Into Hell
795 Words
Kontessa fell through the blackness, blackness so thick that it turned her stomach and twisted it into knots. Knots were made worse because she knew that she would be in her father's presence at the end of her journey, a place where even the Emperor feared to be. A metallic taste came to her mouth, suffering that she feared for her friends at her father's hands.
She landed.
The absolon tile floor seemed too cool, and then she realized she had broken out in a cold sweat. Kontessa had landed on all fours. She had to fight back the bile that threatened to explode out of her. When she came to her senses, she realized where she had landed, her father's throne room.
Both SunRue and Toyama cursed somewhere to her right.
"Leave them alone," she yelled, the bile fought back. When she tried to rise, a roughshod leather boot pressed down on her back, forcing her to the floor.
“Disarm her,” came her father’s voice. “Disarm all three.”
“Leave them alone, I said,” Kontessa repeated. “it’s me you want.”
“You’re in no position to order anyone,” her father said as her sword was removed from its scabbard. “Really, did you think you would come back, and all would be the same?”
"I came back because my mother threatened to kill another of my friends."
“Let her up,” Jacob Eldeman ordered.
Kontessa got to her feet to see the room filled with demons of every color. The court was packed. They all stared.
“You mean you didn’t come back because you missed your mother and me?"
Kontessa looked over at the crowd and saw her mother standing next to the captain of her guard. Her mother gave her a furtive glance, but other than that, she refused to meet her gaze. Instead, she laughed with the others. Betrayed. She had been betrayed. The sword probably did not even work.
“Now,” her father said. “now you will know pain. But I will not mar your perfect body. However, the one you will marry will have no such reservations. And you will marry him.”
“I will escape again,” she stated. “Let my friends go.”
"No, no, they will provide sport for your mother. Take them away."
Kontessa’s mind raced. What was she supposed to do?
“I demand duel by Right of Clan!”
A hush fell over the room. Kontessa's father, standing on the dais where his throne sat, took one step down. He let his gaze roam over the crowd, and Kontessa saw her mother's Captain whisper something in her mother's ear.
“What did you say?” Jacob Eldeman asked.
“You heard me,” she answered. “Give me back my sword. I demand a duel by Right of Clan.”
"Very well," he said. "Give my daughter back her sword."
He then went to the back of his throne, where his sword hung and drew it.
Kontessa received her sword from the demon who took it, and they faced off.
Jacob attacked with an overhead downswing.
Kontessa blocked and wondered why her sword did not shatter. Her arm went numb.
Jacob attacked again.
Again, Kontessa blocked. Barely.
Jacob let loose a flurry of blows, chasing Kontessa around the room.
But she blocked every one.
“You must not lose, Kontessa,” her mother exclaimed.
Each block gave Kontessa confidence in fighting this demon against her. A monster with two hundred more years holding a sword than her.
She took the offensive.
She swung.
He blocked with surprise written on his face.
She swung again.
He blocked. Only this time, she twisted the blade and made his sword dance away out of his grip.
She wasted no time. Not an instant.
She slashed down across his chest, and he turned to oily black smoke.
“Now,” yelled Captain Talise.
Instantly his men seized every weapon in the room.
The sounds of a minor struggle rang from outside the throne room.
It was over before it began.
***
A week's passing found Kontessa, SunRue, and Toyama aboard the Saki sailing south when the captain called Toyama. The Ronin looked through the spyglass to see a strange ship flying in the air some thousand yards away.
***
Aboard that ship, a taloned hand tapped a ball of pure crystal. In it, he saw three figures standing looking at his ship. These would be some of his champions in the coming battles between law and chaos. He saw a demon, black of skin and eyes, he saw a Ronin in grey Suki, and he saw a Geisha in a blue flowered Kimono.
- Writer
