The Broken Sigil

Chapter 18: Torture

   Isidora walked inside the palace of Celvin castle, beside her was Raoulin and two other soldiers from the White City escorting them.

    “It’s a nice palace,” Isidora looked around, the palace or the throne room of Celvin castle had a simple design, not that it wasn’t great it was… but it was simple it was tall, really tall, its roof was a dome, it had white walls and checkered white and black marble tiles, arched wooden windows, and columns made of wood that held the whole thing together.

    “It is…” confirmed Raoulin. “You did a great job capturing it,” he praised her.

    “No…” she responded leaving Raoulin confused as they stopped midway. “This castle… Do you want it?” she asked him.

    “My queen?” he wasn’t sure he understood her correctly.

    “I am giving it to you, as a prize.”

    “My queen I…” he got on his knees bowing down to her. “I don’t know…”

    “Don’t think of it as a prize, you’ve captured it after all, and now it’s yours, you shall manage it and run it as you see fit, now rise,” he got and looked at her.

    “Thank you, my queen,” he nodded and looked at the soldiers that stood behind them. “Get us some wine! We need to celebrate,” he ordered them as the soldiers just nodded and walked away to get the wine. “Over here…” he pointed towards the table that had a map of Oniphere. Both of them walked towards the table as Raoulin leaned on the table and placed a wooden figure of a soldier from the White City on the map, he placed it on top of where Celvin was drawn out.

    “Now that Celvin is ours, we can go ahead and plan our next move,” he looked at her as she moved closer to the table and looked at the map.

    “Before we go to Everpeak, we should secure Steampeak, their technology would help us vastly in our conquest,” she looked at him.

    “With all due respect my queen… Going after Steampeak would make us sitting ducks in the middle, we are now surrounded by our enemies,” he pointed at the map. “Yimeon could attack us from the south, and Everpeak could attack us from the north, Steampeak would just have to hold us off until the alliance that Alfred formed comes together,” explained Raoulin, Isidora just smiled and was not concerned at all, why should she be? Because she had a plan as she went deep inside her thoughts and remembered what happened last night, a little conversation that she had with a friend of hers.

JJJ

    A whooshing sound echoed behind Marcus as he remained still starring at the army that he managed to rise from the dead and starring at Lucius who was running away scared for his life on his horse. Isidora who had just teleported using the golden armor looked at the undead army and it brought joy to her face as she smiled.

    “You did great… Professor,” she stood beside Marcus, as he just grunted and didn’t say a word. “Now then,” she looked at him. “There’s a world to conquer, and I need you to be a good boy, all you have to do is keep our enemies in check,” she smiled as she tapped him on the shoulder, he didn’t react as he just stared at her blankly, as if he had no say in the matter as if his life force was drained out of him. “I trust that you would do… admirably?” she smiled again and vanished instantly teleporting to another location.

JJJ

    She became present again with her thoughts as she looked at Raoulin and smiled, she, of course, was never going to tell him that she had the ability to teleport, well she had more abilities than teleporting, not that she didn’t trust him or didn’t want him to know but it was more that he wouldn’t be able to understand, after all, Raoulin was coming from a primitive civilization, much more primitive than hers at least, and one day hopefully he will catch up, but for now she thought better of it.

    “There’s an old ally, that will watch our backs while we are on this conquest, he will take care of Yimeon,” she pointed on the map as she took a figure of a soldier and placed it right before Yimeon not just there yet. “And you know Francis, you know he is afraid to make a move,” she looked at him as he just nodded, he did in fact know Francis after all they were together at the academy, and she was right Francis was indeed scared of making a move or at least he wouldn’t make one until he got advice from the northern council but when that counseling is over Steampeak could fall in their hands and from there is just a short trip to Everpeak, and with the technology that Steampeak has developed these past couple of years there was no way Everpeak could defeat them without Alfred’s alliance, upon who Isidora had a plan for the alliance as well.

    “I need you to trust me, it’s all I ever want,” she looked at him.

    “I do… I do trust you, my queen,” he bowed as Isidora stopped him, there was no need for that now, they turned and saw as the soldiers they sent for wine came back and handed them a nicely decorated vase filled with wine. Isidora took the vase and poured some wine into two silver goblets giving Raoulin one and the other one she took for herself. “Today we celebrate,” she raised the goblet. “Tomorrow we conquer the world, and then it’s just a short trip to defeating the Watchers,” she smiled as they clanked their goblets, Raoulin remained unfazed by what she just said, however, the same thing couldn’t be said about the soldiers that heard what she said, ‘Defeating the Watchers?’ the soldiers looked at each other and gulped.

    One man however did not share the same vision as them, one saw them as just two gullible and blind people, blinded by all of that arrogance that they had about them, blinded by the grand ambition that was farfetched, and even though it hurt he laughed and he laughed aloud. Isidora lowered the goblet and turned to her left, only to see that the man laughing was the prince that they captured as a prisoner of war, it was Frederic himself, they weren’t going to execute him just yet, he was too valuable Isidora had use for him just yet, whether she would brainwash him or use him as a bargaining chip remained to be seen, besides he was a good swordsman. She starred at him as Raoulin approached her and stood beside her.

    “We should spare him the misery,” he suggested, but Isidora ignored his opinion and just walked towards him, she leaned down since Frederic was beaten up bad he couldn’t stand on his feet, but he was still guarded by two soldiers nonetheless.

    “You find it amusing… You find it funny,” spoke Isidora, as she herself smiled. “Well do you know what? Lots of people found it funny, laughed at the idea of Celvin Castle falling to its enemies. It's impregnable, it’s a suicide… and yet here we are,” she looked around the throne room. “But…” she looked at him again. “You are yet to learn, oh… you are so young and naïve, it's you who is blind to the world outside, no wonder your brother doesn’t even want to speak with you,” she finished as Frederic got angry and jumped but instantly fell down on his face, the pain was unbearable as he screamed. “Oh… did I strike a cord?” Isidora kept smiling, his sudden outburst gave her the information she needed, he is quick to his emotions and almost gullible enough so that she could turn and twist his mind, she was sure of herself that he was going to be one of her soldiers, and who knows maybe one of the best. She pulled out a vial that contained a green liquid and waved it in front of Frederic’s face who could barely breathe from all the agony he was going through. “You know all that pain you are feeling, it could be relieved, it doesn’t have to hurt, and maybe there’s some kind of magic there that might make you immortal,” she looked at the vial. “It’s yours if you want it,” she handed him the vial. Frederic may not have seen eye to eye with his brother or even knew what his career was, but he knew enough about the Protectors and what they represent, he knew enough that sometimes a gift is not a gift it comes with a prize, and that black magic was forbidden, whatever that vial as it surely goes against their belief and law.

    “Screw… you…” he spoke quietly.

    “What was that?” she leaned closer because she could barely hear him as he picked up saliva and spat in her face it was more blood than it was saliva, she stood up as Raoulin handed her a handkerchief, she wiped her face and looked at the soldiers. “Take him to the dungeons, keep him alive force food down his throat, and for every wound that heals make a new one, let him constantly be under pain, he will break soon enough,” she finished as the soldiers nodded and heeded the order. They picked him up and the room echoed with his screams every touch hurt like hell, but they didn’t care, the pain was the only thing he would know until he breaks and accepts the potion that Isidora graciously offered to him. She threw the handkerchief away and angered she walked towards the table picked up the goblet and drank it bottoms up before slamming it on the table. “So… Everpeak!” she looked at the map where Everpeak was drawn out she grabbed the dagger that stood on the table lifted her hand and stabbed Everpeak. “We move at once!”

    “My queen the men, they are tired,” Raoulin tried to explain the situation as she walked towards him and stood really close to him he could hear her breath, she just stared at him, waiting for him to finish see if he has anything to say further, but what she was doing was freaking him out and maybe it was for the best to agree with her and remain quiet.

    “The men could rest on the way there,” she told him and walked past him leaving the throne room.