The Pinnacle Of Empire (Book 6) (42 page)

Endaquac cracked the door a bit, “May I enter? I think I left Her Majesty’s locket in here somewhere.”

“Certainly,” Saxthor said. “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced, Endaquac. We appreciate your taking such good care of Helgamyr.”

“I’ll help you look for it, Endaquac,” Tottiana said.

The maid entered and went to the back of the room where she’d stood before. Helgamyr stuck her head in the door behind her a moment later.

“Whatever has gotten into you, Endaquac?” the dowager asked.

“Mother, she left a locket of yours in here,” Tottiana said.

Helgamyr bolted forward onto the floor as the door flew open behind her. There stood a monstrous citrix. The giant rodent had three inch fangs dripping saliva, bulging red eyes, and claws like a bear. It scanned the room.

“Where are the guards?” Tottiana yelled.

“I dismissed them,” Helgamyr said, sobbing, “I didn’t want them to hear my apology.”

Saxthor grabbed for Sorblade, but it wasn’t at his side. The citrix’s stare now fixed on the emperor. It crouched and crept forward. Saxthor moved with restrained steps toward the door to his bedroom and dressing room, where the maid and Tottiana stood stunned. The citrix moved closer. It began to snarl. In a few steps, it would be within pouncing distance.

Tottiana grabbed a small dagger from the bookcase beside her. Endaquac backed into the next room as Saxthor followed in a mad dash for Sorblade
.
He heard the door slam behind him and turned to see Endaquac, staring at him.

No time for games, he thought. He turned, reaching for Sorblade when something stung him on his leg. He looked down to see a wisp of smoke as the pain shocked him. He was dizzy and began to feel faint. His limbs wouldn’t respond and he sank to the floor.

“Kill him now, you fool!” came a command from the broach the maid wore.

Endaquac hesitated, her arm extended slowly toward Saxthor.

“Now! Kill him now!” The voice said.

The door flew open, smashing back against the wall. Tottiana rushed into the room. “Saxthor!”

The hideous citrix leapt by the empress as she spun around behind the swinging door. Saxthor was numb, but still saw the monstrous rodent turn toward him. Endaquac appeared to shimmer. He thought it was his vision, but then the maid began to dissolve into the most disgusting mass of undulating flesh imaginable. It had eyes, barely any nose, and a crooked mouth with rotten teeth in total disarray. The body was hideously deformed; its limbs were barely recognizable.

“Father!” it screamed.

“I told you to kill him,” the voice from the broach on the floor said.

The citrix was poised to pounce on Saxthor when the thing that was Endaquac shot a blue bolt of pure energy at it. The creature ducked and the charge struck Tottiana, standing dumbfounded at the door. The empress collapsed.

Nearly paralyzed, Saxthor tried to scream for his wife when Memlatec bolted into the room and killed both the citrix and Endaquac with wizard-fire. The wizard stepped around the blob and over the citrix to Saxthor, who was just beginning to recover from his paralysis. Memlatec helped him up and he stumbled to Tottiana, falling down beside her.

“Tottiana, my dearest, you’ll be all right. We’re getting help. Memlatec will save you. Hold on, my heart.”

Helgamyr stumbled to the door, clutching the frame and, seeing her daughter dying, collapsed on the floor.

“Tottiana, hold on for me. Don’t leave me,” Saxthor cried. He lifted her up and pulled her to him, wrapping both arms around her weakening body.

“You are my heart, my only love,” Tottiana mumbled. Her arms fell limp beside her.

“Tottiana! Don’t leave me. I’m lost without you.” He hugged her, holding her head to his then looked into her eyes where he saw her fading.

“Kiss me once more,” Tottiana whispered.

Saxthor kissed his bride until he felt no response. He looked at her; she was gone. His throat seized up, tears welled up in him. He closed her eyes as grief swallowed him holding his limp heart in his arms.

* * *

Traveling east along the Tixosian Sea coastline, Xthilleon mumbled to himself.

“What’s that you say, master?” Morphenius asked.

“If I can’t destroy you, Saxthor, I can still take my revenge on your dynasty,” the wizard mumbled again to himself. “I’ll have my revenge.”

Servants carried Helgamyr to her bed where she remained for two months. At first, she drifted in and out of consciousness. Finally, she woke up and, after verifying the nightmare she’d seen with her ladies-in-waiting, sat up in bed. Though very weak, she refused food and she dressed in black, head to toe. Leaning on the Countess de Clagren, she made her way to Saxthor’s suite.

“Knock on the door, Countess; beg the emperor’s mercy that I might speak with him,” the broken dowager said.

“Imperial Majesty, Dowager Helgamyr begs an audience if you would be merciful and spare her a moment,” the countess said.

Saxthor came to the door and opened it himself. He took Helgamyr’s arm, led her to a chair, and eased her into it. “Helgamyr, I’m glad you’ve come back to us. I was worried about you.”

Helgamyr was shocked, seeing Saxthor’s haggard pallor. He’d aged ten years. “The ladies told me you came to check on me daily, I’m most appreciative, Imperial Majesty.”

“Saxthor, do call me, Saxthor, Helgamyr.”

“I’m mortally ashamed to come into your presence, Saxthor. I know you can’t forgive me for all the sorrow I’ve caused. My meanness has brought this unbearable pain on everyone. I’m a petty, old woman, bitter, and vengeful. I’ve come to tell you I’m requesting my father allow me to retire to Velstorbokkin to live out my life in seclusion where the sight of me won’t cause you more pain.”

Saxthor took Helgamyr’s hand. “Helgamyr, this has been your home for more than half your life. You need not leave us now. Mistakes are made; none of us are perfect. You’re still family here. Engwan is brooding, he needs you, especially now, as do I. You should stay with us. We’ll all heal together as Tottiana would have wished.”

“You’re too kind, Saxthor. I wish I had known you better, seen the good in you as Tottiana did. That’s yet another regret that will burden me for the rest of my life. And Engwan…my ladies told me he hasn’t once been to see me since I collapsed. That’s all my fault too. I fostered his hatred to hurt you. I’ve destroyed everything.” She broke down sobbing, touching her cheek to Saxthor’s hand. Saxthor took her hand in both of his. The dowager nodded to her companion and the lady helped her rise. They left Saxthor standing alone, looking downcast.

They returned to Helgamyr’s suite, where she ate a light meal and slept another day. When she rose again, she summoned Engwan. It took a while for him to come.

“Engwan, I’ve been an unreasonable, old woman. I planted my hatred of Saxthor in you, and it wasn’t justified. Your father is a wonderful man. He loved your mother and took pity on me. I beg of you to release all your hatred, and anger, and reconcile with your father.”

Engwan listened, but his face remained in the frozen gaze. His look bore into his grandmother like a cold knife. “I’m Engwan, not his precious little Augusteros. One day, I’ll be emperor and erase all memory of Saxthor.”

“Engwan, you frighten me. Saxthor is your father and a good man. You should emulate him. He’s been a magnificent emperor,” Helgamyr said.

Engwan turned and walked out of the suite. He never returned to see her before Helgamyr departed for Velstorbokkin.

* * *

Empress Dagmar of the Graushdem-Sengenwhan Empire lingered for a while, but then, she succumbed to complications of the childbirth. She and Saxthor never saw each other again.

Emperor Grekenbach’s relatives raised the young Emperor Calamidese through regency. They instilled anger and resentment in the boy for Emperor Saxthor, whom they blamed for his father’s death and mother’s broken heart. The old animosity arose again to fester through future generations.

* * *

              King Zirkin visited Saxthor to bring him out of his mourning, but though the visit was much appreciated, Saxthor remained broken.

* * *

              Memlatec and Bodrin were the only people that could comfort the emperor. “Saxthor, my boy,” Memlatec said, “you’ve suffered so much, but you must remember your empire needs your guidance. Your parents count on you to uphold the dynastic responsibilities and to watch over your people. Don’t give in to this sorrow.”

              Saxthor emerged from mourning his wife and son, but he never had the zeal for life that drove him through his rise to the pinnacle of power. He loved his people and empire and devoted himself to promoting peace and prosperity. When his health began to fail, he called for his best friend, Bodrin, and his wizard mentors.

              “Have I done enough, Memlatec? Have I fulfilled my parent’s expectations?” Saxthor asked. “I hope I didn’t disappoint you or Tournak, or you, Bodrin.”

              Bodrin stepped to Saxthor’s bedside. “You’ve more than fulfilled everyone’s expectations, Saxthor.”

Memlatec nodded. “Indeed you have, my boy.”

“Not everyone’s expectations,” Saxthor said. He looked to the window, to the sound of arrows slamming into a target. Engwan was practicing his archery showing no concern for his father’s last hours. “Watch over him. I failed my son. I must leave him in your care.

“One more thing, I wish to be buried at Konnotan with my family there. My heart is to remain here with Tottiana.”

              Saxthor died at the age of seventy two, leaving his empire prosperous and peaceful. The lords of the empire and the Diem wanted Saxthor entombed at Engwaniria, but in the end, they agreed to abide by his wishes to be buried at Konnotan. His heart they buried beside Tottiana.

              Ancient Admiral Agros sailed from Olnak to bring his king home to rest. People from all walks of life stood along the route to Tarquinia and sailed along the Tixosian Sea, accompanying His Imperial Majesty home to his resting place.

* * *

              Engwan ascended the throne as Emperor Engwan V. The Diem and nobles requested the emperor designate Saxthor ‘the Great’ and rename Engwaniria, Saxthoria. The reception was unmistakably cold, and the delegation was summarily dismissed.

              Engwan was estranged from his people, surrounding himself with hangers-on from the nobility. Taxes rose to support the emperor’s pleasures. Before long, Engwan’s favorites replaced Saxthor’s ministers. Engwan first dismissed Memlatec, banning him from the empire. He went into the west with the last of the Powterosian elves. Tournak died soon after, leaving the fledgling Meklin as court wizard. Bodrin retired to his estate with Tonelia. Corruption soon followed, filtering into the fabric of government, petrifying the bureaucracy.

              Prince Nindax only survived Saxthor by three years. His son inherited his father’s bitterness with the throne. On Emperor Engwan’s death, the Prince of Senoshesvas declared himself King of Senoshesvas once again. He began rebuilding the kingdom’s military.

              In the reign of Saxthor’s great grandson, Emperor Engwan VII, a small squabble arose between him and the Graushdem-Senoshesvasian emperor, Grekenbach VI. An unknown wizard had appeared at court, winning the emperor’s devotion with mysterious achievements. The wizard encouraged the hostilities, fanning the spark into flames of open war. Grekenbach VI and Nindax III formed an alliance and the flame spiraled into continental conflagration.

*

              The end came all too quickly when dragons once again flew from Dreaddrac’s core. Men hadn’t seen a dragon in their memory. None knew how to confront them. The war quickly overwhelmed the decaying Powterosian Empire; the imperial armies retreated everywhere. The last Powterosian emperor, Engwan VII, led his grand imperial army out to confront the forces of the Graushdem-Sengenwhan Empire at Konnotan in Neuyokkasin. The wizard Xthilleon, with his dragons, led the invading forces. At Ossenkosk Palace in Engwaniria, Empress Isticleesha anxiously awaited news of the battle.

              “Your Majesty must prepare to abandon the capital and seek refuge further south in the provinces!” said the trembling chatra. “Perhaps you can raise another army there, but you must rally your people that are so despondent now.” The jumpy minister glanced at the window when sounds of frantic military activity mingled with the resonances of terror from the civilian population, fleeing the doomed capital.

              An exhausted messenger, bloodied and near death, had arrived the week before with the news that the Graushdem army, with Xthilleon at its head, had annihilated the last Grand Imperial Army and Emperor Engwan with it.

              “What news from Konnotan?” the empress asked from the throne. Her voice had been serene and her composure controlled, though a slight tremor in her hand had betrayed her terror at the impending total collapse of the empire.

“With the last imperial army defeated, the dark legions of the peninsula descended on Konnotan, sacked it and enslaved the inhabitants they didn’t put to the sword,” the chatra had said.

This day, Meklin, the court wizard entered the throne room. “There is more grim news, Your Majesty,” “My eagle reports that Konnotan is mostly smoking rubble. The last citizens are in chains. He only saw a handful of survivors making their way here. There is no hope the emperor survived the slaughter.” The wizard bowed slowly at the finality of the news.

The shocked audience in the throne room froze in silence at the magnitude of the catastrophe. As they recovered, they fled the audience chamber for their palaces to prepare to abandon the capital and flee to the distant provinces at the southern tip of the empire. Only the palace guards remained to protect the empress in Ossenkosk. There was no defense left as the empire dissolved into chaos and panic.

General Ogdin, Commander of the elite palace guards, rushed against the tide of fleeing courtiers to the throne. “Your Majesty must escape the city immediately.”

“What news now?” Empress Isticleesha asked. Her brow wrinkled at the horror she saw on the general’s face.

“Majesty, the dragons Dindor and Magwich have incinerated the villages just beyond the imperial valley. There is no resistance. The dragons can fly here in a matter of hours from those villages. I beseech you to flee as quickly as possible while there is still time to escape.” The general’s lips were trembling.

Old General Ogdin was the most senior of the emperor’s generals. His experience in battle began before the emperor and empress were born. Engwan had appointed him commander of the palace guards to defend the imperial family to the end. The stone hard look of absolute self-confidence on the general’s face was all anyone had seen in living memory. Panic now replaced it.

“Where shall we flee to, General?” Isticleesha asked. Her tone was solemn despair. “Where is there left to hide?”

The general’s adjutant rushed into the nearly deserted throne room without waiting to ask permission. “General! The Dragons Dindor and Magwich are circling the city, flaming the refugees escaping through the southern gate for Mendenow. The enemy army can be heard marching this way from the city walls.”

Wizard Meklin, come with me,” the empress said. “The rest, go, save yourselves if you can.” She rose up from the throne and led the wizard through the palace to the Empress’s Tower at the center of the private imperial apartments. They hurried to the innermost vault there, where she dismissed the guards. Within were the most treasured heirloom possessions of the empire. Hastening past the priceless gold and silver objects and the jewel-encrusted state symbols of power, the empress went to the case protecting the most important literary works of the empire. There, she selected the three scrolls that chronicled the empire as written by the revered Wizard Memlatec before he had withdrawn from the court and sailed into the west.

With Meklin’s help, she wrote the last entries in the third scroll. They told of the final battles. She finished the entries a day later as the enemy troops were scaling the very walls of Ossenkosk Palace. The dragons had repeatedly circled the city, snorting flames that burned the city’s marble walls, reducing them to lime and ash. Ruthless invaders spread through the city streets crushing the last pockets of resistance. Trolls ran after the remaining, terrified citizens, who had stayed too long with nowhere to go. Ghouls waited in the shadows outside the ruins to feast on the dead and dying at sunset.

“Use your magic to seal the chest, Meklin,” The empress said, putting the scrolls in the cypress box left for them by Memlatec.

The two could hear the terrifying screams of the last of her devoted servants in the palace below. Finding little resistance, savages stormed through the palace halls, ransacking the most sacred of the empire’s treasures. Suddenly, empress and wizard heard them coming up the stairs of the Empress’s Tower.

The wizard put the scrolls in the chest. Isticleesha dropped in her husband’s imperial state seal he’d left with her in case of his demise. Meklin lowered in the dragon ring with magic and wrapped the chest in copper, then fused it with magic as he was foretold to do when the time came by his father before him. Two huge barbarians smashed in the door to the tower vault, but the wizard and empress were gone.

The wizards had used powerful wizard-fire too frequently in the battles. Days before, reports filtered in that the Tixosian Sea was beginning to boil. Earthquakes had rumbled increasingly through the war. The mega volcano that was Powteros awakened. The tectonic plates shattered as they had slightly once before when Memlatec raised Helshia. This time their world shuddered. There was a blast followed by billowing smoke and flames then the whole of Powteros rose, rippling on a bed of lava, and plunged abruptly into the boiling sea.