gently through his long raven hair. "Well thank you for being so loyal Vayav.” She starts playing with Koriath’s hair, wrapping her fingers between his locks. “I have to go. My husband has been so kind as to draw me a bath after a hard night's victory."
She pauses, her tone shifting like the most sinister of sirens. Pulling her husband’s hair violently. "Unless you want to join us."
Koriath winces his eyes in pain as he cuts off her sentence, trying not to throw up on his own words. "My loving Goddess, the lieutenant is off duty. Earlier, all guards and employees were dismissed for the night."
"Did you get that order Lieutenant?” She smiles at Koriath.
Awe, he cleared the house just for me? He did miss me afterall, what a sweet flower. I should have been more gentle, yet the battle was unsatisfying. I need my fun, and no flower cries such an intoxicating perfume when crushed than my little Moonflower.
Devadas turns his head to Adumbra, she shakes her head no. I'm still "looking" for you. She lip speaks.
"No Ma'am." He answers swiftly.
Then they both hear Koriath from Malencia's coms. "Goddess of my soul, please, relax. You have worked hard enough tonight. Allow me to dismiss him myself."
Back inside their spa room, Malencia smirks with cruel pleasure. "Lt Vayav, your emperor will be right with you."
I wonder how much more decadent nectar I can squeeze out of him … Oh I could sip his sweet tears and suffering all night. She clicks her communicator off. “Kori, if you can't make him leave quickly, I'll light some candles and have him over for dinner. Understand?"
He nods his head wearily. She grabs him by his shoulders, lifting him up off the ledge of the bath. Weak and sitting back, he wraps his arms in darkness to stop the oozing. She leaves briefly to bring one of his ceremonial, silken waist robes to him. She pulls him up, he leans on her as he continues to stop his bleeding.
She fastens his robes around him, then walks him out of their spa room into their bedroom. She supports his body up until the ornate drape door, steps behind him and fixes his hair, then releases him.
"I'm going to take off my armor and get ready. Meet me back in our bath." Malencia whispers in his ear, then kisses his cheek.
Koriath tries not to pass out where he stands as he draws the heavy fabric door open. Struggling through the threshold as the purple drape falls behind him.
Devadas stands just a speaking space outside the drapeway, he lip speaks to his emperor. "Are you alright sir? We felt your energy."
Koriath shakes his head no in response while saying, "Lt Vayav, I dismissed all the royal guards tonight. That includes the two Umbral Guards."
"What is she doing to you?" Devadas continues lip speaking, noticing that his Little Brother’s skin is pale as death and grey as dread, instead of the lively crow-egg blue.
Koriath unfolds his dark energy around his arms, purposely reopening the gashes to show them while doing his best to push back tears. "I dismissed you all because my wife was returning home tonight." He seals up his wounds, again wrapping them in black misty wisps.
Faces of Adumbra and Devadas fall horrified. Adumbra’s expression screams in silence "Koriath! No!"
"I want to be alone with her." Koriath’s eyes strain. He speaks to them in lip, making it seem like he is taking a pause.
"Do not worry about me, are my princesses alright?"
"Yes, both are in stable condition.” Devadas also signs.
Adumbra simply lips the word “Safe.”
Koriath reads both of them quickly, hiding his relief. "Vayav, you should return to the guards’ office. Ossifragus might be waiting for you there."
Then he lip speaks to them again. "Get out of here and take them with you both. You two are the only ones in this realm that I trust them with. They are your mission. Please, my friends, protect them at all costs in my absence."
"Yes, Dark Shepherd. Right away." Devadas bows his head.
Thank you, you both are gods-sent. He smiles weakly, but with love. Tears with a sparkle of hope in his garnet eyes as he watches Devadas make his way, Adumbra immediately enters the nestery.
My heart can rest knowing that they are safe, now I can focus on enduring this night. One soul is a small price to pay for saving them. Tonight my last hopes and dreams are safe with the gods and my beloved friends, my most magnanimous battle siblings.
Koriath turns to lift the heavy drape, then trudges his way back to Malencia. As he enters their roost again, he sneaks his way to a mini bar toward the back of the room. He ducks his talon into its back cabinet. Grabbing a deep purple liquid stored in a crystal decanter in the shape of a conical seashell.
He takes the lid off and drinks deeply as if the sound of his chugging is the sound of a cry for aid. Yet just as swiftly, he recaps the glass and places it away.
No, she will smell the alcohol on my breath. No telling how she will react if I do not bring her something as well.
He opens a drawer by its silvery handle, where all her things for making tea are. He quickly begins setting things up. When he is done, he reaches into a drawer and pulls out a tray, as well as some dried herbs and edible flowers that he haphazardly sprinkles around.
Who am I trying to fool?
Koriath then grabs the decanter again and from out of the cupboard, a small matching chalice no bigger than a brandy glass,.
I am going to need all the help I can get for my heart to survive this night.
Quickly he arranges a his and her refreshment tray once the tea is ready, then takes it into his talons and carries it into their spa room.
He blindly walks into the room as the drape lands over his eyes. Malencia looks up at him from within the flowery, steamy, blood bath with a soft smile. Koriath timidly sets the tray on the serving ledge of their bath, which is an incline with a shallow edge so that snacks and drinks have water around them, but not in them.
“Awe isn’t that just adorable of you. I was worried for a moment that this perfect night would be ruined by me having to hunt you down again.”
“I am here to serve my goddess.” Trying to disguise the deep remorse in his voice from her, it manifests as indifference.
“You could serve me better by disrobing and getting in the water with me.” Her smile and tone is that of a siren who has locked her eyes on prey.
Falling into a horrific silence, his eyes search hers for the salvation of release. Hers only grip his soul with an otherworldly vile gravity. His body shakes as his gaze is caught by her opening arms.
“Or just jump as you are, my talons will do the rest.” Her wings spread with her arms, like the welcoming, ever calling crushing abyss of a deep dive into the sea.
“I may be wayward and foolish at times, but I am not such a wayward fool to jump.” He stares solemnly into her eyes.
“If you are truly here to serve your goddess, you better get in here quickly. I would hate for your blood to run cold.” She snickers. “It might make me seek fresher, warmer blood.”
A particular memory screams as it flies by Koriath’s vision. Do this for your princesses. Spill your soul, not theirs. You are nothing, they are everything. They are my everything. By destroying myself, they are saved.
He opens his wings wide, in the shadows of darkened candle sconces, his wings give off a surreal glimmer, a black composed of a symphony of deep and dark rainbow hues. He turns his back around for Malencia, with wings on full display, not of dominance but of surrender.
She swims up to the tray he left, pouring herself a cup of tea as she watches him create a dance of disrobing.
His tears hit the flooring with every beat from the drum of his breaking heart. His talon claw softly dings the metal ring of the eggsling scarved over his chest.
The dancing display of his wings becomes mechanical as his talons grip tight to the cloth. He brings it to his face and nuzzles it, sobbing silently. My princesses, I am sorry.
When he finally turns his bare flesh to face her, the sclera of his eyes almost matches Kurai’s irises.
Malencia places her empty teacup on the tray, then pours him a drink. Her talon claws clinking the glass ever so delicately as she uses her upper arms to puff out her breasts, placing his drink in between them.
He freezes where he stands, she summons him forward with a bat of her eyelashes and a warning in her brows.
Koriath closes his eyes, his body tenses tightly as he forces himself to step forward, trying to instead imagine being with his new-hatchlings.
“Moonflower, eyes open.”
In silence he opens his eyes. He stops walking just outside the cursed bath water’s touch. She flaps her wings, a small ripple, but in the inclined entrance is a wild wave to Koriath, one that his toelans barely evade as it crashes at him.
“Will you at least grant me the dignity of getting in on my own?”
“Dignity? How can you expect me to grant you such grace when you are taking far too long.”
She removes his drink from her chest, setting it back down on the tray. Then she rises from the water with her wings puffed for combat, violet water drips from her pale chiseled frame in a display of intimidation.
“I suppose you really do not wish to devote yourself to me. Fine, keep your freedom. I will clear your schedule so that you may grieve.” She starts to make her exit.
For them. All is for them. I am nothing. With one toelan in front, the other behind, he folds his wings in. His powerful burst of speed is like a professional runner as he speeds into the bath toward her.
Her face twists with delight as he tackles her into the bath. The two of them now submerged in each other’s grasp.
Koriath uses his body to keep Malencia’s from hitting the stone, then lifts her to the surface first, she pulls him up with her. He takes her talon in his and starts kissing it, working his way up her arm.
“I am right here. Freedom is devotion to you my love, my goddess.” Please let this work.
She holds his chin in her other talon, lifting him from her shoulder toward her lips. “Your theatrics really had me going there.”
~~~
She slowly withdraws her lips from his and wraps both her arms around his neck. They gaze into each other’s eyes with a smile. Koriath’s is empty as Malencia’s is filled with vile.
“Such a good husband, father, and sovereign you are my little Moonflower. You’ll be my favorite devoted one. Welcome to your new faith.”